PETER LOEFLING, 73 



in his tender pupil but that even his enthufiafm 

 would be communicated to his young friend, 

 and fo it really happened. In this ftation Loef- 

 ling made the beft of his time, and of the op- 

 portunity of improving by the Doctor's lectures, 

 at which he was afiifting very regularly \ the reft 

 of the time left to him, he fpent in feeing the moft 

 ingenious and diligent ftudents, whofe friendship 

 he acquired, and in vifiting the botanical garden 

 feveral times a day, and at dinner he propofed 

 queries and dubia to his tutor, by whom he now 

 was efteemed worthy of the greateft intimacy 

 and friendftiip ; for the doctor obferved in his 

 pupil, according to his own expreflion, § a 

 <c mind as pure as gold, and without the leaft 

 " duplicity of manners or words, which were 

 " exactly correfponding with his moft fecret 

 " thoughts." He was not effeminate, and re- 

 limed neither the pleafures of the table, nor 

 vanity in dreffing he flept as comfortably on 

 the hardeft bench, as in the fofteft bed ; and the 

 finding of a fmall plant or mofs, repaid him 

 amply the fatigue of a long excurfion. 



In the fummer term of 1748, the Doctor gave 

 to each of his fcholars a branch of botany for 

 its illuftration, as a tafk. Loefling got the buds 

 of trees for his allotted fhare, as this fubject had 

 never been well inquired into, and he was the 



only 



