The Lasting Presence of Gerard's Herball
The Lasting Presence of Gerard's Herball The Lasting Presence of Gerard's Herball
simple belief in the efficacy of herbs to cure not only physical ills, but also those of the mind and even of the heart” (p.105). I began to construct a picture of an enduring genre, for in the 21 st century, people grow, gather, and use plants for the same reasons. John Gerard is considered the most famous of the English herbalists. His herbal was carried to America and a copy owned by Dorothy Rolfe (mother-in-law of Pocahontas) now resides at Oxford (Gunther, 1922, p.57n2). As I poked around, I found an essay written about Gerard in the 19 th century. In the 20 th century, W.H. Hudson muses about Gerard and compares reading his Herball to “the delight of flowers themselves” (1932, p.49). The 1998 edition of Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs quotes Gerard and includes an entry about him. Opinions about Gerard, however, are not universally enthusiastic. Penelope Hobhouse, in Plants in Garden History (1997), introduces him unceremoniously, stating, “John Gerard has assumed an importance in England beyond his true significance” (p.105). Others have offered similar pronouncements, and some facts provide justification for this point of view. For example, Gerard’s book is not the first printed herbal in the English language [that distinction is bestowed by Arber (1953, p.41) upon an anonymous quarto published by Rycharde Banckes in 1525]. In some ways Gerard’s work is not the most notable herbal of its period, either. The woodcut illustrations are not original to his work. And he has been accused of plagiarizing the text. Yet, most people asked to name an herbal will mention Gerard’s Herball. This paper is a study of the interesting fact that the Herball is known today (and has remained popular since its publication) in spite of its supposed shortcomings. I attempt to provide a context for the passage of the book from person to person for nearly 400 2
years. I say “person to person” because I think that is the essence of the preservation of this work. On the face of it, such hand-to-hand transfer is obvious and trivial. Yet, why and how does it occur? And what magic, if any, lies between the pages of Gerard’s Herball? Why have people pored over this herbal, shared it, talked about it, written about it, and hauled it into the woods? Edmund Gosse makes an astute observation in Gossip in the Library (1891) as he remarks on two characteristics of Gerard’s writing. Gerard is universally acclaimed for his skilled use of language and for his charming insertion of personal anecdote about the places where various plants can be found. The first characteristic is somewhat bound by time—most of us are unfamiliar with Elizabethan English and find it awkward to read. The second characteristic, on the other hand, is everlasting. Gosse mentions that he “was examining fresh varieties of auricular in ‘the gardens of Mr. Tradescant and Mr. Tuggie’ [quoting Gerard]” (p.73). Then he remarks, “It is wonderful how modern the latter statement sounds…the garden seems the one spot on earth where history does not assert itself…” (pp.73,74). Gosse has noticed a thread stretching from Gerard into his time; we, the reader, can pick up the frayed end again in our own day. On that thread hangs the key to beloved garden writing: the sharing of personal observation. My intention is to explore the ways in which the sharing of personal observation figures in the lasting presence of Gerard’s Herball. I believe a blending of influence occurs, as people over the centuries have impacted Gerard’s work as much as the other way around. II. Gerard and two herbals John Gerard was born in Nantwich in Cheshire in 1545 and died in London in 1612. Most British herbalists were either physicians (barber-surgeons) or pharmacists 3
- Page 1: The Lasting Presence of Gerard’s
- Page 5 and 6: and botanist, to undertake the proj
- Page 7 and 8: At the same time, Gerard’s Herbal
- Page 9 and 10: additional information. Or perhaps
- Page 11 and 12: The short answer is that we do not
- Page 13 and 14: like. Wright (1935) notes that in t
- Page 15 and 16: a great mixing of people and ideas
- Page 17 and 18: inding the signatures. I looked for
- Page 19 and 20: their own. People like John Jossely
- Page 21: Ioice Norton, and Richard Whitakers
simple belief in the efficacy <strong>of</strong> herbs to cure not only physical ills, but also those <strong>of</strong> the<br />
mind and even <strong>of</strong> the heart” (p.105). I began to construct a picture <strong>of</strong> an enduring genre,<br />
for in the 21 st century, people grow, gather, and use plants for the same reasons.<br />
John Gerard is considered the most famous <strong>of</strong> the English herbalists. His herbal was<br />
carried to America and a copy owned by Dorothy Rolfe (mother-in-law <strong>of</strong> Pocahontas)<br />
now resides at Oxford (Gunther, 1922, p.57n2). As I poked around, I found an essay<br />
written about Gerard in the 19 th century. In the 20 th century, W.H. Hudson muses about<br />
Gerard and compares reading his <strong>Herball</strong> to “the delight <strong>of</strong> flowers themselves” (1932,<br />
p.49). <strong>The</strong> 1998 edition <strong>of</strong> Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia <strong>of</strong> Herbs quotes Gerard and<br />
includes an entry about him.<br />
Opinions about Gerard, however, are not universally enthusiastic. Penelope<br />
Hobhouse, in Plants in Garden History (1997), introduces him unceremoniously, stating,<br />
“John Gerard has assumed an importance in England beyond his true significance”<br />
(p.105). Others have <strong>of</strong>fered similar pronouncements, and some facts provide<br />
justification for this point <strong>of</strong> view. For example, Gerard’s book is not the first printed<br />
herbal in the English language [that distinction is bestowed by Arber (1953, p.41) upon<br />
an anonymous quarto published by Rycharde Banckes in 1525]. In some ways Gerard’s<br />
work is not the most notable herbal <strong>of</strong> its period, either. <strong>The</strong> woodcut illustrations are not<br />
original to his work. And he has been accused <strong>of</strong> plagiarizing the text. Yet, most people<br />
asked to name an herbal will mention Gerard’s <strong>Herball</strong>.<br />
This paper is a study <strong>of</strong> the interesting fact that the <strong>Herball</strong> is known today (and has<br />
remained popular since its publication) in spite <strong>of</strong> its supposed shortcomings. I attempt<br />
to provide a context for the passage <strong>of</strong> the book from person to person for nearly 400<br />
2
Change language