SIR JOSEPH BANKS. 339 



accounts which represent him as born in Lincolnshire in 

 December of that year."* After being placed for some time 

 under a private tutor, he was in his ninth year sent to Har- 

 row and four years after to Eton, where his good disposi- 

 tion and cheerful temper recommended him to his masters ; 

 but they complained of his extreme aversion to study, 

 and inordinate love of active sports. In about twelve 

 months, however, when in his fourteenth year, his tutor 

 found him reading at the hours of play, and the change 

 which had been effected in his habits was described by 

 himself to Sir Everard Home as arising from an acci- 

 dental circumstance. One day he had been bathing with 

 his fellow Etonians ; and on coming out of the water to 

 dress, he found that all but himself had gone away. 

 Having put on his clothes, he walked slowly along a 

 green lane. It was a fine summer's evening ; flowers 

 covered the sides of the path. He felt delighted with 

 the natural beauties around him, and exclaimed, " How 

 beautiful! Would it not be far more reasonable to 

 make me learn the nature of these plants than the Greek 

 and Latin I am confined to T His next reflection was 

 that he must do his duty, obey his father's commands, 

 and reconcile himself to the learning of the school. But 

 this did not hinder him from immediately applying to 

 the study of botany ; and having no better instructor, 

 he paid some women who were employed in gathering 

 plants what is called culling simples for the druggists, 

 for such information as they could give him, the price 

 he gave being sixpence for each thing they told him. 

 Returning home for the holidays, he was inexpressibly 



* The parish register of St. James's makes his birth 4th January. 



z2 



