Figure 20. — Title page of Father Borghesi's second book. 

 The translation in its entirety is: "The Most Recent 

 Theoretical-Practical Astronomical Clock According to 

 the Equally Must Recent System of the World. Author: 

 Francesco Borghesi of Mechel of Anauni * Priest of Trent, 

 Doctor of Philosophy * (The System of the Clock) 

 Ingeniously connected to new theoretical laws published 

 1764: and the constructor. Bartholomeo Antonio Bertolla 

 of Rumo, similarly from Anauni * who skillfully produced 

 this work * in this same current year of Our Lord * which 

 is the year 57 1 3 [sic] since God created this earth. (Trent: 

 From the Printshop of Giovanni Battista Monauni, With 

 Permission of the Superiors.)" {Title page reproduced 

 by courtesy of the Biblioteca delta Citta di Trento.) 



lived, to erect this work as a monument to the theory. 

 To do this, I digressed a bit from the true-to-life pattern 

 to the mechanical order so that I could transfer all the 

 movements of the heavens, etc. (which I enjoyed 

 thinking about more), to the plane surface of the clock's 

 face. In this way. the ecliptical spectacles of the stars, 

 etc., would appear at their proper times clearly before 

 the eyes of the viewer. I could also avoid many diffi- 

 culties which otherwise, perhaps, even the hands of the 

 most skillful craftsmen could never solve. 



You ought to know, therefore, that as a result of my 

 nightly meditations, I have rejected, after much con- 

 sideration, all the explanations of the universe thus 

 far published. All other theories of the make-up of the 

 universe, however admirable, and however many there 

 are, turn the sun and earth around in an ecliptic in an 

 annual movement. Thus, Philolaus was the first to 

 move the earth from the center of the universe and move 

 it through the void; afterwards, Aristarchus of Samos 

 and then Copernicus moved the earth with the moon. 

 I he F.gyptians. as well as Pythagoras, Ptolemy, Tycho, 

 Riciolus, Longomontanus, etc., thought that the sun 

 moved through the degrees of the ecliptic each year. 

 But I attributed this movement to neither earth nor 

 sun for the movement of both is only apparent. I did not 

 vainly surmise the annual equilibrium in all astronomical 

 observations to I"- from the dail) movement of the same 

 axis moved .it the poles of the heavens. Nor, in like 

 manner, is there a better way to satisfy physical experi- 

 ments To you. then, most cultured reader: II you, 

 perhaps, can make any use or draw pleasure from this 

 most faithful description of my new theory and the 

 mechanical instrument, refer It first to God on High 

 from whom is everything that is best, and then to those 

 avidly awaiting this little work. Lastly, if you find any 

 M. in in. in [ess fitting; in your humanity, do nut disdain 

 tu excuse it. 



NOVISSIMUM THIiORTCO- PRACTTCTM 



ASTKONOMICUM AUTHOMA 

 Juxta Taritcr Kovijjimum 



MUNDI SYSTEMA 



A V T H O K E 



tranCIsCo bVrghesIo 



D E M EG G L 



Anna»len0, * TrlDrnrtno SaCrrDm , PblLohpkU tt'tqfe Df. 



Cl°r<-, * aV> aoVi tbmlOu Ugn Ingmlo/e iLUgj- 



tWI, ' UVI HUtl'M, Cbrlfll anno 1761: * 



atqt'c , 



fabrICatore 



barthoLoMeo bertoLLa 



De rVnno 



pArlfr amtznlmt , * mlflCMo la'-m In opV< ttDtCtl' tt .*• 



•MrM a ftCra CbrlHI nctWUate fU'enie mm, * Qf,. 



rent- Ven, PotaVtM Ott't eX rrrVM nlalla 



MfnDI'M iDVXU, anno 5713. 



_T R I D E N T I, ^^ 



,1 *l»" 1 J'»"- Bapr. Moiuuni , Tfpogr. Epifc 

 UP K riorum e ERUtSS U. 



Borghesian Theory of the Universe 



In Father Borghesi's second volume, there is a 

 separate chapter entitled "An Exposition of the 

 Latest Theory of the Universe." This follows the 

 introduction to the reader, and in it Father Borghesi 

 proposed : 



That you might rightly conceive my new sytem of the 

 world and mechanically, as it were, construct it, imagine 

 for yourself, beneath that most happy seat of the Blessed 

 and above all other heavens, a kind of spherical con- 

 vexity, everywhere equidistant from the center of the 

 earth, and endowed with absolutely no motion. 



On the inside, at two points diametrically opposite 

 each other, this convexity has two most sturdy poles 

 (to speak mechanically), projecting towards the center 

 (which you call the poles of the heavens), and the largest 

 immobile semicircle, in some manner is drawn from the 

 center of one pole to the center of the other. This semi- 

 circle in the middle, namely at a point equidistant from 

 each pole, is thought to be secured by some sign, for 

 example, by that "o," for arranging more perceptibly 

 the scat of the sun (as will be shown later). This much 

 must In- com civrd lirst. 



54 



BUI.I.KTIN 240: ClONTklBI'TKlXS FROM I I II-: MI'SKI'M OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



