BOOK ONE.

...dry original: "ca." likely completing "sicca" from the previous page. In maritime ridges, with narrow leaves, it very often lacks fruit, root, and seed, having a soft stem and reddish flowers: it is of a cold and dry nature. In coastal areas washed by the tide, it has a shrub-like appearance, a low, downy stem, whitish leaves that are rounded and tender, a reddish seed, and is fragrant, yet hot and dry. But a plant nurtured in rich soil is of an ample, fat, and "cheerful" appearance, with a swollen, smooth, and very leafy stem, a round, thick, smooth leaf, and fleshy, soft fruit that has little wood inside; its complexion The specific balance of the four qualities (hot, cold, moist, dry) in a living thing is hot and moist. Conversely, a dweller of lean soil is of a meager and skinny appearance, with a sinewy, hairy stem, and foliage that is narrow, dissected, fringed, sinewy, and rough, with yellow flowers; it is hot, dry, and of a thin essence. One from moderate soil, however, is composed of the features and qualities of both. If it should grow in sandy ground, it is mostly lean, with a woody, meager, hairy stem, a tiny, hard leaf, and a hard, woody root that is hot and dry. Those growing in the spray-drenched edges of old walls or in rain-washed ruins have a woody stem, small, oblong, notched foliage, an unapparent scent, and are mostly sterile, possessing a cold and dry quality derived from the water and earth: for just as it grows more hot and dry in parched and sterile places, so its power is dulled when sown in water.

To this we add the effects of neglect and cultivation: for a wild plant is born with a crude and more somber appearance, with a meager, skinny, woody, angular, and sinewy stem, and hard, ridged, hairy, numerous, narrow, and notched foliage; it has a tiny flower of faded color and scent, a harsh fruit that is woody inside and fragrant, and a very hard, short root with remarkable powers, being cold and dry by nature. A "mild" meaning cultivated or domesticated plant, however, has a vivid, very pleasant, and "playful" look, with a fat, smooth, moist, and leafy stem, soft, thick, round, smooth foliage, a larger and more cheerful dark-green flower with a more vibrant "breath" scent or vapor, copious, sweet, and edible fruit, and a variously branched root; but its powers are weaker, being of a moist and hot nature, not unlike the "fat" type described above in its whole appearance. For a wild plant, when sated with the "food" of a rich and watery soil, passes into a moister and hotter quality; in the same way, through cultivation and being moved from its original places, it yields its former hot and dry nature. Finally, just as the human complexion is changed by an abundance of food and drink, so we do not hesitate to declare that the same occurs in plants due to the quality of the soil. Examples of this will be given most abundantly in the next book.

THAT THE POWERS OF PLANTS

can be recognized from their native soil.

Decorative woodcut initial 'E' depicting a figure in a classical landscape setting.From the locations on earth situated under the parallels where plants grow, diligent observers will be able to scrutinize internal secrets from the external appearance. But it is necessary to remember what was said previously in our physiognomonics Porta's 1586 work De humana physiognomonia, which argued that a person's character can be read from their physical features; and lest the reader be called back there, we have decided to repeat those points here. From the different climates of the sky, our ancestors inferred the different characters of men; for they determined that lineage and character were shaped according to the climates. Thus, they assigned a specific nature and specific mental propensities to a marked region, as it was necessary that whoever possessed such a body would also possess such a soul.

They held that human character varies according to the variety of climates and regions: thus, those who live in the South original: "Meridiei" would have curly hair, a short body, thinner legs, and a fickle and deceitful mind. Those who live under the North original: "Arcto" have an ample body, long hair, a white complexion, thick legs, flabby flesh, and are pot-bellied, but in mind they are wild, simple, and dull. In the middle regions, the signs and characters are likewise middling. Transferring these principles more precisely to our phytognomonics The art of discerning the medicinal properties of plants from their physical form and environment, we have divided habits and powers by climate, so that such powers correspond to such a region. A plant native to burning-hot places will have a parched and meager habit, with a slender and twisted stalk covered in rough skin, curly leaves, fragrant fruit, and a hot and vigorous faculty made of thin parts. That which rises under the North Wind original: "Aquilone" with a tall trunk, knotless, straight, and thick, with a long, smooth leaf and little or foul odor, numbs with sluggish powers, being of a cold and rigid nature. We must also speak of the site, for it acts as a substitute for the atmosphere: for plains, hills, and valleys change the "sky"...