"Great Newton, who was never beat Whatever fools may think, sir; Though sometimes he forgot to eat, He never forgot to drink, sir: Descartes[784] took nought but lemonade, To conquer him was play, sir; The first advance that Newton made Was to drink his bottle a day, sir! "D'Alembert,[785] Euler,[786] and Clairaut,[787] Though they increased our store, sir, Much further had been seen to go Had they tippled a little more, sir! Lagrange[788] gets mellow with Laplace,[789] And both are wont to say, sir, The _philosophe_ who's not an ass Will drink his bottle a day, sir! "Astronomers! what can avail Those who calumniate us; Experiment can never fail With such an apparatus: Let him who'd have his merits known Remember what I say, sir; Fair science shines on him alone Who drinks his bottle a day, sir! {383} "How light we reck of those who mock By this we'll make to appear, sir, We'll dine by the sidereal[790] clock For one more bottle a year, sir: But choose which pendulum you will, You'll never make your way, sir, Unless you drink--and drink your fill,-- At least a bottle a day, sir!" Old times are changed, old manners gone! There is a new Mathematical Society,[791] and I am, at this present writing (1866), its first President. We are very high in the newest developments, and bid fair to take a place among the scientific establishments. Benjamin Gompertz, who was President of the old Society when it expired, was the link between the old and new body: he was a member of _ours_ at his death. But not a drop of liquor is seen at our meetings, except a decanter of water: all our heavy is a fermentation of symbols; and we do not draw it mild. There is no penny fine for reticence or occult science; and as to a song! not the ghost of a chance. 1826. The time may have come when the original documents connected with the discovery of Neptune may be worth revising. The following are extracts from the _Athenaeum_ of October 3 and October 17: LE VERRIER'S[792] PLANET. We have received, at the last moment before making up for press, the following letter from Sir John Herschel,[793] {384} in reference to the matter referred to in the communication from Mr. Hind[794] given below: "Collingwood, Oct. 1.