PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES. 155
pathies being excited by the configurations of the planets.In “ the very exquisite harmonies,” as he calls them,“ of the celestial motions,” he represents Saturn andJupiter as taking the bass, Mars the tenor, the Earth and Venus the counter-tenor, and Mercury the treble.AVith some inconsistency he rejects the theory, whichhad at least poetical beauty to recommend it, adoptedby several of the astrologers, that each planet had itsguardian angel, who conducted its motions: he heredrily refers to the elliptic motion, which, he observes,“ rather smacks of the nature of the lever and materialnecessity.” It is in the midst of all this extreme non-sense, and in a discussion as to whether the planets arenaturally light or heavy, that the author announces hisdiscovery of the third great law of the planetary orbits:he speaks of it in terms of the most unbounded rapture,as the grand consummation of his desires and labours ;to the pursuit of which he had devoted his life, andwhich excels all the harmonies of the celestial spheres.It was, indeed, as connected with this idea, that he hadbeen led into the enquiry.
“ Great,” he says, “ as is the absolute nature ofharmonics, with all its details, as set forth in my thirdbook, it is all found among the celestial motions; not,indeed, in the manner which I imagined (that is notthe least part of my delight), but in another very dif-ferent, and yet most perfect and excellent. It is noweighteen months since I got the first glimpse of light,three months since the dawn, very few days since theunveiled sun, most admirable to gaze on, burst out uponme. Nothing holds me: I will indulge in my sacredfury; I will triumph over mankind by the honest con-fession that I have stolen the golden vases of the Egypt-ians to build up a tabernacle for my God , far awayfrom the confines of Egypt . If you forgive me, I re-joice ; if you are angry, I can bear it: the die is cast;the book is written ; to be read either now or by pos-terity, I care not which : it may well wait a century fora reader, as God has waited 6000 years for an ob-