skt. iv] DISSERTATION SECOND. 109 



rotation, that is, from east to west, or contrary to the or- 

 der of the signs. 



The calculus in its result justified this general conclu- 

 sion ; 10" appeared the part of the effect due to the 

 moon's attraction, 40" to the attraction of the sun ; and I 

 know not if there be any thing respecting the constitution 

 of our system, in which this great philosopher gave a 

 stronger proof of his sagacity and penetration, than in the 

 explanation of this phenomenon. The truth, however, is, 

 that his data for resolving the problem were in some de- 

 gree imperfect, all the circumstances were not included, and 

 some were erroneously applied, yet the great principle 

 and scope of the solution were right, and the approxima- 

 tion very near to the truth. " II a ete bien servi par son 

 genie," says the eloquent and judicious historian of as- 

 tronomy ; " l'inspiration de cette faculte divine lui a fait 

 appercevoir des determinations, qui n'etoicnt pas encore 

 accessibles ; soit qu'il eut des preuves qu'il a supprimees, 

 soit qu'il eut dans P esprit un sorte d'estime, une espece dc 

 balance pour approuver certaines veritts, en pesant les Ve- 

 ritas prochaines, et jugeant les unes par les autres.™ 



It was reserved for a more advanced condition of the 

 new analysis, to give to the solution of this problem all the 

 accuracy of which it is susceptible. It is a part, and a 

 distinguishing part, of the glory of this system, that it was 

 susceptible of more perfection than it received from the 

 hands of the author; and that the century and a half 

 which has nearly elapsed since the first discovery of it, 

 has been continually adding to its perfection. This cha- 

 racter belongs to a system which has truth and nature for 

 its basis, and had not been exhibited in any of the physi- 

 cal theories that had yet appeared in the world. The 



1 Bailly, Hist, dc VAstrm. Mod. Tom. II. litre xii. § 28. 



