102 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



his way in the unutterable and sublime ; Linnasus more 

 practical, eager for praise and profit. Their minds, if 

 raw, were receptive. The elders' were closed to any new 

 discoveries : memory was broad enough for them. These 

 two old professors could not sympathise with the young 

 men, but Celsius would come soon, they reflected, and 

 Celsius would understand them. 



Young people think our old inheritance of ideas, 

 our civilisation, our religion, and our principles are 

 ancient petrifactions. They are not so ; rather are they 

 like wood, old yet alive, from which spring the shoots, 

 the leaves, the sprigs, that look so different. They will 

 become the same : intrinsically they are the same. 



Sometimes the youths would dart down the steep 

 slopes and chevy away in the far distance in chase after 

 a bird or beast, or something attractive viewed miles 

 away. Both were swimmers : most Swedes are so, and 

 have need to be in that lake country. There was no 

 end to Carl's feats of agility in rock or wall-climbing, and 

 of adventurous courage to get birds' eggs from orchard, 

 cliff, tree, or tower ; unwearying his zeal, that never felt 

 fatigue while in the chase, by night or day. Of happy 

 disposition generally, Carl was of quick temper; his 

 anger was violent, but soon over ; though he would 

 sometimes be chafed to exasperation by a seeming trifle. 

 He loved the hardest study, laboriously travelling in 

 search of facts ; not careering his mind through fine 

 districts the villas, parks, and esplanades of classic lore 

 but changing ancient unreal dreams for facts, he 



