CAUSE OF THE TRADE WINDS. 121 



CHAP. vi. What is the reason why sailing vnder the burning 

 Zone we finde alwayes Easterly windes ? 



Let vs now speake of that which, toucheth the Question LIB. m. 

 propounded : what should be the reason whie vnder the 

 burning Zone wee saile easily from East to West, and not 

 contrary ? wherein we must presuppose two certaine 

 groundes. The one is, that the motion of the first moover, 

 which they call Diurnall, not onelie drawes and mooves with 

 him the celestiall spheares, which are inferiour vnto him, 

 as wee see daily in the sunne, the rnoone, and the starres, 

 but also the Elements do participate of this motion, inso 

 much as they are not hindered. The earth is not mooved, 

 by reason of her heavinesse, which makes it immooveable, 

 being far from this first motor. The element of water 

 moves not likewise with this Diurnall motion, for that it is 

 vnited to the earth and make one sphere, so as the earth 

 keeps it from all circular motion. But th other two elements 

 of fire and aire are more subtil and nearer the heavenly 

 regions, so as they participate of their motion, and are 

 driven about circularly as the same celestial bodies. As for 

 the fire, without doubt it hath his sphere (as Aristotle and 

 other Philosophers have held), but for the aire (which is the 

 point of our subiect) it is most certaine that it mooves with 

 a motion diurnall, which is from East to Weast, which we 

 see plainely in Comets that moove from the East vnto the 

 West, mounting, descending, and finally turning in the 

 hemispheare in the same sort as the Starres move in the 

 firmament ; for otherwise these comets being in the region 

 and sphere of the aire, whereas they ingender, appeares 

 consum d. It should be impossible for them to moove cir 

 cularly, as they doe, if the element of the aire doth not 

 moove with the same motion that the first motor dooth. 

 For these elements being of a burning substance, by reason 



