[105]ForVossius，seetheDeIdololatriainhisOpera，vol。v，pp。283-285。ForTorreblanc，seehisDeMagia，Seville，1618，andoftenreprinted。ForFromundus，seehisMeteorologica。
ButastillmorestrikingcaseisseeninItaly。ThereverendFatherAugustindeAngelis，rectoroftheClementineCollegeatRome，aslateas1673，afterthenewcometarytheoryhadbeenplacedbeyondreasonabledoubt，andevenwhileNewtonwasworkingoutitsfinaldemonstration，publishedathirdeditionofhisLecturesonMeteorology。ItwasdedicatedtotheCardinalofHesse，andboretheexpresssanctionoftheMasteroftheSacredPalaceatRomeandoftheheadofthereligiousordertowhichDeAngelisbelonged。Thisworkdeservescarefulanalysis，notonlyasrepresentingthehighestandmostapproveduniversityteachingofthetimeatthecentreofRomanCatholicChristendom，butstillmorebecauseitrepresentsthatattempttomakeacompromisebetweentheologyandscience，orrathertheattempttoconfiscatesciencetotheusesoftheology，whichwesoconstantlyfindwheneverthetriumphofscienceinanyfieldhasbecomeinevitable。
Astothescientificelementinthiscompromise，DeAngelisholds，inhisgeneralintroductionregardingmeteorology，thatthemainmaterialcauseofcometsis“exhalation。”andsays，“Ifthisexhalationisthickandsticky，itblazesintoacomet。”
Andagainhereturnstothesameview，sayingthat“oneformofexhalationisdense，henceeasilyinflammableandlongretentiveoffire，fromwhichsortareespeciallygeneratedcomets。”Butitisinhisthirdlecturethathetakesupcometsspecially，andhisdiscussionofthemisextendedthroughthefourth，fifth，andsixthlectures。Havinggivenindetailtheopinionsofvarioustheologiansandphilosophers，hedeclareshisownintheformoftwoconclusions。Thefirstoftheseisthat“cometsarenotheavenlybodies，butoriginateintheearth’satmospherebelowthemoon；foreverythingheavenlyiseternalandincorruptible，butcometshaveabeginningandending——ergo，cometscannotbeheavenlybodies。”This，wemayobserve，islevelledattheobservationsandreasoningsofTychoBraheandKepler，andisaverygoodillustrationofthescholasticandmediaevalmethod——themethodwhichblotsoutanascertainedfactbymeansofametaphysicalformula。Hissecondconclusionisthat“cometsareofelementalandsublunarynature；fortheyareanexhalationhotanddry，fattyandwellcondensed，inflammableandkindledintheuppermostregionsoftheair。”Hethengoesontoanswersundryobjectionstothismixtureofmetaphysicsandscience，andamongotherthingsdeclaresthat“thefatty，stickymaterialofacometmaybekindledfromsparksfallingfromfieryheavenlybodiesorfromathunderbolt“；and，again，thatthethick，fatty，stickyqualityofthecometholdsitstailinshape，andthat，sofararecometsfromhavingtheirpathsbeyondthe，moon’sorbit，asTychoBraheandKeplerthought，hehimselfin1618saw“abeardedcometsonearthesummitofVesuviusthatitalmostseemedtotouchit。”Astosortsandqualitiesofcomets，heacceptsAristotle’sview，anddividesthemintobeardedandtailed。[106]Hegoesonintolongdisquisitionsupontheircolours，forms，andmotions。Underthislatterheadheagainplungesdeepintoaseaofmetaphysicalconsiderations，anddoesnotreappearuntilhebringsuphiscompromiseintheopinionthattheirmovementisasyetuncertainandnotunderstood，butthat，ifwemustaccountdefinitelyforit，wemustsaythatitiseffectedbyangelsespeciallyassignedtothisservicebyDivineProvidence。But，whileproposingthiscompromisebetweenscienceandtheologyastotheoriginandmovementofcomets，hewillheartononeasregardstheirmissionas“signsandwonders“andpresagesofevil。Hedrawsupacarefultableoftheseevils，arrangingtheminthefollowingorder：Drought，wind，earthquake，tempest，famine，pestilence，war，and，toclinchthematter，declaresthatthecometobservedbyhimin1618broughtnotonlywar，famine，pestilence，andearthquake，butalsoageneralvolcaniceruption。”whichwouldhavedestroyedNaples，hadnotthebloodoftheinvinciblemartyrJanuariuswithstoodit。”
[106]Barbataetcaudata。