% T^he OsQitural Hijlory 
over Nature, but in her matter and motion, /. e. to put together, 
feparate, or fadiion natural Bodies, and fomtimes to alter their 
ordinary courfe. 
3. Yet neither ftiall I fo ftriftly tie my felf up to this method, 
but that I fliall handle the two firft, viz^. The feveral S [secies of 
natural things, and the errors of Nature inthofe refpeftive 
cies,^ together ; and the things Artificial in the end apart : Method 
equally begetting iterations and prolixity, where it is obferved 
too much, as where not at all. And thefe I intend to deliver as 
fuccinftly as may be, in a plain, eafie, unartificial Stile, ftudiouf- 
ly avoiding all ornaments of Language, it being my purpofe to 
treat of Things, and therefore would have the Reader exped 
nothing lefs then Words : Yet neither (liall my Difcourfe be fo 
jejune, as wholly to confift of bare Narrations, for where the 
fubjed has not at all, or but imperfeaiy been handled, I fliall beg 
leave either to enlarge, or give my opinion. 
4. Since then the Celeftial Bodies arefo remote, that little can 
be known of them without the help of Art, and that all fuch 
matters (according to my propofed method) muft be referred to 
the end of this Book : 1 have nothing of that kind to prefent 
the Reader with, that's local, and feparate from Art, but the ap- 
pearance of two Parhelia or mock-Suns, one on each fide of the 
true one, 2i\iEnfljam on the 29^^ of early in the morning, 
in the year 1673. With them alfo appeared a great circle of 
light concentrical to the true Sun, and pafling through the disks 
of the fpurious ones, as mTab.i, Fig.i, which though I faw 
not the Phd^nomenon^ is as truly drawn (for fo it was confefi: by 
fome that did) as I could pofiibly have done it if perfonally pre- 
fent ; and yet fo incurious was the amazed multitude, that they 
could not fo much as give me ground to guefs at the diameter of 
the circle, much lefs whether it were interrupted in fome of its 
parts, or interfered (as they ufually are) with any other circles 
of a fainter colour. 
5. Whether thefe appearances are caufed by refiedion or re- 
fraction in the Clouds, according to the old Philofophy ; or by 
both, in a great annulary cake of Ice and Snow, as Des Cartes ^ or 
by fcmiopaque Cylinders, as M. Hugens de Zulichem^ will be too 
too tedious here to difpute. Let it therefore at prefent fuffice, 
that this Fhdinomenon is worthy our notice, in regard, 
tJSi TJi^ 
