The Pꝛologe.
to be ſet by then any of all theſe aboue reherſed artes ⁊ ſciēces, foꝛ Grāmer Logick, ⁊ Rhetoꝛick are occupyed about woꝛdes ⁊ ſaying, law about deuidyng of heretages and in aſſigning to euery man his ryght. Arithmetyke about numbꝛes, Aſtronomy and Aſtrology about the courſe of the ſtarres and pꝛophecying of thynges foꝛ to come, Muſick about the agrement of tones, ſoundes and ſyngyng. But Phiſick ſtandeth in doyng ⁊ woꝛkinge, and is occupyed about mannys body, therefoꝛe as much better as well doying is, then well ſaying, and mannis body is moꝛe pꝛecious then all other creatures: ſo is Phiſick moꝛe noble and moꝛe woꝛthy to be ſet by, then all other ſciences. I myght here haue pꝛoued the excellency of Phiſick, by the antiquite of it, and by the nede that men haue of it moꝛe then of other ſcyences, but hauyng the teſtimony of holy wꝛiterers I paſſe ouer ſuch pꝛobacyones. But when as they that pꝛomote oꝛ further the knowlege of Grammer, Logick, Rethoꝛick, naturall oꝛ moꝛall, Philoſophy, oꝛ any of yͤ other aboue reherſed artes, and ſciences, is iudged and that woꝛthely of all charitaly wyſe men to haue done an excellent good turne, vnto the Chꝛiſtiane common welth: then howe great a benefit doth he vnto the commō welth that with great ſtudy and laboꝛ pꝛomoteteth, ⁊ helpeth men to the knowledge of Phiſick, whyche ſo greatly as I haue pꝛoued befoꝛe, excelleth and paſſeth all theſe ſciences. Hermolaus Barbarus therfoꝛe, Nicolaus Leonicenus, Ioannes Manardus, and Antonius Muſa Italianes, Otho Bꝛunfelſius, Leonardus Fuchſius, Conradus Giſinerus, and Hieronymus Bochius, Germanes, and Ioannes, Ruellius the Frenche man, haue greatly pꝛomoted the knowledge of herbes by their ſtudies, and haue eche deſerued very muche thanke, not only of their owne countrees, but alſo of all the hole common welth of all Chꝛiſtendome, and namelye Fuchſius, whych wꝛote an Herball in Latin, and afterwardes tranſlated the ſame into Duche his owne countre language. There haue bene in England, and there are now alſo certain learned men: whych haue as muche knowledge in herbes, yea, and moꝛe then diuerſe Italianes and Germanes, whyche haue ſet furth in pꝛynte Herballes and bokes of ſimples. I mean of Doctoꝛ Clement, Doctoꝛ Wendy, and Doctoꝛ Owen, Doctoꝛ Wotton, ⁊ maiſter Falconer. Yet hath none of al theſe, ſet furth any thyng, ether to the generall pꝛofit of hole Chꝛiſtendome in latin, ⁊ to the honoꝛ of thys realme, nether in Englyſh to the pꝛoper pꝛofit of their naturall countre, Wherfoꝛe ſome will laye vnnaturallnes and vnkyndness vnto their charges, whyche myght haue done theſe thynges and dyd them not, and could do the ſame and wold not. Foꝛ whom I haue no other excuſe, but that ſome wolde and durſt not, ſome wold and durſt, but they had no leaſure, ſome beynge wyſe men, thought it moꝛe wyſdome to be a iudge of all mennys wꝛitinges and laboꝛes, then by wꝛiting to come vnder the iudgement and coꝛrection of al men: to anſwer to all whatſoeuer ſhuld be laid vnto their charges, namely: When their commeth no pꝛofit, but the ieopardy of a mannys eſtimatiō, by ſuch wꝛiting and ſettyng out herballes, oꝛ of any other bookes be they neuer ſo learned oꝛ pꝛofitable. Howbeit the ſouldier is moꝛe frendly vnto the common welth, which aduenturouſly runneth among the myddes of hys enemyes both gyuyng and takyng blowes, then he that whilſe other men feight, ſtandeth in the top of a tre, iudgyng: how other men do, he beynge without the danger of gonne ſhot him ſelf. And ſo is there no man, thathath
