STUDY IV. 



199 



Childrey *. This Naturalift fuppofes, as I do, that 

 the Earth, at the Poles, is covered with ice, to 

 fiich a height, that it's figure is thereby rendered 

 fenfibly oval. This he proves by two very curious 

 aftronomical obfervations. *' What obliges me, 

 " befides," fays he, " to embrace this paradox, is, 

 '' that it ferves to refolve admirably well, a diffi- 

 " culty of no fmall importance, which has greatly 

 '' embarrafled Tycho Brhaë and Kepler^ refpeding 

 ** central eclipfes of the Moon, which take place 

 *' near the Equator ; as that was which Tycho ob- 

 ** ferved in the year 138 8, and that obferved by 

 ^^ Kepler in the year 1624: of which he thus 

 *^ fpeaks : Noiandum ejl hanc Luna eclipfwi {inftar 

 ^' illius quam Tycbot anno 1588, obfervavit totalem, 

 ' ' iS proximam centrali) egregie caladumfefellijjè ; nam 

 '* nonfolum mora tot ins Luna in tenebris brevis fuit, 

 ''^ fed et diiratio reliqua multo magis ; perindè qiiafi 

 '' tellus ellipiica effet ^ demetientem breviorem habens 

 ^^ fiib jEquatorey longiorem a polo uno ad alteram, 

 ** That is, // is zvorthy of remark^ that this eclipfe 

 ^* of tbe Moon^'' (he is fpeaking of that of the 26th 

 " September, 1624) like the one which Tycho ob' 

 ^^ ferved, in the year 1588, which was totals and very 

 " nearly central, differed widely from the calculation , 

 *^ for not only was the duration of total darknejs eX' 

 " tremely fijort, but the rejl of thç duration, previous j 



* Natural Hiftory of England, pages 246 and 347. 



o 4 " and 



