PART XUI.

CHAP. V.
Of the light of the Stars^ and of the changes and Spots in the Moon.
LEt us now fay fometliing of the light, not onely of the Sun, but of the reft of theStars, and particularly of the Moon. Firft, men ad¬ mire, that the Sun, being fo little, fiiould pour forth fo much light out of himfclf,as fufficeth to enlighten and warm the Heaven, the Earth, the ; Sea, and yet not b!? itfelf exhaufted. But the Sun is a kind of fountain, into which there flow to¬ gether from beneath on very fide perpetual rivulets \ for the feeds of heat throughout the whole world flow fo into the Sun, as chat im¬ mediately from him, as from one fountain or head, both heat and light overfioweth every way.
Moreover, the fubft^ce of^he Sun,may be of fuch thicknefs,and the light and heat which flow- cth from him of fuch thinnefs, that as a little currcntjor a rivulet,ftreaming from a fpring,v.’a- tereth the meadows and fields round about it, without any lofs to itlelf ; fo thar of the Sun may be fufficient to irrigate , as it were,the whole world, without any fenlible diminution of the Sun.
Moreover , the Air may be of fuch a nature, as that it may be kindled, as it were, by a little light, diffufed from the Sun ; as a whole field of corn may be fet on fire by one fpark.
Likewifejthe Sun may have his aliment round about him, which may fupply what he lofeth, as the flame of a lamp is fed by the oyl which is put to it. It may happen alfo many other ways. tun. As to the reft of thcStars,cfpecially theMoon,
it may be, that they have their light from them- felves, it may be they borrow it from the Sun-., for amongft us we fee., that there are many things which /hine ofthemfelves, many things which borrow li^ht from others • and there is nothing appearing in the fuperiour things themfelves, which hinders., but that either efthofe opinions may be true. ,
/fa man perferve fiedfajl in his mind the mani¬ fold ways., and the fuppofitions conformable to it, and conjlder the caufes together with it, lefi minding things that are incoherent, he grow vainly proud, and fometimes fall into one particular way, fame- times into another.
As for the Moon, it is in the firft place won¬ derful, Hpw file comes to have fo many changes, or increafe or decreafe of light. It may be, that being round, and receiving light from the Sun, Ihc is fuceffively fo figured, ( after the fame manner as the Air, when the Sun rifetb, is en- lightned, and when he fetteth is dardened fuc- ceffively, ) as that going away from the Sun, fhe feemeth every day to encreafe,becaufe fhe ftiew- eth more and more of her enlightned face to us, until Ihe perfents it at full -, and then going to¬ wards the Sun,decreafeth every day, becaule fhe fheweth lefs and lefs of it, until at laft Ihe turiieth lio part of it towards us, but is quite unfeen.
Moreover, it may be, that the Moon being round, one part of her may be bright, another dark,and as fhe turneth her Body ab6ut,may dif- cover to Us,alcernatcly,moreoriefsofeach part.
It may alfo be, that being bright of itftilf, fhe may be obftured by an interpofition of fomc
opacous Body coming under her, which is hemi- fpheiical and hollow, and, moved along with her, is continually rolled about her.
Neither doth any thing hinder, but that there may every day ( according to what we formerly faid, ) be made a new Moon of a feveral form and figure as in like manner the feafons of the Spring, Summer , Autumn, and Winter , and many things in them,come and go, are produced and perifh, at fet times.
In rine,ic may be any way, wherein thofe things which appear to us may be applyed to explica¬ tion of that manner,unlers foine man,being much in love with one fingular way, fhall vainly rejed the reft, not confidering what things it is pofli- ble for a man to know, and thereupon aims at the knowledge of thofe things which man can¬ not attain.
Moreover,th8y admire in theMoon, that there appear fpots in her face ^ but her face may ap¬ pear fo, either from the various and afferent nature of the parts of the Moon, or from the inter pofitwn of fame body, not fo much opacous as dusky ^ not rolling about her, but perpetually adlienng to her, and not folid all over, but full of holes like a Racket.
Or, it may he any other way of ad thofe which are Lien,, obfervedto he conformable to things apparent. 7 his is thecourfe to which we muji adhere, concerning fu¬ periour thmgs ; for no man, ifhecontefi agamjt up¬ per ent things, can ever partake of true tranquiliity.
CHAP, vi:
Of the Eclipfes of the Stars, and their fet Periods^
BUt there is nothing which ufeth to ftrikea greater terrour into men, than that foroe- times they obferve Eclipfes, and defeds of light in the Sun and Moon, to happen on a fuddain. Yet why may not this alfo happen many feveral ways ?
For firft, the Sun may be Eclipfed, for that the Moon, being interpofed, puts her dark Orb or opacous Body before him, and keeping away his light from the Earth, caufeth darknefsin her, until oy her removal the light is reftored. The Moon may be Eclipfed,for that the Earth,bcing interpofed betwixt her, and the Sun, takes the Sun off from her, and darkens her, while Ihc comes within the cone of the fhadow, until, paf- fing from out of it, fhe recovereth light.
Again, the Sun may be Eclipfed,for that fome part of Heaven, or fome other opdeous Body, fuch as is the Earth, may move along with the Sun, and at certain times come underneath him, and intercept his light. And the Moon in like manner, for that fome other opacous Body paf- fing betwixt her and the Sun, keeps off the beams of the Sun from her, or moving together with her, doth not onely perform its phafes flowly, but fometimes overcafts her with a fuddain darknefs. Not to mention, that if fhe be dark on otic fide and bright on the other, it may hap¬ pen, that fhe may fometimes on a fuddain turn her dark fide towards us.
Moreover, both the Sun and Moon may fuffer Eclipfe, for that they may pafs thorough places pernicious to fire, and thereby their light become
exting-
f