England the Art of Printing The King furnish'd him with seven hundred Marks and Thomas Boucher Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of Oxford who put the King upon this business contributed three hundred more to carry on the design For some time Tourner did nothing but travel up and down with Caxton who traded at Amsterdam and Leyden and could never come at Harlem because the Citizens were cautious of admitting any stranger that might cheat them of the Monopoly of this new Art At last after the King had sent him a new supply of five hundred Marks he agreed with Frideric Corsellis one that wrought at the Press to steal away from his Trade and come over with him into England Which according to contract he did and set up a public Print-house at Oxford Where a strong Guard continually attended him till others had learned his Art for fear he should make an escape before he had perform'd his promise Not long after this there was a Print-house set up at Westminster another at St. Albans a third at Worcester and many others in several Monasteries The oldest Book we find printed at Westminster is Caxton's Chronicle of the Kings of England which was published in the year 1480. Boterus who is follow'd by some late Authors that rely too much upon his authority affirms that the Chinois had the use of Printing amongst them above a thousand years before 't was known in Europe and that the Europeans are not beholden to their own ingenuity for the discovery but the good nature of these strangers who imparted the secret to them But if this be true why then did not Marcus Venetus bring over the Art with him to Venice Rome or Naples that so the Italians might have had the credit of being the first Teachers or Restorers at least for Boter hardly allows the Germans any better title of the Art of Printing in Europe When this question is press'd home to Boter he is forc'd to confess tho unwillingly I Tedeschi sono stati Inventori della stampa dell'artigliaria et dell ' horologio a mota cose Nobilissime i. e. The Germans have been Authors of three noble Inventions Printing Guns and Clocks I do not find any great reason to believe the Germans to have been the first Inventors of Clock-work Clock-work tho they are as likely men if Histories would allow us to fix our conjectures upon them as any in the world But I am afraid Boter injures his own Country in ascribing this to the High Dutch The first man whom the Latin Historians mention as the contriver of an Engine in this kind is Severinus Boetius a famous Philosopher and Nobleman of Rome We meet with a Letter from Theodoric King of the Goths to this Boetius to beg a Clock of him to present to his Brother-in-law Gundibald King of Burgundy in which Letter he calls this Engine Machinam mundo gravidam coelum gestabile rerum compendium i. e. A Machine that encircled the world a portable Heaven an abstract of the Universe But however none have more improved the Art of making Clocks and Watches then the Germans The Emperor Charles the Fifth had a Watch in the Jewel of his Ring and our King James had the like both which were made in Germany In the Town-hall of Prague there is a Clock that shews the annual and periodical motions of the Sun and Moon the names and numbers of the Months Days and Festivals of the whole Year the time of the Sun 's rising and setting the rising of the Twelve Signs in the Zodiac and lastly the Age of the Moon with its several Aspects In the Elector of Saxony's Stable at Dresden there is a Saddle which in the pommel hath a gilded head with eyes continually moving and in the hinder part of it a Clock which shews exactly the hour of the day These and the like knacks are ordinary in every part of Germany but the most famous in its kind is the great Clock at Strasburg of which a full account shall be given when we come to treat of that City Tycho Brahe tells us that William Lantgrave of Hassia had spent much study in contriving a way to regulate Clocks and Watches that the former should not gain nor the latter lose any thing in their motion but what success he met with that great Astronomer does not inform us This in great measure is now perform'd by the regulation which is given to motion by the Pendulum and farther emprovements are projected by some ingenious members of our Royal Society at London and 't is hoped they will be shortly able to give the world a good and satisfactory account how they have sped in the enterprize The High Dutch have far outgone the rest of the European Artificers at the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or ingenious knacks and extravagances of Art then which nothing more demonstrates the excellency and curious skill of a workman One of these not many years