114 BAILLY. 



HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY. LETTERS ON THE ATLANTIS 



OF PLATO AND ON THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF 

 ASIA. 



In 1775, Bailly published a quarto volume, entitled 

 History of Ancient Astronomy, from its Origin up to the 

 Establishment of the Alexandrian School. An analogous 

 work for the lapse of time, comprised between the Alex- 

 andrian School and 1730, appeared in 1779, in two vol- 

 umes. An additional volume appeared three years later, 

 entitled the History of Modern Astronomy up to the Epoch 

 of 1782. The fifth part of this immense composition, the 

 History of Indian Astronomy, was published in 1787. 



When Bailly undertook this general history of Astron- 

 omy, the science possessed nothing of the sort. Erudition 

 had seized upon some special questions, some detailed 

 points, but no commanding view had presided over these 

 investigations. 



Weidler's book, published in 1741, was a mere simple 

 nomenclature of the astronomers of every age, and of 

 every country ; the dates of their birth and death ; the 

 titles of their works. The utility of this precise enumer- 

 ation of dates and titles did not alter the character of the 

 book. 



Bailly sketches the plan of his work with a masterly 

 hand in a few lines ; he says, " It is interesting to trans- 

 port one's self back to the times when Astronomy began ; 

 to observe how discoveries were connected together, how 

 errors have got mixed up with truth, have delayed the 

 knowledge of it, and retarded its progress; and, after 

 having followed the various epochs and traversed every 

 climate, finally to contemplate the edifice founded on the 

 labours of successive centuries and of various nations." 



