ST. MARTIN'S SUMMER 359 



council-chambers. Permitted him to see more of the 

 Creation than any mortal before him.' The world was 

 beginning to be breathed upon by c arguments which 

 if they do not convince at least stimulate the mind. 

 Still Linnaeus held it neccessary to use very guarded 

 language respecting the Deluge. Some of his electrical 

 theories are a wonderful forelumining, rather than fore- 

 shadowing, of the marvels of galvanism and modern 

 electric science. These notions were considered absurd in 

 his day, even by his admirers. Times and opinions have 

 changed ; these ideas were really rays from the Polar Star. 

 c His hypotheses indicate the brilliancy of his ima- 

 gination and at the same time the strength of his 

 judgment. Although it was his life-long habit to 

 systematise all natural objects, his mind could never 

 find rest in the finitude of a system. He dared not, as 

 he himself assured me, 1 publish during his life many 

 important observations relating to the general arrange- 

 ment of nature, because he was afraid of the excessive 

 violence of the Swedish divines, who frequently, too 

 faithful and bigoted to their own arguments, do not 

 consider that nature, as well as revelation, proclaim 

 in unison of principle the hand of that Great Master 

 who formed both/ The truth most of us venture to 

 hold now is that the Bible is God's book and nature is 

 the illustration of it. Linne concludes the tract which 

 records the occurrences of his life with these words, 

 1 The Lord was with thee wherever thou didst go.' 

 1 Fabricius. 



