beacon lights of history-iii-2-第76章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



　　　　　Or　works　of　God　in　heaven；　or　air；　or　sea。〃





And　yet；　thou　stricken　observer　of　the　heavenly　bodies！　hadst　thou

but　known　what　marvels　would　be　revealed　by　the　power　of　thy

wondrous　instrument　after　thou　should'st　be　laid　lifeless　and　cold

beneath　the　marble　floor　of　Sante　Croce；　at　the　age　of　seventy…

eight；　without　a　monument　（although　blessed　on　his　death…bed　by

Pope　Urban）；　having　died　a　prisoner　of　the　Inquisition；　yet　not

without　having　rendered　to　astronomical　science　services　of　utmost

value；even　thou　might　have　died　rejoicing；　as　one　of　the　great

benefactors　of　the　world。　　And　thy　discoveries　shall　be　forever

held　in　gratitude；　they　shall　herald　others　of　even　greater

importance。　　Newton　shall　prove　that　the　different　planets　are

attracted　to　the　sun　in　the　inverse　ratio　of　the　squares　of　their

distances；　that　the　earth　has　a　force　on　the　moon　identical　with

the　force　of　gravity；　and　that　all　celestial　bodies；　to　the　utmost

boundaries　of　space；　mutually　attract　each　other；　that　all

particles　of　matter　are　governed　by　the　same　law；the　great　law　of

gravitation；　by　which　〃astronomy；〃　in　the　language　of　Whewell；

〃passed　from　boyhood　to　manhood；　and　by　which　law　the　great

discoverer　added　more　to　the　realm　of　science　than　any　man　before

or　since　his　day。〃　　And　after　Newton　shall　pass　away；　honored　and

lamented；　and　be　buried　with　almost　royal　pomp　in　the　vaults　of

Westminster；　Halley　and　other　mathematicians　shall　construct　lunar

tables；　by　which　longitude　shall　be　accurately　measured　on　the

pathless　ocean。　　Lagrange　and　Laplace　shall　apply　the　Newtonian

theory　to　determine　the　secular　inequalities　of　celestial　motion；

they　shall　weigh　absolutely　the　amount　of　matter　in　the　planets；

they　shall　show　how　far　their　orbits　deviate　from　circles；　and　they

shall　enumerate　the　cycles　of　changes　detected　in　the　circuit　of

the　moon。　　Clairaut　shall　remove　the　perplexity　occasioned　by　the

seeming　discrepancy　between　the　observed　and　computed　motions　of

the　moon's　perigee。　　Halley　shall　demonstrate　the　importance　of

observations　of　the　transit　of　Venus　as　the　only　certain　way　of

obtaining　the　sun's　parallax；　and　hence　the　distance　of　the　sun

from　the　earth；　he　shall　predict　the　return　of　that　mysterious　body

which　we　call　a　comet。　　Herschel　shall　construct　a　telescope　which

magnifies　two　thousand　times；　and　add　another　planet　to　our　system

beyond　the　mighty　orb　of　Saturn。　　Romer　shall　estimate　the　velocity

of　light　from　the　eclipses　of　Jupiter's　satellites。　　Bessell　shall

pass　the　impassable　gulf　of　space　and　measure　the　distance　of　some

of　the　fixed　stars；　although　such　is　the　immeasurable　space　between

the　earth　and　those　distant　suns　that　the　parallax　of　only　about

thirty　has　yet　been　discovered　with　our　finest　instruments；so

boundless　is　the　material　universe；　so　vast　are　the　distances；　that

light；　travelling　one　hundred　and　sixty　thousand　miles　with　every

pulsation　of　the　blood；　will　not　reach　us　from　some　of　those　remote

worlds　in　one　hundred　thousand　years。　　So　marvellous　shall　be　the

victories　of　science；　that　the　perturbations　of　the　planets　in

their　courses　shall　reveal　the　existence　of　a　new　one　more　distant

than　Uranus；　and　Leverrier　shall　tell　at　what　part　of　the　heavens

that　star　shall　first　be　seen。



So　far　as　we　have　discovered；　the　universe　which　we　have　observed

with　telescopic　instruments　has　no　limits　that　mortals　can　define；

and　in　comparison　with　its　magnitude　our　earth　is　less　than　a　grain

of　sand；　and　is　so　old　that　no　genius　can　calculate　and　no

imagination　can　conceive　when　it　had　a　beginning。　　All　that　we　know

is；　that　suns　exist　at　distances　we　cannot　define。　　But　around　what

centre　do　they　revolve？　　Of　what　are　they　composed？　　Are　they

inhabited　by　intelligent　and　immortal　beings？　　Do　we　know　that　they

are　not　eternal；　except　from　the　divine　declaration　that　there　WAS

a　time　when　the　Almighty　fiat　went　forth　for　this　grand　creation？

Creation　involves　a　creator；　and　can　the　order　and　harmony　seen　in

Nature's　laws　exist　without　Supreme　intelligence　and　power？　　Who；

then；　and　what；　is　God？　　〃Canst　thou　by　searching　find　out　Him？

Knowest　thou　the　ordinances　of　Heaven？　　Canst　thou　bind　the　sweet

influences　of　the　Pleiades；　or　loose　the　bands　of　Orion？〃　　What　an

atom　is　this　world　in　the　light　of　science！　　Yet　what　dignity　has

man　by　the　light　of　revelation！　　What　majesty　and　power　and　glory

has　God！　　What　goodness；　benevolence；　and　love；　that　even　a　sparrow

cannot　fall　to　the　ground　without　His　notice；that　we　are　the

special　objects　of　His　providence　and　care！　　Is　there　an

imagination　so　lofty　that　will　not　be　oppressed　with　the

discoveries　that　even　the　telescope　has　made？



Ah；　to　what　exalted　heights　reason　may　soar　when　allied　with　faith！

How　truly　it　should　elevate　us　above　the　evils　of　this　brief　and

busy　existence　to　the　conditions　of　that　other　life；





　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃When　the　soul；

　　　　　Advancing　ever　to　the　Source　of　light

　　　　　And　all　perfection；　lives；　adores；　and　reigns

　　　　　In　cloudless　knowledge；　purity；　and　bliss！〃





AUTHORITIES。



Delambre；　Histoire　de　l'Astronomie；　Arago；　Histoire　de

l'Astronomie；　Life　of　Galileo；　in　Cabinet　Library；　Life　of　Galileo；

by　Brewster；　Lives　of　Galileo；　by　Italian　and　Spanish　Literary　Men；

Whewell's　History　of　Inductive　Sciences；　Plurality　of　Worlds；

Humboldt's　Cosmos；　Nichols'　Architecture　of　the　Heavens；　Chalmers'

Astronomical　Discourses；　Life　of　Kepler；　Library　of　Useful

Knowledge；　Brewster's　Life　of　Tycho　Brahe；　of　Kepler；　and　of　Sir

Isaac　Newton；　Mitchell's　Stellar　and　Planetary　Worlds；　Bradley's

Correspondence；　Airy's　Reports；　Voiron's　History　of　Astronomy；

Philosophical　Transactions；　Everett's　Oration　on　Galileo；　Life　of

Copernicus；　Bayly's　Astronomy；　Encyclopaedia　Britannica；　Art。

Astronomy；　Proctor's　Lectures。









End