century a similar declaration. St. Thomas Aquinas,[1] the great light of the universal Church in the thirteenth century, whose works the Pope now reigning commends as the center of all university instruction, accepted and handed down the same opinion. The sainted Albert the Great,[2] the most noted genius of the mediæval Church in natural science, received and developed this theory.
By these men a science was developed out of scriptural texts and the principles of morals, and so firmly rooted in Scripture and theology that it flourished for seventeen centuries.
The main evils thence arising were two: First, the paralysis of self-help, and the arousing of fanaticism; and, secondly, the strengthening of ecclesiastical and political tyranny.
As to the first of these evils—the paralysis of self-help—instead of wise statesmanship striving to avert war, instead of scientific observation and reason striving to avert pestilence, instead of social science taking proper measures against famine, we constantly see, at the appearance of a comet, all Christendom, from pope to peasant, whining before various fetiches, trying to bribe them to remove these signs of God's wrath, and planning to wreak this supposed wrath of God upon misbelievers.
As to the second of these evils—the strengthening of ecclesiastical and civil despotism—examples appear on every side. It was natural that hierarchs and monarchs whose births were announced by stars, or whose deaths were announced by comets, should regard themselves as far above the common herd, and be so regarded by mankind; that passive obedience should thus be strengthened, and that the most monstrous assumptions of authority by such men should be considered simply as manifestations of the divine will. Shakespeare makes Calphurnia say to Cæsar:
"When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."[3]
Galeazzo, tyrant of Milan, expressing satisfaction on his death-bed that his approaching end was of such importance as to be heralded by a comet, is a type of many thus encouraged to prey upon mankind.[4]
But, for the retention of this belief, there was a moral cause. No doubt myriads of good men in the Christian Church, down to a recent period, saw in the appearance of comets not merely an exhibition of "signs in the heavens" foretold in Scripture, but also divine warnings to repentance and improvement of life of vast value to humanity—warnings, indeed, so precious that they could not be dispensed with
- ↑ For St. Thomas Aquinas, see Maury, "La Magie et l'Astronomie," p. 181.
- ↑ For Albert the Great, see "Alb. Mag.," lib. i, tract. iii, chaps. x and xi; also ibid., "Super sex principiis Gilberti Porretani"; also "Tractatus primus de causis impressionum," etc. The copy I have used is in the Cornell University Library.
- ↑ "Julius Caesar," act ii, scene ii.
- ↑ For Galeazzo, see Guillemin "On Comets."
