On the Names of Plants

As for the rest, who are accustomed to rebuke everything, or at least to seize upon nothing but errors and faults, so that they might more successfully display the depravity of their mind—which is evil and is more affected by a certain connection to bad things than to good—I think they should be altogether ignored. But if these men continue to be entirely troublesome to us, we shall pray for this one thing for them: that they themselves might one day be forced to consume as much labor in a study of this kind as we have spent on the translation of these commentaries. Moreover, it will appear clearer than daylight (as I think) that it is not as easy to undertake one's own labors as it is to rebuke those of others. And I would not doubt that if they desired to benefit the Commonweal as much as they are prepared to rebuke those who strive for this according to their strength, they would judge the labors of others far more candidly. But let us leave these men to themselves, who do not allow themselves to be advised. Nor does it befit noble men to be delayed by their unfairness, which does not harm others more than it betrays itself.

Let us proceed to our purpose. For we have thought it worthwhile to set forth briefly, in place of a preface, what we have accomplished in this work and what we wish the candid reader to observe in our translation. First, therefore, let the most kind reader know that we have rendered in good faith (which we feel to be the duty of a translator) that which the German Commentaries contained; with nothing omitted, so far as I know, and indeed very few things changed. For we wished to change nothing, except where either order or clarity—two things which have great importance in every speech—seemed to require it. For a translator ought not to be so bound and tied to words that it is sometimes not permitted to depart from them, especially where the difference of languages and phraseology warns and urges us. Now, how much the German idiom sometimes differs from the Latin phrase, I think is obscure to no one who is skilled in both languages. Add to this that the author himself had given me the power of changing, subtracting, and correcting these commentaries according to the models of the most approved writers, especially regarding the nomenclatures. Although in another's book, I did not wish to take so much authority for myself, nor to attribute so much to my own judgment, that I would attempt to change anything concerning the matter itself, except where manifest errors compelled me—from which I judge no mortal to be entirely free. And it is the part of a faithful translator to apply the greatest zeal and the utmost diligence so that, as far as possible, he not only uses proper and customary words in translating, but also removes errors that sometimes creep in upon even the most sharp-sighted.

Furthermore, I did not wish to chastise, change, or abolish the nomenclatures, in which Tragus is often prolix, both because I would by no means trust my own judgment, since I was working alone on this vast work, and also because many people offered their own reasons why all these things should be left as they were. For those whom this prolixity offends, having observed one or two names, can skip the rest in their reading and hasten to the explanation of the virtues. On the other hand,