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its power to satisfy every advance that has yet been made intheoretical astronomy ; while the old system of Ptolemy ,althoug'h exceedingly clever and ingenious, and apparentlyable to account for most of the facts known while it heldits sway, was not only fearfully complicated, but must, if ithad not been previously exploded, have utterly failed to agreewith observation, when the telescope revealed the phases of theinner planets, and the general improvement of astronomicalinstruments enabled the movements, both of those within andbeyond the Earth ’s orbit, to be watched and recorded withincreased accuracy.
We can hardly wonder that Alphonso the Wise, tenth King'of Castile , is said to have remarked, more than six hundredyears ago, that if he had been consulted at the creation hecould have devised a better arrangement than the Ptolemaicsystem. But we should be greatly surprised if any of ourreaders should still be so far in doubt as to which is the truetheory, as with any lingering uncertainty to exclaim : —
“ What if the Sun
Be centre to the world, and other starsBy his attractive virtue, and their ownIncited, dance about him various rounds ?"