The lecond Booke o£ I 



Oft men are ignorant of thatfeGreEjiteh by greatattendance upon the hea- 

 venSjdeepe ckarkes and principall men of learning have foundout : namely^ 

 that they bee the fires of the three uppermoft^piancts^ which falling to the; 

 earth jCarrie the name of lightnings, but thole efpeciaily which arefeated in 

 the mrddeftj to witjabout lupiter^ haply^becaufc participating the exceffive 

 cold and moifture from the upper circle of ^^//^rw^and theimmoderate heat 

 fromiUtrs that is next underjby this meanes he difch'argeth the fuperfiuitie : and hereupon it is H 

 commonly laid/rhat /r^/^/^v^-fhooteth and darteth lightening?. Therefore Jike as out of a bur- 

 ning peece of wood a cole of fire flieth forth with a cracke,evenfo from a ftarre is fpit out as it 

 were and voided forth this coeleftial firCjcarrying withit prefages of future things:fo as the hea- 

 ven fheweth divine operationsjeven in thele parcels and portions which are rejeded and caft a.= 

 way as fuperfluous. And thisinoft commonly happeneth when the aire is troubled, cither be- 

 caufe the moifbre that is gathered, mooveth and ftirreth forward that abundance tofallj or els 

 for that it is difquieted with the birth (as it were)proceedingfrom a great bellied ftarjand therdj 

 fore would be dileharged of fueh excrements. 



' Chap. XXL 



^ The diffances of the PUnets 



I 



2 Any have aifaied to find out the diftance and elevation of the Planets from the carthjand 

 have fet downe in writing,that the Sunneisdiftantfrom the Moon 1 8 degrecs^cven as 

 much as the Moone from the earth. But Pythagoras man of a quicke Ipirit^Ijath eol- 

 leclcdjthat there are 1 2 ($ooo furlongs from the earth to the Moone, and a duple diftance from 

 her to tiie Sunnejand fofrom thence to the twelve figncs three times lb miichj Of which opini- 

 on was alfoour countrieman Cdip^s Sul^itim, 



Chap, XXII. 



of the Planets muficke and hArmonie^ 



|Vt Pythagoras otherwhiles ufingthe tearmcs of mufickCjcallcththtfpacebetweenc the 

 ^ ear th and the Moone a Tonusj faying, that from her to Mar curie is halfc a tone ; and 

 from him to Venm in manner the famefpace. But from her to the Sunne as much and 

 halfc againe:but from the Sunne to Mars a Tonus, that is to fay , as much as from the earth to the 

 Moone. From him to liifiter halfe aTonus :likewifefrom him to SAtiirne halfea Tonus; and Ip, 

 from thence to the Signifer Spha^re or Zodiake fo much,and halfe again.Thus ate compofed fc- 

 ven tunesjwhich harmonic they cal Diapafonjthat is to fay,the Generalitie orwhole (late ofcon- 

 cent and accordjwhich is perfect muficke.In ^\i\Q\\ySatnrne moveih by the Dorick tunc: Meuu^ 

 tie by Phthongus, Ittpter by the Phrygian^and the reft likcwife : a fubtiltie more plcafant y wis 

 than needy]. 



CHAf.XXIIl 



TheGeometrie or dimenfion of the world 6 



Stadium or furlong maketh of our pales 1 2 5, that is to fay, <52 5 foot . Pofdonim 

 . faith ,That from the earth it is no lelfe than fortie ftadia to that height or altitude 

 i wherein thicke weather, winds and cloudsjdoe engender. Above which jthe aire is 

 pure,Gleere,and light, without any troubled darkeneffe.But from the cloudie and M 

 muddie region to the Moone,is twentie hundred thoufand Stadia: from thence to 

 the Sunne tive thoufand.By meanes of which middle fpace betweene, it commeth to pafle^thac 

 fo exceeding great as the Sunne is,he burncth not the earth.Many there be moreover^who have 

 jAughtjthat the clouds are elevated to the heigth of nine hundred ftadia ^Vnknowne thele points 



are. 



L 



