VIII MEMOIRS OF THE 



plants, and, like Tournefort, he wished to dispose 

 these into a method, and invented a celebrated 

 u System," more perfect than that of Tournefort, 

 but less simple and practical than that of Linnaeus ; 

 and arranged under his own System, the " His tor ia 

 Plantarum" " a History of Plants," in three large 

 folio volumes, being a description of all the species 

 of plants known at that period. 



The botanical world found the chaotic mass some- 

 what removed by these illustrious men : but still the 

 science of Botany was of difficult attainment, and 

 many new Plants could not be reduced to the Systems 

 of either Tournefort or Ray, when LINNYEUS 

 turned his attention to this science. He soon be- 

 came the pride and wonder of the age ! Like the 

 sun, when he flourished, all preceding botanists hid 

 their diminished heads, and are now only read to 

 know the state of natural science before the period 

 of LxNN,Eus ! He ranged throughout every path of 

 Nature, and left nothing unattempted or unaccom- 

 plished ! He may be truly said to have lived, if life 

 is to be computed by acquisitions, ,for he saw and 

 described more than others had seen and done in a 

 thousand years, and each day with him appears, from 

 his gigantic achievements, an age ! He introduced 

 truth, order, precision, and perfection, into Natu- 

 ral History 1 He borrowed from none, his labours 

 are all original ! Attacked by numerous and ran- 



