[ « ] 
pleafure in acknowledging my obligations to him ' who with a certain brevity 
and happinefs, peculiar to himfelf, has been indefatigable in digefting the 
feveral products of Nature into the regularity and comprehenfivenefs of 
Syftems, although a few obfcurities, and perhaps improprieties may remain yet 
to be retouched. 
As I tye myfelf down to no determined Plan, I confine mylelf to no man’s 
Hypothefis, nor indulge myfelf often in fuch fallies of the imagination. It mult 
be referred to the acute and patient reader, whether there is any Hypothefis here, 
but what appears to him upon cool and fufficient tryal ( as it really does to the 
Author) either to be fupported by a variety of fadts, or the eafy plain refult of 
the nature of things. 
T o banifh all Hypothefis, whilft lb many points of Natural History Hypothefis* 
remain difputable and undecided, would be to obftrudt one, (and no inconfide- 
rable one) of the avenues to Knowledge. All cautious Hypothefes muft be par- 
doned for aiming at Truth, although they mifs the mark. 
But an Hypothefis may be too bold, and when Authors pretend to account for 
every thing, they are not aware how indecently they intrude into the councils and 
peculiar province of their maker. There are many fecrets in nature, which 
man had better let alone, and wifely own his ignorance. God has given us a 
a fagacity to difcern, and faculties to ufe his works ; but in a grofs only, and 
collective date ; he has given us no talents to track the firft principles through 
their feveral migrations and meanders, to tranfmute, deftroy, and recompofe the 
works of Nature ; he did not defign that we fhould prefumptuoully revife, 
mimick, or make, but ufe, revere, and celebrate his works. Natural His- 
tory therefore has its bounds, which if it exceeds, it gets wilfully into the 
dark, and confumes our time in endlefs and futile difquifitions ; Natural 
History has its bounds, molt apparent to thofe who know mod of it ; among 
the reft of its ufes therefore (upon proper intimacy) it will certainly teach us a 
due eftimate of our own weak abilities, fhort-fighted fancies, and at the fame 
time the unlimited unfathomable depth and height of the Works of God. 
Some pains, it will be eafily allowed, have been taken to defcribe and engrave Engravings* 
fuch anuinbei of fubjedts, but pains of this kind, I agree, do not always merit 
fuccefs, neither aie they entitled to commendation, but when they they are aptly 
and judicioufly employed for the illuftration of truth, and fettling fome new or 
doubtful part of ufeful knowledge. 
. m ight be fome Satisfaction to pofterity (I think every one is agreed that 
lt muft be fo to us) to fee the patrimonial habitations of their anceftors, I have 
b Linnaeus Profefior at Upfal, in Sweden. 
b 
\ 
inferted 
