declines from the Sun, while the S. Pole accedes nearer and nearer thereto. Euphrof. It is all very evident, indeed, Cleonicus; - I fee the enlightened Hemisphere gradually remove from the N. Pole, and take in the Southern one; and confequently all the Parallels of N. Latitude have their diurnal Parts decreafing, and the nocturnal increafing; the Contrary of which I obferve happening in the Southern Parallels.-But fee, the Earth has reached the Beginning of Cancer, let it be ftopped there a while, to obferve more nicely the Phænomena of the diurnal Motion, in this dreary Season. Cleon. I will ftop the annual Motion, and continue the diurnal One at fuch a Rate, that you may make your Obfervations with Eafe and Pleasure. Euphrof. The first Thing I obferve is, that the Circle of Illumination extends but a little farther than the Patch towards the North; and, therefore, the Path defcribed by it in the enlightned Hemisphere is but very small in Comparison of the Diftance it goes thro' the dark One; but their Distances I can measure in Time, by bringing the Patch upon the Meridian, and placing the Hour Index at 12, as before. -Thus, as the Earth revolves, I obferve the City of London enters the enlightened Hemisphere a few Minutes after 8 in the Morning; which, therefore, is the Time of Sun-rifing to us, and goes out of it as much before 4 in the Afternoon; whence I fec, that the fhortest Day is not quite 8 Hours long, and confequently not half the Length of the Night. Cleon. You obferve the Position of the Earth is just the Reverse now to that which it had in midfummer Seafon, or when the Earth was in the oppofite Part of its Orbit; and, therefore, not only the Seafons, but the Length of Days and Nights will be just the Reverse of what they were then, and the very fame which you may now perceive they are in the lower or fouthern Parts of the Earth, at the fame Distance from the Equinoctial as we are. Euphrof. I readily perceive it, and I fhall demonstrate it too by sticking another Patch upon the fame Meridian, and in the fame Latitude with London, on the fouthern R 2 Side. Side. Now the revolving Earth brings the fouthern Patch into the Sun-beams before the Hour Index points to 4 in the Morning, nor does it enter the darkened Hemisphere till after the Hand has paft the P of 8 in the Evening. I have now the Satisfaction now by this Experiment how the Days and Nights come to be alternately equal in Winter and Summer, and alfo in the fame Latitude on different Sides of the Equator. I farther fee, that the Inequality of Day and Night ceases at a certain Limit, beyond which, on one S de, they are only deprived of Light or Day, and the other, they enjoy the Sun-beams conftantly for the fame Time. Thofe who live under, and about the North Pole, feem now to have a tedious, horrid Gloom, while thofe, who are in the fouthern Pole, have the Sun bright above the Horizon, and enjoy an uninterrupted Day.How happy are we whom Providence has placed between two fuch difagreeable Extremes! For the Enjoyment even of Light itself, for a long Continuance, could not be pleasant, and Darkness is what all Mankind are naturally apt to fhun. Cleon. Your Reflections in thefe Refpects are very natural; but we are to confider, at the fame Time, how few of our Species have fuch a Situation in Life. By our late Difcoveries, it is pretty certain that there are few, or no Inhabitants of the Regions of the southern Pole; and with Refpect to the northern Polar Regions, the Continent of Europe, Afia, and America, extend not far within them; and thofe, whofe Lot it is to inhabit those dreary Regions, appear to be fo wonderfully fuited and adapted to them, that it is well known by Experience they prefer their native, gloomy Spot to any Part of our happier temperate Zone; nor are they fo very much in the Dark perhaps as you may imagine, the Continuance of their Darkness being proportioned to their Distance from the Polar Circle, and greatest of all at the Poles; but even there, the Moon affords them Light one half of the Time, and they enjoy a Twilight till the Sun is 18 Degrees below their Horizon; and it is very probable, that the Land does not extend fo far as to admit of any Inhabitants within five Degrees and a half of the Pole, and to those who are farther off than that, there can be no dark Night at all. Euphrof. I am glad to hear of any Thing that can contribute to folace those unhappy Mortals in their joyless Situations; for I cannot help thinking they must be miferable there; but I recollect the Kinds of Happinefs and Misery are more Relative than Real; and I am the more convinced of it, when I confider that even our Negroes quit their native Soil only by Force, and are fo naturally fond of their fable Complexion (at which I fhudder almoft as much as at Polar Darkness) that I remember I have fomewhere read, they paint the Devil white, to represent him fo much the more terrible to Mankind.' Cleon. Whoever contemplates the Nature of Things in the Manner you now do, will find it very easy to correct many of the common, but very unjuft Notions of Nature and Providence, and will come at last to the Conclufion, that infinite Beneficence in the divine Being could never permit the Creation of any Species of fenfible Beings, without a Poffibility of enjoying a proper Degree of Felicity peculiar to their several Natures.