VOL. XXIX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 205 



greatest, that ever Rome had : how he, with his two sons, Bassianus and Geta, 

 three Roman emperors, resided at one and the same time, here in Britain, and 

 from hence sent their imperial edicts, orders, and dispatches, into all parts of 

 the empire : and after an amazing greatness of about 24 years, and a course of 

 almost all virtues and vices, at length tumbled down ; submitting to the acci- 

 dents and fate of other men ; and were all buried at Rome, in the septizodium 

 built by Severus. 



To these memoirs of Geta, the author has subjoined a discourse, concerning 

 that curious cimelium, which was some years since found at Athelney in Somer- 

 set. It belonged to King Alfred, and is now in the possession of Col. Palmer 

 of Fairfield, in that county. Besides the critical use made of it, by the learned 

 Dr. Hickes, our author writes of it as an undeniable instance of the use of 

 images, coming from the heathens into the Christian church. 



An Account of several Nebulce, or lucid Spots like Clouds, lately discovered among 

 the Fixed Stars, by help of the Telescope. N° 347, P- SQO. 



In the last number we gave a short account of the several new stars that have 

 appeared in the heavens, within the last 150 years, some of which afford very 

 surprising phaenomena. But not less wonderful are certain luminous spots or 

 patches, which discover themselves only by the telescope, and appear to the 

 naked eye like small fixed stars ; but in reality are nothing else but the light 

 coming from an extraordinary large space in the ether ; through which a lucid 

 medium is diffused, that shines with its own proper lustre. This seems fully to 

 reconcile that difficulty which some have moved against the description Moses 

 gives of the creation, alleging that light could not be created without the sun. 

 But in the following instances the contrary is manifest; for some of these bright 

 spots discover no sign of a star in the middle of them ; and the irregular form 

 of those that have, shows them not to proceed from the illumination of a 

 central body.* These are, as the aforesaid new stars, 6 in number, all which 

 we will describe in the order of time, as they were discovered ; giving their 

 places in the sphere of fixed stars, to enable the curious, who are furnished 

 with good telescopes, to take the satisfaction of contemplating them. 



The first and most considerable is that in the middle of Orion's sword, marked 

 with by Bayer in his Uranometria, as a single star of the 3d magnitude ; and 

 is so accounted by Ptolemy, Tycho Brahe, and Hevelius : but is in reality two 



* All or most of these lucid spots have lately, by means of the more powerful telescopes, been 

 discovered to be clusters of very small stars, the mixed and united light of which yield that white 

 appearance. — ^This paper also bears tokens of the composition of Dr. Halley. 



