124 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



Upsala. He travelled at the Queen's expense and 

 collected a vast quantity of plants and herbs, most of 

 which, and the greater part of his valuable writings, 

 with nearly all the 1,000 blocks prepared for the en- 

 gravings of his great botanical work, were destroyed in 

 the great fire at Upsala in 1702. Oxford possesses some 

 relics of this work, and the Linnaean Society a few of the 

 engraved blocks. Rudbeck did not long survive the de- 

 struction of his labours : he died at Upsala, December 12, 

 1702, leaving his son, who had accompanied him in his 

 Lapland travels, to carry on his work and repair if 

 possible the havoc of the fire. Linnaeus named a plant 

 after him. The junior Rudbeck (with whom his father's 

 dying wish was a pious heritage that he had never yet 

 been able to fulfil) was now seventy, and going out and 

 giving lectures were difficulties for him. He wished 

 for an assistant. Rosen being gone, Rudbeck had hitherto 

 employed his nominee, Preutz, to read his lectures for 

 him ; but his incompetency deprived them of all their 

 spirit : a dull man himself, Preutz dimmed whatever he 

 handled. The perusal of Linnaeus's treatise, and further 

 examination, determined Rudbeck to fix on him to 

 replace Preutz. Accordingly, he invited Carl to live in 

 his house, and give the botanical lectures for him. 



Linnaeus was examined by the faculty and judged 

 worthy of being placed (as adjunctus) in Preutz's stead. 

 ' Professor Roberg, however, thought it hazardous to 

 make a teacher of a young man who had not yet been 

 three years a student, and still more so, to entrust him 



