65 
MEMOIR OP LINNjEUS. 
only of its gratification, but of laying the basis of a 
system which soon spread its dominion over the 
whole world of science. Almost within the Arctic 
Circle, this enthusiast of nature felt all those inspi- 
rations which are generally supposed to be the 
peculiar offspring of warmer regions. 
It is perhaps worthy of incidental remark, that 
the most part of naturalists have commenced their 
career with the study of botany ; and this admits of 
an obvious explanation. The animals look upon 
man as their enemy, and fly his approach; the 
mineral kingdom is concealed in the bowels of the 
earth, and cannot be reached except by tedious and 
painful exertions. On the other hand, plants and 
vegetables seem to covet the admiration and court 
the acquaintance of man : they unfold spontane- 
ously their smiling beauties to his eye, and thus, as 
it were, invite him to examine and explain their 
structure. This branch of natural science is not 
merely the most easy and attractive at the outset ; 
it is the key of all the rest. Whoever becomes fa- 
miliar with plants and herbs, soon desires to know 
the names of the insects that feed or lodge among 
their leaves ; he then wishes to extend his observa- 
tion to the nature of the soil that nourishes them, 
and thus, by an obvious transition, he passes from 
botany to the study of zoology and mineralogy. 
This was exactly the case with Limueus ; he was 
a botanist from his cradle ; he lived from his child- 
hood amidst shrubs and flowers ; and, in comme- 
