The Astrology Of Shakespeare.

though adopting some of tbe ideas of the latter , partly adhered to the Ptolemaic school of thought , and considered the earth fixed ancl immovable ; but Kepler , his pupil— " the legislator of the heavens "—demonstrated the true laws Avhich govern the movements of tho heavenl y bodies , and AA'hich are l-eceiA'ed at the present clay . Galileo was born in tbe same year as Shakespeare , and may be considered to have contributed more to the interests of science than

either , by the construction of bis telescope , 1 G 09 . This was indeed a great scientific era , for these three celebrated astronomers , Tycho Brake , Kepler , and Galileo , were contemporaries during some portion of their lives , and as if Providence ordained that the great stream of light should descend to ns unbroken , NeAvton was born the year of the death of Galileo . The resources of science had notas yetbeen applied to facilitate

inter-, , course with other nations , and although printing bad been discovered , still books ancl translators were ICAV in number , and consequently the news of scientific discovery travelled but slowly through Europe . The lonely island in the Baltic where Braha carried on bis researches , and the far distant shores of Italy , the home of Galileo , held little intercourse with England . Ancl , besides , tbe orthodox religionists of tbe day fiercely condemned the new doctrines as

iniquitous ancl subversive of the Avords of Holy Writ—for did not Scripture assert that the round world could not be moved ? Galileo was , later on , forced to make a public recantation of his opinions , but is said to bave consoled himself afterwards by muttering the words , " It moves for all that . " Critics have objected that Shakespeare was not learned—that , according to Ben Jonson , he bad " little Latin ancl less Greek" and that he bad no scientific

, bent . There are no indications in his writings that tbe new astronomical theories were known to him , or , if so , bo appears to have rejected tbem as more speculations . Telescopes were constructed in London 1610 , so that he had an opportunity of studying the face of the heavens if he so willed it .

His astronomy was Ptolemaic ; be adhered to tbe beliefs of the ancient poets . The o ' erarching heavens were to him a crystal vault Avhich moved from east to west , and Avas composed of ten layers of glassy strata . In this the stars were fixed but the planets remained unfettered . This idea was first started by Anaximenes , and retained throughout mediteval times . Humboldt expresses bis surprise to find this opinion extant in his clay . He records a conversation which he had with an old monk in a European monastery , who believed that the vitrified crusts of areolites were portions of the crystal vault which adhered to tbem . Shakespeare speaks of " the vault top of heaven" in " King John , " and in the frenzied exclamations of Lear we find these

words—Had I yom- tongues and eyes , I'd use them so That heaven ' s vault should crack . Pythagoras taught that the motions of tbe planets in the universe produced Avaves of sound . In Cicero ' s " Vision of Scipio" this passage occurs : — " From whence proceed these sounds , so strong and yet so sweet , that fill my ears ? " " Tbe melody , " replies be , " which you hear , which , though composed

in unequal time , is , neA'ertheless , divided into regular harmony , is effected by the impulse and motion of tbe spheres themselves , which , by a happy temper of sharp ancl grave notes , regularl y produce various harmonic effects . Now this sound , which is effected by the rapid rotation of tbe whole system of nature , is so powerful that human hearing cannot comprehend it , just as you cannot look directly on the sunbecause your siht and sense are overcome bhis beams . "

, g y This spheral music was at one time received h y Kepler who spoke of the notes of Venus ancl Jupiter coinciding in flat accord , but be aftervfards declared there were no such things as sounds among the heavenly bodies . Allusion is made to this music of the spheres in the following lines from tbe " Merchant of Venice , " which have been much admired for their exquisite spirituality : —