not fuffer the Moon to receive any Light from the Sun, without whofe Supply fhe is always a dark Body, for from it fhe borroweth her Light.

Q. What Comparifon is there in the Greatness of fome Stars and the Earth?

A. Though the far Diftance of them from the Earth makes their Rays approach our Eyes in a fharp-pointed Angle, whereby they seem to our Sight and Judgment no broader than one HandBreadth; yet is every fixed Star far greater in Compass than the whole Earth, every wandering Star likewife bigger than the fame, (Venus and Mercury excepted) and likewife Luna, which is but the thirty-ninth part of the Earth; Sol is bigger than the Earth 166 times, Saturn 95 times, Mars 91 times, Jupiter 91; Venus leffer than the Earth 32 times, and Mercury leaft of all, and is contained of the Earth, three thousand, one Hundred, and forty-four times.

Q Into how many Regions is the Air divided? A. The Air is divided into three Regions, by the natural Philofophers both of antient and modern times; that is to fay, into the Highest, Loweft, and Middlemoft. In the higheft Region, turned about by the Element of Fire, are bred all Lightnings, Firedrakes, Comets, Blazing Stars, and fuch like; in the middle Region, all cold and watry Impreffions, as Froft, Snow, Ice, and Hail; in the lowest Region, fome-what more hot, by reafon of the Beams of the Sun reflecting from the Earth, are bred all Clouds, Dews, Rain, and fuch like.

Q. What is the Equinoctial, and wherefore is it fo called?

A. The Equinoctial is a great Circle, which being every Part equally diftant from the two Poles of the World, divideth the Sphere in the very midft thereof into equal Parts, and therefore it is called the Equinoctial, because when the Sun toucheth

toucheth this Circle, which is but twice in the Year, it maketh the Day and Night of an equal Length; which Equinoctial happeneth the eleventh of March and thirteenth of September.

Q. Who was the first that was of Opinion that the Earth moved round the Center of the Sun ?

A. Copernicus was the first that declared himself of this Opinion, (a Doctrine very strange in these Times) but now this Opinion is adopted by our ableft Aftronomers.

YE

On SOLITUDE.

"E Groves and flow'ry Vales, in you we find, The firit unblemished Joys for Man defign'd; Your charming Scenes th' attentive Mind fupply, With Pleasure in its nice Variety;

Nature does here her Virgin fmiles afford,
And fhews us Paradise again restor'd;
Our Souls their former Harmony acquire,
And vexing Care and conscious Guilt retire.
Propitious Solitude, thou kind Retreat,
From all the vain Amusements of the Great,
In thee alone without Difguft we prove,
The endless Sweets of Innocence and Love.
Flourish, ye gentle Shades, and rural Seats,
Let endless Verdure deck your foft Retreats,
Peace dwell upon your Banks, ye filver Streams,
The Mufe's chafte Delights and conflant Themes;
For ever you the Poet's Breaft infpire
With fprightly Joys, and wake the golden Lyre.
What Pow'r, enchanting Solitude, is thine,
That Men, for thee, the dearest Ties refign!
For thee, the Monarch lays his Crown afide,
And the young Lover quits his weeping Bride;

C. 4

The

The Hero gives the Chafe of Honour o❜er,
And Fame, and glorious Conqueft, tempt no more
The fofter Sex, with fearless Piety,

To Woods and favage Wilds have follow'd thee.
Fair Magdalen the flatt'ring World declin'd,
And to a narrow Cave her Charms confin'd;
In Herod's wanton Court admir'd she fhone,
And all the tempting Paths of Vice had known:
To her's the Beauties of the Hebrew Race,
Rachel's and Tamar's boafted Fame gave place.
Love triumph'd in her Voice, her Looks and Mien,
And Love in all her fatal Form was feen;
A thousand youthful Hearts her Pow'r obey'd,
And Homage to her foft Dominion paid:
But thus in Nature's gayeft Bloom admir'd,
A Penitent fhe glorioufly retir'd;
Her coftly Ornaments are laid afide,

