266 



by the joint attestations of the sun and moon, the two 

 faithful witnesses in heaven. 



' BN i tse it is tuil) proved, that time commenced at 

 our aiituiLiuii equinox, at the fourth day of the creation, 

 at the full moon, or the fifteenth dav/ or the first month 

 of the first lunar year. 



<f From the autumnal equinox at the creation to the 

 same in 176 '1, have elapsed 576'8 vears. Indeed, Capel- 

 lus supposes time to commence two years, archbishop 

 Usher tour years later. But could ihe error ot a single 

 year be discovered in the series I have collected, all 

 would fall to the ground. 



" Touching the common astronomy, I observe, 

 1. Astronomers still divide the ecliptic into 360 degrees. 

 But how unnaturally ? Three hundred and sixty de- 

 grees, i nd near one fourth, are undeniable more corres- 

 pondent to the sun's annual motion. And upon this di- 

 vision we can make a truer calculation, than can be 

 made upon any other. 



" 2. The inequality of solar tropical years, and the 

 inequality of the equations of natural days, are estab- 

 lished doctrines. But whoever computes the times of 

 equinoxes and solstices, and subtnits his calculations to 

 the test of the latest and best observations, will find no 

 room for any equations at all. 



" 3. Astronomers unanimously maintain, that at the 

 end of nineteen lunisolar j-ears, the mean new moons, 

 and the mean full moons happen, ''bout an hour and a 

 half sooner than they did ai the beginning of the cycle. 

 On the contrary, I undertake to evince, that the very 

 reverse of this is true. I allow that at the end of nine- 

 teen lunisolar \ea;s, the moon departs from the sun I 

 but it departs fr'-m it, not by a retrocession westward, 

 but b^ a progression eastward. That is, the mean new 

 moons and the mean full moons fall out, not an hour 

 and a half sooner, but almost two hours iater. There* 

 fo.t. -lit doctrine of lunar anticipations has no founda- 

 tion m nature. 



