Account of the Present Blazing Star

A TRUE ACCOUNT Of this Present BLASING-STAR.

Presenting itself to the View of the World. This August. 1682. with Sundry Considerable Remarks and Observations thereupon.

WHereas I formerly Published, for public 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 Labors, 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. 'It is an undeniable Duty to Study God's Works, as well as God's 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 only one Black Cloud near it, which seemed to be a Curtain that God had Drawn off, to give the World a fairer and fuller prospect of this Strange Streaming Star, anything Rare and Extraordinary is exposed to public 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 writing;

I made my principal Remarks, (1) upon the Kind or Form of this new Comet. (2) upon its Colour. (3) upon its Situation. (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) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Barbatus, or a Bearded Comet; having no Flame falling downward (like a man's 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 Luster and Beauty, appearing in the splendor 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 Situation, though Comets be mostly Erratick, as the Planets, and fix nowhere in the Heavens as do the fixed Stars; yet this at present seems situated not far off from Ursa Major, 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 Situation, 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 Tropic of Cancer (nigher our Zenith, and the Northern Pole ) hath shorter Nights and longer Days, than when it is farther off in the Tropic 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, situated so nigh to it, should have only a short dip under the Globe of the Earth, showing itself 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 (Fifthly) 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 Signs of the Times. Pag. 38, 39, 40. Where I have Inlarged, here only 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 only 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 Charles 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 ago f • retold, that the Conjunction of those Superior planets in Leo would destroy and Drain up the Dreggs of the Roman Church, 'It is 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 Seal 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 Catholic-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. Thompson (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

London Printed for L. Curtis 1682.