162 THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH BANKS 



to " draw " him on Biblical subjects : as when one asks 

 him about the mustard tree of St. Matthew, Banks 

 goes little further than to say that he has never studied 

 Biblical Botany, " not being at all confident that the 

 translators of the sacred writ have been as careful as they 

 ought in giving proper names to the plants mentioned in 

 different parts of the Holy Scriptures." Or, when an 

 old friend sends him a controversial pamphlet : "Sir 

 Joseph Banks thanks Dr. Shepherd, but freely declares 

 that he does not think a layman should spend much 

 of his time in studying St. John. He feels no doubt that 

 his Faith is sufficient, if his actions prove acceptable, 

 to conduct him to his home hereafter, believing that the 

 Strait Path pointed out by the other Evangelists will 

 lead him as safely to his object as the intricate one of 

 St. John, which Dr. Shepherd has so laudably attempted 

 to elucidate." 



When, however, Banks heard of a case where some 

 word-splitting on these things was causing trouble, 

 breaking friendship, and destroying the public peace, 

 he was prepared with a strong opinion on the absurdity 

 of such quarrels. A good example occurs in the affair 

 of John Leslie, who succeeded Dr. John Robison as 

 Professor of Mathematics at Edinburgh. Leslie was a 

 friend of long standing (through the medium of Dr. Adam 

 Smith), and often had occasion to consult Banks upon 

 his affairs. There was a conflict of opinion when Leslie's 

 candidature appeared. It turned out that he had spoken 

 of an essay of David Hume as " a model of clear and 

 accurate reasoning." Certain ministers in Edinburgh 

 violently opposed the Town Council of the city for their 

 promotion of Leslie, because of his saying a good word 

 for the arch-heretic although purely in a literary sense. 

 Banks heard of this from two friends in London, and 

 unburthened his mind to Mr. Leslie on the whole 

 matter : 



