232 
LINNAEUS 
20th January, 1729, he, unknown to his parents, 
registered in the medical faculty, and formed a lasting 
friendship with another student, J. O. Hagstrom, who 
thus described Lofling. “ He came to Uppsala 
quite young, of such simple manners as might be 
taken for stupidity. During his first year he was 
intimate only with me, who, like him, had come from 
the fells. When he first came to my rooms, he fell 
upon my herbarium to search through it. This 
pleased me immensely, and we were together day and 
night. His father wished him to become priest, but 
he had no liking for that profession. I was senior to 
him by some years, so I advised him not to devote 
himself to logic, metaphysics or Greek, which had 
robbed me of much time. He made such rapid 
progress in botany, that he was worthy to be tutor to 
Linne’s son. As to his character, I can frankly say, 
on my conscience, that his soul was graced with 
virtue, pious, just, loving and quick at grasping 
nature’s many secrets. He was tall, like Kalm, of 
manly and pleasing aspect, and was also bright 
and healthy.” 
Among Linne’s many pupils and attendants in his 
excursions, Lofling principally attracted his teacher’s 
attention. He found his way to Linne’s heart, and 
was taken into his teacher’s house as companion to 
his son. 
That Lofling gladly accepted this post was 
natural. He attended lectures, formed friendships 
with the most intellectual of the students, was early 
and late in the botanic garden and at meal-times 
plied his teacher with questions. “ He lived with 
me in the greatest confidence,” records Linne, “ for he 
had a mind pure as gold without any dissimulation 
in speech or gesture. He was never effeminate nor 
fastidious in food or clothing; he could sleep on the 
hardest bench or softest bed.” This evident kindness 
spurred Lofling on to deserve it, and in 1749 he 
put forward the famous disputation, “ De gemmis 
