2 PROSERPINA. 



statement is made, is so characteristic of botanical 

 books, and botanical science, not to say all science 

 as hitherto taught for the blessing of mankind ; 

 and of the difficulties thereby accompanying its 

 communication, that I extract the page entire, 

 printing it, opposite, as nearly as possible in 

 facsimile. 



Now you observe, in this instructive page, that 

 you have in the first place, eight names given you 

 for one flower ; and that, among these eight names, 

 you are not even at liberty to make your choice, 

 because the united authority of Haller and Miller 

 may be considered as an accurate balance to the 

 single authority of Linnseus ; and you ought there- 

 fore for the present to remain, yourself, balanced 

 between the sides. You may be farther embarrassed 

 by finding that the Anthericum of Savoy is only 

 described as growing in Switzerland. And farther 

 still, by finding that Mr. Miller describes two 

 varieties of it, which differ only in size, while you 

 are left to conjecture whether the one here figured 

 is the larger or smaller ; and how great the 

 difference is. 



Farther, If you wish to know anything of the 

 habits of the plant, as well as its eight names, you 

 are informed that it grows both at the bottoms of 

 the mountains, and the tops ; and that, with us, it 



