CV1 NOTES. 



berg, 1543), Osiander has made use of an expression which is always carefully 

 avoided in Copernicus's own writing: "motus stellarum novis insuper ac 

 admirabilibus hypothesibus ornati," together with, the very ungentle addition, 

 " igitur, studiose lector, erne, lege, fruere." In the second Bale edition of 

 1566, which I have very carefully compared with the first Nuremberg edition, 

 there is no longer mention in the title of the book of the " admirable hypo- 

 thesis ;" but Osiander's " Prsefatiuncula de Hypothesibus hujus Operis," as 

 Gassendi calls the interpolated preface, is preserved. It is also evident that 

 Osiander, without naming himself, meant to shew that the praefatiuncula was 

 by a different hand from the work itself, as he designates the dedication to 

 <Paul III. as the " Prajfatio Authoris." The first edition has only 196 

 leaves ; the second has 213, on account of the added Narratio Prima of the 

 astronomer George Joachim Bhseticus, and a letter directed to Schoner, which, 

 as I have remarked in the text, being printed in 1541 by the intervention of 

 the mathematician Gassarus of Basle, gave to the learned world the first cor- 

 rect knowledge of the Copernican system. Rhseticus had given up his pro- 

 fessorship at Wittenberg for the sake of enjoying the instructions of Copernicus 

 at Frauenburg itself. (Compare, on these subjects, Gassendi, p. 310 319.) 

 The explanation of what Osiander was induced to add from timidity, is given 

 by Gassendi : " Andreas porro Osiander fuit, qui non modo operarum inspector 

 (the superintendent of the printing) fuit, sed Prsefatiunculam quoque ad 

 lectorem (tacito licet nomine) de Hypothesibus operis adhibuit. Ejus in ea 

 consilium fuit, ut, tametsi Copernicus Motum Terrse habuisset, nou solum pro 

 Hypothesi, sed pro vero etiam placito ; ipse tamen ad rem, ob illos, qui heine 

 offenderentur, leniendam, excusatum eum faceret, quasi talem Motum non pr 

 dogmate, sed pro Hypothesi mera assumpsisset." 



( 465 ) p. 307. " Q/uis enim in hoc pulcherrimo templo lampadem hanc in 

 alio vel meliori loco poneret, quam unde totum simul possit illuminare ? Si 

 quidem non inepte quidam lucernam mundi, alii mentem, alii rectorem vocant. 

 Trimegistus visibilem Deum, Sophoclis Electra intuentem omnia. Ita pro- 

 fecto tanquam in solio regali Sol residens circumagentem gubernat astrorun, 

 familiam : Tellus quoque minime frandatur lunari ministerio, sed ut Aristo- 

 teles de animalibus ait, maximam Luna cum terra cognationem habet. Con- 

 cepit interea a Sole terra, et impregnatur annuo partu. Invenimus igitur sub 

 Jiac ordinatione admirandam mundi symmetriam ac certum harmonise nexum 

 motus et magnitudinis orbiura : qualis alio modo reperiri non potest (Nicol. 

 Copern. de Revol. Orbium Coelestium, lib. i. cap. 10, p. 9b). In this pas- 

 sage, which is not without poetic grace and elevation of style, we recognise 



