Letter

...a woman of [fame], rendered memorable and immortal for this very reason: that she left her name bestowed upon a herb. Furthermore, it should be enough to invite anyone to take up the study of plants that they possess such great utility that even irrational animals, taught by nature herself, recognize the powers of many plants and have indicated them to mortals.

Brute animals, and which plants they revealed.

Indeed, Deer showed that the herb Dittany original: "dictamnum" heals arrow wounds, for when wounded they cast out the hunter’s bolt by feeding on it, even where the iron remains fixed in the wound. Likewise, Does demonstrated the herb Seseli Hartwort or Meadow Saxifrage. Turtles found Savory original: "cunilam", Weasels found Rue, Hawks discovered Hawkweed, Pigeons found Vervain, Swallows found Celandine original: "chelidonium"; literally "swallow-herb", Storks found Oregano, and finally, other animals found countless other herbs. Therefore, if men would turn their minds and spirits to these aforementioned things, and if they would look upon the origins of medical materials—seeing as plants, endowed with their divine powers, emerged from the earth as soon as the elements were established—I have no doubt that all would confess this discipline excels all others in antiquity, nobility, and divinity.

The knowledge of herbs is useful and necessary.

Nor is so much praise, admiration, and glory owed to it only because its knowledge is pleasant and delightful, but also because it is exceedingly useful and necessary. For it preserves health (than which nothing can be more desired by man), puts to flight various and innumerable kinds of diseases, overcomes the venom of wild beasts, and demolishes the force of lethal poisons; indeed, it even keeps men longer in life, and often recalls to life those who are despaired of, for whom no hope of safety remains.

The study of botany among the Roman Caesars.

When some of the Roman Emperors had rightly estimated this—as Galen testifies in his first book On Antidotes—even though they were greatly occupied in administering the Republic and governing and defending provinces, they nevertheless held no mediocre zeal for cultivating and illustrating the study of Botany. Indeed, so that they might obtain genuine plants and possess true aromatics, they supported Herbalists At this time, "herbalists" were often plant collectors and explorers sent on expeditions. in many distant regions at great expense and rewarded them with gifts. They were moved by the conviction that they would gain no less glory than utility from this, and that they might thus also strive to earn immortality through such a benefit. Truly, they were led by the memorable example of their ancestors, who were accustomed not only to carry in triumphs the spoils of Kings whom they had conquered in war, dedicated as trophies, and to lead the captive Kings themselves bound before them, but also to carry with great honor rare and exotic plants and noble aromatics in which rare and distinguished qualities resided. Nor did they think they obtained less praise and glory from those plants—which they afterwards sowed with great diligence in their gardens—or from the aromatics—which they stored among their other treasures for their own use and that of others—than from the trophies, statues, and arches, all of which the Senate and the Roman People took care to erect in perpetual memory of their deeds and for the sake of those who had shown themselves worthy of such praise. Great honor was also held among the Romans for those who wrote on the history and powers of plants and flourished in this discipline; this is proven clearly by the fact that after the conquest of Carthage, they gave away all the libraries they found to various Kings and Princes, except for thirty-two volumes on botany and agriculture written by Mago the Carthaginian, which they brought to Rome and ordered to be translated into the Latin language. So much favor did that Mago alone earn for being skilled in botany and agriculture.

Mago the Carthaginian wrote 32 volumes on plants.

The admirable and nearly stupendous effects of certain plants.

Finally, antiquity was so astonished by the faculties of herbs that the writers of those times even affirmed things wonderful to tell. Thus the historian Xanthus wrote in the first book of his histories that a young dragon original: "Draconis Catulum"; likely referring to a large serpent or mythical dragon which had been killed was recalled to life by its parent with a certain herb which the Magi call Balim; and that by the same herb, one Thilo, whom the dragon had killed, was restored to health. And Juba, King of Mauritania, recorded that in Arabia a man was recalled to life by a certain herb. Both Democritus and Theophrastus also recorded that the Woodpecker, when a wedge has been driven into the hollows it has in trees, extracts it by applying a certain herb.

The opening of enclosures.

Furthermore, they say that by the herb Aethiopis, all things that are closed are opened by a touch, provided certain songs are whispered. This is no miracle to me.