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ARBOLAYRE.

(1450s? – )

A French herbal that was supposedly a translation of one of the early German herbals. Although the earliest edition (issued under the title "Arbolayre") was illustrated with German cuts formerly used in an edition of the Gart der Gesundheit, the text is completely different from the German and Latin Hortus. Subsequent editions were issued under the title, Grant Herbier.

Biographical references: Klebs, Catalogue of Early Herbals, 1925: p. 41.

Incipit of Arbolayre, 1486

1. French, 1486 [First edition].
Arbolayre contenāt la qualitey et virtus proprietey des herbes, arbres, gōmes et semēces extrait de pluseurs tratiers de medicine ... [Besançon, Peter Metlinger, about 1486-88].

2°: A8 B-C6 D-E8 F6 G-H8 I6 K8 L6 M-N8 O6 P-X8 Y10 Aa-Ff8; [214] leaves, woodcuts. First leaf, with large woodcut. Double columns, 39-40 lines to a column. Extremely rare.

Bibliographical references: BL [IB.44100.]. Claudin, Histoire de l'Imprimerie, 1900-15: 4, 479-485. Copinger, Hain's Repertorium, Supplement, 1898-1902: 584. Goff: A-944. GW: no. 2312. Klebs, Incunabula Scientifica, 1938: no. 508.1. Klebs, Herbals of the Fifteenth Century, 1917-8: p. 52. Klebs, Catalogue of Early Herbals, 1925: no. 54. Pellechet, Catalogue General des Incunables, 1970: no. 1101 [Lyons, Maillet]. Polain, Catalogue, 1932: no. 1880. Wellcome Catalog (Books): 1, no. 368.

2. French, 1498.
Le grant herbier en françois. Paris, Pierre Le Caron, c1498.

2°: Very rare.

Bibliographical references: BMC XV: 8, 142 [IB 40165]. Claudin, Histoire de l'Imprimerie, 1900-15: 2, 83-84. Goff: A-945. GW: no. 2313. Klebs, Incunabula Scientifica, 1938: no. 508.2. Klebs, Herbals of the Fifteenth Century, 1917-8: p. 52. Pellechet, Catalogue General des Incunables, 1970: no. 1102.

3. French, 1498-1500.
Le grant herbier en françois. Paris, Le Caron, [about 1498-1500].

2°: ā6 ē6 ō6 2ō4 A8 B-E6 F8 G-O6 P8 Q-X6 y6 z6 χ4; 170 leaves, 24-169 numbered ii-cxlvii. Double columns, 41 lines to a column. Colophon: [fol. 170 recto:] Cy finist le grant herbier Translate de latin en frācois, etc. Very rare.

Bibliographical references: BL [IB.40165.]. Goff: no. A-946. GW: no. 2313/10. Klebs, Incunabula Scientifica, 1938: no. 508.3. Klebs, Catalogue of Early Herbals, 1925: no. 55.

Le Grant Herbier, c1520

4. French, c1520.
Le grant herbier | En francoys. Contenantles Qualitez | ... ADD REMAINDER OF TITLE ... | [Woodcut vingette].

2°: 108, [12]l Rare.

Bibliographical references: Sallander, Bibliotheca Walleriana, 1955: no. 3700.

5. French, c1535.
Le grand herbier en francoys: contenant les qualitez, vertus et proprietez des herbes, arbres, gommes, semences, huyles, et pierres precieuses. Extraict de plusieurs traictez de Medecine, comme de Avicene, Rasis, Constantin, Isaac, Plataire, et Ypocras. Selon le commun usage. Imprime nouuellement a Paris. On les vend a Paris, En la rue neufue Nostre Dame a lenseigne Sainct Nicolas, [c1535].

