Archimedes Texts

292
the angle towards the circumference something acute. But wholly
to free this Authour from these unhappy lies, let him know, (in re
gard it appears that he is not very skilful in the use of Astronomi
call Instruments) that in the sides of the Sextant or Quadrant

there are placed two ^{*} Sights, one in the centre, and the other at
the other at the opposite end, which are raised an inch or more a
bove the plane of the Rule; and through the tops of those sights
the ray of the eye is made to passe, which eye likewise is held an
hands breadth or two, or it may be more, from the Instrument; so
that neither the pupil, nor any bone of the cheek, nor of the whole
body toucheth or stayeth it self upon the Instrument, nor much
lesse is the Instrument upheld or mounted in the armes, especially
if it be one of those great ones, as is usual, which weighing tens,
hundreds, and also thousands of pounds, are placed upon very
strong feet or frames: so that the whole objection vanisheth.
These are the subterfuges of this Authour, which, though they were
all of steel, would not secure him the hundredth part of a minute;
and with these he conceits to make us believe, that he hath com
pensated that difference, which importeth more than an hundred
minutes; I mean, that of the not observing a notable difference
in the distances between one of the fixed stars, and the new star in
in any of their circulations; which, had it been neer to the Moon,
it ought to have been very conspicuous to the meer sight, without
any Instrument, especially comparing it with the eleventh of Cas
siopeia, its neighbour, within 1 gr. 30 m. which ought to have va
ried from it more than two diameters of the moon, as the more
intelligent Astronomers of t' ose times do well note.

SAGR. Methinks I see that unfortunate Husbandman, who af
ter all his expected crops, have been beaten down and destroyed by
a storm, goeth up and down with a languishing and down-cast
look, gleaning up every small ear that would not suffice to keep a
chicken alive one sole day.

SALV. Truly, this Authour came out too slenderly provided
with armes against the assailants of the Heavens inalterability, and
with too brittle a chain attempted to pull down the new star of
Cassiopeia from the highest Regions, to these so low and elementa
ry. And for that I think that we have sufficiently demonstrated
the vast difference that is between the arguments of those Astro
nomers, and of this their Antagonist, it will be convenient that we
leave this particular, and return to our principal matter; in which
there presents it self to our consideration the annual motion com
monly ascribed to the Sun, but by Aristarchus Samius first of all,
and after by Copernicus taken from the Sun, and transferred upon
the Earth; against which Hypothesis, methinks I see Simplicius to
come strongly provided, and particularly with the sword and