A N

ILLUSTRATI ON

OF THE

CELESTIAL SCIENCE

O F

ASTROLOGY.

PART the THIRD.

CONTAINING THE

METEOROLOGICAL PART of URANOLOGY;

WITH CERTAIN

RULES for prejudging the Revolutions of every Part of the habitable WORLD.
GENERAL EFFECTS OF

Great Conjun&ions, Eclipfes, Comets, Blazing Stars,

And other Extraordinary PHENOMENA:

WITH THE

ART of Calculating ECLIPSES, TIDES, and WEATHER,

for any Number of Years to come.

THE WHOLE

Illuftrated by a FIGURE'of the SUN's Ingrefs into the Sign ARIES;

AND B Y' A
Revolutional Figure of the Commencement of the AMERICAN EMPIRE.

By EBENEZER; SIBLY, Astro. Philo.

PRINTED IN THE YEAR MDCCCIV.

 A N

ILLUSTRATION

Of the CELESTIAL SCIENCE of

AS TRO LOGY.

PART the THIRD.

THE meteorological part of Aftrology is that which enables us,

by a certain well-known influence of the planets, feconded by
obfervation and experience, to afcertain the caufes of the different
qualities of the air, the generation of meteors, thunder, lightning,
and all the various phenomena of the"heavens; whence the predi£lions
of the weather,'of the temperature and quality of the four feafons of the
year, and of the profpe6t of a healthy and plentiful time, or of plague,
peftilence, and famine, are neceffarily deduced.

This part of the fcience likewife comprehends the doflrine of

eclipfes, comets, blazing flars, and the great conjuflions of the fupe-
rior bodies; whence the revolution of empires, the fate of kingdoms, the-
renovation of cuftoms, and the civil and political' flu£hiation of all the
provinces, ftates, principalities, and commonwealths, upon the furface
of the globe, are fought out and predi£ted. We fhall therefore arrange
thefe fpeculations . under their refpe&ive heads, and eonfider them dif-
tindlly in the order they ftand..

Of METEORS m GENERAL..

. Meteors are divided into two forts of clafles: the one riling from va-
pours and exhalations,, called imperfeclly-mixed bodies, becaufe they arc
cafily reduced into their firft nature, or proper element, as into hail,.1
fnow, or water; and the others are termed perfeftly mixed, as thunder-
bolts, and fuch. like petrified fubftances, becaufe they cannot fo foon be
converted into the firft element from whence they were derived. The
 AN' ILLUSTRATION

material caufe of meteors are hot and moift vapours, or hot and dry
exhalations from water and earth; the efficient! caufe is from-the fixed
and wandering ftars, by virtue of whofe beams a light rarefied fubftance
is extrafiedsfrom grofs and heavy bodies, as vapours from water, and
v
exhalations from earth. Their qualities are heat and moifture, which
produce diverfities of effecls, efpecially in thofe which are lefs perfe&ly
mixed, andjof alight and convertible nature.

Vapours confifl of the four" elements; but the fubftance is water; as

the.ftream of a boiling pot, which hangs like dew upon the lid or cover.
Exhalations are commonly like fmoke, of a hot and dry quality, as is
perceived in a fummer'siday to offufcate the air, (or make it feem dufky
with the afcending of thin fumes; and after this ufually comes thunder,
which fhews from whence thefe exhalations were extrafted; for out of
fire and air orrlyi.no meteor can generate, as wanting matter. The fire;
of.itfelf being aiv element'fo fubtile, that it cannot be purified;, whereas
alb exhalations and vapours muft.be refined, and confequently extfa6led
from fome grofler body. For.the; air, if much) rarified; will turn' to
'fire, as is feemin. the violent, motion of wheels; and,in fuch- things as.
are fet on fire, by rarefa6tion„ where the' matter is dry and combuftible.
When the air becomes- gtols, it turns to water; as appears from our
,breath in the winter feafon;. or from: the inclofed air in vaults, or other
hollow places, which will, quickly be cbndenfed by oppofition of the
outward air;, or coldnefs of the place,, efpecially againft rainy weather.

But the element of air is' divided intOi three: feverab regions,.or parts;
varioufiy. qualified;.in which are generated many imperfebf and:mixed',
bodies; and'thefe divifibns are nominated the upper,, middle, and dower;
regions,of the: air.. The firft and hppermoft is, clofe adjoining to: the'
element, of fife,, and: hath a circular, motion" from) eaft to: weft,.carried
about by the. primum mobile. This region, of air is perpetually hob and
, .dry, and, by reafon of its violent motion and proximity td the fire, will-
not admit the generation of clouds, becaufeiof ;the; hear,,and.remotenefs
of the earth from whence they are extra&ed. To this place are lifted
up exhalations, by nature hot and dry; which'eafily afcend>to> that' height,
by reafon of their heat and levity. Theft imperfe.<ft bodies, by the neatr
of the Sun, and influence of the- ftars; are conceived to-be exhaled from-
the earth, or out of lakes, rivers;- feas, and' other watery places;, and
this meteor, as-it- afoends, leaves-the grofler- parts in- the- loweft and
middle regions-; and'j as-it ratifies, if elfevates-itfelf-unto the upper- region;'
like a fubtile and thin fume.
 9»9
Thefc exhalations, having penetrated the middle region, and attained
unto the height of the elements, are circumvolved with a flimy matter,
oily, and apt to be inflamed. Thus having aflumcd a body, it is vio-
lently carried about with the air, until with the motion and vicinity of
the fire it is inflamed; and then, nourithed with more exhalations conti-
nually drawn unto it, it burns and converts itfelf into divers forms, ac-
cording to the difpofition of the matter then generated.

But others appear to fall, and Aide through the air; the lightcfl: part
being confumed, or drawn away by fome other means, or the levity of it
being unable to fupport the grofler part, lets it dcfcend obliquely through
the air; and, thus enlightened, is termed a falling ftar. Some conceive
that this meteor afcends not fo high, being of a grofs body, (yet hot and
driving to afcend,) but is repulfed by a coldnefs of the middle region, or
the moiftnefs of the clouds; and fo, by reafon of its own weight, and
by the oppofition of the element, it is thrown down again. The lubftance
of it is like a jelly, tranfpareiit, lucid, and apt tq be illuminated.

Fiery meteors are ufually moved, by the region they are in, from cafl:
to weft, according to the raptile motion of the fpheres; though Seneca
affirms that he perceived one which moved parallel to the horizon, from
the north by the weft into- the fouth, and fq by the eaft into the north
again. This is by no. means improbable, fince many lucid meteors move
with the air, and are impelled by the matter which nourifties them; as
may be feen by fire in ftubble. Another kind of meteors are feen to
remove fuddenly from one plaqe to another, cafting forth Iparks like
fire, and are by fome termed goats; whilft others again appear fixed and
immoveable, both in refpeift to latitude and Iqngitude. Thefe are ge-
nerated in any part of the heavens, and at aft times of the year; but
rarely, in cold countries, at. any other time than autumn; for then the
heat is fufficient to raife up the matter, and the temperature of the air is
apt to fuffer the.exhalations to draw' to it a flimy matter, which cannot
exift in the fpring time, the heat not being fthen fiifficient to elevate
them. And in lummer, the exhalatiohs are not fo grols, becaule the
Sun's heat diffipates thofe vapours, and rarefies the air; and, if it could
be drawn together, the middle region is fo cold, that it cannot afcend to
the upper; and the winter quarter is fo cold and moift, and bppugnant
fo fuch exhalations, that it is quite unapt for the generation of meteors
of this kind.

The middle part or region of tho air is generally conceived to be

vehemently cold and moift, by antiperiftafis; and its eftedt alfq proves
 92a
the fame. And this we fee in all things that .are oppugnant, inclpfed,.
and comprehended by their contrariesfor being of ; greater force
■ doth caufe the contrary, which- is inclofed, and not being able to-
break"forth, and at the fame time repulfed by its oppofite quality,,
contfa&s, and, as. it were, fortifies itfelf.. This is feen by experience
in all living and fenfitive creatures; 'their inward parts being much hotter
in winter than in fummer":- and their flomachs apter and more able to di-i
geft theif. food. Thecaufe is, that the heat is then repulfive to the in--
ward parts, by the ."oppofitio'n and cbldnefs of the outward air. Befides, the.
fire, and all cofhbuftible things, will burn more violently in winter tham
in fummer ; and, the colder the.weather is, the more it will fcorch. The;
reafon in all thefe is the fame; fince the fire is found to-grow .more vio*
lent by how much the more it is oppofed By the contrary .quahty of the.-
fubdued cold. The cafe is the fame in the middle region of the,air ;, for.
the upper part is made hot by the violent motion of it,- and by its prox-
imity to.the element of fire; and the lower region-is made-hot by reflec-- .
tion of the Sun beams ; whence the cold included between them becomes.
the more violent in proportion as the lower region is inflamed by the;
Sun's refleftion, and by that means is colder ihvthe heat of fummer thaa
in winter. -. .

■Thefe divifions or portions of the air have no;determined fpace; nor hath
the water in refpe6t of quality; for, by the motion'of the celeftial bodies.
both cold and moifture being,drawn together, the element of water will-
increafe, by which the: air mufi: of neceffity diminifh. So, by the con--
jundlion of heat-and moifture, the fphere of water will'be diminilhed,' an:dv
the air as much increafed. By this means the air more abounds in fum-"
.merthan-in winter, and the-water more in winter than in fummer; ancf
thus the middle region-of the air is occafionally contracted and dilated,',
and is confequently greater at one time- than another..

By the heat of the Sun-beams, and influence of the ftars, meteors are-
elevated to the middle region of the air. Thofe which by nature are tem-
perately hot and moift are extraCled-from wet and waterifh places; - yet"
they retain as much heat as is fufficient to elevate them unto the height'
of the middle region, where,.by. reafon of the coldnefs of- that place, they
are condenfed, and,, there generate feveral kinds of imperfeClly-mixed'
bodies.. The. clouds, thus, incorporated, are with the•- cold • turned'
into fnow, and congealed many times before it engenders water. .To-
prove this alfertion, we may obferve that fnow, if compared or bea-
• ten together, is not fo foon dilfolved into watery as ice will be, by
the. Sun, or any-other, means-;, which• argues, that, had-this-fubftance
been;
 OF ASTROLOGY.

ecn water firft, it would have been fooner reduced. Thefc vapours,
or thick exhalations, drawn up into the middle region of the air, are
often digefted and turned into water, and from thence diftilled down like
mills, or in very fmall drops; for the greatell rain is fuppoled not to fall
far through the air, but out of the inferior part of the lower region..

It is generally conceived, that the rain which falls from the middle
region defcends in little orbs, whereby to preferve itfelf, and to refill;
the violence of the air through which it palfes;. and it become*, fmall,.
by reafon. of the dillance and time it occupies in falling. For hail de-
monflrates both the bignefs and rotundity of the drops which from
humid exhalations, drawn up into the middle region,.are there convert-
ed into water; and, immediately as the drops diftil down, they arc con-
tra6lecl. into ice by the coldnefs of the air, in that part which is called
hail, deprived from the High Dutch hagell, or from, the Hebrew egell,,
which lignides congealed drops..

In the winter feafon it is- feldom obferved to hail, becaufe the cold hn
the middle region is more remifs than in warm weather; and in fummer-
time it is feldom obferved in any very hot day, becaufe the heat of the*
lower region will not permit it to pafs, without diflblving it. before it
reaches the earth. But. in the. fpring, and in autumn,.we frequently fee,,
and are fubje6l .to, hail-llorms; the heat being then fufficient to elevate,
the matter, and-yet not fo violent as to dilfolve it in its fall. Sometimes,,
however,.it happens" that very large hail-ffones are precipitated at Mid-
fummer, or in. the very hottell feafons; and thefe hail-llones are then
the.greater, if the elevated matter be fufficient, by how much the more-
its nature is oppofed by the lower region, made hot by. the refleclion of
the Sun; for in all times of the year, arid in'.all countries, there are more*
and greater, florms.of hail obferved.to fall in the day than in the night.

There is unqueftionably a fiery nature included in hail-flones, very dif-

ferent from the heat of that fubtile vapour which occafions it to alcend
the middle region; for by the force of contraries it is evidently congeal-
ed, as may be illuftrated by the fimple quality of fait, which, being hot
and dry,, is made of water whofe natural.temperatures are dire6lly oppo-
fite; being cold and moift in open weather, or by the fire-fide, or in the
fummer feafon. Take a handful of fait and mix fome fnow with it; flir
'them together till they incorporate; and they will immediately contradl
themfelves into ice; which is done by antiperiflafis, or repulfion on every
part; fo, the middle region, of. the air being cold, thefe frigid meteors,
are thereby generated..
 The lower region of the air.receives all the former qualities by neceffity'
according to thelfeveral feafons of tlje year; and by the means already
mentioned there are exhaled from the earth moift and crude vapours;
the groffer parts being earthy, and containing but little heat, they are un-
able to afcend to the middle region; yet by the help of that heat, and
the attraftive virtue of the celeftial orbs, they are raifed above the earth,
and there oftentimes congeal before they can be diffolved into water.
Thefe are called frofts, whereof there be many kinds, according to the
matter exhaled, and the temperature of the feafon. At fome times of the
year, the ground in the mornings will be hoary, like the head of thyme,
and the grafs crifped with the froft; at other times rime-froft, or con-
gealed mills, hang pendant' on the branches of trees, or elfe black or wind
frolts,'which- are not lb wholefome; for they confift of grofs and earthy
vapours, 'exhaled out of more undigelted humours, and are not fo ealily
dilbovered by the light as by the lenle of feeling.

There are other vapours exhaled, which are called mills, derived from
the mixture of air and water. Of thefe there are feyeral forts; fome are
thin and llerile, and have not moillure fufficient to beget water, nor is
the heat in them" fufficiently prevalent to elevate the grofs humours, and
caufe them to afcend; but they hang upon the earth until the Sun rifes;
then he ufually chafes them away, and, being dillipated, it becomes a
fine day.

Befides the above, there are grofs mills or fogs, which are more
earthy than the former, compoled of crude and undigelted vapours,
drawn from corrupted places, out of fens and_ wet marlhy grounds.
Thefe are very unwholefome, and uhpleafant to the fmell; in proportion
•either to the noxious llagnate waters from whence they were extradled,
or to the putridity of the air, occafioned by a long continuance of calm
moilt weather.

There is another exhalation called dew,- which is a liquid vapour,

cxtra&ed from water or earth. This hath an affinity to frolt, as rain
hath to fnow; and are alike in the material caufe; the efficient caufe
being attributed to the liars, and to the coldnefs of the air. The
dews are conceived to be very earthy and ponderous; for they do
not afcend' high, .but are converted into a watery fubllance almoll
as foon as extra&ed, being obferved much more upon low and wet
grounds than upon high and dry hills; and thicker upon the hum-
ble Ihrub than upon trees of an high and exalted nature like the lofty
cedar.
 The ufual time of thefe dews is in the evening ; the heat of the Sun,
declining, being then unable to fupport the meteors which he raifed in
the day ; and, on his deferting the hcmifphcrc, thofc that were more ele-
vated mull likewife fall. The hotter the day, the greater are the exha-
lations; and the nights arc then ufually colder, to convert them into
water. All dews arc obferved to be greater at the Moon's incrcafing;
but grcateft of all at the fall. The fealon of the year is to be confidcrcd,
and the weather; for the hotter the day is, the colder will be the night,
by rcafon of the fliadow which the terreflrial globe then makes; as is exem-
plified by. the (hades of trees, or of any other interpofed body, which are
colder in fummer-time than in winter, in refpedt of the air in general.
For in (hadowed places, in the heat of fummer, the air, as in oppofition
to the heat, is found to contradt itfelf into a grofifcr body ; from whence
it appears that the whole element of air is by nature cold.

There is a dew that flics in the air like fmall untwifted (ilk ; which,
falling upon the ground, or on plants, converts itfelf into a form like
fpiders' webs. The matter they confifl: of is an earthy and flimy vapour
or exhalation, fomething dry; and they are found equally in fpring, fum-
mer, and autumn ; but in thefe northern countries they are moft frequent
when the Sun is near L.ibra, the days being then temperately warm,' the
earth not exceeding dry, nor yet overcharged with moifture.

There is alfo another fort of dew, called honey-dew, which confifts of

earthly exhalations mixed with waterifli vapours ; and many fuppofc them
to be exhalations from plants and flowers ; and this more evidently appears
from fugar-canes, and divers kinds of Indian reeds, which have, in the
morning, dews hanging upon them, in tafterefembling honey; and argue,
by their fweetnefs, that they are extra died from'the plants. Thefe honey-
dews afford plenty to the (lores of the induftrious bee; nor have their
purveyors much labour or trouble to procure their loading ; but, though
thefe honey-dews arc good for bees, they are deftrudtive to many kinds
of animals, as (heep, goats, deer, and the like ; and are in general inju-
rious to all fruits and blooming flowers; efpecially to hops, grapes, and
corn ; and often blaft them in their prime. It was for the purpofe of di-
verting thefe evil effedls, that Numa, one of the Roman kings, fuperfti-
tioufiy inftituted the feafts called Rubigalia and Floralia, in the year from
the building of Rome 516; which feafts were obferved on the 28th
of April to the 3d calend of May. This feftival, the Catholic Church
hath fince converted into Afcenfion Week, calling it Rogation, from'
the circumftance of imploring a blefling upon the fruits of the
earth.
 The next effbiSt to be'confidered is rain. Rain-water is found much;
more infipid at one time than .at another j and is very often impregnated
with a brackifh tafte, yet cpmfortable to vegetation ; and, by reafon of
the warmth, it nourifhes more abundantly, and. is more natural for that
purpofe, than fpring-water, or what is drawn out of wells, which is cold,,
and too earthy; whereas, the other participates of the air, which is hot
anH moift ; but, by reafon of" this cormixture of the elements, it is apt
to form divers animalcules, efpecially in calm times ; which,dike the air,,
wanting motion, may corrupt; and fo, confequently, generates many:
things, according to the undigefted matter exhaled from the earth.

The low;eft meteor in the air fomewhat refembles a burning candle £

and is by fppie called Ignis Fatuus. This is a hot and moift vapour,,
which, flriving to afcend, is repulfed by the cold, and, forced by anti—
periftafis, moves clofe to the earth, and is carried along by the vapours,
that,feed it, always keeping in low moift places. The lucid rays are of
an exceeding pale colour, and very unwholefome to meet with,, by rea-,
• fpp pf the noxipus vapours it attracts, which nourifties the pallid flame..
It is frequently feen to afcend with a very rapid motion.; b,ut ifr as fuddenly
fajls , the moment it is repelled by. the cold atmofphere ; from whence itV
name is. derived.

There aredikewife vapours, hot and moift, co-mixed with exhalations

that, are hot and dry, involved thus within' one another,, and"form what is
termed elecftrical matter; They afcend, by virtue of their'heat, into the;
middle region of the. air, where the exhalations, by antiperiftafis, grow
inflamed, "anftftriye to break forth from the cloud;in-which they are in-;
volved. The upper part of the cloud, where the heat, would pafs,. by.'
oppofition grows more ftrong ; and the exhalation, grown over hpt by
being thus conftrained, breaks forth with violence frpm the weakeft place,,
againft the air that is in the loweft part; and, by, reafon of the cold above-
it/ the heat and'fubtilenefs of the exhalation, withnts own violence ins
breaking forth, glances down,upon the earth, withput doing any injury,,
if unrefifted,; as a confuming 'fword, without hurting, the fcabbard. This
is the natural generation of thunder and lightning; which.Dr. Franklin*'
Dr. Frieftley, and. other ingenious men, have largely treated'of in thein
qledtrical, difquifitipns.

The clap of thunder is firft, but the lightning fooneft,appears ; becaufe:

our, fenfe of feeing is much quicker, than, that of, hearing ; as. may,
Joe exemplified by .a .thoufand-common experiments.;, particularly by the,
difcharge of the gun, or cannon, where we fee the fire before we hean
 9?5" .
the report. With the conjunflion. of thefe compound vapours and
exhalations, ftones arc generated in the air, as other minerals are in the
earth, but more fiery by nature ; and thefe arc what are vulgarly called
'thunder-bolts ; which, in their form, are pcrfedt cones, like the flame
of fire which' generates them out of the terrene exhalations ; they pervade
the earth in proportion to the projedtile force of their velocity. The pre-
fcrvatives againft thunder and lightning are many: All hard things will
prelervc what is foft and liquid; as iron laid upon vcflels will keep the
liquor from fouring, by the former alleged reafons; befides this, it is
naturally refifted by a cover made.of feal's flcin, which preferves any crea-
ture by. which it is covered. The like doth the laurel-tree; for which
reafon many of the Roman Emperors, in times of. thunder and light-
ning, were accuftomed to wear a garment made of laurel-boughs. The
pale lightning is moft unwholefome ; but the red apteft to burn ; the
befl: and molt aflfured prefervative againft which is the protedlioa of
heaven.

But let it be-noted, that there may be thunder without lightning, and
lightning without thunder ; for when thefe hot and dry exhalations am
inflamed, and the cloud weak in which they.are irivolved, the inccnfcd
exhalation breaks, forth, without violence, not being reftrained and
the coldnefs. of the. middle region ftrikes the flaflies downward, but not •
always to the earth, though its glittering and refledling upon the watery
clouds' makes it. appear clofe by ; the fame as when the Sun-beams, or
any other hidden light, falling upon the water, will reverberate the
luftre, and dazzle the eye ; particularly if the water be moved with any
wind. Thefe corrufcations are common in hot countries, and in the heat
of fummer..

Thunder without lightning, alfb happens when the hot and dry exha-
lations break violently through the clouds in which they'are circum-
volved,.but not.inflamed ; yet making a roaring noife in the burftof the-
cloud which reftrained it. We alfo frequently fee little bladders filled
with wind give a crack or report at the fudden and violent breaking of .
them. Sometimes thunder happens, and yet no lightning will appear,,
by reciprocal winds ; the clouds violently breaking themfelves in meet-
ing with, one another ; and .'this may often happen; by the infurredlioa
of feveral mutinous, exhalations difturbing the air with feveral commo-
tions. Thefe ufually happen after much calm weather; and are very
wholefome to purify and purge the air^ left with, too much quictnefs it
fhould corrupt.
 AN ILLUST-RATION
Rainbows are ^generated in waterifh clouds, " which a're ready to be
diflblved into rain, thefe are .obferved to be always diredlly oppofite the
Sun pr Moon : as, "if the Sun be in the fouth, the rainbow will be
in the north : and, when the Sun is in the eaft,- the rainbow will be in
the weft ; and thus in every part of the globe. - The lower or nearer the
Sun is to the horizon, the larger will, the rainbow appear; though it
' never can exceed a femicircle, and is the.lefs in proportion to the light
of the Sun above, in any fphere ; which is the reafon at noon-day we
fo feldom fee any rainbow, particularly when the" Sun is in the fummer
folftice, or near the tropic of Cancer; except in fuch places as are far
northward, or towards the antanftic pole, where, for fome weeks, there
is continual day, •

The Sun in. winter, near Capricorn, may caufe a rainbow at noon-day
in our climate; for they are formed by the light rays of the Sun falling
upon vapours and waterifh exhalation oppolite to .him, .and but-little
elevated above the earth ; and, by reafon of the great diftance or remote-
nefs of the Sun, the illuminated beams defcribe his ' form after an ob-
fcure and imperfett manner, portraying 'an arch of- a circle, adorned
ufually with the colours red, green, and purple, inclining to a bluilh co-
lour. The diftin<ftion of thele proceeds from the rays of the Sun refledt-
ing upon the vapours ; and thofe colours are light in it which are neareft
to the Sun, ,and thofe which are moft remote always tend more to obfcu-
rity ; for a demonftration, both of the colours and form of the rainbow,
it only requires to caft water in a circular manner againft the Sun when it
fhines, .and the whole is produced artificially.

Some think the"red colour.only is made by the Sun's rays, and fuppofc
the fecond colour is produced by refledtion, and third by the fecond; and
that all are'contained within one condehfed hollow cloud, co-mixed with
airy and watery exhalations. For, if more rainbows than one appear at a
time, it is certain that they are produced by refledtion of one another j
but the colours in the fecond will be weaker than thofe in the firft; and
the third rainbow will be more palid than the fecond, if there happen to
be three, which is very feldom : then the colours in the firft will be coun-
t-erchanged in the fecond, and the third-again like the firft. The arches in
the clouds or rainbow ufually continue longer than the circles about the
- -Sun, becaufe the diftance in thefe are-fo great, that his beams cannot fo
foon diflipate the exhalations which^caufed them. Rainbows in the night-
time are exceeding rare., becaufe -they are made by the Moon, whofe
beams are too weak to caufe fuch refledtions upon any cloud at fo" great a
diftance.; but, though they are rare, they fometimes happen.
 OF ASTROLOGY.

The Aurora Borcalis, or Northern Light, is an extraordinary meteor,

or luminous appearance, (hewing itfelf in the night-time, in the north-
ern part of the heavens. It is ufually of a rcddilh colour, inclining
to yellow, and fends out frequent corrufcations of pale light, which
fecm-to rife from the horizon in a pyramidal undulating form, and (hoot,
with great velocity, up to the zenith.

The Aurora Borealis appears mod commonly in form of an arch ;

chiefly in the fpring and autumn; after a dry year. The arch is partly
bright, partly dark; but generally tranfparent. And the matter of
which it confifts is alfo found to have no effect on the rays of .light
which pafs through it. Dr. Hamilton obferves, that he could plainly
difccrn the fmallcfi: fpcck in the Pleiades through the denfity of thole
clouds which formed part of the Aurora Borealis, in 1703, without
theleaft diminution of its (plcndour, or increafe of twinkling.

This kind of meteor never appears near the equator, and was fo rare in
England, that none are recorded in our annals (ince that remarkable one,
November 14^1574, till the furprifing Aurora Borealis, March 0,1715,
which appeared for three nights fucceflivcly, an'd put the whole kingdom
-into the utmoft confternation, terrifying brutes as well as men. Indeed
the horfes were fo frightened, that no fences could keep them in the
inclofures; it was impoflible to travel in the evenings, and the road-
waggons, and all other carriages, were obliged to lie by immediately
as the Sun was down. In the year 1707, and 1708, five (mail ones
were obferved in little more than eighteen months ; but they have no
comparifon with the above. Hence it fhould fecm, that the air, or
earth, or both, are not at all times difpofed to produce this phenomenon,
for though it is ppflible it may happen in the day-time in bright moon-
(bine, or in cloudy weather, and fo pafs unobferved ; yet that it ftiould
appear fo frequent atfome times, and fo feldom at others, cannot well
this way be accounted for. That in March, 1710, was vifible to the
\vefi: of Ireland, and the confines of Ruflia, and to the eafl: of Poland ;
extending at leaft near thirty degrees of longitude, and from about the
fiftieth degree in latitude, over almofl: all the north of Europe: and in
all places at the fame time it exhibited the like wondcrous appearances.

Many attempts have been made to aflign the caufe of this phenome-
non. Dr. Halley imagines the watery vapours, or e^hwia, rarified ex-
ceedingly by fubterraneous fire, and tinged with fulphureous fireams,
.which many naturalifts have fuppofed to be the caule of earthquakes,
may alfo be the caufe of this appearance : or that it is produced by a
No. 48. 10 X kind
 kind of fuhtile-matter, freely pervading the pores of the earth, and which,
.entering ,into it nearer the fouthern pole, paffes out again with fome
force into the cether at the fame diftance from the northern ; the - ob-
liquity of its diredion being proportioned to its diftance from the pole.
- This, fubtile matter, by becoming fome way or other more denfe, or
having its velocity increafed, may be capable of producing a fmall de-
gree of light, after the manner of effluvia from the eledrie bodies,
which, by a ftrong and quick fridion, emit light in the dark : to which
fort of light this feems to have a great affinity.

The celebrated M. de Mairan, in an exprefs treatife on the Aurora•

Borealis, publifhed in 1731, affigns its caufeto be the'zodiacal light,
^ which, according to him, is no other than the Sun's atmofphere : this
light happening, on fome occafions, to meet the upper parts of our air,
on- the fide of the limits where univerfal gravity begins to ad more
forcibly towards the earth than towards the Sun, falls .into our atmo-
fphere; to a greater or lefs depth, as its fpecific gravity is greater or lefs
compared with the air through which it paffes. Mr. Fuller thinks the
caufe of the Aurora Borealis not owing to the zodiacal light, as M. de
Mairan fupp'ofes; but to particles of our atmofphere, driven beyond its
limits by-the impulfe of the light of the Sun. On this fuppofition, he
endeavours to account for the phenomena obferved concerning this lights
He fuppofes the zodiacal light, and the tails of comets, to be owing to
a fimilar caufe. This light fomctimes appears remarkably red, as it
happened Dec. S, 1737, of which there were a variety of accounts
from.different parts of Europe..

, Ever finee the identity of lightning, and of the cledrie matter, has
been afcertained, philofophers have been naturally led to feck the expli-
cation of aerial meteors in the principles of eledrieity ; and they feem to
have no doubt but moft of them, and efpecially the Aurora Borealis, are
formed of eledrical matter. Befides the more obvious and known ap-
pearances which conftitute a relemblance between this meteor and the
eledric matter whereby lightning is produced, it has been obferved, that
the Aurora occafions a veryfenfible fluduation in the magnetic needle;
and that, when it has extended lower than ufual into the-atmofphere,
the flaflies have ,been attended with various founds of rumbling and
hiffing, taken notice of both by Sig. Beccaria and M. Meffier. Mr.
Canton, fobn after he had obtained eledrieity from the clouds, offered a
conjecture, that the Aurora Borealis is occafioned by the dafhing of elec-
tric fire from pofitive towards negative clouds at a great diffance, through
the upper part of the atmofphere where the refiftance is leaff. • And he
fnppofcs, that the /furora, Avhich happens at the time when the mag-
netie needle is difhirbed by the heat of the earth, is the elcdtricity of
the heated air above it; and this appears chiefly in the northern regions,
as the alteration in the heat of the air in thele parts will be thegreateft;
nor is this hypothefls improbable, when it is eonfidcrcd, that the clouds
furchargcd with elcdlrical matter is the caufe of thunder and lightning ;
that it has been extradted from the air at the time of an Aurora Borealis;
that the inhabitants of the northern countries obferve it to be remark-
ably ftrong when a hidden thaw fuccecds very fevcrc cold weather; and.
that the tourmalin is known to emit and abforb.the elcdtric fluid only
by the.increafe or diminution of its heat..

Pofitivc and negative eledtricity in the air, with a proper quantity of

moifturc to- ferve as a condudtor, is fuppofed to account for this and
other meteors, fomctimcs fcen in a ferene fky. Mr. Canton has fmce-
contrived to exhibit this meteor by means of the Torricellian vacuum, in
a glafs tube about three feet long, and fealed hermetically. When one'
end of the tube is held' in the hand, and the other applied to the con-
dudtor, the whole tube will be illuminated from end to end ; and will
continue luminous without interruption for a contiderable time after it
has been removed from the condudtor. If, after this, it be drawn
through the hand cither way, the light will be uncommonly intenfe,
and without the leaf! interruption from one hand to the other, even to
its whole length. And though a great part of the eledtricity is dif-
chargcd by this operation, it will ftill flath at intervals, when held only
at one extremity, and kept quite ftill; but, if it be grafped by the other
hand at the fame time in a different place, ftrong flafhes of light will
hardly ever fail to dart from one end to the other, and thefe will conti-
nue twenty-four hours, and longer, without any frefh excitation. An
arched double barometer, of a confiderable height, is an improvement
of this contrivance, for exhibiting the appearance of an Aurora Borealis
by means of the cledtric fire. Sig. Peccaria, who has purfued his-ob-
fervations on atmofpherical eledtricity farther than any of his aflbciates in
thefe inquiries, conjcdtures that there is a conftant and regular circula-
tion of the eledtric fluid from north to fouthand he thinks, that the
Aurora Borealis may be this cledtric matter performing its circulation in
fuch a ftatcof the atmoipherc as.rcndcrs.it viliblc, or approaching nearer
the earth than ufual. Dr. Franklin fuppofes, that the electrical fire
difcharged into the polar regions from many leagues of vaporifed air
raifed from the ocean between the tropics, accounts for the Aurora
Borealis ; and that it appears firlt, where it is iirft in motion, i. e. in the
molt northern part, and the appearance proceeds fouth ward, though the
fire really moves northward.
93°
All this, Tiowever, appears to be little more than the conjedlural
fpeculation of modern philofophers. The ancients, it is plain, never
faw this phenomenon ; nor did it ever occur in their days, fince no
mention whatever is made of it in their writings, nor is any notice
taken of it in the records of the moderns, until the year 15 74, which is
the firft time, I believe, the Aurora-Borealis ever made its appearance
in the world; and, being a new phenomenon in nature, muft un-
doubtedly have'been produced by fome great conjundtion, or by the vio-
lent heat 'of fome irivifible comet, or by a variation in the frame and
fyftem of the world, or Of the heavenly bodies, which at that particular
sera muft have taken place, and which ftill continues, at times, to pro-
duce the fame luminous and fiery appearance.

Blazing ftars, are fiery luminous appearances, generated in the upper

region of the air, and formed into a body, whence they take an oblique
diredtion with aftonifliing velocity, and defcend to the earth. The light
they convey will.fometimes exceed that of the Moon, as was the cafe
a few years fince, with a very remarkable one, which pafifed from north
to fouth, very near the fur face of the earth, and was fuppofedto fall into
the fea. Their appearance is at once beautiful and tremendous.

Signior Beccaria, in one of his philofophical papers, makes mention

•of a very remarkable one, which appeared about an hour after fun-fet,
and diredted its courfe immediately towards the fpot where he and fome
friends were walking. It grew apparently larger and larger as it ap-
proached,' and went off very hear them ; when it left their facesyhands,
and clothes, with the earth, and all the neighbouring objedts, fuddenly
illuminated with a diffufed and lambent light, without any vifible noife.

Blazing ftars are likewife underftood by fome, to mean comets, onacr

oount of their tails, or extended train of light on fire, which is obferved
to iffue from them. But as the dodtrine of comets is of an immenfe
fpeculation, I fhall treat of them under a diftindt and feparate head.

Of COMETS.

A comet is now certainly defined to be a heavenly body, in the pla-

netary region, appearing fuddenly, and again difappearing; and, during
the time of its appearance, moving in a proper though very eccentric
orbit, like a planet. As to their nature, the unfrequency of their ap-
. pearing, together with the feeming irregularities of their phenomena,
have
 93i
have.left philofophers much in Mic dark. Thofc who lived before Arif-
totlc accounted for them by fuppofing the heavenly fpaces full of an
infinite number of ftars ; and many of them too remote, or too fmall, to
have ever come under the notice of afironomcrs ; thefe invifible ftars they
farther fuppofed to move by their own proper motion every way ; finilh-
ing their courfcs in very unequal times. And a comet, according to them,
was a vafl heap or aflemblage of thefe little ftars, meeting together, by
reafon of the inequality of their motions, and uniting into a vifible mafs
which muft again difappear, as thofe ftars feparatcd, and each proceeded
in its coirrfe. But", how thofe ftars ihould thus meet, coalefce, and form
a body, which in all pofitions of the Sun Ihould rcfemble a tail, and again
feparate, is totally inexplicable. This opinion Ariftotle overturned, by
fubftituting another in its ftead : he infilled that comets were only a kind,
of tranfient fires, or meteors, confifting of exhalations raifed to the up-
per region of the air, and there fet on fire, far below the Moon's courle-
But neither is this hypothefis more juft than the other ; for, on this prin-
ciple, the light of the comet, being independent of the Sun, would be
difperfed every way alike, without any appearance of a train, or tail,
which is contrary to the phenomena. Moreover they are obferved at the
fame time in places on the earth very remote from each other. Befides,
the modern aftronomers who have mcafurcd the diftance between the
comets and the earth, find that the comets have no fenfible diurnal paral-
lax; which could not be, were they not much more remote than the
Moon, whofe parallax is fenfible: and yet, as they have a fenfible an-
nual parallax, they are not fo remote as thd fixed ftars. Tycho Brahe
was the firft among the moderns, who after diligently obferving the comet
of 1577, and finding that it had no fenfible diurnal parallax, affigned.it
its true place in the planetary regions-

Hevelius, from a great number of obfervations, propofes it as his opi-

nion, that the comets, like the folar maculce, or fpots,- are formed and
condenfed out of the grofler exhalations of his body. In which notioa
he agrees nearly with Kepler, who maintains, that comets are generated
in the tether in vaft numbers, like fifhes in the ocean ; though they do
not all become vifible, either becaufe of their fmallncfs, or becaufe they,
lie a long time under the horizon.

But Sir Ifaac Newton has ftiewn the fallacy of this hypothefis, by
proving that the comet of 1680, in its paflage through the neighbour-
hood of the Sun, would have been diffipated had it confifted of exhala-
tions of the Sun and plhnets ; for the heat of the Sun, it is allowed,
is as the denfity of his rays, i. e. reciprocally as ths fquares of the
. No. 48. 10 Y diftances
 .diftances of places from the Sun: Wherefore, fince the diftance of that
comet.in its perihelion, December the 8th, was obferved to be to the dif-
tance of .the earth from the Sun nearly as 6 to 1000 ; the Sun's heat in.
' the comet, at that time, was to his heat with us at Midfummer, as
ioooooo to 36, or 28000 to 1. And again, finding by experiment that
the heat of boiling water is little more than three times the heat of our dry
earth', when expofed to the Midfummer's Sun ; and alTuming the heat
of red-hot iron to be about three or four times as great as that of boiling
water; he thence concludes, that the heat of the dried earth, or body of
the comet in its perihelion, rnufl be near 2000 times as great as that of
red-hot iron.

Such an immenfe heat once acquired in its perihelion, the comet muft
be a long time, in cooling again. The fame author computes, that a
globe of red-hot iron, of the dimenfions of our earth, would fcarcely be
cool in' 50000 years. If then the comet be fuppofed to cool 100 times
as fa ft as red-hot iron, yet fince its heat was 2000'times greater, fup-
pofing it of the bignefs of the earth, it would not be cool in a. million of
,years.
1
James Bernouilli, in^is Syftema Cometarum, fuppofes fome primary
planet revolving round the -Sun in- the fpace of four years and one hun-
dred and fifty feven days, and at the diftance from his body of 2583
femidiameters of the magnus orbis ; this planet, he concludes, either
from its vaft diftance or fmallnefs, to be inviftble to us ;'but, however,
to have, at various diftances from him, feveral fatellites moving round
him, and fometimes defcending as low as the orbit of Saturn ; and that
thefe becoming vifible to us, when in their perigaeum, are what we call
comets.

Des Cartes advances another^ opinion ; he conjedhires that comets are

• only ftars, formerly fixed, like the reft, in the heavens ; but which, be-
coming by degrees covered with maculae, or fpots," and'at length wholly
robbed of their light, cannot keep their place, but are carried off by the
vortices of the circumjacent ftars ; and, in proportion to their magnitude
and folidity, moved in fuch manner as to, be brought nearer the orb of
Saturn; and thus, coming within reach of the Sun's light, rendered
vifible.

• But the vanity of all thefe hypothefes abundantly appears from the
phenomena of comets ; the chief of which are as follow : 1 ft. Thofe
comets, which move according to the order of the figns, do all, a little
before they difappear, either advance flower than ufual, or elfe go retro-
 933
grade, if the Earth be between them and the Sun : and more fwiftly, if
the Earth be fituatc in a contrary part. On the other hand, thofe which
proceed contrary to the order of the figns, proceed more fwiftly than
ufual, if the Earth be between them and the Sun ; and more flowly, or
go retrograde, when the Earth is in a contrary part. ad. So long as
their velocity is increafed, they move nearly in great circles,; but to-
wards the end of their courfc, they deviate from thofe circles ; and, as
often as the Earth proceeds one way, they go the contrary way. 3d.
They move in ellipfes, having one of their foci in the centre of the
Sun; and, by radii drawn to the Sun, defcribe areas proportionable to
the times. 4th. The light of their bodies, or nuclei, increafes in their
recefs from the Earth toward the Sun ; and on the contrary, decreafes in
their recefs from the Sun. 5th.- Their tails appear the largeft and
brightcft immediately after their tranfit through the region of the Sun,"
or after their perihelion. 6th. The tails always decline from a juft op-
polition to the Sun towards thofe parts which the bodies, or .nuclei,
pafs over, in their progrefs through their orbits. 7th. This declina-
tion, cceterisparibus, is thefmalleft, when the heads, or nuclei, approach
neareft the Sun ; and is lefs, ftillj nearer the nucleus of the comet, than
towards the extremity of the tail. 8th. The ta'ils are fomewhat brighter,*
and more diftindtly defined, in their convex than in their concave part.
9th. The tails always appear broader at their upper extreme than near
the centre of the comet. TOth. The tails are always tranfparent, and the
fmallefi: ftars appear through them.

Thefe are the chief phenomena of comets; which it is evident, can-

not eafily be reconciled with the wild notions of the ancients, and the
weak conjedtures of many of the moderns. Indeed, there were fome,
Pliny tells us, among the ancients, who, " had jvifter notions ; who
" took thefe ftars to be perpetual, and believed they moved in their
" proper orbs; but were never feen, unlefs when left by the Sun."
Apollonius Myndius declared, that he took comets for regular ftars;
and ventured to forctel, that one day the periods and laws of their motion
would be difcovered. And more fully Seneca, Qutefi:. Nat. lib. vii. cap.
25. " I am not of the common opinion, nor do I take a comet to be a
" fudden fire, but efteem it among the eternal works of nature." §>uid
autem miramur come tar, tarn rarum mundi fpefiaculwn, nondum teneri legibus
cert is, nec initia illonnn Jinefque innotefcere, quorum ex mgentibus nee inter-
val Us recurfus ejl? Veniet tern pus' quo ijla quce nunc latent in lucem dies
extrahat, £? longioris cevi diligent ia. Veniet t em pus quo pofleri nojlri tarn
npert a fios ncfcijfe mirentur. Erit qui demonjlret aliquando, in quibus cornet
fartibus errent: cur tarn fe dufli a cceteris err en t, quant i qualefqueJint.
934
1 his predidlion we have feen accomplifhed in our days, by the great Sir
Ifaac Newton ; whole dodtrine is as follows :

The comets, he fays, are compadt, folid, fixed, and durable, bodies j
in one word, a kind of planets ; which move, in very oblique orbits,
every way with thegreateft freedom; perfevering in their motions, even,
againft the courfe and diredtion of the planets ; and their tail is a very
thin flender vapour, emitted by the head, or nucleus, of the comet,
ignited or heated by the Sun. This at once folves all the foregoing
phenomena : for, " It is evident, that thofe which proceed according to
the order of the figns, a little before they difiippear, muft move more
0
flowly, of appear retrograde, if the Earth be betwixt them and the
" Sun ; and fwifter if the earth be in a contrary part. On the contrary,
" thofe proceeding againft the order of the figns," &c. For fince this
courfe is not among the fixed ftars, but among the planets as the mo-
tion of the earth either confpires with them, or goes againft them ; their
appearance, with regard to the Earth, muft be changed; and, like the
planets, they muft fometimes appear fwifter, fometimes flower, and.
lometimes retrograde. " When the comets move the fwifteft, they muft
" proceed in ftraight lines; but in the end of their courfe, decline,"
&c. Becaufe,. in the end of their courfe, when they recede almoft di-
redtly from the Sun, that part of the apparent motion which arifes from
the parallax muft bear a greater proportion to the whole apparent
motion.

