266 GEOGRAPHY AND ASTRONOMY. presents the plane of the ecliptic, i. e. the sun's or earth's orbit; and then let these hoops be turned moreor lessobliquely from the plane of the ecliptic : For all the several orbits or paths of the planets do not cross or intersect the ecliptic or sun's path in the same point, nor at the same angles : But their nodes or intersec- tions of the ecliptic are in different parts of the ecliptic, and also make different angles with it. Among the several uses ofobserving the latitudeof a planet, see one very necessary in problemXXXVII. The cornets were by Aristotle and his followers supposed to be a sort of meteors or fires formed in the sky below the moon, continuing for some months, and then vanishing again. But by later astronomers they have been found to be dark bodies like the planets, movingthrough the heavens without any regard to the ecliptic, but in very different orbits, which are supposed to beelipses or ovals of prodigious length, and returning at various periods of several scores or hundreds of years. Though it must beconfessed, those parts of their orbits which are within the reach of our sight are so very inconsiderable parts of the vast ovals they are said to describe, that it has been much doubted, whether the lines they describe in their motion be not parabolical or some other infinite curve ; and thus whether the comets them- selves are not wandering stars that have lost all regular revolu- tion, and perhaps have no settled periods at all and may never return again : But comets appear so seldom that they have scarce given the nice enquirers of these last ages sufficient opportunity to observe or calculate their motions with such an absolute cer- tainty as could bewished. Thus I have finished the speculative part of this discourse which contains the rudiments or first principles of astronomy. It is called the spherical part, because it treats of the doctrine, and use of the sphere ; and I have concluded therein the general part of geography, and given a slight survey of the particular divisions of the earth. It is indeed the second or specialpart of geography that treats properly of these particular divisions of the earth which I have but slightly run over, and in a much larger manner enu- merates not only all the kingdoms, states, and governments of the world, but also gives some account of their manners, temper, religion, traffic, manufactures, occupations, &c. It also de. scribes the various towns and villages, the larger and lesser mounttiins, rivers, forests, the several products of every country, the birds, beasts, insects, fishes, plants, herbs, the soil, minerals, metals, and all rarities of art and nature. It relates also the various ancient and modernznames of the nations, cities, towns, rivers, islands, &c. What remarkable occurrences ofbattles; victories, famine, desolations, prodigies, &c. has happened in
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