Jeremiah Horrocks.

Horrocks possessed about thirty books on astronomy, and had met with an excellent telescope, which he had, as he tells us in his letters, purchased for a remarkably small sum. He wished many more books, and he wrote to Crabtree on the subject. His friend sent him among other works those of Lansberg, the Belgian astronomer, and these Horrocks studied with his characteristic energy; but after a time he found, to his disappointment, that Lansberg was wrong in many of his calculations. Horrocks was indignant at having been misled, and wrote a paper to warn others. He did not give way to any useless repining at the hours he had lost, but he procured new books, and studied with redoubled energy, resolving to get back again into the right path as soon as possible.

In Lansberg's works he read of Kepler, and although the writer dared to deprecate this Prince of Astronomers,' Horrocks forgave the arrogance, seeing that it had driven him to consult Kepler's works and to judge for himself.

In 1639, Horrocks was appointed to a curacy, and William Crabtree received the following letter from his friend :

'June 1, 1639. Toxteth.-Next week I remove to Hoole, a village which is about five miles from Preston.'

Hoole was in those days a desolate little village; but Horrocks was of a contented and hopeful disposition, and we hear no complaint of his new home. In the church of Hoole (St. Michael's) he placed a sun-dial, on which he had two Latin inscriptions engraved,- Ut hora sic vita,' and 'Sine Sole sileo.'

He took up his abode in a very small cottage, and cheerfully, but earnestly entered upon his new duties. The young curate found too much employment in the village to feel discontented at his solitude; for he was not one to neglect any of his responsibilities, nor could he do anything languidly: but as evening approached he would allow himself the sublime recreation of his beloved study. Many a silent hour did he spend, observing the stars with the help of his telescope; and we know, from his letters to Crabtree, that he experienced unspeakable happiness while thus engaged. Kepler had foretold a transit of Venus in 1631, and had asserted that there would not be another that century. 'Venus,' he wrote, 'will pass over the sun's disc in 1631, and not return thither till 1761.'

Now Horrocks, during his diligent astronomical studies, began to suspect that, great as Kepler was, he had been mistaken in supposing there would not be another transit till 1761, and making most careful calculations for himself, he came to the conclusion that one would surely occur in 1639. As soon as he felt perfectly certain of the correctness of his calculations he wrote thus to William Crabtree :—

'Oct. 29, 1639. Hoole.-My reason for now writing is to advise you of a remarkable conjunction of the Sun and Venus on the 24th of November, when there will be a transit. As such a thing has not happened for many years past, and will not occur again in this century, I earnestly entreat you to watch attentively with your telescope, in order to observe it as well as you can.'

The letter goes on to say that, according to his own calculations, this wonderful sight would not be visible at Manchester till about five o'clock in the afternoon: that he thought it would be safer to watch,

Jeremiah Horrocks.

not only during the whole day, but also on the evening before, and the morning after; repeating, however, that the transit would take place, he felt assured, on Nov. 24, 1639. From Oct. 26th till Nov. 24th, the two friends waited anxiously, and Horrocks tells us he felt uneasy, as he saw reason to forebode great severity of weather, and feared that the sun might be attended with storm and tempest.'

He had asked his younger brother Jonas to watch also, and had requested Crabtree to inform Dr. Foster of Gresham College, London.

Dec. 23rd had arrived; Horrocks had made every preparation in his power. He described a circle of about six inches in diameter upon a sheet of paper, dividing its circumference into 360 degrees, and its diameter into 120 parts. The image of the sun was to be transmitted perpendicularly to the paper, and would exactly fill the circle described.

We now quote from Whatton's Memoir. Horrocks says:

'When the time of observation approached I retired to my apartment, and having closed the windows against the light, I directed my telescope, previously adjusted to focus, through the aperture towards the sun, and received his rays at right angles upon the paper already mentioned. The sun's image exactly filled the circle, and I watched carefully and unceasingly for any dark body that might enter upon the disc of light.'

