tAcc 0 '<»» (M.Gascoigne.Micrometer ; I

Mr. RichardTownley.n.15- 457-

( =' 8 )

mg glad, that a Person, who probably knew not the G\use of it, has- madethe Experiment : but it is stränge, that until now no Astronomer has forseen,that that fhould happcn, nor given any Precepts for theChange of the Moon’sDiameter in the Eclipses of the Sun, according to the Places where theyfhould happen, and according to the Hour and Height the Moon fhouldhave. For, what happened in that Eclipse of Augmentation, would havefallen out contrarily, if it had been in the Evening ; for, the Moon, whichin that Eclipse, that began in the Morning, was higher about the end thanat the beginning, was nearer us, and consequently was to appear bigger :But if the Eclipse fhould happcn in the Evening, fhe would be lowcr at theend, and therefore more distant from us, and consequently appear lestcr. Soalso in two different Places, whcreof one fhould have the Eclipse in theMorning, and the other at Noorr, the Moon fhould appear bigger to himthat bath it at Noon : And fhe must likcwise appear bigger tothose who fhallhave a fester Elevation of the Pole under the lamc Meridian, because theMoon will be nearer them.

f V. i. I fhould be look’d upon as a great Wronger of our Nation, fhould

,y I not let the World lcnow, that 1 have, otit of some scattercd Papers and Let-ten that formerly came to my Pfands of one Mr. Gascoigne s, found out,that before our late Civil IVnrs he had not only Devised an Instrument of asgreat a Power as M. Au^out's, but had also for some years madc use of it ^not only for taking the Diameters of the Pkinets, and Distances upon Land j.but had farther endeavoured,out of its Preciseneß, to gather many Certaintiesin the Heavens ; amongst which -I fhall only mention one, vig. The findingehe Moon’s Dstance, from two Observations of her Horizontal and MeridionalDiameters: which I the rather mention, because the French Astronomer esteemshimself the first that took any soch Notice, as thereby to scttle the Moon’sParallax. For our Country-Man fully considered it before, and imparted itro an Acquaintance of bis, who thereupon proposed to him the Difhcultiesthat would arise in the Calculation ; with Considerations upon the strängeNiceties, neceflary to give him a certainty of what he desired. The veryInstrument he first made I have now by me, and two others more perfectedby him ; which doubtleß he would have infinitely mended, had he not beenSlain unfortunately in His late Majesty’s Service. He had a T reatife of Ojnickjready for the Preß ; but though I have used my utmost endeavour toretrieve it, yet I have in that point been totally unßiccefsful: But some loolePapers and Letters I have, particularly about this Instrument for taking ofÄngles, which was far from perfect. Ncvcrthelefi, I find it so much to ex-ceed all others, that I have used my Endeavours to make it Exact, and ea-fdy Vractable ; which above a year fince I eflected to my own Desire, bythe help of an Ingenious and Exact Watchmaker : Since which time, I havenot altogether neglected it, but employcd it particularly in taking the Di-stances (as occafion served) of the Circum-jovialists, towards. a perfect settlingrheir-Motion, 1.fhall only. (hy of it, That it is fmall, not exceeding in(Veight, nor much in bignefs, an ordinary Pocket-Watch, exactly marking

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