SEQUEL TO THE EPOCH OF NEWTON. 255 



matical theory, without, at the same time, ascertain- 

 ing the laws of the facts. In all. other departments 

 of astronomy, as, for instance, in the cases of the 

 moon and the planets, the leading features of the 

 phenomena had been made out empirically, before 

 the theory explained them. The course which ana- 

 logy would have recommended for the cultivation 

 of our knowledge of the tides, would have been, 

 to ascertain, by an analysis of long series of obser- 

 vations, the effect of changes in the time of transit, 

 parallax, and decimation of the moon, and thus to 

 obtain the laws of phenomena; and then to pro- 

 ceed to investigate the laws of causation. 



Though this was not the course followed by 

 mathematical theorists, it was really pursued by 

 those who practically calculated Tide-tables; and 

 the application of knowledge to the useful purposes 

 of life being thus separated from the promotion of 

 the theory, was naturally treated as a gainful pro- 

 perty, and preserved by secrecy. Art, in this in- 

 stance, having cast off her legitimate subordination 

 to Science, or rather, being deprived of the guidance 

 which it was the duty of Science to afford, resumed 

 her ancient practices of exclusiveness and mystery. 

 Liverpool, London, and other places, had their Tide- 

 tables, constructed by undivulged methods, which 

 methods, in some instances at least, were handed 

 down from father to son for several generations as 

 a family-possession; and the publication of new 

 Tables accompanied by a statement of the mode of 



