Here begynnyth a new mater, the whiche sheweth and treateth of ye vertues & proprytes of herbes, the whiche is called an Herball.

Earliest English printed herbal. Published anonymously, it is usually referred to as “Banckes’ Herbal”, after its publisher, Rycharde Banckes. The text was derived from a medieval manuscript, and although the work had no claim to originality it was the basis of most English herbals until Turner, No. 1811. Only two copies are known. Reproduced with modern transcription by S. V. Larkey and T. Pyles, New York, 1941.