THE AIM AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD. 55 



the Sun) should be exhibited : " Quantitatem autem Deus ideo 

 ante omnia existere voluit, ut esset curvi ad rectum com- 

 paratio."* Moreover, these curves will lie upon spherical 

 surfaces so as to exemplify the Trinity : " [Imago] Patris scilicet 

 in centre, Filii in superficie, Spiritus in aequalitate o-^ea-e&j? 

 inter punctum et ambitum."t 



Similarly there must have been the best of reasons for the 

 choice of the particular dimensions of the orbits, the general 

 principle being, " Nefas est . . . . quicquam nisi pulcherrimum 

 facere eum qui esset optimus."{ So it was inevitable that the 

 Creator should lay the foundations of the planetary worlds in 

 accordance with the ideas He would gather from His contem- 

 plation of the Five Perfect Solid Figures. Imagine the sphere 

 of which the circular orbit of Saturn is a central section, to be 

 circumscribed about a cube, then the sphere which contains in a 

 similar manner the orbit of Jupiter will be inscribed within this 

 cube. Next, within the sphere of Jupiter let a regular tetra- 

 hedron be inscribed ; this will in turn circumscribe the sphere 

 of Mars. Thus we reach all the planets in turn, finding it 

 obvious that Man finis et mundi et omnis creationis should 

 have his habitation in the midst of the planetary host, three 

 celestial bodies guarding his path without, three (including the 

 Sun) within. 



So far you will agree, the course of Keppler's investigation 

 has exemplified my remark that, formally, non-scientific 

 attempts to render the Objective intelligible may not differ 

 from those which are 'admittedly scientific. "We have the 

 usual primary Objective basis and the usual secondary con- 

 struction the Objective facts qualified by an " hypothesis." 

 But the secondary construction here exhibited (you will object) 

 is one that is capable of verification i.e., of predicting new 



* Cap. II, p. 122. 



t Ibid. 



I Ibid. 



Cap. IV, p. 128. 



