RAY. 



fufficiontly well underftood. They indeed, like the relt of 

 the world till lately, feem not to have fufpcdlcd, that the 

 fap was quiefcent till their perforations in the tree were 

 made ; nor did they advert, as they ought, to phenomena 

 dependent on tiie princi])le of life, in tlie ve^table body. 

 See ClKCULATlON of the Sap. 



At this time Ray began to prepare for the prefs his 

 " CoUcilion of Proverbs," a curious booli in its way, by 

 which he is perhaps better known to the generality of Iiis 

 countrymen, than by any other of his literary labours. 

 The firll edition was publifhed in 1672 ; but the work was 

 fubfequently much enlarged, and the author may almoll be 

 faid to have exhauilcd his fubjedl. From its very nature, 

 delicacy and refinement muft often be difpenfed with ; but 

 this is evidently not tiie fault, or the aim, of the writer. 

 His learning and critical acutenefs dift'ufe light over the 

 whole, and make us overlook the coarfe vcliiele of our in- 

 ftruftion. 



Tlie firfl; edition of the Catalogue of Englifli Plants, al- 

 ready mentioned, came out in 1670, and the fccond in 1677. 

 Their great author gave his work to the world with that 

 diffidence, for which he alone porliaps could perceive any 

 jufl foundation. We poftponc o\ir remarks till we fpeak 

 of the fame work in its fyllematic form hereafter. 



About this period the health of Mr. Ray feems to have 

 been confiderably impaired. He refufed a tempting offer to 

 travel again on the continent, as tutor to three young noble- 

 men ; nor could the powerful attraftions of alpine botany, 

 which made a part of his profpeft, overcome the reluclance 

 to leaving home, which arofe from a feeble lla'e of body. 

 Indeed this very reluctance, or liftlefsnefs, is accounted for, 

 by the turn v^hich his diforder took, as it terminated in the 

 jaundice. After this deprefling complaint had left him, he 

 refumed, with freih alacrity, his botanical travels at home, 

 vifiting the rich ftores of the north of England, with a com- 

 panion named Thomas Willifel, whofe name and difcoveries 

 he afterwards, on many occafions, has gratefully commemo- 

 rated. Nothing forms a more itriking feature in Ray's 

 character, than the unreferved and abundant commendation, 

 which he always gave to his friends and fellow-labourers. 

 We are about to narrate an event, which called forth all his 

 afFedlionate feelings of this kind, as well as his moft im- 

 portant and beneficial exertions ; when, even to his own 

 prejudice, he fulfilled the facred duties of friendfhip, and de- 

 lighted in adorning the bull of his friend with wreaths, that 

 he himfelf might juflly have afiumed. On the 3d of July 

 1672, Mr. Willughby was unexpectedly carried off by an 

 acute diforder, in the 37th year of his age. The care of his 

 two infant fons was confided by himfelf to Mr. Ray, vrho 

 was alio appointed one of his five executors, and to whom 

 he left an annuity of 60/. for life. The eldeft of thefe 

 youths was created a baronet at the age of 10 years, but 

 died before he was 20. Their filler CafTandra after- 

 wards married the duke of Chandos. Thomas, the 

 younger fon, was one of the ten peers created, all on the 

 fame day, by queen Anne, and received the title of lord 

 Middleton. His early youth was much indebted to the 

 care of his faithful guardian, who compofed, for his and his 

 brother's ufe, and publilhed in 1672, a Nomenclator Clafflcus, 

 far more exact, efpecially in the names of natural objedts, 

 than any that had previoufly appeared. The care of his 

 pupils, and of the literary concerns of their deceafed parent, 

 now interrupted Mr. Ray's botanizing excurfions, and 

 cauied him alfo to decline the offer of Dr. Lifter, then a 

 phyfician at York, to fettle under his roof. Bifhop Wil- 

 kins did not long furvive Mr. Willughby, and his death 

 made another chalm in the fcientific and fecial circle of our 

 Vol. XXIX. 



