Enquiry into Plants

Plants of Theophrastus. By W. Coxe, A. M. Archdeacon of Sarum. London, 1811.

XVI.

Various readings of two codices, omitting those which the Heinsian edition presents, appeared in the program of Abrah. Kallius, nonnulla de Theophrasti Historia Plantarum bene merenda, subsidia. Havn. 1772. 8vo.

For Alb. Fabricius received from the library of the Marquess of Gude the first Aldine edition of the Hist. and de Caus. Pl., augmented by various readings, which, together with the Fabrician manuscripts, was brought to the University library of Copenhagen. I inspected the copy. The codices are neither described nor named. Hermolaus Barbarus wrote down the readings of one codex (which I note as H. 1.) on the margin of the book; Marq. Gudius extracted the other (which I mark as H. 2.) from the notes of Hermolaus B. and Scipio Carteromachus.

The former is most excellent, providing an unexpected remedy for long-standing corruptions, and having been more accurately collated; the latter seems less ancient and less excellent, and appears to have been inspected only sporadically. The various readings in the books de Caus. Pl. have not yet been promulgated.

Casp. Hofmannus, most thoroughly instructed for those times by the study of Aristotle, Galen, Hippocrates, Athenaeus, and Dioscorides, by accuracy of study, skill in language, and knowledge of herbs, labored for thirty years to produce a new edition of the Hist. and de Caus. Plant., provided with a new translation and a structure of observations such as Casaubon wove into Athenaeus; aided further by the manuscript notes of Dalechampius provided by Jungermannius. This work, finished at last at the beginning of the year 1643, and awaiting the press, passed after the author's death into the library of Gothofredus Thomasius d.