[ H J
24 Comets, beginning from the year 1337, andending in the year 1698.
Now three only of this number have referenceto the Comet expected to appear about the end ofthe year 1758, or beginning of the next, and areas follows.
The Comet ofthe year
had its Orbit Its nearest distanceinclined to the Sun was
* 53 *
1607
1608
deg.
min.
sec.
deg.
min.
sec.
17
5 6
° 1
1
39
0
-7
2
0
► p 2
16
0
17
5 6
0 J
\ §’ 2
52
45
Having finished the above Table, I suspected fromthe similar situation of the Planes and Perihelions,that these three Comets were one and the same ;having made its third revolution in the curve ofan Ellipsis *; but as I found rather too much dif-ference
* If a strait line of what length you p.^ase be a little bent,it will thereby become what Geometricians call part of an Hy-perbola; bend it a little more, and it will thereby become partof a Parabola ; bend it a third time, and it will become partof an Ellipsis ; bend it still more, and in this last degree ofcurvature it will be part of a Circle: Now these crooked lines,according as they are more or less bent, serve for solving diffe-rent Problems, for what you may perform by the help of onecould never have been resolved by the other : For instance, aman who understands the properties of a Circle would easilymake a square floor, or any other surface double or treble, &c.any other you please. Yet without the knowledge of the pro-perties of a Parabola, he would never be able to increase ordiminish, in any proportion, a solid stone pediment called a cubeor die.
As