BOOK II.] History of Nature. 57 



these Causes the Sight is entangled, and discovereth those 

 Stars also which are fixed in the Sky. For one while a 

 Number of them appear about the Half-moon, when in a 

 clear and calm Night she gently beautlfieth them ; and at 

 another they are seen but here and there, insomuch that we 

 may wonder how they are fled upon the full Moon, which 

 hideth them ; or when the Beams either of the Sun or other 

 abovesaid have dazzled our Sight. Yea, the Moon herself 

 perceiveth the Sun's Beams, as they come upon her : for 

 those Rays that come sidelong, according to the Convexity 

 of the Sky, give but an obscure Light to the Moon, in Com- 

 parison of them that fall directly with straight Angles. And, 

 therefore, in the quadrangular Aspect of the Sun she ap- 

 peareth divided in Half; in the triangular she is well near 

 environed, but her Circle is half empty ; but in Opposition 

 she appeareth full. And again, as she is in the Wane, she 

 representeth the same Forms, decreasing by Quarters as she 

 increased : with like Aspects as the other three Planets 

 above the Sun. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



The Reason of the Suns Motion, and the Inequality of Days. 



THE Sun himself hath four Differences in his Course : 

 twice in the Year, in Spring and Autumn, making the Night 

 equal to the Day ; for then he falleth on the Centre of the 

 Earth, in the eighth Degree of Aries and Libra. Twice 

 likewise he exchangeth the Compass of his Race : to lengthen 

 the Day from the Bruma, or Midwinter, in the eighth De- 

 gree of Capricorn; and again to lengthen the Night from the 

 summer Solstice, being in as many Degrees of Cancer. The 

 Cause of unequal Days is the Obliquity of the Zodiac: when 

 the one Half of the World is at all Times above and under 

 the Earth. But (hose Signs which mount upright in their 



it reflects to us a red tinge, the light it obtains from the sun is the same 

 with that which comes to us from the sun, and in which the prismatic 

 rays produce a colourless mixture. Wern. Club. 



