Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 004.djvu/47

 Royal Garden of Blois in France, as the same was enriclfd by the Munificence and Encouragement of the Most Illustrius Prince Gaston, late Duke of Orleans, with 360 Plants, in the space of five years, by the singular care and Skil of our Author; who in this Catalogue hath not only given a succint and pithy description of the Plants here enumerated, but also by certain marks distinguish't the Perennial ones from the Annual; adding some general Observations, collected from the Garden above mentioned, very necessary and useful to all that are studious in Botanicks.

The second, contains some Animadversions not inconsiderable, both on the Pinax of Caspar Bauhinus; shewing his mistakes as well in the Digesting as Naming of Plants; and on the 3. Tomes of the Universal History of Plants of Johannes Bauhinus,

To which is annexed a Dialogue between a Fellow of the R. Society and the Author, containing an Answer to several Queries proposed, where is intimated the best General Method taken from Nature it self, of digesting all Plants, and reducing them to certain Classes or Heads according to the difference of their Seeds, Podds and Flowers; by the advantage whereof the Study and Remembering of Plants may be much facilitated, and the Contemplation thereof among all sorts of Men exceedingly promoted: For the publishing of which kind of Method our Author professeth himselfe to be already in great forwardness, entertaining good hopes, he shall by the Assistance and Encouragement of the Generous, be enabled to give good satisfaction to the Curious therein.

This Book is an Introduction to a large Volume; compos'd by the famous Salmasius, and now in the hands of those two Honourable persons, that have taken care of the Publishing of this Preface; both Counsellors of the Parliament of Burgundy; Messieurs Lantin and De la Mare; which Volume gives an Account of the many and great mistakes committed hitherto in the history of Plants; upon the score of Naming them: In the doing of which it hath come to pass, that severall names being often given to one and the same Plant, and vice versa, one and the same name to different Plants, there hath ensued a great and dangerous confusion in that large part of the Materia Medica, highly requiring to be rectified. Now to that Work this Preface prepares the way, by shewing to-the studious in Rh