. The comets muft move in ellipfes, having one of their foci in the cen-
tre of the Sun. Becaufe they do not wander precarioufly from one
fidlitious vortex to another ; but, making a part of a folar fyftem, return
perpetually, and run a conftant round. Hence, their elliptic orbits be-
ing very long and eccentric, they become invifible when in that part
moft remote from the Sun. From confidering the curvity of the paths
of comets, Sir Ifaac concludes, that, when they difappear, they are much
beyond the orb of Jupiter; and that in their perihelion, they frequently
defcend below the orbit of Mars and the inferior planets. The light of
their nuclei muft increafe in their recefs from the Sun, and vice verfa.:'
Becaufe, as they are in the regions of the planets, their accefs toward the
Sun bears a confiderable proportion to their whole diftance.

From obfervations of the comet of i68o,- Sir Ifaac Newton found

that the vapour in the extremity of the tail, January 25th, began to
afcend from the head before December 11 ; and had therefore fpent
more than forty-five days in its afcent i^but that all the tail which ap-
 93S
pearcd December loth afccndcd in the fpacc of thofc two days, then
juft part fince its perihelion. The vapour, therefore, at the beginning,
when the comet was near the Sun, afccndcd prodigioufly fwift; and af-
terwards continued to afccnd with a motion retarded by the gravity of
its particles ; and by that afcent incrcafed the length of the tail; but the
tail, notwithftanding its length, confided almofi: wholly of vapours,
which had afcended from the time of its perihelion ; and the vapour
which afcended firft, and compofed the extreme part of the tail, did not
vanifli till it was too far from the Sun to be illuminated by him, and
from us to be vifible. Hence alfo, the tails of comets that are thorter
do not afcend with a quick and continual motion from the head, and
then prefently difappear ; but are permanent columns of vapours and
exhalations, gathered from the head, by a very gentle motion and a
great fpace of time; which yet, by participating of that motion of their
heads they had at the beginning, continue cafily to move along with
their heads through the celcftial regions; whence alfo the vacuity of
thofe regions is argued.

Their tails mud: appear the largeft and brighted: immediately after
their tranfit through the region of the Sun. Becaufe, then, their heads,
being the mod heated, will emit the mod vapours. From the light of
the nucleus, or apparent dar, we infer their vicinity to the earth, and
that they are by no means in the region of the fixed dars, as fome have
imagined ; fince, in that cafe, their heads would be no more illuminated
by the Sun than the planets arc by the fixed dars. The tails mud dill
decline from a didindt oppofition to the Sun towards the parts which
the heads pafs over in their progrefs through their orbits ; becaufe all
fmoke, or vapour, emitted from a body in motion, tends upwards
obliquely, dill receding from that part towards which the fmoking body
proceeds. That declination will be dill the lead near the nucleus of the
comet, and when the comet is neared the Sun; becaufe the vapour
afcends more fwiftly near the head of the comet than in the higher ex-
tremity of its tail ; and when the comet is at a lefs didance from the Sun
than when at a greater. The tail is brighter and better defined in its
convex part than in its concave ; becaufe the vapour in the convex part,
which goes fird, being fomcwhat nearer and denfer, reflects the light
more copioudy. The tail mud appear broader towards the higher ex-
tremity of the comet than towards the head; becaufe the vapour in a
free fpace is perpetually rarefied and dilated. The tails mud be tranf-
parent, becaufe confiding of infinitely thin vapour, &c. Thus accurately
does the hypothefis tally to the phenomena.
 The nuclei, which weoccafionally call the heads.and bodies of comets,
viewed through a telefcope, fhew a very different face from thofe of the
fixed ftars, qt planets. They are liable to'apparent changes, which Sir
Ifaac Newton afcribes to changes in the atmofphere of comets: and this
opinion was confirmed by obfervations of the comet in 1744. Sturmius-
tells us, that, obferving the comet of 1680 with a telefcope, it appeared
like a coal dimly glowing, or a rude mafs of matter illuminated with a
dufky fumid light, lefs fenfible at the extremes than in the middle; ra-
ther than as a flar, which appears with a round difk, and a vivid light.

Hevelius obferved of the comet of lOOl, that its body was of a yel-
lowifh colour, very bright and confpicuous, but without any glittering
light: in the middle was a denfe ruddy nucleus, almoft equal to Jupiter,
encompafled with a much fainter thinner matter. February 5th its head
was fomewhat bigger and brighter/ of a gold colour; but its light more
dufky than the reft of the ftars : here, the nucleus appeared divided into
feveral parts. February Oth, the difk was leffcnedj the nuclei ftill.exift-
ed, though lefs than before : one of them, on the lower part of the difk,
on the left, much denfer and brighter than' the reft; its body round, and
reprefentjng a very lucid little ftar : the nuclei flill encompaffed with
another kind of matter. February loth, the head fomewhat more ob-
fcure, and the nuclei more confufed, but brighter at top than bottom.
February 13th, the head diminifhed much, both in magnitude and bright-
nefs. March 2d, its roundnefs a littje impaired, its edges lacerated, &c.
March 28th, very pale and exceeding thin ; its matter much difperfed ;
and no diftindt nucleus at all appearing.

Weigelius, who faw the comet of 1004; the Moon, and a little
cloud illuminated by the Sun at the fame time, obferved that the Moon,
through the telefcope, appeared of a continual luminous furface ; but
the comet very different; being perfectly like a little cloud in the hori-
zon, illuminated by the Sun. From thefe obfervations it was, that
Hevelius concluded comets to be like maculas, or fpots, formed out of
the folar exhalations:

The eflimates that have been given by Tycho, Hevelius, and fome
others, of the magnitude of comets, are not fufficiently accurate to be
depended upon ; for it does not appear, that they diftinguifhed between
the nucleus and the furrounding atmofphere." Thus Tycho computes
that the true diameter of the comet in 1.577 was in proportion to the
diameter of the earth as 3 is to 14. Hevelius made the diameter of
the comet of. 1652 to that of the earth as 52 to loo. The diameter of
 937
the ntmofphcrc is often ten or fifteen times as great as that of the
nucleus: the former, in the comet of 1082, when mcafured by FJaru-
ftcad, was found to be two minutes, but the diameter of the nucleus
only eleven feeonds. Some comets, from the apparent magnitude and
diftancc compared, have bcen.judged to be much larger than the Moon,
and even equal to fomc of the primary planets. The diameter of that
of 1744, when at the diftancc of the Sun from us, meafured about one
minute, and therefore its diameter muft be about three times the dia-
meter of the Earth: at another time the diameter of its nucleus was
nearly equal to that of Jupiter.

The lengths of the tails of comets are various, and depend on a va-
riety of circumftances. Longomontanus mentions a comet that in
1018, December 10, had a tail above one hundred degrees in length j
that of 1080, according to Sturmius, about the 20th of November,
was but fmall; at moft, not exceeding twenty degrees in length ; in a
little time it grew to a length of fixty degrees, after which it dwindled
very fenfibly. The comet of 1744 had a tail which at one time appeared'
to extend above fixteen degrees from its body ; and which, allowing
the Sun's parallax ten feeonds, muft: have been above twenty-three mil-
lions of miles in length.

Sir Ifaac Newton thews, that the atmofphere of comets will furnitli
vapour fufficient to form their tails; this he argues from that wonderful
rarefadtion obferved in our air at a diftance from the earth : a cubic inch
of common air, at the diftance of half the Earth's diameter, or four
thoufand miles, would neceflarily expand itfelf fo far as to fill a tpace
larger than the whole region of ftars. Since then the coma or at-
mofphere of a comet is ten times higher than the furface of the nucleus,
counting from the centre thereof, the tail, afcendmg much higher, muft
neceflarily be immenfely rare : fo that it is no wonder the ftars fhould
be vifible through it.

Now, the afcent of vapours into the tail of the comet he fuppofes
occafioned by the rarefaction of the matter of the atmofphere at the
time of the perihelion. Smoke, it is obferved, afcends the chimney by
the impulfe of the air wherein it floats ,* and air rarefied by heat, afcends
by diminution of its fpecific gravity, taking up the fmoke along with
it; why then fhould hot the tail of a comet be fuppofed to be raifed after
the fame manner by the Sun ? for the fun-beams do not adt on the
mediums they pafs through any otherwife than.by iefledtion and rarefac-
tion. The refledting particles, then, being warmed by the adtion, will
again
 again warm the cether wherewith they are compounded ; and this, rare-
fied by the heat, will have its fpecific gravity, whereby it before tended
to. deTcend, diminiflied by the rarefaction, fo as to afcend, and carry
along with it thofe reflecting particles whereof the tail of the comet is
compofed. This afcent of the vapours "\yill be promoted by their cir-
cular motion round the Sun ; by means whereof, they will endeavour
to recede from the Sun, while the Sun's atmofphere, and the other mat-
ters in the celeftial fpaces, are .either at reft, or nearly fo'; as having
no motion but what they receive from the Sun's circumrotation. Thus
are the vapours railed into the tails of comets in the neighbourhood of
the Sun, where the orbits are moft curve ; and where the comets, being
within the denfer atmofphere of the Sun, have their tails of the greateft
length.

- The tails thus produced, by preferving that motion, and at the fame
time gravitating toward the Sun, will move round his body in ellipfes, in
like manner as their heads; and by this means, will ever accompany,
and freely adhere to, their head. In efteCt, the gravitation of the va-
pours towards the Sun will no more occafion the tails of the comets to
forfake their heads, and fall down towards the Sun, than the gravitation
of their heads will occafion them to fall off from their tails; but by their
common gravitation they will either fall down together to the Sun, or
be together fulpended or retarded. This gravitation, therefore, does
not at all hinder but that .the heads and tails of comets may receive and
retain any pofition towards *each other, which either the above-men-
, tioned caules or any other may occafion. The tails, therefore, thus
produced in the perihelion of comets, will go off, along with their heads,
into remote regions; and either return thence, together with the comets,
after" a long feries of years; - or, rather, be there loft, and vanifli by lit-
tle and little, and the comets be left bare; till at their return, defcend-
ing towards the Sun, fome little Ihort tails are gradually and flowly
produced from the heads ; which, afterwards, in the perihelion, de-
icending into "the Sun's atmofphere, will be immenfely increafed.

The vapours when they are thus dilated, rarefied, and diflufed through
all the celeftial regions, the fame author, obferves, may probably, by little
and little, by means of their own gravity, be attracted down to the pla-
nets, and become intermingled with their atmofpheres. He-adds like-
wife, that, for the confervation of the water and moifture of the planets,
comets feem abfolutely requifite ; from whofe condenfed vapours and
exhalations, all that moifture, which is fpent in vegetations and putre-
fkctions, and turned into dry earth, &c. may be re-fupplied and re-
cruited.
 939
cruitccl. For all vegetables grow and incrcafe wholly from fluids; and,
again, as to their grcatcft part, turn, by putrefadlion, into earth again ;
an earthy flimc being perpetually precipitated to the bottom of putrefy-
ing liquors. Hence the quantity of dry earth muft continually increafe,
and the moifture of the globe dccrcafc, and at laft be quite evaporated,
if.it had not a continual lupply from feme part or other of the univerfc.
And 1 fufpcfl, adds our great author, that the fpirit, which makes the
fineft, fubtileft, and the heft, part of our air, and which is abfolutely
requifite for the life and being of all things, comes principally from the
comets.

On this principle, there fcems to be fbme foundation for the popular

opinion of prefages from comets; fmce the tail of a comet, thus inter-
•mingled with our atmofphere, may produce changes very fenfible in ani-
xnal and vegetable bodies. Another ufe which he conjedures comets may
be.defigned to ferve, is that of recruiting the Sun withfrelh fuel, and re-
pairing the confumption of his light by the ftreams continually fent forth
in every dire&ion from that luminary. In fupport of this conjefture he
obferves, that comets in their perihelion may fuffer a diminution of their
proje&ile force by the refiftance of the folar atmofphere; fo that by de-
grees their gravitation towards the Sun may be fo far increafed as to pre-
cipitate their fall into his body.

There have been various conjeflures about the generation of the tail
of comets. Appian, Tycho Brahe, and fbme others, apprehended that
they were produced by the Sun's rays tranfmitted througn the nucleus of ■
the comet, which they fuppofed to be tranfparenr, and there refra&ed as
in a lens of glafs, fo as to form a beam of light behind the comet. Des
Cartes accounted for the phenomenon of the tail by the rarefaclion of light
from the head of the comet to the eye of the lpe£lator. .Mairan fuppofes
that the tails are formed out of the luminous matter that compofes the
Sun's atmofphere; M. De la Lande combines this hypothefls with that
of Newton above recited. Mr. Rowning, who is not fatisfied with Sir
Ifaac's opinion, accounts for the tails of comets in the following manner.
It is" well known, fays he, that, when the light of the Sun pafles
through the atmofphere of any body, as the earth, that which palies
on one fide is, by the rarefaflion thereof, made to converge towards that
which pafles on the oppofite one; and the convergency is not wholly cf-
fe&ed either at the entrance of the light into the atmofphere, or at its go-
ing out; but, beginning at its entrance, it incrcafes in every point of its
progrefs. It is alfo agreed, that the atmofpheres of the comets are very
large and denfe. He therefore' fuppofes that, by fitch time as the light
No. 40. i-i A of
94°
of the Sun- has pafled through a confiderable part of the atmofphere of a
•comet, the rays thereof are lb far refra&ed towards each other, that they-
then begin fenfibly to.illuminate it, or rather the vapours floating there-
in, and'fo render that part they have yet to pafs through viflble to us : and
that this portion of the atmofphere of a comet thus illuminated appears
to us in form, of a beam of the Sun's Jight, and pafies under the deno-
mination of a comet's tail.

We have an enquiry into the caufe of the tails of comets, by Mr. Eu-
✓ler. He thinks^ there is a great affinity between thefe tail£, the zodiacal
light, and the Aurora Borealis; and that the common caufe of them all
is the abtion of the Sun's light on the atmofphere ofithe" comets, of,the
.Sun, and of the Earth. He fuppofes, that the impulfe of the rays of
light on the atmofphere of comets may drive fomerof the .finer particles
of that atmofphere far beyond its limits; and .that this force of impulfe,
combined, with that of gravity towards the comet, would produce a tail,/
which would always be in oppofition to the Sun, if . the comet did not
move. But the motion of the comet in its orbit, and about its axis, muft
vary the pofition and-figure of the,tail, giving it a curvature, and devia-
tion from a line .drawn from the centre of the Sun to that-of the comet,;
and that this deviation will be greater, as the orbit'of the comet has the
greater curvature, and that the motion of the comet is more.rapid. • It may
even happen,' that the velocity of the comet, in its perihelion, may be fo
great,'that the,force of the Sun's, rays may produce a .new tail before the
old- one can follow; in-which cafe the comet might have two or more
tails. " The poffibility of this is confirmed by the comet of 1744, which
was obferved to have feveral tails while it was in its perihelion.

Dr. Hamilton urges feveral obje&ions againft the Newtonian hypothe-

fis; and concludes that the tail of a comet is formed of matter which hath
not the power of refra&ing or refle&ing the rays of light: but that it is
a lucid or felf-fhining fubflance, and, from its fimilarity to the Aurora
-Borealis, produced by the .fame cau fe, and a proper elebtrical phenome-
'non. Dr. Halley, feemed inclined' to this hypothefis, when he faid, that
the ftreams of light in the Aurora Borealis lb much refembled the long tails
of comets, that at firft fight they, might well be taken for fuch: this
light feems to have a great affinity to that which the effluvia of eleblric.
bodies emit in the dark.

M. Fatio has fuggefted, that Ibme of the comets have their, nodes fo
very near the annual orbit of the earth, that, if the earth fflould .hap-
pen to be found in that part next the node, at the time of a comet's paffing
 941

by, the mon; dreadful confcqucnccs might be apprehended; as the appa-

rent motion of the comet will be incredibly fwift, fo its parallax will be-
come very fenfible; and the proportion thereof to that of the Sun will be
given: whence fuch tranfits of comets will afford the beft means of de-
termining the diftance of the Earth and Sun.

The comet of 1472 had a parallax above twenty times greater than
the Sun's: and, if that of 1618 had come down in the beginning of March
to its dcibending node, it would have been much nearer to Earth, and
its .parallax much more notable. But, hitherto, none has threatened the
earth with a nearer appulfe than that of 1680: for, by calculation, Dr.
Halley finds, that, November nth, 1 h. 6 min. P. M. that comet was
not above one'lemidiamctcr of the earth to the northward of the way of
the earth; at which time, had the earth been in that part of its orbit,
the comet would have had a parallax equal to that of the Moon: what
might have been the confequncc of fo near an appulfe, a contafr, or#
laffly, a (hock, of the celeffial bodies? Whifton fays, a deluge!

If the paths of comets be fuppofed dire&ly parabolical, as fome have

imagined, it would follow, that, being impelled towards the Sun by a
centripetal force, they defcend as from fpaces infinitely diftant; and by
their falls acquire fuch a velocity, as that they may again run off into the
remoteft regions: ftill moving upwards with fuch a perpetual tendency
as never to return. But the.frequency of their appearance, and their de-
gree of velocity, which does not exceed what they might acquire by their
gravity towards the Sun', feemsto put it paft doubt that they move, planet-
like, in elliptic orbits, though exceedingly eccentric; and fo return
again, after very long periods. The apparent velocity of the comet of
1472^ as obferved by Regiomontanus, was fuch as to carry it through
forty degrees of a great circle in twenty-four hours: and that of 1770
was obferved to move through more than forty-five degree in the laft
twenty-five hours. •. ^

Newton, Flamftead, Halley, and. the Englifli affronomers, feem fatis-

fied of the return of comets: Caffini, and others of the French, think it
highly probable; but De la Hire, and others, oppofe it. Thofe on
the affirmative fide fuppofe the comets to defcribe orbits prodigioufly ec-
centric, infomuch that we can only fee them in a very fmall part of their
revolution; out of this, they are loft in the immenfc fpaces; hid not'
only from our eyes, but our telefcopes. That little part .of their .orbit
near us, M. Caffini, &c. have found to pafs between the orbits of Ve-
nus and Mars. For the reafons of the return of comets, M. .Caffini gives
thefe
942
thefe which follow: r. In confidering the courfe of the comets, with
regard to' the fixed ftars, they are found - to keep a confiderable time in
the arch of a great circle, 1. e. a circle uvhofe plane pafles through the
centre of the earth: indeed, they deviate a little from it,"chiefly towards
the end of their .appearance; - but this deviation is common to them with
the planets. 2. Comets, as well as planets, appear to move fo much the
fafter as they are nearer the earth ; and, when they are at equal diftances
from their perigee, their velocities are nearly the fame.

By fubtrafling from their motion the apparent inequality of velocity

occafioned by their different diftances from the earth, their equal motion
might be found;..but we.lhould not be certain this motion were their.true
one; becaufe they might have,confiderable inequalities, not diftinguifh-
able in that fmall part of their orbit vifible to us. It is, indeed, probable
their real motion,' as well as that of the planets, is unequal in itfelf:
pnd hence we have a reafbn why the obfervations made during the ap-
pearance of a comet cannot give.theijuft period of their revolution.

• There are no two different planets whofe orbits cut the ecliptic in' the
fame angle, whofe nodes are in the fame points of the ecliptic, and whole
apparent velocity in their-perigee is-the fame: confequently, two comets
feen at different times, 'yet agreeing' with all thofe three circumftances,
can only be one and the fame comet. And this.were the comets of 1577
and 1.680 obferved to do, and thofe of 1652 and 1698; not that this ex-
aft" agreement, in thefe circumftances, is abfolutely neceffary to deter-
mine them the fame comet. M. Caflini finds the Moon herfelf irregular
in' them all: accordingly, he is of opinion, there are feveral which difa-
gree'herein, and yet may be accounted the fame.

The great objeflion againft the return of comets, is, the rarity of their
appearance, with-regard -to the number of revolutions affigned to them.
In 1702, there was a comet, or rather the tail of one, feen at Rome,
which M, Caflini takes tp be Jihe fame with that obferved by Ariftotle,
and that fince feen in i'668. which would imply its period to be thirty-
four years. • Now it may feem ftrange, that a ftar which has fo fhort a re-
volution, and of confequence fuch frequent returns, fhould be fo feldom
feen.—Again, in April, of the fame year, 1702., a comet was obferved by
Meff. Bianchini and 'Maraldi, fuppofed by the latter to be the fame with
that of 1664, both by reafon'of its motion, velocity, and diredlion. M. de
la Hire took it'to have fome relation to another he had obferved in 1698,
which M. Caflini refers to that of 1652. On this.fuppofition, its period
app.ears to be forty-three months-; and the number of revolutions, between
 943
1652 and 1698, fourteen: but it is "hard to fuppofe, that, in this age,
wherein the heavens -arc fo narrowly watched, a ftar fhould make fourteen
appearances unpereuved; cfpccially fuch a ftar as this, which might ap-
pear ahove a mouth together, and of confcquence be frequently difen-
'gaged from the crcpufcula. For this rcafon M. Caflini is very rcferved
in maintaining the hypothelis of the return of comets, and only propoles
thofe for planets, where the motions are cafy and iimple, and are iblved
without {training, or allowing many irregularities.

M. de la Hire propofes one general difficulty againft the whole fyftcm

of the return of comets, which would leem to hinder any comet from be-
ing a planet: and it is this; that, by the dilpofition.neceflarily given to
their courfcs, they ought to appear as large at firft as at laft; and always
increafe, till they arrive at their greatefl proximity to the earth: or, if
they fhould- chance not to be obferved, as foon as they become vifible, for
want of attention thereto, at lead it is impoffible but they muft frequently
ihew themfelves before 'they have arrived at their full magnitude and
brightuefs. But he adds, that none were ever yet oblerved till they had
arrived at it. Yet the appearance of a comet in the month of Oblober
1723, while at a great diftance, fo as to be too fmall and dim to be
viewed without a telefcope, may ferve to remove this obftacle, and fet
the comets, ftill, on the fame footing with the planets. Sir Ifaac New-
ton fuppofes, that as thofe planets which are neareft the Sun, and revolve
in the leafl orbits, are the fmallefl; lb, among the cbmets, fuch as in
their perihelion come neareft the Sun are the fmalleft, and revolve in
fmaller orbits.

Dr. Halley has given us a table of the aftronomical elements of all the
comets that have been yet obferved with due care; whereby, whenever a
new comet fhall appear, it may be determined, by comparing it there-
with, whether it be any of thofe which have yet appeared: and conle-
quently its period, and the axis of its orbit, be determined, and its return
foretold. This table contains the aftronomical elements of twentv-four
comets, on the fuppofitiqn that they moved in parabolas; though he
thought it extremely probable that they really moved in very eccentric
ellipfes, and confequently returned after long periods of time. This
table commences with the year 1337, and cloies with 1698.
 TABLE of' COMETS.

HALLEY's TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS of COMETS.

Another Table has fin.ce been computed, from the obfervations con-
tained in the Phiiofophical Tranfadtions, De la Caille's Aftrouom}:, and.
Dela.Lande's fdiftoire de la Comete de 1759, & Connoiflance des Mouve-
mens Celeftes, 176a & 1764. In this table, are. feen the elements of
twenty-five other comets, from the. year 1264. to 1762. And, by com-
paring thefe Tables it will be found that none of thefe comets, except that
of 1769, appears to be the fame with any other in either "of the Tables;
unlefs we admit thofe of 1264and 1556, and thofe of 1599 and 1699, to
be^ the. fame.
 945

TABLE OF COMETS.

SUPPLEMENT to HALLEY'a TABLE op the Elements op Comf.ts.

There are many things in the comet of r 532, obferved by Peter Appian,
which intimate its being the fame with that of 1607, obferved by Kepler
and Longomontanus; and which Dr-'Halley himfelf again obferved in
1682. All the elements agree, and there is nothing contradifh the opinion
but that inequality in the periodic revolution, which, however he thinks is
no more than may be accounted for from phyfical caufes: no more in effect
than is obferved in Saturn; the motion of which planet .is fo difturbed by
the reft, efpecially Jupiter, that its period is uncertain for feveraldays to-
gether: to what errors then may not a comet be liable, which rifes to al-
moft four times the height of the planet Saturn; and whofe velocity, if
but a little increafed, would change its elliptic orb into a parabolic one?
i 946"1 AN I L L-U STRATION,

. What farther confirms, the identity, is the appearance of another comet

in tiie fiummer.of 1456, which,though obferved by none with accuracy,
yet, by hts period and the manner of its tranfit, he concludes to be the
fame; and thence ventured to foretel its return in the year 17^8', or-the
■ beginning of the next year: and time has verified the'predidlion. It ap-
peared in March 1759. Halley allb thought that the cpmetof 1680 was
the fame that was obferved in 1106, 531, and in the forty-fourth year
before Chrift, .when Julius Caefarwas murdered; and that its period was
five hundred and feventy-five years. Mr. Dunthorne, in the Philofophi-
cal Tranfabtiohs, vol. xlvii. has endeavoured to fhew, from a MS. in
Pembroke-hall Library, that the comet of 1106 could not be the fame,
with that of-1680. But M. de la Lande adopts the opinion4 of Dr.
Halle*v.

To determine the place and courfe of a comet, obferve the diftance of

the bomet from two fixed ftars whofe"longitudes and latitudes are known:
frorn the diflances thus found, calculate the place of the comet by trigo-
nometry ^ and, by repeating the obfervations and operations for feveral
days fucceffively, the courfe of the comet will be had. We might alfo
determine the courfe of a comet mechanically, without any apparatus of
infixuments, by the following ingenious method, with a thread, which
we owe to Longomontanus. Oblerve four ftars round the comet, fuch
as that'the comet rnay be in the interfedlion of the right lines that join
the two oppofite ft&rs; which is eafily found by means of a thread placed
before the eye, and extended over-againfi; the ftars and comets. Find thefe
four flars upon a globe, and extend't wo threads crofsways, from one
corner to the other of the fquare fpace defcribed by the four flars, add the
central point where the threads interfe£l-each other will give the place of
the comet. This pradhce being repeated for feveral days, the comet's
courfe will be had on the globe; which courfe will be found to be a great
circle, from any two points whereof it will be eafy to find its inclination
to the ecliptic, and the place of the ,nodes, hnly by obferving where a
thread, fixetched through the two points, cuts the ecliptic.

Such is the.doflrine of comets, as laid down from time to time both by

the ancient and modern philofophers:, but which, like moft other abfixufe
phenomena, is founded pretty much upon conjedlure and arbitrary concep-
tion. Should the comets of 1264 and 1556 (which are fuppofed to be the
fame) appear in or about the year 1848, it will'confirm a great deal of
the foregoing fpeculation, as to their poifefling a determinate place in the
lyftem;
 947

fyftem; and will convince us that their revolutions, though extremely

eccentric, arc nevcrthclefs definable, and fuch as may hereafter throw
great light upon philofophical difquifitions.

Dr. Hallcy conjeflured, that tlic comet obferved by Apian in 1532, was
the lame as that obferved-by Hevelius in 1661; if fo, it ought to have re-
turned in 1790, but it has never been obferved. But M. Mechain having
colle&ed all the obfervations in 1532, and calculated the orbit again, found
it to be fenfibly different from that determined by Dr. Hallcy, which ren-
ders it very doubtful whether this was the comet which appeared in 1661;
and this doubt is increafed by its not appearing in 1790. The comet in
1770, whole periodic time M. Lexell computed to be five years and fevea.
months, has not been obferved fince.

Of ECLIPSES..

An Eclipfe, from of ixXcm, to fail, fignifies a failure or priva-

tion of the light of one of the luminaries, by the interpofition of fome
dark or opaque body falling between it and the eye, or between it and'
the Sun. The Moon, being a dark and opaque body, receives her light
from the,Sun by refie&ion; which is proved by her increaling and de-
crealing in light as fhe is'nearer or farther off from her conjunftions with
the Sun. At the ecliptical conjundlion, or new Moon, the dark body
of the Moon paffes direftly between the Sun and us, which hides that:
luminary from our light, and this conftitutes an eclipfe'of the Sun; but
at an ecliptical oppofition, or full Moon, the Sun, the Earth, and the
Moon, are in one dire£t and diametrical line; the dark globe of the
Earth, being then between the Sun and Moon, deprives the Moon of'
the Sun's light, whereby fhe becomes darkened and eclipfed, having no.
light of her own. The line-or way wherein the Moon makes her con-
ftant periodical revolutions croffes the ecliptic wherein the Sun moves.-
at an angle of about five degrees; the diftance of' thefe lines conftitutes.
the Moon's latitude; and the places in the ecliptic which thefe lines in-
terfefl are called the Mpon's nodes, or the Dragon's Head and Dragon's:
Tail. Thefe interfe&ions do not always happen in one place of the.
ecliptic, but move once through the fame, contrary to the fequel or fuc--
ccflion of the figns, in eighteen years and two hundred and twenty-
five days.

If the Moon at full be diftant from- the Dragon's Head or Tail more:
than fifteen degrees, there can be no eclipfe of the Moon; and, when at
the time of the change the Moon is more than nineteen, degrees diftant-
N0..49,. u.CL fromi
 from the Dragon's Head, atcordirig to' the fucceffion .of the figns, there
can.be no eclipfe of the Sun; neither can there be any eclipfe of the Sun,
when the Moon at the change is above feven degrees from the, Dragon's
. Tail, according to the fuccceflion of the figns, or more than feven degrees
from the Dragon's Head, contrary to the fucceflion of the figns.

Eclipfes of the Sun are various both in quantity and quality, being
beheld from different parts of the earth; where he will appear partially
eclipfed to a fpe&atof on the north fide of his body, and totally to a »-
fpedfator oh his fouth, fide ; whilfi: to others he will appear at the fame
infliant not at all eclipfed. The reafon is, the Sun in his eclipfes is not
darkened, but only hidden from oUr fight by the interpofition of the Moon,
whofe various parallaxes produce this diverfity in the Sun's eclipfe.

/The eclipfe of the Moon, on the contrary, appears the fame to all parts
of the earth, and to all people above whofe horizon fhe is at that time
elevated; for, when fhe is deprived of the light of the Sun, fhe becomes
really darkened. To eftimate the quantities of the eclipfes of either lu-
minary, their diameters are fuppofedly divided into twelve equal parts,
called digits, becaufe- their diameters appear to fight about a foot in
length ; fb that, when the Moon obfcures half the Sun's diameter, he is
faid to be fix digits eclipfed".

Amongft the coelefHal phenomena, the doflrine of eclipfes takes pre- .

cedency; becaufe from their obfervations the primary foundation of
the whole body of aftronomy is demonftrated and confirmed. Hence the
folar eclipfes manifeft the Moon to be'lower and lefs than the Sun; .the
lunar eclipfes prove that the earth is riot founded infinitely below "us,
but that the heavens under us are diflant from the earth as far upwards,
in refpedi of our antipodes, as they are here; and confequently that the
Earth is not cubical, pyramidal, nor bylindrical,' but on every fide per--
feblly round, or terminated by a globular figure ;■ not only becaufe the
fnadow of the Earth in the Moon's body'is always and on every part obfer-
ved to be round, but alfo becaufe thofe who live eaftward number" more
hours from their meridian, for the beginning or-ending of any eclipfe,
than fuch as live weftvvard, prbportionably to their diftance."

Lunar eclipfes demonftrate the fliadow of the earth to be conical, ter-

minating in a lharp'point'; atidsthe fame place of the Moon's'tranfits to
be fometimes thickei;, and at other times more'flender, notwithftanding
a certain rule and refpedl had to the Sun's motion; and confequently .
 949
that the Sim is moved, or fo fcems to be, in an eccentrical orb. By
eclipfes of the Moon we alfo know that the Earth is moved or placed in
the middle of the zodiac, bccaufc flio is cclipfed in the oppofitc places
thereof. The lunar eclipfes beft difcover to us the longitude of places
upon the Earth, and afllire us that the Earth and Water make but one
globe"; and the oriental and occidental eclipfes of the Moon inform 'us,
that one half of the world is always vifible, and that one half of the zo-
diac rifes above the horizon.

The true and certain place of the Moon cannot be had by any inflru-
ment whatlbever, becaufc of her parallaxes. Nature, or rather the God
of nature, hath therefore fupplied this defcht by her eclipfes; 'for the
Moon pofited in mediis tenebris is then underftood to be oppofitc to the Sun,-
by which means the motions and mutations of the Moon are found out
and rationally demonftrated. And, as by lunar eclipfes we gather, that
the Suit is far greater than the Earth, and the Moon lefs, fo by f»lar
eclipfes we demonftrate the diftance of the luminaries from the Earth to
be different, and to be moved in eccentrics or epicycles; whence a rule
is found for meafuring the diftance of the Sun and Moon from the Earth,
together
o with the magnitudes
o of the feveral celeftial bodies.

Eclipfes of the Mqon only happen in the time of full Moon; becaufe
it is only then the Earth is between the-Sun and Moon : nor do they hap-
pen every full Moon, by reafon of the obliquity-of the Moon's way with
refpeft to the Sun's; but only in thofe full Moons which happen either
in the nodes, or .very near them, where the aggregate of the apparent fe-
midiameters of the Moon and the Earth's fhadow is greater than the lati-
tude of the Moon, or the diftanqe between their centres.

The mofl confiderable circumffances in the eclipfes of the Moon are,

That, as the fum of the femidiameters of the Moon and Earth's fhadow
is O
greater than the aggregate
DO D of the femidiameters of the Sun and Moon,*
(that, when leaff, being 5-f; and this, when greateft, fcarcely 3-J-;) it is
evident, lunar eclipfes may happen in a greater latitude of the Moon and
at a greater diftance from the nodes, and confequently, are more often
obferved, in any one part of the Earth, than folaronesi though, with
refpeft to the whole Earth, the latter are more frequent than the former,
becaufe the Sun's ecliptic limits are greater than the Moon's.

Total eclipfes of the Moon, and thofe of the longeft duration, hap-
pen'in the very nodes of the ecliptic; becaufe the fedlion of the Earth's
fhadow,
■95° •
fhadow, then falling on the Mdonj is confiderably greater than her diflo..
There may. likewife be total eclipfes within a little diftance of the nodes;
but, the farther, the lefs their duration; farther off ftill, there are only
partial ones, and at length none at all, as the latitude and 'the femidia-
meter of the .Moon, together, are either lefs, eqilal to, or greater, than the
femidiameter of the ,fhadow. A lunar eclipfe, that is both -total and
central, lafts three 'hours fifty-feven minutes fix feconds from the beg-in-
ning to the end when the Moon is in her apogee, and three hours thir-
ty-leven minutes twenty-fix feconds when in perigee; her hoary motion
being floweft in the former cafe,'' and quickefl: in the latter. In all lunar
eclipfes, the eaftern fide is whatfirfl: immerges, and alfo emerges; fo that
though at firft, the Moon be more wefterly than the Earth's fhadow,
s yet, her proper motion being fwifter than the fame, fhe overtakes and
outgoes'it: .The Moon even in the middle of an eclipfe, has ufually a
faint appearance of light refembling tarnifhed copper ; which Galfendus,
Ricciolus, Kepler, &c. attribute to the light of the Sun, refradled by the
Earth's atmofphere, and tranfmitted thither. And laftly, fhe grows fen-
'fibly paler, aiid dimmer, before fhe enters within the Earth's fhadow;
which is attributed to the Earth's penumbra..

Solar eclipfes, being an occultation of the Sun's body occafibned by

an interpofition of the Moon between the Sun and the Earth, are diftin-
guifhed, like thofe of the Moon, into total and partial, &c. to which muft
be added a third fpecies, called annular. . As the Moon is found to have a-
parallax of latitude, eclipfes of the .Sun only happen when the latitude of
the Moon, viewed from the'Earth, is lefs than the aggregate of the appa-
rent femidiameters of the Sun and Moon. Solar eclipfes therefore only
happen when the Moon is in conjundlion with the Sun, in or near the'
nodes, i. e. at the new moons. Confequently, the memorable eclipfe
of the Sun, at our Saviour's paflion,"happening at the time of full moon,
when the Sun and Moon are in oppofition, was preternatural. Befides
the darknefs in total eclipfes of the Sun never lafts above four minutes in
one place;, whereas the darknefs at the crucifixion lafted three hours,
(Matthew xxviii 45.) and overfpread at leaft all the land of Judea.

- But though the New Moon pafs between the Sun and the Earth, yet is
not there an eclipfe every Moon; becaufe the Moon's way is not pre-
cifely under the ecliptic, but is placed obliquely thereto, interfecling it
twice in every period. So that eclipfes can only be occafioned in' fuch
New Moons as happen in thefe interfe<Slions or nodes, or very near them. •
Xn the. nodes,, when, the Moon has no. viftble latitude, the occultation is-,
■w

ECLIFSEjS
total; and with fomc continuance, when thcdiikof the Moon in pcrigto
appears greater than that of the Sun in apogico, and its fhadow is cxtendc 1
beyond th? fur face of the Earth; and without continuance, at moderate
dUtances, when the cufp or point of the Moon's fhadow barely touches
the Earth. Laftly, out of the nodes, but near them, the eclrpfcs arc
partial. The iblar cclipfcs, though total, can never be univcrfal or
vifible throughout the whole hemifphere which the Sun is then above,
becaufe the Moon's dark fhadow coverts only a fpot on the Earth's fur-
face, about one hundred and eighty Englifh miles broad, when the Sun's
diftancc is greateft, and the Moon's leafl; and thus/ar Only can fhe to-
tal darknefs extend ; which explains the reafon why a fblar eclipfe docs
not appear the fame in all parts of the earth where it is feen^ but, when
in one place it is total, in another it is only partial. And farther, that
the Moon, when, in her apogee, appears much lefs than the Sun, as hap-
pens- mofl: fenfiblv when he is in perigaeo; the cufp of the lunar fhadow
not then reaching the Earth, fhe becomes in a central conjun&ion
with the Sun, yet not able to cover his difk, but- lets his whole limb
appear like a lucid ring or bracelet; this is hence called an annular cclipfe;
which does not happen at the fame time in all places where it is Teen ;
but appears more early to the weftern parts, and later to the caftern, as
will hereafter be further explained.

In moft folar eclipfes, the Moon's difk' is covered with a faint dawning
light;
O ' which is attributed to the refleflion of the light
O from the illumi-
nated part of the Earth. In total eclipfes of the Sun, the Moon's limb
is feen furrounded by a pale circle of light; which fome aftronomers take
for a manifeft indication of a lunar atmofphere; but which is probably
the atmofphere of the Sun; becaufe it has been obferved to move equally
with the Sun, and not with the Moon; and befides, the Moon is now
generally believed to .have no atmofphere. The foregoing obfervations:
will be further illuftrated by what follows.

TO PROJECT ECLIPSES OF the SUN".

The Sun, being a luminous body, vaflly larger than1 the Earth, will
enlighten fomewnat more than one half of it, and caufe it to pfojefl a
long conical fhadow, as reprefented in the annexed plate, fig. i. where S
is the Sun, E the Earth, and H B D its conical fhadow.

"The height or length of this fhadow, at the mean diflance of the Sun,
may be found by this proportion : As the tangent of the angle C B D, or
No. 49. 1r D the
 AN ILLUSTRATION

the femi-diameter .under which the Sun appears at the Earth, viz. A S-
=±=16': radius : : i : the length of the fhadow CB=2i4.8 femi-diame-
ters of the Earth: but, when the Sun is at its greateft diftqnce, the length
' of the fhadow'C B will be equal to 217 of thele femi-diameters. Hence- •.
it appears, that though-the height of the ihadow is "near three times as
great as the mean diftance of the Moon,, yet it falls far, fhort of the
diftance of Mars, and confequently can eclipfe none of the heavenly bo-
dies but the Moon.
• v
• To find the height of the" Moon's lha'dow, fuppofed to be fimilar.to
that of the Earth, and confequently proportional to the diameters of"
the b?.fi?, the proportion is, As the diameter of the Earth 100, is to the dia-
meter of the iv oon 28 ; fo is the mean altitude of the Earth's fhadow
214.8 to the altitude' of that of the Moon, 60.144 of the Earth's lemi-
diameters. The fhadow of the Moon, therefore, will juft reach the Earth '
in her mean diftance, which it cannot in her apogee ; but in her pe-
rigee if will involve a fmall part of the Earth's furface. _

Befides,the dark fhadow of the Moon, there is another, called the pe-
numbra; to reprefent which, let S, fig. 8. be the Sun, T the Earth, D the
Moon, KCF and ABE the two lines touching the oppofite limbs
of the Sun and Moon; then it is evident that .C FEB will be the dark
or abfolute fhadow of the Moon, in which a perfon on the Earth's fur-
face, between F and E, is wholly deprived of the Sun's light. Again, let
K B G and A C H be two other lines touching the fides of the Sun and
Moon alternately, and interfering each other at the point above the
Moon ; then will H C B G, a fruflrum of the cone G I H, be the pe-
numbra above mentioned, in which a fpedlator on the Earth's furface,
between :F and H, and E and G, will fee part of the Sun, whilft the
reft is eclipfed.

To calculate the angle of the cone. H I G, draw S B; then, in the ob-

lique triangle BIS, the external angle B I D is equal to both the inter-
nal and oppofite angles IBS and I S B; but I S B, the angle under which
the femi-diameter appears at the Sun;-being i'nfenfibly fmall, the angle
BID will be equal to I B S or K B S, equal to the apparent femi-dia-
meter of the Sun., Therefore the part of the penumbral cone C IB is
equal and fimilar to the dark fhadow of the Moon. ,

Next, ,to find how much of the Earth's furface can be at any time in- '
volved in the Moon's dark fhadow, or the quantity of the arch E F, fig. 2,.
 953
Jet us .fuppofe the Sun to be in apogee, and the Moon in perigee; and,
in this cal'e, the height of the Moon's fhadow will be about 61 femi-
diametcrs, and the diftance of the Moon about 56; that is, CK=6i,
DT=56, and T E=i. In this cafe alfo, the half angle of the fliadow
T K E= 15' 50 ', as,being leaft of all. Then the proportion is: As 1, or
the fide TE, to the fide of TK==5 ; fo is the fine of the fem i-angle TKE=»
15' 50", to the line of the angle TEK=i0 19' 10". Wherefore TEK.+
TKE = ATE=AE=i0 35; the double of which FE is 50 io'=r90'j
or 220 miles, the diameter of the dark fliadow on the furfacc of the
Earth when greateft.

