C 34 1 
as glorious to the country in which he lieved, and crown- 
ed heads defired to polTefs him. The king of Spain 
offered him an annual penfion of two thoufand piafters, 
equal to three hundred and fifty pounds, the free cxercife 
of his religion, and a patent of nobility, if he would re- 
fide at Madrid. Offers were likewife made him from 
the courts of Petersburg and Great Britain. But Lin- 
nteus chofe rather to enrich with the fplendor of his re- 
putation, the country which produced him, and the 
friends who nourifhed him. 
Frederick 'the firft who like his fucceflbr gave much 
encouragement to literature, had in the year 1748, found- 
ed in Sweden the order of the Polar Star. Into this 
order Linn^us was admitted by Frederick Adolphus, 
and in 1753, on the twenty-feventh of April, he was 
created a knight of the Polar Star. And as a further 
reward for his merits and the diftinflion to which he 
had raifed the univerfity of Upfal, he was by the fame 
royal munificence, by a diploma, dated the fourth of 
April, 1757, admitted among the hereditary nobility of 
his country. At this time he changed his name to Von 
lyinne j the termination us being confined to the plebei- 
ans of Sweden. 
In 1755, he obtained the firft prize which Count 
Sparre had left, to be given for the beft tieatife on the 
fubjeft of agriculture and the feveral branches of rural 
economy. It confifted of two gold medals, of the value 
