On Medical Matters

at least of Italian ones, often successfully resolved those questions. One who is about to bring light to Dioscorides cannot put down from his hands his Ecphrasis stirpium Exposition of Plants (Rome, 1616, quarto), nor his Phytobasanum Plant-test (edited by Iani Planci, Milan, 1744, quarto).

Finally, we draw many things from the most ample erudition of Claudius Salmasius, since he attempted to join knowledge of Greek literature with the knowledge of Arabic authors. It is to be lamented, however, that often, while he endeavors to expose the most serious questions, he hastens in a headlong manner to foreign and strange things, and is also distant from the knowledge of plants. I use his Plinianae exercitationes Plinian Exercises, with the added exercises on the homonyms of hyles iatricae medical matter (Utrecht, 1689, folio).

XI.

Supported by all these aids and helps, I shall briefly explain what I seem to have achieved. And indeed, I immediately understood that the text of Dioscorides must be sedulously corrected. Since this cannot be done without an understanding of the words, without an observation of the forms, of the composition, and of the accents themselves, I indeed applied all the nerves of my industry, with a mediocrity of grammatical knowledge, so that I might acquire a deeper understanding of that discipline. But I fear that not a few errors, which carelessness has poured forth, remain, the greatest part of which I have indicated at the end.

In order for the corruptions and errors of the writing to be amended, the circumspect use of manuscript codices is necessary, in which no primacy should be attributed, but rather congruent and sound readings should be drawn from each. If I seem to have done this probably, I do not dare to arrogate more to myself than is right; rather, I extol the merits of my friend Weigelius in comparing the best codices with praises. I only grieve that I was deserted by those aids in the last part of those things which are attributed to Dioscorides.