Page:Stirling William The Canon 1897.djvu/44

22 at Venice is certainly in favour of its novelty, and bears out the received opinion, that the telescope first made its appearance openly at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

Since so much uncertainty exists as to the origin of exact astronomical observations, and considering that the ancients devoted such extraordinary attention to the heavenly bodies, it is reasonable to suppose that the Egyptians and Chaldæans, who are said to have observed the stars for countless generations, must have arrived at something more than a vague and absurdly inadequate knowledge of a science to which they had been so long addicted. It is incredible that their knowledge of the magnitude of the planetary system should have been so erroneous as we are generally expected to believe. The fact appears to be, that this science was a part of the hidden doctrine of the mysteries, and was consequently withheld from the uninitiated. The practice of astronomy among the Egyptians is repeatedly alluded to by Herodotus, Diodorus, and all early authorities. Strabo saw at Heliopolis "The houses of the priests and the residences of Plato and Eudoxus…Eudoxus came here with Plato, and according to some writers, lived thirteen years in the society of the priests, for the latter were distinguished by their knowledge of the heavenly bodies, but were mysterious and uncommunicative, yet after a time they were prevailed upon by courtesy to acquaint them with some of the principles of their science, but the barbarians concealed the greater part of them." He says further, that the later Greek astronomers derived much knowledge from the records of the priests and the Chaldæans.

It is also certain that the myths and fables of all early peoples contain veiled allusions to astronomical facts, and could afford us definite