presented the Landtgrave of Hassia with a Bear and Lion of pure Gold which were hollow within and each of them about the length of a man's middle finger Every part and lineament in them was proportionable to their length and both together weighed no more then a French Crown The most curious man in this kind which ever the German Nation bred was Johannes Regiomontanus who as Keckerman tells the story when the Emperor Maximilian came to the City of Noremberg made a wooden Eagle which flew an English mile out of Town to meet him and return'd back with him to his Lodgings Peter Ramus reports of the same man that having invited some friends to a Feast to divert them he threw an iron Fly from his hand which flew round the Room and return'd to him again Engraving Painting Cutting of Seals c. are Arts which the High Dutch are almost generally well skill'd in Of the Religion of the Modern GERMANS WE have before given the Reader a view of the Idolatrous practices Ceremonies and Sacrifices of the Pagan Germans and shew'n how zealous they were in defending the Rites and Customs of their false Religion and how much honour and respect they paid their Priests and indeed all others who attended upon their Altars Nor shall we find them less zealous in maintaining the true Religion after their Conversion to Christianity A sufficient testimony of which we may have from the multitude of Monasteries Nunneries Bishoprics and Collegiate Churches which are every-where to be met with in Germany This great Country cannot be suppos'd to have been all converted at once but piecemeal and hardly one Province in it but had its different Apostle Theodoret mentions Germany as well as Britain amongst the Nations converted by the Apostles And the Historian who under the name of Dorotheus Bishop of Tyre publish'd a Synopsis of the Twelve Apostles and Seventy Disciples reports that St. Thomas the Apostle preach'd in Germany But these and the like stories have little of certainty
that alone but to observe any two or more of them in the same place and with as much exactness as the present circumstances can well afford For when some cannot others may be seen and errors committed in the observations and calculations of one may be found out and corrected when compared with anothers By such different observations frequently made and compared with one another which most Pilots can in some measure do they will not only promote their own art and safety but very signally contribute to the perfection of Geography In order to which it would be highly advantageous if any true lover of Arts would take care that these following particulars may be put into practise 1. That the Longitude of some great merchandizing City suppose London be exactly computed by diligent and skilful Astronomers from the observations of the same Eclipse there and at the Peak of Teneriff or by what other methods they shall judge most accurate 2. That Ephemerides be carefully calculated for the Meridian of that City shewing the moment of time when all the forementioned Celestial appearances happen there 3. That the Merchants and other Mariners be prevailed with especially when they go any unusual voyage to take with them these Ephemerides and to note continually when they are in foreign parts what difference they observe betwixt any of the appearances there and in their Tables And at their return that they communicate them to such promoters of Learning who shall be ready to receive and improve them The reason why the appearances of no other of the Planets besides the Moon and Jupiters Satellites can be serviceable to discover Longitudes is because the proper motions of all the rest are so slow that the quickest of them seems to continue in the very same point above half an hour and so how exact soever the observation be it may occasion the mistake of seven or eight degrees whereas every Longitude should if it were possible be computed within as few minutes Many other methods have been invented to solve this difficulty whereof some are too erroneous to be mentioned others too nice to be practised Some Artists have undertaken to make Clocks to go so exactly that being set to the just time of day at any known place they shall go true to a minute for many days and so being carried to an unknown one will shew the hour at the place where it was set which being compared with the hour taken by the Sun or Stars at the present place will as before give the difference of their Longitudes But such Clocks as these have never yet been made that we have heard of tho of late the Art is arrived to so great a perfection that it seems scarce capable of any farther improvement Others also have observed that the spots in some of the Planets and consequently