248 



parries discovered anew star. In 1572 TychoBrahe 

 observed another Its magnitude Jit first exceeded the 

 biggest of our stars. It equalled that of Venus when 

 nearest the earth, ;ind was seen in fair day light. It 

 Continued sixteen months, toward the end of which it 

 grew less till it totally disappeared. We have an ac- 

 count of one appearing at least thrice before, at the in- 

 terval of 150 yt-ars. Probably it was the same star, and 

 uill return at the staled time. 



Many other new stars have beeil observed in this cen- 

 tnry to appear and disappear; and it is certain from the 

 c(u catalogues, that many of the ancient stars are not 

 now visible. 



There are now wanting two stars of the second mag- 

 nitude in the ship Argo, which were seen till the year 

 16 4. But there was not the least sign of them in 

 It Co. Accurate astronomers have observed many more 

 such changes in the fixed stars, to the number of a 

 hundred. 



Are these temporary stars a sort of planets 1 Are they 

 fixed stars, .v/hich being covered with spols'like those 

 "observed on the sun, lose their brightness, and con^e- 

 queniSy disappear ? Or are they comets, which take so 

 vast a time to perform their revolutions, as seldom to 

 have their returns perceived ? 



11. It remains only to make some improvement of 

 what has been observed, concerning the system of the 

 universe. And first, we may observe the due situation 

 of the heavenly bodies. 1. None of them interfere 

 Tvkh each other. Had the universe been the work of 

 any but the wise architect, there would have been many 

 inconveniences in 'the situation of such a prodigious num- 

 ber of immense globes* Some would have been too 

 lie's r or too far off; some would have incommoded 

 others. But instead of this, all the globes which fall 

 under our notice, are set at such a due distance, as not 



