GAEL LINNAEUS. 61 



governed him with no very gentle sway in after 

 years, she had great influence over him, and it is 

 said that at her instigation he persecuted his only 

 son. All the more is Linnaeus to be admired for 

 accomplishing such a grand work with domestic 

 hindrances. It takes a very great man to be great 

 when his home is not a help to him ! However, he 

 always regarded her as " one of the choicest gifts 

 bestowed upon him." 



His medical practice brought him plenty of 

 money, but he wrote to a friend : " Once I had 

 plants and no money: now what is money good 

 for without plants ? " Soon the desire of his heart 

 was granted, and he was made Professor of Botany 

 at Upsala University, also superintendent of the 

 Botanical Garden. 



Now he says : " I render thanks to the Al- 

 mighty, who has ordered my lot so that I live at 

 this day ; and live, too, happier than the King of 

 Persia. I think myself thus blessed because in 

 this academic garden I am principal. This is my 

 Khodus, or, rather, my Elysium ; here I enjoy the 

 spoils of the East and the West, and, if I mistake 

 not, that which far excels in beauty the garments 

 of the Babylonians and the porcelain of China." 



His fame grew rapidly. He published, in 1745, 

 his "Flora Suecica," and a year later his "Fauna 

 Suecica," a description of Swedish plants and 

 animals. His lectures soon, by their enthusiasm 

 and eloquence, brought listeners from all parts of 

 Europe. The number of students in the university 



