CHAPTER V. 



THE RECEPTION OF THE COPPERNICAN THEORY AND THE 

 PROGRESS OF OBSERVATION. 



11 Preposterous wits that cannot row at ease 

 On the smooth channel of our common seas; 

 And such are those, in my conceit at least, 

 Those clerks that think think how absurd a jest ! 

 That neither heavens nor stars do turn at all, 

 Nor dance about this great round Earthly Ball, 

 But the Earth itself, this massy globe of ours, 

 Turns round about once every twice twelve hours ! " 



Du BARTAS (Sylvester's translation^. 



93. THE publication of the De Revolutionibus appears to 

 have been received much more quietly than might have 

 been expected from the startling nature of its contents. 

 The book, in fact, was so written as to be unintelligible except 

 to mathematicians of considerable kno.wledge and ability, 

 and could not have been read at all generally. Moreover 

 the preface, inserted by Osiander but generally supposed 

 to be by the author himself, must have done a good deal 

 to disarm the hostile criticism due to prejudice and custom, 

 by representing the fundamental principles of Coppernicus 

 as mere geometrical abstractions, convenient for calcu- 

 lating the celestial motions. Although, as we have seen 

 (chapter iv., 73), the contradiction between the opinions 

 of Coppernicus and the common interpretation of various 

 passages in the Bible was promptly noticed by Luther, 

 Melanchthon, and others, no objection was raised either 

 by the Pope to whom the book was dedicated, or by his 

 immediate successors. 



The enthusiastic advocacy of the Coppernican views by 

 Rheticus has already been referred to, The only other 



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