210 GIORDANO BRUNO PART 



some object known to us to be fixed. Thus sense 

 furnishes its own correction. 1 The differences in the 

 distances of the planets from the sun, as seen from the 

 earth, are explained much more readily by the 

 assumption that they and the earth itself are moving 

 about the sun, than by that of the centrality of the 

 earth, which compelled astronomers to the complicated 

 device of the epicycles. 2 The fact that the moon 

 always turns the same face towards the earth dis- 

 proved the Ptolemaic theory : were it on an epi- 

 cycle, as was supposed, this would be impossible. 

 According to the old doctrine, the earth was fixed 

 immovably in the centre of the universe, while 

 about it circled the spheres of sun, planets, and fixed 

 stars. With Bruno, on the other hand, the centre of 

 the universe is everywhere, or nowhere, in other words 

 it is relative to the body on which the spectator is 

 supposed to stand. 



The principle of continuous change was employed 

 to explain, among other matters, the variation of the 

 equinoxes, which was already known to occur ; but the 

 continuous change was itself accounted for on teleologi- 

 cal grounds. " The motion which causes the poles to 

 tremble, and the equinoctial and solstitial points to vary 

 irregularly, is on account of the variations which are 

 always taking place in parts of the earth ; for the frigid 

 zones may not always be frigid, nor the torrid, torrid ; 

 all parts must rest and have holiday from each kind of 

 * affect/ and consequently take up every kind of dis- 

 position successively." ..." The centre of the earth, 

 therefore, and its position relatively to the poles, will 



1 Op. Lot. i. i. p. 329. 



2 The saying of King Alfonso in this regard is worth repetition, that " had he 

 been consulted at the creation of the world he would have spared the Maker some 

 absurdities." 



