CHARACTER OF LINN.£US. 265 



forded me more pleasure than an hundred ducats would have done„ 

 *' I am astonished at your boundless industry in collefting, classing, 

 " and describing your work. None but him who had a share in such. 

 *' labour can form himself an adequate idea of it*." 



To the poor — and even to the rich, foreign students, who resided at 

 Ufial entirely on his account, he left the whole of the perquisites, 

 ■which they must otherwise have paid him for his leftures. To the 

 former he remitted that money from pure motives of beneficence, and 

 from the latter he would not receive it, that he might convince them 

 how nobly proud he was of his science. Besides the testimony which 

 professor Fabricius gives in this particular v^ith regard to Zoega 

 and himself, we will communicate here the following farther illustra- 

 tions of the generosity of Linnaeus. 



When Dr. Gieseke took his leave of our luminary in autumn of 

 1771, he presented to him a Swedish bank note as an acknowledgment 

 for the pains he had taken to instruft him, but he absolutely declined 

 acceptance. After reiterated intreaties he asked Gieseke: — " Pray, 

 " tell me candidly, are you rich, and can you afford it — ^can you well 



" spare this money on your return to Germany ? If you can, give 



*' the bank note to my wife. But should you be poor, so help me 

 " God, I would not take a single farthing from you.t." 



• Po3t varia frustranea tentamina tandem accepi tiiam Entotnolog'iam Carn'ioUcam exhiben- 

 tem inseftas Carnioliae ind^igenxyVindob 1768, 8vo. maj.) eamque ex Belgio et quidem sumpti- 

 bus triuin fere ducatorum aureonim pro solo tabellario adducente; neque hoc doleo, quum 

 es ea plus obleflamenti hauserim, quam ex centum ducatis. Obstupesco ad infinitum labo- 

 rers, in colligendo describendo et disponendo, quern nullus alius intelligere usquam potest, 

 nisi qni ipse manum labori admovit. 



t Nam si pauper esses— ita me Deusl— (this was the usual form of oath of Linn^ius) 

 . ne.obolara a te accip^rem. 



Mm ~ <£ Xo) 



