U7BIENIET8KI. 



LUCANTJS, MARCUS ANN2EUS. 



These researches are punued in nine other elaborate papen con- 

 taioed in the 'Philosophical Transactions' for 1831, 1832, 1834, and 

 1835. Nearly the whole investigation waa subsequently published u 

 a separate work, under the title, ' On the Theory of the Moon and on 

 the Perturbations of the Planet*,' which first appeared in 1833; a now 

 edition, occasioned by soiuo researches of Plans, being published in 

 parts in the three following years. An account of the ' TraiUS sur le 

 Flux et Reflux do la Mer' of Daniel Bernoulli, in a separate tract 

 (London, 1830), preceded the publication of Sir J. W. Lubbock's 

 investigations on the Tides, principally as they occur in the ports of 

 London and Liverpool, which were communicated to the Royal Society 

 from 1831 to 1887, in nine papen; the Bakerian Lecture for 1836 

 being one of those ' On the Tides at the Port of London.' The Royal 

 Medal on Physios for 1834 had been awarded to him by the Council 

 of the Royal Society, for his " highly valuable investigations on the 

 tides," which down to that period had been published in the 

 'Transactions.' 



In the ' 1'liiL Trans.' for 1881 and 1841 are two papers on the subject 

 of meteorology, which conclude the list of the author's contributions 

 to the Royal Society. On that science, as well as on the tides, ho also 

 contributed some papers to the ' Companion to the British Almanac ;' 

 and this leads us to notice that he was an original member of the 

 Committee of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, and 

 edited the ' Haps of the Stars,' which formed part of the publications 

 issued under its superintendence. In conformity with the practice of 

 other mathematicians and physical astronomers of all periods, in 

 addition to papers contributed to academical collections, he has made 

 public some of his results and views in separate tracts. Among the 

 subjects of these are ' Cask-gaging,' the ' Computation of Eclipses and 

 Occultatious,' the ' Classification of the Different Branches of Human 

 Knowledge' (of which two editions hare appeared), an 'Elementary 

 Treatise on the Tides,' IS 39, and an elaborate investigation ' On the 

 Heat of Vapours and on Astronomical Refractions,' bearing on many 

 important objects of meteorological and chemical research, as well as 

 on astronomy. Some of these tracts, or their substance, are inserted 

 also in the ' Philosophical Magazine.' 



The improvement of mathematical notation appears to have been an 

 object held in view by Sir John Lubbock, from an early period in his 

 mathematical rest-arches. In 1829 he communicated a paper 'On 

 Notation' to the Astronomical Society, which was inserted in the 

 ' Memoirs,' vol. ix., p. 471. After remarking that that part of the 

 theory of mathematical notation which relates to symbols of quantity 

 had hitherto been entirely disregarded, and brieSy adverting to that 

 theory as regards language, he proceeds to submit his own rules of 

 notation, and a table exhibiting synoptically that employed by some 

 of the most distinguished astronomers fora few of the quantities which 

 occur frequently. The subject is returned to repeatedly in his subse- 

 quent works, in oue of which (the preface to the account of ' Bernoulli 

 on the Tides ' already noticed) he observes, " It is, I think, a matter 

 of great regret, that the notation adopted by different mathematicians 

 should be so various. I have therefore thought it desirable to give 

 frequent comparisons of the symbols I have adopted with those to 

 be louud elsewhere ; and I have endeavoured as far as possible not to 

 use the same letter for different quantities, and not to represent the 

 same quantity by different letters." A notice of one of those subjects 

 of profound interest which unite the objects of the astronomer with 

 those of the geologist, suggested by our author, must conclude this 

 article. His first paper on the ' Precession of the Equinoxes,' 1838, as 

 already alluded to, proceeded upon the hypothesis that the earth 

 revolves in a medium devoid of resistance. In the ' Phil. Trans.' of the 

 following year he investigates the subject on the supposition that the 

 earth revolves in a resisting medium, the effect of the resistance of which 

 " is to increase the latitude of the axis of rotation (reckoned from the 

 equator of the figure), till it reaches 90. Such is now the condition ol 

 the axis of the earth ; but as the chances are infinitely great against this 

 having been its original position, may not its attainment of this position 

 be ascribed to the resistance of a medium of small density acting for a 

 great length of time, a supposition which may account for many 

 geological indications of changes having taken place in the climates ol 

 the earth .'" This suggestion of a possible cause of many geologica 

 phenomena, certainly of the nature of a ' vera causa,' appears, most 

 unaccountably except indeed that it had been offered in researches 

 uu physical astronomy to have been left unnoticed by geologists, unti 

 the author himself revived it, eighteen years after its first enunciation 

 in a letter to Sir C. I -yell, read before the Geological Society in 1848 

 and published in its 'Quarterly Journal,' vol. v., p. 4. In this letter 

 the subject is pursued, explicitly, into several of its geological conse- 

 quences ; and Sir J. Lubbock's views were discussed in some detail 

 by the then president, Sir II. T. I)e I.a Beche, in hit anniversary 

 address of 1849, inserted in the same volume of the 'Journal,' pp 

 Ixxxv. Unix. 



LU11IEN1KTSKI (Latinised LDBIENIECIUS). There are five persons 

 of this name (one Andrew, two Christopher, and two Stanislas), al 

 distinguished in the Polish Sociniau controversy. A list of their 

 several writings may be found in Sandius, ' Ilibl. Antitrin.,' r'reiatadt 

 1084. The subject of the present article is Stanislas the younger, son 

 of Christopher, who was born at Cracow, August 23, 1623. He was 

 minister of a church at Lublin, until driven out by the arm of power 



or his opinions. He died in exile at Hamburg, May 18, 1675. His 

 eath is stated to hare been caused by poison a fact borne out by the 

 rath of his two daughters, and the serious illness of his wife, after 

 eating of the same dish ; but the Hamburg magistracy neglected to 

 nstitute the investigation usual in cases of sudden death. 



