SO-CALLED INTRIGUES 
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his persecutor, and rendered thanks to the Creator.” 
From another autobiography we learn that “when 
Dr. Rosen married the Archbishop [Steuchius’s] niece 
he obtained an authorization from Chancellor Cron- 
hielm that no Docent should eyer be received in the 
medical faculty to the prejudice of the Adjunct. The 
hands of Linnaeus being thus tied, his only means of 
support were denied him.” On enquiring into this 
statement, it is regrettable that only one side is repre¬ 
sented. “ Audiatur et altera pars” to hear both 
sides, is an old rule, and it were to be wished that it 
could be applied here, especially as one of the two 
disputants can by no means be viewed as a perfectly 
trustworthy witness concerning the thoughts and in¬ 
tentions of the other. It is the more desirable here, 
as the autobiographies of Linnaeus drawn up in his 
later years, must be read with a certain amount of 
caution, especially one published by Ad. Afzelius and 
therefore the best known. On close investigation, it 
shows itself to contain many erroneous statements. 
This is partly due to the length of time between the 
occurrence of the events, and the narration of them, 
when Linne had only his failing memory to trust to, 
and partly because of the want of attention that the 
authorities showed to the public, when otherwise they 
might have solved guesses, reports, misconceptions 
and suspicions. Add to this, that Linnaeus, in none 
of his autobiographies refrained from employing 
strong, sometimes too strong, words in his represent¬ 
ations, so that one must set limits to these manifest 
tendencies. Written, not for publication, but for his 
children, they described the chief events in the 
father’s life, giving also a timely warning to the 
children, that they should not allow themselves any 
revenge for wrong suffered because the Allwise 
Omnipotent God will ever give the victory to the 
right and good. He, by his “ Nemesis clivina,” also 
showed that punishment awaited each who trans¬ 
gressed God’s ordinance, when by harm to another. 
