"Thus work I at the roaring loom of Time,
And weave for Deity a living robe sublime."
FOOTNOTES
[A] The circle and straight line are considered to be special cases of these curves, which, taken collectively, are called the conic sections.
[B] Aristophanes, The Clouds, Whewell's translation.
[C] Schiaparelli, Osservazioni sulle Stelle Doppie.
APPENDIX
The Greek Alphabet
The Greek letters are so much used by astronomers in connection with the names of the stars, and for other purposes, that the Greek alphabet is printed below—not necessarily to be learned, but for convenient reference: