, 1910-04-06

William the Conqueror, aided by her ladies
of honor, to fill up their leisure moments,
and representing the various phases Of the
war, from the first combats of her spouse
with Harold, the King of England, to the
victory Of Hastings, and his coronation.
'Istj Mirantur Stellam."
The design is naive, like all primitive art.
1t was executed in 1866, the year of the
Conquest. Inscriptions give q resume of the
subject of the episode III each compartment.
Now the thirty-second compartment, which
IS here reproduced, represents HaIley's COM
ct, on which is fixed the gnze Of a crowd of
spectators, their features expressing lively
establishment. "Isti Mirant Stella" they
are looking at the suar). It might be be-
heved that there are two errors in that in
sc1pilon and that it should have been writ
ten :-"Isti Mirantur Stellam." But it is
only an abbreviation, following the usage Of
the Middle Ages, and it is SO indicated, ac-
cOrdlng to the same usage, by two dots
N nhed above the abbreviated words.
In the adjoining compartment King Har-
Ole, seated on his throne, with Il spear in his
hand, seems to be listening to evil news.
He departs Immediately to fall before Vii
liam and his 81, 900 companions in arms.
This picture IS probably the most ancient
which exists not only Of Haley's comet but
of any comet. 1t is 844 years Old to-day,
In any case it IS the oldest which we know.
1t makes no preteuce to exactitude and GER
family is not Il gooi likeness This portrait
OF a comet is only Of value rs u h storical
document.
It's appearance at that time, coming dur
lug the Easter festival and glowing bright
lY III the heavens, made a deep impression
on everybody and spread terror through the
world. 1t passed its perihelion on April l,
1906. One Of the jewels of the crown Of
the kingdom of England had been cnptur-
ed while glowed this comet, which terrified
the English and inspired the Normnns with
courage "Nova stella, novus ReXI' (new
star, new King) was cried ON every hand.
Thus, on he other side of the Straits Of
Dover it j. / looked on as a national comet, a
title all the less usurped since. III the found
ing Of his c~ometary theory on observations
Of it, HALEY, a friend aud contemporary of
Newton, took care to warn his successors
never to forget that it was an Eng!ishman
who discovered the true path of these wan
derers through space.
Chinese Studied 1t, Too.
1t has been said that this memorable i'm
age Of the comet, due to the patience and
skill of Duchess Mathilde, is the most an
cient that we know. However, it is not inn
possible that in running through the old
archives Of China one older still may be
found. The astronomers of the Celestial
Empire have, as a matter of fact, male
observations Of the celebrated comet since
the year 1857 B. G.. Let me recall, on the
other hand, that the present appearance Of
the comet is the thirtiath journey known
and calculated which this tourist Of the hea-
vens has effected toward the earth and the
sun.
Among these appearances The most famous
was that of the year 240 b. G., when it
travelled in space above the FIRST Panic
War, waged between Rome nnl Carthage;
that OF the year Sc A. D., with which are
associated the follies Of Nero and which
might have been seen by ST. Peter and st.
Paul that of the year 451, which conceded
with The IN. aston Of tho Tins and the do
feat Of their chef, Attila that of 1866, of
which | have just spoken, and that of 1856,
which saw the war between the Turks and
the Christians.
On It's return in the year 1882, celebrated
by the studies of HALEY and the astro-
nomical determination Of the cometary or
BITS, it was very brilliant, though it did
not possess the fantastic appearance of