Selected quad for the lemma: head_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
head_n	cold_a	degree_n	zone_n	34	3	14.7121	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70920	A general collection of discourses of the virtuosi of France, upon questions of all sorts of philosophy, and other natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris, by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent.; Recueil général des questions traitées és conférences du Bureau d'adresse. 1-100. English	Bureau d'adresse et de rencontre (Paris, France); Havers, G. (George); Renaudot, Théophraste, 1586-1653.; Renaudot, Eusèbe, 1613-1679.; Renaudot, Isaac, d. 1680.	1664 (1664)	Wing R1034; ESTC R1662	597,620	597

in the temperate zones a thousand leagues or more on either side and this will be the sole Eclipse for this half year If the New Moon be made within ten degrees before the Dragon's head there will be onely this Eclipse in this half year which which will be total sometimes in the torrid zone sometimes in the southern temperate zone and partial a thousand leagues or more every way The like will happen if the New Moon be made within ten degrees after the Dragon's head but a total Eclipse will be seen in the torrid zone or else in northern temperate But if in the same half year the New Moon be made between ten and twenty degrees before the head there will be an Eclipse in the cold zone and at the extremity of the temperate southern zone But then the New Moon immediately following will be made between ten and twenty degrees after the head and there will be another Eclipse seen in the frigid zone and at the extremity of the northern temperate zone which two Eclipses most commonly are but partial The same must be said of the other half year in which the Sun passes by the Dragons tail saving that the parts which precede the taile regard the northern part of the Earth and those which follow the southern which happens quite contrary at the head Which we must observe is diametrically opposite to the taile and that they remain not alwayes in the same place but move round the Heaven regularly in about nineteen years contrary to the order of the signes from Aries to Pisces and from thence to Aquarius backwards As for the Eclipse of the Moon we must consider the shadow of the Earth which is cast into the Ecliptick in the part opposite to the Sun and because the same is 400000. leagues long it follows that it crosses the Heaven of the Moon and beyond so that although it be diminish'd at the Heaven of the Moon yet in that place it hath near one degree a half diametre the Moon not having much more then one degree And consequently if the Moon be at the Full either in the head or the taile of the Dragon or else in thirty degrees before or after the Moon will pass into the shadow of the Earth and be either wholly eclips'd or in part according as she shall enter wholly into the perfect shadow For here the imperfect shadow is not considerable the Moon not being eclips'd so long as she receives the rayes of any part of the Sun whence it follows that the Moon naturally loses her light but not the Sun which the inposition of the Moon onely keeps from our Eyes that the Eclipse of the Moon is seen at the same time by all those who can see it And that there can be but two in one year namely one in every six moneths sometimes but one in a year and sometimes none at all namely when the Full Moon happens between thirteen and seventeen degrees before or after the head or the taile of the Dragon II. Whether all Sciences may be profitably reduc'd to one Upon the Second Point it was said That the desire of knowing is very charming but mans life is too short to satisfie the same unless the great number of Sciences be reduc'd into one their multitude requiring a volumn to contain their names alone and this with their length being the principal causes of the little fruit gather'd from them and the distaste which they beget The way of abridgment would be to retrench out of each all matters unprofitable or not pertaining to the Science as are most Metaphysical Questions which are treated of in Logick Natural in Medicine Moral Natural and Juridical in Divinity to avoid repetitions And thus the fifth and sixth Books of Euclid might be reduc'd into one since in the latter he demonstrates by number what before he had demonstrated by lines yea the 117 Propositions of his tenth Book might be demonstrated in another order and compris'd in less then thirty as the five following Books the three of Candalus the Sphericks of Theodosius the Conicks of Apollonius the Principles of Archimedes and others which make above 500 Propositions might be reduc'd profitably to less then a hundred But above all 't would be requisite to be careful of laying down good Principles and teaching these Sciences with order and for this purpose to retrench all unprofitable Books whose numerousness causes confusion and is now more hurtful then their scarcity was heretofore according to Justinian's example who reduc'd all the Law-books of his time into two Volumns the Digests and the Code and that of the Jews who compris'd all things that