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they went along, noted down their times feparately, 

 ^gredng to the fame fecond^ And three feconds fooner 

 than this, to the bed of my judgment, was the time when 

 the leaft impreffion made by Fe7ms on the Sun's limb, 

 could be fcen by my telefcope. 



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its diameter on the Sun, as I was fteadily viewing its pro- 

 grefs, my fight was fuddenly attradcd by a beam of light, 

 which broke through on that fide of r^wz^j- yet off the Sun. 

 Its figure was that of a broad'-ba/ed pyramid; fituated at 

 about 40 or 45 degrees on the limb of Venus ^ from a 

 line paffing through her center and the Sun's, and to tlie 

 left hand of that line as feen through my telefcope, which 

 inverted. About the fame time, the Sun's light began to 

 fpread round Venus on each fide, from the points where 

 their limbs interfeded each other/' See a reprefcntation 

 of both thefe pha^nomena, plate 5. fig. i. 



" As F^^w?^^ advanced, the point of the pyramid ftill 

 grew lower, its circular bafe wider, until it met the 

 light which crept round from the points of intcrfedion of 



the two limbs; fo that when half the planet appeared on 

 the Sun, the other half yet off the Sun was entirely fur- 



beft defined on the fide 



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next to the body of Venus ^^ which continually grew bright 

 er, till the time of the internal contad," See plate 3, fig. 2. 

 " Imagination cannot form anything more beautifully 

 fercne and quiet, than was the air during the whole time; 

 nor did I ever fee the Sun's limb more pcrfcdly defined, 

 or more free from any tremulous motion; to which his 

 great altitude undoubtedly contributed much. 



"When the internal contciSl (as it is called) drew nigh, 

 Iforciaw that it would be very diihcult to fix the time 

 with any certainty, on account of the great breadth and 

 brightnefsof the light which furrounded that part of Venus 

 yet off the Sun. After fome confideration, I rcfolvcd to 

 judge as well as T could of the co-incidcnce of the limbs; 

 and accordingly gave the fignal for the internal contail 



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