1ous rayes, nor can this their inadvertency be excuſed, in regard
that it was in their power to have beheld them at their pleaſure
without thoſe treſſes, which is done, by looking upon them at
their firſt appearance in the evening, or their laſt occultation in
the comming on of day; and if none of the reſt, yet Venus,
which oft times is ſeen at noon day, ſo ſmall, that one muſt
pen the ſight in diſcerning it; and again, in the following night,
ſeemeth a great flake of light, might advertiſe them of their
lacy; for I will not believe that they thought the true Diſcus to
be that which is ſeen in the obſcureſt darkneſſes, and not that
which is diſcerned in the luminous Medium: for our lights, which
ſeen by night afar off appear great, and neer at hand ſhew their
true luſtre to be terminate and ſmall, might have eaſily have
made them cautious; nay, if I may freely ſpeak my thoughts, I
abſolutely believe that none of them, no not Tycho himſelf, ſo
accurate in handling Aſtronomical Inſtruments, and that ſo great
and accurate, without ſparing very great coſt in their
ction, did ever go about to take and meaſure the apparent
meter of any Star, the Sun and Moon excepted; but I think,
that arbitrarily, and as we ſay, with the eye, ſome one of the
more antient of them pronounced the thing to be ſo and ſo, and
that all that followed him afterwards, without more ado, kept
cloſe to what the firſt had ſaid; for if any one of them had
plied himſelf to have made ſome new proof of the ſame, he would
doubtleſſe have diſcovered the fraud.
that it was in their power to have beheld them at their pleaſure
without thoſe treſſes, which is done, by looking upon them at
their firſt appearance in the evening, or their laſt occultation in
the comming on of day; and if none of the reſt, yet Venus,
which oft times is ſeen at noon day, ſo ſmall, that one muſt
pen the ſight in diſcerning it; and again, in the following night,
ſeemeth a great flake of light, might advertiſe them of their
lacy; for I will not believe that they thought the true Diſcus to
be that which is ſeen in the obſcureſt darkneſſes, and not that
which is diſcerned in the luminous Medium: for our lights, which
ſeen by night afar off appear great, and neer at hand ſhew their
true luſtre to be terminate and ſmall, might have eaſily have
made them cautious; nay, if I may freely ſpeak my thoughts, I
abſolutely believe that none of them, no not Tycho himſelf, ſo
accurate in handling Aſtronomical Inſtruments, and that ſo great
and accurate, without ſparing very great coſt in their
ction, did ever go about to take and meaſure the apparent
meter of any Star, the Sun and Moon excepted; but I think,
that arbitrarily, and as we ſay, with the eye, ſome one of the
more antient of them pronounced the thing to be ſo and ſo, and
that all that followed him afterwards, without more ado, kept
cloſe to what the firſt had ſaid; for if any one of them had
plied himſelf to have made ſome new proof of the ſame, he would
doubtleſſe have diſcovered the fraud.
A common
rour of all the
ſtronomers,
ing the magnitude
of the ſtars.
rour of all the
ſtronomers,
ing the magnitude
of the ſtars.
Venus renders the
errour of
mers in
ing the magnitudes
of ſtars
ble.
errour of
mers in
ing the magnitudes
of ſtars
ble.
SAGR. But if they wanted the Teleſcope, and you have
ready ſaid, that our Friend with that ſame Inſtrument came to
the knowledge of the truth, they ought to be excuſed, and not
accuſed of ignorance.
ready ſaid, that our Friend with that ſame Inſtrument came to
the knowledge of the truth, they ought to be excuſed, and not
accuſed of ignorance.
SALV. This would hold good, if without the Teleſcope the
buſineſſe could not be effected. Its true, that this Inſtrument by
ſhewing the Diſcus of the Star naked, and magnified an
dred or a thouſand times, rendereth the operation much more
ſie, but the ſame thing may be done, although not altogether ſo
exactly, without the Inſtrument, and I have many times done
the ſame, and my method therein was this. I have cauſed a rope
to be hanged towards ſome Star, and I have made uſe of the
Conſtellation, called the Harp, which riſeth between the North
and ^{*} North-eaſt, and then by going towards, and from
the ſaid rope, interpoſed between me and the Star, I have found
the place from whence the thickneſſe of the rope hath juſt hid
the Star from me: this done, I have taken the diſtance from the
eye to the rope, which was one of the ſides including the angle
that was compoſed in the eye, and ^{*} which inſiſteth upon the
thickneſſe of the rope, and which is like, yea the ſame with the
buſineſſe could not be effected. Its true, that this Inſtrument by
ſhewing the Diſcus of the Star naked, and magnified an
dred or a thouſand times, rendereth the operation much more
ſie, but the ſame thing may be done, although not altogether ſo
exactly, without the Inſtrument, and I have many times done
the ſame, and my method therein was this. I have cauſed a rope
to be hanged towards ſome Star, and I have made uſe of the
Conſtellation, called the Harp, which riſeth between the North
and ^{*} North-eaſt, and then by going towards, and from
the ſaid rope, interpoſed between me and the Star, I have found
the place from whence the thickneſſe of the rope hath juſt hid
the Star from me: this done, I have taken the diſtance from the
eye to the rope, which was one of the ſides including the angle
that was compoſed in the eye, and ^{*} which inſiſteth upon the
thickneſſe of the rope, and which is like, yea the ſame with the