ON

THE MOST EXCELLENT MAN

ISAAC NEWTON’S

THIS WORK

OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS

the outstanding glory of our age and nation.

Behold for yourself the pattern of the heavens, and the balances of the divine mass,
Behold the calculation of Jupiter; and those laws which, while the beginnings of things
He was composing, the all-parenting Creator refused to violate,
And the foundations on which He placed His works.
The innermost sanctuaries of the conquered sky are laid open,
Nor does the force remain hidden which rotates the furthest spheres.
The Sun, sitting on his throne, original: "folio residens." Halley uses regal imagery for the Sun to describe its gravitational dominance over the solar system. commands all things to tend toward him
In a downward descent, nor does he allow the starry chariots
To be moved in a straight path through the vast void;
But he pulls each thing into fixed circles, with himself as the center.
Now it is clear what the curved path is for the terrifying comets;
Now we no longer wonder at the phenomena of the "bearded star." original: "barbati astri," a traditional name for a comet, referring to its visible tail or coma.
We learn from this at last by what cause the silvery Moon original: "argentea Phœbe." Phoebe is a poetic name for the Moon, sister to the Sun-god Apollo.
Walks with unequal steps; why, subject to no
Astronomer until now, she refused the reins of calculation:
Why the nodes return, and why the orbit's points advance. The "nodes" are the points where the Moon's path crosses the Earth's orbital plane; the "auges" or apsides are the points where the orbit is closest to or furthest from the center.
We learn also with what forces the wandering Moon original: "vaga Cynthia." Cynthia is another name for the goddess of the Moon, referring to her birthplace on Mount Cynthus. drives the ebbing sea,
While with weary waves it leaves the seaweed
And lays bare the sands feared by sailors;
Beating against the highest shores in alternating turns.