CHAPTER III. 



THE LIFE OF LINNAEUS. 



The science of plants begins to mature, to be reformed, and to be 

 made more exact. 



Carl Linn^uS was born in the month of May, 

 1707, at Rashult, in the parish of Stenbrohult, in 

 Smaland, a province in the South of Sweden. His 

 father, Nils Linnaeus, was assistant minister of the 

 parish, and became, in process of time, its pastor 

 or rector, having married the daughter of his 

 predecessor.* 



Our Carl was the first-born child of this 

 marriage. The family of Linnaeus had been 

 peasants, and a remarkably lofty linden tree, grow- 

 ing near their native place, is reputed to have 

 given origin to the names of Lindelius, or Tiliander 

 (Unden tree man). This origin of surnames taken 

 from natural objects is not uncommon in Sweden. 



* The greater part of this memoir is taken from Miss Bright- 

 well's "Life of Linnaeus." Van Voorst, -^ 



