Method. 325 
bricatlon of his fyftem, wholly from na- 
ture, and his own obfervations ^ preferving 
every where the titmofi: filence, refpeffeing 
any ailiftance derived from former writers. 
Affumptions, which could with difficulty 
be acceded to, and which drew upon him 
the cenfures of Tournefort, and other 
mailers of the fcience s who were well ac- 
quainted ¥/ith the fountains of knowledge 
that w^re then open to him, and the affift- 
ances he muft have drawn from Gesner^ 
C^SALPiNUs, and others. 
At this diftance of time^ and under the 
prefent enlightened ftate of fcience, the fyf- 
tems of Ray, and of PvIorison, muft not 
be fcrupuloufly examined. sal pin us 
laid a foundation-ftone, on which, if our 
Britijh architects raifed a Gothic ftrufture, 
their fucceffors have improved it to a ftyle 
of greater fymmetry, and elegance. 
The introduftion of fyfiem was fortunate 
for fcience, as it brought with it, by de^ 
grees, the eftabliffiment of generical cha- 
rafters, on a like affemblage of effential 
parts in feveral fpecies. As new plants 
Y 3 were 