4°: 2a8 2b-2c4 2d6 a-z4 &4 A-F4 G8 H-L4 M8 N-O4 P6; 188l.; [22], 166l. Title in red & black, woodcuts (one on title page), illus. Leaf clxi and clxii, clxv and clxvi misnumbered clxxi and clxxii, clxxv and clxxvi respectively. Colophon: Nouuellement imprime a Paris pour Pierre Sergent demourant en la rue neufue Nostre Dame a lenseigne Sainct Nicolas Pierre Sergent active from 1532-1547 according to P. Renouard. Imprimeurs parisiens, p. 341; date of ca. 1535 inferred from publication date of ed. printed in Paris by Denis Janot which closely ressembles the title and collation of this ed.-cf. Hunt botanical cat., 35.

Very rare. First published about 1486-1488 under title: Arbolayre. The text of the Le grand herbier contains 474 chapters, of which 264 were taken from an earlier work, the Circa instans, which is attributed to Matthaeus Platearius of the School of Salerno.-cf. Anderson, F.H. An illustrated history of the herbals, 1977.

Bibliographical references: Nissen (BBI): no. 2330. Wellcome Catalog (Books): 1, 3113.

6. French, 1539?.
Le grant herbier en francoys, contenant les qualitez, vertus et proprietez des herbes, arbres, gommes, semences, huylles et pierres precieuses. Extrait de plusieurs traictez de medecine. Comme de Avicenne, Rasis, Constantin, Isaac, Plataire, et Ypocras selon le commun usaige. Paris, J. Janot, [1539?].

4°: [20], 176l. Title page in red & black, woodcuts (2 on title page). Very scarce.

7. French, c1544.
Le grant herbier en francoys contenant les qualitez vertus et proprietez des herbes arbres gommes et semences. Extraict de plusieurs traictez de medecine comme de Avicenne de Rasis de Constantin de Isaac et de Plataire. Selon le commum usage. Paris, Jacques Nyverd for J. Petit & M. le Noir [pour Francoys regnault, between 1521 and 1544].

2°: 108, [12] leaves, woodcuts, illus. Very scarce.

English editions

8. English, 1526 [First edition].
[In red:] The grete herball [ornament] | [in black:] whiche [in red:] geueth [in black:] parfyt [in red:] knowledge [in black:] and [in red:] vnder | [in black:] standyng of all maner of herbes & there gracyous vertues whiche god hath | ordeyned for our propserous welfare and helth / for they hele & cure all maner | of dyeases and sekenesses that fall or mysfortune to all maner of creatoures | of god created / practysed by many expert and wyse maysters / as Auicenna & | other. &c. Also it geueth full parfyte vnderstandynge of the booke lately pren | tyd by me (Peter treueris) named the noble experiens of the vertuous hand | warke of surgery. | [large woodcut].

2°: [Maltese Cross]6 A-Z6 Aa-Ee6; 174l.; no pagination or foliation. Title page in red and black. Woodcut title page, a full page cut of a human skeleton, and more than 470 woodcuts of plants, animals, etc. Printer's device, surrounded by a border, at the end. Two columns, 43 lines. Many errors in chapter numbers. Colophon (Ee6v): [Within a frame composed of border pieces:] Printer's device | [Dark C] Imprentyd at London in South- | warke by me Peter Treueris / dwel- | lynge in the synge of the wodows. | In the yere of our lorde god. M.D. | xxvi. the xxvii. day of July.

Extremely rare. First extant edition of the Grete Herball, the second herbal printed in England. "The most famous of the early herbals." (Rohde). It is the first English illustrated herbal-the herbal of R. Banckes issued in 1525 has no illustrations.

The text consists of chapters i-cccccv. With the exception of the preface and the treatise on urines, the Grete Herball is a translation of the French Grand Herbier or Arbolayre. The preface and the treatise on urines show a strong resemblance to the corresponding parts of the German Gart. This English issue is important for presenting on the early English names of plants. The woodcuts of the plants are copied from the those in the Dutch herbals, probably the 1511 edition. The skeleton is copied from Grüninger's cut.

