The gentlemans recreation in two parts : the first being an encyclopedy of the arts and sciences ... the second part treats of horsmanship, hawking, hunting, fowling, fishing, and agriculture : with a short treatise of cock-fighting ... : all which are collected from the most authentick authors, and the many gross errors therein corrected, with great enlargements ... : and for the better explanation thereof, great variety of useful sculptures, as nets, traps, engines, &c. are added for the taking of beasts, fowl and fish : not hitherto published by any : the whole illustrated with about an hundred ornamental and useful sculptures engraven in copper, relating to the several subjects.

Of the Meridian Altitude of the SUN and STARS, and of their Declination.

THe Meridian Altitude, is the greatest Height of the Sun or Stars above the Horizon, which is when they come to our Meridian.

The Declination is the distance of the Sun or Stars from the Aequator; that is to say, it is an Arch of the Meridian comprehended between the Aequator and the Sun, or Stars.

The Suns greatest Declination at present is 23 Degrees, 30 Minutes; for so soon as it comes to the Tropicks, it returns towards the Aequator, and so by little and little his Declination lesseneth. But when the Sun is at the Equinoctal, or first Point of Aries, and Libra, which is the 10th of March, and 11th of September, he hath no Declination.

The Declination of the Stars differ according to their Latitude and Longitude.

The Complement of the Altitude of the Sun, Stars, and Pole above our Horizon, is the De∣grees that the Sun, or Star, is distant from our Zenith, which being added to the Degrees of Al∣titude, makes up the 90 Degrees that our Zenith is distant from the Horizon.

The Complement of the Declination is an Arch, or number of Degrees, comprehended between the Sun or Star, and the nearest Pole of the World.

The Complement of the Latitude is the Height of the Aequator above the Horizon.

The distance of the Sun, or Stars from our Zenith, is the Degrees and Minutes, comprehend∣ed between the Zenith and Center of the Sun or Star; so that the Altitude is always the Comple∣ment [ 10] of their distance from our Zenith.