212 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. ft. in. 



accurate nomenclature all over the world, you will, I think, 

 have learnt as much as you need at present about the work 

 of the great Swedish naturalist. 



Linnaeus was not a vigorous old man. The hard 

 struggles of his youth and the immense work of his after- 

 life had worn him out, and at fifty-six he was obliged to ask 

 the King of Sweden to let his son lecture sometimes in his 

 place. With this help he continued to work at science till 

 within two years of his death, when his mind became feeble. 

 He died in 1778, loaded with honours and beloved and 

 esteemed by the greatest men all over the world. His had 

 been a noble life ; enthusiastic and truth-loving, he had 

 worked, even when he was poor, for science and not for 

 wealth, and when he became famous and rich he helped his 

 pupils as others had helped him, and lived simply and 

 frugally till his death. Unlike Buffon, his private life was as 

 pure as his public life was famous. Over the door of his 

 room he placed the words ^ Innocul vivtto, Niimen adest^ 

 (* Live innocently, God is present '), and he lived up to his 

 motto. His study of nature had filled him with deep 

 reverence and love for the Great Creator, and he used often 

 to tell his friends how grateful he was to God for those gifts 

 which had made his life so full of interest and delight. 



After the death of Linnaeus his mother and sisters sold 

 his collection of plants and insects, and all his books and 

 manuscripts, to Dr. Edward Smith (afterwards Sir E. Smith), 

 for one thousand pounds. The King of Sweden was at this 

 time away from Stockholm, but directly he returned and 

 heard that such a valuable national treasure was on its way 

 to England he sent a man-of-war to try and bring it back. 

 A very amusing chase then took place ; Dr. Smith did not 

 mean to lose his prize if he could help it, so he set full sail 



