Newton's propositions on comets: steps in transition, 1681-84. (Q1961963)

The article deals with the years of transition in Newton's thought between 1681 and 1634. A manuscript that can be dated unambiguously within this period, the \textit{Propositiones de cometis}, is interpreted as an emerging theory of gravitation that brings planets, their satellites, and comets under the same laws of `motion, yet retains a celestial vortex and includes a singular proposition in lieu of the usual formulation of Kepler's area law. According to the author, this manuscript (which is reproduced as a facsimile, along with a transcription of the original Latin text and an English translation) summarizes Newton's conclusions on comets soon after he had closed his correspondence with Flamsteed. Admitting that his study offers many conjectures, the author raises questions on different issues of recent Newtonian scholarship ranging from his achievement following from his correspondence with Hooke in 1679 to his veneration of the wisdom of the ancients.