With all the vain Addrefs of Female Pride;
Her Hair neglected o'er her Bofom flow'd,
And Charms beyond the Reach of Art beftow'd.
A mourning Robe fhe wore, a penfive Grace,
And foft Remorfe, fat on her lovely Face;
A vaulted Rock for her Retreat the chofe;
Among the Clifts a murm'ring Fountain rofe:
Her Contemplation, Pray'r and lofty Praife,
In folemn Order meafur'd out her Days.
To Heav'n her Vows with early Ardour fled,
Before the Sun his Morning Glories fpread :
When from his Height he pour'd down golden
Streams,

Her wing'd Devotion met his Noon Day Beams, 'Till in the West with fainter Light he fhone, Untir'd the heavenly Votary went on.

The Moon ferene in Midnight Splendour fat,
With countless Stars attending on her State;
The Cares, and noify Bufinefs of the Day,
In Reft and foothing Dreams diffolv'd away;
The drowsy Waters crept along the Shore,
'And Shepherds pin'd upon the Banks no more ;

The

The Trees their Whifpers ceas'd, the gentle Gale
No longer danc'd along the dewy Vale;
The peaceful Ecchoes, undifturb'd with Sound,
Lay flumb'ring in the cavern'd Hills around;
Faction, and Care, and Midnight Riot flept,
But ftill the lovely Saint her holy Vigils kept.

For the MORNING.

LORY to thee, my God, who safe haft

GLO kept,

And me refresh'd, while I fecurely flept;
Lord, this Day guard me, left I may tranfgrefs;
And all my Undertakings guide and bless;
And as my Vows to thee I now renew,
Scatter my by-paft Sins as Morning Dew,
That fo thy Glory may thine clear this Day,
In all I either think, or do, or fay. Amen.

For the EVENING.

ORGIVE me, dearest Lord, for thy dear Son,

FORGIVE me, for the dear

That with the World, myself, and then with thee,
I, 'ere I fleep, at perfect Peace may be ;
Teach me to live, that I may ever dread
My Grave as little as I do my Bed;

Keep me this Night, O keep me, King of Kings,
Secure under thine own Almighty Wings. Amen.

Let not the Sun go down upon my Wrath, nor upon any other unrepented Sin.

Let me every Day write at the foot of Ac my count, Reconciled to my God, and in Charity with C 5

all

all the World; that going to Bed with a quiet Confcience, I may fall a-fleep in Peace and Hope.

Confcience is God's Spy, and Man's Overleer; God's Deputy-Judge, holding its Court in the whole Soul; bearing Witnefs of all a Man's Doings and Defires, and accordingly excufing, or accufing; abfolving, or condemning; comforting, or tormenting. What art thou then the better when none is by, fo long as thy Confcience is by.

Confcience is the great Regifter, or Recorder, of the World. 'Tis to every Man his private Notary, keeping Record of all his Acts and Deeds.

Tho' the Darknefs of the Night may hide us from others, and the Darkness of the Mind may hide us from our felves, yet ftill the Conscience hath an Eye to look in fecret upon whatever we do; and tho' in many Men it fleeps in regard of Motion, yet it never fleeps in regard of Obfervation; and notice, it may be hard and feared, but it can never be blinded.

Confcience is God's Hiftorian, that writes not Annals, but Journals, the Words, Deeds and Cogitations of Hours and Moments. Never was there fo abfolute a Compiler of Lives as Conscience is, it comes not with Prejudice or Acceptation of Perfons, but dare fpeak the Truth of a Monarch, as well as of a Slave.

Manners make a Man, faith the Courtier: Money makes a Man, faith the Citizen: Learning makes a Man, faith the Scholar : Conduct makes a Man, faith the Soldier: But Sincerity in Religion makes a Man, faith the Divine.

Let us endeavour to walk in the Paths of Virtue and Religion, which will certainly entertain us with Pleafure all along the Way, and crown us with Happiness at the End.

If