RAY AND WILLUGHBY. 41 



from 1663 to the beginning of 1666; but Willughby 

 parted from Ray in the later part of 1664, for the 

 purpose of travelling in Spain. The journal of his 

 Spanish tour was appended to the 'Travels in the Low 

 Countries/ published by Ray in 1673; b ut it was un- 

 fortunate that all the scientific papers written by the 

 two friends while they were together, and describing 

 the animals and plants which they had met with, were lost 

 on their return. 



At the close of the year 1665, Willughby lost his father, 

 and succeeded to the family estates. He now took up 

 his abode at Middleton Hall, where Ray was his frequent 

 guest. Willughby now applied himself with the utmost 

 zeal to the execution of his great plan of publishing a 

 systematic work dealing with the whole animal kingdom. 

 Ray was often with him, helping him in ordering the 

 extensive collections which he had accumulated. The 

 two took scientific tours together making their way at 

 one time as far as Land's End ; and they worked together 

 at various scientific researches. Thus for a few years 

 Willughby lived, immersed in his work, and enjoying his 

 quiet home-life. In 1668, he married, but four years later 

 he was attacked with pleurisy and fever, to which he 

 succumbed at the early age of thirty-seven. ' Thus,' as 

 Dr Derham remarks, ' was the world deprived of this great 

 and good man, in his very prime. . . . His example 

 deserves the imitation of every person of estate and 

 honour. For he was a man whom God had blessed with 

 a very plentiful estate, and with excellent parts, capable 

 of making him useful to the world ; and accordingly he 

 neglected no opportunity of being so. He did not (as 