can be known in one single Science call'd Cabbala as the Druids did their Disciplines under certain Maximes and Aphorisms and Lullie's Art teaches to know and speak of all things which might be done if instead of spending the fittest time of our Age as we do unprofitably in learning to speak Latine and Greek we employ'd it by the example of the Ancients upon the Mathematicks History and all Sciences depending more upon memory and phancy then solidity of Judgment which might afterwards be form'd in a short time by Logick in order to its being exercis'd in the knowledg of things natural supernatural and moral which might easily be obtain'd in less then five years if all superfluities were retrench'd The Second said Because the possibility of a thing must first be understood before the means of attaining it sought 't is requisite first to agree whether all Sciences are reducible into one before the ways to do it be inquir'd And although at first sight it seem possible because they presuppose one another and there is such a connection in their principles that some depend upon the demonstration of others yet I conceive this re-union of all into one would seem rather a monster or a thing like the confusion and disorder of the ancient Chaos then a true and legitimate Discipline For 't is easier to destroy the present method then to establish a better Moreover how is this union possible since the foundations and principles of Sciences are controverted by the Masters who profess them For setting aside those indemonstrable principles which are very few and need only be heard that they may be granted and may be learn'd in less then an hour if we make an induction through all the Sciences we shall find nothing certain in them Has Morality whose chief object is Beatitude found one sole point wherein to establish it Are not part of Aristotle's opinions overthrown by Galen who on the other side is counter-check'd by Paracelsus and all the Chymists who pretend to cure diseases by their likes as the former doth by their contraries Law being founded upon the instability of humane will hath as little certainty And Divinity it self which is the Science of Verities is divided by the Sects of the Nominals of Scotus and Thomas not to speak of the Heresies which

not by rarity alone or local extension but by formal extension or internal quantity and consequently that a little matter under a great internal quantity is the principle cause of tenuity rarity and transparence to which the evenness of surfaces is also requisite in gross bodies So that Light consists in a proportion between the quantity and the matter of its subject and Light is great when the matter is little under a great quantity as in the Heavens on the contrary the body is dark when a very small quantity is joyn'd to a great deal of matter as is seen in the Earth To prove this you must observe that all simple bodies are luminous excepting the Earth which is opake and we find Light in sundry animated bodies as in the Eyes of Cats and of those Indian Snailes which shine like torches and in our Gloe-wormes whose Light proceeds from their Spirits which being of a middle nature between the Body and the Soul are the least material thing in the world Whence it follows that Light is a form with the most of essence amongst sensible formes as obscurity hath the least The Second said The wonder of Marsilius Ficinus was with reason how 't was possible that nothing should be so obscure as Light For if Transparence be the subject of it why doth Crystal heated red hot in the fire come forth more luminous and less transparent then it was The same may be said of Rarity for we see that Air and Aqua Vitae are well rarify'd by the fire which inflames them but cease to be transparent as soon as they are made more rare and luminous which is an evident sign that rarity and transparence are not causes nor yet conditions of Light So the whole remainder of Heaven is lucid but onely the less rare parts and such as you might call vapours in respect of the pure Air. And the light which proceeds from the Sun the most luminous of all those celestial bodies would never be visible but be depriv'd of all its effects which are heating and enlightning if it were not reflected by some solid body Then it not onely appears but exerts its activity And if things be produc'd by the same causes which preserve and multiply them the solidity of burning mirrors made of Steel the hardest of all metals which make the Sun-beams do more then their own nature empowers them to shews sufficiently that their Light cannot arise from a rare and diaphanous cause Nor may the Light of rotten wood be assign'd to its rarity alone since many other bodies of greater rarity shine not at all nor that of Gloe-worms and Cats Eyes to their spirits since the flesh of some animals shines after their death as 't is affirm'd of Oxen that have frequently eaten a sort of Moon-wort and not onely the scales of divers fishes shine after separation from their bodies but sparkles of fire issue from the hair of some persons in great droughts whereunto the spirits contribute nothing Which would perswade me to believe