their bodies themselves move regularly round their own axis as Jupiter doth in less then ten hours hence they collect that if the time and manner of these spots appearance were calculated for any known Meridian and then observed at another their difference in Longitude may hereby be found out as well as by any of the foregoing methods But besides many other difficulties which attend this observation it cannot be made without the assistance of better Telescopes then are ordinarily to be had To reduce the degrees of Longitude and Latitude and of all other Circles described on the Earth to English miles or any other known measures 't is necessary that we first know how many of them answer to one degree which being agreed upon it will be easie to compute not only the distance in miles betwixt two particular places whose Longitude and Latitude is given but also all the dimensions of the whole Earth Our English miles are derived originally from the length of Barly-corns 3 of which are an inch 12 inches a foot sixteen feet and an half a perch 40 perch a furlong 8 furlongs that is 1760 yards a mile by statute And the opinion most commonly received is that about 60 of these are answerable to a degree in any great Circle on the Earth and one of them to a minute If so then 60 multiplied by 360 or 21600 miles is the greatest Circuit It s Diameter is 6872. The superficies is 148435200 square miles The solid content is 169921796242 cubic miles When two places differ only in Latitude the degrees of the Meridian intercepted betwixt them multiplied by 60 gives their distance in miles If they differ in Longitude only and are both under the Equator their difference in degrees is likewise to be multiplied by 60. But when they are distant from the Equator the Parallel under which they are is less and so fewer miles equal a degree in it The number of them in any degree of Latitude betwixt the Equator and the Poles is found out by this proportion As the Radius is to the sine complement of the Latitude So is 60 to a fourth which is the number of miles answering to a degree of Longitude under that Parallel By this rule the following table is calculated to each degree of Latitude shewing the number of miles and sixtieth parts answering to a degree in their several Parallels  English Lat. Mil. Min. Equator 60 00 1 59 56 2 59 55 3 59 52 4 59 50 5 59 46 6 59 40 7 59 37 8 59 24 9 59 10 10 59 4 11 58 52 12 58 40 13 58 28 14 58 12 15 58 00 16 57 40 17 57 20 18 57 4 19 56 44 20 56 24 21 56 00 22 55 36 23 55 12 24 54 48 25 54 24 26 54 00 27 53 28 28 53 00 29 52 28 30 51 56 31 51 24 32 50 52 33 50 20 34 49 44 35 49 8 36 48 32 37 47 56 38 47 16 39 46 36 40 46 00 41 45 16 42 44 36 43 43 52 44 43 8 45 42 24 46 41 40 47 41 0 48 40 8 49 39 20 50 38 32 51 37 44 52 37 00 53 36 8 54 35 26 55 34 24 56 33 32 57 32 40 58 31 48 59 31 00 60 30 00 61 29 4 62 28 8 63 27 12 64 26 16 65 25 20 66 24 24 67 23 28 68 22 32 69 21 32 70 20 32 71 19 32 72 18 32 73 17 32 74 16 32 75 15 32 76 14 32 77 13 32 78 12 32 79 11 28 80 10 24 81 9 20 82 8 20 83 7 20 84 6 12 85 5 12 86 4 12 87 3 12 88 2 4 89 1 4 90  0 When places differ both in Longitude and Latitude the distance betwixt them is also found out by two operations in Trigonometry whereby an oblique angl'd spherical Triangle is resolv'd having two sides and the angle intercepted given to find out the other side for in the present case the complements of the Latitudes are the two sides the angle made by them at the Pole is the difference of the Longitudes and the
each side four feet an head like an Acorn with four horns 2. The Sawfish which hath a long Snout on either side set with teeth like a Saw he seldome gives over the Whale till he hath killed him he eats up his tongue and nothing else 3. The Hay from two to three fathoms long round and small a sharp snout and three rows of teeth in his mouth with which he will bite great pieces out of the Whale and sometimes eat up all the fat the Fishermen have found Whales half devoured by them they are taken with a bait fastened to an Hook with an Iron Chain for a Rope they will presently sheer asunder The Whales when the Sea begins to freez go Southward dispersing themselves some unto the coast of America some few this way and many keep in the deep and wide Ocean where the Basques who say that the Whales follow the light used to fish for them before Greenland was discovered And I have heard that the Dutch caught a Whale near Japan that had sticking in her an Harping Iron lost at Greenland WILLOVGHBIES-ISLAND THe Dutch had no way to take from Sir Hugh Willoughby the honour of first adventuring upon these Northern Coasts which he did by the commission and at the charges of King Edward the sixth but at the advice and