pleasing and well-bred natural characters of the present age,
as well as the greatest astronomer.

"Your health was drunk after dinner (put that into your pocket), and
after much social conversation and a few hearty laughs, the ladies
proposed to take a walk, in order, I believe, to leave HERSCHEL and
me together. We walked and talked round his great telescopes till it
grew damp and dusk, then retreated into his study to philosophize.

* * * * *

"He made a discovery to me, which, had I known it sooner, would have
overset me, and prevented my reading any part of my work.[24] He
said that he had almost always had an aversion to poetry, which he
regarded as the arrangement of fine words, without any useful
meaning or adherence to truth; but that when truth and science were
united to these fine words, he liked poetry very well."

1798, December 10.

DR. BURNEY TO MADAME D'ARBLAY.

"HERSCHEL has been in town for short spurts, and back again two or
three times, leaving Mrs. HERSCHEL behind (in town) to transact law
business. I had him here two whole days."

The reading of the manuscript of the _Poetical History of Astronomy_
was continued, "and HERSCHEL was so humble as to confess that I
knew more of the history of astronomy than he did, and had surprised
him with the mass of information I had got together.

"He thanked me for the entertainment and instruction I had given
him. 'Can anything be grander?' and all this before he knows a word
of what I have said of himself--all his discoveries, as you may
remember, being kept back for the twelfth and last book."

DR. BURNEY TO MADAME D'ARBLAY.

"SLOUGH, _Monday morning._ _July 22, 1799_,
in bed at Dr. HERSCHEL'S, half-past
five, where I can neither sleep nor lie
idle.

"My Dear Fanny:--I believe I told you on Friday that I was going to
finish the perusal of my astronomical verses to the great astronomer
on Saturday.

* * * * *

"After tea Dr. HERSCHEL proposed that we two should retire into a
quiet room in order to resume the perusal of my work, in which no
progress has been made since last Decem