After a like tnanner you may find the diameter of the penumbral
fliadow' at the Earth, G E F H, fig. 8, when grcatefl: of all,'that is, when
the Earth is in perihelio, and the Moon in apogee; for then will the
Sun's apparent diameter be equal to 16' 23"—TIG, the grcatefl: femi-
angle of the cone; and thence we fliall find 10 = 52^, femi-diameters of
the earth. In this cafe alfo, the diftance of the Moon from the Earth is
DT=64 femi-diameters. Therefore as T G= 1 to T 1= 1 22-1-, fo is the
fine of the an^le T IG= 16' 23" to the fine of the angle lGN = j50 42'.
But I G N = TI G+IT G, and therefore, I T G=I G N = T I 0=35^
25'; the double of which 700 5o'=GEFH=4900 Englifh miles nearly,-
for the diameter of the penumbral fliadow when greateft.

• From the principles of optics it is evident, that, if the plane of the

Moon's.orbit coincided with that of the Earth's orbit, there would ne-
cefiarily be an eclipfe of the Sun every new moon: thus, if S in fig. 7,
be fuppofed to reprefent the Sun, B the Moon, and T the Earth, lince
the apparent magnitude or dilk of the Sun is nearly the fame with that
of the Moon, it muft neceflarily be hid or eclipfed as often as the new
Moon came between the Earth and the Sun. But if, as is really the
cafe, the Moon's orbit be not in the plane of the ecliptic, but inclined
thereto under a certain angle, there may be a new Moon, and yet no
eclipfe of the Sun. To illuftrate this, let ABODE be a circle in
the plane of the ecliptic, defcribed at the diftance of the Moon's orbit
F G H, interfefling the fame in the points B and D, and making an
angle therewith A B F, whofe meafure is the arch G C, as being ninety
degrees diftant from the angular points or nodes B and'D. Now it is
evident, if the arch G C be fomewhat greater than the fum of the appa-
rent femi-diameters of. the Sun and Moon, then at G, and fome diftance
from G towards B, there may be a new Moon, and yet no eclipfe of the
Sun > becaufe, in this cafe, the dilk of the Moon G is too much elevated
 or deprefled above or below the apparent dHk or face of the Sun at C, td
touch.it/much lefs to hide Or eclipie any part thereof. But, at a certain
point M in the Moon's orbit, the Moon will have a latitude only equal
■to the fum of the femi-diameters of the Sun and Moon; and therefore,
when the Moon is new in that point; fhe will appear to a fpedlator in the
point Z, to touch the Sun only; from whence this point M is called the
ecliptic limit, inafmuch as it is impoffible there fhould happen a new
moon in any part between it and the node -B on each fide, without eclip-
fing the Sun lefs or more: thus, in "the .figure, may be feen a partial "
eclipfe at K, and a total one in the node itlelf-B, at which point only
total eclipfes can happen.

What has hitherto been faid regards the phenomena of an eclipfe of

the Sun, as they appear to a fpedlator on the Earth's furface, in whofe
zenith the Moon then is, and where there is no refradlion to alter the true
latitude of the Moon: but, when the Moon has any latitude, there the
procels of iCalculating the appearances of a folar eclipfe will be fomewhat
more complex, on, account of the variation of the Moon's latitude and
longitude for every different altitude, and confequently for every moment
of the eclipfe.

The'b'efl: way of reprefenting a folar eclipfe, is by a projedlion of the

earth's difk and of the fe6fion of the dark and penumbral fhadows as
they appear,- or'Would appear, to a fpedlator at the diftance of the Moon
in a right line joining the centres of the Sun and the Earth. In order to
this, We are to find the dimenfions of the apparent femi-diameters of the -
earth, dark'fhadow, and penumbra, at the diftance of the Moon. As to
the firft, viz. the Earth's femi-diameter, it is equal to the Moon's hori-
zontal parallax. That,of the dark fhadow is thus eflimated: Let C in
fig. 5, be the center of the Moon, D B its diameter, D H B its dark
fhadow, and K A L the penumbral cone. Then let E F be the dia-'
meter of the pendmbra at'the earth, and I G that of the dark fhadow,
and draw GG and CE; then is the angle C G'B=B H C+G C H,
and'fo GGH—BGC—BHC; that is, the apparent femi-diameter
- of the dark fhadow is equal to the difference between the apparent
femi-diameters of the Sun and Moon. And in like manner the angle
ECH = DEC+DAC; that is, the apparent femi-diameter of the
penumbra, at the Earth, is equal to the fum of the apparent femi-
diameters of the Moon, and Sun." Now the femi-diameter of the Sun
and Moon, and alfo the Moon's horizontal parallax, are already calcu- -
lated for their various diftances from the Earth; and for the leafi, mean? «
 955
and greatcft eccentricity of the lunar orbit, in the agronomical tables.
Thereforcj let AE, fig. 3, rcprcfent a fmall porfion of the annual orbit,
and EH the vifible path of the centre of the lujiar fhadows, which will
ejcadlly corrcfpond to tlie poiition of the Moo'n's orliit with refpeel to the
ecliptic, in the heavens; fo that the point of intcrfcftion Q will be the
node, and the angle H Q E the angle of inclination of the lunar orbit to
the plane of the ecliptic, which is about'50. Hence, -if repre-
fent the dilk of the Earth, according to the orthographic proje^ion, in
the feveral" places &,B,C,D, whole femidiarhcter is made equal to the
number of minutes in the Moon's horizontal parallax at the time of the
eclipfe; and. if, in the path of the lhadows in'the points &, R, N, G,
we defcribe a fmall circle whofe femidiameter is equal to the difference .
of the femidi'ametcrs of the Sun and Moon, that will be the circular fec-
tion of the Moon's dark fliadow at the dirtancc^of^the Earth : again, ^f a
circle is d'efe'ribed-on. the fame centre, with a •femidiameter equal to the
fum of the femidiameters of the Sun and Moon, -it will reprefent the pc-
numbral lhadow exprelfed by the dotted area." Here then it is evident,
that if the Moon, when new, be at the diftance ftG from the node, the
penumbral lhadow will not fall near the Earth's dilk, and fo there cannot
polfibly happen an eclipfe. Again, if the Moon's diftance from the node
be equal to a N, the penumbral Ihndow will juft touch the dilk, and
confequently 0,0 is the ecliptic limit, which may be found'Vy the fol-.
lowing analogy, viz. As the line of the angle N & C=50 30 ('the'angle
of inclination of the lunar orbit .to the plane of the ecliptic) i^to the ra-
dius^go0, lb is the logarithm of the .fide NC—.TC+NTr=^2' iC''
+ 16' 5V' + 16' 23"=95' 25" to the logarithm of the^-'lidc 0 C, equal to
the ecliptic limit, which is found to be 160 36', beyond which diftance
from the node 0 there can be no eclipfe ; and within that Jiftance*, if the
Moon be new, the lhadow will fall on lome part of the Earth's dilk, as
at B; where'all thofe places over which the lhadows pafs will fee the
Sun eclipfed, in part only, by the dotted penumbral lhadow; but the Sun
willjbe centrally- eclipfed-in all places over which the centre of the lha-
dows pals ;.and, if the Moon be new in the node, then will the centre of
the lhadows pafs over the centre of the dilkj as reprefented at 0• In this,
afe, if the apparent diameter of the Moon be greater than that of the
jSun, tl^e face of the Sun will be wholly eclipfed to all places over which the
centre of the lhadow palfes; but, if not, the Sun will only be centrally
eclipfed, his circumference appearing in the form of a bright annulus,
or luminous ring, the width whereof will be equal to the difference of the
diameters of the luminaries. The dilk of the Earth, here proje<£led, re-
prefents the cafe of an eclipfe on an equinoctial day; AK being the eclip-
95^
tic, 'JE Q the' 'equator, X Y the axis of "the ecliptic, t^S the axis of the
equator^ J? and Sttheinorth'and fouth poles, &c.'' By this proje&ion the
pafiage of fhaddws oVer th'e Earth's "dilk may be exhibited for any .place
J
of. the, Sun, of declination of the Mooir. * • '
* J x * j >• ^ ^ t
To find' the 'digit^edipfed,_ add the apparent femidlafneters of the
lumhtaries. into .one fu'm;; from which fubtraft the Moon's apparent la-
titude; the remainder'.are the*.ibruples, or parts of the diameter, eclipfed.
Then" fay j-. As the femidiameter of the Sun'is to fhefcruples hclipfed,1 fo
are ,6 digits'redueed*ihto fcruples, (or'360 fcruples,) to the digits e'clipfed;
t y' I ' - r■ • " f \, ' * . *r V * * '
' 0'To determine the duration f6f a folar eclipfe, find the horary' motion of
the Modn'from the Sun fqr.rme hour before the conjundfion and another
hdur after ;: then fay, .As the former horary motion is to the fecorfds in ah
hour,-fo are the'fcruples .half-duration to the time of immerfioifand,
as the latter.horary motion is'to the 'fame fecdnds,' fo are the fame fcru-
ples of half-duration to the'.time of immerfion. Laftly', adding the time
vof immerfidn to that .emerfion,' the ag;gre2;ate is the total duratibn.
j / •»^ » » -.i OO O 1
As different, authors follow very different hypbthefe's, 'with regard to
Ittife apparent diameters of the luminaries, and the greateft parallax- of la-
Ititude, they''differ much in afligning the bounds at which fblar eclipfes
happeh. Ptolomy .makes the utmofl bounds of eclipfes at^i^0 '25' diflancfc
'from the node; Copernicus, at 190 12'; Tycho, at'18° 25'; "Kepler, at
i'7oSi6'; Ricciolus, at 180 49'. Though Ptolomy in other places judges
y60'42' diflance from the node neceffary; Copernicus, i60 25'; Tycho,
iy0 9'; Kepler, 15° .55'; "and Ricciolus, 150 58'. AftronomerS have ge«
nerally afligried 170 as the limit of folar eclipfes but this admits of fome
variation:' for, in apogeal eclipfes, the folar limit is hut 16^ degrees, and
. in perigeal'eclipfes it is 18^.

The Moon's apparent diameter when largeft, exceeds the Sun's when
leaft., only one minute and 'thirty-eight feebnds of a degree ; and in the
'greateft folar'eclipfe that can happen at any time and place, the total
'darknefs can continue no longer than whilft the Moon is moving through
i' 38" from the Sun in her orbit, which is 'about three minutes thirteen
feconds'bf an hour; for the m'otibn of the fhadow on the Earth's dilk is
equal'to the Moon's .motion from the Sun, which, on account of the
EarthVrevolution on its axis towards the fame way, or eaftward, is about
3o-£ minutes of a degree every hour, at a mean rate ; but fo much of the
Moon's brbit is equal to 30-° of a great circle on the Earth, becaufe the
•J ' cirbumference
 957
circumfeiiiuec of the Moon's orbit is 60 times th to the Earth ;• and
■therefore the Moon's fhadow goes 30-2- degrees, or 1830 geographic 1
miles, in-an hour, or'307 miles in a minute.

To find the Moon's apparent latitude at the beginning and end of an

ecliplb, it requires only to fubtradl, from the argument of the Moon's
latitude computed for the timo of the apparent conjun&ion, the i'crupl
of half-duration, together with the motion of the Sun anfwering to the
time of incident; the remainder is the argument of latitude t the be-
ginning of the eclipfe. To the fame fum add the fame fcruples, together
with-the'Sun's motion tmfwering to the time of emergence; the aggre-
gate- is the argument of latitude-at the end of the eclipie. The argument
of the latitude given, the Moon's tine latitude is fotind after the common
manneT. v

- To calculate cclipfes-of the-Sun, the following data are rcquifite : 1.

Find-the-mean new-Moon,'-and thence the-trufe one ; together with the
1 place of the'luminaries-for'the apparent-time of the true one. 2. For-the
apparent time of the true new Moon, compute the latitude feen. -3. For
the apparent time of the new Moon feen, compute the latitude feen. 4.
Thence determine the digits^eclipfed. - 5. Find the times of the greateft
darknefs, immerfion, and emerfion. ' 6. Thence determine the beginning
and ending of the eclipfe. From-the preceding problems it is evident,
that all -the trouble and fatigite of the'calculus arife -from the parallaxes
of longitude and latitude; without'which the calculation of folar-eclipfer
"would be the lame with that of lunar ones! But eclipfes, both of the
Sun and Mo'oO, might be calculated with-much more eald a'ncrexpedition
by the help'of a book of Tables,--pubiilhed -for that purpofie-by Mr.iFer-
gufon, to which Tbeg leave to'refer- the reader, to fave him the-trouble
1
of fuch calculations. ' • -

To, PROJECT ECLIPSES of the MOON.

. siiJ - t
Tnefe being occafioned by the immerfion of the Moon into the Earth's
lhadow, all that we have to do, in order to delineate a lunar'eclipfe, is
to calculate the apparent femidiametcr of the Earth's,lhado.\vat the Moon.
Thus, let AB, fig. -6, reprefent the Earth, T its centre, AEB its .conical
lhadow, D C the diameter of a le£tion thereof at the Moon; draw-
ing DT,'we have the outward angle A DT^DTE+DET"; fo that
DTE=A.DT—DET; that is, fthe angle DTE, under which the
femidiametcr of the Earth's lhadow" appears" at the diftance of the
Moon,
 AN ILLUSTRATION
l
Moon, is equal to the'difference, he'tv/een the Moon's,hqrizontal parallax,
ADT.and. the'femidiametei: of the Sun< DET. If, therefore, AEr
fig. 4, reprefent the path of the Earth's'fhadow at, the diflance of the
Moon near the node ?5, and FH-a part of the lunar orbit, and the fec-
tion of-the. Earthls-fhadow :be_ delineated, at t3, B, C, D ; and the full-
-Moon. at?3iI,N,G; then.it, is ey/ident-!there can.be no eclipfe, of the
Moon .where, the leaft diflance of. the' centres of the Moon and fhadow
exceeds the fum of their fenudiameters,(aS at D. But, where this dif-
tance is lefsj the Moon muff be eclipfed either in part or wholly, as at B
and. j in which latter cafe the Moon .paffes over the diameter of the
fhadow.•!. But in a certain pofition of the fhadow, asat.C, the leaft.dif-
jtance of the .centres, N G, .is equal to, the fufn qf-the femidiameters;,and.
confequently, £5 Glis.the ecliptic limit for,lunar eclipfes : to find which,,
we have this analogy, As the fine of the angle N t3 C=50 (thef.inclina-
tion of the Moon's orbit to the plane of the ecliptic) is to the radius, fo is.
the logarithm of the fide N.C=63' r 2" to the logarithm of the fide' £} C=i 20
5'= the ecliptic limit. Hence, if the Moon, be at a'lefs diflance, from,
the node 8.than 12°. 5','there will, be an. eclipfe ; otherwife .none^.can
happen.. - ? .

If the. Earth had no atmofphere, .the fhadow would be abfolutely.dark,

and; the Moon involved in it quite inyifible ; but, by means of the atmof-
phere, ma'ny'of the folar rays are refrafted into and mixed with the fhadow,
whereby the Moon, is rendered vifible in the'midfl of it, and of a dufky
red colour.

For calculating eclipfes of the Moon, the following data are neceffary:
i.'dHer true diflance. from ,the node,at fthe rne.an.conjundlion. 2.- The
true-time; of the oppofitidnji together.yyith the true, place of the Sun and
Moon,' reduced to the ecliptic. 3. The Moon's true latitude'at the,-time
of the true conjundtion, and the diflance of the luminaries from the Earth :
alfo their horizontal parallaxes, and'apparent femidiameters. 4. The
true horary'motions-of the Mooii and Sun, and the apparent femidiameter
pf the Earth's fhadow. With thefe data it is eafy to find the duration,
beginning,Middle,1 and quantity; of eclipfes. 1
i 17 id . f 1' r< 3 r I 1' i > ('
• •' ^The-number of^eclipfesj Jo'f both'luminaries,- in-any year, cannot be
le'fs'fhcfn two fior more than feveh ; the moft ufual- number is four, and
if is'rare'to'Have more thanTixl "'The reafon is- obvious; becaufe the
^un'paffe by both the -nodes -but oiice a-yeaf, unlefs he: paffes by one of
'-thehi^fiti'"the.beginning of the-'yeaf; in which cafe rhe will pafs by the
-u* ' j *; l f. 1 1 ji ■: fame
 95?-
«imc ngnin a little before the year he finifhed; becaufer the nodes move
backA 'ards 19 J dcg. every year, and therefore the Sun will come to either
of them 173 days after the other. And, if either node is within 170 ot
the Sun at the'time of the new Moon, the Sun will be cclipfcd; and at
the lubfequent oppofition, the Moon will be cclipfcd in the other node,
and come round t6 the next conjun&ion before the former node is 17° be-
'ond the Sun, and eclipfc him again. When three eclipfes happen about
cither node, the like number generally happen about the oppofitc; as the
Sun.comes to it 173 days afterwards, and fix lunations contain only four
days more. Thus'there may be two eclipfes of the Sun, and one •f the
Moon, about each of the nodes. But, if the Moon changes in either of
the nodes, fhe cannot be near enough the other node'at the next full to be
•eclipfecl; and in fix lunar months afterwards fhe will change near the-
other node ^ in which cafe there can lie only two eclipfes in. a year, both
of the Sun\ •
" i
'In two hundred and twenty-three mean lunations after the Sun,
Moon, and nodes, have been once in a line of conjundiion, they return
lb nearly to the fame ftate again, as that the fame node, which was in
conjundHon with the Sun and Moon at the beginning of the firfl of thele
lunations, will be within twenty-eight minutes twelve feconds of a degree
of a line of coujimeHon with the Sun and Moon again, when-, the laft of
thefe lunations is completed. And'therefore, in that time, there will
be a regular fuccefhon or return of the fame eclipfes for many ages.—.
In this period (which was fi'rft difcovered by the Chaldeans) there are
eighteen Julian years, eleven days, feven hours, forty-three minutes,
twcnty-fecoiids, when the laft day of February, in leap-years is four times
included ; but, when it is five times included, the-period-confifts of only
eighteen years, ten days, feven hours, fortyithree minutes, twenty feconds.
Confequently, if to the mean time of an eclipfe, either of the Sun or Moon,
you add-eighteen Julian years, eleven clays, feven hours-, forty-three mi^
nutes, twenty- feconds, when the laft day of February in leap-years comes
in four times, or a day lefs when it comes in five times, you will havb
the mean time of the return of the fame eclipfc.

But- the falling back of the line of conjun&ions or oppofitions of the

Sun-and-Moon twenty-eight minutes-twelve feconds-with refpedl to the
line- of the nodes in every period, will wear it out in proccfs of time;
and1 after that it'will not return again in lefs than twelve thoufand four
hundred and ninety-two years. Thefe eclipfes of the Sun which hhppen
aho t the afccnding node, and begin to come in at the north pole of the
 Earth, will go a little foutherly'at each return, till they go quite off the
■ Earth at the fouth pole; and thofe which happen about the defcending.
node, and begin to come in at the fouth pole of the Earth, will go a lit-
tle northerly at each return, till at laft they.quite leave the Earth at the
north pole.

To exemplify this matter, it may not here be amifs to examine fome

of the moft, remarkable circumftances of the return of an eclipfe men-
■tioned in Mr. Smith's ingenious Diflertation, which happened July 14,
1748, about noon. This eclipfe, after traverfing the voids'of .fpace from
the creation, at laft began to enter the Terra Auflralis Incognita about
eighty-eight years after the Conqueft, which was the laft of King: Ste>-
phen's reign ; every Chaldean period, namely, 18 years rr days'7 hourS'
43 minutes 20 feconds, as above-mentioned, it has conftantly crept more
northerly, but was ftill invifible in Britain before the year 1622, when
on the 30th of April it began to touch the fouth parts of England about
two in the afternoon ; its central appearance rifing in the American South
Seas, and traverfing Peru and the Amazons country, through the Atlantic
ocean into Africa, and fetting in the Ethiopian continent, not far from
the beginning of the Red Sea.

Its next vifible period was after three Chaldean revolutions, in 1676,
on the firft of June, rifing central in the Atlantic ocean, pafling us about
nine in the morning, with four digits eclipfed on the under limb; and
fetting in the gulph of Cochin China in the Eaft Indies.

It being now near the folftice, this eclipfe was vifible the very next
return in 1694, in the evening; and in two periods more, which was in
1730, on the 4th of July, was feen above half eclipfed juft after fun-rife,
and obferved both at Wirtemberg in Germany and Pekin in China, foon
after which it went off*. Eighteen years more afforded us this eclipfe
again, which happened the 14th of July, 1748. The next vifible return
happened on the 25th of July, 1762, in the evening, about four digits
eclipfed; and, after two periods more, it was vifible again, on the 16th
of-Auguft, 1802, early in the morning, about five digits, the centre com-
ing from the north frozen continent, by the capes of Norway, through
Tartary, China, and Japan, to the Ladrone Iflands, where it went off.

'Again, in 1820, Auguft 26, betwixt one and two, there will be ano-
ther return of this eclipfe at London about 10 digits; but happening fo
near the equinox, the centre will leave every part of Britain to the weft,
 OF ASTR.OLOGY.

<mtcr Germany at Embden, pafling by Venice, Naples, and Grand Cairo,

and fet in the gulph of BafToi a near that city. It will be no more vifible
till 1874, when five digits will be obfcured (the centre being now about
to leave the Earth) on September 28. In 1892 the Sun will go down
cclipled at London, and again in 1928 the padagc of the centre will be in
the expanfum, though there will be two digits eclipfed at London, Oflober
the 31ft of that year; and about the year 2090 the whole penumbra will
be worn off; whence no more returns of this eclipfe can happen till after
a revolution of ten thoufand years.

From thefc remarks on the entire revolution of this eclipfe, we may

gather, that a thoufand years, more or lefs, (for there are fbme irregulari-
ties that may protra£l: or lengthen this period 100 years,) complete the
whole terreflrial phenomena of any fingle eclipfe: and fince 20 periods of
54 years each, and about 33 days, comprehend the entire extent of their
revolution, it is evident that the times of the returns will pafs through a
circuit of one year and ten months, every Chaldean period.Jbeing ten or
eleven days later, and of the equable appearances about 32 or 33 days.
Thus, though this eclipfe happens about the middle of July, no other
fubfequent eclipfe of this period will return to the middle of the fame
month again ; but'wear conftantly each period ten or eleven days for-
ward, and at laft appear in winter; but then it begins to ceafe from af-
fecling us.

Another conclufion from this revolution may be drawn, that there will
feldom be any more than two great eclipfes. of the Sun in the interval of
this period, and thefe follow fometimes next return, and often at greater
diftances. That of 1715 returned again in 1733 very great; but this
prefent eclipfe will not be great till the arrival of 1820, which is a re-
volution of four Chaldean periods : fo that the regulations of their cir-
cuits muft undergo new computations to aflign them exaflly.

Nor do all eclipfes come in at the fouth pole: that depends altogether
on the pofition of the lunar nodes, which will bring in as many from the
expanfum one way as the other : and fuch.eclipfes will wear more foutherly
by degrees, contrary to what happens in the prefent cafe.

The eclipfe, for example, of 1736, in September, had its centre in the
expanfum, and' fet about the middle of its oblcurity in Britain ; it will wear
in at the north pole, and in the year 2600, or thereabouts, go off in the
expanfum on the fouth fide of the Earth.
 •TThe eclipfes therefore which happened about- the creation, are UttFe
more than half-way yet of their ethereal circuit; and- will be 4000 years
.before they'enter the Earth any more. , This grand revolnUQU feems to.
have been entirely'unknown to the ancients.

It is- particularly to- be noted, that eclipfes which have happened many
centuries ago will not. be .found by our prefent Tables, to agree".ex-
a£l:lyj with; ancient obferyat-ions, by feafon of the great anomalies in the.
lunar motion's; which'appears an inconteftible demonflration of the.
non-eternity of the univerfe. For it feems confirmed by undeniable
proofs, that the Moon now;finUhes her period in lefs time than formerly,
.and will, continue by the centripetal law to approach nearer and nearer
the.Earth, and/to go fooner and fooner round it: nor will the centrifugal
ppwev be fufficient to compenfate the different gravitations of fuch- an af-
iemblage of bodies, as conftitute the folar fyftem, which would come to
ruih.of.itfelf, without fome new regulation and. adjuffment of their origi-
nal, motion.^ . We are credibly informed, from the teftimony of the
ancients, thai there was a total eclipfe of the Sun prcdidled by Thales to
happen, in the fourth year of the 48th Olympiad,"f either at Sardis or Mi-

* There are(two ancient; eclipfes, of the Moon, recorded by, ftolomy.from, FJipparehus, which
.afford an undeniable proof 0/ the,Moon's acceleration. The ffrft of thefe was obferved at Babylon,.
December the sad," in the. year before Chrift 383: when the Moon began to breclipfed about half
an hour before the Sun rofe, and,the eclipfe was not over before the Moon fet! but, by- moft of our.
Aftronomical Tables, the Moon was fet at Babylon half an hour before the eclipfe beoan} in tvhich-
•cafe, there could have been no pofiibility of obferving-it. The feeond eclipfe was obferved at Alex-
andria, .September the-zed, in.the year before. Chrift jq-i j where, the Mq-irt fofe fo. much eclipfed^
that the eclipfe muft have begun about half an hour before fbe rofe; whereas, by. rnoft,of our Ta-
..bles, the beginning of this eclipfe was not till about ten minutes after the Moon rofe at Alex®
andria. Had thefe eclipfes begun and ended while the Sun.was below the harigon, we might.have;
imagined, that as the ancients had no; certain, way, of meafurjng time, they might have fo far'
miftaken the hours, that we could not have laid.any ftrefs on the accounts given by them. But,,
as )n the ftrft eclipfe the Moon was fet, and confequently the Sun rifsn, before it was over) and-
in the fecond eclipfe the Sun was fet and the Moon not rifen till feme time-after it began! thefe
are fuch circuroftances as the obfervers could not paffibly be miftakon in. Mr. htruyk, in,
his catalogue, natwithftanding the exprefs words of PtQlomy, puts down thefe two eclipfes
as obferved at Athens 1 where they might have been feen as above^ without any acceleration of
the Moon's motion: Athens being twenty-degrees weft of-Babylon, a'hd.feven degrees, we ft of
Alexandria.
t Each Olympiad began at the time of. full Moon next after the fummer felftice, and lafted.
Tour years, which were of unequal lengths, becaufe the time of fell Moon differs eleven days,
every year : fo that they might femeftmes'begin on. the next-day after the felftice, and at other
times not till four weeks after it. The firft Olympiad began in the year of the Julian period 3938,
which was 776 years before the. feft year of. Chrift, or 775 before the year of his birth! arid xhg
- laft Olympiad, which was the 293d, began-A- D- 393. At the expiration of each Olympiad, the
Olympic Games.were celebrated .in the Elean fields, near the river Alplleus in the Beloponncfea.
(now Morea), in- honour of Jupiter O'-ympus. See btrauchius's.Breviarium Chronofegium, p..
-447-351. - '
 OF ASTROLOGY.

Ictus in Afia, where Thalcs then refided. That year correfponds to the
585th year before Chrift ; vhen accordingly there happened a very fignul
cclipfe of the Sun, on the 28th of May, anfwering to the prefeht ictn of
that month,* central through North America, the fouth parts of France,
Italy, &c. as far as Athens, or the Ifles in the ^igean Sea; which i the
fartheft that even the Caroline Tables carry it; and confequently ma 'c
it inviftble to any part of Afia, in the total charadler ; though I have good
reafons to believe that it extended to Babylon, and went down central
over that city. We are not however to imagine, that it was fct before it
pafled Sardis and the Afiatic towns, where the predidtor lived ; becaufe
an invifible eclipfe could have been of nofervice to demonftrate his ability
in aftronomical fciences to his countrymen, as it could give no proof of
its reality.

For a farther illuftration, Thucydides relates, that a folar eclipfe hap-

pened on a fummer's day in the afternoon, in the firft year of the Pelo-
ponnefian war, fo great that the flars appeared. Rhodius was vidtor in
the Olympic games the fourth year of the faid war, being alfo thd fourth
of the 87th Olympiad, on the 428th year before Chrifl:. So that the
eclipfe muft have happened in the 431ft year before Chrift; and by com-
putation it appears, that on the 3d of Auguft there was a fignal eclipfe
which would have pafled over Athens central about fix in the evening,
but which our prefent Tables being no farther than the ancient Syrtes on
the African coaft, above 400 miles from Athens; which, fuffering in that
cafe but 9 digits, could by no means exhibit the.remarkable darknefs re-
cited by this hiftorian ; the centre therefore feems to have pafled Athens
abput fix in the evening, and probably might go down about Jerufalem,
or near it, contrary to the cbnftrudtion of the prefent Tables. 1 have
only mentioned thefe things by way of caution to the prefent aftronomers,
m re-computing ancient eclipfes; and refer them to examine the eclipfe

* The reader may probably find it difficult to underfiand why Mr. Smith fhould reckon this
rc'ipfe to have been in the 4th year of the 48th Olympiad, as it was onlv in the end of the third
year: and alfo why the 28th of May. in the 585th year before Chrift, fhould anfwer to the prefent
10th of that month. But we hope tne following explanation will remove thefe difficulties. The
month of May (when the Sun was eclipfed) in the 585th year before the firft year of Chrift, which
was a leap-year, fell in the latter end of the third year of the 48ih Olympaid; and the fourth year
of that Olympiad began at the fummer folftice following; but perhaps Mr. Smith begins the
years of the Olympiad from January, in order to make them correlpond more readily with Julian
years i and fo reckons the month of May, when the eclipfe happened, to be in the fourth year
of that Olympiad. The place or longitude of the Sun at that time was 8 zo degrees 43 minutes
ty fecOnds, to which fameplacc the Sun returned (after 2300 years, viz.) A. D. 1716, on May 9d 5b
6m after noon: fo tliat, with refpcdl to the Sun s place, the 9th of May, 1716, anfwers to the 28th
of May in the 585th year before the firft year of Chrift; that is, the Sun had the fame longitude On
thofe days.'
of Nicias, fo fatal to the Athenian fleet; that which overthrew the Mace-
donian army, &c.

A longer period than the above-mentioned, for comparing and examin-

ing eclipfes which happened at long intervals of time, is 557 years 21
days 18 hours 30 minutes, n feconds, in which time there are 6890 mean
lunations; and the Sun and node meet again fo nearly as to be but 11
feconds diftant; but then it is not the fame eclipfe that returns, as in the
fhorter period above mentioned.

The following are the chief, of the vifible Eclipfes, which will happen
from this time to the year 1808.

Eclipfe of the Moon, Nov. 2, 1789, at 12 at night. Partial.

Eclipfe of the Moon, April 28, 1790, at 12 at night. Total.
Eclipfe of the Sun, , April 3, 1791, at 1 in the afternoon Partial.
Eclipfe of the Moon, Odh "12, 1791, at 3 in the morning. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Sun, Sept. 16, 1792, at 11 in the morning. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Moon, Feb. 25, 1793, at 10 at night. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Sun, Sept. 5, 1793, at 3 in the afternoon. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Sun, Jan. 31, 1794, at- 4 in the afternoon. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Moon, Feb. 14, 1794, at 11 at night. Total.
Eclipfe of the Moon, Feb. 4, 1795, at 1 in the morning. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Sun, July 16, 1795, at 9 in the morning. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Sun, June 25,. 1797, at 8 in the evening. Partial.
Eclipfe. of the Moon, Dec. 4, 1797, at 6 in the morning. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Moon, May 27, 1798, at 7 at night. Total.
Eclipfe,of the Moon, Odh 2, 1800, at 11 at night. Partial.
Eclipfe of the Moon, Nov. 15, 1807, at 7 in the morning Partial.
Eclipfe of the Sun, Nov. 29, 1807, at 31 m. afternoon. Partial.
Eclipfe ot the Moon, Nov. 3, 1808, at 7 in the morning.' Total.

In Aftronomy, eclipfes of the Moon are of great ufe for afcertaining

the periods of her motions, efpecially fuch eclipfes'as are obferved to be
alike in all circumftances, and have long intervals of time between them.
In Geography, the longitudes of places are found by eclipfes, as already
Ihewn; but for this purpofe eclipfes of the' Moon are more uleful than
thofe of the Sun, becaufe they are more frequently vifible, and the fame
lunar eclipfe is of equal largenefs and duration at all places where it is feen.
In Chronology, both folar and lunar eclipfes ferve to determine exadlly
'the time of any pafl event: for there are fo. many particulars obfervable
in
 OF ASTROLOGY.

in every eclipfe with rcfpedt to its quantity, the places where it is vifiblc
(if of the Sun), and the time of the day or night; that it is impofiiblc
there can be two folar cclipfcs in the courfc of many ages which arc alike
in all circumfhtnces.

OT the FIGURE and MOTION of the EARTH, the CHANGE of

SEASONS, the CAUSE of EARTHQUAKES, See.

The Earth, among Aflronomers, is confidered as one of the primary

planets; and its figure was accounted by fome of the ancients to be like
that of an oblong cylinder ; by others, of the form of a drum, and by
others to be flat. But the moderns have demonflxatcd it to be nearly
ipherical, or rather an oblate fpheroid, flatted towards the poles.

Before we enter more minutely into thefe fpeculations, it will be pro-

per to defcribe the various circles of the globe, and to explain its feveral
divifions and boundaries, as well imaginary as real, in order to give all
my readers a perfe6t idea of the fubjeft before them. Fcr this purpofe I
have fubjoined a plate of the Armillary Sphere, which is an artificial con-
trivance, reprefenting the feveral circles proper to the theory of the
mundane world, put together in their natural order, to eafe and aflifl
the imagination in conceiving the conftitution of the fphercs, and the va-
rious phenomena of the celeftial bodies. For. this purpofe the Earth is
placed in the centre, pierced by a line fuppofed to be its axis, the
upper point of which is fixed in the arftic, or north pole, and the lower
extremity in the antar&ic, or fouth pole; whence the two fmall circles
defcribed near thefe points are called the ar£Uc and antarttic circles.
The outer circle, in which the axis or poles of the world are fixed,
reprefents the meridian, or fuppofed line over any given place, to which
when the Sun comes, it is then mid-day, or noon. The broad circle,
which croffes the whole, and divides the fphere into two equal parts, is
called the horizon; becaufe it divides the heavens and the earth into two
equal parts or hemifpheres, called the upper and the lower, the one light
and the other dark. It likewife determines the rifing and fetting of the
® O
Sun, Moon, or flars, in any particular latitude; for, when any of thefe
appear juft at the eaflern part of the horizon, we fay, it rifes; and, when
it does lb at the weftern part, we fay, it fets. From hence alfo the lati-
tude of the Sun and ftars is reckoned, which is their height above the
horizon. The poles of the horizon are the zenith and the nadir, or the
points immediately over our heads and under our feet, diametrically
oppofitc to each other, in the upper and lower hemifpheres. The inner
 A.N ILLUSTRATION

wide circle reprefents the zodiac, the middle line of which is the ecliptic,
or Sun's way in the zodiac, from which he never departs. It is not fo
with the Moon and the planets; for, though their conftant way is in this
circle of the zodiac, yet they continually deviate- from its centre, or
• ecliptic line, from north to fouth, and from fouth to north; which
Jeviations are called their latitudes, and their extent each way deter-
mines the width of the zodiac. The two circles within the zodiac,
which interfedi each other at right angles, conftitute the equihoftial co-
lure, and the equator, or equinoftial line. The points where thefe cir-
cles inteffeft each other, divide the quarters in the year. That which
palfes' through the two equinoxial points, determines the equinoxes;
and that which pafles through the poles of the ecliptic, determines the ,
folftices. When the Sun us in the firft of them, viz. in the fpring, March
'20th, it is called the vernal equinox;' and when in autumn, September
23d, it is- called the autumnal equinox ; at both which times, it is equal
day and night all •over the world. So likewife, when the Sun is in the other,
and at his greateft afcent above the equator, and feems to defcribe the
tropic of Cancer, it is called the fummer folftice, and makes the longeft
day ; and on the contrary, when he is at the greateft defce'nt belo\^ the
equator, and feems to defcribe the tropic of Capricorn, it is called the
winter folftice, or fhorteft day. Thefe tropics are two circles defcribed
one immediately under and next adjoining to the arfHc circle; and the,
other, that next above the antarftic circle. They are diftant from the
eqkinoftial twenty-three degrees twenty-nine minutes. That on the
north fide of the line is called the tropic of Cancer, and the fouthern
tropic has the name" of Capricorn, as pafling through the beginning of
each of thofe figns.

It muft here likewife be noted, that the Equator, or EquinodHal Line,-

pafles through the eaft and' weft points of the horizon, and at the meri-
dian is raifed as much above the horizon as is the complement of the
latitude of the place. From this circle, the latitude of places, whether
north or fouth, begin to be reckoned in degrees of the meridian; but
the longitude of places are reckoned in degrees of the equator itfelf. Ail
people living on or under this circle, which is called by geographers and
navigators the Line, have their days and nights cohftantly equal: and
this is the reafon why, when the Sun .enters two points where the
ecliptic interfe&s the equinodtial, and is exaftly upon this line, namely,
in the fpring and autumn, as above-mentioned, that the days and nights .
become of equal duration all over the globe. All the ftars diretftly under
this circle have no declination, but always rife due eaft, and fet full weft.
The hour circles are drawn at right angles tp it, pafling through every
 OF ASTROLOGY.

fifteenth degree; and the parallels to it'arc called parallels of declination.

Having prcmilcd lb much by way of explaining the fphcre, I lhall now
proceed with the fubjefl immediately before us.

That the Earth is a fpheiical body, may be demonftrated from the

following among other confiderations. i. All the appearances of the
heavens, both at land and at fea, are the fame as they would beif the Earth
were a globe. 2. In eclipfes of the Moon which arc caufed by the Iha-
dow of the Earth falling upon the Moon, this lhadow is always circular,
and a body can be no other than a globle, which in all fituations cafts a
circular fhadow. 3. Several navigators have failed quite round the globe,
fleering their courfe dire6lly fouth and wefl, till they came to the Ma-
gellanic Sea, and from thence to the north and wefl, till they returned
to their port from the eafl; and all the phenomena which fhould natu-
rally arife from the Earth's rotundity happened to them. Befides, their
method of failing was alfo founded upon this hypothefis, which could
never have fucceeded fo happily, if the Earth had been of any other figure.
It is true, the furface of the Earth is not an exa<5l geometrical globe, but
then the inequalities are fo inconfiderable, that the higheft mountain
bears no greater proportion to the bulk of the Earth than a grain of duft
does to a common globe. The figure of the Earth then was reckoned by
« mathematicians and geographers as perfedlly fpherical, excepting the fmall
inequalities in its furface, of mountains and valleys, till an accident en-
gaged the attention of Sir Ifaac Newton, and Mr. Huygens, who de-
monflrated, from the laws of hydroflatics, and the revolution of the Earth
about its axis, that its figure -was not a true fphere,. but an oblate fphe-
roid flatted towards the poles. Monfieur Richer, >vhen at the ifland of
Cayenne, about five degrees diflant from the equator, found that his clock,
which at Paris kept true time, now lofl two minutes and twenty-eight
feconds every day. Now, though heat will lengthen pendulums, and
confequently retard their motion, it is certain the heats of Cayenne were
not fufficient to folve this phaenomenon, which can flow only from a di-
minution in the prcflure of gravity. For, as the Earth revolves about
its axis, all its parts will endeavour to recede from the axis of motion, and
thereby the equatoreal parts where the motion is quickeft will tend I els
towards the centre than the reft:; their endeavour to fly off from the axis
about which they revolve taking off part of their tendency that way ;
fo that thofe parts will become lighter than fuch as are nearer the poles.
The polar parts, therefoie will prefs in towards" the centre, and raile
the equatoreal parts, till the quantity of matter in the latter is fo far in-
creafed as to compenfate for its lightnefs, and an equilibrium be reftored.
On which account, the form which the Earth affumes will be that of an
No. 50. 11 H oblate
 AN ILLUS-TRATION
, _ /
oblate fpheroid, whofe (hofter axis' paflfes 'through' the poles. By virtue
only of the rotation of the Earth about its axis, the weight of bodies at
the equator is lefs than at the poles, in the proportion of 288 to 280.
From hence arifes, as before obfcrved, a fpheroidical form of the Earth,
and from" that fplieroidical form arifes another diminution of gravity'at
the equator, by which, if the Earth were homogeneous throughout, bo-
dies at the equator would lofe one pound-in 1121, and-fo, on both ac-
counts taken together,, the gravity of bodies at the poles would be-to the
fame at the equator .as. 230 to 229. From whence, if we fuppofe the
gravity of bodies within the Earth to be diredlly as their diftance from
the centre, thofe numbers will alfo exprefs the relation between its polar
and equatoreal diameter. This is upon a fuppbfition.that the Earth was
at firft fluid, or a .chaos, having its folid and fluid.parts confufedly mixed
together; but,if we fuppofe.it at fi'rft partly fluid and .partly dry, as it
now is, fince we find that the land is very nearly of the fame figure with
the fea, except raifed a little to prevent its being overflowed, the Earth
muft ftill be of the fame form ; for otherwife the major part of the water
would flow towards the equator*, and fpread itfelf like an inundation over
all the land in thofe parts. This theory met with great oppofition from
Monfieur Caflini, who, having meafured the meridian of France, declared
(with great reafon likewife, if the obfervations had been correCl) that the
Earth, inftead of being flattened, was lengthened towards the poles, that
is, inftead of being an oblate it was an oblong fpheriod, higher at the
poles by'about ninety-five miles. So wide a difference, between philo-
fophers of fo high rank, determined at length the King of France, at an
expence becoming a monarch, to employ ,two companies of mathemati-
eians, the one to meafure the length of a.degree of the meridian at the
equator, and the other the length of a degree at the polar.circle, that by
comparing them together, and with the length of the degree of France, it
might be known whether the Earth were oblong, or flat.towards the poles.

It is certain, if the lengths of,the degrees of latitude decreafe as we

go from the equator towards the poles, then the axis is greater, and the
figure an oblong fpheriod; but on the contrary, if thefe lengths increafe
as you remove towards the poles, the axis is lefs than a diameter at the
equator, and confequently the figure an oblate fpheriod. This laft ap^
pears, as well.by the• theory ,of Sir Ifaac Newton, to be the true figure,
as it does by the refpe&ive menfurations of thefe mathematicians, which
were performed with furprifing exaflnefs. The figure of the Earth be-
ing thus determined, we next proceed to ftiew the triple means whereby
it is agitated and governed.in its motion, and whereby night and day, and'
all the phaenomena of the feafons, are produced.
 ^Vimrmn

K \ yix/i

L-
?prms- " ^
/Ijuma/ A[(>//{>/1 of*t7iplZari7j

mi

7^U\t
 In the firft place, the Earth is found to have a dhimal motion round
its own axis, from weft to eaft, which it performs in twenty-four hours,
and thereby occafions the perpetual fucceftion of days and nights. It is
every way agreeable to reafon, that the Earth fhould revolve about its own
axis, to account for the appearance of fuch a vaft number of ftars, which
lecm to perform their revolutions round the earth in twenty-four hours;
for the motion of thefe ftars, were it real, would be incredibly fwift, and
beyond all imagination, becaufc their diftance in refped of us is almoft
infinite, and the orbit they have to run round fo prodigioufly great, that
they muft move at leaft 100,000 miles in a minute.

