Cogitata Cemetis

Benjamin Franklin, who was a Fellow of the Royal Society, apparently sent the paper, Cogitata de Cometis. Communicated by Benjamin Franklin, LL. D. F. R. S. , to the Royal Society for their consideration. The paper, which was read before the Society on March 19, 1767, was written in Latin by Johannes (John) Winthrop. The paper's title, translated to English, is I thought about Comets. The theme of the paper, again translated from the opening sentences, is "Since it is clear from the most famous discoveries of Newton, 'gravity occurs in all bodies, and that it is proportional to the quantity of matter in each, and reciprocally proportional to the square of the distance between the centers of the bodies, it follows from this that between any two bodies of any system of the world there can exist a limit of attraction, in which of course the position the particle will be forced in both directions with equal forces.' To find this boundary between the sun and the comets, and some things dependent thereon, is the object of the following problems".

The item is a First Edition, extracted and disbound from The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 57, Part I For the Year 1767, pages 132-154, with one large extended plate. This volume of the transactions was published in London in 1768. The disbound item is approximately 6 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches. The pages are tanned, but the text is clear and easily read. The item is in good condition.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the first page of the paper, a further page of text, and the extended plate with its six figures supporting the text

John Winthrop (December 19, 1714 – May 3, 1779) was a distinguished mathematician, physicist and astronomer, born in Boston, Mass. He graduated in 1732 from Harvard, where, from 1738 until his death he served as professor of mathematics and natural philosophy. Professor Winthrop was one of the foremost men of science in America during the 18th century, and his impact on its early advance in New England was particularly significant. Both Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) probably owed much of their early interest in scientific research to his influence. He corresponded regularly with the Royal Society in London—as such, one of the first American intellectuals of his time to be taken seriously in Europe. [Wikipedia]

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 - April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass 'armonica'. He facilitated many civic organizations, including a fire department and a university. [Wikipedia]