Baron of Merchiston. 83 



changing the whole plan of these tables, he boldly gave 

 them a new form, which fitted them for the application of 

 the logarithms. Upon what accidents does not the progress 

 of human intelligence depend ! The Rudolphine Tables 

 appeared in 1627, six years, only, before the death of Kepler. 

 Who knows if without the use of the logarithms he could 

 have finished them ? They must become the fundamental 

 basis of all our ulterior knowledge in reference to the system 

 of the world ; for being established for each planet on the 

 conditions of elliptical movement; and for the relations of 

 the orbits between them, on the proportion of the square 

 of the times of revolution to the cubes of the semi-great 

 axes, their constant agreement with the heavens presents 

 a constant epitome, as well as proof, of the great astrono- 

 mical laws, justly termed the laws of Kepler, from which 

 Newton has mechanically deduced that of the central force, 

 proportional to the masses, and reciprocal to the square of 

 the distance. But, if the general conditions of the planetary 

 motions had not been known and proved, Newton would not 

 have been able to ascend to the law of the force; so that, 

 without the invention of logarithms, which in some measure 

 enabled Kepler to live long enough to finish his task, univer- 

 sal gravitation might have, perhaps, still remained undis- 

 covered. This fortunate revolution in the tables and cal- 

 culations of Kepler has been described and celebrated by 

 Kepler himself, in a letter to Napier, dated 28th July, 1619, 

 which he placed before his Ephemerides for 1620. This 

 important document for literary history has become so rare, 

 that neither Montucla nor Delambre knew of its existence. 

 Fortunately, the Bodleian Library of Oxford possesses a 

 copy, of which, Napier's biographer, (Mark Napier, Esq.) 

 has presented an exact copy to the public. It is from this 

 letter that the preceding details are taken. Napier never 

 received this letter which would have filled him with joy. 

 He died two years before, on the 4th April, 1617; but 

 Kepler was ignorant of the fact. So difficult and slow 

 was scientific communication in these times of war and 

 storms, caused by the influence of political interests and 

 change in religion! 



If continental Europe was in this condition, the state of 

 Scotland was still worse. The inhabitants of its IJ ighlands, 



g 2 



