Book ii;

fmeSi
especially il^e fhews her forces upon earthly things , when the is full , the Sun being right over againft her , and makes her round, or when (lie is in Conjui ftjon with him , tor at thefe times Corn grows and augments , Iheli-fifh fwell , the veines are full of blood and the bones full of marrow 5 whence it is that copulation ac th'ofe times offends leaft. And becaufe fhe moifteneth all things 5 ilefh that arefubje&ed and ex poled to the Moon-beames corrupt 5 and men that are drunk & dead afleep allmoft, Wax pale, and are troubled with the Head*ache> and are affected with Epilepfie : for ic she cau[nh the loofeneth the Nerves , and moifteneth the brain over-much, and ebbing and, by its chilling force,ic ftupefies the mind. Alfonoman maydoubc
flowing of the but t[iac fhe js tge taufe of the ebbing and flowing of £he Sea. For sta‘ being that we fee, that when the Moon is dark and filent, or a
halfe Moon , or crooked with Horns, or increafeth ordiminifli- eth , the waters do not run much together, nor are there any high The Moon tides , upon any fhores whatfoever : but again when fhc is in Con- rnves the sea jun&ion with the Sun , and begins to be a new Moon , or to be round and a full Moon, the tides are very great, and the waves rife exceedingly : who then can aferibe the flowing and ebbing of the Sea to any thing than to the motion of the Moon ? For as the Load- ’AfttmUflom ^one draws irGn, f0 this Planet being next the earth , moves and i eua - me cjraws t^e por whcn the Moon rifeth , the Sea roules about thofe parts, namely theEaftern parts, and leaves the Weftem parts;but when fhe goes to the Weft and fets , the flouds increafc in thofe parts, and abate in the Eaftern parts 5 and this more abundantly or fparingly,as the Moon increafeth or decreafeth in her light, that is conveighed by the Moon-beams. And if any man pleafe to confidcr the CountridS and places, and Coafts thercofira the French Sea , and our Northern Sea , and what flood is made upon every fhore there , hefhallfce as clear as the day, that all this is governed by the light of the-Moon. For where the Moon riling illuminates divers Countries and Climates, and runs her courfe through the paflage of the Heavens, the flood and lifting up of the Sea, is carried dirc&ly thither , whither the Moons beam* are directed, and to fuch parts of the earth , and fhores , fhe mofF then refpedts , as being over againft her. For as the Sun draws out moifture out of the moift hearbs, and drinks abundance of wa¬ ter out of the Sea, and Bogs, and Lakes , whence is the originall of rain : and again, as many herbs , which from hence are called force of the Sun Turnfols, are turned about by the force and heat oftheSunthac fucks out their moifture , and they follow his motion from Eaft to Weft, with their flowers laid wide open : fo by the force of the Moon, the Sea is fomtimes driven to this Coaft , fomtimes to thdt and inclines and falls upon that fhore where the Moon moves nexc to. Of which things I fhall give fomc inftauces , and pro¬ duce fome examples,of place, Cities andCoafts that the Sea wafh- eth. Before all thefe things can be perfe&ly underftood, I thought fic to lay down this maxime : that the Moon, iffhe increafe, hath her horns turn’d from the Sun, looking toward the Eaft; iffhe
dc-
A Smite from the attractive
TheMmstrr
tion.
Chap. 4*.
The force and nature of the Moon, i ,5 i
decfeafe toward the Weft, which ltaying oft-times three da yes iri con/un&ion, at length (Bines again, and is feen with horns. Buc everyday as ("he increafeth, (he removes farther from the Sun, and augmenting untill the feventh day (he appears a half’ Moon, and that part of her is cnlighcned that is oppoled to the Sun going to the Weft ; and that part of the Moon that looks toward the Eaft is dark *, for the Moon increafing ailwaies followes the Sundec- ting^nd is feen above our Horizon. Buc when jfhe decreafeth fhe goes before the Sun, and rifeth before him and is feen in the mor¬ ning above the Horizon, being ailwaies enlightned on that part which regards the Sun : whereby it comes to paffe, that the croo¬ ked and horny part is ailwaies turned away from the Sun, but the round and bunchy part is againft the Sun and turn’d toward it. But on the fourteenth day when fhe is diametrically oppofite to the Sun, (Be is at full, and fhe rifeth as the Sun fees, in the Weft.
Whence it comes to pafte that fhee is totally enlightned, and re¬ ceives the Suns light every way. On the feventeenth day when the Sun rifeth, the Moon fets in the Weft, but on the one and twentieth day, when the Sun rifeth the Moon is almoft paft the middle of the heavens, and that part that looks toward the Sun is light, and all the other parts are dark. Then as fhe perfects her courfe everyday, in the twenty eighth day, and the third part of a day, that is eight hours, (he finifheth her whole courfe through tbeZodiack: and as the Sun makes the year, fo the Moon makes a Moneth, changing fomewhat every week : for both thofe times, namely after her firft apparition that fhe increaleth to be a half Moon, and from thence become round and to be a full Moon, are finifned by feven dayes, that is for both times fourteen dayes. * *
Likewise from that rime when fhe becomes a half Moon again, if you reckon the fame way, by the fame proportion, and To from thence till the is quite taken from otir fight and is in conjunction with the-Sun, you (Ball find feven dayes. Wherefore it is clear that the Moon changeth the month, which force Cine receives by The tow-conn- the Suns alpeCt, and hath of her felf no force or power. But when ***** cdl * fhe comc-s to joyn with the Sun, or to be in oppolition with him and fhe Mom.^ in the full, then are there very great changes made both by Sea and Land ; for it is proved, becaufe then (he raifeth boyfterous winds, and great tides that flow up to the (Bores.
It isobferved incur memory in a very few years, that the Sea when the mm hath mightily overflow’d the Low-Countries four times, and mi- temptfa ferably wafted the Land, breaking down all the banks and mounds, and that in the winter time, when the moon hath greater force to taife tide*, and caufe tempefts than in Summer feafon, yet fo that the flood and overflowing of the waters ever fell upon a new or full Moon. And thofe Countries and climates fuffered mod harm that Int,f^tions are were next to the Moons afpedf and influence : buc when the Moons ^ courfe tended to other coafts then they were more fubjeft to inun¬ dations, and violenccof the waters. Hence it is that in Flanders they firft feel the inconvenience of great floods* and are in danger
A a by
i6i
The f orce and Mature of the Moon .