% The Statural Hijlory 



over Nature, but in her matter and motion, i. e . to put together, 

 feparate, or fafhion natural Bodies, and fomtimes to alter their 

 ordinary courfe. 



3. Yet neither fhall I fo ftrictly tie my felf up to this method, 

 but that I (hall handle the two firft, viz,. The feveral Species of 

 natural things, and the errors of Nature in thofe refpective Spe- 

 cies, together ; and the things Artificial in the end apart : Method 

 equally begetting iterations and prolixity, where it is obferved 

 too much, as where not at all. And thefe I intend to deliver as 

 fuccin&ly as may be, in a plain, eafie, unartificial Stile, itudiouf- 

 ly avoiding all ornaments of Language, it being my purpofe to 

 treat of Things, and therefore would have the Reader expect 

 nothing lefs then Words : Yet neither fhall my Difcourfe be fo 

 jejune, as wholly to confift of bare Narrations, for where the 

 fubject has not at all, or but imperfectly been handled, I (hall beg 

 leave either to enlarge, or give my opinion. 



4. Since then the Celeftial Bodies are fo remote, that little can 

 be known of them without the help of Art, and that all fuch 

 matters (according to my propofed method) muft be referred to 

 the end of this Book : I have nothing of that kind to prefent 

 the Reader with, that's local, and feparate from Art, but the ap- 

 pearance of two Parhelia or mock-Suns, one on each fide of the 

 true one, at En/ham on the 29 th of May, early in the morning, 

 in the year 1673. With them alfo appeared a great circle of 

 light concentrical to the true Sun, and paffing through the disks 

 of the fpurious ones, as in Tab. 1. Fig.i. which though I faw 

 not the Phenomenon, is as truly drawn (for fo it was confeft by 

 fome that did) as I could poffibly have done it if perfonally pre- 

 fent ; and yet fo incurious was the amazed multitude, that they 

 could not fo much as give me ground to guefs at the diameter of 

 the circle, much lefs whether it were interrupted in fome of its 

 parts, or interfered (as they ufually are) with any other circles 

 of a fainter colour. 



5. Whether thefe appearances are caufed by reflection or re- 

 fraction in the Clouds, according to the old Philofophy ; or by 

 both, in a great annulary cake of Ice and Snow, as Des Cartes or 

 by fcmiopaque Cylinders, as M. Hugens deZulichem, will be too 

 too tedious here to difpute. Let it therefore at prefent fuffice, 

 that this Phenomenon is worthy our notice, in regard, 



1. That 



