Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume Ii Part 8

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 117. Ancient Mongolian Armillary Sphere, ca. 1274.]

Inside this frame is placed an equatorial circle within which is a series of movable circles made to turn on polar pivots attached to the azimuth circle. These movable circles consist of an equatorial circle, a double ring ecliptic, an equinoctial colure, and a double ring solst.i.tial colure. The equator is divided into twenty-eight unequal portions marked by the names of as many constellations of very ancient origin. The ecliptic is divided into twenty-four equal parts according with the divisions of the year. Within the circles just described there is a double revolving meridian with a double axis and within this a fixed tube for taking sights.

All the circles of this armillary sphere are divided into 365-1/4 degrees corresponding to the days of the year and each degree is divided into hundreds. At the corners of the base outside the dragons are four miniature rocks in bronze, with the respective inscriptions "Keen Shan," northwest or celestial mountain; "Kwan Shan," southwest or terrestrial mountain; "Seuen-Shan," or southeast mountain; "Kan Shan,"

northeast mountain.

When the astronomer Pere Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688),[116] undertook the survey and management of mathematics for the Emperor he, like his predecessor Ko-Shun-King four hundred years before, began his task, as noted above, by ordering the removal of the old instruments from the observatory and the construction of new ones. Six of these are referred to in the records of the period as possessing especial merit, including a zodiacal armillary sphere six feet in diameter, an equinoctial armillary sphere six feet in diameter, a horizon azimuth likewise six feet in diameter, a quadrant having a radius of six feet, a s.e.xtant with a radius of eight feet, and a celestial globe having a diameter of six feet.

The armillary spheres have each but four circles, being of excellent workmanship, and having mountings of elaborate Chinese designs.

That which especially interests us here is the celestial globe (Fig.

117a) which Le Compte describes somewhat in detail. "This in my Opinion," he says, "is the fairest and best fashioned of all the Instruments. The Globe itself is brazen, exactly round and smooth; the Stars well made, and in their true places, and all Circles of proportional breadth and thickness. It is besides so well hung, that the least touch moves it, and tho' it is above two thousand weight, the least Child may elevate it to any Degree. On its large concave Bases are placed opposite four Dragons, whose Hair standing up on end, support a n.o.ble Horizon commendable for its breadth, its several Ornaments, and the delicacy and niceness of the Work. The Meridian in which the Pole is fixed rests upon Clouds that issue out of the Bases, and slides easily between them, its Motion being facilitated by some hidden Wheels, and moves with it the whole Globe to give it the required Elevation.

Besides which, the Horizon, Dragons and two brazen Beams, which lie cross in the Center of the Bases Concavity, are all moved at pleasure without stirring the Bases which still remain fixed; this facilitates the due placing of the Horizon, whether in respect of the Natural Horizon, or in respect of the Globe. I wonder how Men who live six thousand Leagues from us could go through such a piece of Work; and I must own, that if all the Circles which are divided, had been corrected by some of our Workmen, nothing could be more perfect in this kind."

This piece, it may be noted, was carried away to Potsdam at the close of the Boxer Rebellion, copies of them being left in the old observatory.

The Treaty of Versailles directed that the originals should be returned to their early home.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 117a. Armillary Sphere and Celestial Globe of Ferdinand Verbiest, 1673.]

NOTES

[61] See I, 8.

[62] Coronelli, V. Epitome Cosmografica. Colonia, 1693. pp. 330-331.

[63] Allgemeine deutsche Biographie, "Olearius"; Varenius, B.

Geographia generalis. Cambridge, 1672. Bk. III, chap. x.x.xii; Moller, G. I. Cimbria literata. Hanniae, 1744. Vol. I, p. 195:

Moller says: "Nec silentio sunt involvenda duo admiranda orbis authomata astronomico-cosmographica, juxta delineationem ipsius ingeniosissimam A. 1654 et seqq. ab And. Boschio Mechanico Dedalaeo et in Mathesi versatissimo, dirigente laborem Ad. Oleario, Principis hujus sui etiam mathematici, fabrefacta, quibus similis Europam, imo orbem majorem universum, non vidisse, praeter Olearium Heun.

Heuningi et D. G. Morphosius sunt persuasi...." Weidler, J. F.

Historia astronomiae. Wittenberg, 1741, p. 541.

Weidler says: "Glob.u.m a. 1654 Fredericus dux Holsatiae, dirigente opus Adamo Oleario, e cupro fabrefieri et in arce Gortorpiensi curaverat. Diameter ejus 10-1/2 pedes capiebat, totusque globus rotis, flumine circ.u.mjactis movebatur."

[64] Gunther-Fiorini. Erd- und Himmelsgloben, p. 83; Royal Geographical Journal. London, 1901. p. 219.

[65] Bartholomaei, F. Erhard Weigel; ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der mathematischen Wissenschaften auf den deutschen Universitaten im XVI Jahrhundert. (In: Zeitschrift fur Mathematik und Physik.

Leipzig, 1868. Sup. Heft. pt. 1.); Allgemeine deutsche Biographia, "Weigel, Erhard."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 117a. Armillary Sphere and Celestial Globe of Ferdinand Verbiest, 1673.]

[66] Schimpfer was a native of Nurnberg and active in his profession about the middle of the seventeenth century.

[67] Bartholomaei, op. cit.

[68] Bartholomaei, referring to the popularity of Weigel as a lecturer, states that some of his lectures were given in the open because there was no available room sufficiently large to accommodate his hearers.