that Light is a Form to the introduction whereof several conditions are requisite according to the diversity of subjects just as we see the Souls of some irrational creatures need great dispositions for their reception a Brain a Heart and a Liver with their dependances whereas others as Insects require lesse and are contented with something that may supply this defect some are generated in an instant without any apparent preparation as Frogs in a summer showre and therefore to assign the cause of Light is to seek the reason of Formes which is unknown to us Which similitude the vulgar speech confirmes for the people say The Candle is dead when it is extinguish'd presupposing that it had life before as an Animal hath so long as its form is conjoyn'd with its body Moreover Fire hath a Locall Motion as Animals have to obtain its food The Third said Light is a substance for it was created by God but 't is a Sixth Essence more subtile then that of Heaven which is call'd a Quintessence in respect of the Four Elements A substance which subsisted before the Sun having been created three dayes before it and nothing hinders but it may be communicated in a moment from Heaven to Earth since the intentional species of visible things is so Indeed whereunto shall we attribute the effect of Light which heats at distance and blinds being too great which colours and gives ornament to the Universe if it be not a substance And the Penetration of Dimension objected hereunto is salv'd by saying that it hath no more place here then when an Iron is red hot with the Fire which yet none will affirm to be an accident and neverthelesse it enters into the whole substance of the Iron and Light with it for 't is transparent and luminous at its centre when 't is throughly heated in the Fire The Fourth said The excellence of Light appears in that nothing hath greater resemblance with the Deity Which made some Heathen Philosophers say that Light is Gods Body and Truth his Soul Moreover the Scripture teaches us that God dwells in inaccessible Light And the blessed Spirits are stil'd Angels of Light as Daemons Spirits of darknesse Light enlivens and animates all things it rejoyces all Creatures by its presence Birds begin to sing and even flowers to display their beauties at its arrival And because Nothing gives what it hath not therefore some have conceiv'd that Light the enlivener of all the world is it self indu'd with life and that 't is the Universal Spirit and the Soul of the whole world Whence Plato in his timaeus brings no other argument to prove that Fire is an Animal but that it is luminous And in the sixth Book of his Common-wealth he makes the Sun who is the known Father of all living things the son of Light without which Pythagoras forbad to do any thing Moreover it hath no contrary Darkness being oppos'd to it onely privatively For its being is so excellent that Nature found not her self so able to make any thing that might be equall'd with it that might alter and corrupt it as the nature of Contraries require whereas all Qualities have each their particular enemy And 't is upon this very reason that Light acts in an instant because having no contrary quality to expel from its subject it needs no time or successive motion which is necessary to other qualities as to heat to warm cold water The Fifth said Light is a real form produc'd in the medium by a luminous body Aristotle calls it the act of the Perspicuum as it is Perspicuum This Form is accidental and falls under the head of Patible Qualities because 't is sensible by it self which is the property of accidents alone whereas substance is not sensible that is falls not under the perception of sense but by means of accidents and as it is the principle of action which belongs onely to a Quality For it cannot

of the Sun and Moon the former is caus'd by the shadow of the Moon upon the Earth and the latter by that of the Earth upon the Moon by reason of their vicinity For the Sun's course being alwayes in the Ecliptick of the Zodiack which they ordinarily but improperly call a line being rather a plane superficies and a great circle cutting the sphere into two equal parts in which the Sun ascends in his Apogaeum and descends in his Perigaeum The Moon likewise according to her proper motion is found every moneth in the same sign with the Sun which is call'd her Conjunction and makes the New Moon Yet with this difference that she is either in the South or the North in respect of the Sun in the same sign unless when passing from one to another she crosses the Ecliptick wherein the Sun makes his course in the middle of such sign in which intersection is made the Eclipse of the Sun the Moon being then directly between the Sun and our sight This point of intersection is call'd the Dragon's head when she moves from the South to the North and the Dragon's taile when from the North to the South Now forasmuch as the Lunar Body is less then that of the Earth and much less then that of the Sun scarce taking up the latitude of the pyramide form'd by the visual rayes hence the Suns Eclipse is never either total or universal the Moon not being capable to hide the body