270 HELIOTROPES. 



makes to the northward at the season of the longest 

 days. Now nothing would be necessary but to place 

 these two objects with so much exactness, that the 

 westerly limb of the sun, at setting, might but just 

 clear the winter heliotrope to the west of it, on the 

 shortest day, and that the whole disc of the sun, at 

 the longest day, might exactly, at setting, also clear 

 the summer heliotrope to the north of it. 



By this simple expedient, it would soon appear, 

 that there is no such thing, strictly speaking, as a 

 solstice ; for, from the shortest day, the owner would, 

 every clear evening, see the disc advancing, at its 

 setting, to the westward of the object ; and, from 

 the longest day, observe the sun retiring backwards 

 every evening, at its setting, towards the object 

 westward, till, in a few nights, it would set quite 

 behind it, and so by degrees to the west of it ; for 

 when the sun comes near the summer solstice, the 

 whole disc of it would at first set behind the object : 

 after a time, the northern limb would first appear, 

 and so every night gradually more, till at length 

 the whole diameter would set northward of it for 

 about three nights ; but on the middle night of the 

 three, sensibly more remote than the former or 

 following. When beginning its recess from the 

 summer tropic, it would continue more and more to 

 be hidden every night, till at length it would descend 

 quite behind the object again ; and so nightly more 

 and more to the westward. 



