174 RAY. 



ted by Mr Ray to his friend Dr Hotton, professor 

 of botany at Leyden^ who got it printed in 1703. 

 The Dutch publishers inserted in the titlepage that 

 it was printed at London for Smith and Walford, 

 the persons who usually took charge of his books ; 

 and although the author objected to this proceeding 

 they disregarded his wishes, alleging, that '' it was 

 customary among the printers to say what they 

 thought would be for their interest in such cases/' 

 This production was very favourably received on the 

 Continent, and Hotton used it as his text-book. 



In a letter to Dr Derham, written in May 1702, 

 he thus describes his condition : — " It is not many 

 years since I applied myself to the observation and 

 search of insects, in order to compose an history of 

 them ; but now I am wholly taken oif from that 

 study, by the afflictive pains I almost constantly la- 

 bour under, by reason of ulcers upon my legs, I hav- 

 ing not been half a mile out of my house these four 

 years ; and though I have made use of many means, 

 and have had the advice of some of the most skilful 

 surgeons and physicians, yet without success, grow- 

 ing yearly worse and worse. Besides, I have been 

 very much haunted with a troublesome diarrhoea, 

 frequently recurring ; so that you may well think 

 I can have but little heart to mind natural history : 

 But I am yet so far engaged, that I cannot shake it 

 off. I have now just ready to go under the press a 

 third volume of the History of Plants, being a sup- 

 plement to the two former volumes, which hath en- 

 grossed almost my whole time for two whole years. 

 Besides, I have a little book now printing at Ley- 

 den, in Holland, entitled Methodus Plantarum 

 emendata et aucta." 



