CXIV FLORA OF BERKSHIRE 



On the restoration of Charles the Second in 1660 Morison carae with 

 the King to England, was appointed his Botanic Professor and Overseer 

 of the Koyal Gaixlens, and received the title of King's Physician, and 

 an allowance of £200 a year with a house and garden. Great tempta- 

 tions were offered by the Minister Fouquet to induce him to remain in 

 France, but without success, ' tantus amor patriae Morisono.' Shortly 

 afterwards he was chosen Fellow of the College of Physicians in London, 

 and '■ became highly valued and esteemed for his most admirable skill 

 in Botany.' In 1669 a new and enlarged edition of the catalogue of the 

 garden at Blois was published by Morison under the title of Hortus 

 Begins Blesensis, &c. London, 1669, i2mo. This publication increased the 

 author's reputation, and helped to recommend him for the appoint- 

 ment, which he afterwards obtained, of Botanical Professor at Oxford. 

 It contains the rudiments of his method of classification, and professes 

 ^ to give a list of two hundred new plants ; but many of these are only 

 varieties, and some were already known. There were, however, 

 among the number some new and rare plants of exotic, as well as of 

 indigenous origin, the former being such as he had himself discovered 

 in Franco. In this work is also given his ' Hallucinationes in Caspari 

 Bauhini Pinacem,' which Haller justly called an ' invidiosum opus,* 

 though he says at the same time that the remarks are for the most 

 part true. The plants in the Hortus Blesensis are disposed in alpha- 

 betical order, and the work is accompanied by a double dedication 

 to the King and to the Duke of York. In a dialogue at the end 

 Morison teaches that the genera of plants should be established on 

 characters drawn from the fruit, and not on any sensible qualities or 

 supposed medicinal virtue. 



Morison, having become known by this work and otherwise to 

 Obadiah Walker, Master of University College, Oxford, was recom- 

 mended by him to the Dean of Christ Church and other leading men 

 of the University to be chosen Botanical Professor, ' whereupon by the 

 great testimonies and recommendations of his worth he was elected 

 on December 16, 1669, and was incorporated Doctor on the following 

 day. He made his first entrance as botanical lecturer on September 2, 

 1670, and on the fifth of the same month translated himself to our 

 Physic Garden, where he read in the middle of it (with a table before 

 him) on herbs and plants thrice a week.' In 1674 Morison at Oxford 

 'edited from the manuscripts of Boccone, which had been acquu-ed 

 by Charles, son of Lord Hatton, a thin quarto volume illustrated with 

 fifty-two plates, forty-five of which had been re-engraved after some 

 less accurately finished, under Boccone's inspection. Many of these 

 are nowhere else represented ' {Bees' Cijdop.). Pulteney says that 

 Morison caused the last seven plates to be re-engraved and published 

 the work under the title of Icones ei Descript tones rariorum Plantarum 



