CUVIER AND A. D. THOUARS. 



97 



certain propositions framed for the purpose of excluding 

 Presbyterians. His refusal, however, to subscribe to this 

 test did not arise from his being himself of that persuasion, 

 for he always retained his connexion with the Anglican 

 church, and died in its communion, but that the measure 

 appeared to him repugnant to religious liberty, and op- 

 posed to the promises which had been made for its main- 

 tenance. His nonconformity, however, obliged him to 

 resign his Cambridge fellowship, and his position would 

 probably have become attended with embarrassment, had 

 he not been assisted by one of his pupils, whose name was 

 destined afterwards to be associated with his own. This 

 was Francis Willughby, a gentleman of good fortune and 

 of an old English family, several branches of which were 

 subsequently raised to the peerage. Willughby was born 

 in 1635, and was thus only seven years younger than his 

 tutor ; and their mutual taste for natural history having 

 already united them in the closest bonds of friendship, 

 they determined to devote themselves entirely to their 

 favourite science, and with this view travelled, together 

 with two other young men,* from 1663 to 1666, over 

 various parts of England, France, Germany, and Italy. 

 In this tour they collected immense materials for works 

 of which they had already conceived the plan : Willughby 

 applying himself more particularly to the observation of 

 animals, and Ray to that of plants. A year after their 

 return, or in 1667, Ray was chosen a Eellow of the Royal 

 Society. At that time the celebrated Dr. Wilkins, bishop 

 of Chester, and one of the founders of that great institu- 

 tion, was engaged upon his universal and philosophical 

 language, the nature of which he has explained under 

 the title of 'An Essay towards a Real Character and a 

 Philosophical Language.' He induced Ray to undertake 

 a methodical arrangement of the vegetable kingdom, 

 which, if effected, would have conduced to the completion 

 of his own project ; but Ray found himself constrained by 



* Philip Skippon and Nathaniel Bacon. 



7 