The Earth has, fecondly, an annual motion round the Sun, which it
performs every year, whereby it produces the different feafons, and the
lengthening and fhortcning of the days. It being now an eftablifhcd
doctrine that the Sun is the centre of our fyftem, and that the Earth
moves round it, we ftiall avoid entering into any difquifitions upon that
head, lince it is only neceffary we fhould explain the phenomena which
arife from, the earth's annual motion, in conjundtion with the rotation
round its axis; having firft premifed, that the earth, in its annual mo-
tion, hath its axis always in the fame diredtion, or parallel to itfelf.

Suppofe w t so i (in the annexed figure of the Earth's motion) be

the Earth's orbit, .and S the Sun. Through the centre of the Sun draw
the right line r S ^ parallel to the common fedlion of the equator and.
the ecliptic, which will meet with the ecliptic in two points r And,
when the Earth feen from the Sun is in either of the points r or **, a
right line S r or S joining the centre of the Earth and Sun, will coin-
cide with the common fedlion of the equator and ecliptic, and will then
be perpendicular to A B, the axis of the Earth, or of the equator, becaufe
it is in the plane of the equator. But the fame line is alfo perpendicular
to the circle which bounds the light and darknels, and.therefore the axis
of the. Earth will be in the plane of that circle, which will therefore pals
through the poles of the Earth, and will cut the equator and all its pa-
rallels into equal parts. When the earth, therefore, is in the beginning
of i, the Sun will be feen in r, in the common fedlion of the equator
and ecliptic, in which pofition, the circle of illumination touches both
poles: the Sun is vertical to the equator, and the days and nights are
equal all the world over ; and this is the fpring feafon, or vernal equinox.

The Earth in its annual motion going through i, nt, and t, towards
vf, and the common fedlion of the equator, and the ecliptic remaining
always parallel to itfelf, it will no longer pals through the' bodv of the
Sun;
 ■'97°
.Sun; but, in v?, it makes a right angle with the line SP, which joins
.the centre of the Suiuand Earth. ' And becaufe the line SP is not in thq
plane of the equator, but in that of the ecliptic, the angle BPS, which
-the axis of the Earth BA makes with it, will not now be'a right angle,
but an oblique one of 66+ degrees, which is the fame with the inclina-
"tion .of the axis to the plane of the ecliptic. . Let the angle SPL be a
right angle, and the circle, bounding light and darknefs, will pafs through
the point L, and then the arch BD, or the angle BPL, will be 23^ de-
grees, that is/equal to the complement of the angle BPS to'a right angle.
Let the angle BPE be a right angle,'and then the line PE will be in the
plane of the equator. Therefore, becaufe the arches BE and LT are equal,
each of them being quadrants, if the common arch BT be taken away,
there will remain TE equal to LB, equal to'23^ degrees. Take EM equal
to ET, and through the points M and T defcribe two parallel circles, T C,
MN ; the one reprefents the tropic of Cancer, and the other the tropic of
Capricorn. And, the Earth being in this fituation, the Sun will approach
the neareft that it can come to the North Pole: he will fhine perpendi-
cularly on the point T, and confequently will be vertical to all the in-
habitants under the tropic of Cancer, when he comes to their meri-
dians. It is'manifeft that the. circle which bounds light and darknefs
reaches beyond the North Pole B to L: but towards the fouth it falls
Ihort to the South Role A, and reaches no further than F. Through
L and F, let two parallels to the equator be defcribed. Thefe will re-
prefent the polar circles, and,- while the Earth is in P, all that tradl of
it which is included within the polar circle KL continues in the light,
notwithftanding the conftant revolution round the axis. On the contrary,
thofe that lie within the antardlic circle remain in continual darknefs.

It is alfo manifeft, that all the parallels between the equator and the
ardlic circle are cut by the circle bounding light and darknefs into un-
equal portions, the largeft portions of thefe circles remaining in the light,
and the Imalleft in darknefs; but thefe parallels which are towards the
antardlic circle have their greateft porti'ons in darknefs, and their.leaft in
light; and the difference of thefe portions will be greater or lefs, accord-
ing as' the circles are nearer to the pole or to the equator. Therefore
when the Sun is feen in Cancer 25, the inhabitants of the northern he-
• mifphere will have their days at the longeft, and their nights at the
Ihorteft, and the feafon of the year will be fummer. The contrary of
this will happen to the inhabitants of the fouthern hemifphere. •

As the earth moves on from v? by 22, K, the north pole returns, the
diurnal arches begin gradually to decreafe, and the nodhirnal to increafe.
 OF ASTROLOGY. 97*

and of confcqucncc the Sun's rays will fall more and more obliquely,
and his heat proportionably diminilh, till the Earth comes to T, when
the Sun will appear in ^, at which time, the days will again be equal
.to the nights to all the inhabitants of the earth, the circle bounding light
and darknefs pafling in this pofition through the poles. This will be th
feafon.called autumn.

The Earth moving on through T, b, and 0, the Sun will be fcen to

go in the ecliptic through ■G=, "I, and /, and will appear to decline from
the equator towards the fouth; fo that, when the Earth is really in SF,"
the Sun will appear in yy. And, whereas the axis A B always retains its
parallelifm, the Earth will have the fame pofition and afpedl in refpedt
to the Sun that it had when it was in Y?; but with this difference, that,
whereas the tradl within the polar circle K L was in continual light while
the Earth was in. Y?, .now, the Earth arriving at 05, the fame trait will be
altogether in darknefs; but the oppofite fpace, within the circle F G,
will be in a continual illumination, and at the pole A there will be no
night for the fpace of fix months. Here likewife, of the parallels be-
tween the equator and the north pole, the illuminated portions are much
lefs than the portions which-remain in darknefs, the contrary of which
happened in the former pofition; fo likewife the Sun at mid-day will*
appear vertical to all the inhabitants that live in the tropic M N ; fo that
it will appear to have defcended towards the fouth from the parallel TC
to the parallel M N, through the arch C Q^N, which is forty-feven de-
grees. This will be the feafon called winter.

Laftly, as the Earth journeys on from 25 through SI and HR to .a, the

Sun appears to pafs through and K to T, and the northern climes begin
to return, and receive more diredtly the enlivening beams of the Sun,
whofe meridian height does now each day increafe ; the days now lengthen, .
and the tedious nights contradt their refpedtive arches; and every thing _
confpircs to advance the delightful feafon of the-fpring, with the equality
of days and nights, as was Ihown when the Earth was in from which :
point we begin to trace its motion.-

•- The third motion of the Earth is that motion by which the poles of
the world revolve about the poles of the ecliptic, and occafion what is
commonly called the precefiion of the equinoxes, which is a flow motion
of the equinodtial points towards the weft, that is, in antecedentia, or
contrary to the order of the figns. This retrograde motion, by carrying
the equinodtial points to meet the Sun in his apparent annual motion,
makes him arrive at them fooner every year than he would do if thofc
 points - continued- immoveable; and this arch of regreffion being fiftp
feconds a-year, or one degree in feventy-two years, makes the equinoxes
happen twenty minutes.in-time fooner each year than they would other-
wife do. And,-though'this change be not fenfible in a few years, yet
•thefe points.are'found to have a very different fituation from what they
' had two thoufand years ago.

By reafon of this* preceflion of'the equinodtial points, the fixed-ftars

feem to move towards the eaft, and thereby to have their longitude,
which is ..always-reckoned upon the ecliptic, from the vernal equinoctial
point, .increafed. And hence the Conflellations feem to have deferted
the places allotted them by the ancient aftronomcrs; for inftance, the
beginning of the fign Aries, which in Hipparchus's time was near the
vernal equinodtial point, and .gave name to that point of the ecliptic, is
now. removed near a whole fign, or thirty degrees, eaft ward ;* fo that
-Aries is now -where Taurus ufed to be, Taurus where Gemini ufed to be,
.&c. and .thus all the conflellations of the zodiac have changed their
. ancient!places'. But, .to avoid confufion, aflronomers have thought fit ",
.to.let.the feveral portions of the ecliptic, where thefe conflellations were
; at firfl.obferved-to be, retain their old names; fo that the vernal equi-
•nadlial point is flill reckoned the firfl degree of Aries. However, thefe
portions of the ecliptic, where the conflellations were at firfl, are called
anajira, to diflinguifh them from the places where they now are, which
are termed flellata.

The orbit, in which the Earth moves round the Sun, common ex-
perience proves to be elliptical; for, were it circular, the Sun's apparent
diameter would always be the fame; but we find it is not; for, if it be
meafured. with a micrometer in winter-time, 'it will be found confidera-
bly larger than in fummer, and it will be greatefl of all when the Sun
is in the eighth degree of Capricorn, which fliows that is the place of
the aphelium, it being then thirty-two minutes forty-feven feconds;
.whereas, when the Sun.is in the eighth degree of Cancer, his diameter
fis but. thirty-one minutes forty feconds;.- Hence it is evident, that the
"Sun is really nearer to us in the midfl of winter than it is in the midfl of
fummer: but this.-feems a paradox to many, who think the Sun mufl
needs be hottefl when it is nearefl to us, and that the Sun is apparently
more diflant from us in December than in June. As to the Sun's being
hotter, it is true, it is fo to all thofe places which receive his rays diredtly
or :perpendicularly ; but we find his heat abated on account of the obli-
quity of the rays, and his fhort continuance above the horizon at that
timei- And, as to his diflance, it is only 'with refpedt to the zenith of
the
 973
the place, not the centre of the earth; fince it is plain the Sun may
approach the centre of the earth at the fame time that it recedes from
the zenith of any place. And, agreeably to the Sun's nearer diftancc in
the winter, we obfervc his apparent motion is then quicker than in the
fummer; for in the eighth degree of Capricorn it is about fixty-onc
minutes per day, but in the eighth degree of Cancer his motion is but
fifty-feven minutes per day. Accordingly, we find the fummer half-
year eight days longer than the winter half-year, as appears by the follow-
ing computation, according to the new ftylc.

The Winter half-year includes The Summer half-year includes

In September 7 Days. In March jo£ Days.
Oftober 31 April 30
November 30 May 31
December 31 lune 30
January 31 J1'1/ 31
February 28 Augufl: 31
March 20-§- September 23

1781 186^
Winter half-year 178*

The difference in the two half-years is 8 Days.

For, the Sun's attradting force being one part of the caufe of the planet's
motion, and this force always incrcafing and decreafing in the inverfe
ratio of the fquares of the diftances, it is evident the velocity of the
planet will always be greater the nearer it is to the Sun, and vice verfa.
In this manner the Earth's motion round the Sun is invariably continued,
and its revolution performed in three hundred fixty-five days fix hours
nine minutes fourteen feconds.

The Earth, in its natural and original Hate, Des Cartes, Burnet, Wood-
ward, and Whifton, fuppofe to have been perfedtly round, fmooth, and
equable; and they account for its prefent rude and irregular form prin-
cipally from the waters of the great deluge, which inundated and over-
flowed the whole furface of the globe, to the height of fifteen cubits
above the higheft hills; for to that height Mofes exprefsly faith, Gen.
vii. 20, " the waters prevailed." Some have ventured to deny these
were any. mountains at all before the flood, though Mofes exprefsly mentions
them as a flandard for the height of the water. Others have denied the
univerfality of the deluge, though the words of the text be, " That all
the hills over the whole earth were covered." Others have had recourfe
to
974-
to the fhifting of the earth's' centre pf gravity, and therefore will have
all parts drowned fu'cceffively ; and ' our-famous theorift, Dr. Burnet,
-fancies an earth made on purpofe to be drowned at that" time, which, be-
ing in form of an orbicular cruft on the face of the fea, as we now call it,
(for he fays' there was none before the deluge,) fell down into the water,
and fo drowned its inhabitants.:

But''the Holy Scriptures tell us, that the waters of the deluge came
from two funds, " the great deep below," and the " rains above." Again,,
when;we look to the internal parts of the earth, even to the greateft depth
men have ever reached, we .find that the body of the terreftrial globe is.
compo'fed of ftrata, or layers, lying over one another, which appear to
be fediment's of a flood ; befides, in the bodies of thefe ftrata, though never
fo folid, nay, even inclofed within the folidity of the firmeft flints, mar-
ble, ftone, &c. we find a' prodigious variety of the exuvire, or remains,
of fifties, fuch as their fhells, teeth, &c. as well marine ones as thofe
which live in lakes and rivers; and from a due obfervation of thefe, and
repeated confiderations upon them, it was, that the learned Dr. Wood-
ward founded what he delivers upon this fubje<ft, which therefore is not
fo much a theory of the earth, as neceflary deductions, and unavoidable
confequences, drawn from the matters of fadt, as they are laid down in
the fecond part of his Natural Hiftory of the Earth, i. That thefe marine-
bodies, and the other fpoils of frefh-water fifties, were borne forth out.of the
fea by' the univcrfal deluge, and, on return of the'water back, again from off
the earth, they were left behind on land. 2. That, during the time of the
deluge, all the ftone and marble of- the antediluvian earth, all the metals,
in it, all the'mineral concretions, .and in .a word, all foflils whatever,,
that had before'attained any folidity, were totally diflblved; their confti-
tuent corpufcles disjoined, and. their, cohefion perfectly ceafed ; and that
the faid corpufcles^ together with the corpufcles of thofe which were not
before folid, fuch as fand, earth, and the like;, as alfo, all animal bodies,
teeth, fhells, vegetables,, ioi ftiort,' all bodies whatever they were," either
upon the earth, or-that cpnftituted the mafs, if not quite'down to the
abyfs, yet to the greateft depths we ever dig, were aflumed up promif-'
cuoufly, into the water, and fuftained therein ; fo that the water and thefe.
bodies made up one common mafs. 3. That at length all the paafs that
was thus borne up in the water was again precipitated, and fubfided to-
ward the bottom, and that-this fubfidence happened generally according
to the laws of gravity. That' tjie matter, fubfiding -thus, formed the
ftrata of ftone, earth, marble, coal, &c. of which ftrata the terreftrial
globe, or at leaft as much of it as hath been difplayed to human view,
dpt.h chiefly confift. 4. That, the ftrata of marble, &c. attained their-
 975
folidity as Toon as the fand, or other matter, whereof they confift, was
arrived at the bottom, and well fettled there; and that all thofc flrat
which are folid at this day, have been fo ever fincc that time. 5. Th t
thefe ftrata were originally parallel, plane, and regular, and confequcntly
rendered the furface of the earth even and fpherical; that they were
contiguous, and not broken and interrupted as we find them now; and
that the water lay then upon them, conftituting a fluid fpherc, envi-
roning all the globe round. 6. That after fomc time, by the force of an
agent feated within the earth, thofc flrata were broken on all fides of the
globe; that they were diflocated, and their fituation varied ; from whence
thefe elevations and depreliions'on the furface of the globe, as the moun-
tains, valleys, and other inequalities.

From thefe obfervations, he concludes, that Noah's deluge was quite

univerfal, covering the whole earth, even the higheft mountains quite
round the globe. That, at the time of .the deluge, the water of the ocean
was firft brought out on the earth, and immediately fucceeded by that of
the abyfs. That, upon the difruption of the flrata, or the elevation of
fome, and the depreflion of others, towards the end of the deluge, this
mafs of water fell back towards the lovvefl: parts of the earth, into lakes
and other cavities, into the channel of the ocean, and through the fifliires
by which this communicates with the ocean, in the abyfs which it filled,
till it came to an equilibrium with the ocean. That the deluge com-
menced in the fpring feafon, the waters coming forth upon the earth in
the month which we call May. That the deluge did not happen from
an accidental concouffe of natural caufes; but that many things then hap-
pened, which never could poflibly happen without the afliflarice of a
fupernatural power.

Mr. Whifton, on the contrary, in his New Theory of the Earth, fup-
pofes the deluge began on the 18th of November, in the 2365th year of
the Julian period, that is, 2349 years before the Chriftian rera; that
a comet defcending towards its perihelion, in the. plane of the ecliptic,
pafled quite near the globe of the earth the very fame day that the deluge
began : he afcribes to the univerfal deluge all the changes and alterations
that have happened in the furface and infide of the globe: he adopts the
hypoihefis of Dr. Woodward, and indifcriminately makes ufc of all the
obfervations of this author, with regard to the prefent ftate of the globe.

The tcrreftrial globe having once met with the tail of the comet, cbn-
fifting of a tranfparent fog, or aqueous atmofphere, it muft, in pafling
through it, appropriate to itfelf fome part of the matter it contained.
No. 51. 11K All
 976
' All that was found within the fphere of attraition of the globe, muft
have fallen upon the earth; and that in form of rain, fince this taihpartly:
confifted of aqueous vapours. This tail being " the cataradts of heaven
that were opened," the rain may be made as plentiful as one pleafes, even-
to oecafion,an univerfal deluge, the waters of.which would'eafily cover-
the higheft mountains. However, Mr. Whifton does not attribute the
whole •delugei to thele waters only, for, agreeably to Scripture, he affirms
that the earth, upon the approach of the comet, would no doubt feel the
force of its attradlion; fo that ,the fluid, contained in the great abyTs,
would be agitated by fo violent a flux and reflux, that the luperficial crufl:
of the earth could not refifl it, but be broken in feveral places, and the
internal waters diffufed over the furface, " and the .fountains of the great
■ deep broken up." Mr. Whifton, to difpofe of all this water, fuppofes,
that as foon as the earth, in continuing its courfe, had got fome way from
the comet, the effedls of its-attradlion, the flux and reflux, ceafed in the
great abyfs, and then the fuperior waters werp violently precipitated
through the fame paflages by which they came out; the great abyfs
fwallowed up all the fuperfluous .waters, and its cavity.was found capable
enough to receive, not only the waters which it had already contained,
but alfo of thofe which the tail of the comet had left behind it; fince
during the time of its agitation and the burfting of its crufl, it had en-
larged the fpace by breaking down, on all hands, the earth that environed
it. It was, in like manner', at this time, that-the earth, which till then
was fpherical, became elliptic, occafioned not only by the effedl of the
centrifugal force caufed by its diurnal revolution, but likewife by the
adtion of the comet; and that becaufe the earth, in pafling through the
tail of the comet, was fituated in fuch a manner, that it prefented its
equatorial parts to this body; and becaufe the force of the comet's
attradlion, concurring with the centrifugal force of the earth, took
away thofe parts of the equator with fo much the more facility, as the
crufl was broken and disjoined in a vaft many places; and becaufe the ac-
tion of the flux and reflux of the abyfs made .a more violent impreflion
upon the parts under the equator than any where elfe.

Dr. Halley refolves the deluge into the fhock of a comet, or fome other
fuch tranfient :body : the great agitation that muft have been occafioned
by it in the fea, he obferves, would be fufficient to account for all thofe
ftrange appearances of heaping vaft quantities of earth, and high cliffs,
upon the beds of fhells, which once were the bottom of the fea, and
raifing up mountains, where none were before: fuch a (hock as this,
impelling the folid parts, would occafion the waters, and all fluid
fubflances that-were unconfined, as the fea is, to run violently with an
 77
impetus toward that part of the globe where the blow was received, and
that with force fufficicnt to take with it the very bottom of the ocean,
and would carry it upon land. There arc various other fyftcms of the
univerfal deluge, fevcral of which may be feen in Moniicur Buffon's
Natural Hiftory, torn. i.

Monfieur dc Buffon, arguing from the fpberoidal figure of the earth,

and the laws of hydroftatics, fuppofes that the earth, as well as the other
planets, arc parts ftruck off from the body, of the Sun by the collilion of
comets, and conlequcntly, when the earth affumed its form, is was in a
ftate of liqucfadtion by fire. Of this, fays he, we fhall be the more eafily
convinced, when we confider the nature of the matter contained in the
body of the earth, the greateft part of which, as fand and clays, are vi-
trified, or vitrifiablc fubltances; and, on the other hand, when we reflcdt
upon the impoflibility of the earth's being ever in a ftate of fluidity pro-
duced by water, fince there is infinitely more land than water; and be-
fides, water has not the power of diffolving fands, ftoncs, and other
fubftances of which the earth is compofed. How far the inequalities in
the face of the earth, the beds of rivers, lakes, See. and the various ftrata
in its internal parts, ferve to confirm this hypothefis, may be feen in
Hiftoirc Naturelle, See. torn. i. by M. dc Buffon.

The arguments of different philofophers and hiftorians, relative to

the deluge, and theory of the earth, have furnithed matter of enquiry
to naturalifts how far the fame caufes, which muff have produced not
only the mixtures, but the cavities and fiffures in the earth, have been
the inlet and caufe likewife of earthquakes and volcanoes. Earthquakes
confift of a violent agitation or trembling of the earth, generally attended
with a terrible npile like thunder, and fometimcs with an eruption of
fire, water, wind, &c. Volcanoes are hollow, fubterraneous, combuftiblc,
mountains, which vomit forth fire, flame, alhes, cinders, &c. Earth-
quakes and volcanoes are both accounted for upon the fame principles,
and may be thus explained. Thofe countries which are hollow and
fubterraneous, and which naturally yield great Ilorc of fulphur and nitre,
or where fulphur is fublimatcd from the pyrites, are by far the moft in-
jured and incommoded by earthquakes; for, where there are fuch mines,
they mufl: fend up exhalations, which, meeting with fubterraneous ca-
verns, muff ftick to the arches of them, as foot does to the fides of our
chimneys; where they mix themfelves with the nitre-or faltpetre which
comes out of thcfc arches, in like manner as we fee it come out of the
infide of the arch of a bridge, and fo makes a kind of cruft which will
very eafily take fire. There arc feveral ways by which this cruff may
 take fire, viz. 1. By the inflammable breath of the pyrites, which is a kind
of fulphur.that naturally takes fire'of itlelf. 2. By a fermentation of va-
pours to a degree of heat equal to that of fire and flame. - 3. By the
falling of fome great (tone which is undermined by water, and, flriking
againft another, produces fome fparks that fet fire to the neighbouring
combuftible matter, which, being a kind of natural gunpowder, at the
a'ppulfe of the. fire goes off with a fudden blaft or violent explofion, rum-
bling in the bowels of the earth, and lifting up the ground above it,' fo
as Ibmetimes to make a miferable havock and devaftation, till it gets
vent or a difcharge. Burning mountains and volcanoes are 'only fo many
fpirades ferving for the difcharge of this fubterraheah fire, when it is
thus preternaturally aflembled. And where there happens to be fuch
a ftrubture and conformation of the interior parts of the earth, that .the-
/ fire' may pafs freely and without impediment from the caverns therein,
it aflembles into-thefe fpirals, and then readily and eafily gets out from
time to time without fhaking or diflurbing the earth. But where a
communication is wanting, or the paffages are nor fufficiently large and
Open, fo that it cannot come at the laid fpiracles without firfl: forcing and
removing all obftacles, it heaves up and fhocks the earth, till it hath
made its way to the mouth of the volcano; where it rufhes forth,
fometimes in mighty flames, with great.velocity, and a terrible bellow-
ing noife. Earthquakes arc fometimes confined to a narrow fpace, which
is properly the effed: of the re-adion of the fire, and they fhake the earth
juft as the explofion of a powder-magazine caufes a fenfible concuflion at
the diftance of feveral leagues. Thus a violent eruption of-Etna will
caufe an earthquake over all the ifland of Sicily ; but it never will extend
to the diftance of three or four hundred leagues. In like manner, when
fome new vents of fire have been formed in mount Vefuvius, there are
felt at the fame time earthquakes at Naples, and in the neighbourhood
of the volcano; but thele concuflions have never fhaken the'Alps, nor
been communicated to France, or other countries remote from Vefuvius.
Sometimes they are felt at confiderable diftances, and fhake a long trad
of ground without any eruption or volcano appearing. We have in-
ftances of earthquakes which were felt at the fame time in England, France,
<3ermany, and even in Hungary, and thefe extend always a great deal
more in length than in breadth; they fhake a trad of ground with more or
lefs violence in different places, in proportion as it is remote from the
fire; and they are almoft always accompanied with a dull noife like that
b'f a heavy catriage rolling along with great rapidity.

Dr. Woodward gives us another theory of earthquakes. He endea-

vours to -fbow, that the fubterraneous heat or fire, which is continually
 979
elevating water out of the abyfs to furnifli the earth with r. in, dew,
Iprings, and rivers, being flopped in any part of the earth, and lb di-
verted from its ordinary courfc by fonic accidental glut or obftruftion in
the po'-cs or paffages through which it ufed to afcend to the furfacc, be-
comes by fuch means prcternaturally afTcmblcd in a greater quantity than
ufual into one place, and therefore cauflth a great rarcfadtion and intu-
mc fee nee of the water of the abyfs, putting it into great commotions and.
diforders, and at the fame time making the like effort on the earth ; which
being expanded upon the face of the abyfs, occafions the agitation and con
cuffion which we call an earthquake.

But Dr. Stukelcy has introduced a new notion in the theory of earth-
quakes, and has endeavoured to prove that they arc caufcd by eledbricity.
He urges a variety of objedtions again ft the foregoing hypothefis, which
afcribes earthquakes, to fubterraneous winds, fires, vapours, or any thing
that occafions an explofion, and thus heaves up the ground. He thinks
there is no evidence of the cavernous ftrudhire of the earth, which thi$
hypothefis requires ; but that, on the contrary, there is rcafon to believe
that it is in a great meafure folid. Earthquakes have alfo frequently
happened without any eruption of fire, vapour, fmokc, or fmell, which
he thinks is utterly inconfiftent with the fuppofition of their being oc-
cafioned by any fubterraneous vapours; efpecially in cafes where the
fliock is of confiderable extent; befides, this is a caufe altogether inade-
quate to fuch an effedt; for a fubterraneous power capable of moving a
furface of earth only thirty miles in diameter, muft be lodged at leaft
fifteen or twenty miles below the furface, and move an inverted cone of
folid earth, whofe bafe is thirty miles in diameter, and its axis fifteen or
twenty miles, which he judges to be abfolutely impofiible; how much
more inconceivable, then, that any fuch power could produce the earth-
quake of 1755, which was felt in various parts of Europe and Africa,
and the Atlantic Ocean; or that of Afia Minor, A.D. 17, by which
thirteen great cities were deftroyed in one night, and which (hook a
mafs of earth three hundred miles in diameter, in order to which the
moving power, if it had been internal fire or vapour, muft have been
lodged two hundred miles below the furface! Farther, in earthquakes
the effedb is inftantaneous; whereas the operation of elaftic vapour and
the difcharge of it muft be gradual, and require a long fpacc of time;
and, if they were owing to explofions, they muft alter the furface of the
country where they happened, deftroy the fountains and fprings, and
change the courfe of its rivers, which is contradidted by hiftory and ob-
fervation. To all which it is added, that the ftrokes which fhips receive
during an earthquake muft be occafioned by fomething that could commu-
No. 51. 11 L nicatc
L9?S
nicate motion of a much- greater velocity than any heaving of the earth
under the 'fea by'the elafticity of generated vapours, which would only
produce a gradual Twell, and not an impulfe of the ^water, refembling a
thump ag'ainft the bottom' of a fhip. or ftriking againft .a rock. Dr.
Stukeley, finding the* common 'hypothefis infufficient, vyas led to con-
cl'ude that' earthquakes were proper eledtrical fhocks; and a parti-
cular fu'rvey of the phenomena, that either precede or attend them,
Confirmed this opinion: he obferved that the weather was ufually dry
arid-'warm'for fome time before an earthquake happened, and tfiat the
furface of the ground is thus previoufly difpofed for that kind of elec-
trical vibration in which it confifts; whilfi: at the fame* time, in fome
places where earthquakes have happened, the internal parts, at a fmall
depth below the furface, are moift and boggy; and thence he infers, that
fhey reach very little below the furface. He adds, that the fouthern re-
gions are more fubjedt to earthquakes than the northern, on account of
the.greater warmth and drynefs of the earth and air, which are qualities
fo neceflary to eledtricity. ' It was alfo* obferved, that, before the earth-
quakes at London in 1749, all vegetables were remarkably forward; and
eledtricity is well known to quicken vegetation. They were likewife
preceded by frequent and fingular appearances of the aurora borealis and
aufiralis, and -by a variety of other meteors which indicate an eledtrical
Hate of the atmofphere. Dr. Stukeley apprehends, that, in this ftate of
the earth and air, nothing more is neceflary to produce an earthquake,
than the approach of a non-eledtric cloud to any part of the earth, when
in an highly-eledtrified ftate, and the difcharge of its contents upon it;
and that, as the difcharge from an excited tube occafions a commotion
in the human body, fo the -ftiock, produced by the difcharge between ,
the cloud and many miles in compafs of folid earth, muft be an earth-
quake, and the fnap from the contadl be the noife attending it. He
fuppofes that a large black cloud, which fuddenly covered the hemifphere
a little before the earthquake of 1749, might have occafioned the fhock,
by the difcharge of a fhower.-' The noife, it has been obferved, ufually
precedes the fhock; whereas, if the concuflion depenJed upon a fubter-
raneous eruption, it muft have been quite the contrary. The flames and
fulphureous'fmells which fometimes attend earthquakes are more eafily
accounted for, as Dr. Stukeley thinks, from the fuppofition of their be-
ing eledtrical phenomena than on any other hypothefis. The fudden
extenfive agitation, both of land and water, occafioned by earthquakes,
can only be effedted by eledtricity. The little damage generally done by
earthquakes, and the nature of the impulfe which they give to fliips,
already taken notice of, fti^geft an argument, that they are owing not to
any convulfion in the bojtvels-ef the earth, but to an uniform vibration
 OF ASTROLOGY.

along its furfacc, occafioncd by an dedtrical fnap; and that they arc
eledtrical phenomena, Dr. Stukcley farther infers, from their chiefly
aft'edting the fea-coaft, or places near rivers ; we may add alfo, eminences ;
and finally from the effedts which they produce on weak conftitutions,
fuch as pains in the back, head-achs, cholics, &c. fimilar to thofe oc-
cafioncd fomctimcs by elcdtrification. After all, he does not prefume to
fay, how the earth and' atmofpherc are put into that cledrical and
vibratory flate, which prepares them to give or receive that fnap, and
thock, which is called an earthquake; but this he thinks as difficult to-
account for as magnetifm, gravitation, mufcular motion, and many other
fecrets in nature. Several circumflanccs have been remarked by other
' writers, which confirm the theory that fuppofes earthquakes to be elec-
trical phenomena. Signior Beccaria, whole name often occurs in the
hifiory of cledtricity, agrees with Dr. Stukeley, in fuppofing, that earth-
quakes are eledtrical phenomena; but he imagines'that the eledtric
matter which occafions them is lodged deep in the bowels of the earth;
and if in this fituation its equilibrium fhould by any means be deftroyed,
fo that the belt method of reltoring it fhall be by the fluids burfling its-
way into t-he air, and traverfing feveral miles of the atmofphere to come
to the place where it is wanted, it may eafily be conceived, that violent
concuflions may be given to the earth, by the fudden paflages of this
powerful agent; and that the eledtric fluid is fometimes colledted
in the bowels of the earth, he thinks probable from, the appear-
ance of ignes fatui in mines, which fometimes happens, and is very
probably an eledtrical phenomenon. This ingenious philofopher ob-
ferves, that, if two pieces of glafs, inclofed in a thin piece of metal, be
held in the hand, while a large fhock is fent through them, a firong*
concuflion or vibration will be felt, which fometimes breaks them to
pieces. Mr. Henley, another excellent eledtrician, has difcovercd a me-
thod of increafing the effedt of the explofion upon glafs,.fo as to afford a
very natural idea of an earthquake. Between the ends of two wires, laid
on a piece of glafs, with their extremities pointing to each other and
about an inch diftant, through which the difcharge is to be made, he
places a thick piece of ivory upon, the glafs, and on the ivory a weight
at plealure, from one-fourth of an ounce to fix pounds; the glafs is
broken by an explofion into innumerable fragments, and fome of it is
reduced into an impalpable powder; the weight is fhaken by the explofion,
"and fometimes thrown off from the ivory. In this experiment, if the.
glafs is very thick, fo that the force of the explofion is not fufficicnt t
break it, it will be found marked with the moft lively prifmatic colours.
The appearance of an earthquake may be alfo reprefented by caufing the
explofion of a battery to pals over the furface of Any fubflanccs on which
982 *
irnall flicks or cards are placed, which will never fail to be fhaken, and
often be thrown down, by the explofion; or, by making a difcharge over
•the furface of water, in which cafe the report will be much louder than
when the difcharge is made through the air; and a hand plunged deep
.into the water will feel the concuflion; and we may add, that the fpark
which paffes over the furface of the water in this experiment bears a
great referhblance to thofe balls of fire that have fometimes been feen over
the furface of the fea or land in the time of an earthquake. . Dr. Priefiley
contrived various methods of exhibiting the phenomena of earthquakes.
He made the eledtric flafh to pafs over wet boards fwimming in water,
over either of thefe feparately, or over both at once, on which pillars,
See. were eredted; and thus, while the board reprefented the earth, and
the water the. fea, the phenomena of both during an earthquake were
exhibited at the fame time. Dr. Prieftley, the ingenious hiftorian of
eledtricity, after having largely recited the obfervations of Dr. Stukeley
and Signior Beccaria, does not abfolutely decide which of thefe two phi-
lofophers has advanced the more probable opinion concerning the feat
of the eledtric matter which occafions earthquakes; but he thinks a more
probable general hypothefis than either of them may be formed out of
them both. ' Suppofe, fays he, the eledtric matter to be fome way or
other accumulated on one part of the furface of the earth, and, on ac-
count of the drynefs of the feafon, not eafily to diffufe itfelf; it may,
as Signor Beccaria fuppofes, force itfelf away into the higher regions •f
the air, forming clouds in its paffage out of the vapours which float in
the atmofphere, and occafion a fudden fhower, which >may farther pro-
mote the paflage of the fluid. The whole furface, thus unloaded, will
receive a concuflion, like any other condudting fubftance, on parting
with, or receiving, a quantity of the eledtric fluid; the rufliing noife
will likewife fvyeep over the whole extent of the country; and, upon
this fuppofition alfo, the fluid, in its difcharge from the country, will
naturally follow the courfe of the rivers, and alfo take the advantage of
any eminences to facilitate its afcent into the higher regions of the air.
See" farther on .this fubjedt, Phil. Tranf. vol. xli. page 641, See. Beccaria
Lettre dell'Eledtricifmo, page 216, 362, &c. or Prieftley's Hiftory of
Eledtricity, Period, x. fedt. 12.

How far thefe arguments and obfervations are fufficient to explode

the former theory of earthquakes, and to folve the various and compli-
cated effedts of their deftrudtive operation, mufl: be left to the determina-
tion of the attentive reader, after he has maturely contemplated the
following authentic narration of fome of the moft fatal earthquakes that
ever excited terror and trepidation in the minds of men.
 OF ASTROLOGY.

The c rtliquakc which happened in Sicily in the year 1692-3, as re-

lated by Mr. Hartop, F. Burgos, and Vin. Bonajulus, is one of the
moft fatal, and exhibits the moft lamentable catallrophe of the kind
recorded in hiftory. It extended over the whole ifland ; and even Naple
and Malta were affe<5ted by the fliock. It was one of the fecond kind men-
tioned by Ariftotle and Pliny, via. a perpendicular pulfation or fuccuflion.
The motion was fo rapid and violent, that no body could ftand upon
their legs ; thofe who lay on the ground were lofTed from fide to fide as
on a rolling billow, and high walls leaped from their foundations many-
yards diftant. The mifchief it did is amazing; almoft all the buildings
in the country were thrown down. Fifty-four cities and towns, bertJcs
an incredible number of villages, were cither deftroyed or greatly da-
maged. We fhall only inftance the fate of Catania, one of the mod
famous, ancient, and flourithing, cities in the kingdom, the refidcnce of
fevcral monarchs, and an univerfity. This once famous, now unhappy,
Catania, to ufc the words of F. Burgos, had the greateft fhare in the
tragedy. F. Anton. Serrovita, being on his way thither, and at the dif-
tance of a few miles, obferved a black cloud, like night, hovering over
the city; and there arofe from the mouth of Mont Gibello great fpires of
flame, \Vhich fprcad all around. The fea, all of a fudden, began to
roar, and rife in billows; and there was a noife as if all the artillery in
the world had been at once difcharged. The birds flew about aftonifhed;
the cattle in the fields ran crying, &c. His and his companions1 horfes
flopped fhort, trembling; fo that they were forced to alight. They
were no fooner off, but they were lifted from the ground above two palms ;
when, cafling' their eyes towards Catania, they with amazement faw no-
thing but a thick cloud of duft in the air. This was the fcene of their
calamity ; for of the magnificent Catania there was not the leaft footftcp
to be feen. S. Bonajutus aflures us, that, of 18,914 inhabitants, 18,000
perifhed therein. The fame author, from a computation of the inhabi-
tants, before and after the earthquake, in the feveral cities and towns, finds
that near 6o,coo perifhed out of 254,900.

Jamaica is remarkable for earthquakes. The inhabitants. Dr. Sloane

informs us, expert one every year. This author gives us the hiftory of
one in 1687; and another horrible one in 1692 is defcribed by feveral
anonymous authors. " In two minutes time this fhook down and drowned
nine-tenths of the town of Port Royal. The houfes funk outright, 30
or 40'fathoms deep. The earth, opening, fwallowed up people; and-
they rofe in other ftreets, fome in the middle of the harbour; and yet
many were faved, though there were 2000 people loft, and 1000 acres of
land funk. All the houfes were thrown down throughout the ifland.
• No. 51. it M - One
 One Hopkins had his plantation removed half a mile from its place.
Of all wells, from one fathom to^fix or feven, the water flew out at the
top with a.vehement motion. 'While the houfes on one fide of the flreet
were fwallowed up, on the other they were thrown on heaps; and'the
fand in the llreet rofe like waves in the fea, lifting up every body that
flood on it, and immediately dropping down into pits; and at the fame
inftant a flood of water, breaking in, rolled.them over and over; fome
catching hold of beams and rafters, dec. Ships and floops in the har-
bour were overfet and loft; the Swan frigate, particularly; was thrown
over by the motion of the fea and finking of the wharf, and'was driven
over the tops of many houfes. The calamity was attended with a hollow
rumbling noife like thunder. In lefs than a minute, three quarters of the
houfes and the ground they flood on, with the inhabitants, were all
funk quite under water; and the little part left behind was no better
than a heap of rubbifh. The fhake was fo violent; that it threw people
down on their knees or their faces as they were running about for fheker.
The ground heaved and fwelled like a rolling fea; and feveral houfes, ftill
ftandingl were fhuffled and-'moved fome yards out of their places. A
, whole flreet is faid fo be twice as broad now as before; and in many
places, the earth would crack; and open and flint quick and faft. Of
which'openings, two or three hundred might be feemat a time; in fome
whereof, the people were fwallowed up; others, the earth clofing, were
caught by the middle, and prefled to death; as to others, the heads only
appeared. The larger openings fwallowed up houfes; and out of fome
would iflue whole rivers of waters, fpouting up a great height into the
air, and threatening a deluge to that part the earthquake fpared. The
whole was attended with flenches and offenfive fmells, the noife of falling
mountains at a diftance, &c. and the fky in a minute's time was turned
dull and reddifh like a glowing oven. Yet, as great a fuflferer as Port
Royal was, more houfes were left ftanding therein - than on the whole
ifland befide. Scarcely a planting-houfe or fugar-work was left ftanding
in all Jamaica. A great paft of them were fwallowed up, houfes, peo-
ple, trees, and all at once ; in lieu of which, afterwards appeared great
pools of water, which, when dried up, left nothing but find, without
any mark that ever tree or plant had been thereon. About twelve miles
* from the fea the earth gaped, and fpouted out with a prodigious force
vaft quantities'of water into .the air; yet the greateft violences were
among the mountains and rocks; and it is a general opinion, that the
nearer the mountains the greater was the fhake, and that the caufe
thereof lay there. Moft of the rivers were flopped up for twenty-four
hours, by the falling of the mountains, till, fwelling up, they made
themfelves new tracks and channels, tearing up in their pafTage, trees, &c.
After the great (liajcc, many of thofe people who cfcapcd got on-hoard
fliips in the harbour, where many continued above two months; the
lhakes all that time being fo violent, and comitig fo thick, fometimcs
two or three in an hour, accompanied with frightful noifes like a
ruftling wind, or a hollow rumbling thunder, with brimftonc blafls, that
they durft not come alhorc. The confcquencc of the earthquake was a
general fickncfs, from the noifome vapours belched forth, which fwept
away above 3OQO pcrfons of thofc who were left.

After the detail of thefe horrible convulfions, the reader will have but
little curiofity left for the phenomena of the earthquake at Lima in 1687,
defcribcd by Alvarez dc T-oledo, wherein above 5000 pcrfons were de-
flroycd ; this being of the vibratory kind, fo that the bells in the church
rang of themfelves ; or that at Batavia, in 1699, Witzen ; that in the
north of England, in 1703, by Mr. Thorefby ; thofe in New England,
in 1663 and 1670, by Dr. Matthew; that of Italy in 1742 ; that of Lima
and the port of Calais in Peru, in 1.746, which lafled fifteen minutes,
and dcmolifiied moft of the buildings in the city, and deftroyed moft of
the inhabitants, and fvvallowed up feveral (hips then in the port; that of
London, in 1749; thofe in 1750, felt in many parts of England; that
of 1777, felt in the north of England; or that at Lifbon, in 1755, though
this deferves a more particular account than many others of much lefs
confiderable extent and duration.

