Account of the Present Blazing Star, Account
A TRUE ACCOUNT Of this Preſent BLASING-STAR.
Preſenting it ſelf to the View of the World. This Auguſt. 1682. with Sundry Conſiderable Remarks and Obſervations thereupon.
WHereas I formerly Publiſhed, for publick good, in the Year 1680. a ſmall Treatiſe of Three Sheets, and ſome few Pages (as a Supplement thereunto) In my wonderful Signs of wonderful Times. Page, 37, 38. 39, and 40 upon that moſt Prodigious and moſt Stupendious Comet (then Appearing) above all that have been this many Hundred Years. And therefore It deſerveth Larger and more Learned animadverſions upon it, from the Acuteſt and Exacteſt Artiſts in the World. Theſe my former Labours, finding ſo much Acceptance and Succeſs both in City and Country, I have now Renewed the like Eſſay, as the great God is now Renewing the like Occaſion and Object in this preſent Year 1682. 'Tis an undeniable Duty to Study Gods Works, as well as Gods Word, to Read the Book of Nature, as well as the Book of Scripture, Eſpecially when and wherewith (when Drawn over) He would hide this View, As this Comet now is: Who can but wonder that ſuch Strange Lights ſhould be thus frequently Hang'd forth in the Heavens, and ſuch frightful Beacons ſhould be thus faſt Fired in the Firmament, There being but one Year betwixt the Former and the Latter, and the former being ſo Tremendous, as cannot eaſily, (however not yet) be forgotten, nor can its Dreadful Effects be as yet Accompliſhed, when Lo another Starteth forth to the Worlds Amazement. The firſt fair and full View I got of this New Comet. was upon this 20th of Auguſt. betwixt Eight and Nine at Night, When the Sky was very clear, ſave onelyonly one Black Cloud near it, which ſeem'd to be a Curtain that God had Drawn off, to give the World a fairer and fuller proſpect of this Strange Streaming Star, any thing Rare and Extraordinary is expoſed to publick Light as in a Dark Lantern again: According to the Beſt proſpect I could then (both with Glaſſes and without) obtain, I Immediately Drew up thoſe following Animadverſions (Quales quales Sunt Raptim Suggeſtas) in writeing;
I made my principal Remarks, (1) upon the Kind or Form of this new Comet. (2) upon its Colour. (3) upon its Scituation. (4) upon its Motion, and (5) upon its Signification.
Firſt, As to its Kind, Comets are ſome of one Kind, and ſome of another; diſtinguiſhed by their ſeveral forms of appearance, and I obſerved that this is not. (1) foreign, Barbatus, or a Bearded Comet; having no Flame falling downward (like a mans Beard that hangs down from the Head, or like an Horſes Main, that hangs down from the Neck) from the former part of its Body: nor, (2) Is it Cometa Crinitus, an Hairy Star, Surrounded with Rays and flaſhes of Fire (as the Buſhy Head is with curled and criſped Hair) and ſpurting forth its Flames from all its parts round about. But, (3) It is Cometa Caudatus; A Star with a Tail or Train, Sputtering out its Fire from the hinder part of its Body in its Deſcending Motion: It paſſed along downward like a Fuzzee, or Fired Squib, Fuzzing out its Flames in the form of a Birch-Beſom, or the Tail of a Peacock; which was the very ſame form of the late formidable Comet.
Secondly, As to its Colour; I could not find that this is of a Duskie Leadon Complexion, as Saturn is, and as the laſt Dreadful Star was: neither did it ſeem ſo Fiery as Mars is, and Fomahant or Campus, that fixed Star of the firſt Magnitude: nor did it appear Golden as the Sun, Pale and Wan, as the Moon, or yellow, as Venus: but it was ſeen ſplendid as Jupiter; from whoſe Dominion or Predominancy in its Generation and Preduction, It hath derived its Luſtre and Beauty, appearing in the ſplendour of a Star, of the firſt Magnitude in the eighth Sphere of the Heavens. So it becomes and may truly be called a Jovial Star.
Thirdly, As to its Scituation, though Comets be moſtly Erratick, as the Planets, and fix no where in the Heavens as doe the fixed Stars; yet this at preſent ſeems ſcituated not far off from Ʋrſa Maior, which is above it, as Cor l…onis is under it, and hath a North Latitude, at no great Diſtance from the Northern Pole; but much leſs from the Artick Circle: Having that Glorious Star (Arcturus) in its view.