direction of the great Sea-man Sebastian Cabot Grand Pilot of England but by bestowing on him an imaginary Title of an Island which they call Willoughbies-Island and which they place near Nova-Zembla Besides what we have spoken to this matter in the description of Greenland it may further be noted that neither Captain Edge who travelled those Seas so many times nor Mr. Seller nor any other English man that we know of name any such Islands in their Maps nor do any of the Journals of our Mariners nor H. Hudson who expresly went to seek for it mention any such place and the latest Dutch Map of Nova Zembla which is the nearest Country to that imaginary Island set out 1678 makes not any mention of it nor does Sir H. Willoughby seem to have sayled that way which is East and by North from Sainam but set his course towards North-east nor doth the description he made of the Countrey agree to a small Island All which being considered Mr. Purchas with good reason several times affirmeth that Willoughbies-Island is no other then a conceit of the Cart-makers and for such we shall let it pass till better informed NOVA-ZEMBLA NOva-Zembla is separated from the Samoieds Countrey by the Streits of Waygates or as the new Map calleth them Straet van Nassau it was first discovered by the English in 1556 and since visited by several both English and Dutch who have attempted to find out a passage that way into the Tartarian-Sea and so farther to Cathay China Japan c. Yet notwithstanding all their endeavours very little progress hath been made in that discovery except you will say that they discovered by sad experience that though perhaps the Sea might be continued through those Streits yet by reason of the very great hinderance as well as danger of the Ice it is unpassable or if in some warm Summers perhaps it might be sailed yet is the danger and trouble so great that it is not worth the hazard and charges of the adventure Especially since the miscarriage of that worthy Pilot William Barents who out of confidence of the feasibility of the enterprise adventured so far that his Ship was first hem'd in and afterwards frozen and broken in the Ice so that they were forced to winter upon the land where the good man lost his life of whose sufferings by cold I have before spoken Only give me leave here to take notice of their particular observations of the setting and rising of the Sun comparing them with others made in Greenland by the English Our men that winter'd in Greenland 1630 The length of their nights lost the light of the Sun intirely Oct. 14 and saw him not again till Feb. 3. Those that stayed there in 1633 say that Oct. 5 was the last day they saw the Sun though they had a twilight by which they could read till the 17 on the 22 the Stars were plain to be seen all the 24 hours and so continued all Winter Jan. 15 they perceived for six or seven hours about noon so much light as they could make shift to read by it Feb. 12 they saw the light of the Sun upon the tops of the Mountains and the next day his whole body Those in Greenland in 1634 who all perished there left in writing that the Sun disappear'd Oct. 10 and was seen again Feb. 14. Those that winter'd in Nova-Zembla in 1596 in 76 deg on Nov. 2. new stile saith Purchas i. e. Oct. 23 saw the Sun not fully above the earth it rose South-South-East and set South-South-West after Nov. 4 Oct. 25 they saw the Sun no more but the Moon continued as long as she was in highest degrees to be seen day and night Jan. 24 they saw the edge of the Sun above the Horizon and 27 he totally appear'd and he then was in 5 deg 25 min. of Aquarius They farther observed that by an Ephemerides which they carried with them at Venice would be a conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter that very day at one a Clock in the morning which they in Nova-Zembla saw at 6 in Taurus So that the difference of Longitude of these two places is 5 hours which answers to 75 deg Venice therefore being accounted in the Longitude of 37 deg 25. min. Nova-Zembla must be 112 deg 25 min. And from thence it is no more than 60 deg to Cape Tabin the uttermost point of Tartary What to say to these observations so contrary to all Astronomers I know not had Barents made them they would have staggered us more but since the Observer hath so grosly mistaken in the Latitude of the place which he always places in 76 deg insomuch that Hudson saith that that place is by them laid too far North much out of its place to what end he knows not we have the less reason to assent to him in the rest besides to place Nova-Zembla in 76 is to make it in the same Latitude as Horn-Sound in Greenland which no man ever affirmed Nor can any one imagine that the refraction of the Sun-beams can cause such a difference for Mr. Baffins observation which he made in Greenland from the Air whereof that in Nova-Zembla cannot much differ will not admit any thing like that difference which take in his own words Beholding it about a north-north-east Sun by the common Compass at which time the Sun was at the lowest one fifth of his body was above the Horizon and four fifths below his declination for that instant was 10 deg 35 min. north being at noon in 2 deg 7 min. of Virgo his daily motion was 38 min. whose half being 19 to be
