NEBULJ3. 295 



which was distinctly visible to the naked eye, would have 

 attracted attention sooner. 6 



The first isolated nebula which was observed and recognized 

 by the telescope as wholly starless and as an object of special 

 nature was the nebula near v Andromeda?, which, like that 

 last mentioned, is also visible to the naked eye. Simon Marius 

 (Mayer of Gunzenhausen, in Franconia), originally a musician, 

 and subsequently Court mathematician of one of the Mar- 

 graves of Colmbach, the same person who saw the satellites 

 of Jupiter nine days earlier than Galileo, 7 has also the merit 



6 Sir John Herschel, Observations at the Cape, 132. 



7 Op. cit. pp. 357, 509 (note 43). Galileo, who endea- 

 voured to refer the difference in the days of discovery (29th 

 of December, 1609, and 7th of January, 1610,) to a differ- 

 ence in the calendar, maintained that he had seen the satel- 

 lites of Jupiter one day earlier than Marius, and even allowed 

 himself to be so far carried away by his indignation at " the 

 falsehood of the heretical impostor of Gutzenhausen" ("lugia 

 del impostor e eretico Guntzenhusano") as to declare his belief 

 " that very probably the heretic, Simon Marius, never observed 

 the Medicean planets," ( kt die molto probabilmente il eretico, 

 Simon Mario, non ha osservato giammaii Pianeti Medicei") 

 See Opere di Galileo Galilei, Pado\a, 1744, torn. ii. pp. 235- 

 237; and Nelli, Vita e Commercio letterario di Galilei, 1793, 

 vol. i. pp. 240-246. The "heretic" had nevertheless 

 expressed himself very pacifically and modestly in reference 

 to the extent of merit due to his discovery. " I simply 

 affirm," says Simon Marius, in the preface to the Mundus 

 Jovialis, "hoec sidera (Branclenburgica) a nullo mortalium 

 mihi ulla ratione commonstrata, sed propria indagine sub 

 ipsissimum fere tempus, vel aliquanto citius quo Galitaus in 

 Italia ea primum vidit, a me in Germania adiiiventa et obser- 

 vata fuisse. Merito igitur Galileo tribuitur et mane laus 

 primae inventionis horum siderum apud Italos. An autem 

 inter meos Germanos quispiam ante me ea invenerit et viderit, 

 hactenus intelligere non potui." " I simply affirm that I was 