Although he took the precaution of watching all day on the 23rd, he did not, as we know, expect Venus to appear in the face of the sun till the afternoon following.

6

The 24th of November, 1639, fell on a Sunday. On awakening that morning, surely his first thought must have been, Shall I see the transit which I alone have predicted? Shall I be put to confusion? or shall I have the joy of seeing the distant planet rolling on its way according to my prophecy?'

There was one especial reason for misgiving. The unassisted curate would be obliged to leave for the afternoon service at the very time when the transit would be likely to commence. Let him here speak for himself:

'I watched carefully on the 24th from sunrise to nine o'clock, and from a little before ten until noon; and at one in the afternoon, being called away in the intervals by business of the highest importance, which for these ornamental pursuits I could not with propriety neglect. But during all this time I saw nothing in the sun except a small and common spot, consisting, as it were, of three points at a distance from the centre towards the left, which I noticed on the preceding and following days. This evidently had nothing to do with Venus.'

It was in the afternoon when he was watching with the utmost anxiety, expecting the transit every half hour, that he was summoned to attend to his pastoral duties, and we have found from his own words that he allowed nothing, not even the transit, to interfere with the sacred responsibilities he had taken upon himself. But what must have been his joy and gratitude, when, on returning to the telescope, he saw that the transit awaited him!

'About fifteen minutes past three in the afternoon,' he says, 'when I was again at liberty to continue my labours, the clouds, as if by Divine interposition, were entirely dispersed, and I was once more

Jeremiah Horrocks.

invited to the grateful task of repeating my observations. I then beheld a most agreeable spectacle, the object of my sanguine wishesa spot of unusual magnitude, and of a perfectly circular shape, which had already fully entered upon the sun's disc on the left, so that the limbs of the Sun and Venus perfectly coincided, forming an angle of contact. Not doubting that this was really the shadow of the planet, I immediately applied myself sedulously to observe it.'

At this moment of supreme joy, when the desire of his soul was accomplished, he had still perfect command over his feelings, and immediately set himself to the work before him, taking down such notes as to enable him to write a valuable treatise, called Venus seen in the face of the Sun, in which he described all he saw, and gave results of the calculations, most valuable to astronomers.

Meantime his friend, Crabtree, had also beheld the transit; but such was his rapture that he became almost unconscious, and was totally unable to make any observations.

As soon as Horrocks had finished the treatise we have mentioned, and written some other astronomical papers, he arranged to visit his friend at Broughton, and wrote to him thus,

Toxteth, Dec. 19, 1640.-At last I am able to name the day when I shall pay you a visit. The day you propose, Jan. 4th, suits me very well. I believe I shall be at liberty then; therefore, unless anything unforeseen should occur, expect me on that day.'

The day before the intended journey now arrived, and Crabtree was planning for the entertainment of his dear Horrocks, his 'second self.' And Horrocks, was full of hopeful plans for the future; if, as he said, 'nothing unforeseen should occur.' He was to take with him his manuscripts, that Crabtree might read them, and advise him concerning their publication: he was to accompany his friend on a visit to Yorkshire to see Gascoigne, the inventor of the micrometer, and we know not how much more was to be done. Little did they know that the Angel of Death was near!

On Jan. 3, 1641, at sunrise, or a little before, Horrocks died quite suddenly. We know nothing concerning the last moments of this marvellous youth, who was thus summoned to the Great Invisible at the age of twenty-two. Blessed are the pure in heart; for they

shall see God.'

Years after his death, and when his friend had also passed away, a packet of letters was found at the house at Broughton, tied up with loving care, and with the following inscription in Crabtree's handwriting :

'Letters of Mr. Jeremiah Horrox to me, of the years 1638, 1639, 1640, until his death on the morning of the 3rd of January, 1641, when he expired very suddenly, the day before he had purposed coming to me. Thus God puts an end to all worldly affairs! and I am, alas! bereaved of my dearest Horrox. Irreparable loss! Hence these tears!' M. G. MONICA.

'How Cheery are the Mariners !'

OW cheery are the mariners