LINNiEUS. 225 



of Dioscorides the Second^ and his name began to be 

 known throughout Germany. 



Cliffort being desirous of extending his collection 

 by obtaining new species from England^ resolved to 

 send Linnaeus to that country, which he did in the 

 latter part of July, limiting the period of his absence 

 to twelve days. The passage from Rotterdam to 

 Harwich occupied eight ; and the stranger, finding 

 himself surrounded by attractions, was in no haste 

 to return, even to the elysium of Hartecamp. He 

 arrived in London, with a letter of introduction from 

 Boerhaave to the celebrated Sir Hans Sloane. 

 Whether the venerable physician meant to make 

 merry at the expense of the naturalists, or whether 

 he really thought they both deserved the compli- 

 ment which he paid to them in his note, let the reader 

 determine : — '^ Linnaeus, who will give you this let- 

 ter, is alone worthy of seeing you, alone worthy of 

 being seen by you. He who shall see you both to- 

 gether shall see a pair, whose like will scarcely be 

 found in the world." 



Notwithstanding this high encomium. Sir Hans 

 exhibited no kmdliness of feeling towards him. He 

 was in fact a person who had grown old in self- 

 esteem. Cliffort was desirous of procuring some 

 plants from the garden at Chelsea, and his agent ac- 

 cordingly waited upon Mr Miller, who listened to his 

 request with very little respect. At a subsequent 

 visit, however, the Englishman became in some de- 

 gree sensible of the merits of the young foreigner, 

 and furnished him with the specimens which he 

 had solicited. Proceeding to Oxford, he pre- 

 sented himself before the celebrated Dillenius, pro- 

 fessor of botany, who received him much in the 



o 



