Miscellanea Curio fa. 273 



'ritontal Moon flioiild be fancied nigher to tis 

 than farther from us ; for if we are for try- 

 ing natural Thoughts^ let us take Children 

 to determine the Matter, who are apt to 

 think that could they go to the edge of that 

 fpace that bounds their Sight , they lhbuld 

 be able (as they call it) to touch the Sky $ 

 and confequently the Moon feems then rather 

 nigher to us than farther from us. 



After I had writ thus, far I accidentally caft 

 my Eye upon Ricciolfs Treatife of Refradion, 

 at the end of his id. Volume of the Almageft^ 

 Lib- io. Sett. 6. Cap.i. Que ft. 13. wherin he 

 fpeaks of our prefent Difficulty ; but to my 

 wonder 1 find him aflert, that he and Father 

 Grimaldi had often taken the/^r/^o^/Sunand 

 Moons Diameter by a Sextant, when to the 

 naked Eye they appeared very large ; ( Grimd- 

 dm directing his Sight to the left edge, and 

 Rkciolm to the right,) and that even by the 

 Inftrument they always found the Diameters 

 greater than when more elevated^ the Sun 

 often fubtending an Angle of almoft a De- 

 gree, and frequently 45 Minutes, the Moon 

 alfo 3801* 40 Minutes. This is downright 

 contrary to the matter of Fad which I have 

 before alledged, and direftly repugnant to 

 the matter of Fad afTerted by the French 

 Abbe in the forecited Journal. Whether of 

 Us be in the right I leave to accurate Ex- 

 periment to determine , and fubmit the 

 whole to the decilion of the lUufirious Roy- 

 ul Society. Only give rrie leave to add 

 one word againO: Riccioli, for had his Experi- 

 ments been accurately profecuted, he mould 



T ' , have 



