pher Schemer' [a significant way of spelling Scheiner's name], 'a
German Suisser Jesuit, divides them _in maculas et faculas_, and will
have them to be fixed _in solis superficie_ and to absolve their
periodical and regular motions in 27 or 28 dayes; holding withall the
rotation of the sun upon his centre, and are all so confident that they
have made schemes and tables of their motions. The Hollander censures
all; and thus they disagree among themselves, old and new,
irreconcilable in their opinions; thus Aristarchus, thus Hipparchus,
thus Ptolomaeus, thus Albategnius, etc., with their followers, vary and
determine of these celestial orbs and bodies; and so whilst these men
contend about the sun and moon, like the philosophers in Lucian, it is
to be feared the sun and moon will hide themselves, and be as much
offended as she was with those, and send another message to Jupiter, by
some new-fangled Icaromenippus, to make an end of all these curious
controversies, and scatter them abroad.'

It is well to notice how in this, as in many other instances, the very
circumstance which makes scientific research trustworthy caused the
unscientific to entertain doubt. If men of science were to arrange
beforehand with each other what observations they should publish, how
their accounts should be ended, what theories they would endeavour to
establish, their results would seem far more trustworthy, their theories
far more probable, than according to the method actually adopted.
Science, which should be exact, seems altogether inexact, because one
observer seems to obtain one result, another a different result.
Scientific theories seem unworthy of reliance because scientific men
entertain for a long time rival doctrines. But in another and a worthier
sense than as the words are used in the 'Critic,' when men of science do
agree their agreement is wonderful. It _is_ wonderful, worthy of all
admiration, because before it has been attained errors long entertained
have had to be honestly admitted; because the taunt of inconsistency is
not more pleasant to the student of science than to others, and the man
who having a long time held one doctrine adopts and enforces another
(one perhaps which he had long resisted), is sure to be accused by the
many of inconsistency, the truly scientific nature of his procedure
being only recognised by the few. The agreement of men of science ought
to be regarded also as most significant in another sense. So