'The idea of male and female plants, is of 
very ancient date. The penetrating, the in- 
quifitive genius of Linnaeus, purfued the 
idea, faw its want of precifion, difcovered 
the fexual diftincYions, and made them the 
foundation of a beautiful philofophical hy- 
pothefis. But this hypothecs might have 
been confined to Philofophy. The analogy 
between the parts, and the propagation, of 
plants and animals, was of no ufe in a 
practical fyftem of Botany. Fivejtamina and 
one ptftillum would fufficiently afcertain the 
Clafs and Order Pentandria Monogynia, which 
might with great eafe have been otherwife 
denominated, fo as to have no reference to 
fex. 
In an age lefs refined than the prefent, 
thefe objections were invalid. Poffibly we 
may not be more virtuous than our proge- 
nitors; but doubtlefs we are more delicate. 
The double entendres in the comedies of the 
laft age, with which the then audience were 
fo much delighted, would now be received 
with difguft: and, what is very remarkable, 
though we are, by no means, efteemed the 
moft polifhed nation, we are certainly the 
moft delicate. Some years ago, I was pre- 
lent, on a Sunday evening, at the repre- 
9 fentation 
