ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTS. 377 



and system; without which, as we see in other botanists of his and 

 succeeding times, the mere accumulation of a knowledge of details 

 does not lead to any advance in science. We have already mentioned 

 his reference to general philosophical principles, both of the Peripate- 

 tics and of his own. The first twelve chapters of his work are em- 

 ployed in explaining the general structure of plants, and especially 

 that point to which he justly attaches so much importance, the results 

 of the different situation of the cor or corculum of the seed. He 

 shows 18 that if we take the root, or stem, or leaves, or blossom, as our 

 guide in classification, we shall separate plants obviously alike, and 

 approximate those which have merely superficial resemblances. And 

 thus we see that he had in his mind ideas of fixed resemblance and 

 symmetrical distribution, which he sedulously endeavored to apply to 

 plants ; while his acquaintance with the vegetable kingdom enabled 

 him to see in what manner these ideas were not, and in what manner 

 they were, really applicable. 



The great merit and originality of Csesalpinus have been generally 

 allowed, by the best of the more modern writers on Botany. Lm- 

 najus calls him one of the founders of the science ; " Primus verus 

 systematicus ;" 19 and, as if not satisfied with the expression of his 

 admiration in prose, hangs a poetical garland on the tomb of his hero. 

 The following distich concludes his remarks on this writer : 



Quisquo hie extiterit primes concedet honores 

 Csesalpine tibi ; primaque serta dabit : 



and similar language of praise has been applied to him by the best 

 botanists up to Cuvier, 20 who justly terms his book " a work of genius." 

 Perhaps the great advance made in this science by Caesalpinus, is 

 most strongly shown by this ; that no one appeared, to follow the path 

 which he had opened to system and symmetry, for nearly a century. 

 Moreover, when the progress of this branch of knowledge was resumed, 

 his next successor, Morison, did not choose to acknowledge that he 



' O 



had borrowed so much from so old a writer ; and thus, hardly men- 

 tions his name, although he takes advantage of his labors, and even 

 transcribes his words without acknowledgement, as I shall show. The 

 pause between the great invention of Csesalpinus, and its natural sequel, 

 the developement and improvement of his method, is so marked, that I 



18 Lib. i. cap. xii. 19 Philosoph. Bot. p. 19. io Cuv. Hist. 193. 



