ASTRONOMY considered in its entirety is the finest monument of 

 the human mind, the noblest essay of its intelligence. Seduced by 

 the illusions of the senses and of self-pride, for a long time man 

 considered himself as the centre of the movement of the stars ; his 

 vainglory has been punished by the terrors which its own ideas 

 have inspired. At last the efforts of several centuries brushed aside 

 the veil which concealed the system of the world. We discover 

 ourselves upon a planet, itself almost imperceptible in the vast 

 extent of the solar system, which in its turn is only an insensible 

 point in the immensity of space. The sublime results to which 

 this discovery has led should suffice to console us for our extreme 

 littleness, and the rank which it assigns to the earth. Let us 

 treasure with solicitude, let us add to as we may, this store of higher 

 knowledge, the most exquisite treasure of thinking beings. 



LAPLACE, Exposition du Syst&me du Monde. 



