Thomas Gray (1716-71), best known as the author of one of the enduring classics of 18th century poetry, the Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, spent most of his career as a history professor at Cambridge University. He had wide-ranging intellectual interests, including an interest in natural history sparked by his purchase of a copy of the monumental work of taxonomy Systema Naturae (1750) by Carl von Linné (or Linnaeus). This manuscript of over 800 pages documents Gray’s meticulous reading of Systema Naturae, with notes carefully keyed to Linné’s numbering system. The notes include terms in multiple languages. The annotations in red ink were likely added later to the notes taken in black ink. On the right page more notes have been added on a slip.
Comments
The Science Behind Linnaes and Language
Thomas Gray's depiction of Carl von Linne (or Linnaeus) in a series of notes is more than the final-cut of Gray's observations he made while reading Linnaeus, it is a narrative review of Gray's own personal relationship that he shares with Linnaeus's, Systema Naturae, as well as the idea of advancing in science as an intellectual who spoke multiple languages at Cambridge University.
Brendan Ryan
The Brendan Ryan Company
Houston, Texas