STUDENT YEARS 
53 
but when I explained my meaning, they ceased laugh¬ 
ing and promised to promote my design.” Thus at 
twenty-four years of age, Linnaeus had completed his 
sexual system, and by a lucky chance, solved the 
problem, which hitherto all other botanists had failed 
to solve, namely the promulgation of a clear and easy 
scheme, by which the many productions of Nature 
could be arranged and found again. This simplicity 
formed its strength; at once it thrust aside all the 
older, perplexing systems, and to this day it is 
recognized as occupying the first place amongst 
artificial systems, however many there may be. 
Still another production of his authorship at this 
time may be mentioned, less for its scientific weight 
and importance, than for the circumstances which were 
connected with its origin. It has already been related 
how Celsius and Linnaeus took two journeys in 1729 
to Borje to see a single plant, Sceptrum Carolinum. 
In September, 1730, Linnaeus travelled to the same 
place and for the same purpose, this time accompanied 
by Johan Olof Rudbeck. It is evident that this plant 
was regarded with special interest, which, from its 
stately appearance, was well deserved. Discovered 
by the younger Rudbeck as a boy, who afterwards met 
with it by the Lule river during his Lapland journey 
in 1695, he had dedicated it to King Carl XII in 
yerses to be found in his “ Nora Samolad,” with the 
name of “ Carl’s spira ” [Charles’s Sceptre] not long 
after the king’s victory at Narva. 
When the young J. O. Rudbeck had to put forward 
an academic disputation, this plant was chosen as the 
subject; till then it lacked scientific description, and 
under Rudbeck’s presidency, this thesis would be 
brought up as a customary holiday task. J. F. 
Bergman and Professor Roberg had produced verses 
on the plant, but this stately issue took on a comic 
colour when we read on the back of the title page of 
the manuscript entry, “ I wrote this dissertation in one 
day for thirty dalers in copper (fifteen shillings), there- 