Patriarch of Constantinople but since him none Till this time there was no other Metropolitan in all Russia but this of Moskow 〈…〉 but that Church being become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they immediately made two new Metropolitans the one of Novogrod velica the other of Rostove these were the only Archbishopricks before But since that they have added two more one of Casanskoi and Swiatskoi who resideth at Casan the other of Sarskoi and Pondoskoi who lives commonly in the Castle of Moskow and is the Patriarch's Substitute or Coadjutor when upon any good cause as age sickness or the like he is hindred from officiating They had also as Possevine complains but eleven Bishops for all that large Empire but since that time they have added two I suppose because of their conquests and advanced all except one that is the Bishop of Comenskoi and Cassieskoi who lives at Columna into Archbishopricks The Patriarch hath absolute power in what concerns Religion with such authority that even in things relating to the Civil government he reforms what he thinks prejudicial to Religion without giving the Grand Tzar any account of it who without any contestation commands the orders made by the Patriarch to be executed As the late Patriarch Nicon being an enemy to musick forbad all musick in their merry meetings and search'd the houses in Moskow for such instruments and burnt five wagon-load of them Leo 〈◊〉 Juâ—â—tion their first Metropolitan had his See at Chiow afterwards when Wolodomiria was the Metropolis of the Empire the Metropolitan also removed thither accompanying still the Prince and now is at Moskow The jurisdiction of the Bishops is the same as in other Churches for besides their authority over the Clergy and ordering Ecclesiastical matters they take cognisance also of causes Testamentary Matrimonial some pleas of injury c. They never visit their Dioceses but have certain Lay-men in whose judgments they can confide to give them account of the lives and demeanors of the Clergy They have also Officials or Commissaries called Boiaren Vladitskey Lay-men they have both Archdeacons and Protodeacons but not employed in those offices that keep their Courts and exercise their jurisdiction And these are not appointed by the Bishop but by the Emperor tho he seldom denies the Bishop to nominate if he request it But every Bishop hath for Ecclesiastical matters and for the more solemn service of God a Council of twenty-four Priests of his Diocess who are as it were Prebends or Canons of his Cathedral Church where they continually reside The revenues of the Bishops have been as they say greater then now they are The Patriarch hath about three thousand Rubbles per an The Metropolitans and Archbishops about two thousand five hundred But all this revenue is not for their own use but they are obliged to furnish at their own charges such a number of soldiers The nomination of Bishops belongs to the Emperor Election of their Bishops who always takes them from amongst the Monks which obligeth them all to live unmarried not to eat flesh wear no rings or linen shirts or drawers besides other the like Monastick observances The Patriarch is chosen by all the Bishops Clergy and Abbots who give notice of their election to the Prince if he disapprove it they chuse another Lately at the election of Nicon the Clergy named two and could not agree the Emperor caused them to cast lots and the lot fell three times upon the person of Nicon Of inferior Clergy they have a very great number Inferior Clergy there being many Parishes in their Cities tho unequally divided some much bigger then others and every Church many Priests belonging to it They have no particular care of educating persons for this office but any one that thinks himself fitly qualified presents himself to the Patriarch or the next Metropolitan who examining his ability which consists chiefly in reading writing and singing well ordains him which is chiefly by cutting of the hair on the top of his head covering it with a Callot and putting on a Surpless a little cross of white silk upon his breast and then gives him his benediction and authority to officiate in the Church and to