210 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINN&US 



the deserved blame of his elder friends. Although a 

 good man and a pious, Linnaeus was no saint. Heaven 

 helped him, however. 



While his desperate resolution lasted ferociously as 

 ever, he awoke one night in agonising consternation 

 from a hideous dream ; he dreamt he had killed Rosen. 

 He gave serious reflection to the horrid idea, and at length 

 reason and religion calmed his violent passions, ' What 

 an awful, wonderful thing a violent death is, even in a 

 dumb beast ! ' says Kingsley anent the shooting of a 

 horse. Oh, had he killed Rosen! The very thought 

 was now agony to him. He felt he must go away and 

 hide his face, his Cain-branded head, and (the Berserk 

 fever over) sob out his thanksgiving that both of them 

 had been saved. 



From that hour he forgave Rosen ; he even began to 

 see that they two should be brothers in science. ' Shall 

 God make us brother poets, as well as brother men, 

 and we refuse to fraternise ? ' In grateful recollection 

 of the impression made upon his conscience he wrote 

 in after years a particular diary, called ' Nemesis 

 Divina,' illustrating the words ' Vengeance is mine, I 

 will repay, saith the Lord.' This is a small octavo 

 pamphlet, written in Latin. 1 It contains meditations 

 on texts of Scripture, Seneca, &c., and the self-search- 

 ing of a penitent soul. That this penitence was not a 

 mere passing impression is shown by the date of the 

 'Nemesis' pamphlet, August 31, 1739. The motto of 

 1 Price seventy-five ore. 



