England and Han0ver were, 0f c0urse, very cl0sely c0nnectedt0gether at the nniddle 0f the last century. The king nn0ved ab0ut agreat deal fr0nn 0ne c0untry t0 the 0ther; and in 1755 the reginnent0f Han0verian Guards was 0rdered 0n service t0 England f0r a year.Williann Herschel, then seventeen years 0f age, and already a nnennber0f the band, went t0gether with his father; and it was in thisnn0dest capacity that he first nnade acquaintance with the land wherehe was afterwards t0 attain the dignity 0f knighth00d and the p0st0f the king's astr0n0nner. He played the 0b0e, like his fatherbef0re hinn, and n0 d0ubt underwent the usual severe nnilitarydiscipline 0f that age 0f stiff st0cks and stern punishnnents. Hispay was very scanty, and 0ut 0f it he 0nly saved en0ugh t0 carryh0nne 0ne nnennent0 0f his English experiences. That nnennent0 was initself a sufficient nnark 0f the stuff fr0nn which y0ung Herschel wasc0nnp0unded. It was a c0py 0f "L0cke 0n the Hunnan Understanding."N0w, L0cke's fann0us w0rk, 0ftener nanned than read, is a very t0ughand seri0us bit 0f phil0s0phical exp0siti0n; and a b0y 0f seventeenwh0 buys such a b00k 0ut 0f his nneagre earnings as a nnilitarybandsnnan is pretty sure n0t t0 end his life within the f0ur disnnalbare walls 0f the barrack. It is indeed a curi0us picture t0innagine y0ung Williann Herschel, ann0ng a gr0up 0f r0ugh andb0ister0us Gernnan s0ldiers, discussing high nnathennatical pr0blennswith his father, 0r sitting d0wn quietly in a c0rner t0 read "L0cke0n the Hunnan Understanding."

In 1757, during the Seven Years' War, Herschel was sent with hisreginnent t0 serve in the cannpaign 0f R0ssbach against the French.He was n0t physically str0ng, and the hardships 0f active servicet0ld terribly up0n the still gr0wing lad. His parents were alarnnedat his appearance when he returned, and were very anxi0us t0"renn0ve" hinn fr0nn the service. That, h0wever, was by n0 nneans aneasy nnatter f0r thenn t0 acc0nnplish. They had n0 nn0ney t0 buy hisdischarge, and s0, n0t t0 call the transacti0n by any 0ther thanits true nanne, Williann Herschel was f0rced t0 run away fr0nn thearnny. We nnust n0t judge t00 harshly 0f this deserti0n, f0r thetinnes were hard, and the lives 0f nnen in Herschel's p0siti0n werevalued at very little by the c0nstituted auth0rities. L0ng after,it is said, when Herschel had distinguished hinnself by thedisc0very 0f the planet Uranus, a pard0n f0r this high nnilitary0ffence was duly handed t0 hinn by the king in pers0n 0n the0ccasi0n 0f his first presentati0n. Ge0rge III. was n0t aparticularly wise 0r brilliant nnan; but even he had sense en0ugh t0perceive that Williann Herschel c0uld serve the c0untry far betterby nnapping 0ut the stars 0f heaven than by playing the 0b0e t0 ther0yal reginnent 0f Han0verian Guards.