andfromthelasteditionofhisSystemaNaturaehequietlyleftoutthestronglyorthodoxstatementofthefixityofeachspecies，whichhehadinsisteduponinhisearlierworks。Buthemadenoadequatedeclaration。Whathemightexpectifheopenlyanddecidedlysanctionedanewerviewhelearnedtohiscost；
warningscamespeedilybothfromtheCatholicandProtestantsides。
AtatimewheneminentprelatesoftheolderChurchwereeulogizingdebauchedprinceslikeLouisXV，andusingtheunspeakablyobscenecasuistryoftheJesuitSanchezintheeducationofthepriesthoodastotherelationsofmentowomen，themodestyoftheChurchauthoritieswassoshockedbyLinnaeus’sproofsofasexualsysteminplantsthatformanyyearshiswritingswereprohibitedinthePapalStatesandinvariousotherpartsofEuropewhereclericalauthoritywasstrongenoughtoresistthenewscientificcurrent。Notuntil1773didoneofthemorebroad-mindedcardinals——Zelanda——succeedingainingpermissionthatProf。MinasishoulddiscusstheLinnaeansystematRome。
AndProtestantismwasquiteasoppressive。InalettertoEloius，LinnaeustellsoftherebukegiventosciencebyoneofthegreatLutheranprelatesofSweden，BishopSvedberg。FromvariouspartsofEuropedetailedstatementshadbeensenttotheRoyalAcademyofSciencethatwaterhadbeenturnedintoblood，andwell-meaningecclesiasticshadseeninthisanindicationofthewrathofGod，certainlyagainsttheregionsinwhichthesemiracleshadoccurredandpossiblyagainstthewholeworld。A
miracleofthissortappearinginSweden，Linnaeuslookedintoitcarefullyandfoundthatthereddeningofthewaterwascausedbydensemassesofminuteinsects。Newsofthisexplanationhavingreachedthebishop，hetookthefieldagainstit；hedenouncedthisscientificdiscoveryas“aSatanicabyss“abyssumSatanae，anddeclared“ThereddeningofthewaterisNOT