The story of this development is of enthralling interest, and after the system had been completed by one of the greatest mathematicians the world has seen, its later history reads like a romance. Though of classical Greek origin, it was almost wholly lost to Europe for many centuries, it returned at last in Oriental dress, and its final form was given by a devout and learned Dominican friar.

It was at this time that Dante was born, and the scholar-poet immortalized the Ptolemaic system of astronomy in his verse, adding to its popularity in his own day, and making it known to thousands of readers since, who might otherwise scarcely have heard of it.

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