46 HEROES OF SCIENCE. 



chancel of the church, choosing rather to repose 

 with his ancestors in the churchyard. Ray died 

 rich in honours, but not rich in money, as he had 

 to give up his Hving in the Church for conscience' 

 sake and conform as a layman. He was singularly 

 charitable in his opinions to others ; and as his 

 work has lasted until the present day, and has 

 influenced the progress of natural history, England 

 may well be proud of the blacksmith's son. 



Joseph Pitton de Tournefort was born at Aix, in 

 France, in 1656. He was of a noble family, and 

 was educated with care, and had all the comforts 

 of life. Living, however, far away from the gay 

 scenes of Paris and in a country town, Tournefort 

 soon began to wander over the fields by himself, 

 ancl, like most boys, he loved to gather flowers. 

 More than this, he began to study them. But 

 such pleasures were not to be his at once, for his 

 parents destined him to be a priest, and he was 

 obliged to enter the Catholic seminary at Aix. 

 There he began to learn Latin, and in course of 

 time became a great proficient, speaking and 

 writing that language well, which at that time was 

 fairly known by every educated person. His theo- 

 logical studies were rather neglected by him, and 

 whenever he had the opportunity, he got books on 

 natural philosophy, chemistry, medicine, and, above 

 all, on botany. He studied them with great assi- 

 duity, and until he was twenty-one years of age. 

 Tournefort's father died in 1677, and the young 

 man then being independent, threw off his cap and 



