Least-action perihelion precession

The perihelion precession of Mercury is reinspected using the original form of the principle of least action a la Maupertuis. The anomalous advancement of the apside line that is customarily accounted by the theory of general relativity is ascribed here to the gravitational effect due to the entire Universe. When the least action is written in the reference frame of the Sun, the residual precession in the planet's orbital motion can be related to all bodies that are dispersed throughout the Universe. The universal potential energy, just as a local potential, contributes to the precession in accordance with the virial theorem.