December 22, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



719 



While his tutor slept. 

 Measured the deliente angles of the stars, 

 Out of his window, wirth his compasses, 

 His ouly instrument. 



Looking down he sees Christine, "the blue eyed 

 peasant girl," who afterwards accompanies him 

 to Wbeen in the Sound where with the King's 

 help he 



built himself that wonder of the world, 

 Urauiborg, a fortress for the truth, 

 A city of the heavens. 



He tells her all his hopes : 



There 's one way, 

 And only one, to knowledge of the law 

 Whereby the stars are steered, and so ito read 

 The future, even perhaps the destinies 

 Of men and nations, — only one isure way, 

 And that 's to watch them, watch them, and record 

 The truth we know, and not the lies we dream. 



Mr. Noyes follows him thi-ough the luaay 

 years of work on tie island to the time when, 

 under a succeeding ruler, support was with- 

 drawn. He was exiled and as a result meets 

 with Kepler who describes his last momeoits. 

 The story of Tyeho is perhaps the most suc- 

 cessful effort in t!he volume. 



Kepler is shown in his home expecting a 

 visitor, Sir Henry Wotton, and discoursing to 

 his wife about poets and their natures. She 

 lets him run on and after his longest disquisi- 

 tion : 

 ' John, I 'm afraid ! ' 



' Afraid of whait, Susannah ? ' 

 'Afraid to put those Ducklings on to roast.' 



But the ambassador arrives early and Kepler 

 has to fill in the time talking with him in his 

 study. It is here he has the opportunity to tell 

 of his work and to state the laws of planetary 

 motion. Throughout, however, he gives the 

 credit to Tycho : 



I owed so much 

 To Tyeho Brahe; for it was he who built 

 The towers from which I hailed those three great 

 laws. 



The stoi-j- of Galileo is chiefly written round 

 the famous trial which Mr. Noyes has apparent- 

 ly investigated with some care. There is here 

 much less astronomy au'd physics and more 

 philosophy. The story of the reception of his 

 telescope is interestingly told, however, and the 



author finds an opportunity to give a politi- 

 cian's view of a scientific discovery: 

 Wliereat old senators, wagging their white beards. 

 And plucking at golden chains with stiff old claws 

 Too feeble for the sword-hilt, squeaked at once: 

 'This glass will give us great advantages 

 'In time of war.' 



Mr. Noyes follows Isaac Newton through the 

 productive period of his life and gives in some 

 detail the chief of his discoveries. We have 

 already quoted fix)m the description of his ex- 

 periments on light. There follow a few lines 

 about 



That first reflecting telescope wliicli should hold 

 In its deep mirror, as in a breatliless pool 

 The undistorted image of a star. 



A long and faithful description of the work 

 on giiavitation follows, incuding ;the incident 

 where Newton oibtained ithe new value of the 

 Earlli's diameter and was too excited to finish 

 the calculations Avhich showed that his theory 

 was right. Mr. Noyes gets some fun with talk 

 of Pepys about Nev.'ton and his table, 

 Littered with papers, cups, and greasy plates 

 Of untouched food. I am told that he would eat 

 His Monday 's breakfast, sir, on Tuesday morn- 

 ing, 

 Such was his absent way! 



In the penultimate scene, Newton, now an 

 old man, muses over his early days and his work 

 in a letter to an old sweetheart. The lasit phase 

 is put into the mouth of Dean Swift. 



The "Watchers of the Sky" is probably not 

 a literary landmark of the first order, but it is 

 a very important and attractive addition to 

 the growing list of volumes Avhich are bringing 

 scientific ideas and their history to the aittention 

 of the general public. Whatever may be said 

 concerning its merits, — and there are decided 

 differences of opinion possible on that score — 

 iit has certainly the excellent quality of being 

 interesting throughout. Many will read it 

 through for that reason alone. It is essentially 

 a volume which should be in everyone's library 

 especially where there are boys and girls grow- 

 ing up. Pai-ents are advised to "leave it about" 

 but not to recommend their children to read it 

 if they wish them to enjoy it. 



Ernest W. Brown 



