LAST YEARS 
337 
he had had the little sleigh taken into the kitchen, and 
there he lay in front of a blazing fire, quite happy with 
his little pipe in his mouth. Here he was ready to 
pass the night, and much trouble was experienced in 
driving him home safely, as it was already dark, and 
a thaw with steady rain had set in. This was the last 
time he passed out of the town’s gateways, and very 
few times afterwards did he go outside his own house. 
Shortly afterwards, his strength visibly waned, and 
his pains increased. The only thing which gave him 
any relief was beer, which he drank with such pleasure, 
that he did not take his mouth from the tankard, so 
long as a drop was left. On the 30th December he 
had a terrible attack of convulsions, so that each breath 
seemed as if it would be his last; but his wasted body 
still had so much resistance, that death only came on 
the 10th January, 1778, at eight in the morning, and 
freed him from his suffering; the actual cause of death 
being ulceration of the bladder. At his death-bed were 
only the University Proctor his son-in-law elect, 
Samuel Duse, betrothed to his youngest daughter 
and his English pupil, John Rotheram. 
During the last year of Linne’s life, dark shadows 
had rested on his home, becoming darker owing 
to the circumstances then prevalent. An unhappy 
contributory reason, according to many unanimous 
reports, was his wife’s frugality, which in later days 
degenerated into avarice. She was particularly 
blamed, for, without regard to her husband’s grievous 
condition, she did not prevent him from giving coach¬ 
ing lectures, which, however, no one could understand. 
In the autumn term of 1776 he attempted to act as 
dean and examiner in the medical faculty, etc., and 
this only because of the insignificant pecuniary 
advantages which could thereby be gained. Confirma¬ 
tion of this accusation is strengthened by an event 
happening at the end of 1776, which arouses in a high 
degree both astonishment and compassion. When at 
the meeting of the Consistory on the 13th December 
Y 
