Chap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. loi 



than of vegetables, without the heat of the fun. And not only is our 

 heavens the grandeft and moft magnificent fpedtacle that can be 

 imagined, and at the fame time of the greateft ufe, but there is a 

 beautiful variety in it, which muft give great pleafure to every at- 

 tentive and intelligent fpedtator: For, in the firft place, there is in it 

 the variety of funfhine and cloud, and coniequently of light and 

 fhade upon the landfcape. Sometimes the whole fky is clouded, and 

 confequently the wholejandlcape under a (hade. At other times only 

 a part of ii is clouded; and then we have likewife a variety of light 

 and fhade in our {ky and landlcape : And when there is that va- 

 riety in our fky, it is a pleafure to lee the fun or u\oon immtTged as 

 it were in a cloud, and then emetgitig. beiides this, the colours 

 and ligures of tho clouds arc very various: For fometimes the colour 

 is very -iark and gloomy; al oiher times the (ky is fleccd^ as one of 

 our poets exprcUes it, with vt: y light clouds. And as to the tigares, 

 they are vr;ry v.,iii.:us; tor io,;ietiuits liiey form as it were hills, and 

 valeys betwixt them; and wt have mountain^ of fnow, and alfo 

 rriouniains of gold. And as to the fun, not c.ly does he exhibit, 

 while he is in our iky, all that variety of profpedl which I have 

 mentioned, hut in the tnorrung, bi'iore he appears, he adorns our 

 fky with line colours, and he does the fame after he difappcars in 

 the evening. 



And here it may be obferved how wonderful the vi'ifdom of God^ 

 hah contrived that, by the motions ol the fame body, (i mean the 

 earUi), and at the iame time, the fucceihon of day and night, of 

 feafons and ot ye^.rs, are dl produced; for, as I have faid, by the 

 motion of the earth round its axis, the lucceflion of dav and night 

 is produr.d. and iiy its motion round the fun, the fucctflion of lea- 

 fons and yearv ; v\ hile light and iliacie are fo equally diftributed, that 

 all parts oi rht tarth, ihcu ;h ' u.i'ed in rlimires fo different, and 

 with luch Uiherent lengths of days, enjoy the ligat oi liae fun aa 



equal 