The theological works of Lubienietaki are numerous, and may be 

 imnd in Sandius, with the exception of the 'Historia Reformations 

 'olonieio,' published iu 1685 at Freistadt, with a life prefixed ; Imt 

 he work which makes his reputation more European, and eu T itles him 

 o a place here, is his ' Theatrum Cometicum.' This work wai pub- 

 islied at Amsterdam in 1667 (Sandius and Weidler), but a copy in our 

 KMseaaion has a Loyden title-page, and the date 1681. This change 

 of titles in different parts of the same edition was formerly not 

 uncommon, and has caused much confusion. A pictorial frontispiece 

 nis the following anagram for Stanislas Lubieniecius, ' Satis iu ulna 

 esu lucobis.' The ' Theatrum Cometicum ' consists of three parts. 

 Che first contains the correspondence of the author with men of 

 cience throughout Europe on the subject of the comets of 1664 and 

 665, and has in it communications from Vossius, Oldenburg, Hevelius, 

 Circher, Bouillaud, Von Guericke, 4c. &c. The second part contains 

 an elaborate account of all the comets (415 in number) recorded in 

 listory down to the year 1665. It is written in support of the hypo- 

 ,hesis that comets portend both good and evil, in opposition to the 

 irevailing notion that they were harbingers of misfortune only ; and 

 .his opinion he supports from history, it being clearly shown that 

 mblic events of both characters usually followed close upon comets. 

 Thus he points out that though the comet of 323 strengthened the 

 leresy of Arius, it also brought about the council of Nice ; and this, 

 rom Lubienietaki, waa not a little satirical We are in doubt whether 

 to conclude that the author maintained his hypothesis in good faith, 

 or to suspect that ho chose his line of argument as the best practical 

 mode of attacking the prevailing terrors; and our doubt becomes 

 stronger when we see that in the third part, called ' Theatri Cometici 

 exitus,' he rather widens his hypothesis ; and whereas he had before 

 maintained that comets foretell both good and evil, he now asserts the 

 dilemma that they predict both or neither, but still cautiously. 



In the discussions about Halley's comet this work of Lubienietaki 

 was freely cited in proof of one and another former appearance, or 

 presumed appearance, of that memorable body. It seems to have been 

 taken for granted that the mere mention of a comet by this author is 

 sufficient evidence of its having really appeared. It may be useful 

 therefore to recommend those who would prove a comet from the 

 'Theatrum Cometicum' (and the same caution may be giv.-u with 

 respect to Riccioli's list), first to examine the authority on which the 

 fact rests. Lubienietski has collected every instance, and giv 

 originals ; but thin, though dona with caro and great learning (exhi- 

 biting a mass of research which will appear womleiinl when we 

 remauiber that the investigator was driven from country to country, 

 and engaged in continual theological controversy), should ouly i-crve to 

 enable the reader to discriminate. Many of the authorities cited are 

 worthless, a'nd it even happens that the original historian of oue of 

 Lubieuietski's comets was born many hundred years after the pheno- 

 menon for the appearance of which he is made sufficient evidence. 



LUCA'NUS, MARCUS ANN^EUS, was born at Corduha (Cordova), 

 in the province of Bajtica, in Spain, A.D. 38. He was the sou of M. 

 Amueus Mela, who was the brother of the philosopher Seneca, and 

 was carefully educated at Rome under the most eminent philosophers 

 and rhetoricians of the time. His poetry recommended him to the 

 notice of Nero, who treated him with distinguished honour, and 

 bestowed upon him the dignity of quaestor and augur. Lucan did not 

 however remain long in the imperial favour. Nero was ambitious of 

 being considered the beat poet of his age; and Lucan was foolish 

 enough to enter into competition with his imperial master, and to 

 receive the prize for the best poem in a literary contest with the 

 emperor. Lucan was accordingly forbidden to publish any more 

 poems ; and simply, us it appears, on account of this prohibition, he 

 entered into a conspiracy with 1'iso and many others to assassinate 

 Nero. (Tac., 'Ann.,' xv. 49.) This conspiracy was detected, and 

 Lucan by a promise of pardon was induced to betray his associates. 

 When he had done so however he was condemned to death, ami lie 

 then opened his veins, and died repeating some of his own verses, 

 which described the death of a wounded soldier in consequence of loss 

 of blood. (Tao., 'Ann.,' xv. 70.) He died A.D. 65, in the twenty- 

 seventh year of his age. 



Lucau wrote many poems, which have not come down to us, 

 which were entitled respectively ' Catacausnios lliacus,' 'Catalogus 

 Heroidum,' ' Hectoris Lyra," ' Orpheus,' ' Saturnalia,' ' Silvarum 

 libri x.,' ' Medea ' (an unfinished tragedy), 'Satirical Fabulic xiv.,' Ac. 

 The only work extant is a poem on the civil war between Caesar and 

 Pompey, entitled ' Pharsalia,' which gives an account of the war from 

 its commencement to Csosar's visit to Cleopatra in Egypt. The poem 

 is comprised iu ten books at present, but since the tenth book leaves 

 off abruptly in the midst of u narrative, it is probable that some part 

 has been lost, or that the poet had not finished the work at the time 

 of hisdeath. The fust book opens with the most extravagant adulation 

 of Nero, iu which the poet even exceeds the base subserviency of the 

 poets of the age of Augustus. The ' Pharsalia' contains many vigorous 

 and animated descriptions, and the speeches are characterised by con- 