great natural philofopher, wlio felt thefe lo^fea as deeply and 

 tenderly as any man. He fought confolation in a domeflio 

 attachment, fixing his clioice on a young woman, of good 

 parentage, whofe name was Margaret Oakeley, and who 

 refided in tlie family at Middk-ton-hall. He was married at 

 the parifli church, June 5tli, 1673, being then in tlie 45'!! 

 year of his age, and his bride about 20. This lady took a 

 fhare in the early education of his pupils, as far as con- 

 cerned their reading Englifh. She is faid to have been re- 

 commended by her charadter, as well as her pcrfon, to the 

 regard of her hufband. She bore him three daughters, 

 who, with their mother, furvived him. 



Ray's communications to the Royal Society became now 

 very frequent, and extended to various I'ubjedts relative to 

 the natural hillory of animals, as well as to the pliyfiology, 

 and even the botanical charafters, of vegetables. He was, at 

 the fame time, in the courfe of the years 1674 and 1675, 

 much occupied in digefting Mr. AVillughby's zoological 

 papers. Thefe were compofed in I,atin, in which language 

 the Ornithology firfl appeared in 1676, making a folio vo- 

 lume, accompanied by 77 plates, engraved, at the expence 

 of the author's widow, from his own drawings. An Eng- 

 lifli tranfl.ition by Ray, witli ftill more additions thai; he had 

 fupplied tu tlie former publication, and one more plate, if- 

 fued from the prefs in 1678. The account which Dr. Der- 

 ham received from the lips of Mr. Ray, about eight months 

 previous to his deceafe, relpecting the primary intentions of 

 himfelf and his late friend, and wliicli is recorded in liis life, 

 p. 48, is too curious to be omitted here, as their project and 

 its execution form an epoclia in tiie hiflory of natural 

 fcience. " Thefe two gentlemen," fays Dcrham, " finding 

 the hiflory of Nature very imperfect, had agreed between 

 themfelves, before their travels beyond fea, to reduce the 

 feveral tribes of things to a method ; and to give accurate 

 defcriptions of the feveral fptcies, from a drift view of 

 them. And forafmuch as Mr. Willughby's genius lay 

 chiefly to Animals, therefore lie undertook' the Birds, 

 Beafls, Fifhes, and Infefts, as Mr. Ray did the Vege- 

 tables." Derham adds, that Mr. Willughby, during his 

 fhort hfe, " profecuted his defign with as great application, 

 as if he had been to get his bread thereby." The writer 

 of the piefent article has elfewhere obferved, (Jntroduftory 

 Difcourfe, Tr. of Linn. Soe. v. i,) that " /rom the affec- 

 tionate care with which Ray has clierilhed the fame of his 

 departed friend, we are in danger of attributing too much 

 to Mr. Willughby, and too little to himfelf." His 

 own flatement, no doubt, was correft, as to their ori- 

 ginal aims ; but it is impollible not to perceive that the fur- 

 vivor executed or perfefted what his friend, in many in- 

 fiances, could only have projefted, or fcarcely begun. Had 

 Willughby lived, there can be little doubt of his career 

 being as glorious in the fequel as that of his friend ; and 

 pofTibly, from the advantages of fortune which he enjoyed, 

 even more widely beneficial to fcience. Yet who can tell 

 that he might not have flackened liis courfe ? Though he 

 glorioufly avoided the fnares of luxury and folly in his 

 youth, who fhall fay that politics or ambition might not 

 have dazzled his riper age ? or that he would always have • 

 efcaped that ruinous vanity, which grafps at univerfal 

 knowledge, or rather at univerfal fame ; and knowing no- 

 thing deeply, is mofl flattered with any praife which is leaft 

 deferved. So often has this lafl been the cafe with literary 

 men, that one cannot but miitrufl u character of the fairefl 

 promife. What Ray has done, we know and can appreciate. 

 Equal to his friend in learning, talents, and zeal, the ad- 

 vantages of ample fortune were compenfated by the leifure 

 and tranquillity of a fequeflered country life. His duties 



3 P went 



