68 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



It was not that, like Werther, there was no room in 

 the world for him there is always room for a young 

 man who sets in order Nature's disturbed affairs, or 

 brings to light her hidden treasures. What he needed 

 was the standpoint for the sole of his foot while he 

 worked his lever which was to stir the world. The pre- 

 occupants of this ground were up in arms to challenge 

 his theories, and what they were not clever enough to 

 do for themselves they called in foreign auxiliaries to 

 achieve for them. These allies were chiefly Germans, 

 who knew Linnasus least. The German spinners of 

 cobwebs naturally liked him less than the French ; be- 

 cause he held a clear light to nature, and they preferred 

 seeing it through smoked glass. German philosophy at 

 that time c consisted a good deal in calling names/ 

 Carl was in the front of battle once more. 



Ludwig of Leipsic and Haller are called by Smith 

 1 Linnasans in disguise.' Haller continued all his life to 

 disagree with Linnasus on many points, and often ex- 

 pressed himself with asperity or sarcasm, as in reviewing 

 the ' Fauna Suecica ' he says, c Linnaeus can hardly for- 

 bear to make man a monkey, or the monkey a man/ 

 What would Haller have said to Darwin ? 



Linnaeus had always generosity enough to accept 

 with forbearance the criticisms of a really great man 

 such as he recognised Haller to be. He writes as follows 

 to the illustrious German : ' The more errors of my own 

 that you can point out, the more I shall be obliged to 

 you. By such means I may be enabled to correct all that 