The three preceding years had been remarkably dry, infomuch that
fome fprings of water were totally loft; and the predominant winds were
eaft and north-eaft, accompanied with various, though very fmall, mo-
tions and tremblings of the earth. The fpring of the year 1755 was very
rainy and .wet; the weather on the day preceding the earthquake, which
happened on the ift of November, was clear and uncommonly warm for
the feafon, and had continued clear and rather warmer than ufual for fe-
veral days before. The day of the earthquake broke with a ferene iky,
the wind continuing at eaft; but about nine o'clock the fun began to
grow dim; and foon after was heard a rumbling noiie, like that of car-
riages, which increafed to fuch a degree as to equal that of the loudeft
cannon ; upon which the firft fhock was felt, which was immediately
fucceeded by a feeond and a third, the whole duration of which was
about eight minutes; about twelve o'clock another fhock was felt.. Du-
ring the firft fhock, the greateft part of the public edifices and other
buildings of the city were thrown down; and not lefs than fixty thou-
fand of its inhabitants buried in the ruins. The earth opened in fiffures
in feveral-parts, and feveral light flames of fire were obfcr.ved to iflu?.
from the fides of the mountains, relcmbling- thofc of kindled charcoal.
986

Subterraneous rumblings were alfo felt, attended with a difcharge of

great quantities of fmoke. The water in the fea rofe feveral times;
and in a few minutes made three fluxes and refluxes, •rifing above the
greatefl: fpring-tides no lefs than fifteen Englifh feet. The fliock was
lb violent fifty leagues off at fea, as greatly to injure the deck of a fhip,
and to. lead the captain to apprehend, that he had miftaken his reckoning
and flruck on a rock. The fhock was alfo felt about the fame time at
Oporto, by which the whole "city was fhaken, feveral chimneys, ftones;
and crofles, were thrown down, and fome buildings opened at top; and
the fwelling in the river was lb confiderable, that two "large fhips, which
were juft got over the bar, were driven back into the harbour. The
fame Ihock was equally violent at Madrid, Seville, and Cadiz; in this
laft place the fea rofe in a wave at leaft fixty feet higher than ufual, dallied
againft the rocks, on the well; part of the town, and again ft the walls, with
fuch violence as to beat in the breaft-work and a great part of the walls,
fo that feveral perfons were drowned by it. The clay when the earth-
quake happened at Cadiz was as clpar and ferene as the fineft fummer-day
in England. Many other cities, both in Spaiti and Portugal, were con-
fiderably damaged. The effedts of this earthquake," in violently agitating
the waters, were perceived in many parts.of England, Scotland, and Ire-
land ; and the fhock not only reached to Swilferland, Holland, and other
parts of Europe, but it v/as communicated to Africa, and deftroyed fe-
veral cities on the coaft of Barbary; and it was alfo felt about the fame
time in the illand of Madeira, where.the water rofe'full fifteen feet per-
pendicular above high-water mark.

The laft terrible earthquake of which we have an account happened

in Sicily and Calabria-in the year 1782. It began about fix o'clock in
the morning of the" 5th of February, and the fhocks continued to be felt
with more or lefs violence for near two months. The"commotions firft
broke out at Mount Caulone, one of the Apennines, which traverfes
through all Italy. The undulations were obferved to be in every direc-
tion; but the vertical ones were the moft fatal. The towns and villages
in Calabria, that were either totally or partly deftroyed by it, were very
numerous: among the principal ones were Franc Villa, Batatico, Mon-
teleone, Vallclonga, Francia, Mileto, Soriano, Areta, Roflano," Palma,-
Cinquefronde, Sinbpoli, ' St. Euphemia, Scilla, Reggio, Beva, Meflina,
Oppido, Bagnara, Cozenza, Catanzara, Maide, Caftiglione, &c. The
face of the whole country became entirely changed; the courfes of
many fprings and rivers were either totally abforbed, or turned into new
direbtious; and feveral water-mills were left dry,* withoirt the leaft
veftiges of the channels by which they had been driven. A confiderable
tratft
 9^7
traft of country was entirely fwallowed up by the fca ; and that whicli
was before covered with water became dry land. Whole flocks of
fhecp, and herds of cattle, were fwallowed up as they were grazing;
the earth opened and fhut, exhibiting chafms of the molt horrible depth,
vomiting forth'fulphureous flanje and vapour. Upwards of twenty-fix
thoufand fouls were cither precipitated into the-bowels of the earth, or
mangled by the fall of buildings, and buried in the ruins! By this
no lei's fatal than recent' example of the phenomena of earthquakes, it
Ihould. feem that the caufe or feat of them lies far below the furfacc of
the earth, or depths of the ocean.

Of the TIDES.

The Tides are two periodical motions of the waters of the fca, called
alfo the flux and reflux, or the ebb and flow. When the Moon is in
the firfl: and third quarter, i. e. when flic is hew and full, the tides are
high and fvvift, and are called fpring-tides—when flic is in the fecond
and laft quhrter, the tides are lower and flower, and are called neap-tides.

' In the phenomena of the tides, the fea is obferved to flow, for certain
hours, from fouth towards north; in which motion, or flux, which lafts
about flx hours, the fea gradually fwells ; fo that, entering the mouths
of rivers, it drives back the river-waters toward their heads, or fprings.
After a continual flux of fix hours, the fea fcems to reft for about a
quarter of an hour; after which it begins to ebb, or retire H;ck again,
from north to fouth, for fix hours more; in which time, the water
finking, the rivers refume their- natural courfe. Then, after a feeming
paufe of a quarter of an hour, the fea again begins to rflow, as before j
and thus alternately. Thus does the fea ebb twice a-day, and flow as
often ; but not in the fame hours thereof. The period of a flux and
reflux is twelve hours forty-eight minutes, fo that the tides return later
and later each day, by forty-eight minutes, or three quarters of an hour
"and three minutes. Now twelve hours forty-eight minutes is a lunar
day; i. e. the Moon pafles the Earth's meridian later and later each day
by forty-eight minutes. So that the fea flows as often as the Moon
pafles the two meridians of the world, namely, that above and that
below the horizon ; and ebbs as often as flic pafles the horizon, both
the eaftern and weftern points thereof. This farther agreement we
likewife obferve between the Moon and the fea, that the tides, though
conftant, are not equal ; but are greateft when the Moon is in conjunc-
tion or oppofition, and leaft when in quartile thereto". But thofe tides
are the greafeft • which happen in the new and full Moon, at the time
of the equinoxes. 'And thefe lame effedts. are obferved throughout moft
of the coafts of Europe; only that the tides are fo much-the'lefs, and-
happen later,' as the coafts are the more northerly.

Thefe phenomena of the tides are admirably accounted for from the
principles of gravftation. All that is requifite to their folution is, that
the Earth and Moon, and evety particle thereof, 'mutually gravitate to-
wards each other; the reafonablenefs of which affumption is every way
apparent. Indeed, the fagacious Kepler, long ago, conjedtured this to
be the caufe of the tides. '"If, (fays he,) the Earth ceafes to attrad: its
waters towards itfelf, all the water in the ocean would rife and flow
into the.Moon: the fphere of the Moon's attradfion extends to our Earth,
and draws up the water." Thus-thought Kepler, in his Introd. ad.-
Tlieor. Mart. This furmife, for it was then no more, is now abun-
dantly verified in the theory firft amply deduced by Dr. Halley froriv
the Newtonian principles. However, we may obferve; with M. de la^
Lande, (Aftronomie, vol. iv. Paris, 1781.) that feveral of the ancients,,
and among others, Pliny, Ptolorny,and Macrobius, were acquainted
with the influence of the Sun and Moon .upon the tides. And Pliny
fays expreftly, that the caufe of the ebb and flow is in the Sun, which at-
tracts the waters of the ocean; and adds, that the waters rife in propor-
tion to the proximity of the Moon to the Earth.

To illuftrate the foregoing obfervations, let N E S in the annexed4

plate. Jig. 1. reprefent the Earth, covered with water ABDF; NS the
axis of the earth, E the'equator, T R- the tropic of Cancer, tr the
tropic of Capricorn, M the Moon in her orbit, S fhe Sun in his-. ■ Now,
fince all bodies are endued with an attracting virtue, the Moon will attract
all the water in the neareft hemifphere FAB, with degrees of force which
are inverfely as the fquares of the diftances from all parts ; and therefore
with the ftrongeft force where the diftance is leaft, viz. in the point A,
directly under her: and, this attraction being in this hemifphere contrary
to that of the Earth, .the water in all parts from B-to F, towards A, will:
have its gravity decreafing,. and be higheft of all at the part. A ; and con-
feqiiently muft there ftand higher than at the point F, where, being more
attracted by the Earth, it muft be heavier and nearer to the centre, as is
evident from the laws of hydrbftatics. Again, in the-hemifphere F D B,
the attraction of the Moon confpires with that of the Earth; but, de-
creafing as the fquares of the diftances increafe, the joint force of attrac-
tion will every where decreafe from F -and B towards D, the point op-
pofite to the Moon; where again the waters will be lighted;, and there-
tore ftand higheft to preferve the equilibrium. Whence it appears, that
 OF ASTROLOGY.

By (his fum and difference of the Moon's and Earth's attradlion there
will neccffarily enfue a protuberance or fwclling of the waters, which
we call tides of flood, in the two points A and D diredlly under the
Moon. Alfo in the two points F and B, as the waters are there moft
attradted, fo they will be heavicft, and confequently rife to the leaft:
height from the Earth's furfacc, whence they are called tides of ebb, or
the ebbing of the water. If to the power of the Moon we add that of
the Sun, wc Ihall have the tides conflderably augmented at the conjunc-
tion in S, or oppofition in H, that is, at the new and full Moons,
which arc called the fpring-tides; as thofe which happen when the Sun
is at O or P are called neap-tides, the waters at A and D being then
loweft, becaufe the attradlion of the Moon is then counterbalanced by
that of the Sun. It is farther to be obferved, that of the two tides of
flood, at A and D, that at A is greateft to any place T in the northern
latitude, when the Moon is in the northern figns, and above the horizon:
for the point A is then nearer the zenith of the place G than the oppo-
flte point D is to the fame place at R twelve hours afterwards; and con-
fequently, the height of the tide T G is greater than that of the oppofite>
tide R g. The contrary .of this happens when the Moon is in the
fouthern figns.

That there are two tides of flood, and two of ebb, fucceeding each
other alternately at about the interval of fix hours, is obvious from the
figure: and that they happen later each day near an hour, is owing to
their exadt corrcfpondence to the motion of the Moon, which daily
culminates fo much later. That they happen not when the Moon is in
the meridian, but' about three hours after, is owing to the force of the
Moon being then greater than when in the meridian of any place; as the
heat of the day is greater at three o'clock than at twelve; and the heat'
of. the fummer is greater in Auguft than at the 21ft of June. Laftly,
that the greateft fpring-tides happen not at the 21ft of March and .23d
of September, but in February and Odtober, is becaufe, the Sun being
neareft the Earth in December, his influence is then ftrongeft, and fb
muft quicken the time of the greateft vernal tides ; and, being wcakeft in
June, the time of the autumnal tides will neceffarily be retarded. The
fum of what has been faid is this:, if NOPQ^7^.-2. be the furface
of the Earth, T its centre, IFKGLHCE a circle reprefenting the
fpherical furface of the'waters covering the earth, and affedted only by
the attradtive power of the earth: upon placing an attradling body at S,
the waters will no longer continue their fpherical figure, but be imme-
diately drawn into the fpheroidical figure A C B D, in fuch manner as •
to be depreffed at G and D to M and K, and elevated from L and I to A
 AN I'L L U S, T R AT 1 ON

and B; and the elevation A L or B I is double the deprefiion C M or

D K. That, if She the Sun, then A P—O K=A LxK D=.2.^ inches ;
or n-j feet, if S be the Moon. ' That at the points E, F, G, H, which
are called the odlants,) the water is neither elevated nor." deprefTed. .That
if any other body be placed at O, as the Moon, -in the fame right line
T S ; then, by the joint influence of both S and O, the elevation at A and
, "B will be increafed, and Hie depfefiion at "C and- D likewife. Laflly, if
S be in the fituation S, or vertical to the point D, it is plain its adtion to
raife the-water D will be diredtly contrary to that of the" Moon in de-
prefling it there ; wherefore the depreflion will not be To great as before;
for the fame reafon the elevation at A-and B will be diminiflied, being
now only as the difference of the two forces, whereas, before they were
as the fum. ' • •

:
We (hall now conflder the phenomena of the tides which remain; and
firft, it is "evident, that if P N be the axis of the Earth, and Q^O the
diameter of the equator, then the Moon iituated at O,' over one
of the poles, would accumulate the water over each pole, and .the fphe-
roid woirld be fo pofited as to have its longefl axis A B coinciding with
the axis of the earth P N. In this pofition of the fpheroid, it is plain, there
could be no fuch thing as a tide in any part of the ocean over, all the earth;
• for every fedtion of the fpheroid, parallel to the equator, would be a circle ;
confequently, in any parallel of latitude, the vyater would be at an equab
diftance from the earth's furface every moment of the diurnal revolution,
or natural day.- Suppofe the Moon were removed -from the diredtion of
the earth's axis, and pofited at S.yfg. 3. then will the- axis of the aque-
ous fpheroid A B be turned towards S, and make an angle with the earth's
axis, as A T P or B T N. 1 hen we obferve, that fince C, D, are the
places of loweft water, that parallel 1 K which paffes through the point
I -on one fide the equator, and L M which paffes' through M on the other,
• will divide the Earth into three zones, in two of which, viz". E N' K and
L P M, there will be but one tide each day, of the fame .kind ; for in-- '
ftance, in the parallel E F, a perfon at F will have high water, and at
E low water for twelve hours after. Again, in all the zone 1 K M L,
there .will be two tides of the fame kind each day, as is evident from 'the
figure. Thefe limits, or the arch Q^I or O M, is the' complement of
the Moon's declination from the equator. If the Moon at S, Jig. 4. be
over the equator, the longer axis of the fpheroid A B will now comcide
with the plane of the equator Qjb), and the fhorter axis C D with the •
axis of the earth N P. Here it is obvious, that, in this fituation of the
fpheroid, the'-waters in the parts'A B, with refpedt to thofeat C D, will
"^ive the greateft difference of high and low water .poffible to' all parts 'of
 991
the Earth; and that there is no place but thofe two at the poles NT, I\ but
what has two tides of-Hood and two of ebb every twenty-four hours.
And this difference of the flux and reflux will decrcafc from the equator
to the poles.

It has. been already obferved, that the grcatcft elevation of the waters
is not when the luminary is in the meridian, but about three hours after,
bccaufe the motion communicated to the waters during the arrival of the
meridian is not immediately deflroyed, but remains for fome time, and
receives a farther augmentation from that which is impreflcd for about
three hours after. For the fame rcafon, we obfervc,- the grcatefl and
lead tides happen not on the day of the fyzygy, or quadrature, but on
the third or fourth after; the fum or difference of the forces of the lu-
minaries not being till then at a maximum. Let S F E G, fig. 5, be the
orbit of the Moon about the Earth Q^N O P; but, as this is not circular,
but elliptical, the centre, of the Earth T will not be always at an equal
diftancc from the, Moon; but the Moon will be fometimes neareft the
Earth, as when at S, and fometimes fartheft off, as at E. The point S
is called the pcrigtcum, or perigee; and the point E the apogajum,
or apogee. The power of the Moon in her perigee is to that in the apo-
gee nearly as T E* to T St; and confequcntly the grcatefl tides will be
on the day of the perigee, or rather a few days after, for the reafons
above-mentioned.

Such would the tides regularly be, if the Earth were all over covered
with fea very deep, fov that the water might follow the influence of the
Sun and Moon; but, by rcafon of the ihoalnefs of fome places, and
the narrownefs of the flreights in others, by which the tides are propa-
gated, there arifes a great divcrfity in the effedt, not to be accounted
for without an exadl knowledge of all the'circumflances of the feveral
places where they happen; as the pofltion of the land, the breadth and
depth of the channels, diredtion of the winds, &c.

For a very flow and imperceptible motion of the whole body of water,
where it is (for example) two miles deep, will fuffice to raife its furface
ten or twelve feet In a tide's time; whereas, if the fame quantity of water
were to be conveyed through a channel forty fathoms deep, it would re-
quire a very great ftream to effedt it in fo large inlets as are the channel of
England and the German ocean; whence the tide is found to fet
ftrongeft in thofe places where the fea grows narroweft, the fame quan-
tity of water being, in that cafe, to pafs through a fmaller paflagc. This
is mofi: evident in the flreights between Portland and Cape la Hogue in
99^
Normandy, where the tide runs like a fluice; and'would be yet more
between Dover and Calais, if the tide coming round the illand .did
not check it. This force, being once imprefled upon the water, conti-
nues to carry it above the level of the ordinary height in the ocean, par-
ticularly where the water meets' a diredt obftacle, as it does, in St. Ma-
loes; and where it enters into a long channel, which, running far into the
land, grows very ftraight-at its extremity, as it does into the Severn fea
at Chepflow and Briftol. This Oioalnefs of the fea, and. the int'ercur-
rent continents, are the reafons that in the open 'ocean the tides rife but
to very fmall heights in proportion to what they do in wide-mouthed
rivers, opening in the direction of the ftream of the tide, as it is obferved
upon all the weftern coafts of Europe and Africa, from Ireland to the
Cape of Good Hope; in all which a fouth-weft Moon makes high wa-
ter; and the fame is reported to hold in the weft of America. So that
tides happen ,to different places at all diftances of the Moon from the me-
ridian, and confequently at all hours of the lunar day.

It is to be confidered that, in order to allow the tides their full mo-

tion, the ocean, in which they are prpduced, ought to be e'xtended from
eaft id weft ninety degrees at leaft. Becaufe the places, where the Moon
raifes ,moft and moft depreffes the water, are at that diftancc from, each
other; . Hence it appears, that it is only in the great oceans that fuch
tides can be produced, and why in the larger Pacific ocean they exceed
thofe in the Atlantic'ocean. Hence alfo it is obvious, why the tides are
not fo great in the torrid zone, between Africa and America,' where the
ocean is narrower, as in the temperate zones on either fide; and we may
hence alfo underftand, why the tides are fo fmall in iflands that are very
far diftant from the fhores. It is manifeft'that, in the Atlantic ocean,
the water cannot rife on one fhore but by defcending on the other; fo
that, at the intermediate diftant iflands, it muft continue at a mean
height betwixt its elevation on one and on the other fhore. . But when
tides pafs over fhoals, and through ftreights, into bays of the fea, their'
motion becomes more various and complicated, and their height depends
on many circumftances.

The tide that is produced on the weftern coafts of Europe, in the At-
lantic, correfponds to the fituation of the Moon already defcribed. Thus
it is high-water on the coafts of Spain, Portugal, and the weft of Ireland,
about the third hour after the Moon has paffed the meridian; and thence
it flows into the adjacent channels, as it finds the eafiefl. paflfage. One
current from it, for example, runs up by the fouth of England, another
comes in by the north of Scotland; they take a confiderable time to
. move
 993
tncve all this way, and it is high-water fooncft at thofe places to which
they firft come,' and it begins, to fall at thofe places whilft they are ftill
going on to others that arc farther in their conrfe. As the'y return, they
are not able to raife the tide, bccaufc the water runs farter off than it
returns, till, by a new tide propagated from the open ocean, the return
of the current is flopped, and the water begins to rife again. The tide,
propagated by the Moon, in the German ocean, when fhc is three hours
part; the meridian, takes twelve hours to come from thence to London-
bridge ; fo that, when it is high-water there, a new tide is already come
toits height in the ocean; and, in fomc intermediate place, it muft be
low-water at the fame time. Confequently, when the Moon has north
declination, and we fhould expert the tide at London to be the greatefl
when the Moon is above the horizon, we find it isleaft; and the con-
trary when flie has fouth declination. At fevcral places it is fiigh-water
three hours before the Moon comes to the meridian; but that tide which
the Moon pufhes, as it were, before her, is only the tide oppofite to that
which was raifed by her when fhe was nine hours part: the meridian.
« %
It would be endlcfs to recount all particular folutions- which gre;
eafy corollaries from this dodtrinc; as, why the lakes and feas, fuch as-
the Cafpian fea and the Mediterranean fea, the Black fea and Baltic, have
no fenfible tides: for lakes are generally fo fmall, that when the Moon
is vertical fhe attra&s every part of them alike, and therefore'no part of
the water can be raifed higher than another; and, having no communica-
tion with the ocean, it can neither increafe nor diminilh their water, in
order to rife or fall; and feas that communicate by fuch narrow inlets,,
and arc of fo immenfe an extent, cannot, in a few hours time, receive
and empty water enough to raife or fink their furface any thing fenfibly..
To demonllrate the excellency of this dodtrinei the example of the-
tides to the port of 'Batfha, in the kingdom of T'onquin in the Eart: In-
dies, in-20 degrees 50 minutes north latitude, which are fo extraordinary
and different from all others we have yet heard of, may fuffice. The-
day in which the Moon paffes the equinodtial, the water rtagnates there
without any motion; as the Moon removes from the equinodlial, the
water begins to rife and fall once a-dav; and it is high-water at the fet—
ting of the Moon, and low-water at her rifing. This daily tide in-
creafes for about feven or eight days, and then dccreafes for as many days
by the fame degrees, till this motion ceafes, when the Moon has returned'
to the equinodtial; "When fhe has paffed the equinodlial,. and declines
toward the fouth pole, the water rifes and falls again as before; but it is-
high-water now at the rifing, and low-water at the fetting, of the Moon.
Sir Ifaac Newton,, in order to account for this extraordinary tide, confi-
•994
ders that there are twb_ inlets to this port of Batlha, one from the Chinefe
ocean, betwixt the continent and the Manillas, the other from the Indian
ocean, betwixt the^continent and Borneo. This leads him to propofe, as
a folution of this phenomenon, that a tide may arrive at Batfha, through
one of thefe inlets, at the third hour of the Moon, and another through
the,other inlet, fix hours after, at the ninth hour of-the Moon. For,
while the tides are equal, the one flowing in as the other ebbs out,- the
water.mufl: flagnate; now they are equal when the Moon is in tlft equi-
noftial; but, as foon as the Moon begins to decline on the fame tide of
the equator with Batfha, it has been fhown that the diurnal tide mufl:
exceed the nodturnal, fo that two greater and two lefs tides mufl: arrive
at Batfha by turns.,. The difference of thefe will produce an agitation of
the water,"which will rife to its greateft height at the mean time betwixt
the two greateft tides, and fall loweft at a mean time betwixt the two
leaft tides; fo that it will be high-water about the fixth hour at the fet-
ting of the Moon, and low-water at her riling. When,the Moon has got
to the other fide of the equinodtial, the nodlurnal tide will exceed the
diurnal; and,- therefore, the high-water will be at, the riling, and low-
water at the letting, of the Moon. The fame principles will ferve to
account for other extraordinary tides, which, we are told, are obferved
in places whofe fituation expofes them to. fuch irregularities, and .which
appear to" admit of no other folution.

When the time of high-water at any place is, in general, mentioned,

it is to be underftood on the days of the fyzygies, or days of new and full
Moon; vvhen the Sun and Moon pafs the meridian of the place at the
fame time. _Among pilots, it is cuftomary to reckon the.time of flood,
or high-water, by the point of. the compafs the Moon bears on, allowing
three quarters of an hour for each point, at that time; thus, on the full
and change days, in places where it is flood at noon, the tide is faid to
flow north and fouth, or at twelve o'clock; in other places, on the fame
days, where the Moon bears i, 2, 3, 4, or more, points to the eaft or,
weft of the meridian, when it is high-water, the tide is faid to flow on
fuch point; thus, if the Moon bears S. E. at flood, it is faid. to flow
S. E. and N. W. or three hours before the meridian, that is, at nine
o'clock; if it bears S. W. it flows S. W. and N. E. or at three hours
after the meridian ; 'and in like manner for other times of the Moon's
bearing. The times of high-water in any place fall about the fame hours
after a period of about fifteen days, or between one fpring-tide and ano-
ther; but, during that period, the times of high-water fall each day later
by about forty-eight minutes. From theft calculations, affifted by the.
obfervations of "a number of different perfons, there have been collected, <
on mod of the fca-confts of Europe, and many other places, the times when
it is high-water on the days of the new and full mooti; of which the follow-
ing exhibits a corredt and ufeful Table.

Abbevrak, in France Englilh channel

Aberdeen, in Scotland German ocean
Aldborough, England Ditto
llle of Aldcrney, ditto Englilh channel
River Amazon's mouth, America Atlantic ocean
llle of Ameyland, Dutchland German ocean
Amfterdam, ditto Ditto
St. Andrew's, Scotland Ditto
Ifle of Anholt, -Denmark Sound
Antwerp, Flanders River Schelde
Archangel, Ruffia White .fea
llle of Arrari, Ireland St. George's channel
P.'Allrley, Carolina Atlantic ocean
St. Auguftine, Florida Ditto
Baltimore, Jreland Weftern ocean
.Cape Barfleur, France Englilh channel
llle de .Bas, ditto Ditto
Bayonne, ditto Bay of Bifcay
Beachy Head, England Englilh channel
North Bear, 1 Labrador
Hudfon's Bay
South Bear, J
Belfaft, Ireland Irilh fea
Bellifle, France Bay of Bifcay ' - .
Hie Bermudas, Bahama Ifles Atlantic ocean
Berwick, England German ocean
Ifle du Bic, Acadia River St. Lawrence
Blackney, England •German ocean
Cape Blanco, Negroland Atlantic ocean
Blanchart Race, France Englilh channel
Port Louis, ditto Bay of Jlifcay
Cape Bojador, Negroland Atlantic ocean
Bourdeaux, France Bay of Bifcay
Boulogne, ditto Englilh channel
Bremen, Germany River Wefer
Breefound, Dutchland German ocean
Breft, France • Bay of Bifcay «
Bridlington Bay, England - German ocean
Brill, Dutchland Ditto
No. 52.
996
H. M,
Briftol, England St. George's channel 6 45
Buchannefs, Scotlapd German ocean 3 oo
Button's Ifles, North Britain Hudfon's flraights 6 <o
Cadiz, Spain Atlantic-ocean 4 30
Caen, France EnglHh channel 9. 00
Calais, ditto Ditto 11 3a
I fie of Caldy, England Sti George's channel I
3 5
Camfer, Dutchland German ocean 1 30
Ifle of Canaria, Canaries Atlantic ocean 3 00-
Cape Cantin, Barbary Ditto o 00
Caflcets, Ifle of Guernfey Englifli channel 8 13
Caithnefs point, Scotland Weftern ocean > '• 9 00
Charles town, Carolina -r A Alley river 3 00
Ifle of Charles, Labradpr , - ' Hudfon's ftraights io 1c
Chignedtow, Nova Scotia Bay of Fundy 0 45
Cherbourg, France Englifli channel 7 30
Cape and R. Churchill, N. Wales Hudfon's bay 7 20
Cape Clear, Ireland Weftern ocean 4 30
Concarneau, France Bay of Bifcay 3 00
Conquet, ditto Englifli'channel 2 13
Ifle of Coquet, England German ocean 3 00
Corke, Ireland St. George's channel 6 30
Cape Corfe, Guinea Ethiopian fea 3 30
Cromer, England German ocean 7 00
Dartmouth, ditto Englifh channel 6 30
St. David's Head, Wales St. George's channel 6 00
Dieppe, France Englifli channel 10 30
Dort, Dutchland- German ocean 3 00
Dover, England - Englifli channel 1 1
-30
Downs, ditto German ocean 1
^5
Dublin, Ireland Irifli fea
9 15
Dunbar, Scotland German ocean 2 30
Dundee, ditto Ditto ' 2 1c
Dungarvan, Ireland Atlantic ocean 4 30
Dungenefs, England Englifli channel
9 45
Dunkirk, France German ocean o .00
.Dunnofe, Ifle of Wight Englifli channel
9 45
Edinburgh, Scotland German ocean 4 30 ~
Edyftone, England Englifli. channel 5 30
R". Elbe mouth, Germany German ocean o 00
Embden, ditto Ditto o 00
Enchuyfen, Dutchland Zuyder fea o 00
 997
H. M.
Eflaples, France Englifli channel i r oo
Falmouth, Eneland Ditto S 30
Flamborongh-Iicail, ditto German ocean- 4 00
Cape Florida, Florida Gulf of Mexico 7 30
Flufliing, Dutchland German ocean o 45
IHe of Fly, ditto ,- Ditto 7 30
North Foreland, England Ditto 9 45
South ditto, ditto Englifli channel 9 45
Foulncfs, ditto German ocean 6 45
Foye, ditto Englifli channel 5 15.
R. Garonne, France Bay of Bifcay 3 00
Gafpey bay, Arcadia Gulf St. Lawrence i 30
Gibraltar, Spain Mediterranean fea 0 00
Cape of Good Hope, Caffcrs Indian ocean 3 00
Granville, France Englifli channel 7 00
Graveline, ditto Ditto 0 00
Gravefend, England R. Thames i 30
Groine, or Cape Corunna, Spain Bay of Bifcay . 3 00
Ifle of Guernfey, England Englifli channel i 30
Hallifax, Nova Scotia Weftern ocean 7 30
Hamburgh, Germany River Elbe 6 00
Haarlem, Dutchland German ocean 9 CO
Hartlepool, England Ditto 3 CO
Harwich, ditto Ditto 11 I -
Havre de Grace, France Englifli channel 9 00
Cape Henry, Virginia Atlantic ocean 11 15
Holyhead, Wales Irifli fea r 30
Honfleur, France River Seine 9 00
Hull, England River Humber 6 00
R. Humbcr entrance, ditto German ocean 5 1
3
Ice Cove, North Main Hudfon's ftraights 10 00
Fort St. John's, Newfoundland Atlantic ocean 6 00
St. John de Eus, France - Bay of Bifcay 3 30
Port St. Julian, Patagonia South Atlantic ocean 4 45
Kentifh Knock, England German ocean o 00
Ifle of Kilduin, Lapland - j North ocean 7 30
Kinfale, Ireland Atlantic ocean s 15
Land's End, England St. George's channel 7 30
Leith, Scotland German ocean 4 30
Leoftoffc, England Ditto 9 45
Liverpool, ditto Irifli fea 11 1 -
Ifle of Lewis, N. Port, Scotland Weftern ocean- 6
. 30
 H. M.
Xime, England Englifh channel 7 oo
liifbon, Portugal River Tagus a *5
•Lizard, England Englifh channel 7 30
London, -dittp . R. Thames 3 00
North,London, New England Weftern ocean- i 30
Long illand, .ditto Ditto • "> oo
Longfand-Head, England German ocean TO' 30
lile of Lundy, ditto St. George's channel 5
Lynn, .ditto German ocean 6 oo
Ifle of Madeira, Canaries Atlantic ocean 12 04
R. Maes mouth, Dutchland German channel I 30
St. Maloe's, France Englifh,channel 6 00
Ifle of Man, weft endi England Irifli fea 00 "
9
Margate, ditto _ Englifh-channel 11 *5
Milford, Wales St. George's channel 5 l
S
Mount's Bay, Engird Englifh channel " 4 30
Nantes, France Bay of Bifcay 3 ■00
Naze, Norway Weftern ocean ir r
5
Needles, England Englifh channel TO l
S
Newcaftle, ditto German ocean 3 13
Nieuport, Flanders Ditto 12 60
Nore, England River Thames O 00
North Cape, Lapland Northern coaft 3 00
Orfordnels, England - German ocean
9 45
Orkney ifles, limits, Scotland Weftern ocean 3 00
Oftend, Flanders German ocean 12 00
Placentia, Newfoundland Atlantic ocean 00
9
Plymouth, England Englifh channel 6 00
Portland, ditto Ditto 8 1
S
Portfmouth, ditto Ditto •i t I
5.
Quebec, Canada River .St. Lawrence-
7 30
Ifle of Rhee, France Bay of Bifcay 3 00
Rochefort, ditto Ditto '4 *5
Rochelle, ditto Ditto 3 45
Rochefter, England River Medway o 45
Rotterdam, Dutchland German ocean 00
3
Rouen, France River Seine i 15
Rye, England . Englifh channel 11 15
Sandwich, ditto Downs 11 30
Scarborough head, ^ditto German ocean 3 45
Scilly ifles, ditto St. George's .channel 3 45 '
jR. Senegal, N.egroland Atlanttic.ocean. to 30
 Severn, R. England k t. George's'channel
Seine, R. France Engliili channel
Shccrncfs, England River Thames
Sierra I^ona, Guinea Atlantic ocean
Shorchain, England Engliili channel
Me of hetland, limits, Scotland Weiiern ocean
lile of Sky, ditto Dilto
Southampton, England Engliili channel
Spurn, ditto ' German ocean
Start-Point, ditto Engliili channel
Stockton, ditto German ocean
Strongford Bay, Irpland Jrilli fca
Sundcrland, England German ocean
Svvin, ditto Entrance of the Thames
Samarin Town, Sokotra Indian ocean
Tees, R. mouth, England German ocean
Me of Teneriffe, Canaries Atlantic ocean
Me of Texel, Dutchland German ocean
Thames, R. mouth, England Ditto
Tinmouth, ditto Ditto
Topfham, ditto L Engliili channel
Torbay, ditto Ditto
Me of Torey, Ireland Weiiern ocean
St. Yalery, France f Engliili channel
Vahnes, ditto Bay of Bifcay
Me of Ufliant, France Engliili channel
Waterford, Ireland St. George's channel
Weymouth, England Engliili channel" ,,,
Whitby, ditto German ocean
lile 5f Wight, N. S. E*. & W. end Engliili channel'
Winqhelfea, England Ditto
"Wintertonnefs, ditto German ocean
Yarmouth, ditto Ditto
York Fort, New Wales Hudfon's bay
New York, America Atlantic ocean
Youghall, Ireland St. George's channel

By the foregoing Table, the times of high-water at all the places con-'
tained in it may be found for ever. The iirit columns contain the
names of all the places refpedlively j the fecond the coalls of the fea by
which they arc bounded: and the figure-column the hour and minute
when it is high-ivater at each of thofe places on the days of every New
 1000

and Full Moon, which will happen conftantly the fame for ever, becaufe
-the Moon foutbs, or comes to the meridian of the fame places, every firffc
and lixteenth day, i. e.-at every, firft and third qwarter, when fhe is new
and full, and confequently the tides muft return at the fame intervals of
time ; therefore, to know the time of high-water on any given day, find
• the time of the Moon's fouthing, and then add the time which the Moon
has pafled the meridian at the full arid change days, to make high-water
at that place; and the fum will be the time of high-water on the given
day. For example, at what time was it high-water at Portfmouth/"
on the 21 ft of Odtober, 1789 ? Moon fouths at 2h. 39m. to which add
3; and the fum 5h. 39m. Ihows that it was high-water at thirty-nine
minutes paft five o'clock in the afternoon. And fo for any other place in
the Table.

This theory of tides has been extended fo far, as to efiimate the tides,'
or elevation of the waters of the Moon, produced by the attradlion of
the Earth; thus, let us fuppofe the quantity of matter ( QJ in the Earth
to be to that in the Moon (7) as forty to one, that is, q :: 40 : 1;
and let us firft fuppofe the Earth and Moon of equal bulk, and reprefented
by A I K, Jig. 0. and B D E, and the force (F) of the Earth, at the fur-
face of the Moon B, will be to the force (f) of the Moon at the fur-
face-of the Earth A, dire6Uy as the mafles of matter in each (becaufe of
the equal diftances T B and L A); that is, F : f:: Qj q : : 40 : 1.
Again, let LB be to L C as the diameter of the Earth to that of the
Moon, which is as 365 to too, then will the force at B be to the force at C
as. L B to L C, which let be as F to f, then F : fw 365 : 100, whence
and* above we have F=4of, therefore 40006=365/"; and * fo
f \ f:: 365 : 4000 :: I : 11 nearly; that is, the power of the Earth to
raife the water at the Moon C is to that of the Moon at the Earth A as
eleven, to one, very nearly. If the Moon can raife the water here 10
feet, the Earth can raife. the water there to the height of 110 feet; but,
becaufe the Moon always turns about her axis in the fame time as ftie
revolves about the Earth, the waters (if any there-be) will be raifed on
this and the oppbfite fide, and always continue over the fame part of the
Moon's furface, fo that there can be no different heights of water there,
arid confequently no tides, except what fmall ones may happen on account
-of the Sun's attra&ion, and her various.inequalities of motion, and dis-
tance from the Earth.
 1001

Of the WINDS.

The Wind, ventus, is a fenfiblc agitation of the air, whereby a large

quantity thereof flows in a current or flream out of one place, or region,
into another. The winds are divided into perennial, Jlaled, and variable.
They arc alfo divided into general and particular. Winds perennial, or
conjlant, are fuch as always blow the fame way: of thefe we have a
very notable one between the two tropics, blowing conftantly from eaft to
well:, called the general trade-u-ind. Winds Jlated, or periodical, are fuch
as conftantly return at certain times: fuch are the fea and land breezes,
blowing from fea to land in the evening, and from land to fea in the
morning; fuch alfo are the Jhijting or particular trade-izinds, which,
for certain months of the year blow one way, and the reft of the year
the contrary way. Winds variable, or erratic, are fuch as blow now this
now that way; and are now up, now hufhed, without any rule or regu-
larity either as to time or place: fuch are all the winds obferved in the
inland parts of England, &c. though feveral of thefe claim their certain
times of the day; thus, the weft wind is moft frequent about noon;
the fouth wind in the night; the north in the morning, &c. Wind ge-
neral, is fuch a one, as at the fame time blows the fame way, over a very
large trait of ground, almoft all the year: fuch only is the general trade-
wind. Put even this has iisinterruption; for at land it is fcarccly fcnftble
at all, as being broken by the intcrpofition of mountains, valleys, &c.
at fea, near the fliore, it is difturbed by vapours, exhalations, and parti-
cular winds blowing from landward; fo that it is chiefly confldered as
general only at mid-fea ; and even there it is liable to be difturbed
by clouds .driving from other quarters. Winds particular, include all
others, excepting the general trade-winds. Thofe peculiar to one little
canton, or part, arc called topical or provincial winds: fuch is the north
wind on the weltern fide of the Alps, which does not blow above one
or two leagues lengthwife, and much lefs in breadth: fuch alfo is the
pontias in France, &c.

Some philofophers, as Des Cartes, Rohault, &c. account for the

general wind from the diurnal rotation of the earth ; and from this ge-
neral wind derive all the particular ones. The atmofphere, lay they,
invefting the earth, and moving round it, that part will perform its cir-
cuit fooneft which has the fmalleft circle to defcribe; the air, therefore,
near the equator, will require a fomewhat longer time to perform its courlc
in, from weft, to eaft, than that nearer the poles. Thus, as the earth
turns eaftward, the particles of the air near the equino&ial, being ex-
 ceedingly light, are left behind; fo that, in refpeft of the Earth's furface,
they move call ward, and become a conrtant ealterly wind. This opi-
nion Teems confirmed by this, that thefe winds are found only between
the tropics, in thofe parallels of latitude where' the diurnal motion is
fwifteft. But the conftant calms in the Atlantic fca near^the equator,
the wefterly winds near the eoalt of Guinea, and the periodical wefterly
monfoons under the equator in the Indian feas, declare the infufficicncy
. of this hypothelis. Belides, the air, being kept clofe to the earth by the
principle of gravity, would, in time, acquire the fame degree of velocity
that-the earth's furface moves with, as well in rcTpedt of the diurnal
rotation as of the annual about the Sun, which is about thirty times
fwifter. Dr. Halley, therefore fubftitutes another caufe, capable of
prodncing-a like conftant-efFed:^ not liable to the fame objections, but
agreeable to the known properties of the elements of water and air, and
the laws of the motion of fluid bodies. Such a one is the aCtion of the
Sun's beams upon the air and -water, as he pafles every day over the ocean,
confidered together with the quality of the foil and the fituation of the
adjoining continents:

• "According to the laws of flatics, the air which is-lefs rarefied, or ex-
panded by heat, and confequently is more ponderous, mufi: have a motion
Towards thofe parts thereof which are more rarefied, and lefs ponderous,
.to bring it to an equilibrium j alfo, the prefence of the Sun continually
fhifting to the weflward, that part to which the air tends, by reafon of
the rarefaction made by his greatefl meridian heat, is, with him, carried
weflward •, and, confequently, £he tendency of the whole body of the
lower air is that way. ' Thus a general ealterly wind is formed, which,
. being imprefled on the air of a vaft ocean, the parts impel one the other,
and fo keep moving till the next return of the Sun, whereb}' fo much of
the motion a? was loft is again reftored; and thus the ealterly wind is „
made perpetual. From the fame principle it follows,. that this ealterly
wind fliould, on the north fide of the equator, be to the northward of the
ealt, and in fouth latitudes- to the fbuth'ward thereof; for near the line
the air is much more rarefied than at a greater diflance from it, becaufe
the Sun is twice in a year vertical there, and at no time diftant above
twentv-three degrees and a half; at which, diflance the heat, being as
the fine of fhe angle of incidence, is but little fhort of that of the per-
pendicular ray; whereas, under the tropics, though the Sun flays longer
vertical, yet he is a long time forty-feven degrees off, .which is a kind of
winter, wherein the air fo cools, as that the fummer heat cannot warm it
to the fame degree with that under the equator. "Wherefore, the air
towards the north and fouth being lefs rarefied than that in the middle, it
follows, that from both fides it ought to tend towards "the equator!
 1003
'['hie motion, compounded with the former ealrerly wind, nccounts
for all the phenomena of the general trade-winds, which, if the whole
furface of the globe were fta, would undoubtedly blow quite round the
world, as they arc found to do in the Atlantic and Ethiopic oceans.
But feeing that fo great continents do intcrpofe, and break the continuity
of the ocean, regard mult be had to the nature of the foil, and the pofi-
tiou of the high mountains, which are the two principal caufes of the
variations of the wind from the former general rule,- for, if a country
lying near the Sun prove to be flat, faiidy, and low land, fuch as the
defcrts of Lybia are ufually x*eported to be, the heat occafioned by the
reflexion of the Sun's beams, and the retention thereof in the fand, is
incredible to thole who have not felt it; whereby the air being extremely
rarefied, it is neeeflary that the cooler and more denfe air ftiould rim
thitherwards to reltore the equilibrium. This is fuppofed to be thecaufe
why, near the coafl: of Guinea, the wind always fets in upon the land,
blowing weflerly inftead of calterly, there being fuflicient reafoa to be-
lieve, that the inland parts of Africa are prodigipully hot, lince the
northern borders thereof were.fo very intemperate, as to give the ancients
caufe to -conclude, that all beyond the tropics was uninhabitable by cx-
cefs of heat.

Mr. Clare, in his Motion of Fluids, p. 3o2. mentions a familar ex-

periment, that ferves to illuftrate this matter, as well as the alternate
courfc of land and fea breezes. Fill a large difli with cold water, and
in the middle of it place a water-plate, filled with warm water: the ficft
will reprefent the ocean, the other an illand, rarefying the air above it.
Then, holding a wax-candle over the cold water, blow it out, and the
fmoke will be feen, in a ftill place, to move toward the warm plate, and,
rifing over, it will point the courfe of the air, and alfo of vapour, from
fea to land. And if the ambient water be warmed, and the plate filled
with cold water, and the fmoking wick of a candle held over the plate,
the contrary will happen.

