254 HERSCHEL AND HIS WORK 



way. Him had Betty called in her fright, for his wife 

 (who is of use to nobody) is gone to spend the summer 

 months in the country." Even in the presence of death 

 and in the ninetieth year of her age, the old spirit of 

 drollery gives piquancy to her views of men and women. 

 In committing to paper her last reflections on the dis- 

 appointments of life, she writes : You " will see what a 

 solitary and useless life I have led these seventeen 

 years, all owing to not finding Hanover, nor any one in 

 it, like what I left, when the best of brothers took me 

 with him to England in August, 1772 !" In reality it 

 was she herself, dissatisfied with earth, who was longing 

 for something better than earth can give. She tells us 

 what it was in the epitaph that she wrote on herself, 

 and that was graven on her tomb : 



Here rests the earthly exterior of 

 CAKOLINA HEKSCHEL, 



Born at Hanover, March 16, 1750, 

 Died January 9, 1848. 



The eyes of Her who is glorified were here below turned to the 

 starry Heavens. Her own Discoveries of Comets, and her par- 

 ticipation in the immortal Labours of her Brother, William 

 Herschel, bear witness of this to future ages. 



The Koyal Irish Academy of Dublin and the Koyal Astronomical 

 Society of London enrolled Her name among their members. 



At the age of 97 years 10 months she fell asleep in calm rest 

 and in the full possession of her faculties, following into a better 

 Life her Father, Isaac Herschel, who lived to the age of 60 years 

 2 months 17 days, and lies buried not far off, since the 29th of 

 March 1767. 



Were it not for the unquestionable authority with 

 which it comes to us that she wrote this account of her 

 death with her own hand, we might be disposed to 