Fourthly, As to its Motion, This at preſent may be well conjectured to be Slow from its preſent Scituation, whereof we have a plain and familiar Inſtance in a common Ocular Demonſtration: As the Nave of a Cart-wheel muſt move much ſlower than the Ring or remoteſt Rim of that Wheel moveth, becauſe the former is nearer to, and the latter is farther from the Axle-Tree upon which they both are turned: Now that which hath the leſſer Circle and Circumference to run, muſt needs move ſlower than that which hath one ten times greater to compaſs, when both the one and the other muſt exactly run round their Circular Courſe at one and the ſame preciſe point of time: The Rim runs round as ſoon as the Nave, though it have the far greater Circles. And the Nave is no ſooner about than the Ring, though it have the far leſſer Circumference, The like may be demonſtrated upon all Wheels which are moved upon one Axle-Tree, the parts whereof make their Launches in motion leſſer or larger, as they are diſtant from their Canter, (nigher or remoter) all proportionably concurring to accompliſh their Courſe and Circumference together: So 'tis with this Blazing Star, Now ſeated ſo nigh the Northern Pole, it hath the like motion with the external part of the Nave, or Ends of the Spokes, fixed in it, which fulfil their Courſe no faſter than thoſe Ends faſtened in the Ring or Rim of the Wheels, though they have a ſmaller Circle: And this is the true Reaſon, why this Comet ſets now about eleven a clock, and riſes again about three; becauſe it is whirled about by the primum mobile, in that part of the Firmament, which is ſo nigh the Northern Pole: Therefore it can have no long receſs out of our Horiſontal fight, this is plainly exemplified by the Sun, which in the Tropick of Cancer (nigher our Zenith, and the Northern Pole) hath ſhorter Nights and longer Days, than when it is farther off in the Tropick of Capricorn. Now whereas the great Bear (being ſo nigh the leſſer Bear or Pole) never ſets at all to us, but runs its own Circle Night and Day in our Horizon, never viſiting the other Hemiſphere: So 'tis but rational, that this Star, ſcituated ſo nigh to it, ſhould have onelyonly a ſhort dip under the Globe of the Earth, ſhewing it ſelf a little while to the other Horizon. The long Train whereof, never all, ſets at all, but ſome part of its top may be diſcerned in a clear Sky, in remoter places, &c. So that ſaving theſe few hours betwixt Setting and Riſing, it is ſputtering out its Flames in our Hemiſphere for twenty hours together.
Therefore (Fiftly) Its Signification muſt needs be the more Signal and ſingular, which for want of Room in this half ſheet, I muſt Refer the Reader to my three Sheets upon the laſt Aſtoniſhing Comet, and to my Signes of the Times. Pag. 38, 39, 40. Where I have Inlarged, here onelyonly Obſerve the difference of this from that, The Blazing Star in 1680. was a Leſſer Body with a greater Train, This in 1682. is a greater Body with (yet) a Leſſer Tail: that was Saturnine and Sullen, (Portending the ſad Inundations, Deſclations and Hurricans, &c. Since happened) This is Jovial, prognoſticating Joy Jovialty and Jollity, &c. Yet both Concurr in being the forerunners (that the former and this the latter and more Immediate) of that great Climacterical Conjunction this next October in the Sign Leo which moſtly Reſpects the Northern part of the World. As there was but one Year 'twixt that Comet and this, ſo there is but one Month 'twixt this Comet and this great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter with Mars in the Fiery Trigon, which falls out very Rarely, In the ſpace onelyonly of about 800. Years (the exact Revolution hereof being above 794, Years,(the firſt in the World (as Tychobrake ſaith) was under Enock the Second under Noah, the Sixt under Charls the Great, When the Roman Empire. was Tranſlated into Germany: Now the 7th (which is Sabattical) is at hand and may bring a Sabbeth of Reſt, Thoſe Superior Planets now Returning to the point and poſture They were placed in at the Worlds Creation Alſted Encuclop. Uranoſc, Lib. 11. Pag. 125. And Kepler long agoe f…retold, that the Conjunction of thoſe Superior planets in Leo would deſtroy and Drain up the Dreggs of the Roman Church, 'Tis not Improbable, that As all the other Six Revolutions (afore mentioned) had ſome Grand Remark upon them, ſo may this Sabbatiſm or 7th have much more ſeeing it happeneth in the laſt Times, and great are the Promiſes of the Latter Day: Eſpecially ſeeing this Laſt Conjunction is Vſherd in with two Praecurſors or Harbingers (two World-Amazing Comets) as with a double Signet Sign or Autoritative Broad-Seal: and this Seale is Doubled (like Pharaohs Dream) to Import both the Aſſurance, and the Expedition of what great things God is about to do: If the former Signal Comet (the like whereof hath not been this 800. Years) put the Pope into ſuch a Cold Conſternation, and ſhaking Paroxyſm, that nothing but a Dutch Stove could keep him warm, what more may this Latter do which hath ſo great a Conjunction at the very Heels of it. all which are loud alarms to awaken the Slumbring World. David ſaith, the Heavens Declare the Glory of God, They are the Catholick-Preachers of his Wiſdom, Power and Goodneſs, a Book, that was Imprinted at the New Jerusalem by the hand of Jehovah himſelf, and is not to be Sold but to be ſeen (at the Sign of Celeſtial Glory) by all that looks up to Heaven; tis our Duty (ſaith Mr. Caryl on J…b. vol; 3. P. 221.) to Study the Heavens and to be Accquainted with the Stars, Eſpecially thoſe Extraordinary ones, always ſent to ſignify ſome great Matters to Come, and I wiſh with Honeſt Nat. Tompſon (in his Intellgence this Aug. 22.) Hartily that this Comet may preſage no worſe things to us than the Deſtruction of all Plotters, Perjurers, Swearing Maſters
Truly ſo Thus Prayeth C. N.
London Printed for L. Curtis 1682.
End of the text · Christopher Ness, Account of the Present Blazing Star (1682)