i MijceUanea Curiofa. 



prevaiPd fo far, that this molt difficult Part 

 of the Aftronomical Science lay altogether neg- 

 le&ed for no Body thought it worth while 

 to take Notice of, or write about, the Wan- 

 dring uncertain Motions of what they efteemed 

 Vapours floating in the zither - 0 whence it came 

 to pafs, that nothing certain, concerning the 

 Motion of Comets, can be found tranftnitted 

 from them to us. 



But Seneca the Phtlofephtr, having confider'd 

 the Phenomena of Two remarkable Comets of 

 his Time, made no Scruple to place them a* 

 mongft the Cceleftial Bodies , believing them 

 to be Stars of equal Duration with the World, 

 tho' he owiis their Motions to be govern'd by 

 Laws not as then known, or found out. And at 

 lafl (which was no untrue or vain Prediction) 

 he foretells, that there fhould be Ages fometime 

 hereafter, to whom Time and Diligence fhou'd 

 unfold all thefe Mylteries, and who fhou'd 

 wonder that the Ancients cou'd be ignorant of 

 them, after fome lucky Interpreter of Nature 

 had fhewn, in what Parts of the Heavens the Co- 

 mets wander W, what^ and how great they were. 

 Yet almofl all the Aflronomefs differ'd from 

 this Opinion of Seneca j neither did Seneca him- 

 feif think fit to fet down thofe Phenomena of 

 the Motion, by which he was enabled to maintain 

 his Opinion : Nor the Times of thofe Appear- 

 ances, w hid) might be of nfe to Poflerity, in 

 order to the Determining thefe Things. And 

 indeed, upon the Turning over very many 

 X-Iiftories of Comets, I find nothing at all that 

 can -be of Service in this Affair, before, A.D* 

 1337. at which time Niceyhorw Gregoras, aCon- 

 ftant'wopolitan Hijtorian and Afironomer^ did 



pretty 



