220 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



the great drama of achievement. < Wherefore, mortals, 

 beware of perfection,' says Mephistopheles, with his 

 cynical sublunary philosophy. 



' 1517,' said Niebuhr, ' must precede 1638' ; s"> must 

 1742 pass before 1886. Linnaeus must precede Lindley. 

 Linnaeus was the road-maker others have travelled 

 farther on his road. 'Well, roads are meant to be 

 travelled on.' What though he knew nothing of where 

 it led ? But he did know not the distant intermediate 

 steps, but the final end, the glory of God ; and in his 

 piety he ever guided his pupils upward, giving the 

 praise of his scientific discoveries to God, who revealed 

 Himself through his eyes and mouth. ' Everything is 

 full of God's reflex, could we but see it.' Linnaeus made 

 it his especial work to discover this and point it out. 



He was led early to regret that natural history had 

 not by public institution been more cultivated in uni- 

 versities, in many of which logical disputations and 

 metaphysical theorising had too long prevailed, to the 

 exclusion of more useful science. Availing himself, 

 therefore, of the advantages which he derived from a 

 large share of eloquence and an animated style, he 

 never failed to display in a fascinating and convincing 

 manner the relation this study has to the public good ; 

 and this was only a corollary of his first great proposition, 

 the glory of God. He seemed to atone for his avoidance 

 of becoming a divine by thus teaching divinity. 



1 In his lectures and botanical excursions he was 

 frequently led into expatiating on the greatness of God, 



