72 BIOGRAPHIES OF SCIENTIFIC MEN 



a professorship of botany in one of the universities, but 

 the offer was declined. 



Linnaeus visited Leipzig, Saxony, Denmark, and Paris, 

 and then returned to Stockholm. During his travels he 

 met many distinguished men, and gained a vast amount 

 of knowledge which proved useful in after years. 



He reached Stockholm in September 1738, after three 

 and a half years of fatiguing travels and laborious re- 

 searches. It was only human that he expected honours 

 and respect would be paid him. But this was not to be 

 "a prophet has no honour in his own country." The 

 Swedish authorities ridiculed his system and botanical 

 researches. He was by far too great a revolutionist in 

 botany even in his young days : and it is a terrible crime 

 to upset old theories in botany as well as in other sciences. 

 The great dignitaries in science must first be consulted, 

 and this Linnaeus did not do ! Think of poor Hughes 

 and wireless telegraphy robbed of his invention by 

 erroneous but weighty criticism. It was nothing short 

 of a crime ; " la critique est facile, mais Tart est difficile." 



In the same year Linnaeus practised as a physician, 

 and was fortunate enough to attract attention of the 

 Queen of Sweden and other notable people in the Swedish 

 capital. 



In 1739 he married Elizabeth Moraeus, the daughter of 

 a physician, and at the same time he was elected President 

 of the Royal Academy. The next year he was appointed 