From the fame caufe it happens, that there are fo conflant calms in
that fame part of the ocean, called the rains; for this tradl being placed
in the middle, between- the weflerly winds blowing on the coafl of
Guinea, and the eafterly trade-winds blowing to the weftward thereof,
the tendency of the air here is indifferent to cither, and fo flands in cqui-
librio between both; arid the weight of the incumbent atmofpherc being
diminifhed by the continual contrary winds blowing from hence, .is the
reafon that the air here holds not the copious vapour it receives, but lets
it fall in fo frequent rains. But as the cold and denfe air, by reafon
' .No. 53. ' 11 R of
 1004

of its greater gravity, preflesupon the hot and rarefied, it is demonftrable,

that this latter mufl: afcenddn a continued ftream, as' fafi; as it rarefies ; and
that, being afcended, it mufl: difperfe itfelf, to preferve the equilibrium;
that is, by a contrary current, the upper air muft move from th'ofe parts
where the greatefc heat is;To, by a kind of. circulation, the north-eaft
trade-wind below will be attended with"a fouth-wefierly wind above; and
the fouth-eaft, with a north-weft wind above.

That this is more than a bare conje<fture, the almoft inftantaneous

change of the wind to the oppolite point, which is frequently found in
paffing the limits of the trade-winds, feems ftrobgly to afi'ure usj
but that which above all confirms this hypothefis, is the phenomenon of
•the monfoons, by this means moft eafily.folved, and without it hardly
explicable. Suppofing, therefore, fuch a circulation as above, it is to be
confidered that to the northward of the Indian ocean there is every where
land, within the ufual limits of the latitude of 30°; viz. Arabia, Perfia,
India, &c. \vhich, for the fame reafon as the Mediterranean parts of
Africa, are fubjedt' to infufterable heats, when the Sun is to the north,
palling nearly vertical; but yet are temperate enough when the Sun is
removed towards the other tropic, becaufe of a ridge of mountains at fome
diftance within the land, faid to be frequently, in winter, covered with
i'now, over which the air, as it paftes, muft needs be much chilled.
Hence it happens, that the air coming, according to the general rule,,
oufof- the north'-eaft, to the Indian fea, is fometimes hotter, fometimes
^colder, than that which) by this'-circulation, is returned out of the
fouth-weft; and, by confequence, fometimes the under current, or wind,,
is from the north-eaft," fometimes from the fouth-weft. ' That this has'
no other caufe, is clear from the times wherein tfiefe winds fet, viz. in.
April: when the. Sun begins to warm thefe countries to the north, the
fouth-weft monfoons begin, and blow, during the heats, till Otftober,.
when the Sun being retired, and all things growing cooler northward,
and the heat increafing fo the fouth, the north-eaft winds enter, anil,
blow all the winter, till April again, And it is, undoubtedly, from the
fame principle, that to the fouthward of the equator, in part of the Indian
ocean, the north-weft winds fucceed the fouth-eaft, when the Sun draws
near the tropic of Capricorn. Phil. Tranfa6t. No. 183. or Abridg.'
vol. ii. page 139.

Some philofopbers, diflatisfied with Dr. Halley's theory above recited-,-

or not thinking it fufficient for explaining the various phenomena of. the
wind, have had recourfe to another caufe, viz. the gravitation of the Earth
arid its atmofphere towards the Sun and Moon. They allege that, though.
 1005

wc cannot difcovcr aerial tides, of ebb or flow, by means of the baro-

meter, becanfe columns of air,of unequal height, but different denfity,
may have the fame preflurc or weight; yet the protuberance in the at-
mofpherc, which is continually following the Moon, muft, they fay, of
courfe produce a motion in all parts, and fo produce a wind more or lefs
to every place, which, confpiring with, or counteracted by, the winds
arifng from other caufes, makes them greater or lefs. everal diflerla-
tions to this purpofe were publilhcd, on occaflon of the fubjedt propofed.
by the Academy of Sciences at Berlin for the year 17-1(3. M. Muf-
chcnbrocck, however, will not allow that the attraction of the Moon is «
the caufe of the general wind ; becanfe the cafl: wind does not follow the
motion of the Moon about the Earth ; for in that cafe there would be
more than twenty-four changes," to which it would be fubjedt in the
courfe of a year, inflead of two. Mr. Henry Eeles, apprehending that
the Sun's rarefying of the air cannot Amply be the caufe of all the regular
and irregular motions which we find in the atmofphcrc,.afcribes them to
another caufe, viz. the afcent and dcfcent of vapour and exhalation, at-
tended by the elcdtrical fire or fluid; and on this principle he has endea-
voured to explain at.large the general phenomena of the weather and
barometer.

The induftry of the above-mentioned, and that of fome of the later

writers, have brought the theory of the produdtion and motion of'winds
to fomewhat of a mathematical demonftration, which is thus defined:
If the fpringof the air be weakened in any place more than in the adjoin-
ing places, a wind will blow through the place where the diminution is;
JFor, finee the air endeavours, by its elallic force, to expand itfclf every
way; if that force be lefs in one place than in another, the effort of the
more againtl the lefs elaftic will be greater than the effort of the latter
againlt the former. The lefs elallic air, therefore, will refill with lefs
force than it is urged by the more elallic; confequently, the Jefs elallic
will be driven out of its place, and the more elallic will fucceed. If, now,
the excels of the fpring of the more elaflic above that of the lefs elallic air,
be fuch as to occalion a little alteration in the barofcopc; the motion both
of the air expelled, and that which fucceeds it, will become fenliblc, i. e.
•there will be a wind. Hence, finee the fpring of the air increafes as the
eomprefiing weight increafes, and cornprelfed air is denfer than air lefs
comprefled ; all winds blow into rarer air, out of a place filled with a
denfer. Wherefore, finee a denfer air is fpccilically heavier than a rarer,
an extraordinary lightnefs of the air in any pjace mull be attended with
extraordinary winds, or llorms,
■ioo6

Now, an extraordinary fall of the Mercury in the barometer flhowing

an extraordinary lightnels of the atmofphere, it is no wonder if that fore-
tels ftorms. For, if the air be fuddenly condenfed in any place, its
fpring will be fuddenly diminilhedhence, if this diminution be great•
enough to affect the barometer, there will a wind blow through the
-condehfed air. Eut, fince the air cannot be fuddenly condenfed unlefs
it have before been much rarefied, there will a wind blow through the air,
as it cools, after having"been violently heated. In like manner, if air be
•fuddenly rarefied, >its fpring is fuddenly increafed: wherefore, it will
flow through the contiguous air, not a&ed on by the rarefying force.
■A wind, therefore, will blow oilt of a place, in which the air is fud-
denly rarefied ; and on this principle, in all probability, it is, that, fince
the Sun's power in rarefying the air, is notorious, it mufi: neceifarily
have a great influence on the generation of winds; which likewife pe-.
netrate the very bowels of the earth, fince moft caves and chafms are
found to emit wind, either more or lefs. M. Mufchenbroeck has enu-
merated a variety of caufes that produce winds, exilling in the bowels of
the earth, on its furface, in the atmofphere, and above it. See Intr,. ad
Phil. Nat. vol. ii. p. ill#, &c.

The rifing and changing of the winds are determined experimentally,

by means^ of weather-cocks,. placed on the tops of houfes, &c. But
thefe only indicate what paffes about their own height, or near the fur-
face of the earth : ' Wolfius allures us, from qbfervations of feveral years,
that the higher winds, which drive the clouds, are different from the lower
ones, which move the weather-cocks; and Dr. Derham obferves fome-
thing not unlike this, Phyf. Theol. lib. i. cap. 2. Tliis author alfo re-
lates, upon comparing feveral feries of obfervations made of the winds in
divers countries, viz., England, Ireland, Swiflerland, Italy, France, New
England, &c. that the winds in thofe feveral places feldom agree; but, when
they do, it is commonly when they are llrong, and of long continuance
in the famequarter; and more, he thinks, in the northerly and eafterly than
in any other points. Alfo, that a ftrong wind in one place is oftentimes
a weak one in another, or moderate, according as the places are nearer or
more remote. Phil. Tranf. No. 267 and 321.

Philofophers have ufed various methods for determining the volbcity

of the wind, which is very different at different times. The method ufed
by Dr. Derham was that of letting light downy feathers fly in the wind,
and. accurately bbferving the diftance to which they were carried in any
number of half-feconds. This method he preferred to that of Dr.
Hooke's mola alata, or pneumatica, (fee Phil. Tranf. No. 24. and Birch's
Hiftory of the Royal Society, vol. iv. p. 225.) He tells us, that he
thus
 loo;

thus mcaiuKOil (.he velocity of the wind in the great fiorm of Augull
5 705, and by many experiments found that it moved at the rate of
thirty-three feet per half-fccond, -or of forty-live miles per hour: whence
he concludes, that the moll vehement wind (as that of November 1703)
does not tly at the rate of above fifty or fixty miles per hour, and that at
a medium the velocity of wind is at The rate of twelve or fifteen mile.?
per hour. Phil. Tranf. No. 3 13. or Abr. vol. iv. page'ill. Mr. Price
obferves, that experiments with feathers arc fubje<5t to uncertainty; as
they feldom or never dcfcribca ftraight line, but deferibc-a fort of fpirub,
moving to the right and left, and riling to very different altitudes in
their progrefs. lie therefore confidcrs the motion of a cloud, or its
lhadow, over the furfacc of the earth, as a'much more accurate mcafure
of the velocity of the wind. In this way he found, that the wind, in a
conliderable Itorm, moved at the rate of 02*9 miles per hour; and that, •
when it blew a frefli gale, it moved in the fame time about twenty-one
miles; and that, in a fmall breeze, the wind moved at the rate of 9*9
miles per hour. Phil. Tranf. vol. Ivi. page 220.

A TABLE of the different Velocities and Eorces of the WINDS.

Velocity of llic 1
" Wind. Perpendicular
Force on one Square Common Appellations of the
Foot in Avoirdupois Forces ot* Winds.
•Miles in l=Fect in one Pounds,
one Hour.J Second .

1 1-47 *005 Hardly perceptible.

2
^ 0201 Jufl r
perceptible.
r
3 4-40 '044 /

4 7-33 •r's}' Gentle pleafant wind.

!r
15 00 nn
•22-00 1-1073 J, Pleafant brilk gale.
b

20 ^9-34 1'908| Very brifk

25 3O O7 3-075/ ery duik..
30 44-01 4 '420) ry , • ,
35 51*34 0 0271 H'gh™'1-

'l0 58 08
' 7'873 / Vervhio-h
45 OO-oi 9-g03/ ^ '
50 f5-35 12-300 A florm or tempefi.
Go 88-02 17*715 A great Itorm.
80 117-30 31*490 A hurricane,
too. 140-70 49-200 A hurricane that tears up
trees, and carries buildings, &c. before it.
 1008

' The force of the wind is as the fquare of its velocity; as Mr." Fergufons
has fhovvn by experiments on the whirling-table; and in moderate velo-
cities this will hold very nearly. It is obferved,. .with* regard to this
table, that the evidence for thole numbers, where the velocity of the.
wind exceeds fifty miles an hour, does not feem of equal authority with.-
that of thofe of fifty miles or finder: Phil. Tranf. vol. ILpage 105.
Dr. Hales found (Statical Ell*, vol. ii. page 326.) that the air rufiied out
of a pair of fmith's bellows at the rate ot 68-73 feet in a fecond of time,
when comprelled with a force equal to the weight of one inch perpendi-
cular depth of mercury, lying on the whole upper furface of the" bellows..
The velocity of the air, as it palled out of the trunk of his ventilators,,
was found to be at the rate of three thoufand feet in. a. minute j. which is
at the rate of thirty-four miles in an hour. Dr. Hales fays,, that the ve-
locity with which impelled air palfes out at any orifice, may be deter-
mined by hanging a light valve over the nofe of a bellows, by pliant:
leather hinges, which will be much agitated and lifted up from a per-
pendicular to a more than horizontal polition by the force of the rulhing
air. There, is another more accurate way, he fays, of eltimating the.-
velocity of air, viz. by holding the orifice of an inverted, glafs fiphom
full of water, oppofite to the llream of air, whereby.the water will.be de-
prelfed in one-leg, and raifed in the other, in proportion to the force with:
which the water is impelled by the air.

As to the qualities,and effe<fls of the wind', it is to be obferved, that

a wind blowing from the fea is always moift: in fummer, it is cold r
and in winter, warm, unlefs the fea be frozen up.. This is demonftratedi
thus: there is a vapour continually rifing out of all water,, (as appears;-
even hence, that a quantity of water,, being left a little while in an open-
vefiel, is found fenfiblydiminilhed,) but elpecially if it be expofed to the-
Sun's rays; in which, cafe the evaporation is beyond all expectation..
By this means, the air incumbent on the fea becomes impregnated, with,
a quantity of vapours.. But the winds, blowing from off the fea, fweep,
thefe vapours along with themand confequently they are always moilt.
Again, water in fummer,. &c. conceives lefs heat than terreftrial bodies,
expofed to the fame rays of the Sun, do; but, in winter, fea-water is.
warmer than the earth covered with froft and fnow,'* &c. Wherefore,'
as the air contiguous to any body is found to partake of its heat and cold,
the air contiguous to fea-water will be warmer in winter, and colder in,
fummer, than that contiguous to; the earth. Or thus;, vapours raifed.
from water by the Sun's warmth, in winter, are warmer than the air they
rife in, (as appears from the vapours condenfihg, and becoming vifible,,
-almoll as foon as they are got out ihto air.); Frefh quantities of vapours,.
 1000
tlicrcforc, conlhnially wanning the atmofphcrc over the fen, will raifc its
heat beyond that of air over the land. Again, the Sun's rays rcflc&cd
from the earth intp the air, in fuminer, arc much more than thole from
the water into air; the air, therefore, over the earth, warmed by the
reflection of more rays than that over water, is warmer. Hence, fea-
winds make thick, cloudy, hazy, weather.

Winds blowing from the continent are always dry; in fummer,

warm; and cold in winter, for there is much lets vapourarifing from
the earth than from water; and therefore the air over the continent
will be impregnated with much fewer vapours. Add, that the vapours,
or exhalations, raifed by a gniat degree of heat out of the earth, arc
much finer, and lefs fenfiblc, than thofe from water. The wind, there-
fore, blowing over the continent, carries but little vapour with it, and
is therefore dry. Farther, the earth in fummer is warmer than water
expofed to the fame rays of the Sun. Hence, as the air partakes of the
heat of contiguous bodies, that over the earth in fummer will be warmer-
than that over the water. After the like manner it is Ihown, that the land-
winds are cold in winter. Hence, we fee why land-winds make clear,
cold, weather. Our northerly and foutherly winds, however, which are-
commonly efteemed the caufes of cold and warm weather. Dr. Dcrham
obferves, are really rather the efieft of the cold or warmth of the atmof-
phere. "Hence it is, that we frequently fee a warm foutherly wind, on a
fudden, changed to the north, by the fall of fnow or hail; and, that in a
cold, frolty, morning, we fee the wind north, which afterwards wheels,
about toward the foutherly quarter, when the Sun has well warmed thc-
air; and again, in the cold evening, turns northerly or callcrly.

- The utility of winds has been univerfally acknowledged. The an-

cient Perfians, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans, facrificcd and creeled
temples to the winds; as we learn from Vofiius, Theolog. Gentil. lib.,
iii. part i. cap. l> JBefides their ufe in moving bellows, mills, and
other machines, applied in various ways to the fervicc of mankind, and.
the benefits refulting from them to navigation and trade, they fcrvc to
purify and refrefli the air, to convey the heat or cold of one region to
another, to produce a regular circulation of vapours from the ocean to
countries remote from it, and p fupply, by wafting them in their.progrefs
againlt hills, &c. Iprings and rivers.

. Wind has been, by many authors, made the bafis of many different,
difeafes: among others. Dr. Reyn has given it as his opinion,, in a
Treadle on the Gbut (De Arthritid.) that flatufes, or wind inclofed be-
 aoio

tween the.periollcum and the. bone,. are the true caufe of that dileafi?,
and accordingly, that all the methods of cure ought to tend to the ex-
pelling of that wind. He fuppofes this wind to be of a dry, cold, and
malignant, nature, conveyed by'the arteries to the place afFe&ed, where,
v forcibly feparating that fcnfible membrane, the periolteum, and diltend-
ing it, the pain mult needs be very great. He is alfo of opinion, that
head-achs, palpitations of the heart, tooth-ach, pleurily, convuliions,
cholies, and many "other difeafes, are originally owing to the fame caufe,
and- only differ in regard to the place affected, and to the various mC-
• lions and determinations of the wind. Tile moveablenete of the pain in,
-gouty perfons from one part to another, he looks upon .'as a proof of
this, and thinks that the curing of the gout by burning.moxa, or the cotton
of the mugwort leaves, upon it, is owing to its giving way to the wind
•in the part to evaporate itfelf. That thefe winds are cold appears from
the fhivering fits which generally precede a paroxyfm of the gout; and,
that the fhiverings in the beginning of fevers, and before all fits of
agues, are owing to the fame caufe, is fuppofed by this author a natural
conclufion from the former obfervations.

The winds, according to this author, and Fienus, area fort of halituous
'fpirits, railed by the improper degree of our native heat, or out of our
meat and drink; or, finally, out of an abundance of black choler. Their
differences, lie fays, principally, proceed from the various ferments, pro-'
ducing in us a variety of humours; which, acting upon one another, do
in their effervefcences create winds of various efFcfts, and denominate dif-
eafes from the places which are the fcenes of their adlion. It is-on this
account that the acupuncfura, or pricking with-long needles, among the
Chinefe, is of ufe: the Japanefe, and other neighbouring nations, having
no other cure for moft difeafes than the pricking with the needle, and the
burning of the moxa on the part.

The hufbandman often fuffers extremely by high winds, in many dif-

ferent refpects. Plantations, of trees, at a fmall dittance from the barns
and houfes, are the bell fafeguard againft their fuffcring by winds; but
they muft not'be planted fo near as thattheir fall, if it fhould happen, would
endanger them. Tews grow very flowly, othervvife they are the belt of
all trees for this defenfive plantation". Trees luffer by winds, being ei-
ther broken or blown down by them ; but this may be in a great meafure
prevented by cutting off part of the heads and branches of them in
places where they Hand moft expofed. Hops arc the moft fubject to be
injured by winds of any crop; hut this may be in a great meafure pre-
vented by a high pale or very thick thorn-hedge; this will both keep off
 1011

the fpring-wincl, which iwps the young buds, and Ijc a great fafcgtiard
againlt other winds that would tear the plants from their poles. The
poles ihoulcl always be very firm in the ground ; and the hell fecurity to
be added to this is a row ot* tall trees all round the ground. Winds at-
tended with rain do great injury to the corn, by laying it fiat to the
gi'ound. ( The belt method of preventing this, is to keep up good on-
clofures; and, if the accident happens, the corn Ihould be cut immedi-
ately, for it never grows at all afterwards. It thould be left on the
ground, in this cafe, fomc time after the cutting, to harden the grain
in*the car.

Many valuable obfervations on the winds, as they relate to navigation,

have been made by tkilful feamcn, and particularly by Dr. Hal Icy. It is
found, that between the limits of Oo degrees, viz. from 30 degrees of
north latitude to 30 degrees of fouth latitude, there is a contlant call
wind through the year, blowing in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, called
the trade-wind. Thcle trade-\yinds, near their northern limits, blow be-
tween the north and call; and, near their fouthcrn limits, they blow be-
tween the fouth and call; but their general motions are dilturbed on the
continents and near their coalts. In fomc parts of the Indian ocean there
are periodical winds, which are culled monfoons.

• In the Atlantic ocean, near the coalls of Africa, at about a hundred

leagues from the Ihore, between the latitude of 28 degrees and 10 degrees
north, fcamen conllantly meet with a frefh gale of wind blowing from
the .N. E. Thofe bound to the Caribbee illands, acrofs the Atlantic
ocean, find, as they approach the American fide, that the faidN. E. wind
becomes eallerly, or feldom blows more than a point from the eaft,
either to the northward or fouth ward. Thefe trade-winds, on the Ame-
rican fide, are extended to 30, 3], or even to 32, degrees of N. latitude;
which is about 4 degrees farther than they extend to on the African fide:
alfo, to the fouthward of the equator, the trade-winds extend three or four
degrees farther to the coall of Bralil, on the American fide, than they
do near the Cape of Good Hope oh the African tfide.

Between the latitudes of 4 degrees N. and 4 degrees S. the wind al-

ways blows between the fouth and eaft: on the African fide the winds are
n care ft the fouth; and, on the American fide, neareft the eaft. In thefe
leas, Dr. Hallcy'obferved, that, when the wind was eaft ward, the wea-
ther was gloomy, dark, and rainy, with hard gales of wind; but, when
the wind' veered to the fouthward, the Aveatber generally became fcrenc,
with "-611110 breezes, next to a calm. Thefe Avinds are fomewhat changed
1012

by the feafons of the year j for, when the Sun is far northward, the. Brafil
S. E. wind gets to the fouth, and the N. E. wind,to the eaft; and, when
the Sun is far fouth, the S. E.-wind gets to the eaft, and the N. E. Winds
on this fide of the equator veer more to the north.

Along the coafi: of Guinea, from.Sierra Leona to the ifiand of St. Tho-
mas, under the equator, which is above five hundred leagues, the fouth-
eriy and fouth-wcft winds blow perpetually; for, the S. E. trade-wind,
having pafled the equator, and approaching the Guinea coafi: within eighty
or a hundred leagues, iriclines toward the fliore, and becomes fouth, then
S. E. and by degrees, as it comes near the land, it veers about to fouth,
S. S. W. and in with the land it is S.W. and fometimes W. S. VV. This
tra£t is troubled with frequent calms, and violent fudden gufts of wind,
called tornadoes, blowing from all points of the horizon.

Between the fourth and tenth degrees of north latitude, and between
the longitudes of Cape-Verd,* and the eafternmofi of the Cape-Yerd ifles,
there is a trad: of fea fubject to perpetual calms, attended with frequent
thunder and lightning, and rains : fliips, in failing thefe fix degrees, are
faid to have been fometimes detained whole months.

The three lafi: obfervations account for two circumftances which ma-
riners experience in failing from Europe to India, andin.the Guinea trade.
The firfl: is, the difficulty which fhips, in going to the fouthward, efpe-
cially in the months of July, and Auguft, find in pafling between the
coafts of Guinea and Brafil, although the breadth of this fea is more than
five hundred leagues. This happens, becaufe the S.E. winds at that
time of the year, commonly extend fome degrees beyond the ordinary'li-
mits of four degrees N. latitude; and, befides, coming fo much foutherly,
as to be fometimes fouth, fometimes a point or two to the weft; it then
only jemains to ply to windward: and if, on the one fide, they fteer
W. S.W; they get a wind more and more eafterly ; but then there is a
danger of falling in with the Brafilian coafi, or flioals; and, if they fieer
E. S; E. they fall into the neighbourhood of the coafi of Guinea, from
whence they cannot"depart without running eafierly as far as the ifiand of
St. Thomas; and, this is the conftant pradtice of all the Guinea fhips.
Secondly/ all fhips departing from Guinea for Europe, their diredt.
courfe is northward ; but on this courfe they cannot go, becaufe, the coafi
bending nearly eaft and weft, the land is to the northward : therefore, as
the winds on this coafi are generally between the S. and W. S.W. they
are obliged to fteer S. S. E. or fouth, and with thefe courfes they run off
the fhore; but, in fo doing, they always find the winds more and more con-
 1013

trary ; To that, when near the Ihore, they can lie fouth; at a greater dif-
tanee they can make no better than S. £. and afterwards E. S. E. with
which courfes they commonly fetch the iiland of St. Thomas, and Cape
Lopez, where, finding the winds to the caltward of the fouth, they fail
wellerly with it, till coming to the latitude of four degrees fouth, where
they find the S. E. winds blowing perpetually. On account of thefe .
general winds, all thofe that ufe the Well-India trade, even thofe bound
to Virginia, reckon it their belt courfe to get as foon as they can to the
ibuthward, that lb they may be certain of a fair and fr^fh gale to run be-
fore it to the welt ward : and, for the fame reafon, thofe homeward-bound
from America endeavour to gain the latitude of thirty degrees, where
they firft find the winds begin to be variable; though the moft or-
dinary winds in the north Atlantic ccean come from between the fouth
and welt.

Between the fouthern latitudes of ten and thirty degrees, in the Indian
ocean, the general trade-wind, about the S. E. byS. is found to blow all
the year long in the fame manner as in the like latitude in the'Ethiopic
ocean; and, during the fix monthsTrom May to December, thefe winds
reach to within two degrees of the equator; but, during the other fix
months, from November to June, a N. W. wind blows in the tradt lying
between the third and tenth degrees of fouthern latitude, in the meridian
of the north end of Madagafcar; and, between the fecond and twelfth,
degrees of fouth latitude, near the longitude of Sumatra and Java..

In the tradl between Sumatra and the African coaft, and from three-
degrees of fouth latitude quite northward to the Afiatic coalls, including
the Arabian fea and the gulf of Bengal, the monfoons blow from Septem-
ber to April on the |N. E. and from March to October on the S. W. In.
the former half-year the wind is more fieady and gentle, and weather clear-
er, than in the latter fix months ; and the wind is more Itrong and lleady in
the Arabian lea than in the gulf of Bengal.

Between the iiland of Madagafcar and the coaft of Africa, and thence
northward as far as the equator, there is a tradl, wherein, from April to-
Odtober, there is a conltant frelh fouth-fouth-weft wind; which to the-
northward changes into the weft-fouth-weft wind; blowing at that time
in the Arabian fea.

To the eaftward of Sumatra and Malacca on the north of the equator,,

and along the coafts of Cambodia and China, quite through the Philip-
pines as far as Japan, the monfoons blow northerly and foutherly; the
 1014.

northern letting in about O&ober or November, Snd* the fouthern about

May : the winds are not quite fo certain as thofe in the Arabian leas.

Between Sumatra and Java to the weft, and New Guinea to the eaft,
the lame northerly and loutherly winds are obferved," but the firll half-
year monfoon inclines to the N. W. and the latter to the S. E. Thefe
winds begin a month or lix weeks after thofe in the Chinefe feas fet in,
and are quite as variable. Thefe contrary winds do not fliift from one
point to its oppoftte all at onqej'in fome places the time of the change
is attended with calms, in others by variable winds; and it often hap-
pens, oh the lliores of Coromandel and China, towards the end of the
monfoons, that there are moft violent ftorms, -greatly refembling the
hurricanes in.the Weft-Indies; wherein the wind is fo very ftrong, that
hardly any thing can refill its force. All navigation in the Indian ocean
mull neccllhrily be regulated by thefe winds; for, if mariners Ihould de-
lay their voyages till the contrary monfoon begins," they mull either fail
back or go into harbour, and wait for the return of the trade-wind. See
Phil. Tranf. No. 183. or Abr. vol. ii. p. 133, &c. Robertfon's Elem.'
of Nav. book vi. febt. 0.

The winds are divided, with refpeel to the points of the horizon from
which they blow, into cardinal and collateral. Winds cardinal are thofe
blowing from the four cardinal points; eaft, weft, north, and fouth.
Winds collateral are the intermediate winds between' any two cardinal
winds; the number of thefe is. infinite, as the points from which they
blow are; but only a few of them are confidered in prablice, i. e. only a
few of them-have their diftinguilhing names. The ancient Greeks, at
firft, only ufed the four cardinal ones ; at length they took in four more.
Yitruvius gives us a table of twenty, befides the cardinals, "\vhich were
in life among the Romans. The moderns, as their navigation is much ■
more pcrfetft than that of tlie ancients, have given names to twenty-eight
collateral winds, which thcy^^ range into primary and fecondary; and the
fecondary they "fubdivide into thofe of the jirjl and Jccond order. The
Englilh names of the primary collateral winds and points are compounded
of the names of the cardinal ones, north and fouth being ftill prefixed.'''
The names of the fecondary collateral winds of the firft order are com-
pounded of the names of the cardinals and the adjacent primary one.-
Thofe of the fecond order are compounded of the names of the cardinal
or the next adjacent primary and the next cardinal, with the addition of
the word by. The Latins have diftindl names for each; all which are
exprefled in-the following Table.
 OF ASTROLOGY.

Names of the WINDS, and Points of the.

COMPASS. ' Diftanccs of
the Points, &c.
from the North.
Englifli. Latin and Greek.

r. NORTH. Scptentrio, or Boreas.

■2. North-by-cafl:, Hyperboreas. 11 '5
Hypaquilo. ,
Gal lieu s.
3. North-north-eaft. Aquilo. 22 to
4. North-eaft-by Mefoboreas. ' • 33-- •45
north. Mefaquilb.
1
Supernas. ' .
5. North-eaft. ArElapeliotcs. .45-
Borapeliotes, f
Gracus. 1
6. North-eafl. by Hypocaefias. 56' t . .15
eaft. •' >
7. Eaft-north-eaft* Caefias, Hellefpontius. 67 30
8. Eaft-by-north. Mefocacfias.- 78 45
Carbas; ^
1
From the Eaft.
1
9. EAST Splanus, fubfolanus, .
opelites, !
10. Eaft-by-fouthi Hypeurus, or hyper- 11 15
eurus. 1
11. Eaft-fouth-eaft. Eurus, or volturnus, 1 22 30
12. South-caft-by-eaft^ Mefeurus. 33 45
13. South-eaft. * Notapeliotes, eurajler. 45 '
14. South-eaft-by-fouth Hypophoenix. S6 15
15. South-fouth-eaft. Phoenix, phoenici^s,' 67 30
leuco-notus, gan-
geticus. ' . ' *
16. South-by-eaft. Mefophoenix. .» 'V 78 1
45
ioi6 A N I L L U S T. R A T I 0 N
»

JSIames of the WINDS, and PoiNTS of the Diftances of -

COMPASS; the Points, &c.
from the South.
Englifh. M Latin and .Greek.

17. SOUTH. Aujier, not us, meridies.

iS. South-by-weft; Hypolibonotus, alfa- 11 _ 15
1^ - nus. - ' |
19. South-fouth-weft. Libonotus, nbtolibycus, 22 30
iauftro-africus.
20. South-weft-by- Mefolibonotus. ' 33 , 45
r
fouth.
21. South-Weft; , 1 Noto-zephyrus. 45
Noto-iibycus.
Africus.
22. South-weft-by- Hypolibs.. . 56 15
weft. Hypafricus. ■ ■
Subvefperus. .'
23. Weft-fouth-weft. Libs. • ' , -l-f '67 . ''n> . .30
1
24. Weft-by-fouth. Mefolibs. 78
45
1 Mefozephyrus. !

From'the Weft.
- •' >' .' i
25. WEST— ZzphyruSr-Jananius, oc-
O "
. v/i , ■ cidens.
26; Weft-by-north Hypargeftes." 11 L I .1. 15
'1 » 1 '
Hypocorus.
27. Weft-north-weft. Argeftes. ■ 22 30
Caurus, corns, iapix.
r »
28. North-weft-by! Mefargeftes.'-' ' • [ 33 u +
45
weft. • < | Mefocorus. ,j
- 1 .?'■ yu-ti; - .r t
> r 1'
29. Nortli-weft. - j Zephyro-boreas, lofo-li- ■45- " ■'
' ;
! bycus, olympias. • .1 - -1
; 30. North-weft-by- Hypocircius. ^ . 56: - >■ 1
5
1
north. I •- Hypothrafcias;! 1
• "i
Scirem.. *' ; '
3i-; North-north-weft. ( Circi'iis,.thrafcias. :' 67--ji'-.ht. .30
| 32. NorthTby-weft. IMefocircius. 78 45
 10:7

APPLICATION of all the foregoing PHENOMENA in natural

and meteorological ASTROLOGY.

Having defcribed the nature and properties of metcorolic appearances,

and explained the phenomena of cclipfcs, comets, See. with the motions
and attractions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, as they affeCt the tides,
winds, and atmofpherc, wc fhall now confidcr their influence, jointly
with that of the other planets and ftars, in producing the continual
changes and mutations in the general affairs of flatcs and empires; and
in the variations and changes of the weather, whereby plagues and
peftilenccs, droughts and inundations, and the confequent calamities of
iickly and diftrefsful times, are fought out and predicted; for, all having
the fame primitive caufe,'namely, the attractive power and influence of
the planetary fyftem upon the elementary and terreftrial matter, they are
alike definable from a contemplation of the occult properties of that celeftial
influx, which this department of the aflrologic fcience has, in all ages, been
found to teach.

From what has been premifed concerning the foregoing phenomena,

it becomes evident, that whatever affeCls the flate of the air or atmof-
pherc muft neceflarily, in an adequate proportion, alter the flate of the
weather; and that, by how much the more the elements are impregnated
or charged with eleClrical matter, or that the motions of- the winds are
increafed or diminifbed, or that the clouds are furcharged with moid
and difcordant vapours, by fo much the more will ftormy, tempefluous,
and unfettled, weather, be produced. So likevvife, it is equally demon-
flrable, that, as the temperature of the air, and the flate of the ambient
and elementary matter, is from time to time varied and changed, or
^ furcharged to a greater or lefs excefs with any particular quality, fo in a
proportionate degree will the animal functions and fpirits of men be raifed
or dcprefTed, their minds agitated, and their pafiions inflamed; whence
arifc putrid and malignant complaints throughout whole provinces, and
difcord and malevolence among the different governments and orders of
fociety. And, feeing thefe things are fo, that their caufes are brought
about by the attractions and mutations of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, in'
their different motions and pofitions, and in their conjunctions and op-
pofltions, and various configurations among thcmfelves and with the
Earth; and fince we have feen that thefe motions and pofitions of the
planets, and all their different afpeCts, can be afcertained for any feries
of years to come; fo, it is manifeft, that, by knowing their influences
-and effeCts upon the air, earth, winds, and elements, and upon the
 ioi8

conflitutions and paffions of men, a prefage of times and fcafons, of

famines, - peftilences, inundations, and of all great and univerfal calami-
- ties arifing therefrom, is fought out, and indifputably eftabliflied.

This fpeculation is therefore deftined to be, the art of prognoftication by.

the rules of ajlronofny. It is divided into two .principal or dirtindt parts ;
the one whereof is called general, or univerfal, becaufe it relates to whole
empires, nations, or provinces; and,the other local., or particular., fince it
relates only to -the weather applicable to particular and dillindl climates;
which, from the foregoing theory of eclipfes, tides, and winds, it is ma-
nifeft, might be afcertained with very.great degrees of exadtnefs.

'In thefe confidcrations, two things are to be regarded,, as the principal

ground-work of the whole, namely, the tendency and familiarity 'of the
-twelve figns of the zodiac, and the planets arid ftars, to the temperature
of the different climates; and .the qualities produced in certain feafons by
the ecliptical conjundtions of the Sun and Moon, and by the revolutions
.and tranfits of the planets, with their rifings and ftations. ' The firft and
greater caufe hath.refpedt unto whole regions, and fhoweth the uncertainty
of national glory and perfection, fo liable to be difturbed by wars and in-
tefline broils, or deftroyed by famine, peftilence, earthquakes, or inundations.
The "fecondary or inferior caufe is produced in certain times,- as in the
contrariety of feafons, and their mutations more or lefs in their different
quarters; as heats or winds more vehement or remifs, out of their proper
and accuftomed times, whereby plenty, or fcarcity, or difeafes, are produced,
as the .caufe and quality fhall happen' to be. Hence are difcovered the
lympathies exifting between the motions and configurations of .the planets,
and between the mutations and varieties of weather obfervable in the fame
feafons.of the year; and of the general good or evil attendant on mankind;
all which are here acccounted for according to tbe principles of natural
•reafon. For it is an undeniable fa<ft, that eyery diftindl property will have
its diftindl effe<£l; and that the knowledge of thefe effeds points out the
property, whether it be good or evil. Thus we know that the property of
the planets ruling particular feafons, as the Moon" does the tides, will con^
ftantly produce the fame effed, when unimpeded with the property or
influence of other attradive bodies; for then the effedive property is
changed, and can only be determined by contemplating the proper force and
•mixture of the different planets, according to their co-operation and power,
or places in the zodiac.

In this fpeculation, likewife, not only the natures and mixtures of the
planets amongft themfelves are to be obferved, but alfo the mixtures of
 1019
thofe qualities which communicate their properties to the planets and
figns: fuch as the more powerful influences of the Sun and Moon, and
the parallels of attraction made with the earth. But, when any of the
planets a6t diftinCtly of themfelves, regard muft folely be had to their
own proper government and quality. Therefore, if the ftar of Saturn
rules alone, he caufeth corruptions by cold, confpiracies in ftates, with
difcontents and fedition. But the influx which. properly feizeth men,
engendering cold and crude matter, produces chronical difeafes and con-
fumptions, colloquations, rheumatifms, cold moift diftempers, agues,
epidemic fevers, defluxions, &c. which will be the general or prevailing
complaints in thofe countries over which this planet bears rule, and
where his parallels or afpefls in mundo are viGbly made. With refpeCl
to the political government of thofe countries, it ftirs up diflentions
amorigft kings and princes, begets violence and contention betwixt ma-
giftrates and rulers, and anarchy and confufion amongft the people; it
forebodes war, forrow, and defolation, and often terminates in the over-
throw of ftates, and in the death of princes. Among irrational animals,
it moftly feizeth thofe of the domeftic kind, producing the diftemper in
horfes and dogs, the rot in fheep, and the murrain amongft horned
cattle. Its effedt upon the-atmofphere will produce mifty, dark, clofe,
humid; lowering, corrufcuous, weather; or elfe turbulent, and violently
intemperate; or extremely intenfe cold, durable frofts, and fnovv, as the
clime and feafon of the year ftiall chance to be. Hence will arife inun-
dations of waters, (hipwrecks, and diftrefs at fea, and drowning, or
freezing to death'on land. The fruits of the earth will be diminiftied,
and chiefly thofe which are moft needful for the fuftenance of man will
totally fail, being ftruck with blight, fmut, blaft, and mildew, or
overcome with floods, Vain, hail, fnow, or frofts, fo that the evil begets
a paucity of the necefl'aries of life, and proceeds to famine.

If Jupiter alone be lord of the year, he influences all things to the

greateft good. Amongft men will be a time of blcflednefs, vigour, and
uninterrupted health; of long and happy days of tranquillity and peace.
Thofe things which are neceflary for man's ufe and benefit are nourifhed
and augmented, and all nature tends both to mental and corporeal good.
In political events, thofe countries more immediately under his dominion"
and influx will be the moft happy and profperous, the affairs of ftate
will tend to the promotion of national wealth, magnanimity, and honour;
the government will be mild, and the laws dilpenfed with jufticc and
moderation ; there will be mutual agreement between kings and princes,
and an univerfal difpoGtion to peace; alliances will be formed for the
profperity of the people, and trade and commerce will flourifh under
No. 54. 11 X them.
lOiO

them. The increafe amongft irrational animals, of the domeftic'and

ufeful kind, will be great, and men will be enriched thereby, particularly"
fucb as deal in fheep and .black cattle. The conftitution of the air will
be mild and healthful, tempered with gentle winds and' refrefhing
fhowers, whereby the fruits of the earth will be replenifhed, and feed-
time and harveft, and heat and cold, fucceed each other in their proper
and accuftomed feafons. The elements, participating in a more equal
mixture of their qualities, will be lefs difturbed ; lakes and rivers fwell
only to a moderate height,'fo as to encreafe fertility and vegetation.—
The rt ft lefs ocean, now unfullied by turbid ftorms-and winds, affords
fafe paffage to the richly-freighted fhips from every quarter of the globe.
In fhort, under the unimpeded influence of this benign ftar, the pro-
duftions of the earth will be poured forth in abundance, and all things
contribute their flore for the health and profperity of man.

Mars, having alone the dominion of the year, produces thofe evils
refulting fpontaneoufly from his nature, which are intemperate heat
and drought. Mankind will hence be feized with violent corruptions
of the blood, apolexies, and fudden deaths. Spotted and fcarlet fevers
will abound principally in thofe countries over which he prefides, and
where his mundane afpe&s moft forcibly pervade the earth ; for, there
will his noxious influence prove moft fatal. Political affairs, under.this
influx, are marked with violence and opprefflon. Wars break out be-
tween contending princes, and fire and fword defolate the country^
and level all before them. „ Inteftine broils, infurredtions, treafon, and
murder, ftain the land with innocent blood, and complete the fad cata-
logue of human misfortunes. The brute-creation, and particularly thofe
appropriated for the food and fervice of man, will be grievoufly afflidted ;
epidemic diforders will break out amongft them, and the heat and
drought will prove extremely fatal to horfes. The fruits of the earth
will be burnt up, fodder and grafs for cattle every where deftroyed, and
all vegetation in a rpanner fufpended. Rivers, lakes, and ponds, will be
dried up, the fprings of the earth exhaufted; and, at therifingof the
dog-Jlar, nature, as it were, will ficken, and refpiration be difficult and
.faint i dogs will run mad, and epidemic contagion fpread throughout
whole empires. The fea, in a manner ftagnated with calms, will put
navigation and commerce almoft to a ftand, whereby a dearth of corn,
and other neceflaries of life, will be felt in many countries, and pave'
the way to the fevereft ravages of peftilence and plague.

The Jole rule and government of Venus will draw our attention from
this wafte and barren wild to a fcene more grateful and pleafing. Under
 1021

her mild and gentle fway, all nature inclines to moderation and delight.
1 he influx which feizeth men will difpofc them to cultivate the blcf-
fings of peace, and conciliate the jtrring intcrefts of contending ftates.
•Fruitfulnefs and fecundity will blefs the land ; the minds of men will
be foftencd by the all-fubduing charms of the fmiling fair, whofe be-
nignant influences harmonize fociety, and prefage the golden aera of
felicitous and happy marriages, harbingers of joy, of children, and de-
light. Political affairs will now grow mild and peaceful; and the minds
of monarchs more inclined to negociations for family-alliances, and the
chains of wedlock, than to enforce the favage rage of war, and painful
fhackles of imprifonment or flavery. All animated nature will increafc
and multiply, and the creatures which do not fly the dominion of man
will be healthful and profitable. The ftate of the air will be prolific
and ferene, tempered with refrelhing fliowers and falubrious winds,
producing heavy and luxuriant crops of all the fruits of the earth. Ships
fail brifkly and fafely at fea, and the produce of different climes are wafted
from fliore to (bore, trebling their value. The fprings and rivers murmur
through the groves, pouring over their moffy banks the beverage of fat-
nefs on the verdant plains, fmiling in all the variegated drefs of blooming
fpring. The alternate feafons will fiicceed, without turbulent or violent
excefs ; and the delicious fruits and ripened corn, gathered into the
garner in plenty and perfedlion, will influence the minds of men, while
fitting in fafety and peace under their own vine and their own fig-tree,
to pour out, to a bountiful and gracious Providence, the unbounded
effufions of pious and grateful hearts.

