82 HERSCHEL AND HIS WORK 



his strength hod been failing under the pressure of 

 burdens laid on him as King's Astronomer unnecessary 

 burdens. Without including the diagrams, often in 

 thrmselves a heavy labour, these papers are spread 

 over two thousand quarto pages, an extraordinary 

 record of hard, honest, earnest work. His first two 

 papers were said to be " communicated by Dr. Watson, 

 Jr., of Bath, F.R.S., and written by Mr. William 

 Herschel of Bath." The same designation of tin 

 astronomer appears again in the Proceedings for 

 1781; but in the end of the year it is replacc'<l l.\ 

 Mr. Herschel, F.RS. In 1783-84-85 we find, William 

 Herschel, Esq., F.RS. But from 1786, the year in 

 which he received the degree of LL.D. from tin 

 University of Edinburgh, 1 to 1815, the style is, 

 William Herschel, LL.D., F.RS. In 1817, 1818, it 

 becomes Sir William Herschel, Knt. Guelp., LL.D, 

 F.RS. The musician of Bath had made good his 

 right to rank with the noblest and the most le.i 

 of men. 



1 Professor Holden, in his Life, writes (p. 47) : " It was only in 1788 

 that he became 'Dr. Herschel/ through the Oxford degree of LL.D." 

 This Oxford degree of LL.D. has of late been changed in his case into 

 D.C.L. The Oxford "Catalogue of all graduates . . . between Oct. 

 10, 1659, and Dec. 31, 1850," does not contain his name, except as the 

 father of Sir John Herschel, on whom the degree of D.C.L. was 

 conferred. The date of the Edinburgh degree is April 10, 1786, and 

 is the only ground I can discover for the title LL.D., that he ta 

 all his papers from 1786 to 1818. The honour of LL.D. from Oxford 

 was first claimed for Herschel in 1798-9. See Public Characters, i. 396. 



