Abstract
THIS work amounts in fact to a sketch of the history of astronomical discovery under the heads of the different departments of that science to which allusions are made in the great epic of the sublimest of our poets. The author justly remarks that the choicest passages in “Paradise Lost” are associated with these allusions; his main object has been their exposition and illustration, and his enthusiasm has led him to include a wealth of matter in carrying this out, which his readers will not regret. Milton lived in a critical period of astronomical progress. The discoveries of Galileo and Kepler had shown the great probability of the truth of the Copernican system; but Newton had not yet placed that system upon an irrefragable basis. Hence, “in describing the natural phenomena witnessed by our first parents, he adheres to the doctrine of the Ptolemaic system,” whilst it is evident from many passages, particularly from the discourse between Adam and the angel in the eighth book, that he saw and appreciated the simplicity and beauty of the Copernican theory, on which he had doubtless conversed with Galileo, the “Tuscan artist,” when on his travels in his younger days.
The Astronomy of Milton's “Paradise Lost.”
By Thomas N. Orchard 8vo, pp. 388. (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1896.)
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
LYNN, W. The Astronomy of Milton's “Paradise Lost”. Nature 54, 26 (1896). https://doi.org/10.1038/054026a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/054026a0