When Mercury hath alone the dominion, and not allured to the qua-
lity of other bodies by the force of attradlion, or the mutability of his
own nature, he quickens the minds of men, and difpofes to induftry and
invention. The conftitution of the air under him will be aflive and un-
fettled, frequently changing in the fpace only of a few hours; and, by
reafon of his proximity to the .Sun, when in his fwifteft motion, he oc-
cafions drought, and difturbs the ambient by generating winds and va-
pours, thunder, lightning, corrufcations, and dark lowering clouds; and
on this account he induceth corruption in animals and plants, particu-
larly fuch as are rroft ufeful and profitable to man. In matters of ftate-
policy and government, he infufes artifice and cunning into the conduft
of princes, gives lagacity to minifters and difpatch to the deliberations
of council; he promotes the liberal arts, and forwards the improvement
of fcicnce, difpofing all men to fobriety, perfeverance, and labour. Jn
voyages and navigation, the influx of this planet is not very propitious,
fince it occafions fudden and violent ftorms, and perpetual changes of the
1022

wind. Lakes arid rivers,'under this dominion, fwell on a fudden to

immoderate heights j break down their banks, and carry:, away their
bridges ; inundate the country for miles round, and lay whole towns
underwater; thefe again, as fuddenly fubfide, and droughts frequently
enfue. Hence the difeafes engendered will be quotidian agues, violent
colds and coughs, eruptions of blood, aflhmas, and confumptioris. In
die occidental quadrants he diminilheth the waters, and in the oriental
he increafeth them. Under this influence, therefore, when it a£ls alone,
men will experience a mediocrity of good and evil; the fruits of the earth
will in general be fufficient, but vary much in quality and value, accord-
ing to the mutation of the weather, and as the blights and rains fhall
have been more or lefs general or partial. Peace will for the mofl: part
prevail under this governance ; fince the animofities of princes will be
more likely to cool by negociation, than be inflamed or exhaufted by
the devaflations of war. .
» t
Thus each planet, according to its nature, quality, and force, pro-
duceth thefe things; when left to its own proper aflion and eflfeft, un-
mixed with the influx of other bodies, and-the beams and copulations
of the luminaries unoppofing or correfponding thereto. But, when one.
ftar is mixed with another by afped:, or by familiarity in figns, then the
effeft will happen according to the mixture and temperamerit arifing froni \
the communication of thofe mixtures, which being as it were manifold
and infinite, from the number and diverfities of other ftars and afpeils,
they can only be afcertained by attentive calculations,- founded on ma-
thematical precepts. And, in our judgment of events which appertain
to certain diftridts, we ought mofl: attentively to weigh the familiaritiei of
thofe planets which bring up the event ; for, if the planets are benefics,
and conformed to the region, upon which the effedt falls, and are not
overcome by contraries, they more powerfully produce the benefit ac-
cording to their proper nature, as, on the contrary, .they are of lefs ad-
vantage, if any impediment happens in the familiarity, or their influence
be overcome by oppofing afpetis. So again, if the ruling fliars of the
events are malefics, and have familarity with the regions on which the
accident falls, or are overcome by contraries, they do lefs harm; but, if
they have" no familiarity with thofe countries, nor are overcome by them
that have familiarity therewith, they do much greater harm. As to their
effedts upon the difeafes of men, they are feized by more univer/al af-
fedtions, having the feeds thereof in their nativities, and receive, by
fympathy in their conftitutions, and more fenfible operation of thefe ge-
neral accidents. Thefe confiderations form the grand outline of this
department of aflrology ; from which particulars are alone deducible.
 1023
Seeing, therefore, that this fpccula'tion comprizes two different and
diftin£i fubjedts, namely, the general (late of the weather; and, fecond-
ly, the mutations and revolutions of countries and empires: it will be
proper to confider them upon the bafis already laid down, under their
rcfpcflive and particular heads; and, firft.

Of the WEATHER.

As it is in the air or atmofphere that all plants and animals live and
breathe, and as that appears to be the great principle of mod animal and
vegetable produdtions, alterations, &c. there does not feem any thing,
in all philofophy, of more immediate concernment to us, than the (late
of the iweather. In effedt, all living things are only affemblages or
bundles of veffels, whofe juices are kept moving by the preffure of the
atmofphere; and which, by that motion, maintain life. So that any al-
terations in the rarity or denfity, the heat, purity, &c. of that, mud
neceffarily be attended with proportionable ones in thefe. What great,
yet regular, alterations, a little change of weather makes in a tube filled
with mercury, or fpirit of wine, or in a piece of dring, &c. every body
knows, in the common in dance of barometers, thermometers, hygro-
meters, &c. and it is owing partly to our inattention, and partly to our
unequal intemperate courfe of living, that we do not feel as great and as
regular ones in the tubes, chords, and fibres, of our own bodies. It is
certain, a great part of the brute creation have a fenfibility,' and fagacity,
this way, beyond mankind ; and yet, without any means or difpofition
thereto, mOrc than we ^except that their veflels, fibres, &c. being, in
other refpedts, in one equable habitude, the fame or a proportionable
caufe from without has always alike or proportionable effedt on them;
that is, their veffels are regular barometers, &c. "affedted only from one
external principle, viz. the difpofition of the atmofphere ; whereas ours
are adted on by divers from within, as well as without : fome of which
check, impede, and prevent, the adtion of others. But to afcertain the
limits of thefe various affedlions requires a theory of the. weather found-
ed on aftrological and mechanical principles.

To obtain a proper knowledge of $he weather for any given year,

it is requifite exadtly to obferve the ingrefs of the Sun into the firft
point of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, at the change or com-
mencement of the four different quarters of the year; together with the
conjonflions w oppofitions of the luminaries next preceding the fame in-
greffes. Then to the time of the ingrefs eredt the fcheme of heaven, and
obferve whether the places of the luminaries, at the time of their conjunc-
* No. 54. 11 Y tion
 1024
tion or oppofition, happen in a moift, dry, or cold, manfion; and of what
planets they are afpe&ed, and likewife if the ruling planets be conjoined
in fuch a manfion with the lord of the fign of that conjunftion or oppo-
fition,-and the lord of the afcendarit'j as alfo the almnten, or general lord
of the figure, not negledting the fixed ftars of the firft, fecond, and third,
magnitude, their rifing, fetting, and culminating, with planets of the fame
nature, or having conveniency of afpefcl or radiation. Alfo, diligently
conlider the lord of the eclipfe, or ruling planet of the great conjundtion
next preceding, if any do immediately precede; which, being truly
noted, obferve carefully what planet or fixed ftar he ftiall be corpo-
rally conjoined with, or apply to, next after the conjundtion or oppofition
of the Sun and Moon; for according to the nature thereof will the feafon
generally be inclined. If Saturn therefore be well difpofed in an angle,
and in a moift afterifm, without impediment, or applying to another
planet at the time of the Sun's ingrefs, it pfefages temperate and feafon-
able fhowers, and filleth the heaven with obfcure clouds, efpecially in that
' lunation wherein he hath the chief dominion. But if, on the con-
trary, he be impedited, or evilly difpofed, it portends turbulent ftorms
of wind and rain, and cold, denfe, and thick, clouds, efpecially if Ve-
nus, or Mercury be in moid figns, and behold him from an angle: for,
in that cafe, there will be much rain. Jupiter, in fuch a pofitioh, pro-
duceth winds and rain, with reddifh clouds'; Mars engenders yellow
clouds, thunder, corrufcations, and rain, efpecially in thofe times and
places proper and convenient, and the rather if Jupiter and Mercury give
any teftimony thereto. The Sun, irradiated in that manner, produces
red clouds and a great deal of wet. The Moon, applying to Venus, and
afluming the above prerogatives, brings gentle rain; but, if the Moon ap-
plies to Mercury, or if Mercury be lord andi ruler of the figure with Jupi-
ter, it portends fhowers and violent winds, and'cloudy air; yet fometimes
more violent, and fometimes more remifs, according.to the figns, afterifm,
manfions of the Moon, and the conjundtions of the other ftars, either •
fixed or erratic. And here note, that, if the ruling planet be oriental,
his efFedts will appear in the end; if occidental, in the beginning, whe-
ther it be in a revolution, folar ingrefs, or a lunation.

A fcheme of the heavens, eredted for the Sun's entrance into the firft
fcruple of Aries, will, with the lielp of the, Moon's principal afpedts
and configurations with the Sun and other planets at her feveral changes,
determine the general ftate of the weather for that quarter. But, in this
fpecies of predidlion, we muft never lofe fight of the influence and at-
tradtion of the earth, nor of the force and peculiarity of each climate
rcfpedlively, as heretofore laid down in our confideration of tides, winds,
earth-
 1025
earthquake, See. bccaufc thcfc peculiarities arife entirely from the particu-
lar fituation of different climates or countries with refpefi to the Sun, and
would have their weather fixed and certain, the fame as their incrcafe or
decreafe of day or night, were it not for the attradlive and expulfive force
of the other celeflial bodies, which arc inccffantly varying that of the Sun
and of one another, according to their different pofitions and afpedts.
Hence it is neceffary, before we attempt to give jugdment of the wea-
ther in any particular country or climate, to be well informed of its par-
ticular fituation with refpedl to land and fea, mountains and vallies,
iflands and continents, caverns and lakes, as well as of its geographical
pofition, with refpedt to the tropics, equinoflial, ecliptic, &c. for, as
every different climate is differently affedled by the Sun's influence upon
it, as well as by the quality of its own proper foil or component parts,
fo will the adtion of the other celeflial bodies thereupon be more power-
ful or remifs, as their nature and quality fhall be found to agree with or
oppofe the flate and temperature of thofe climates, and the Sun's influence
at thofe times upon them. Hence we fee clearly the extreme difficulty
of calculating the weather for England, Ireland, or any of the iflands,
which, being furrounded by the fea, are fubjedt to much greater varia-
tions of weather than any of the continents or great oceans. The
caufe is apparent. In England, we find almofl every flight configura-
tion of the Sun and Moon, and the rifing and fetting of particular liars,
will change the flate of the atmofphere almofl inflantaneoufly; and, from
the proximity of the fea every way round us, and the confequent moifl
vapours inccffantly drawn up into the air by the attraflion of thefe bodies,
we become fubjedt to wet, cloudy, corrufcuous, weather, which extends
not to any of the furrounding coafl^, but is peculiar only to the ifland
over which thefe vapours are engendered. And, hence it is we fo often
fee fhowers, which, though accompanied with violent thunder, lightning,
wind, and hail, are frequently not heard of at a few miles diflance; and that
When, in one county, there has been a drought, and the land and corn
almofl dried and parched up, in the next adjoining county they fhall be
vifited with frequent fhowers, and the fruits of the earth be luxuriant
and flourifhing. '1 his fa6l mud be within every man's obfervation who
refides in England, and the caufe is entirely peculiar to the country. The
moifl vapours of the contiguous ocean are drawn up into the clouds one
hour; and, by the oppofing influence of fome planet or flar then rifing
or culminating, are driven down the next; whence it is obvious, that all
attempts to foretel fuch mutations and changes as thefe are abfurd and
futile. '1 he objedl of this part of Aflrology means only to afcertain thofe
gfeat and powerful operations of the flars, which fhall be felt generally
throughout whole provinces; that having their caufe in the principal
 AN ILLUSTRATION

conjun&ions, oppofitions, or quadratures, of the fuperior bodies, will

. raife tempefts over a whole continent; pervade the bowels of the earth
in porous and fubterraneous countries, and produce earthquakes; that
fhall clothe the whole face of nature with fleecy fnow or hoary frofl;;
or, from humidity and heat, fliall either parch the land, while its faint-
ing inhabitants gafp for breath, or putrefy its air with peflilential quali-
ties, which/ends them by thoufands to the grave.

The next thing to be confidered in relation to the weather, is the con-

jundtions and afpefts of the planets. The conjundtion of Saturn and Ju-
piter, which ought accurately to be obferved, produces its effefts in the
mutation of the air many days before and after, in regard of the tardinefs
of their motions. This cdnjundtion happening in hot and dry manfions, .
or with fixed ftars of that nature,.generally produces drinefs ; increafeth
heat in fummer, and mitigates the cold in winter; but in moift figns
it portends rain and inundations. Yet this is diligently to be noted, that
the effefts produced by this conjunftion will be of the nature of the rul-
ing planet; for, if Saturn claims-principal dominion in the place of the
conjuntlion, and is elevated above Jupiter in refpedtof latitude, it denotes
many difeafes, and much evil in general;. but the contrary, if Jupi-
ter prevails. So likewife thefe two ponderous planets being in oppofition,
quartile, trine, or fextile, is a fign of continuance of feafons; but for
the mod part they bring forth impetuous'ftorms of rain and hail; parti-
cularly happening in the fpring time, in moift afterifms, they produce tur-
bulent air; in fummer, hail and thunder; in autumn, winds and wet; in
winter,' obfcure and thick clouds, and dark air. .Saturn and Mars in .
conjundion, quartile, or oppofition, and Jupiter giving teftimony, ufu-
ally prefage winds and rain, hail, thunder, lightnings," and corrufca-
tions, according to the feafons of the year; for, in the fpring it portends
wind, rain, and thunder; in fummer, hail and thunder; in autumn, vio-
lent rain ; and in winter, diminution of cold. But above all, obferve the
ruling planet, and, according to his nature judge. Saturn and the Sun in
conjundion, quartile, or oppofition, is apertio potarum, efpecially if it
happens in a moift conftellation; for then, in the fpring time, it threa-
tens dark and heavy clouds; in fummer, hail, thunder, and remiflion of
heat'; "in autumn, rain and cold; in winter, froft, fnow, and cloudy
weather. Saturn and Venus in conjundion, quartile, or oppofition,
generally produce cold rain and ftiowers ; in fpring, ;they bring forth
rain and cold ; in fummer, fudden and hafty ftiowers; in autumn,( cold
rain, (as, in fpring or winter, fnow or cold rain.) Saturn and Mercury
in conjundion, quartile, or oppofition, in dry figns and manfions, bring
forth drinefs; in moift figns, rain; in the airy, winds; in the earthy.
 lOZJ
cold air and drinefs; particularly in the fpring, it produces wind and
rain; in fummer, wind and fliowers; in autumn, wind and clouds;
and, in winter, wind and fnow. Saturn and the Moon, in.conjundtion,
quartile, or oppofition, affedt the air according to that part of the aftcrifm
wherein they are conjoined or afpedted. In the moift figns, it portends
clouds and coldnefs; in the airy, and in Sagittarius and Capricorn, it in-
crcafeth cold, efpecially when the Moon is of full light; and, when fhe
is void of courfe, it brings forth drinefs; but, in dry figns, it begetteth
fharp air; and a frofty feafon, if it be in winter; generally the Moon and
Saturn ftir up thick clouds and gentle fliowers. In the fpring it is a
fign of a turbid and moift air; in fummer, moifture, with remiflion of
heat, and fometimes hail, if there be any afpedl of Mars or Mercury ;
in autumn, it prefages a cloudy air; in winter, clouds and fnow, with
vehement cold.

Jupiter and Mars, in conjundtion, quartile, or oppofition, change the

quality of the air, according to th*e nature of the figns and ftars to which
they are conjoined or otherwife afpe&ed. In hot and dry manfions, it
caufeth great heat; in the moift figns, thunder and rain; but, particularly
in the fpring time, it produceth winds and turbulent air; in fummer,
heat, and thunder and lightning; in autumn, tempeftuous and windy
air; and, in winter, remiflion of cold and temperature of air. But, in
this conjundlion, we muft obferve the ruling planet; for, if Jupiter fliall
rule and be elevated above Mars, it fignifies much good and felicity, plenty
of fruit, and fuch things as ferve for the fuftenance of mankind, accord-
ing to his benevolent nature; but, Mars ruling, produceth many difeafes,
drinefs, houfe-burnings, and the like. Alfo, Jupiter and Mars, with tem-
peftuous ftars, as Arfturus, the Eagle, Tail of the Dolphin, light ftar of
the Crown, &c. ftir up wind and hail, and in fummer alfo thunder;
in winter, he inclineth the air to warmth, efpecially if Jupiter be then
ftationary. Jupiter and the Sun, in conjundlion, quartile, or oppofi-
tion, bring forth wholefome winds and fercnity; particularly, in fpring
and autumn, they fignify winds; in fummer, thunder, and, in winter, re-
miflion of cold. Jupiter and Venus, in conjundlion, quartile, or oppofi-
tion, do generally produce fcrenity and temperature of air; in the moift
figns they promife gentle fliowers; in'other figns, fair weather, wholefome
winds, and fertility of all things. Jupiter and Mercury, in conjuntlion,
quartile, or oppofition, ftir up the winds, and fometimes there is aper-
tio portarum to winds and rain ; in the fiery figns they bring drinefs and
warm winds; in the airy figns, fair weather, but winds in all feafpns of
the year; particularly, in the fpring and autumn, they portend hail, and
in winter fnow. Jupiter and the Moon in conjundtion, quartile, or oppo-
 AN ILLUSTRATION

fition, produce gentle winds, ferenity, and tempe.rature of the air; yet
they alter the weather, according to the. quality of the fign and afterifm
which they poflefs ; but at all times they generally denote a mild and
temperate feafon.

IVIars and the Sun, in conjundtion, quartile, or oppofition, in the fiery

figns, portend heat and drinefs ; in the watery, hail, thunder, and light-
ning; in the airy, clouds; and, in the earthy, violent winds; in the
fpring and autumn, they excite dry winds; in fummer, great heat, light-
ning, and thunder; and, in winter, remiflion of cold. Mars and Venus,
in conjundtion, quartile, or oppofition, are apertio portarum to much
rainj if it happen in moift figns, efpecially in fpring and autumn ; in
fummer it engendereth fhowers ; in winter, remiflion of cold, yet of-
tentimes fnow when Saturn beholds them. Mars and Mercury, in
conjundtion, quartile, or oppofition, in winter and fpring, foretel fnow ;
in fummer, thunder and hail ; in autumn, hail and great winds ; and,
in fiery and dry figns, they prefage warmth and exceflive drinefs. Mars
and the Moon, in conjundtion, quartile, or oppofition, in moift figns,
demonftrate rain; in fiery, drinefs, red clouds, and fometimes rain; in
fummer, lightning, hail, and corrufcations. Mars, entering new figns,
very often changeth the air; fo Mars, paffing by Suculce, or Hyades, cau-
feth clouds and moifture. Mars in Cancer, with north latitude, in au-
tumn and winter, bringeth warm weather, with wind and and rain, and
fharp difeafes, if Mars fhall afpedt Saturn, Venus, or Mercury. Mars
paffing by the Pleiades maketh a cloudy feafon, and, being accompanied
with ftars of a tempeftuous nature, as Ardturus, the Eagle, bright ftar of
the Crown, Bull's eye, Tail of the Dolphin, Procyon, Fidicula, Scorpi-
on's Heart, Virgin's Spike, &c. rifing or fetting with them, fignifies a
turbulent, windy, and oftentimes a fultry and unwholefome, air.

The Sun and Venus in conjundtion commonly produce moifture; in

fpring and autumn, rain; in fummer, (howers and thunder; in winter,
rain. The Sun and Mercury in conjundtion, in the airy figns produce
winds, in the watery figns rain, in the fiery drinefs and warm winds,
(hurtful to mankind.) The Sun and Moon, in conjundtion, quartile,
or oppofition, in moift figns, portend rain ; in fiery figns, fair weather,*
but generally it alters the air according to the nature of the ruling planet
and the nature of the feafon. The conjundtion, femi-fextile, and fex-
. tile, of Venus and Mercury, infer ftore of winds, and wet; and, in
winter, fnow; provided they be almoft equal in motion; Venus in the
firft decade of Cancer prefageth rain ; allo, her being with the Pleiades
Hyades, and. the Ajj'elliy prenotes a moift feafon.
 1029
In the revolution of the year, if Mars ftiall be in his own fign, it por-
tends much rain; if he be in the houfe of Saturn, it fhews but little; in
others, but a mediocrity. In the revolution of the year, when Venus,
Mercury, and the Moon, are found in moid manfions, it portends much
rain. At the ingrefs of the Sun in tropical figns, if Venus fhall afpcdb the
Moon from a moid place, it is a token of much rain, or, if Mars from
Scorpio fhall afpetd Venus, it portends likcwife rain. When the Sun i
in Aries or Taurus, if Venus be then retrograde, the fpring will be
moid. 1 he Sun in the terms of Mars increafeth the heat in fummcr,
and drinefs of the fprings'in winter. In the conjundtion or oppofition
preceding the entrance of the Sun into Aries, and alfo in the ingrefs it-
felf, if the Moon behold Saturn, and both be in moid figns, it is the
prefage of thick clouds, or foft and gentle diowers continuing long;
but, if Venus or Mercury behold Saturn, then the rain will be more
vehement, and of long continuance.

If, in the autumnal quarter, more retrograde planets be with the Sun
than in the other feafons, which in the winter following will become di-
redt, it is a fign of great drinefs. When the Sun enters the eighteenth de-
gree of Scorpio, if Mercury be in a moid place, it is a fign of rain; and
obferve alfo the planet that is then almuten of the figure erefled for that
moment, and pronounce judgment according to his nature and pofition.
Venus in winter, direfl and oriental of the Sun, fignifies but little rain
in the beginning of winter, and more dore towards the end. When
Venus applies to Mars in Scorpio, it brings rain immediately. When
the Sun, Mcon, Venus, and Mercury, are all conjoined together, it ar-
gues continual fhowers that day, if the Moon beholds them from fome
other place, or if fhe be in oppofition to them. When at the time of
the conjundtion or oppofition of the luminaries, Venus (hall be in an an-
gle, it is a certain fign of rain; the lord of the afcendant in a watery
fign begetteth rain.

To determine judgment of the particular date of the air, we mud con-

fider thefe fix things : fird, at the time of the conjunfiion, quartile, or
oppofition, of the luminaries, to obferve the planet that is lord or a/wu-
ten\ for, according to his quality and nature, will the feafon be inclined.
Secondly, to confider the fign which the faid lord pofied'eth,. with his
nature and quality. Thirdly, to obferve the fign afcending, the nature,,
and of what manlion of the Moon it is in. Fourthly, the places of the
planets, .both in the zodiac and the celedial houfes, whether they be
in angles or elfewhere. Fifthly, to obferve, next after the conjuntdion,
oppofition, or quartile, what planet the Moon is fird conjoined with in
 AN ILLUSTRATION

afpeft. And, laftly, to confider to which of the planets, or fixed ftars,

the lord is firft joined, or of whom he is beheld. Thefe things being
well cbnfidered, judgment may be given as follows: namely, if the lord
of the conjundtion, quartile, or oppofition, be of a moift nature, and the
planets in moift places, and the faid lord alfo be joined to ftars or planets
of a moift nature, and the Moon after feparation fhall conjoin or have af-
pedt with a moift planet, the nature of the time will be wet and rainy ;
if all incline to drinefs, it will be dry; if to warmth, pronounce hot
weather; if to cold, cold weather. The nature of the time will then
chiefly be moved, when the Moon, after conjunftion, quartile, or op-
pofition, fliall be conjoined by body or any ftrong afpeft to the figni-
ficator. And, when the Moon comes to the fign afcending of the con-
jundlion, quartile, or oppofition, the time will be changed according to
the quality and nature of the fign and afterifm.

Daily experience ftiews, that the weather is much varied by'the fitua-
tion of the winds; for, according to their different bearing is the feafon
much inclined, fometimes to hail, rain, and fnow, and again to fair
weather; wherefore I fhall ftate thofe afpects which are found to attraff,
raife, vary, or alter, the pofition of .the winds, as they alternately rife or
fet in parallels to the different bearings of the earthl Befides thefe,
there are the lateral and collateral winds blowing between thefe points,
which partake more or lefs of the quality of the foregoing, as they ap-
proach or recede from them. In the figure of the Sun's ingrefs into any
of the cardinal figns, or conjundtion or oppofition of the luminaries
preceding, or monthly lunation, obferve carefully what planet is predo-
minant in the figure; and their pofitions one to another mutually, as
before ftated, will give a near conjedture of the wind.

Saturn is the mover of the eaftern winds, Jupiter of the northern.

Mars of the weft and fouth, Venus of the fouthern, and Mercury ac-
cording as he fhall be conjoined with others; the Sun and Moon of the
weftern winds. The quality of the winds, and their bearing, is alfo
known from their pofitions in the figure; for, the planets with latitude
and fouth declination, from the mid-heaven, move the fouthern winds
to blow. From the imum cceli, with latitude and northern declination,
the northern winds ; the oriental planets move the eaftern winds, but
the occidental the weftern winds; and, when they are weak, they attradl
or caul'e the intermediate winds to blow.

Alfo the fituation and quality of the winds are gathered from the lati-
tude of the Moon, as fhe inclines to the north or fouth ; fo the figns do
alfo
 1031

nlfo dcmonftratc the winds: for Aries, Leo, and Sagittary, excite the
north-weft winds; Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, the fout ^eaft ; Ge-
mini, Libra, and Aquaries, the north-caft; Cancer, Scorpio, and Pifces,
the fouth-weft. Likewifc, from the application of Mercury to the other
planets, we may in fomc meafure prognofticate the quality of the wfnds;
for, if Mercury apply to Saturn, it produces great winds, clouds, and
rain; if to Jupiter, mild winds ; if to Mars, warm winds; if to M r
and the Sun, warm and hurtful winds; if to Venus, cold winds.

Alfo the rifing, culmindting, and fetting^ of the fixed ftars, with the
Sun, Moon, and other planets, alter the ftatc of the winds in the follow-
ing manner: Regulus, or the Lion's Heart, fetting with the Sun, excites
the weft winds to blow many days together. The rifing of Pleiades with
the Sun moveth the eaft wind. The fetting of-Ar&urus ftirrcth up the
fouthern winds. The fetting of Pleiades with the Sun excites the north-
eaft wind. The rifing of the Dolphin with the Sun alfo produceth wind.
The rifing or fetting of Ardurus, (the head of the former twin,) the
fouthern belly of Pifces, the ftar of the Triangle, with the Sun, Saturn,
Jupiter, Mars, or Mercury, begetteth winds. The fetting of Hyades
troubleth both fea and land, efpecially when Mars and Mercury give
teftimony. If, at the time of the matutine fetting of the Dolphin, there
be fhowcrs, there will be none at the rifing of Ardurus. The rifing of
the Haedi produces rain. The matutine rifing of the greater Dog beget-
teth heat, troubleth the feas, and changeth all things.

The great Ptolomy, from many years obfervation, deduced the follow-
ing effeds from the fixed ftars rifing with, the Sun. Orion's Girdle, rifing
with the Sun, maketh a turbid air. The fetting of the Crown pre-
fageth tempefts. Syrius and Aquilo, rifing in the evening, produce tem-
pefts. The fetting of Regulus caufeth the north wind, and fometimes
alfo rain. The fetting of the Dolphin produces wind and fnovv. The
fetting of Vindemiator moveth the north-eaft wind. The rifing of the
Ram's-Horn brings forth rain and fnow. The vefpertine rifing of Arc-
turus portends tempefts. The rifing of the Pleiades maketh the weft
wind to blow. The vefpertine fetting of Syrius produceth the fouth
and north-north-eaft winds. The matutine fetting of the Hyades pre-
fageth rain and the fouth wind. The vefpertine fetting of the Pleiades
moves the fouth wind, terminating in the weft. The rifing of the Suc-
culte brings rain. The rifing of Orion maketh the weft wind to blowv
The matutine fetting of Ardurus promifcth good weather. The matu-
tine fetting of the Eagle caufeth great heat and the' fouth wind. The
matutine rifing of Regulus moveth Aquilo. The matutine fetting of
No. 54. 12 A Ardurus
 AN ILLUSTRATION

Ar&ures prefageth fhowers. The matutineTetting of the Succulse be-

getteth rain, fnow, and winds."

The Sun, rifmg with the Aflelli, troubles the air with thunder, light-
ning, fliowers, and the like. The Sun riling with the Eagle produceth
fnow, as alfo with the tail of the Goat and head of M'edufa. His rifing
with'Aldebaran and the ftars of Orion moveth wind, rain, thunder, and
lightning. When he rifeth with the cloudy ftars in Leo, with Orion,
with the tail of Leo, the light ftar of Hydra, the Crown, or the ftars
in the forehead of the Scorpion, it portends a cloudy feafon. The
Sun fetting with the Harp prefageth a cold and moift time; with the
Pleiades, it begets wind and rain-; with llegulus, ftiowers, thunder," and
lightning; with the Greater Dog, a fair warm time, with thunder and
lightning; with Orion and Aldebaran, a turbid, windy, and wet, air;
with Acarnar and the ftars of Jupiter, a ferene and temperate feafon;
with the ftars of the nature of Saturn, he produceth cold rain, or fnow;
with the Stars of Venus, rain and moifture ; with the ftars of Mars,
thunder and lightning. Saturn, with the Head of Medufa, begetteth
cold and moifture; with the Pleiades, he troubleth the air, and engenders
clouds, rain, and fnow ; with the ftars of Orion he produceth wind'and
fhowers; .with Ardturus, wind and rain ; with the Virgin's Spike, fhow-
ers and thunder; with the Dolphin, bright ftar of the Crown, Goat's
Tail, or the Harp; it caufeth a-moift and cloudy time, fometimes fnow
and rain; with Prefepe, and the Hyades, it begetteth winds, clouds, rain.,
and thunder; with the Lion's Heart, it produceth "thunder and rain, and
inftability of weather; with the Greater Dog, it fignifies winds, rain,
thunder, and lightning,

Jupiter; rifing with Regulus, brings fair weather in winter, and miti-
gates the cold, and increafeth the heat in fummer; with the Neck of
the Lion it raifeth the winds, and with Acarnar it promifeth ferenity.
Mars rifing with the Goat's Tail foretelleth a moift time; with the ftars
in the Scorpion's Forehead it denotes cold rain or fnow ; with Arflurus,
vehement winds, rain, thunder, and lightning ; with the Eagle, rain,
fnow, and great coldnefs ; with the ftars of Orion, Hyades, Regulus, and
the Dogs, it fignifies great heat. Mercury with the Pleiades begetteth
winds and rain'; with the Eagle, fnow or rain; with the ftars of Orion,
Hyades, Regulus, and the Dogs, it produceth winds,fhowers, thunder, and
lightning; with the Goat's Tail, cold winds, fnow, or fhowers ; with the
back and neck of the Lion, moiftnefs with winds; with the Lion's Tail,
Spica Virgo, the Harp, &c. it portends a fudden change to wind and rain.
 1033
The rifing and fctting of thefe ftars and conftcllations might be known,
and their effcdts in fome degree prc-dctermined, by the fudden alterations
and changes we perceive in the atmofphere > from which, by diligent
obfervation, and repeated experience, we may derive pretty accurate rules
how to judge of the weather, fo as to regulate our conduft in the profe-
cution of journeys, or the management of bufinefs, particularly fuch as
relates to gardening and hulbandry.

The air, in which we breathe, being co-mixt with inflammable va-

pours, at which time it is hotter than ordinary, and unapt for refpiration,
(hews the approach of thunder and lightning.—When the ringing of
bells, or other founds, are heard loud and faint, with dilcordant parti-
cles, and by intervals, it (hews the air to be dilated and difturbed, pre-
fages either wind or rain, and fometimes both.—A (harp and cold wind
after rain forelhews more to come, the exhalation or vapour not be-
ing fpent in the former (bower.—Winds, that continue .long in any one
of the cardinal points, will caule the weather to continue the fame,
whether it be fair or foul; but, if it-fliifts often in changing its place, it
prefageth rain quickly after to enfue j but, in times of froft, it is a fign
that the weather is about to break.—Whirlwinds predifl approaching
dorms of- rain and hail';, thefe winds are known by railing the dull or
any light materials, and they arc oftentimes forerunners of great tem-
pefts, for it-is a windy exhalation driven obliquely, upon-the horizontal
plane, and forced down by the coldnefs or moifture of the lower region.;
this repercuflion of the air caufeth chimneys to fmoke which do not at
other times, and forelhews great winds.—Sometimes whirlwinds are
caufed by the meeting of one another, and fo raifing light particles of
matter, as it were in contention with each other, hurls them to and fro at
the pleafure of the prevailing, power;. and fuch as thefe ufually prefagc
tempefts, and may be known by the clouds moving feveral ways at once,
from the fame caufe above as below.—When the air is dilated or rarefied,
it is a fign of much heat, or elfe produces rain, which might be known
by the ftench of fewers, foul places, or things corrupted, which are
more offenfive than at other times.—When the clouds be dark, deep,
and lowering, it is a fign of rain, and fometimes of tempeftuous weather,
or of violent dorms of thunder and lighting.—If there be more thunder
than lightning, it argues a drefs of wind from that part whence it thunder-
ed, and alfoof rain.—When it lightens and no clap of thunder fucceeds,.
it is a fign in fummer of much heat, and fometimes of rain.—When it light-
ens only from the north-wed, it betokens rain the next day.—Lightning,
from the north prefages winds, and oftentimes great tempeds.—If from
the fouth or. wed it lightens, expert both wind and rain from thofe parts.
 3034
—Morning thunder produces winds; but mid-day, or in the evening,
ftorms of rain and wind.—If the lightning appears very -pale, it argues
the air to be full of ele&ric fluid; if red or fiery, it forefliews winds and
tcmpefts.—When the flafhes of lightning continue long before they va-
nifh, they denote the florm to be general throughout a whole province.
—Thunder and lightning in winter in hot climates is ufual, and hath
x
the fameefFefls; but in thefe northern climates it is held ominous, and
.feldom occurs without being the forerunners of much mifchief.—Many
fcattering clouds wandering in the air, and moving fwiftly, argue wind
■ or rain ; if from the north or fouth, it denotes an approaching ftorm; but,
if the rack rides both ways, it forelhews a tempeft.—If the rack in the
forenoon rides in the'air from the eaftward, it argues rain at night; but^
if from the weft, it forefhews a. cloudy morning, and rain ; and at any
time of the day, when the fun-beams and wind meet, it may caufe the
fame effect by virtue of his rays.—When the clouds feem piled upon
heaps like fleeces of wool, it prefages wet weather to be near at hand.—
If the clouds fly low in fummer, it is a fign of rain ; and in winter it
forefliews fnow and cold weather will enfue.—When the clouds feem
white and jagged, as if rent afunder, gathering together in a body, their
forces uniting, they foretel a ftorm; the nature of the exhalation is ap-
parently turbulent by the form and colour.—Hollow and mumuring
winds prefage ftormy weather, for it fliews the air to be moift and dilated,
and cannot find paflage, but is oppofed or hindered. in its motion by
hills, trees, and hollow places, which it gets into, 'and then evacuates
with a roaring noife.—The air, being a'fubtile body, infufes itfelf into
the pores of timber, boards, 6cc. and denotes rain, by being converted
into drops of water, or a moifture on the furface, which makes doors and
.boards fwell, wainfcots crack, &c. for-fome time before the rain comes
on.—Paper again ft wet weather will grow weak, damp, and fwell; the
reafon is the fame with the laft; but in writing paper it will fooneft be
perceived, and more certainly predidt the weather, becaufe it is fized
with a thin fubftance of a gummy nature, which, with the wateriflmefs
of the air, diflblves and grows moift, giving way for the ink to foak into
the paper, which the fize in dry weather will not permit.—When , the
clouds feem overcharged, and colledt in white fpirals or towers, expedt
then rain, hail, or fnow, according to the feafon of the year.—After a ftorm
of hail, expedt froft to follow the next day.—Mifts defcending from the
fops of hills, and fettling in the valleys, is a fign of a fair day, efpeci-
ally in fummer time, and is then an argument of heat; for, they are exha-
lations raifed by the fervour of the Sun, which by the air in the evening
are converted into mifts and dews, as a neceffary provifion for nature to
cpol the earth, and refrefh.her fruits, whereby to enable them that they
 I0
35
may endure the next day's heat. White mid are the fame, but more
watcrifh, and inclining to rain; and if they afcend it pr fagcth r.iin, and
argues that the middle region of thd air is temperate, the lowed waterid),
and the vapours warm.—If in calm and fercne weather the rack be ob-
ferved to ride apace, cxpcfl winds from that quarter; for it is evident'
that the exhalations in the clouds are converted into wind or rain, and
will defcend ; but, if the clouds afccnd, it fliews the dorm is pad, and
has happened at fome little didance.—A thick or dark fky, lading for
fome time in a morning, without eifher Sun or rain, becomes fair to-
wards the middle of the day, but foon after turns to wet rainy weather.
A change in the ivarmtb of the weather is generally followed by a change
in the wind. Hence it is common to fee a warm fouthcrly wind fud-
denly changed to the north by the fall of fnow or hail; or to fee the
wind in a cold frody morning, after the Sun has well warmed the earth
and air, wheel from the north towards the fouth ; and again to the north
or cad in the cold evening.

Mod vegetables expand their down and flowers in fair fun-lhiny wea-
ther; but clofe them previous to cold weather or rain. This is remark-
ably vifible in the down of dandelion, and eminently didinguifhed in
the flowers of pimpernel*; the opening and fhutting of which ferve as
the hufbandrnan's weather-glafs, whereby he foretels the weather of the
enfuing day with adoriifhing exaflnefs. The rule is, if the bloflbms arc
clofe fliiit up, it betokens rain and foul weather; if they be expanded
and fpread abroad, the weather will be fettled and -ferene. The flalks
of trefoil fwell againd rain, and become more upright and ercd ; and
the fame may be obferved, though not fo fenfibly, in the dalks of ai-
med every other plant.

.Now, by way of example to the reader, I fliall here give the figure of
the Sun's ingrefs into the cquinocftial fign Aries, which commenced the
vernal or fpring quarter in the year 17S9, together with-the afpefls of
the Sun, Moon, and planets, throughout that quarter; which will be
fufficient to enable any attentive reader to perform this part of the fcicncc
with fatisfadtion and pleafure for any length of time to come.

* See thefe curious properties, amoneft a thoufand others peculiar to the herbary creation^ more
particularly defcribed in my Notes and llluftratians to the improved edition of Culpepcr's Englifh
Phyfician and Complete Herbal, now publifhir.g in 4to. with upwards of four hundred engravings of
the different Britifh plants, coloured to nature.
 T H 5
SUN's INGRESS
Into the Equinofliaj SIGN
v'. ^ A
R I e s,
March 19111, ls h, >
min. P.M. <?

o ^

Such was the pofition of the heavens at the time of the Sun's en-
trance into the firfl: point of Aries, being the commencement of the fpring
or vernal quarter of 1789, which happened that year on the 19th of
March, at 15 h. 52 m. or, according to civil time, at fifty two minutes
paft three o'clock in the morning of the 20th day, for which the above
fcheme is accurately calculated.

In drawing judgment of the ftate and temperature of the weather from

this figure, we muft not only confider the afpedts and configurations of
the luminaries and planets, but note the quality of the figns and tripli-
cities wherein they are pofited, and what will be the chief or predomi-
nant influence of the fuperiors. After which, the afpedts muft be regu-
larly fet down in fucceffion till the commencement of the next enfuing
quarter, when a figure of that ingrefs muft alfo be calculated, and con-
fidered in the fame manner as the preceding, together with the place of
the Sun and quality of the feafon ; by which means we fhall find the
 1037
weather will be pretty accurately afccrtaincd, for any length of time that
the calculation is made.

At the commencement of the fpring quarter, wc find the cold pondc .

rous planet Saturn juft departed from an almoft abfolute rule and govern-
ment in the watery fign Pifces, and in no afpeft cither with Jupiter or
the Sun. This is a demonftrable proof of the intenfc eoldnefs of the pre-
ceding quarter; for, fince Saturn is of a hardening aftringent nature, the
waters muft be congealed, and a cold durable froft evidently diftinguithed
the commencement of the year 1789. But the cafe was materially dif-
ferent towards the approach of the vernal equinox, when the Sun entered
into the fign Aries; at which time the cold influence of Saturn was mi-
tigated by a trine afpefl of Jupiter, and by the encreafing ftrength of
the beams of Sol. Ncverthelefs, fince there are five planets configurated
in watery figns, and the influx of Saturn not entirely abated, and alfo,
fince we find the preceding provential Full Moon in a watery fign, vva
fafely concluded that the fpring quarter muft for the firft part be cold
and wet; the wind, leaning moftly to the north and eaft, occafioned fleet,
and fnovv or hail intermingled with rain; towards the middle, vveftcrly
gales of wind, and ftorms of rain and hail; but moderate towards the
end, with the wind moftly down to the fouthern point of the compafs.
The following afpeds, particularly of the Sun and Moon, will (hew the
precife variations and general inclinations of the weather on each of thofe
days.

ASPECTS of the PLANETS operating on the WEATHER, from

the 17th of March to the 29th of June, 1789.

The Moon's laft afped, previous to the following, was comixt with Sa-
turn, a cold aftringent planet, in a watery fign.

March 1 Thefe quartiles ivill produce

17, oDt Moon in t Saturn in x > cold and moijl weather,
18, n O D Sun in X Moon in / J Jhow, Jleet, and rain.
,9, d J sMars in X Vanus in x")
6 I 5 Mars m X Mercury in X rMcb
6 % ? Venus in x MercuryJ in X , , j
„ ** ,r „ ■ tbouvb made tn a watery
* j ? Moon in Venus m X r * l ..-n ,/,*
n/i n1 v nzn. yet be win abate tbe
* * 1 ^00" w
^'"'S !" H
iattry fiW, and make
* » S Moon m w Mercury ,n x / far,My fne.
20, 8 D V Moon in y Jupiter in 22 . u
u C0
21, ^ o J Moon mi - Sun in vj
 3 Stationary Co/d and cloudy.
h ? Saturn in H Venus m x
Cold-jharp winds, and thick
D <? Moon m X Mars in x
tf in perihelion atmofpbere.
3 in e
i h Moon in X Saturn in
i ? Moon in ^ \ Thick dark clouds, with wind
x Venus in
D n Moon in X Jupiter in j and fnow.
h 2 in X
^Condenfed air, but no rain.
0 ]> in v
V- ? Jupiter in- s Venus in x 1 Cold weather with winds and
i) it Moon in nc Jupiter in 25 J Jloowers-.
1 3 Moon in 8 Mercury in X • Cold and cloudy.
~\
Sf! D if Moon in 8 Jupiter in 25
* D $ Moon in 8 Mars in X v y s— ^
| the feajon.
* ]> $ Moon in 8 Venus in X
* D T? Moon in 8 Saturn in X
A it ^ Jupiter in 25 Mars in X 1 Unfetiled, but for the mojl
* O J> Sun in V Moon in H j part fine.

