102 'HERSCHEL AND HIS WORK 



the discovery of four new planets." 1 It was thus 

 not only what Herschel was doing himself, but what 

 he was inducing others to do. 



George III. would not suffer William Herschel to 

 return to his profession as organist, teacher of music, 

 and director of concerts in Bath. He was in this guided 

 by an impulse worthy of the King of a great com- 

 mercial and earth-exploring country. But for more 

 than two months Herschel was kept in London and 

 the neighbourhood, waiting the King's pleasure. 

 Double the time had elapsed during which he could 

 be absent from duty without loss of money, but until 

 he got leave from the King to return home he had to 

 remain in attendance at Court. Whoever was advis- 

 ing His Majesty in the matter seems to have acted 

 with singular want of thought. A Cosmo of Florence, 

 a King of France, a Queen of Sweden, or an Empress of 

 Russia would not have kept a man of science, who had 

 at one bound sprung into greatness, dangling about 

 the Court so long without providing for his personal 

 wants. In Herschel's case it was otherwise, for he 

 wrote to Bath " several times for a supply of money " ! 

 His friends in that city, loath to lose him, were, and 

 not without cause, afraid that the offers made to him 

 were not " very advantageous." They were certainly 

 not creditable to those concerned. Herschel appears 

 to have thought so himself, for, to all inquirers, but 

 Dr. William Watson, his answer was, " that the King 

 had provided for him." 



It was a poor provision, even though no demands 

 had been made on his time and strength. It was 



1 Sir David Brewster in his edition of Ferguson's Astronomy, published 

 in 1823, the year after Herschel's death, ii. 85. 



