face ftnd the same spots are always observed, with- 

 out the least variation, she must have such a motion 

 round her own axis as turns every moment so much of 

 her surface from our view, as is turned to us by her peri- 

 odical motion: that is, she must move in the same time 

 about her axis, as she does about the earth. 



Half at least of the moon is always enlightened by the 

 sun, but as it is continually changing its situation, the whole 

 of the enlightened part is not always toward us, and 

 therefore she exhibits to us various appearances. When 

 she begins to recede from her conjunction with the sun, 

 and to emerge out of his rays, a small portion of her 

 enlightened part is seen, and appears as it were horned. 

 But the farther she recedes from the sun, the more of the 

 enlightened part appears, till about the fourteenth day, 

 being just opposite to him, she shews us her entire 

 hemisphere. In the same manner sire appears to de- 

 crease, while she is approaching the sun. The moon is 

 supposed to be forty-five times smaller than the earth. 



The moon has sometimes disappeared in a clear sky, 

 so as not to be discoverable by the besf glasses. This 

 Keppler observed in the year 15SO, and in 1583 : Heve- 

 lius, in l(i20, as did Riccioius, and many others at Bo- 

 logna. Many people throughout Holland, observed the 

 same, April, 14, 16"42. December 23, 1703, there was 

 another total obscuration ; a little before it, she ap- 

 peared at Aries, of a yellowish brown, at Avignon, ruddy 

 and transparent. At Marseilles, one part was ruddy, 

 the other dusky, till she wholly disappeared. I do not 

 find that the boldest philosophers attempt to account 

 for this. ~ 



It is now almost universally supposed, that the moon ' 

 is- just like the earth, having mountains and vallies, seas 

 with islands, peninsulas, and promontories, and a change- 

 able atmosphere, wherein vapours and exhalations rise 

 and fall/ And hence it is generally inferred, that she is 

 inhabited like the earth, and by parity of reason, that 

 all the other planets, as well as the earth and moon, have 

 their respective inhabitants. But alter all conies the 

 celebrated Mr. Huygens, and brings strong reasons viliy 



