Linnaeus • Excerpts from the Critica Botanica 67 



and so botanists have, under pressure laws, it is necessary that someone 

 of necessity, corrected most wisely the among them should take upon himself 

 faulty names given by their predeces- to offer proposals to be examined by 

 sors. other botanists, so that, if they are 

 As I turn over the laborious works good they may be confirmed, if un- 

 of the authorities, I observe them bus- sound, they may be convicted of un- 

 ied all day long with discovering plants, soundness and abandoned, while some- 

 describing them, drawing them, bring- thing better is put in their place. But, 

 ing them under genera and classes: I so long as botanists refuse to make this 

 find, however, among them few philos- beginning, so long also will they re- 

 ophers, and hardly any who have at- main in doubt and uncertainty, and 

 tempted to develop nomenclature, one false names will accumulate every day 

 of the two foundations of Botany, to burden Botany. Now as hitherto no 

 though that a name should remain un- one has thought fit to undertake this 

 shaken is quite as essential as attention self-denying task, I have determined to 

 to genera. That they can find no rules make the attempt: for, if a citizen in a 

 given by the ancients for the bestowal free commonwealth may speak his 

 of names, no demonstrations or settled mind, it will be at least allowable for 

 principles, is the complaint of novices me to state my principles among bot- 

 and equally of men practised in the anists. I have not reached such an ex- 

 science. For any rules of nomenclature treme of hardihood as to believe that 

 which botanists have brought in from all my reasoning is so firmly based but 

 time to time are too specialized for any that someone else may propound rea- 

 certain conclusion to be drawn from soning much more mature: still mine 

 them. Again there is so much disagree- will be true until some other prin- 

 ment between the authorities that the ciples are shown to be truer. To you, 

 reader can hardly determine to which my dearly-beloved botanists, I submit 

 in preference to the others he should my rules, the rules which I have laid 

 give his allegiance, since satisfactory down for myself, and in accordance 

 principles are not ever)avhere to be with which I intend to walk. If they 

 seen. Wherefore it is not surprising if, seem to you worthy, let them be used 

 when the novice has developed into a by you also, if not, please propound 

 mature botanist, he in his work makes something better, 

 mistakes over nomenclature and so If anyone should distinguish pre- 

 comes to burden Botany with wrong cisely all the plants in the world accord- 

 names, ing to the characters stamped on them, 

 Wherefore we can never hope for and yet bestow no names on the plants 

 a lasting peace and better times till themselves, he w^ould be keeping his 

 botanists come to an agreement among learning entirely to himself. Even a 

 themselves about the fixed laws in ac- rustic knows plants, and so maybe does 

 cordance with which judgment can be a brute beast, but neither can make 

 pronounced on names, that is to say, anyone the wiser: hence in the words 

 good names can be absolutely distin- of Isidorus, "If you know not the 

 guished from bad ones, the good ones names, the knowledge of things too is 

 maintained and the bad ones banished wasted." 



without any exception, so that Botany The names bestowed on plants by 



firmly built on immoveable principles the ancient Greeks and Romans I 



may remain a fortress inviolable and commend, but I shudder at the sight 



unshaken, of most of those given by modern au- 



Before botanists can admit such thorities: for these are for the most part 



