

54 COURTS. [Lesson xn. 



orbits of Comets are not regular and determinate, 

 as they have been generally imagined to be, be- 

 cause, he says, they are liable to be changed con- 

 siderably by the perturbation of the planets. Per- 

 haps, the non-appearance of some Comets, which 

 were predicted tx) appear in these last few years, 

 may serve to confirm this suggestion. 



After all, it must be acknowledged, that the phi- 

 losophy of Comets is, at present, very imperfect. 

 The discoveries which have hitherto been made 

 Bowing to the long intervals which frequently pre- 

 cede the return of Comets, and their irregular mo- 

 tions), are not sufficiently important to afford any 

 thing decisive. The prediction of Seneca remains 

 vet to be accomplished, wherein he says, " The 

 " time will come when the nature of Comets, and 

 u their magnitudes, will be demonstrated, and the 

 " routes they take, so different from the planets, 

 f explained. Posterily will then wonder, that the 

 ic preceding ages should be ignorant of matters 

 " so plain and easy to be known *." 



* M. LAMBERT, in his Letters on Cosmogony, takes for 

 granted the principle that the universe ought to be as popu- 

 lous as possible, and contain us many moving bodies as it 

 o.in without confusion and disorder. "Hence," says he, "the 

 most perfect plan of our system will be that into which enters 

 the greatest number of orbits, all separated from one an- 

 other, and which in no point intersect each other. If, then, 

 we should be able to prove that the orbits of comets corre- 

 spond to this end better than those of the planets, the reason 

 of their superiority in point of number must be seen and ad- 

 mitted." This, in fact, he does prove, and thus shews that the 

 vf-ry elliptic orbits of Comets, instead of being irreconcilea. 

 Lie with the wisdom which is otherwise manifest in the works 

 of creation, are additional proofs that the highest possible 

 perfection obtains in the universe at large. 



LESSON 



