62 MEMOIR OF LINNJEUS. 



only of its gratification, but of laying the basis of a 

 system which soon spread its dominion over the 

 \vhole w r orld of science. Almost within the Arctic 

 Circle, this enthusiast of nature felt all those inspi- 

 rations which are generally supposed to be the 

 peculiar offspring of warmer regions. 



It is perhaps worthy of incidental remark, that 

 the most part of naturalists have commenced their 

 career with the study of botany ; and this admits of 

 an obvious explanation. The animals look upon 

 man as their enemy, and fly his approach ; the 

 mineral kingdom is concealed in the bowels of the 

 earth, and cannot be reached except by tedious and 

 painful exertions. On the other hand, plants and 

 vegetables seem to covet the admiration and court 

 the acquaintance of man : they unfold spontane- 

 ously their smiling beauties to his eye, and thus, as 

 it were, invite him to examine and explain their 

 structure. This branch of natural science is not 

 merely the most easy and attractive at the outset ; 

 it is the key of all the rest. Whoever becomes fa- 

 miliar with plants and herbs, soon desires to know 

 the names of the insects that feed or lodge among 

 their leaves ; he then wishes to extend his observa- 

 tion to the nature of the soil that nourishes them, 

 and thus, by an obvious transition, he passes from 

 botany to the study of zoology and mineralogy. 



This was exactly the case with Linna3us ; he was 

 a botanist from his cradle ; he lived from his child- 

 hood amidst shrubs and flowers ; and, in comme- 



