Note 142 — BOOK II. AN ACCOUNT OF THE WORLD AND THE ELEMENTS.
John Bostock translation
“ac trigesimo anno ad brevissima sedis suæ principia regredi;” I confess myself unable to offer any literal explanation of this passage; nor do the remarks of the commentators appear to me satisfactory; see Hardouin and Alexandre in Lemaire, ii. 241, 2. It is translated by Ajasson “en trente ans il reviens à l’espace minime d’où il est parti.” The period of the sidereal revolutions of the planets, as stated by Mrs. Somerville, in her “Mechanism of the Heavens,” and by Sir J. Herschel, in his “Treatise on Astronomy,” are respectively as follows:—
days. days.
Mercury 87·9705 87·9692580
Venus 224·7 224·7007869
Earth 365·2564 365·2563612
Mars 686·99 686·9796458
Jupiter 4332·65 4332·5848212
Saturn 10759·4 10759·2198174
Somerville, p. 358. Herschel, p. 416.