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HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE

whilst the sun, carrying this system with him, revolvedround the earth, at rest in the centre, as did also themoon, at a less distance. This system, no doubt, answeredtolerably well the purpose of explaining the actual ap-parent motions, as far as the accuracy of observationhad then been carried. It is, in fact, a modification ofthe principle of the epicycles : and had it been proposedprior to the system of Copernicus , it might justly havebeen regarded as a step in the progress of simplificationand improvement. But coming, as it did, after thesuggestion of that theory, which bears upon it the im-press of the grandeur and simplicity of nature, it canonly be regarded as a decidedly retrograde movement.It is a melancholy proof not only of the weakness, butof the perverseness of the human mind ; not only of abackwardness in the pursuit of truth, but of an un-happy rejection of it when presented to our grasp.

The character of Tycho exhibits a remarkable mixtureof acuteness and weakness. He was a firm supporter ofastrology, and wrote in defence of it; he believed inomens, and even regulated his conduct in accordancewith such warnings. At the same time, his conduct ex-hibits many instances of liberality and generosity; and,upon the whole, we cannot but regard him as fullyentitled to the respect in which he has been generallyheld.

Reformation of the Calendar .

The period of which we have now been treating wasdistinguished by a transaction of some general interest,the reformation of the calendar by Pope Gregory XIII. ,in 1582. We have already noticed the devices adoptedto keep the same nominal days and months to the samephysical seasons, and the necessity for doing so, arisingout of the circumstance, that the solar year is not mea-sured by an exact number of days. The Julian cor-rection, which intercalated a day every fourth year,made the calendar year about eleven minutes 'onger than