LINN^US AT HAMBURGH. 73 



It bad till then been universally believed, that Sprecke lsen was pos- 

 sessed of a singular phenomenon ; but the keen eye of the young 

 traveller, replaced this pretended prodigy into the rank which it should 

 never have relinquished, namely that of a curiosity and a fine pro- 

 duftion of art. It represented, and was deemed to be a serpent with 

 seven heads. Upon close inspeClion, Linn a: us discovered that those 

 seven and extraordinary heads, far from being natural, were merely 

 faftitious. He found that they consisted of nothing but the jaw bones 

 of weasels artfully covered with serpent's skin, regardless of the pal- 

 pable difference which subsists between the strufture of the jaw bones 

 of weasels and of serpents. 



Thus the phenomenon of Hamhufgh all on a sudden ceased to be 

 a wonder; a circumstance which proved somewhat fatal both to Sprec- 

 ke lsen and LiNNyEus. The seven heads had stamped a great value 

 on this serpent. It had been the pledged security for a loan of ten 

 thousand marks, and now it became scarcely worth one hundred. This 

 event occasioned many schisms and embarrassments. It was finally 

 insisted on, that Linnaeus should prove before an academical ForuMf 

 that the serpent was not a phenomenon. In this crisis Dr. Jaenisch 

 gave him the friendly advice to quit Hamburgh with all possible speed, 

 in order to avoid all useless delays and liligaiions. Linnaeus followed 

 this advice, and was frequently after heard to say : " I only had one 

 "friend at Hamburgh; this was Dr. Jaenisch; for he was a true 

 " friend to me*." Thus commenced the travels of Linn.^us with ad-" 

 ventures and unexpected accidents, thus was he obliged, on account of 

 his genius and better penetration to leave a city where he had so- 

 * " Doctor J^NiscH unicus fiiit amicus, quei% Hambiygi habui; verus enim fuit amicus." 



L journed 



