334 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



F. J. Dillenius, a German, born at Darmstadt 1684, 

 the botanical professor at Oxford, received Linnaeus 

 haughtily, and with jealousy and dislike, as one who 

 woul,d upset this cherished system of Ray. Dr. Sherard, 

 who was to Dillenius what Clifford was to the Swede, 

 was present at their interview. It is said, ' The English 

 have much to learn from other nations not only in the 

 arts of being serviceable and amiable with grace, but 

 of being so at all.' l This is at least equally true of 

 German scientific men. 



Dillenius, finding that Linnaeus did not understand 

 English, spoke of him before his face to Sherard as { the 

 young man who would confound all botany.' But Lin- 

 naeus, though he spoke no foreign tongue, had invented 2 

 a language, the language of science, reviving a dead 

 language to aid his purpose. Confound and botany 

 being words of Latin origin, Linnaeus understood the 

 purport of his observation, though he remained silent 

 for a while. His Swedish politeness was a check on his 

 fiery temper. 



Sherard had formerly been consul at Smyrna ; he 

 cultivated botany with ardour, discernment, and princely 

 munificence. His vast herbarium and library are among 

 the literary treasures of Oxford. 



1 The labours of the Sherards and Sir Hans Sloane 



1 J. S. Mill. 



2 This must be understood as a figure of speech, as only in the 

 sense of his having given greater precision to the Latin and terms 

 of science can Linnaeus be said actually to have invented the lan- 

 guage of science. 



