ockes. Also wodes for thyknesse of trees ben colde with
shadowe. And in hete of the sonne wery wayfarynge and
trauelynge men haue lykynge to have reste and to hele
themself in the shadow. Many wodes ben betwyne dyuers
co[=u]trees and londes: and departyth theym asondre. And by
weuynge and castyng togyder of trees often men kepeth and
defendyth themself from enymies."[43]

Bartholomew's book on herbs ends thus: "And here we shall fynysshe
and ende in treatyng of the XVII boke whyche hath treated as ye may
openly knowe of suche thynges as the Maker of all thyng hath ordered
and brought forth by his myghty power to embelyssh and araye the erthe
wyth and most specyally for ye fode of man and beast."

At the end of the book is the poem which has caused so much
controversy amongst bibliographers. In this Wynken de Worde definitely
states that Caxton had a share in the first printing of this book at
Cologne:--

"And also of your charyte call to remembraunce
The soule of William Caxton first pr[=y]ter of this boke.
In laten tonge at Coleyn hyself to auauce
That every well disposed man may therein loke."

In spite of this, modern bibliographers are of opinion that Caxton
could not have played even a subordinate part in the printing of this
book at Cologne.

De Worde also refers to the maker of the paper[44]:--

"... John Tate the yonger ...
Which late hathe in England doo make this paper thynne
That now in our Englysh this boke is prynted Inne."

There is charm as well as pathos in the verses on the reproduction of
manuscripts in book form, showing us vividly what the recent discovery
of the art of printing meant to the scholars of that day. The simile
of Ph[oe]bus "repairing" the moon is very apt.

"For yf one thyng myght laste a M yere
Full sone comyth aege that frettyth all away;
But like as Phebus wyth his bemes clere
The mone repeyreth as bryght as ony day
Whan she is wasted ryght; so may we say
Thise bokes old and blynde whan we renewe
By goodly pryntyng they ben bryght of hewe."

The last verse of the poem is as follows:--

"Nowe gloryous god that regnest one in thre
And thre in one graunte vertu myght and grace
Unto the prynter of this werke that he
May be rewarded in thy heuenly place
And whan the worlde shall come before thy face
There to receue accordyng to desert