^O Method to determine the 



diftance of lOO yards, can be as diftinftly read as it could 

 by the eye at the diftance of one yard 5 and it is owing to this 

 aftonifhing property that the heavenly bodies can be con- 

 templated as though they were only the one, two, three, 

 four, or five hundredth part the diftance that they are in re- 

 ality. 



The planets, for inftance, have nothing in their appear- 

 ance to the naked eye, that would engage our particular at- 

 tention, or enable us todiftinguifh them from the fixed ftars, 

 except their being obferved to change their places amongfl: 

 the fixed ftars, fometimes moving from weft to eaft, then 

 for a fcafon remaining ftationary, having no apparent motion 

 at all ; then again, to have a little motion from eaft to weft, 

 which keeps mcreafing a certain time, when it again decreafes, 

 until they once more become ftationary. They were thus 

 diftintrulfticd from the fixed ftars long before telefcopcs were 

 invented, and on this accojimt were called erratics, or wan- 

 dering ftars, their real and regular motions and periods be- 

 ing at that time unknown. But, by the afllftancc of the 

 telefcope, in each of them may be obferved what excites 

 aftoniftiment and claims our particular attention, efpecially 

 if the inftruments are good of their kind, and magnify from 

 two to four hundred times. In viewing Saturn, the (loweft, 

 and now known to be the moft diftant planet of all, except 

 the Georgiuni Sidus, inftead of a pale folitary wanderer, he 

 is found to be accompanied with fix or feven moons, re- 

 volving round him at ftated, fixed, and regular periods, and 

 to be encompafTed with (a greater wonder ftill) a double ring, 

 no where touching him, but fufpended fo as to have its in- 

 fide edge every where twenty-one thoufand miles from his 

 body. The planet Jupiter is obferved to have feveral belts 

 that appear, though upon his body, as having feveral fpots, 

 by which his diurnal motion on his axis is determined to be 

 much quicker than that of our earth, being performed in 

 about eight hours, notwilhilanding he is fo much larger, 

 7 ^ ll« 



J 