[69] Weigel, E. Sphaerica Euclidea methodo conscripta; accessit globorum heraldicorum ipsiusque pancosmi descriptio et usus. Jenae, 1688; Wolf, Geschichte der Astronomie, pp. 420-427. In a very early day the Venerable Bede had suggested a change from the heathen names of the several constellations to Christian names. See in this connection Schiller, J. Coelum stellatum christianum. Augsburg, 1627.

Schiller was a pupil of the famous astronomer, Johannes Bayer, from whom he probably received his impulse to inaugurate a reform in the matter of naming the constellations. Schiller felt much annoyed that heathen names for stars and star groups should be retained by Christian peoples, and it was probably with Bayer that he worked out his scheme for a new nomenclature. To the twelve signs of the zodiac, for example, he gave the names of the twelve apostles. For the constellation Perseus he proposed the Apostle Paul, for the Great Bear the Ship of Peter, for Hercules the Three Kings, for Ca.s.siopeia the name Maria Magdalena, for Auriga Saint Jerome; he further proposed to change the name Ophiuchus to Pope Benedict, Pegasus to the Angel Gabriel, Orion to Joseph, Canis Major to King David, the Ship Argo to the Ark of Noe, the Centaur to Abraham, the Peac.o.c.k to Eve.

It was proposed to change the name Sun to Christ, the Moon to Maria, Saturn to Adam, Jupiter to Moses, Mars to Joshua, Venus to John the Baptist, and Mercury to Elias.

The suggestions of Schiller, of Bayer, and of their contemporaries, or near contemporaries, Schickard, Bartsch, and Harsdorfer, with the added support of Weigel, seem to have found little favor among astronomers.

[70] Weigel, E. Universi corporis pansophici prodromus. Jena, 1672; same author. Beschreibung der verbesserten Himmels- und Erdgloben.

Jena, 1681.

[71] Coronelli, op. cit., pp. 331-332; Wolf, op. cit., pp. 426-427, n. 16; Gunther-Fiorini, op. cit., p. 85, n.

[72] Fiorini, op. cit., pp. 308-310.

[73] Quoted by Fiorini, op. cit., pp. 306-307.

[74] Practically the only information we have concerning Moroncelli, aside from that which may be gained from his globes, is contained in a ma.n.u.script preserved in the Biolioteca Munic.i.p.ale of Fabriano, t.i.tled, "Vite dei Monaci Ill.u.s.tri di S. Benedetto in Fabriano," by the Monk Feliziani, who died in the year 1683. Extracts from this have courteously been sent the author in reply to letters of inquiry. See also Fiorini, op. cit., p. 310.

[75] Letter from the director, Dr. G. Coggiola, dated January 4, 1914.

[76] See II, 34.

[77] Fiorini, op. cit., p. 323.

[78] Christina, daughter of Gustavus Adolphus; succeeded her father as ruler of Sweden. In the year 1654 she abdicated the throne, became a devout Catholic and pa.s.sed a considerable part of her remaining years in Rome, residing at first in the Palazzo Farnese, and later in the Palazzo Riario, bringing together in the latter place of residence a large collection of books and objects of art.

Much of her collection later pa.s.sed to the Vatican.

[79] Fiorini, op. cit., p. 323.

[80] See note 9, above.

[81] Coronelli, op. cit., pp. 325-330; Dictionary of National Biography, "Palmer, Roger" (Count of Castlemaine), to which is appended a somewhat lengthy list of bibliographical references.

[82] Moxon, J. The English globe, being a stabil and immobil one, performing what the ordinary globes do, and much more. Invented and described by the Right honorable, the Earl of Castlemaine. The second edition corrected by J. Moxon. London, 1696.

[83] Coronelli, op. cit., p. 333.

[84] It has been impossible to locate a copy of this work or to get further information concerning Treffler.

[85] Fiorini, op. cit., p. 376.

[86] Fiorini, op. cit., p. 377.

[87] Briefly described in a letter received by the author from the Biblioteca Estense of Modena.

[88] Fiorini, M. Vincenzo Coronelli ed i suoi globi cosmografici.

(In: Annuario Astro-Meteorologico. Roma, 1893.); Rigobon. Biografia e studi del P. Vincenzo Coronelli. (In: Archivo Veneto, Vol. III, pt. i, p. 267.); Ginanni, P. P. Memorie storico critiche degli scrittori Ravennati. Faenza, 1769. Vol. I, p. 162; Pasolini, S.

Huomini ill.u.s.tri di Ravenna antica ed altri degni professori di lettere ed armi. Bologna, 1703. p. 63.

[89] Among his more important works the following may here be cited: Atlante Veneto, nel quale si contiene la descrittione ... degl'

Imperij. Regni, Provincie, e Stati dell' Universo. Venetia, 1691-1696. 3 Vols. in 4 pts.; Biblioteca universale sacro-profano, antico-moderna. Venezia, 1701-1706. Vols. I-VIII, but not completed beyond "Caque"; Epitome Cosmografica, o compendiosa introduttione all' Astronomia, Geographia, et Idrografia. Colonia, 1693; Viaggi del P. C. Venetia, 1697: The Royal Almanack: containing a succinct account of the remarkable actions of K. William III: with the year and the day of the month when each happened. Tr. from Italian into English. London, 1696. See also Giannini, G. t.i.toli della opere ...