GEORGE BESTS DISCOURSE a.d. 



1578. 



or not farre from thence, is the earthly Paradise, and 



the onely place of perfection in this worlde. And that 



these things may seeme the lesse strange, because it hath 



bene accompted of the olde Philosophers, that there 



coulde nothing prosper for the extreme heat of the Sunne 



continually going over their heades in the Zodiacke, I 



thought good here to alleadge such naturall causes as 



to me seeme very substantiall and sure reasons. 



First you are to understand that the Sunne doeth 



worke his more or lesse heat in these lower parts by 



two meanes, the one is by the kinde of Angle that the 



Sunne beames doe make with the earth, as in all Torrida 



Zona it maketh perpendicularly right Angles in some Heat is caused 



place or other at noone, and towards the two Poles very by , two n ! ea7 ? es 

 r , , . , a 1 aii 1 • that is by his 



oblique and uneven Angles. And the other meane is maner f An- 



the longer or shorter continuance of the Sunne above the gk and by his 



Horizon. So that wheresoever these two causes do most continuance. 



concurre, there is most excesse of heat : and when the 



one is wanting, the rigor of the heat is lesse. For 



though the Sunne beames do beat perpendicularly upon 



any region subject unto it, if it hath no continuance or 



abode above the Horizon, to worke his operation in, 



there can no hote effect proceed. For nothing can be 



done in a moment. And this second cause mora Solis 



supra Horizontem, the time of the sunnes abiding above 



the Horizon, the old Philosophers never remembred, but 



regarded onely the maner of Angles that the Sunne 



beames made with the Horizon, which if they were Note this 



equall and right, the heat was the greater, as in Torrida 



Zona : if they were unequall and oblique, the heat was 



the lesse, as towards both Poles, which reason is very 



good and substantiall : for the perpendicular beames 



reflect and reverberate in themselves, so that the heat 



is doubled, every beame striking twice, & by uniting 



are multiplied, and continue strong in forme of a 



Columne. But in our Latitude of 50. and 60. degrees, 



the Sunne beames descend oblique and slanting wise, 



and so strike but once and depart, and therefore our 



2 55 



reason. 



