PREFACE. xix 



Epicurean doctrine, and show that every form of 

 matter takes its source solely from the casual con- 

 currence of atoms ; or, if a regular order and ar- 

 rangement be by them allowed to exist — in short, if 

 there has been a creation, — that it is impossible for 

 man to discover the plan on which it has been con- 

 ducted. When the truth of either of these hypo- 

 theses — -the first of which Linnaeus was certainly the 

 last man ever to have entertained — shall rest on a 

 foundation more solid than bare assertion, then, 

 and not till then, we may adopt the above cele- 

 brated definition. But in the mean time, were it 

 said that the mere ability to assign an arbitrary 

 name, without any further object in view, however 

 it may argue that our time has been employed, can 

 never show that any substantial knowledge has been 

 acquired, we should therein assert nothing that re- 

 quires demonstration, nothing that is not self-evi- 

 dent and equally true, whether the natural system 

 be hypothetical or not. 



The author is aware that for the decided nature 

 of these reflections he is likely to be judged se- 

 verely by some of those persons whose opinions in 

 general he would always regard with deference. 

 But truth is the sole object at which he aims; and 

 though he venerates the name of Linnaeus, he has 

 always endeavoured that it should not be so blindly 

 as to render this his object unattainable. He re- 

 b2 



