History of Rare Plants

The all-mother earth brings forth ten thousand forms of sprouts,
Which she intends as a great remedy and delight for men:
These things, previously hidden in night, the highly-skilled
Clusius now accurately reveals in golden pages.
original Greek: "Mύρια μὲν βλαστῶν..." This poem by Ellebodius uses classical imagery to frame Clusius as a bringer of light to the "hidden" world of plants.

A Flemish physician and humanist scholar known for his translations of Greek texts.

As long as there shall be herbs, as long as there are flowering garlands,
The flourishing fame of Clusius’s book shall live.

Vertunien was a prominent French physician and close associate of the poet Ronsard.

As long as the scattered flowers and the beautiful greenery
Flourish from Clusius’s seed and his vigorous stock:
So far does the name of Clusius extend, and so his fame,
Renowned and spread through the open sky, shines with a blooming flower.

Le Coq, also known by his Latinized name Paschalis Gallus, was a French physician and bibliographer.

Medicine once suffered heavy pains,
And—alas!—she herself almost had need of doctors:
What could she do? After wandering as a vagrant through wandering lands,
She was led to the house of Clusius the Atrebatian.
Atrebatian refers to Arras, Clusius's birthplace.
Clusius, without delay, aids the sick woman with powerful herbs;
From this, Medicine herself brings forth healing hands.
From here also, the fame of Clusius has spread itself even to the furthest
Indies, flying through the learned mouths of men:
He knows your plants, O Europe, and yours, O America,
Whether they be yours, Africa, or yours, Asia;
And hence, Clusius is most widely known in the whole world—
That Clusius, the very eye of the Atrebatians.
Therefore, go forth boldly, little Book, and if by chance you are asked
Who the author is, it will be enough to say: it is Clusius.
This will be enough; without delay, the happy Book will be snatched up
By the hand, the eye, and the soul of the reader.