DEAN CELSIUS COMES 115 



in the autumn of 1729 ' [it was, in fact, early summer], 

 * while Linnaeus was intently examining some plants 

 in the academic garden, there entered a venerable old 

 clergyman ' [Stoever always adds the picturesque touch, 

 but Celsius was just forty-nine. 1 Is that such a vener- 

 able age ?] ' who asked him what he was about, whether 

 he was acquainted with plants, whether he understood 

 botany, whence he came, and how long he had been 

 prosecuting his studies. 



' Linnaeus answered all these questions, and, when his 

 interlocutor showed him various plants, mentioned their 

 names agreeably to the system of Tournefort. Being 

 further asked what number of specimens he possessed, 

 he replied that he had above 600 indigenous plants pre- 

 served in his cabinet. He was requested to accompany 

 the gentleman who had thus interrogated him to his 

 house, which proved to be that of Dr. Olaf Celsius, and 

 the interrogator was the Doctor himself just returned 

 from Stockholm.. 5 



The Dean spoke kindly to the youth ; Linnaeus 

 trembled like the aspen. Intuition told him who this 

 was. Had Celsius, had Fortune really come at last ? 

 Carl's thin cheek reddened, his eyes filled at the tone of 

 kindness. Hot tears, a choking sensation in the throat, 

 came at the words of encouragement from an elder ; the 

 first for so long. Youth is always so hungry for kind- 

 ness, and Carl was used to wanting bread. The ragged 

 youth spoke of the plants to Celsius, describing them 

 1 He was born 1680. 



i 2 



