LUND UNIVERSITY 83 



solemnly adjured Samuel to look upon all flowers as 

 prickly thorns and stinging nettles. 



c But what is Carl to live on ? ' she asked. 



c Never fear, mother, I will work my way ' ; and 

 Rothman said the same. They all believed in him who 

 believed in himself. 



' When I was as you are now, towering in confidence 

 of twenty-one, little did I suspect that I should be at 

 fifty-four as I now am,' thought the father, unable to 

 supply his first-born son with the necessaries of student 

 life ; perhaps he only felt what Dr. Johnson put thus 

 into words. Rothman hinted the possibility of Carl's 

 talents gaining for him a pension from Government 

 that his studies might be utilised for his country, and 

 the great likelihood of one of the many royal and other 

 foundations of Upsala falling to his share. The hint 

 lighted the spark of hope, the hope at once became a 

 conviction in Carl's breast, and with a light heart, light 

 luggage, his parent's blessing, and 200 silver dollars 

 reckoned at about SI. sterling, his whole fortune all 

 that his father could spare him, or his mother save he 

 set out for Upsala to make his path to fortune and to 

 fame. 1 



Linnaeus was a self-made man. It is as a man, 

 and in the history of his self-making, that he is more 

 interesting to this generation than as a scientist. 

 He left Wexio, Lund, and even Upsala, with a 



1 A. de A. Fee says it was 100 crowns. Were these 6cus, or were 

 they kroner ? 100 kroner would be little over 5Z. 



G 2 



