22 EMINENT NATURALISTS. 



they promised to give him the professorship of botany 

 in a Dutch university, but this offer he declined. 



It will be remembered that the future father-in-law 

 of Linnaeus had fixed three years as the period for 

 which he must wait for Ins intended bride. These 

 three years had passed, and Linnaeus had been absent 

 almost the entire period, corresponding with the fair 

 Elizabeth, to whom he was greatly attached. A 

 rival to him appeared, and endeavoured to persuade 

 her that her lover would never return to Sweden ; 

 but a friend of Linnaeus, who knew his feelings well, 

 told Miss Moraeus exactly how matters stood, and so 

 the intentions of the rival were quite frustrated. 



Linnaeus wished to travel further, and visited 

 Leipsic, Upper and Lower Saxony, Denmark, and 

 Paris, which city he had longed for some time to 

 visit. One or two learned men said of him in Paris 

 that he was " a young enthusiast who confounds all, 

 and whose sole merit consists in having plunged 

 botany into a state of anarchy." One naturalist, 

 Gruettard, however, said, "Don't laugh, good people, 

 don't laugh at Linnaeus, the time will come when 

 he will laugh at you all." And so it was, for in 

 later years, the royal gardens were arranged according 

 to his system. Several literary honours were con- 

 ferred on him during his stay in Paris. From the 

 French capital he started for Stockholm. 



The period of his career had now arrived when 

 he was to experience severe opposition to his system 

 and much criticism from his contemporary botanists. 

 These were very numerous, and there was on the 



