Natural History. 1 5 5 



language, so simple, methodical, and convenient, 

 that it has been pronounced likely to stand the test 

 of ages, even if his sexual opinions should be dis- 

 carded. In forming this language, he retained all 

 the old names, which were consistent with his 

 new principles; he adopted such others from the 

 Greek and Latin, as were short, expressive, and 

 sonorous; he dismissed the periphrastic and tedi- 

 ous descriptions of the former schools; he intro- 

 duced trivial names ^ by which one, or at most two 

 adjectives, distinguish a plant from all its other re-^ 

 lative species;'^ in a word, he formed a language 

 so simple and luminous, and so adjusted its several 

 parts to his improved doctrines, that the acquisi- 

 tion of the science of botany became a far more 

 easy task than before. In fact, this w^as so much 

 the case, that, instead of remaining an abstruse 

 study, confined to the schools, as formerly, it was 

 converted into an agreeable amusement, to per- 

 sons of leisure in all ranks and situations. 



The new classification and nomenclature of Lin- 

 N.^us soon attracted general attention. At first, 

 as might have been expected, they met with 

 powerful opposition. When they first made their 

 appearance in Great-Britain, Sxoane, Dillenius, 

 and other English naturalists, opposed them with 

 warmth. Alston, of Scotland, retaining his old 

 prejudices, did the same; insomuch that the influ- 

 ence of the doctrines taught by Ray, threatened, 

 for some time, to triumph over those delivered by 

 LiNNiEus. This opposition, hov/ever, soon began 



q The following will serve as a specimen of the convenience and utility 

 of the trivial names invented and applied by Linnjeus. A kind of Gras/y 

 before his time, was called Gramen Xerampelinum^ Miliacea, pratenuis rama- 

 saque sparsa panicula, si-ve Xerampeltno congener^ arvensc, astivum ; gramen 

 viinutissimQ semine. He gave it a name consisting of two words, Poa bulLosiiy 

 which designated the plant more distinctly and intelligibly than the long 

 and perplexing desciiptioa before u»ed. Stoever's Life of Linn<sus^ p. 



