6 THE CREED OF SCIENCE, RELIGIOUS AND MORAL. 



The primitive matter, at first in a chaotic state, we 

 are to suppose slowly reduced to order under the con- 

 tinued agency of these two laws. Its isolated atoms, 

 under gravitation, congregated into groups more or less 

 close, and these again into larger and larger groups, 

 until at length the original diffused matter became re- 

 solved into a number of rotating nebular masses of 

 spherical form, of immense volume, and in a state of 

 high heat from the previous shock of their atoms and 

 constituent parts. 



According to the nebular hypothesis, these vaporous 

 and rotating spheres slowly cooled by radiation, in 

 cooling contracted, in contracting acquired a more rapid 

 rotatory motion, in consequence of which, through the 

 increased centrifugal force, huge rings of vapour were 

 at length flung off from the equatorial regions. These 

 Saturnian rings successively projected from the spinning 

 spheres as the cooling of the central nebulous mass still 

 continued, in their turn condensed, broke from their 

 annular shape at their points of feeblest cohesion as 

 rings of smoke now do, united again by gravitation, 

 and settled into the spherical form like their parent 

 masses, with which, however, they continued still con- 

 nected, as planets, by the powerful invisible chain of 

 gravitation. But the planets, in cooling, had early 

 imitated the process of the parent nebulse by also ex- 

 pelling rings of vapour which, having gone through the 

 same steps as their generating primaries, appeared as 

 younger families of planets, or planetoids a third 

 generation, so to speak, and faithful copies, both in form 

 and movements, of their progenitors. Such was the 

 origin of our earth and planets, as well as of their moons 

 their lawfully-born offspring, and still the followers 

 of their fortunes ; while in the rings of Saturn we have 