of the Sun from those who behold him from the Earth in another situation After her conjunction with the Sun she with-draws from him by little and little increasing in roundness and light till she become fully opposite to the Sun at which time half of her Globe is perfectly enlightned and then 't is Full Moon Now because in this perfect opposition the Earth casts its shadow upon that part of the Ecliptick which is opposite to the Sun if in this opposition the Moon happen to cut the Ecliptick she enters into the Earths shadow and becomes darkned by privation of the Suns light So that the Moon is never eclips'd but in her opposition when she is at the Full nor the Sun but at New Moon when she is in conjunction Whence that eclipse of the Sun which appear'd at our Lords death was miraculous the Moon being then naturally unable to eclipse the Sun by her interposition because she was directly opposite to him and at the Full. The Second said That in this common explication of Eclipses the Parallaxes of the Sun and Moon cause many difficulties in their calculations being the cause that the same Eclipse is total to some partial to others none to others and to some sooner and longer then to others besides that 't is requisite to have as many new calculations as there are different places But a general way whereby to explicate Eclipses so perfectly that one single calculation may suffice for the whole Earth and oftentimes for several Eclipses cannot be had without knowledge of the distances magnitudes and shadows of the Sun the Earth and the Moon which are these the Sun is distant from the Earth about 1200. semidiametres of the Earth which amount to almost 2000000. of our leagues The Moon is distant from the Earth near 56. semidiametres of the Earth making about 90000. leagues or the two and twentieth part of the Sun's distance Whence at New Moon the distance of the Moon from the Sun is 109000. leagues and so the Sun is distant from the Earth twenty one times more then the Moon As for the magnitude of these bodies the Diametre of the Sun is about six times as big as that of the Earth and twenty one times as great as that of the Moon and consequently exceeds the one five and the other twenty times Whence it follows that the length of the shadows of the Earth and the Moon being proportionate to their distances from the Sun as their Diametres are to that Excess the shadow of the Earth shall have in length the fifth part of its distance from the Sun namely 400000. leagues and the shadow of the Moon the twentieth part of her distance from the Sun namely 95500. leagues These shadows of the Earth and the Moon are of a conical figure the base whereof is one of the circles of the Earth or the Moon and the cusp is the point remov'd from their bases according to the abovesaid distances Which figure proceeds from the Sun 's being greater then the Moon or the Earth and all three of a round or spherical figure and the conical shadow is a perfect shadow admitting no direct ray from the Sun but there is an imperfect shadow about the same admitting rayes from some parts of the Sun but not from all And as the imperfect shadow diminishes conically so the imperfect increases conically so that the Moons imperfect shadow reaches 90000. leagues which is the distance of the Moon from the Earth occupying round about the perfect shadow near 1000. leagues on each side because 't is in proportion to the Diametre of the Sun as the distance of the Earth from the Moon is to the distance of the Moon from the Sun Now since the shadow of the Moon which is 95500. leagues reaches further then the Moons distance from the Earth which is but 90000. leagues it follows that at New Moon when she is directly between the Sun and the Earth which happens when the Moon is twenty degrees before or after either the head or the taile of the Dragon the point of her shadow reaches to the Earth covering sometimes near 30. leagues round of Earth with perfect shadow which is surrounded with another imperfect one of a thousand leagues And as the Moon by her proper motion passes beneath the Sun from West to East so her shadow traverses the Earth from the West part to the East so that whereever the point of the perfect shadow passes there is a total Eclipse of the Sun and where the imperfect shadow passes the Eclipse is onely partial but greater according as you are nearer the perfect shadow From these consequences may be drawn That the Eclipse of the Sun is seen sooner in the West part of the Earth then in the East by almost five hours which is the time that the shadow of the Moon is crossing the plane of the Earth That one and the same Eclipse of the Sun cannot be seen in all parts of the Earth because though as the shadow moves it crosses from West to East yet it is not large enough to cover the whole Earth from North to South That in one and the same year there are at least two Eclipses of the Sun visible in some parts of the Earth sometimes three and four at most For every half year in which the Sun passes by the Dragon's head if the New Moon be made at the same head there will be an Eclipse which will be total in the torrid zone and partial