Mifcellanea Curiofa. 269 



oh the Retina. In this Opinion I do find he 

 h not alone, for in the Journals des Scavans 

 this Difquifition being again revived by a 

 French Abbe^ he therein follows this Senti- 

 ment oiGaJfendtts. It was firft publilhed in the 

 3d Conference prcfented to the Dauphin in 

 Auguft 1672. but by reafon of an Objection 

 moved by Father Pardye, it was fain to be 

 re-publilhed with fome additions and amend- 

 ments in Ottob. 1672. The addition was, 

 that this contra&ing and enlarging of the 

 Pupil caufeth a different fhape in the Eye ; 

 an open Pupil making the Cryftalline flatter 

 and the Eye longer, and the narrower Pupil 

 fhortning the Eye, and making the Cryftalline 

 more convex, the firft attends our looking at 

 Objects which are remote or which we think 

 fo ; the latter accompanies the viewing Ob- 

 jects nigh at end. Likewife an open Pupil 

 and flat Cryftalline attends Objefts of a more 

 fedate Light, whilft Obje&s of more forcible 

 Rays require a greater Convexity and narrow 

 Pupil. From thefe Pofitions the Abbe endea- 

 voured to give an account of our Phenomenon 

 as follows. When the Moon is nigh the 

 Horizon , by comparifon w 7 ith interpofed Ob- 

 jects, we are apt to imagine her much farther 

 from us then when more elevated, and there- 

 fore (fays he) we order our Eyes as for view- 

 ing an Object farther from us \ that is, we 

 fomethiug enlarge the Pupil , and thereby 

 make the Cryftalline more flat \ moreover the 

 duskiftinefs of the Moon in that pofture does 

 not fo much ftrain the fight ; and confe- 

 quently the Pupil will be more large, and the 

 Cryftalline more flat : Hence a larger Image 



lhall 



