de Nuptiis et Sexu Plantarum. 195 



mitted to an academical student of scarce three years' standing. 

 This first essay of Linnaeus on the Sexes of Plants was afterwards 

 overlooked : it does not appear among his published works, and 

 perhaps was judged by himself as of minor value, after the de- 

 velopment of his Sexual System had yielded a more fruitful sub- 

 ject for his immortal works. However this may have been, assu- 

 redly the first essays of so great a genius were not to be lost to 

 posterity. By good fortune it happened that a manuscript copy 

 of the ( Prselectiones Anatomicse/ delivered at Upsal in the year 

 1731, although in a somewhat mutilated condition, was disco- 

 vered in the shop of a tradesman of this city *; at the end of which 

 is subjoined, written in the same hand, 'Exercitatio Botanico- 

 Physica de Nuptiis et Sexu Plantarum, &c. authore Carolo Lin- 

 nseo, Medicin. et Botan. Studioso/ The tract does not appear to 

 me to be in the hand- writing of Linnseus, but rather to be a tran- 

 script from the autograph in an antique hand, and somewhat re- 

 sembling that of Linnseus. With the exception of the title-page 

 and syllabus it is written in Swedish, and comprised in 22 pages. 

 From the conjoined testimony of time, title and context, we feel 

 no hesitation in concluding that this is the very work of which 

 we have been speaking. We have therefore been the more anxious 

 to publish this juvenile essay of Linnseus, since, after a diligent 

 search, it appears that it has been hitherto unpublished, and is 

 further worthy of attention from the consideration that it is the 

 earliest in date (in the 23rd year of his age), and that it contains 

 the earliest of his writings relative to the Sexual System. 



A Latin translation is here appended to the Swedish textf, 

 that it may be understood by foreigners. The style of Linnseus 

 is well known, being distinguished by a primaeval simplicity and 

 a certain native vigour. In this little work the style certainly 

 is characterized in some places by florid exuberance, and the 

 great interpreter of nature pursues his subject with a kind of 

 sacred ardour. In the translation I have chiefly aimed at fidelity ; 

 how far I have succeeded, the kind reader must determine. 



Exercitatio Botanico-Physica de Nuptiis et Sexu Plantarum in qua re- 

 centiorum Botanicorum Placita et Observationes recensentur, authore 

 Carolo Linn^eo, Medicin. et Botan. Studios. 



Syllabus. 

 § 1. Introductio. 



2. Veterum divisio sexus in plantis. 



3. Vita vegetabilis probatur. 



4. Requisita utriusque sexus. 



* By the learned J. Liden, Licentiate in Medicine, to whose kindness I 

 am indebted for it. 



[f We have given only the Latin version of M. Afzelius. — Ed. Ann. N. H.] 



