HIS CORRESPONDENCE 
279 
of his later period are wanting in the poetic touches 
which adorn his youthful “ Flora lapponica.” “ Nulla 
dies sine tinea ”—“ No day without a line,” was one 
of his mottoes, and he acted up to it. 
In 1755 he was surprised to get a letter from M. 
Manetti, Professor of Botany in Florence, who had 
previously written in opposition to him, stating that 
the more he studied plants themselves, the more he 
became convinced of his previous mistakes, and as 
a pledge of this he asked Linne to accept the diploma 
as member of the Florentine Society. The Pope, 
Clement XIII. (Rezzonico) had forbidden the intro¬ 
duction of Linne’s writings into the Papal States 
(because he had divided the arrangement of animals 
in a different way from Moses), but in 1774, through 
the influence of Cardinal de Saladas, Clement XIV. 
(Ganganelli) instituted a new botanical professor, 
Minasius, giving him orders to put forth Linne’s 
views in his lectures. 
During the last twenty-five years of his life, Linne 
hardly ever alluded to his opponents except in a 
playful way, showing that he was not deeply hurt. 
Even Siegesbeck, who more than anyone else had 
wounded him, was afterwards spoken of by him with 
pity. There is a story extant that Baron Sten Bjelke, 
who was procuring seeds for Linne in Russia, wrote 
on a packet of seeds of Siegesbeckia orientalis , instead 
of that name, Cuculus ingratissimus ” [the most 
ungrateful cuckoo]. The packet happened to fall 
into the hands of Siegesbeck, to his great annoyance, 
and it cost much trouble to smooth over the irritation 
thus caused. 
Sickness and vexations of various kinds tempted 
him to follow the example of a colleague, to live in 
peace and quietness, or, to devote himself to medical 
practice, which was better from an economic point of 
view. Many times he compared his own constant 
activity to that of Professor Mathesius : “ He has 
rested his body, I have murdered mine; he has gained 
