EXHIBITS
Plants in the Renaissance: Other Useful Knowledge and Index
Index
In the very last pages of the second volume of the Herbal, you will discover the Latin index of each plant Gerard has documented. Following the Latin index, you will find the English names index, after which, the next four pages give you the names from old British culture. [1]
The index is quite simple to use if you know Latin. If not, your knowledge of early modern English will guide you to find the general classification of your wanted plant from the following index, identify the name, and it will give you the chapter and page of the given plant. Gerard based the index from the Latin copy, then proceeded to add the English names.
There are then pages that are given the title of the “Table of Vertues: The Table of Wherein it is Contained, The Natvre (Nature) and Vertves (Virtues) of all the Herbs, Trees, and Plants, described in this present Herbal.” This is useful to know where to find the plants in the world, as well as how they grow and their seasons of harvest or bloom.
*As we were carefully and slowly flipping page by page looking for specific families and categories of plants and flowers, a Rare Book Dealer introduced us to the benefits of using the index and how to use it. With this knowledge, our research was easier to access, giving us beneficial material. Thank you to all of the Rare Book Collectors of the world and the knowledge they are willing to share with the rest of us!