administer the Sacraments He must be the husband of one wife and if his wife dy he can neither officiate as a Priest nor marry another so that they do not conceive the character to be indelible Yet a widower may sing read c. and may serve as a Deacon but he must not officiate at the Altar And some of them get leave to keep their Benefices and yet enter into a Monastery such they call Churnapapaes Their revenues are not from tythes Their Revenues tho it be said that Volodomir at his introducing of Christianity setled tythes also upon the Clergy nor have they any setled salary but they are content with what they receive from the people for baptizing marrying burying offerings prayers for the dead c. besides every private person upon any occasion of business desires the Priest to say a prayer for him for which he gives him something They also solemnize the Sains-day of the Parish when all the neighbourhood come in to be prayed for and make an offering Once a quarter also he blesseth his Parishioners houses and families By these and many other such like ways they make up a competent livelihood for themselves and to give the tenth also of it to the Bishop Protopapaes or Archpriests and Archdeacons are only in Cathedral Churches They have service thrice a day Their Service about break of day Mattens at noon Mass Vespers in the evening And it consists of Psalms certain portions of Scripture the Creeds prayers and sometimes an homily of some of the Fathers or the life of the Saint of the day in their own language Never other preaching except once in a year when the Patriarch with very great solemnity makes a short exhortation to the people to serve God obey their Prince and live in unity and charity with their neighbours They never kneel at their devotions but stand up and sometimes bow knocking their forehead to the ground Ivan Vasilowich was frequent in the Church sung the prayers with the Clergy and sometimes had his forehead swell'd with knocking the floor They communicate children at seven years old Communion and before in case of sickness when they communicate they have an hoste in the middle of a barley cake the communicants partake of the hoste the rest of the people have the barley-cake broke amongst them as a pain-benist They communicate ordinarily but once a year which is about Easter and then only three at a time and always after some extraordinary fasting mortification or confession which they make standing in the middle of the Church and before some picture of a Saint The Priest appoints him pennance gives him absolution and admits him to the Sacrament They are very severe in their fastings having more of
an Imperial City At the Jesuits College was to be seen before the Wars with France a large old Roman Aries or Battering-Ram a piece of Antiquity of great value but whether t is now to be met with I know not To these we may add Moltzheim Hasle on the Brusch Seltz and some few Towns more places of no great note before they were visited by the French Armies and of much less since The chief Cities and great Towns in the Vpper ALSACE THE City of Brisach call'd by Antonine in his Itenerary Mons Brisiacus is the Metropolis of Brisgow the old inhabitants of which Province we find often mention'd in Latin Historians by the name of Brisigavi or Brisigavii B. Rhenanus and some other High Dutch Antiquaries are of opinion that Brisach stood formerly on the Western banks of the Rhine because on that side the old Romans used to build their Forts and on the East of this Town there is still a great hollow valley which they take for the ancient Channel of the Rhine But Cluverius is of a contrary opinion and proves that the Emperor Valentinian whom all allow to have been the first Founder of Brisach built Castles on both sides the River The Town stands on the top of a round Hill excellently well fortified both by nature and art But they have only one deep Well which supplies the whole City with water the River being at some distance and the passage troublesom In the Civil Wars of Germany this Town was besieged and taken by the Duke of Saxon-Weimar whose Forces were with a great deal of courage and gallantry resisted by the Imperialists for four months together During which time the besieged were brought to those extremities as to dig up the dead bodies of their Soldiers after they had been some days buried and to eat their flesh In this siege 80000 men are said to have been slain and about 1100000 Rixdollars spent in ammunition on both sides Since that time A. D. 1638 the French under whose Banners the foremention'd Duke of Saxony then bore Arms have remain'd masters of this City wherein their present victorious King having of late repair'd its Fortifications keeps a