AN OVERDOSE OF PROSPERITY 13 



They criticised each other. Haller was testy. Linnaeus 

 apologised. They were friends again. l Their reciprocal 

 esteem was frequently disturbed by jealousy and literary 

 discordance.' l Like other botanists, Haller did not like 

 being sent to school again. Linnaeus maintained the 

 necessity of an artificial system for practical use, and of 

 the study of natural orders for a philosophical knowledge 

 of plants. The great fault of the French school is the 

 confounding these two distinct objects. 2 



The knowledge of natural history was not as yet 

 sufficiently advanced to found a natural system on a 

 solid base ; mere analogy of appearance is not sufficient 

 for this ; how can it be, when not only orchids look like 

 bees and butterflies, but a wet white feather in a shabby 

 bonnet looks so like a vertebral fish-bone ? 



Linnaeus's mind was an admirable instrument for 

 piercing and uniting webs small and large. Maybe he 

 would not thank his friend for using a tailor's simile, 

 though he was himself full of fun and aptness of illus- 

 tration, seeing such affinities in his subject as brought 

 dull science within the shining circle of his wit. 

 Accustomed to the rapid apprehension of his friend 

 Artedi, he gave his illustrations with a hit-or-miss air, 

 astounding the Dutchmen by ' the delicate light-horse 

 canter of phrase ' with which the new ideas floated 

 sparkling from his mouth they only accustomed to 

 their own tobacco-clouds now and then with half- 

 suppressed impudence, seeing how far he could astonish 

 their Dutch gravity. 



1 Stoever. 2 Smith. 



