John Ray FRS was an English naturalist widely regarded as one of the earliest of the English parson-naturalists. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after "having ascertained that such had been the practice of his family before him". He published important works on botany, zoology, and natural theology. His classification of plants in his Historia Plantarum, was an important step towards modern taxonomy. Ray rejected the system of dichotomous division by which species were classified according to a pre-conceived, either/or type system, and instead classified plants according to similarities and differences that emerged from observation. He was among the first to attempt a biological definition for the concept of species.
Wikipedia
“Money and friendship bribe justice.
Beauty is potent, but money is omnipotent.”
Source: English Proverbs (1670), p. 94
Source: English Proverbs (1670), p. 174
“Prate us but prade; it's money buys land
Money begets money.”
Source: English Proverbs (1670), p. 140
Source: English Proverbs (1670), p. 228
The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation http://books.google.com/books?id=rRI5AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA309 (1691). p. 309
Quoted in The Ethics of Diet: A Catena of Authorities Deprecatory of the Practice of Flesh-eating by Howard Williams (London: F. Pitman, 1883), p. 107 https://archive.org/stream/ethicsofdietcate00will/ethicsofdietcate00will#page/107/mode/2up.
“Like blood, like good, and like agen make the happiest marriage.”
Source: English Proverbs (1670), p. 48
