150 G. H. KNIBBS. 



the totality of the infinite expanse of the ether that they all move. 1 

 There are also many other passages in Bruno's writings that 

 shew most unmistakably the idea of a general motion among the 

 stars to be at least as old as 1584, when the supposed ' Venice' 

 edition of Bruno's works appeared. 2 



(2) Schyrleus de Rheita (Antonius Maria) 16J/.5. — About sixty 

 years after the publication of Bruno's works, appeared a curious 

 treatise by Schyrleus de Rheita, published in Antwerp under the 

 date 1645, and entitled Oculus Enoch et Elice etc. 3 This expresses 

 with great justice the idea of a general motion among the stars. 

 " These," said Schyrleus, "possibly have their proper motion, but 

 the enormity of their distance prevents its being perceived." 

 Doubtless the inspiration of this passage came from his predecessor 

 Bruno. 



(3) Fontenelle, 1686. — In his celebrated discourses on the 

 plurality of worlds published in 1686, Fontenelle recognised, in a 

 modified way at least, the possibility of stellar motion, if not also 

 that of the sun as one of the stars. 4 Teaching that the stars were 

 like our sun, 5 each being at the centre or in a vortex 6 — the idea 

 of Descartes — it was possible for them to have true movement of 

 their own, and to carry their planets along with them. 7 He 

 recognised also the perpetual motion of the matter of the universe. 8 



(4) Halley, 1717 . — Bruno's, Schyrleus' and Fontenelle's opinions 

 were of course purely conjectural; the first significant recognition 



1 " Uno dunque e il cielo, il spazio iinmenso, il seno, il continente 

 un versa! e, Feterea regione, per la quale il tutto discorre e si muove." — 



Ibid., Vol. ii., p. 50. 



2 Although Bruno's work is noted " Stampato in Venezia, Anno 

 mdlxxxiv.," it was actually printed in London. Other works supposed 

 to have been printed in Paris were also printed in London. 



3 Oculus Enoch et Elise sive radius sidereo-mysticus 2 pt. Antverpise 

 1645 fol. 



4 Entretiens sur la pluralite des mondes, 1686. 



5 Une etoile fixe est lumineuse d'elle-meme comme le Soleil . . la 

 centre et Tame d'un monde, loc. cit. p. 106, edition 1719, Amsterdam. 



G Soleils des . . tourbillons, ibid. p. 107. 



7 d'autres dont le soleil n'etant pas au centre, ait un veritable mouve- 

 ment, et emporte ses planetes avec soi, ibid., p. 108. 8 ibid., p. 119. 



