Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	left_a	right_a	time_n	12,757	5	4.4216	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44315	An attempt to prove the motion of the earth from observations made by Robert Hooke ...	Hooke, Robert, 1635-1703.	1674 (1674)	Wing H2613; ESTC R11231	26,098	47

underneath the Table that carried the Eye Glass and also the Mensurator and suffered the plumb lines to hang down through the aperture of the Table and that the Balls might come the sooner to their perpendicularity I suffered them to hang into a vessel of water deep and wide enough that they might not touch either side or bottom This expedient of hanging the plumbets in water I mention because without it 't is not to be imagined how much time is lost by expectation of the settlement of the said perpendiculars and how very apt they are to be made to vibrate by the little imperceptible motion of the Air and by any small hair or other impediment how apt to be put out of their perpendicularity which by the way makes me very fearful that all common Instruments have hitherto been lyable to very great errors by the unaccurate hanging of their plumb lines being made for the most part to hang and play against the side of the Instrument By this means they would soon come to hang perpendicularly and be so detained when in that posture not being apt to be stirred by the motion of the Air or their own swing and whilst thus steady I fixed two small arms of Bras● such as are described in the Seventh Figure by z z z z which had small holes at the extreams with a small slit on the side to admit or em●t the plumb line as there was occasion one of these is more at large described in the Sixth Figure Now the plumb line being let into the middle of this I did with all the accurateness I could so fix the said arm that the plumb line past exactly through the middle of the hole y. When I was sufficiently satisfied that the plumb line past exactly through the middle of the trying arms I fixed those arms zz zz and removed the plumb lines then I laid the Mensurator l l in the Fourth Figure upon the surface of the Table and took great care that the crosses k and l in the Seventh Figure lay exactly under the middle of the holes in the arms which having done by the help of certain screws I fixt the Mensurator fast to the Table and prepared for the observations putting in the slider gg in the Fourth Figure that carried the cell f and lying down upon a Couch k of the Fourth Figure made purposely for this observation I could look directly upward and with my left hand move the Cell and Eye Glass so as to find any Star which passed within the hole of the Table and at the same time with my right hand I could move the Diagonal thread rm of the Seventh Figure so as to find exactly how far distant from the Zenith e either Northwards or Southwards the Stars past the Meridian dc and giving notice to my Assistant to prepare he upon the sign given took notice exactly by a Pendulum Clock to the parts of a Second when the said Stars past and also took notice what division the Diagonal thread mr cut upon the Rule op With all these difficulties I was forced to adjust the Instrument every observation I made both before and after it was made which hath often made me wish that I were near some great and solid Tower or some great Rock or deep well that so I might fix all things at once and not be troubled continually thus to adjust the parts of the said Instrument for whoever hath that opportunity will I question not especially if the lines of his Mensurator be made of the single clues of a Silk-worm with much ease discover plainly a change of the distance of Stars of the greater magnitude from the Zenith in a much shorter time then six moneths This variation also will be much more easie to be discovered if instead of a thirty six foot Glass there be made use of one of four times that length to wit one of one hundred fourty four foot and if instead of a Tower some deep and dry Well be made use of such as I have seen at a Gentlemans house not far from Bansted Downs in Surry which is dugg through a body of chalk and is near three hundred and sixty foot deep and yet dry almost to the very bottom For such a one is much less subject to any kind of alteration either from the settling towards this or that side which most Towers and high Buildings whether new or old are lyable to This also is safe from bending and shaking with the wind which I find the strongest Houses Towers and Walls if of any considerable height are apt to do nor would the wind have any power to swerve the perpendiculars which 't is almost impossible to prevent in high Buildings above ground But this I can only wish it were performed but cannot hope to have any opportunity of Doing it my self But certainly the discovery of the observation will abundantly recompense those that have the curiosity to make it Having thus resolved upon the way and prepared the Instruments fit for the observation I began to observe the Transits of the bright Star in the head of Draco and alwayes both before and after the observation I adjusted the Mensurator by the Perpendiculars that I might be the more certain of the exactness of the Instrument for I often found that when I came to examine the Instrument a day or two or three or more after a former observation that there had been wrought a considerable change in the Perpendiculars in so much as to vary above a minute from the place where I left them which I ascribe chiefly to the warping of the Tube that rose above the roof of the House finding sensibly that a warm day would bend it considerably towards the South and that a moist Air would make it bend from the quarter of the wind But yet I am apt to think there might be somewhat also of that variation ascribable to the whole Fabrick of the Roof and possibly also to some variation of the Floors but yet I never found these variations so sudden as to be perceptible in the time of a single observation finding alwayes the preceding and subsequent adjustings to answer The first observation I made was the Sixth of July 1669. when I observed the bright Star of Draco to pass the Meridian Northwards of the Zenith point of the Mensurator at about two Minutes and twelve Seconds The second observation I made was upon the Ninth of July following when I found it to pass to the Northwards of the said Zenith or cross of the Mensurator near about the same place not sensibly differing The third observation I made upon the Sixth of August following then I observed its transitus North of the aforesaid Zenith to be about two Minutes and six Seconds The last observation I made upon the One and twentieth of October following when I observed it to pass to the North of the Zenith at one Minute and about 48 or 50 Seconds