The fecond Booke of 



the higheft,and goc their Icaft motion , which is fo much the kffc^ when as it happcncth in the G 

 higheft fignes oi their Auges or jbfides. From the even arifing after the Sunne fetting^they dc- 

 fcend toward the latitude meridionall/or now the motion Icfle diniinifhethj but yet cncreafeth 

 not before the fecond Ihtions : for that they arc forced to dcfcend^by reafon of the fun beames 

 comming from the other fide of their Epycicle: and the fame force beareth them downeward a* 

 gainc to the earth, which by the former triangular a{pe6l railed them aloft toward heaven , So 

 much skilleth it whether the faid beames came from beneath or above . The fame happenetb 

 much more in the even fetting when they be hidden with the raies of the Sunne.This is the rea- 

 fon of the fuperiour planets above the Sunne:but tht Theorique is more ditficult of the rcll^and 

 hath by no man before us been delivered. 



H 



Chap. XVlL 

 ^ Gener ail rules as tmhiagthePUnctsl 



Irft and formoft thcrefbrc let us letdowne the caufe vihyVeam ftarrc never dcpar- 

 teth frorh the Sunne more than ^6 degrees, and Mercuric not above 2 3 : and (be- 

 ing as they are diverfePlanets)whyoftei1times they retire backeunto the Sunnc 

 within that compaiTe-For to be refolved in this pointjuotc wee mutt, that both of 

 chcm have their Ab fides turned oppofite to the rett^as being feated under the fun : 

 and lo mucii of theircircles is underneathj as the forenamed were above : and therefore farther 

 off they cannot bee, becaufe the curvature and roundle of their Abfdes in that place^ hath no I 

 grcaterlongitude.Therefore both edges of their y^^j^^/ej^by a like proportion keepc anindiffc* 

 rent mean, & their courfe is limittcd : but the fhort (paces of their longitudes, they rccompencc 

 again with the wandering of their latitudes . But what is the reafon that they reach not alwaics 

 to4^degrecs,andto23 ? yes y wis doe they: but this the CanonicallAftronomers havemiflcd 

 of m their Aphorifines.For it is apparent,that their Abfides alfo or Auges doe moovc,b^caufe 

 they never overpafTe the Sunne. And therefore when their edges from either fide are perceived 

 to fall upon the very point,then the planets alfo are fuppofed to reach unto their longcft diftan- 

 ces -.but when their edges or the points of their Epyciclesjbe ftiortfo many degrees, the ftarrcs 

 themfelves are thought to returnemore (peedily in their rctrogradation, than in their dire^^ 

 courfe forward, albeit the utmoft cxtremitie which they both have,is ever the fame. And from K 

 henceis the reafon underftood of the contrarie motions of thefetwo planets.For thefuperiour 

 planets move moft fwiftly in the even fetting,but thefe moft flowly . They,l fay,be fartheft from 

 theearth, when they move floweft; and thefe,when they goe fwifteft: for as in the former the 

 neerenefle of the centre haftcneth themjfo in theftjthe cxtremitie of the circle :they, from their 

 xnorne rifing begin to flake their celeritie ; but thcfe,to encreafc it : they returne back from their 

 morning Station to their evening manfionsbutrf/z/z^contrariwife is retrograde fromthcSta- 

 tion Vefpertine,to the Matutine. Howbeit,fhe from the morne rifing beginneth to climbe the 

 latitude Septentrionall : but to follow the altitude and the Sunne,from the morning ftation : as 

 being molt fwift and at the higheft in the morne fetting. Moreover fhe beginneth to digreflein 

 latitudcjand to diminifn her motion from the morne rifing: but_jto be retrpgradcaand wiihall to ^ 

 digreflc in altitude,from the evening ftation.Again the Pla net Mrc»r/^,being Oriental Matutin^ 

 beginneth both waies to climbe,that is,to mount higher day by day 5 but to digrefle in latitude^ 

 being Orientall Vefpertine : and when the Sunne hath overtaken him within the diftance of fit- 

 teenc degrees,he ftandeth ftill for foure daies unmoveable. Within a while he defcendeth from 

 bis altitude daily, and goethbacke retrograde from the even fetting, namely ,when the Sunne 

 hideth him with his raies, to the Moone rifing, when hee appeareth before the Sunne is up. 

 This ftarrc onely, and the Moone, defcendinasmany daies as they afcend . ButTtf^/^afcen- 

 dcth up to her ftation in fifteenc daies and the vantage. Againe,^^ ?«//?^ and lupter are twice as 

 long dclcending,and Mars foure times. See how great vanetie is in their nature, but the reafon 

 thereof is evident. For they which goe againft the vapour and heat of the Sunne doe alfo hardly M 

 de{cend.Many Iccrets more of Nature, and lawes whereunto flie is obedient, might bee fhewed 

 about thefe things. As for example : The planet of Mars^fihok courfe of all others.can bee leaft 

 obfervcd,never maketh ftation but in quadrate afpecl : as for lupiterjin triangle afpe(^i ; and very 

 (cidomefevercdfrom the Sunne do degrees^ which number maketh fixe angled ibrmes of the 



heaven^ 



