53 



my son and myself, with his own signature affixed. The latter of 

 these pamphlets, sine loco et anno, like the first, appears to be a 

 defence of this illustrious man extorted from him by some of his 

 envious -and prejudiced contemporaries. But what redounds as 

 much to the honour as it must have done to the peace of the cautious 

 and amiable Linnaeus, is, that after having composed this paper, 

 which consists entirely of the testimony which was borne to his 

 character by the principal naturahsts of his time, — such as Boerhaave, 

 Burmann, Sloane, Dillenius, Jussieu, Haller, Gesner, Gleditsch, 

 Breynius, &c. &c. — he afterwards entirely suppressed it; and thereby 

 deprived his opponents of those fresh subjects of disputation, which 

 are sure to arise on such occasions, and which only furnish o-round 

 for sincere pity for the contending parties. It would appear as if 

 the motto which Linnaeus had chosen for this paper, 



" Famam extollere fadis 

 Hoc virtutis opus" 



had animated him with this feeling even while composing it. 



The case is however quite different when the possessor of the 

 Linnaean herbarium, and of the other treasures left by the creator of 

 the amahilis scientia, is called on to defend himself in a couple of 

 pamphlets against a learned body, under the firm of Universitas 

 Cantabrigiensis, and before the whole European public to advocate 

 the laws and privileges of mankind, and consequently those espe- 

 cially of his own country, against the usurping ignorance and fana- 

 ticism of the learned head of one college, who in our German lan- 

 guage would be termed the Pro-rector, and against the fawning 

 sycophancy of some slothful member*. In such cases, we may 

 well exclaim, as Smith has done in his defence, in the words of 



Milton, 



" I hate when Vice can bolt her arguments. 

 And Virtue has no tongue to check her pride." 



* The titles of these two pamphlets, which are scarcely known in Germany, and 

 in which Sir J. E. Smith defends the eternal laws of truth, are : " Considerations 

 respecting Cambridge, more especially relating to the Botanical Professorship ; by 

 Sir J. E. Smith, M.D. F.R.S. President of the Linnaean Society:" — and "A Defence 

 of the Church and the Universities against such injudicious Advocates as Professor 

 Monk and the Quarterly Review; by Sir J. E. Smith," ice. 