-But leaving thofe Digreffions, we return to the remaining Seafon of the Year in the Orrery, which the Earth enjoys in paffing from the first Degree of Cancer to Libra. Euphrof. And, confequently, while the Sun appears to go from Capricorn to Aries. But what are the particular Phænomena that we attend to during this Interval? Cleon. Nothing in particular, more than to observe the natural Tranfition from the Winter to the Spring Seafon; for when I give the Earth its annual Motion, and you fee it proceeds in its Tour, you will plainly obferve, that by Reafon of the parallel Pofition of the Axis the northern Pole will gradually return and restore the Regions now in Darkness to the enlivening Influence of the Sun.- -See it now moves on. Euphrof. I obferve the Particulars you mention begin to appear in a very natural Manner. The Archs of the Parallel, that meafure the Day, now gradually increase, and those which fhew the Night of Course decrease in all the northern Latitudes. The Coldness of the Seafon, one would think, fhould now alfo abate, and every Day R 3 after after the 21st of December, one might expect, fhould be warmer and warmer; but, this does not quite tally with Nature; for you must have obferved, Cleonicus, that January and February are oftentimes found to be the two coldest Months in the Year. Pray, how am I to understand the Reafon of that? Cleon. In a Manner as I heretofore hinted in relation to the Summer Heat; I then remarked to you, that the Summer's Heat was not greateft at Midfummer; and for the fame Reafon you are not to expect the Intenfity of Cold by the Middle of Winter. The Cauíes of Cold continue much longer, viz. the different Length of Days and Nights, the Obliquity of the Sun's Rays, & ftill continue to produce Degrecs of Cold, which, added to all that went before, the Aggregate, or Sum of All, will produce the greatest Degree of Cold in the Months you mention. Euphrof. I apprehend you clearly; but fee, the Earth has juft now carried us thro' thofe Months; I am pleased to fee the freezing Tropic left fo far behind in the artificial Year, and the Return of the vernal Equinox fo near at Hand. Nature feems now renewed even in the Orrery, and folar Beams diffufe themselves almoft from Pole to Pole once more. London now enjoys near equal Length of Days and Nights.The Sun from the Earth appears in Virgo, and the Index fhews him every Day advancing about one Degree forward. Scarce any Difference now appears in the Length of the Day and Night.- The Circle of Illumination paffes thro' both the Poles.And now the Year is finifhed in the Orrery; for the Index points to the 20th of March. Cleon. The Machine has now done you all the good Offices in its Power for the prefent; you have thereby feen in a fhort Time reprefented all the Phænomena of the Heavens; and what gives me a peculiar Pleasure, even beyond that of informing your Mind, is to find your Tafte for Philofophy fo true and juft, that thro' fo long a Series of Speculations on thefe Subjects they feem ftill entertaining and agreeable to you. -For to fay that now, which at firft I was not willing you fhould fufpect, I was much in Doubt (tho' you expreffed fo great great a Defire of being inftructed in the Celestial Science) whether or no your Patience would hold out fo long on one continued Subject. Euphrof. So long, do you fay, Cleonicus! On my Word, were you not my Brother, I fhould fcarce forbear being affronted by fuch an Expreffion. -Patience for Inftructions and Pleafures of this Kind!-Tired with contemplating the Powers and Works of Nature! -What did you take me to be, Cleonicus, once to think of my palling on thofe divine Subjects?- -No, I remember too well what Shakespear fays of the Wretch who cannot relish Music, " He is fit for Rapines, Murders, &c."-How then muft that unnatural Soul be characterised, that cannot always be delighted with the Mufic of the Spheres! with the Beauty and Harmony of the divine celeftial Frame of Nature! That fublime, vifual Music, thus reprefented by the fame celebrated Poet. Beauty is Mufic too, tho' in Difguife, Too fine to touch the Ear, it ftrikes the Eyes, And thro' them to the Soul the filent Stroke conveys, We only can admire, but cannot hear. -Befides, do not the moft judicious Divines and Philofophers tell us, than an infinite Scene of the Operations of divine Power and Wisdom will open itself gradually to our View in the future heavenly State, and that the Employment of Time to endless Ages will confift in an uninterrupted Intuition and Contemplation of the fame? If so, how prepofterous must it be, and contrary to the Character of a divine and rational Nature in us, to fuppofe it but even poffible for a Person to meditate with Indifference on these Subjects, much less to think them tedious, tho' our whole fhort Life were conftantly employed therein. Cleon. What you fay is certainly true, my Euphrofyne; but withal it must be obferved, that in this imperfect prefent State, the Mind of Man is naturally apt to be fatigued with any Kind of conftant Study; and we muft always propofe thefe Matters as Subjects rather of Amusement than the Bufinefs of Life; we are not here to know what perfect Happiness is; nor can we enjoy |