D 3 Moon in n Mercury in
I h Moon in n Saturn in
D $ Moon in n Mars in x ! Wind and turbulent air, with
H $ Jupiter in ss Mars in H ' hajly Jhowers oj rain.
2, n ]) ? Moon in n Venus in x
3> A l) h Moon in 25 Saturn in X_
]> 3 Moon in 25 Mercury in X -\
25 Jupiter in ^ - According to the mixture of
i it Moon in
25 Mars in ^ ' tbefe Jlars, there will be
D 2 Moon in
dark clouds and feet.
O D Sun in v Moon in
25 Venus in >
4» a D ? Moon in 1 - •
^ \Some rain and wind.
6 li? 3 Saturn in X Mercury in
5> A O D Sun in m Moon in Si Fine dry rarefed air.
1> § D h Moon in Saturn in X
it 3 Jupiter in 25 Mercury in x Turbulent cold winds, • with
3) it Moon in m Jupiter m 25 ram.
S D 3 Moon in HE Mercury in x .
8, S D ^ Moon in «jt Mars in x Gentle Jhowers.
9» S O D Sun in v Moon in ^ 1
S j $ Moon in =2: Venus in •v \Fine pleafant weather.
j> U Moon in a: Jupiter in 25 J
 1039
April
11, a b fj Moon in m. Saturn in x Cold rain,
12, a D if Moon in nj, Jupiter in a
a b 5 Moon in m Mercury in x j
a d f Moon in ni Mars -in X fMum ram,
d in Perigee J
13, a j ? Moon in / Venus in v
14, a © I) Moon in ^ Sun in «v "|
□ d ^ Moon in ^ Saturn in x j^arm breezes,
15, □ D £ Moon in t Mars in x "I
DBS Moon in t Mercury in x jP'eiifaj3i weather.
16, * J> h Moon in j? Saturn in x -j
8 D if Moon in kP Jupiter in 23 L . darh clouds, hut no
ram
o b ? Moon in y? Venus in v J '
17, o © B Sun 10 v Moon in kp-j
6^5 Mars in x Mercury in x IGood weather for the
* B ^Moon' in yp Mars in x [ feafon.
* B 2 Moon in w Mercury in x J
18, * D % Moon in rr Venus in v Clear Jky.
19, * G D Sun. in t Moon in zr. Warm weather.
21, <5 B h Moon in x Saturn in x 1
a b if Moon in x Jupiter m ss r ^ • elouds^ with
□ if ? Jupiter in as Venus in v J Jhowers,
23, 6 B ^ Moon in v Mars in v 1 .
c e
<5 D g Moon m <*• Mercury in 'v J l ar andpleafant day.
24, 6 B ? Moon in t Venus in IT/
o b ifMoon in T Jupiter in as ^Gentle Jhowers.
2$, 6GB Sun in a Moon in a A pleafant day.
26, * B 1? Moon in # Saturn m x •>
■B m apogee i-Some dark clouds.
* B ifMoon in a Jupiter in as J
28, o B 'J? Moon in n S,aturn in x I ^ ,, . , ■
* B * Moon in 11 Mars in T \Dvll mornmZ> but PIeafant
a ternoon
* B g Moon in n Mercuryin TJ f '
29, o % 2 Jupiter in as Mercuryin T Pleafant day.
20, *g B Sun • m a- Moon in 23 1
* B ? Moon in as V.enus in a J Penj^fe air%
May
1, a B h Moon in as Saturn in x-i
6 b if B and if in as ySorne Jhowers.
a b 2 Moon in as Mercury in J
No. 55.
2, □ O 3) Sun in «'' Moon in
A J> J Moon in SI Venus in v and f leaf ant weather.
? Moon in si Venus in « J
2 Sun in ts Moon in "R |
? Moon in Venus in b > Serene and pleafant weather.
g Moon •» in mi Mercury in b J
b Moon in nR Saturn in X
1 Some dark clouds.
V Moon in nc Jupiter in 25 J • .
^ Moon in Jupiter in
^ ^Warm fsowers..
^ Moon in sa Mars in
8, s » ^ Moon in n; Mercury in
^ | Many Jhowers.
8 D ? Moon in ni Venus in
D Moon in ni Sun in b Windy and wet.
in perigee
h Moon in m Saturn in
Dark clouds with fsowers.
if Moon in ni Jupiter in
$ Venus in b « Mercury in
^Sun in b Saturn in X Dull day.
Tj Moon in t Saturn in X Condenfed air.
? Moon in # Venus in
y jiSwwtf clouds, but no rain.
jf Moon in fcp. Mercury in
2 Sun in ti Moon in kf y
^ Moon in kf Saturn in
^ {Fine fpring weather.
ijMoon in kf Jupiter in
J Moon in r: Mars in
J Jupiter in ss Mars in
.* V $ Jupiter in ss Mercury in
I* o liSun in b Jupiter in
'■* f} $ Saturn in k Venus in
i! Sun and 3 in
1? Moon in K Saturn in
it Moon in M Jupiter in
jMany Jhowers.
? Moon in' x Venus . in
2 Sun in b Moon in <
3 Moon in x Mercury in » Turbulent winds.
S Moon in T Mars in
** I Fin
Fine warm weather.
% Moon in v Jupiter in 25 I
Tj Moon in b Saturn in XJ
it Moon in y Jupiter in 25
3 Moon and 3 in b >Fine ferene weather.
$ Moon and $ in b
2 Sun and Moon both in b_
 n Saturn in x Som? clouds.
27> * » "h Moon in n Mars in V Fine day.
28, a i) h Moon in es Saturn in x 1 p n
6 D V Moon in o Jupiter in 23 jSomeJhowers.
29, * o $ Sun n
in Moon in ft "j Warm weather, but unfet-
□ D £ Moon in Sl Mars in a |> t/edt and perhaps thun-
* p ? Moon in Sl Venus in nj der.
30, * D 5 Moon in SI Mercury in n Plea/ant day.
31, 6 O ? Sun in
n Venus in n"j
a p Moon in Si Mars in T XVery Jine plea/ant wea-
o p ? Moon in rra Venus' m n j ther.
□ OP Sun if
in Moon in m\
June,
1, 8 P fc'Moon in na Saturn in JC I •
I Some clouds, but mild and fair
* P V Moon in ni Jupiter in 23
f weather.
□ PS Moon in pr Mercury in n J
2, a o p Sun in n Moon in
^ ^Pleaf ant warm weather.
a p. ? Moon in a. Venus in
•3, □ P vMoon in a Jupiter in 23 A good day.
4, 8 P Moon in ni Mars in a'XSome thundery with fiorms of
a'v 5 Moon in m Mercury in 23 J rain.
5, P in perigee
^ ^Dark clouds with rain.
a p h Moon in hi Saturn' in
6, a p VMoon m «i Jupiter in 23 Gentle Jhowers.
7» 8 o P Sun m n Moon in
^^Pleafant weather.
8 P ? Moon m t Venus in
8, n p VMoon m £ Saturn in x Fine day.
9, a p a Moon m V Mars . in
^ | Warm day.
8 P S Moon m Jcf Mercuryin
10, * » t Moon in ^ Saturn" in
g p VMoon in fcf Jupiter in 23 lGV/7//r£/w2fc\r with fome clouds.
□ 5 S Saturn in X Mercuryin
11, * P if Mars in a Mercuryin
12, a o P Sun in II Moon in
□ P t Moon in .e: Mars in a pleafant weather.
a > ? Moon in ,2: Venus in
13, d o ^Sun in II Saturn in x clouds.
14, * P * Moon in X Mars in 5
^ gr/tf/r Jhower'
a p Moon in X Mercuryin
1042

□ OP Sun in' n Moon in

^ D ^Moon in K Saturn in K \Some rain uoith dark cloudJr.
P ^Moon in K Jupiter in S3 j
□ p 5 Moon in T Mercury in ss Fine day.
A 2Saturn in. H Mercury in
* © P Sun in II Moon in
Dull mornings, but Jine days.
d V p Moon in T Jupiter , in
* p ? Moon in T Venus, in
6 P S Moon, in » Mars in
P . in apogee I Some dark clouds, with
*.p I?Moon in « Saturn , in H V Jlorms of thunder and
* p ^Moon in a Jupiter in 23 lightning.
* p 2 Moon in 8 Mercury in. 25 J
* h S Saturn in H Mars in • 8 \Some gentle breezeswith
0 d JiMoon in n Saturn in K 3 clouds. .
n
6 O t> Sun in Moon in H YFine morning, with much dew
6 ¥*5Venus in ss- Mercury in as J in the evening.
A
P ^Moon in s Saturn in "1 *
a \Some gentle Jhowers.-
* P ^ Moon in ss Mars in
6 P ^Moon in s Jupiter in 22
1
1 .P S Moon in ss Mercury in 23 >Some thunder and rain.
o » ^ Moon in Si Mars . in «J .
* O 5 Sun in n
Moon in
weather '.
* p ?Moon in 51 Venus in
S D l?Moon in nn Saturn in
A
P s Moon in «K Mars in « \Some dark clouds.
© P 2 Moon in m Mercury in 25 J.
O in aphelio
d O.PSun in ss Moon in >Pleaf ant weather.
* P i^Moon in m Jupiter in 25 J
o P ¥Moon in ^ Venus in 23 3
' * ^ S Mars in » Mercuryin 23 KWarm and pieafant weather.
2 in aphelio

By continuing thefe aipedts, the difpohtion of the weather will be

found throughout the year, paying due attention to the place and power
of the Sun, and the afpecfts of the Moon, which are the principal regu-
latqrs of the weather j the . Sun for dry, fettled, and ferene; and1 the
Moon for moiil:, wet, and Ihowery; - And as the afpedts of the.lumina-
ries-are on this account the moft effential. to be known, I (hall here in-
fert the following fhort but infallible rule how to find them for ever.
3 Havint?
 1043
Having the time given of xhajirjl New Moon in January, all other
Afpefts of the Sun and Moon may be colledlcd throughout the year, by
-JJ-
adding to

D. h. min. fee
Jan. i. the Moon being New or Full, her Age oo oo oo 00
For the Sextile Afpeft take — 4 22 7 20
For the firft Qu&rtile 7 9 11 1
For the Trine Afped: 9 20 '4 41
Full Moon or Oppofition 14 18 22 2
Full Moon's laft Triangle ■ *9 18 22 2
Second Quartile 22 3 33 2
Second Sextile Afpeft 24 H 26 42
For the next New or Full Moon 29 12 44 3

By thefe additions, all the afpedts the Sun and Moon make with each
other may be found at any time, or for any number of years ; and can-
not fail to be extremely ufeful in all calculations of the weather; in do-
ing which, let particular attention be paid to the qualities and affedlions
of the figns wherein thefe afpedts are made, and judge of them according
to the following rules, which, from obfervation and experience, arc
found pretty corredt.

The {ign Aries always inclines to thunder and hail, becaufe of its equi-
noxial prefence; but the divifions thereof caufe fomething more or lefs,
according to the nature of fixed ftars that are in Aries; for its fore-
parts move- (Lowers and winds; the middle parts are temperate; the
latter parts are hot and peftilential. Moreover, the northern parts arc
hot and corruptive ; the fouthem, freezing and cold. Taurus partici-
pates of both tempers, and is fomewhat* warm: the fore-parts, and chiefly
about the Pleiades, produce earthquakes, clouds, and winds; the middle
parts moifter and cooler; the latter parts and about the Hyades are fiery,
and caufe lightning and thunder. Further, its northern parts are tem-
perate ; the fouthern, diforderly and moveable. Gemini is generally
temperate : the firft parts moift and hurtful, the middle parts temperate,
the latter parts are mixed and diforderly. Moreover the northern parts
create earthquakes and wind ; the fouthern are dry and burning. Can-
cer is gentle and warm : the firft parts and about the Prtefepe are fuffb-
cating ; the middle parts temperate; the laft parts windy : the northern
and fouthern parts are each ot* them-fiery and burning. Leo is wholly
burning, fuffocating, and peftilential : the middle parts temperate, the
laft parts moift and hurtful : the northern parts are moveable and burn-
ing : the fouth parts moift. Virgo is moift, and caufeth thunder: the firft
No. 5£. 12 D parts
i644
parts are more hot and hurtful, the middle parts temperate, the lad parts
watery. Moreover, the north parts move winds, but the fouth are tem-
perate. Libra is generally variable and mutable: the fore and middle-
parts are temperate, the latter parts are watery : the north parts are
windy, and fouth parts moid and plentiful. Scorpio caufeth thunder,
aiad is fiery : the fore-parts produce fnow; the middle parts are tem-
perate ; and the lad parts caufe earthquakes: its north parts are hotj the
fouth parts moid. Sagittary produces winds ; the fore-parts are moid,
the.middle temperate, the lad parts caufe earthquakes. The north parts
are windy, the fouth parts caufe variety and moidure. Capricorn is
wholly moid : the fore-parts are burning and hurtful, the middle tem-
perate, and the lad dir up diowers : the north" and fouth parts are moid
and hurtful. Aquaries is cold and watery : the fird parts are moid, the
middle temperate, and the lad windy : the north parts are heating, and
the fouth caufe fnow. Pifces is moid and a caufer of winds : the fore-
parts are temperate, the middle moid, the lad parts burning : the north
parts dir up wind, and the fouth parts are watery.

Of the REVOLUTIONS of KINGDOMS and STATES.

The fignificators which take precedence in this department of the oc-

cult fcience, and the governing afpedts, having already been amply ex-
plained, it will in this place be only neceflary to lay down the general
ground of its theory, and to offer fome recent examples in judification
of its pfadtice, and in proof, of its utility.

After the impreffive influx of the planetary configurations, the uni-

yerfal and particular effedts of comets, eclipfes, and great conjundtions,
are next to be confidered in this fpeculation. Comets, indeed, rarely
appear; but, whenever they do, fome great and fignal event has always
been remarked to follow, and of the nature and quality of thofe figns
and manfions of the heavens where they form perfedt afpedts with the
earth; but which is mod fenfibly felt in thofe countries or dates to
which the nucleus'or tail of the comet is at thofe times apparently di-
retted. There the particular effedl becomes univerfal, and overfpreads
that whole region with defolation, difordcr, or famine, according to the
' date and quality of the comet, and its pofition with regard to the Sun.
The manifedation of its effedl will be in proportion to its proximity to
the earth ; and the revolution or event will immediately follow. Hence
we have feen recorded the unhappy defolation of whole provinces, either
deluged by inundations of water, engendered and fent forth from the
 1045
nucleus of the comet; or burnt up by its intemperate heat, in its reccfs
from its perihelion, whereby the ambient becomes unapt for refpiration,
radical moinure is dried up, and all nature, as it were, fickens under it.
Hence the depopulation of ftates, the extirpation of whole families, of
difcontcnts and infurre&ions amongft the people, and finally a change in
tjie politics and government of the country.

'I he influence of Eclipfcs upon mundane affairs has been much

quell ioned by fome modern authors of no fmall weight in the literary
icale; but I beg leave to remark, that the moft perfedt of human beings
are at befl but imperfedt, and confequcntly fubjedt to be fwayed by pre-
judice, and to adopt falfe notions of whatever doflrines they oppofc.—
That fuch is the cafe with thofe authors who deny the force of eclipfcs,
requires nothing more than unprejudiced enquiry and experimental ob-
fervation to prove. The precifion with which they are foretold, and the
familiarity of their phenomena, feems to leflen their importance, and to
take off from their external awfulnefs and grandeur; but their effeft
upon the ambient, and confequcntly upon the affairs of the world, will
be ever found to remain the fame.

The effedls of eclipfes arife not merely from the obfeuration of light,
but from'their pofition, the quality of the figns wherein they fall, and
of the fignificators with which they are conjoined. Hence their confi-
deration is diverfe, of which one xs'local, and by it we know over what
countries eclipfes will happen, and the flations of the impulfivc planets
adting with them, which will be either Saturn, Jupiter, or Mars, when
flationary; for then they are fignificative. Another confideration is tem-
poral, by which wc know the time when the event prefaged will happen,
and how long its effedt will continue. Another is general, as in what
kind or quality the event will be comprehended. And lafily, fpecial, by
which is foreknown what the event fhall be that .will happen. To digeft
thefe feveral fpeculations, we muft carefully confider the ecliptical place
of the zodiac, and the countries or ftates which, according to that place,
have familiarity with the Trigon ; for thofe will unqueftionably be moft
fenfibly affefled.

Thofe cities and countries which fympath.ize with the fign of th

eclipfe, either becaufe the fame horofcope correfponds to the time of
their building and incorporating, or the irradiation of the luminaries in
both cafes to the fame place ; or the midheaven comes by diredtion to
the fame point of the geniture of the king, prince, or governor; then,
whatever city or country be found in thefe familiarities, they will be firft
feized
fcized by the accident j and with greater or lefs violence, in proportion
1,0 the quantity of digits eclipfed over each place refpeflively. For eclip-
le$ have po influence where they are invifible, and adt with the greatefl:
forcp where they are central and total;.and therefore fubterranean
tclipfes have no.effedl or influence whatever, notwithftanding what hath
been written to the contrary by common aftrologers, almanacsmakers,-
ai;d the like.

The fecond confideration is.temporal, by which .we know the time

When the events Ihall happed, and hpw long they will continue. This
we furvey after.the following manner. In eelipfes which are made at the
fame time, feeing they do not fall evel-y where alike, nor fuftain univer--
tally the fame degrees of obfeuration, nor continue alike in point of time"
at any two given placed,' it is neceflary to eredt a figure under the eleva-
tion 'mf the pole of that particular place for which its effefl is to be cal-
culated. By means of this, we exadlly fee the beginning, middle, and end,
of the e.clipfe, and the content of its duration ; by which the time is
known when the portended event will begin to happen. If the eclipfe
he of the Sun, fo many years ate allowed for the event as the obfeuration
meafured hours; but, if an eclipfe of the Moon, inftead of years fo many
mon'ths are to be accounted; becaufe.of her proximity to the earth; and
quicker influence. The beginning of the event and the general intention
are known from the fituation of the eclipfe with refpedt to the ecliptical,
line, and the angles of the figure. If the middle time of a folar eclipfe.
falls in or near the afcending horizon, its effect will begin to appear, in
that country over which it is elevated, in the firft four months after its
appearance; but its greateft effeft will happen in the firft third-part of
that given time. Should the middle time of the Sun's eclipfe fall in or
near the midheaVen, the event will not begin till the fecond four-months;
and the intention or grand effedi will not take place till the fecond third-
part of the time given. . And fo likewife, if the middle of the eclipfe
happens in or near the weflern horizon, the effedt will take place in the
t.hird four-,months after, and its intention or greater force in the laft
third-part thereof. But, in eclipfes of the Moon, the time is equated
differently ; for, if they happen in or near the eaftern horizon, their ef-._
fedt will fall upon the place over which they are elevated almoft imme-
diately ; and, if in or near the meridian, within a week or ten days ; or,
if in. or. near the weftern horizon, then their influence will be felt within a,
fortnight or twenty days after; and the general intention or moft vifible.
influence will in each cafe almoft inftantaneoufly fucceed.

From, thefe confiderations it will by confequence follow, that the

nearer any planet or ftar, afpe<ft or familiarity, congrefs or conjundtion,
happens
 1047
h.ippcns to the ecliptic line, the more forcibly will this influence and
cffcdl be found to operate. So likewifc the planets or flars, concerned
in the influence of eclipfes or other configurations, happening in an ori-
ental quarter, bring a more immediate appearance of its effedt; while an
occidental pofition retards and keeps it off. After the fame manner, by
obferving the ecliptical new and full Moons, and their quartile afpccls,
and how they unite with or behold the principal place or medium of the
eclipfe, the particular times in which the cffcdls of eclipfes will incrcafc
or diminifh are fought out and difcovered. According to which we find,
that, when flars emerge, or are relieved from the obfeuration of the Sun-
beams, and incrcafc in light and motion, their influence and power in-
creafes; but, when a planet is flationary, and flow of motion, they caufe
the greater intention of the accident. And hence it is that Saturn jind
Jupiter, being flower of motion than the rcfl of the planets, have much
m«rc influence and power upon the particles floating in the ambient, and
confequently upon the minds and paflions of men.

The third confideration is to define what kind or fpecies will fuffer

under the effects; and this is judged from the form of the figns and their
property j and from the quality of the flars, both fixed and wandering,
that are pofited in the fign where the eclipfe happens, or in the angle
preceding. The Almiiten, or lord of the eclipfe, is thus to be confi-
dered, and may be thus taken : of the wandering flars, which ever hath
mofl affinity to the place of the eclipfe and angles of the figure, and ap-
plies or recedes, according to vicinity and appearance; hath more re-
fpe£l to thofe that have familiarity of afpedl, and is either lord of the
houfes, trigons, exaltations, or terms; fuch alone" is to be conflituted
lord of the eclipfe. But, if feveral planets are found nearly equal and
alike in power, we ele6l him to the dominion which is mofl angular, or
that hath greater familiarity of adlion. So far it is the rule with the pla-
nets. But of the fixed flars, we chufe the brightefl of the firfl magni-
tude, which at the time of the eclipfe hath commerce with the preced-
ing angles, and is nearefl to the ecliptical conjundtion. We alfo prefer
that which at the ecliptic hour is in a vifible fituation, either rifing with,
or culminating upon, the angle fucceeding to the place of the eclipfe.
—By the quality of thefe, and the figns wherein they fall, are for the
mofl part judged the kind and quality of the accident portended. If
they fall in figns of human fhape, the effedts will fall on the human fpe-
cies ; but, if they are not of human fhape, but of terrellrial, or four-
footed, it is evident the misfortune will fall upon that fpecies of animals.
If the flars and conflellations partake of their nature, which fly the do-
minion of man, evil will occur by their means; but, if the affinity be by
thofe which are fubfervient to man's ufe, it argues the evil will arife
through therri, as a murrain, rot, or epidemic difeafe. Moreover, if the
ruling places fall in or near the Eagle, or fimilar conftellations, the evil
will fall on volatiles, and fuch chiefly as are apt for the food and fufte-
nance of man; but, if they fall in or near the Dolphin, the effedls will
happen at fea, and deftrudlion is portended to the fleets and navies of that
country over which the influence bears the greateft: rule. If they happen
in tropical or equinodtial figns, the evil comes by intemperate feaibns,
and by inundations of many waters. If in the midheaven, they threaten
evil, to the reigning powers of that country over which they prefide;
and a vifible alteration either in its government or laws commonly hap-
pens. But the quantity or importance of the event is known from the
greatnefs of the obfcuration, confidered with regard to the fignificators
or ruling planets which have dominion with the eclipfe. For occidental
configurations made to folar eclipfes, or oriental to lunar, diminifli the
eflfe&s; whereas, on the contrary, oriental afpedts made with folar
eclipfes, and occidental with lunar, greatly augment them.

The fourth and laft confideration is, the knowledge and prefcience of
the effedk, whether good or evil; and this we know, from the virtue of
the ftars ruling or claiming dominion over the principal places of the
figure; and, from the mixture which they have with each other, and with
the influences of the eclipfes over which they have dominion. For the
Sun and Moon, as it were, rule and gpvern the ftars; becaufe they have
a certain power and dominion over them. And the fpeculation of the
mixture of the ftars, as they are fubordinate to each other, manifefts the
quality of their eflfedt; and hence it is that the effe&ive power is deduced,
whether good or bad, from the temperature of thofe fignificators which
hold the dominion and produce the effedt, agreeable to their own proper
nature and quality, as hath been heretofore abundantly fhewn.
» * •

To reduce what has been faid into praflical obfervation, we will re-
vert back to the foregoing fcheme or figure of the heavens, eredted for
the Sun's entrance into Aries, in the fpring of the year 1789. The figns*
and.fignificators in this horofcope are to be confidered in the fame man-
ner, and with the fame quality and influence, as in a nativity; only their
properties, inftead of being applied to the faculties'of an individual, are
to be confidered as the reprefentatives of Princes and States, and holding
the refpedtive influences over them, by virtue of their peculiar quality
and affinity to thofe quadrants and parts of the terreftrial globe, as hath
been refpe&ively allotted them, and which is fully explained in the in-
trodudtory'part of this work.
 I.he fchemc being ercdcd for the meridian of London, of courfc its
application applies moft nearly to the affairs of this country ; but in a
fecondary degree to our natural enemies and allies, and to the general
affairs of the northern hemifphere. For, if great exattnefs be wifhed in
any particular calculation, the fchemc mufl in all fuch cafes be ereflcd
for the precifc latitude of the place or province to which the calculation
more immediately appertains j and, where any flruggle exifts, or event
is foreboded, between any two particular flates or empires, the fafefl:
way is to ercdl a fcheme for the meridian of each, and to examine them
by the fame rules as have been laid down for comparing a rcvolutional
figure with the radix of a nativity.

In the figure before us, we find twenty-feven degrees fifty-two mi-

nutes of Capricorn afcend the eaftern horizon; with thirty minutes of
Sagittarius upon the cufp of the midheaven ; which imports in a general
view peace and honour to the government of Great Britain. Saturn we
find is lord of the afcendant, in conjunction with Mars, lord of the
ninth and fecond houfes ; and Venus, lady of the third and eighth, in
familiar congrefs with Mercury, lord of the fourth, fifth, and eighth,
houfes. Thefe are configurations particularly interefting and important;
and, being in the watery fign Pifces, they forebode amazing ftruggles and
contentions upon the continent j in which France, Germany, Ruflia, and
Turkey, will be moft eflentially concerned.

Now, if we examine the introduflory part of this work, page 100, &c.
we (hall find Great Tartary, Sweden, Rufila, &c. under the fign Aqua-
ries ; and that Mufcovy, Saxony, Turkey, &c. are under the fign Capri-'
corn ; and are confequently reprefented by the afcendant of this figure,
and by the ponderous planet Saturn. The countries under the fign Scor-
pio and Aries, which are the houfes of Mars, are England, France, Ger-
many, Poland, Denmark, &c. and therefore Mars becomes fignificator
of them, and, being in conjunction of Saturn, forefhews violent debate
and contention between them. Thofe countries that are under Taurus
and Libra are Ireland, Ruflia, Poland, South of France, Auftria, &c. and
therefore under the planet Venus j and the places under Virgo and Ge-
mini are Flanders, America, &c. with the cities of London, Paris, Ver-
failles, Lyons, &c. and Mercury, being lord of thefe figns, muft of nc-
cefiity more or lefs unite thofe powers in this counfel of ftate, held in
the watery triplicity. And, as Jupiter difpofes of all of them, and is in
-his own exaltation in the fign Cancer, and in the fixth houfe, it rcprc-
fents in a moft extraordinary and pleafing manner the peculiar ftate of Great
Britain, which he difpofes to peace' and amity with all the contending
ftates} particularly as Jupiter is in his efiential dignities.
 AN ILLUSTRATION

The fign Cancer, wherein Jupiter is pofiteci, is the fign under which
the city of Conftantinople is feated,.and therefore reprefcnts the Grand
Signior; and, as Jupiter is pofited therein, it declares he' will not be
overthrown or. conquered, though aflailed on all fides by pbwerful ene-
mies j but, what is worfe, I find there will be ocoafional infurredlions
amongft themfelves; which is declared by the Moon's approach to the
oppofition of Jupiter; but, as the Moon is difpofed of by Saturn, and
in Textile to her difpofitor, and her difpofitor beholding Jupiter with a
good trine afpefl, it declares that the evil which hath been ftirred up by
the enemies of the prefent Signior fhall be defeated and eventuallv done
away by his fucceflbr, who will commence his reign in the mid ft of thofe
troubles, with the moft vigorous preparations for war, though his incli-
nation is for peace; which will be at length brought about by the aid
and interpofition of thofe powers pointed out by Mercury, Venus, Mars,
and Saturn, who are all in conjunftion in the afcendant, in the dignities
of Jupiter, Mars, and Venus; and thefe three planets declare that Great
Britain fhall be the principal ador in bringing all animofity to a conclu-
fion between Sweden, France, Ruflia, Denmark, and the Grand Turk.
This appears to be the natural interpretation of the effedt of thefe four
planets in the afcendant, in the vernal equinox; but, to know when thefe
matters will come to pafs, we muft have recourfe to new figures for the
Sun's entrance into the next two tropical points, and the equino&ial
fign Libra, and muft likewife obferve the preceding full Moon, and the
new Moon fucceeding, according to the doflrine of the immortal
Ptolomy, heretofore laid down ; as well as to obferve the dignities and
debilities of the planets, whence particular judgment will arife the fame
as from the' dire&ions in a nativity, qpd afford pleafure and fatisfadion
to the fpeculative mind.

The fignificators which reprefent the Court of France fhew a difpo-

fition to difturb th^ peace of Great Britain, through the infidious and
ambitious views of a female, who takes the lead in ftate-affairs. The
adive pofition of Venus and Mercury, conjoined in this fcheme, denotes
much reftleffnefs and inftability in the counfels of that country, which
feems diftrafcted by the arbitrary will of the Gallic Queen, here reprefen ted
by Venus, upheld and aflifted by. light, volatile, time-ferving, men, pre-
noted by Mercury, the creatures of the Queen, who, from motives of ava-
rice, and views of ambition, will be forward to raife cabals; to oppofe
the common hopes and interefts of the people; to plunge the nation into
difcord and contention, and eventually to bring about difput?s with their
neighbours, or wafteful war among themfelves. Saturn, the fignificator
pf the French King, being united in a friendly conjundion with Mars,
the co-figniiicator of Great Britain, and difpofcd of by Jupiter, the
princely lignificator of George the Third, tliow.s that amity and concord
will dill exilt between the two powers, notwithllanding their dom ftic
broils, and the. endeavours of refHefs fpirits to llir up the minds of the
people to rapine and war. Hence will probably follow great difturbances
amongft the heads of the church, and lead to new difcovcrics in the an-
nals of popifh fuperftition and religious pcrfecution, which the people of
that unhappy country fecm inclined to thake off, with the (hackles of
tlavery, milery, and Avant. In fine, here is every profpe&, from the
difpolition of the fignificators in this fcheme, that fome very important
event will happen in the politics of France, fuch as may dethrone, or
veiy nearly touch the life of, the king, and make victims of many great
and illultrious men in church and date, preparatory to a revolution or
change in the affairs of that empire, which will at once adonifli and
furprife the furrounding nations.

England, I am happy to fay, has every profpcdl of harmony and peace;

and, from the fupcrior drength and elevation of her fignificators, will give
laws to her enemies, and peace and profperity to her allies. She will be
looked up to from the belligerent powers in the north, to interpofe her
potent arm to bring about a redoration of peace amongd them, and to
awe, with her thunder, thofe who afpire to extend their dominion by the
ravages of war. In the internal management of her affairs, the' prefent
epoch will be glorious ; and, fave a few anxieties amongft party men, and
a temporary alarm for the fcarcity of corn, which will be augmented by
the uncommon continuance of wet weather, occadoned by the long da-
tions of the Moon and other fignificators in the watery trigon, I do not
fee any probability of the peace and harmony of Great Britain being dis-
turbed by the prefent contentions between other dates ; but, on the con-
trary, die will add as a mediator between them, and will advance in glory
and renown over every part of the habitable globe.*

Having faid thus'much upon the vernal fcheme or figure of the heavens,
for the year.1789, I (ball in this place call the attention of my reader to
that remarkable awa in the Britidi hidory, which gave independence to
America, - and reared up a new empire, that diall foon or late give laws to
the whole world. The revolution carries with it fomething (b remarka-
ble, and the event is fo important in this countiy, that I (hall make no
apology for introducing the fcheme of the heavens for the fpring and

* Let the reader compare the foregoing remarks with the events that have happened, particularly in
France, fince the fir ft editions of this work were publifticd; and I tnift I fhall obtain credit for other
matters which I have predidled, but which areas yet in the womb of time. Note ft the editkn af 1792.
 A jSf I L L IT S.T RATION

lummer quarters of the year 1776, when this, revolution happened, and for,
examining and explaining tfie lame, according to the rules I have lb amply
laid 'down for that purpofe. , The Sun's revolutional ingrefs into the j'igry
Aries in the j^ear 1776, under which the independence of America was
eftablifhed, and "tin? face.of the heavens at the fummer folftice, may be
leen' in the annexed figures, whicli were calculated with great accuracy
and precifion for-this purpofe.

- In the vernal equinox, avc find Jupiter-is lord of the afcendant, and in
his detriment. Mars Ave find in Aries, Avhich -is the afcendant of England,
fbong aiid powerful-in his oavh houfe, but under the earth. The Moon,
who reprefents the Common people, ,'Ave find under.affliction, being com-
buft of'the"-Sun ; and Mars, being'combutt alfo, forefiioAVS that poor Eng-
land, though her internal ftrength is great-and (permanent; yet flie Avill
this year be accidentally affliCted and deprefled ; more efpeeially as avc find
Mars going to an oppofitioa of Saturn, and Saturn uncommonly ftrong hr
■the midheaven, in his exaltation, and beheld by the two fortunes Jupiter
and'Venus;«and confequently fuperior to Mars in poAverand dignity, avIio
ds under' the. earth, and combutt of the Sun, though located in his own
hdufe.; whicli in'this cafe ferves-hoAvever to thow the 'permanency' and
liability of Great Britain during the Avhole of this trying CdnfliCt.
r[ . _ * t f
In this figure the planet Saturn is the fignificator of America, and Mars
reprefents the people of Britain; as may very eafily be feen by taking
doAvn the dignities of Saturn and.Mars, according to the Table in page
120 of this Avork. That Saturn hath the fuperiority of poArer, and that
Mars and Saturn-are inimical in their nature to each other, are faCts too
evident to-be denied ; and, as the afpeCt Avhich is about to be formed be-
tween them is a malevolent one, namely, a partile oppofition, it declares
the event fliall be fuch as to caufe a total and eternal feparation of the two
eountries from each other; and that the congrefs, Avhich is reprefented by
Saturn, Avill eftablifh an independent and complete revolutidn, Avhich
fhall be built upon a firm and durable foundation; and the increafing
Jhength and durability, of the hcav ftate is reprefented by Saturn in his
exaltation, fupported by the benefic rays of the two fortunes. And fince
there is a remarkable reception between the tAvo planets Saturn and Venus,
i. e. Venus' in:the houfe of Saturn, and Saturn in the houfe of Venus;
fupported by a propitious trine afpeCt of Venus and Jupiter, while Jupi-
ter mid Saturn, and Saturn and Venus, with the three preceding-planets,
docupy and poflefs the Avhole expanfe of the heavens; it is hence de-.
clared, that Avhatever is effeCted under this reyolution of the Sun's ingrefs
into Aries by the Americans, fhall not only be permanent and durable, but
ihall be fupported by .thofe three grandtpillars of ftate, Avifdom,- ftrength,
 SciiEarE. of the Solar Ingress governing the Year 1776.
U. r*' X*Ht
w %

SUN's IN GRESS
SUN's INGRESS
Into the Tropical
Into the Equinodlial
Sign CANCER,
Sign ARIES rA
June 20th. 10 h.
March 19th. tah.
40 min. P. M. 1776.
20 .Min. P. ?I. n.».

N Va
m 1

u •»+< v-nuo. M-r.--* «in"* ■»»<

a *ty»

LATITUDES of the PLANETS at the VERNAL EQUINOX.'

Tj 2 36 North. 9 o 27 South.
• o 18 South. 9 o 53 North.
<j o 44. South. I) 3 42 South.
and unanimity; which arc pointed out by thofc three planets, agreeable
to their tendency and nature, viz. Saturn, Urcngth and dumbility; Ju-
piter, witdom and juftice; and Venus, unanimity and perfevcrance ;
and their mutual trine afpedt to each other, is exprcllive of future perfec-
tion and harmony; lb that, if we attentively contemplate the above pofi-
tion of the heavenly bodies, we ihall find no point Itrained, to Ihow their
natural tendency towards the good fortune and luccefs of the mcricuns;
and conl'equently the dilappointment and prejudice of the Britilh arms
and adminiftration.

We fliall now take notice of the time in which this extraordinary re-
volution Ihould come to its crilis, or completely take place, as pointed out
by the feveral lignificatbrs in the figure. To do this, we mint equate the
eliftance of Mars from Saturn, they being the two principal a6tor.s in this
revolution. Their diftance is taken by right afcenlion, according to their
latitude ; becaufe Mars, which is the lignificator of Great Britain, is with-
in three degrees of the cufp of the fourth houfe.
deg. mm.
The right afcenfion of Saturn is 18 52
The right afcenfion of Mars is 2 3°

Subtract, and the remainder is the diftance of Mars from

Saturn ■ - 16 22

Which arch of diredtion muft be converted into time, by adding fo it

the right afcenfion of the Sun, as taught in the Doftrine of Nativities ; by
which rule we are to examine how many days the Sun takes in going that
fpace in the ecliptic ; and this being an annual revolution, with the two
Jignificators in common figns, which denote weeks, wc muft therefore
allow for each-day's motion of the Sun one week: by which it will
appear that the crifts or efte6t of the oppolition of Mars and Saturn came
up in fifteen weeks and two days from the time the Sun came into the
firft fcruple of the equinmftial iign Aries; at which time to a day the
Americans declared themfelves independent of the Britifh government,
and became a free ftate.

At this time the heavenly intelligencers were polited as in the fcroll

prefented by the hand of Fame in the annexed Plate; and from whence
the following conclulions naturally follow. So many fignificators being
pofitedin the fifth houfe, in the watery and fruitful lign Cancer, the ftgnor
houfe of the Moon, with the Moon in the afcendant; and Venus, Jupiter,
Sol, and Mercury, all beholding the afcendant with a trine afpeiSt; clearly
evince'that the ftate of America fliall in time have an extenhve and flou-
rifliim*
iojtf.

rifliiug commerce ; an advantageous and uriiverfal traffic to every quarter of

the globe, with great fecundity and profperity amongft the people.' At this
period we are infome meaiure enabled to fpeak experimentally of the truth
of this prefcience though the ftars point out thefe particulars, with all
other important incidents relative to the rife and progrefs of the United
States, with as much certainty and precilion as by the Moon we calculate
the ebbing and flowing of the fea, the times and periods of eclipfes, the
courfes and effects of comets, or any .other'extraordinary pluunomena,
wherein nature, and the ordinations of God, the great and primary caufe
of all things, are at the bottom.

- The better to fatisfy the curious in thefe mundane revolutions, and to

enable them to draw conclufiohs with greater exadtnefs, I have fubjoined
the. figure of the Sun's ingrefs into the tropical fign Cancer, which took
place near fourteen days before the Americans declared their independence;
and,' what is very remarkable, Mars, who is the fignificator of Great Bri-
tain, is difpofed of in the imum cceli by Mercury, the fignificator of the
French king, who, when the Sun entered into Aries, was lord of the
feventh houfe,- the houfe of public enemies, of falfehood, and deceit. He
likewife difpofes of Jupiter; lord-of the afcendant at that time, which had
cq-fignificatibn with Mars, in reprefenting the people of England. From
thefe remarkable pofitions and effefits, we may fairly conclude, that the
Americans had not only the French nation to aflift 'them, but had many
ftrong and powerful friends in Great Britain, who would fupport the caufe
and fecond the exertions of the French in eltablifhing their independence.

It is to be noted, that, in the preceding figure of the Sun's entrance in-

to Cancer, Mars is found in conjunction of Venus ; and, although Venus
is a fortune, and declares England fliouldnot be ruined by the-ftrong in-
fluence of Mercury, their difpofitqr, yetfhe foftens and takes off the war-
like courage and intrepid impetiiofity of Mars, and inclines him more to
amity and peace than to blpodfhed and daughter. Befides, we find the
Sun, who is king amongft the planets,' inftead of being in conjunction of
Mars, the implicative afpeCt of war and conqueft, is in conjunction
with Jupiter, who is the natural fignificator of peace and concord ; fo
that the Sun's ingrefs into Cancer declares that the counfels of his Bri-
tannic majefty fhould not prove pffeCtive, nor his arms victorious; but
inclined only to pufli on a defenfive • war with the Americans, as the
nature of their fituation and the neceftity of the times might require,
though an unlimited thirft for", conqueft was predominant; which exaCtly
correfponds with the fituation of the heavenly ordinances at the time the
Americans cbofe to declare their defection from the mother-country.
 :?J3

;3±

Vi

±*W7.

31

Jin'W7d7Jj//c/7 ca
 l0
55
At tins time Jupit r and V nus w r in co'njnn ion, nd app r d o
meet as counftl with the Sun and Mercury in tlie celefti.d Crab, in that
part of the heavens .appropriated to the manfions of the .loon. ' hi
Moon was th n alfo arrived at the oppoiite point of tliat particular place
in the he vens where (he was polit d at the time of the in^ref:, nd dif-
pofed of by Saturn, the fignificator of America. Hence it will appear,
that if re read the hiflory of the American war, and examine ith at-
tention the various tranfa6tions of thofe who were the principal adtors
in the bulinefs, and compare the refult with what is prenoted by the
foregoing figures, according to the rules heretofore laid do'" n to d 'tcr1-
mine planetary influx, we (hall find no clilliculty in tracing every important
event, with aftonifhing exadtnefs and prccifion, that can in any fliape
relate to this department of the aftral fcience.

I could here add a variety of other examples, in fupport of aftral influ-

ence upon fynods and ftates, and in promoting, as lecond caufes Under
l^eaven, the rife and fall of empires, and the revolutipns Of the world.
But enough has furely been faid to illuftrate this enquiry to the fulled
extent, and to render it obvious to the meaneft capacity, particularly as-
the nature of the planets and figns, and the houfes nd niaiifions of the
heavens, continue unalterably .the fame hi all cafes,-"with refpedt to their
influence and tendency; and require only to be applied, to the nature of
the .queftion, nativity, or revolution, whichever it may chance to be-,.-
agreeable to the rules fo amply given for that purpofe; and I will be
bold to fay, that the utmolt (atisfadtion will refult to every fobcr en-
quirer, the more he purfues, and the deeper he contemplates, this incom-
parable ftudy.

I am not, however, to expert, that all men will be converts to my

opinion, or fubferibe to the evidence I have fo abundantly brought in
defence of my doctrine. The felt-willed, and the claflically obfiinatc,
are not to be moved by any fpecies of reafoning, incompatible with their
own way of thinking; and it would be the extreme of folly, after the
arguments I have adduced, to attempt to remove that mitt from before
their eyes, which blinds their reafon, and contaminates their fenfe. If
proofs of all denominations, and the experience of every da}' and hourwc
live, are incapable of imprelling the mind with the truths of elementary
influx and fide real affections, it is not all my faint ideas can furnilh
through the medium of my pen, that will either penetrate the heart, or
operate to convince on this occafton. Others there are, who in oft cor-
dially believe whatever their own eyes and their own ears can demon-
ftratc ; but who are infidels to every occult property, and to the fecrct
id $6

influence and effect of fecond caiifes.' • Yet, they know there is a fecret
power in the magnet, which they can neither fee nor .comprehend. They
are fenfible of-all the phenomena and furprifing properties of air, though
they cannot fee it, nor demonftrate its particles. They.admit the ebbi-
ing and flowing of the tides, afld allow the moon produces the effect ^
yet in the fame moment they deny her influence, and queftiori the ordi-
nations of Providence. To contend with fuch men would be ridiculous
and abfurd," fmce it could neither fupport arguments, * nor alter fa6ts;
nor would the fandtion or applaufe of fuch a defcription of beings aid
either to the merit or reputation of the fcience.

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