No. I. TheRecepfion of the Copernicafi Theory in 'England. ^Q>o 



in 1578, contains an appendix by Thomas Digges, entitled 

 " A perfite description of the Celestiall Orbes according to the 

 most auncient doctrine of the Pythagoreans, lately revived 

 by Copernicus, and by Geometricall Demonstrations ap- 

 proved." This appendix opens with the following powerful 

 and well-written passage, which we cannot resist giving at 

 full length : — 



" Having of late (gentle reader) corrected and reformed 

 sondry faultes that by negligence in printing have crept into 

 my father's Generall Prognostication : Amonge other thinges 

 I founde a description or modill of the world and situation 

 of spheres coelestiall and elemen tare according to the doctrine 

 of Ptolome, whereunto all Universities (ledde therto chiefly 

 by the auctority of Aristotle) sithens have consented. But in 

 this our age one rare witte (seeing the continuall errors that 

 from time to time more and more have bin discovered, be- 

 sides the infinite absurdities in their theorickes, which they 

 have bin forced to admit that woulde not confesse any mobi- 

 litie in the ball of the earth) hath by long studie, painfull 

 practise, and rare invention delivered a new theorick or model 

 of the world, shewing that the Earth resteth not in the centre 

 of the whole world, but onely in the center of this our mortall 

 world or globe of Elementes which environed and enclosed in 

 the moones orbe, and together with the whole globe of mor- 

 tal itie is caried yearely rounde aboute the Sunne, which like 

 a king in the middest of all raigneth and geeveth lawes of 

 motion to the rest, sphsericaUy dispearsing his glorious beanies 

 of light through al this sacred coelestiall temple. And the earth 

 itselfe to be one of the planets having his peculiar and stray- 

 inge courses tourning everye 24; houres rounde upon his owne 

 center whereby the sunne and great globe of fixed starres 

 seeme to sway about and tourne, albeit indeede they I'emaine 

 fixed. So many wayes is the sense of mortall men abused, 

 but reason and deepe discourse of witte having opened these 

 things to Copernicus, and the same being with demonstra- 

 tions mathematiL;all most apparently by him to the world de- 

 livered, I thought it convenient together with the olde theo- 

 rick also to publish this, to the ende such noble English minds 

 (as delight to reache above the baser sort of men) might not 

 be altogether defrauded of so noble a part of philosophy. 

 And to the ende it might manifestly appeare that Copernicus 

 mente not as some have fondly excused him to deliver t'nese 

 grounds of the earthes mobility onely as mathematicall prin- 

 ciples, fayned and not as philosophicall truly averred, I have 

 also from him delivered both the philosophicall reasons by 



Fhil. Mem. S. 3. Vol. 16. No. 105. June 1840. 2 I 



