THE GENESIS OF THE LAW OF GRAVITY 321 



for the retarding hand of superstition and bigotry, the dawning day 

 might have rapidly advanced. 



As it veas, Copernic, fearful perhaps of the fate of Roger Bacon, 

 taught in private a few select pupils, and only on his death bed did he 

 see his printed work (1543). Copemic's sudden death was all that 

 saved him from the hands of his enemies. As it was, his book was 

 soon proscribed and his theory placed under the ban of the church. 



With the printing of Copernic's work the battle between the geo- 

 centric and helio-centric hypotheses may be said to have been fairly 

 joined. Copernic himself foresaw the coming conflict. He also saw 



The Solae System as conceived by Copbbnicds. 



that the real conflict would be, not with astronomers, but with church- 

 men. In the dedication of his book he says : 



If there be some babblers who, ignorant of all mathematics, take upon them 

 to judge of these things, and dare to blame and cavil at my work, because of 

 some passage of Scripture which they have wrested to their own purpose, I 

 regard them not, and will not scruple to hold their judgment in contempt. 



Sir Oliver Lodge, in summing up the life-work of this pioneer of 

 science, says: 



We are to remember, then, as the life-work of Copernicus, that he placed 

 the sun in its true place as the center of the solar system, instead of the earth. 



