SIR JOSEPH BANKS. 337 



he found that all but himself had gone away. Having 

 put on his clothes, he walked slowly along a green 

 lane. It was a fine summer's evening ; flowers covered 

 the sides of the path. He felt delighted with the 

 natural beauties around him, and exclaimed, "How 

 beautiful! Would it not be far more reasonable to 

 make me learn the nature of these plants than the 

 Greek and Latin I am confined to?" His next reflec- 

 tion was that he must do his duty, obey his father's 

 commands, and reconcile himself to the learning of the 

 school. But this did not hinder him from immediately 

 applying to the study of botany ; and having no better 

 instructor, he paid some women who were employed 

 in gathering plants what is called culling simples 

 for the druggists, for such information as they could 

 give him, the price he gave being sixpence for each 

 thing they told him. Returning home for the holidays, 

 he was inexpressibly delighted to find in his mother's 

 dressing-room an old torn copy of Gerard's Herbal, 

 having the names and figures of those plants with 

 which he had formed an imperfect acquaintance, and 

 he carried it with him back to school. There he con- 

 tinued his collection of plants, and he also made one 

 of butterflies and other insects. I have often heard 

 my father say, that being of the same age, they used 

 to associate much together. Both were fond of walk- 

 ing and of swimming, and both were expert in the 

 latter exercise. Banks always distinguished him, and 

 in his old age he never ceased to show me every kind- 

 ness in his power, in consequence of this old connec- 

 tion. My father described him as a remarkably fine- 

 looking, strong, and active boy, whom no fatigue could 

 subdue, and no peril daunt ; and his whole time out of 

 school was given up to hunting after plants and insects, 

 making a hortus siccus of the one, and forming a 

 cabinet of the other. As often as Banks could induce 

 him to quit his task in reading or in verse-making, he 

 would take him on his long rambles ; and I suppose it 

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