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The course of investigation, as regards light, was resumed in 1100 by an Arabian philosopher named Alhazen. Then it was taken up in succession by Roger Bacon, Vitellio, and Kepler. These men, though failing to detect the principles which ruled the facts, kept the fire of investigation constantly burning.
Even at the beginning of the second century, Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria had unravelled its principal mysteries, and had given in his Optics a theory of astronomical refraction more complete than that of any astronomer before the time of Cassini; but the MSS. had unfortunately been mislaid, and Alhazen and Vitellio and Kepler were obliged to take up the subject from its commencement.
As regards the refraction of light, the course of real inquiry was resumed in 1100 by an Arabian philosopher named Alhazen. Then it was taken up in succession by Roger Bacon, Vitellio, and Kepler.
Kepler wisely declined to inquire into the way in which the mind perceives the images painted on the retina, and he blames Vitellio for attempting to determine a question which he considered as not belonging to optics. The work of Kepler, now under consideration, contains the method of calculating eclipses which is now in use at the present day.
Since the death of Tycho, his attention had been much occupied with the subject of refraction and vision; and, in 1606, he published the result of his researches in a work, entitled "A Supplement to Vitellio, in which the optical part of astronomy is treated, but chiefly on the artificial observation and estimation of diameters, and of the eclipses of the Sun and Moon."
Vitellio appears to have been both skilful and conscientious, while Kepler's habit was to rummage through the observations of his predecessors, to look at them in all lights, and thus distil from them the principles which united them.
Kepler's Pecuniary Embarrassments His Inquiries respecting the Law of Refraction His Supplement to Vitellio His Researches on Vision His Treatise on Dioptrics His Commentaries on Mars He discovers that the orbit of Mars is an Ellipse, with the Sun in one focus And extends this discovery to all the other Planets He establishes the two first laws of Physical Astronomy His Family Distresses Death of his Wife He is appointed Professor of Mathematics at Linz His Method of Choosing a Second Wife Her Character, as given by Himself Origin of his Treatise on Gauging He goes to Ratisbon to give his Opinion to the Diet on the change of Style He refuses the Mathematical Chair at Bologna.
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