The title page cut shows a charming woodcut of a garden, with a man holding a spade and gathering grapes, and a woman throwing flowers and herbs out of her apron into a basket. Figures of female and male mandrake in the lower corners. The title cut and the text cuts reappear in the Dutch Gart der Gesundheit edition of 1538, issued in Ultrecht by Jan Bernts printed from the same blocks. Complete copies are exceptionally rare.

Bibliographical references: Arber, Herbals, their Origin and Evolution, 1986: p. 40-6. Cleveland Herbal & Botanical Collections, 1992: no. 36. Henrey, British Botanical Literature, 1975: 1, 168. Hunt Botanical Catalog: no. 25. Klebs, Catalogue of Early Herbals, 1925: no. 59. Nissen (BBI): no. 2296. Rohde, Old English Herbals, 1922: p. 65-73. STC: no. 13176.

9. English, 1529 [2nd edition].
[In red:] The grete herball [ornament] | [in black:] whiche [in red:] geueth [in black:] parfyt [in red:] knowledge [in black:] and [in red:] vnder | [in black:] standyng of all maner of herbes & there gracyous vertues whiche god hath | ordeyned for our propserous welfare and helth / for they hele & cure all maner | of dyeases and sekenesses that fall or mysfortune to all maner of creatoures | of god created / practysed by many expert and wyse maysters / as Auicenna & | other. &c. Also it geueth full parfyte vnderstandynge of the booke lately pren | tyd by me (Peter treueris) named the noble experiens of the vertuous hand | warke of surgery. | [large woodcut].

2°: Gothic letter. Colophon: ¶ Imprynted at London in South | warke by me Peter Treueris. In | the yere of our Lorde god. M.D.XXIX. | the xvii day of Marce.

Very rare. A reprint of the first editon (1526) with the text completely reset.

Bibliographical references: Rohde, Old English Herbals, 1922: 65-73 & 207. STC: no. 13177. Wellcome Catalog (Books): 1, no. 3114.

The Great Herball, 1539

10. English, 1539 [3rd edition].
[Contained within a two compartment woodcut border incorporating the initials "W" and "R":] The great herball | newly corrected. | [ornament] The contentes of this boke. | [ornament] A table after the latyn names of all | herbes, | A table after the Englysche names of all | herbes. | [ornament] The propertes and qualytes of all | chynges in this booke. | The descryptyon of viynes, how a man | shall haue tte we knoweledge of all leke= | nesses. | An erposycyon of the wordes obscure and | not well knowen. | [ornament] A table, quickly to kynde Remedyes | for all diseases, | God saue the Kynge. | [Within the second compartment:] Londini in edibus Thome Gybson. | Anno. | M. D. XXXIX.

2°: π4 A-Bb4 Cc6 ($3 signed); 106l.; no pagination or foliation. Rare.

Bibliographical references: Cleveland Herbal & Botanical Collections, 1992: no. 55. Henrey, British Botanical Literature, 1975: no. 170. STC: no. 13178.

The Greate Herball, 1561

11. English, 1561 [4th edition].
[ornament] The greate Herball, which | geueth parfyte knowledge & un= | derstandinge of al Maner of Her= | bes and theyr gracious vertues, whiche God hath ordeyned for | our prosperous welfare and health, for they heale and cure all ma= | ner of disases and sekenesses, that fall or misfortune too all manner of creatues of God created, practsied by many | experte and wise masters, as Auicenna, Pandecta, | and many other .ec. [Dark C] Newlye corrected and dili= | gently ouersene. In the yeare of our Lord | God. M. CCCCC. LXI. | [rule] | [ornaments] | [Woodcut vingette].

2°: 148l. Woodcut on title page. Several other woodcuts in the text. Gothic type in 2 column.

Rare. Translation from the French Arbolayre or Grant Herbier. This herbal is a treatise on all sorts of herbs, flowers, roots and a few minerals used as remedies. A brief description of the item is given followed by one to several paragraphs outlining medical applications. Among the minerals described is the "lapis magnetis" or loadstone, with its use in drawing iron from a wound. The treatise on urines has been copied from the Gart.

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