18 THE YEAR. 



this and the other globes which compose the system, 

 require no second touch of the hand that formed them ; 

 but have in their original law means of correcting all 

 their apparent irregularities. 



When we think of that, and consider that the mere 

 fact of the earth's weighing so many tons, being at so 

 many miles distant from the luminary, and wheeling 

 round it at so many miles in an hour, are all the laws 

 that are necessary to sustain the mighty machine, the 

 simplicity with which a result so tremendous is brought 

 about, is tenfold more sublime than any complication 

 of causes that we can imagine. When we further con- 

 sider, that by revolving round its own central line or 

 axis once in twenty-four hours, the equatorial portions 

 of the earth's surface have a further motion of about 

 one thousand miles an hour ; and that this second mo- 

 tion is not only performed with as little disturbance to 

 the economy of the surface, as the annual one round the 

 sun, but that it ensures stability to its general form, 

 and diffuses those fluids upon which life and comfort so 

 universally depend, more uniformly over the surface than 

 they otherwise would be ; and that this again is a 

 result of the same simple facts of so much matter and 

 so much motion: we must admit that, even if the 

 matter rested here, it would be worthy of our most 

 careful study and our especial admiration. 



These, however, are but the bare foundations ; the 

 mere beginnings of a series of wonders which the revo- 

 lution of every year presents for the contemplation and 

 the comfort of man ; and the means are so simple, and 

 the results so many and so beautiful, that while no 



