OF THE LIFE OF LINNvEUS. £31 



" Having told him that Linn ^us had given me lessons at different 

 *' times, he rose and exclaimed, " You know then my master and pro 

 «« fessor, the great LiNNiEus? If you write to him, assure him of my 

 veneration, and throw me prostrate before him — (Et mettez moi a genoxix 



devant hi). — Tell him, that I know no greater man on earth; that I 

 owe him my health, nay, even my life." Rousseau afterward shewed 

 " me LiNN.'EUs's Philosophia Botanica, saying, " This book contains 

 " more knowledge than the largest folio voium.es. The books which 



come from the north generally abound with too much learning; but 



this one does not contain a single word which m.ight be considered as 

 " unnecessary." — Such a panegyric from the mouth of the philosopher 

 " of Geneva, whose taciturnity seldom indulged itself in such flattering 

 "praise, struck me with unexpeSled surprise. At the name of Lin- 

 N-Eus he appeared to be quite enraptured ; " I am (said he) a pupil of 



LiNNiEus, and deem it an honour." I asked him, what he thought 

 " of Adanson ? He answered, that the latter and Cranz at Vienna^ 

 "had both borrowed all their knowledge of Linn^us, and had 



attempted afterwards to lessen and calumniate his name, and been 

 *' guilty of ingratitude to their master." 



So lively a genius as that of Linn^us could never remain inaftivc. 

 His zeal continued as long as nature left any vitals in his frame. Even 

 in the year 1773 he took a share in an enterprise by which the late 

 King of Sweden distinguished the beginning of his reign as a lover of 

 science. A committee was appointed, consisting of six bishops, six 

 doftors in divinity, and eight other literati, charged with a better trans- 

 lation of the Bible into the Swedish language, and Linn^us was 

 chosen a member of this committee, for the purpose of ascertaining and 



H h describing 



