226 LINNJ2US. 



same way as the others had done. " See/' quoth Dille- 

 nius to his patron Slierard, who happened to be pre- 

 sent at the interview, '' this is the young man who 

 confounds all botany." Although the Swede was 

 ignorant of the language spoken by these island- 

 ers, he readily guessed at the meaning of ^' con- 

 founds/' but thought it prudent to take no notice of 

 the accusation. They tlien went to the garden, 

 but the professor still treated the presumptuous 

 youth with undisguised contempt. Next day, he 

 waited upon Dillenius previous to his departure. 

 '' Before I go," said he, '' I have one favour to re- 

 quest; tell me why you lately used those words 

 about confounding botany." He refused to explain ; 

 but when Linnaeus insisted that he should, '' Come 

 this way," said he ; so the sheets of half of the Ge- 

 nera Plantarum were referred to. On almost every 

 page were the letters N. B. When he asked what 

 they meant, Dillenius said they marked the false 

 genera. He maintained that the genera were not 

 false, and the Oxonian referred to a plant in the gar- 

 den, which he and other botanists considered as hav- 

 ing three stamens. It was found to have only one, 

 as his opponent had alleged. " O !" quoth Dillenius, 

 " it may be so accidentally in a single flower /' but 

 behold, all the flowers were the same; for when 

 they examined a number, all turned out as the 

 Swedish youth had described them. The professor 

 had been slow of belief, it is true ; but he now 

 gave due honour to his visiter, detained him several 

 days, and supplied him with all the plants which 

 Cliffort required. 



In a letter to his friend Dr Richardson, dated 

 August 25, 1736, Dillenius expresses the following 



