Mijcellanea Curiofa. 19 



can devife, yet the Ocean being fluid and yield- 

 ing to the leaft force, by its rifing (hews where 

 it is lefs prefs'd, and where it is more prefs'd by 

 its finking. 



Now if we fuppofe the force of the Moon's 

 Attaction to decreafe as the Square of the Di- 

 ftance from its Center increafes (as in the Earth 

 and other Cceleftial Bodies) we .(hall find, that 

 where the Moon is perpendicularly either above 

 or below the Horizon, either in Zenith or Na- 

 dir, there the force of- Gravity is moft of ail di- 

 minifhed, and confequently that there the Ocean 

 muft neceffarily fweil by the coming in of the 

 Water from thofe parts where the PrefTure is 

 greateft, in thofe places where the Moon is 

 near the Horizon : But that this may be the bet- 

 ter underftood, I thought it needful to. add the 

 following Figure, (Vide Fig. i. Plate I.) where 

 M is the Moon, E the Earth, C its Center, and 

 ^ the place where the Moon is in the Zenith, N 

 where in the Nadir. 



Now by the Hypothefis it is evident, that the 

 Water in ^, being nearer, is more, drawn by 

 the Moon, than the Center of the Earth C, and 

 that again more than the Water in N , where- 

 fore the Water in 7^ hath a tendency towards 

 the Moon, contrary to that of Gravity, being 

 equal to the excels of the Gravitation in a- 

 bove that in C : And in the other cafe, the Wa* 

 ter in N, tending lefs towards the Moon> than 

 the Center C, will be left prefTed, by as much as 

 is the difference of the gravitation towards the 

 Moon in C and N. This rightly underftood, it 

 follows plainly, that the Sea, which otherwife 

 would be Spherical, upon the PrefTure of the 

 Moon, muft form it felf into a Spheroidal or 

 Oval Figure, whole longeft Diameter is where 

 C z the 