strong Garrison and a Court of Judicature in imitation of the Chamber at Spire which decides all Controversies in his new Conquests levies Contributions gives him right to all neighbouring Villages as Dependancies on some great Towns yeilded up to him by the late Treaty at Nimiguen c. 2. FREYBURG in Brisgow was at first a Village built by a company of Miners who wrought at the Silver and Copper Mines about a German mile from Brisach and in a short time grew so rich as to purchase the Estates and Titles of Noblemen By this means their Village grew up into a large City which was able upon a very short warning to send into the field three thousand fighting men This City fell into the hands of the House of Austria A. D. 1386 and was by the present Emperor resign'd up to the French together with its Villages of Lehn Mezhausen and Kirchzart in exchange for Philipsburg There are in the Town fourteen Religious Houses and an University founded by Albert Arch-Duke of Austria in the year 1450. The Citizens are excellent Artists at polishing all manner of pretious stones such especially as are found in Lorrain and the neighbouring Countries 3. Near the place where the Imperial City Colmar is now seated stood the ancient Argentuaria which was conquer'd by Gratian the Emperor A. D. 378 and afterwards destroy'd by the Gothic General Attila Out of the ruins of this old Town Colmar or Cole-market was first built A City which stands in a plain and fruitful Country and formerly so populous that in the great Church at an Easter-time 't was usual to have near four thousand Communicants But the Civil Wars of Germany wherein 't was taken by the Swedish forces and by them resign'd to the French and the late engagements with the King of France's Armies have made it as desolate of inhabitants as houses VTRIUSQUE ALSATIAE SUPERIORIS AC INFERIORIS NOVA TABVLA Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios Mosem Pitt et Stephanum Swart Lantgraff im Obern Elssas Lantgraff im Vnderen Elssas ALSATIA inferior Apud Mosem Pitt ALSATIA Superior cum SVNTGOIA et BRISGOIA TERRIROTIUM ARGENTORATENSE Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios Mosem Pitt et Ptephanum Swart Mulnhausen by most late Geographers placed in the Upper Alsace is one of the Confederate Cities of Switzerland Keysersberg and Turcheim are Imperial Cities but of no great note The City and Bishopric of STRASBURG ARGENTINA is a name of a Monkish invention instead of Argentoratum as well as Moguntia for Moguntiacum To omit other frivolous conjectures about the Etymology of the words Argentoratum and Strasburg we shall satisfie ourselves with the fancy of the learned Cluverius who thinks the ancient name of this famous City to have been Argen Straaten or Bad-street which might easily by adding a Latin termination be turn'd into Argentratum or Argentoratum and afterwards by omitting the two first syllables and annexing burg to denote some new built Fort with as much ease turn'd to Straetburg or Straesburg This City tho at first design'd only for a strong Fortification is now one of the most populous and best trading Towns in Germany The Citizens are generally courteous and rich most of their Merchants and Magistrates having Houses fit to entertain so many Princes of the Empire The Cathedral is one of the Wonders of Germany described at large by Os Schadaeus in a particular Tract upon this subject by him publish'd at Strasburg A. D. 1617. The Tower of this Church is the highest in the German Empire nay possibly in Europe or the whole world Some have reckon'd it perpendicular from the top of the Spire to the ground at 574 others 575 geometrical feet but Schadaeus who seems most accurate in his computation says 't is 489 feet and 8 inches Yet much more famous is this Cathedral for the great Clock in it which by the Honourable Mr. Boyle and some others of our ingenious Virtuosi has been mention'd as an instance of the late great improvements of Arts Mechanical 'T was finished in the year 1574 at the charge of the Magistracy of the Town by one Habrecht a famous Artificer of whose work they have many more pieces in the same kind This workman has his Instructions from D. Wolckenstein and Conr. Dasypodius two learn'd Mathematicians the latter whereof has publish'd a Tract about this Clock The first thing presented to your view is a Celestial Globe with all the motions of Planets fix'd Stars c. Behind which there is a perpetual Almanack wherein the day of the month is pointed at by a Statue standing by The Hours are crow'd by a gilt Cock and afterwards struck on a Bell by an Angel not far from which stands another Angel with an Hour-glass in its hand which it turns round as soon as the Clock has done striking The first