[ 98 ] 
Perhaps it may not be thought foreign to my Pur* 
pofe to remark, that the Nodes of the Comet, and 
the Planet Mercury , are fituated within lefs than half 
a Degree of each other ; which, I fuppofe, gave Rife 
to a Report, that the Comet had carried Mercury 
from its Orbit. In order therefore to find how nearly 
they approached each other, I had the Curiofity to 
bring the Matter to Calculation ; and prefently found, 
there was above a Week’s Difference in the Times of 
their Coming to the Nodes; the Comet palling its 
defcending Node, Feb. 22. about 2 h in the Morn- 
ing; and Mercury not coming to his till Feb. 29. 
the Comet moving all that Time Southwards with 
a prodigious Velocity. Again, computing their Helio- 
centric Conjun&ion, which happened Feb. 18. about 
i h in the Afternoon, I found the Comet was, at that 
time, diftant from Mercury nearly -) Part of the Semi- 
diameter of the Orbis magnus ; being almoft twice 
as near to the Sun as the Planet $ ; and having then 
31 0 30' of North Latitude; Mercury s not exceed- 
ing 3 0 58' (to an Eye in the Sun) : Whence it is eafily 
colle&ed, that the Comet could have no fenfible 
Influence upon $’s Motion. 
I fhall now only beg Leave to obferve, that the 
Elements above-given cannot pollibly differ much 
from the true. For, after an Interval of Two Months 
(in which time the Comet had gone thro’ almoft f 
Part of its Orbit), it is furpriling to find the obfervcd 
and computed Places agree fo accurately, that the 
Difference no-where amounts to a Minute. In fome 
Parts of the Orbit, the Agreement is ftill greater; 
particularly, in the Obfervations made at Sherborn , 
which come within half that Quantity ; and would 
have 
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