t 53 1 
came as two Parts of an Arch, or Segment of a Cir- 
cle, with the Concave towards the Sun, only round 
at Top, the Light and Colours ftreamlng downwards* 
and tending towards a Point below. This continued 
for about four or five Minutes, when the Colours gra- 
dually diiappearing, they became, as before two lucid 
Spots, without any Diftinftion of Colours. They laft- 
ed a full Hour, fometimes one brighter, and fome- 
times the other, according to the Variation of the 
Clouds and Air, as I fupppofe. When I firft faw it, 
it was exadly a Quarter after Eleven. There had been 
a Froft in the Morning, which went away pretty foon 
with a thick Mift, and between io and n o’Clock 
clear'd up, leaving only a Hazinefs in the Air be- 
hind it : The W eather quite calm, Wind, as I thought, 
N. W. 
Thefe ^Parhelia commonly are feen with a Circle 
or Halo round the Sun, concentrical to it, and paf- 
Ting through the Disks of the fpurious or Mock-Suns. 
But there was not the lead Appearance of fuch a Circle 
here, it having only a Tendency towards one, when it 
was feen with the Rainbow Colours. 
The other Phenomenon was that pretty common 
one of the Aurora Borealis , of which though you 
have fo many exaft and curious Accounts in your 
learned TranfaStions , yet I do not remember any 
one in the Manner I faw this of the nth pad. A 
little after five o'Clock, I obferv'd the Northern He- 
misphere to be obfeured by a dusky red Vapour, in 
which, by Degrees, appear'd feveral very fmall black 
Clouds near the Horizon. I thought it feenfd to be 
a Preparation for thofe Lights which afterwards were 
feen 5 the firft Eruption of which was within a Quar- 
