114 BAILLY. 
HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY.—LETTERS ON THE ATLANTIS 
OF PLATO AND ON THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF 
ASIA. 
In 1775, Bailly published a quarto volume, entitled 
History of Ancient Astronomy, from its Origin up to the 
Establishment of the Alexandrian School. An analogous 
work for the lapse of time, comprised between the Alex- 
andrian School and 1730, appeared in 1779, in two vol- 
umes. An additional yolume appeared three years later, 
entitled the Aistory of Modern Astronomy up to the Epoch 
of 1782. The fifth part of this immense composition, the 
History of Indian Astronomy, was published in 1787. 
When Bailly undertook this general history of Astron- 
omy, the science possessed nothing of the sort. Erudition 
had seized upon some special questions, some detailed 
points, but no commanding view had presided over these 
investigations. 
Weidler’s book, published in 1741, was a mere simple 
nomenclature of the astronomers of every age, and of 
every country ; the dates of their birth and death; the 
titles of their works. The utility of this precise enumer- 
ation of dates and titles did not alter the character of the 
book. 
Bailly sketches the plan of his work with a masterly 
hand in a few lines; he says, “It is interesting to trans- 
port one’s self back to the times when Astronomy began ; 
to observe how discoveries were connected together, how 
errors have got mixed up with truth, have delayed the 
knowledge of it, and retarded its progress; and, after 
having followed the various epochs and traversed every 
climate, finally to contemplate the edifice founded on the 
labours of successive centuries and of various nations.” 
