An history of the wonderful things of nature set forth in ten severall classes wherein are contained I. The wonders of the heavens, II. Of the elements, III. Of meteors, IV. Of minerals, V. Of plants, VI. Of birds, VII. Of four-footed beasts, VIII. Of insects, and things wanting blood, IX. Of fishes, X. Of man / written by Johannes Jonstonus, and now rendred into English by a person of quality.

Artic. 1. Of the Nature and Magnitude of Comets.

THe original and nature of Comets hath diversly troubled wise then; nor yet was any man found that could decide the question. Some think they are perpetuall, and are carried about the Sun, like Venus and Mercury, and oft times they lye hid; some think they are newly created, and are not in sublunary but heavenly places. Democritus thought they were the soules of famous men, who when they had been vigorous many Ages in the earth, make their triumphs when they die. Bodine confesseth his ignorance; yet he to this inclines, and 〈…〉〈…〉 l••st they become 〈…〉〈…〉 Stars; The cause. The Ancients say they all vanished, and did not se••. Others said they were of two sorts, false ones in the Aire; true ones, who foreshew'd things to come from the heavenly place. What ever it be, they are secret things; and because they are in the Heavens, they are so much the harder. That which shined, Anno 1456. possessed more than two signs in the Heavens; that which appeared Anno 1472, for a whole mone••h retrog••ade from Libra, 〈…〉〈…〉 through the whole Zodiack in its

motion, at first 40 parts, then 120 parts every day, Sennert. l. 4. Epi∣tom. Cap. 2. Anno 1556. There was one so great, that not onely the most light and dry vapours, but all Woods and Groves, be they as many as are in the whole Earth, would not serve for to feed it two moneths that it shined. They are Bodin's words, l. 2. Theatr. Anno 1543, it had a very long tayl toward the North, a flame flew from it like a Dragon, it drank up a River, and consumed the fruits of the ground, Sennert. l. c. When Attalus raigned, there was one so great, that it was stretched out exceedingly, and was equall to the milky way in the Heavens, Senec. quaest. natural. l. 7. c. 15. Aristot. 1. Meteorol. c. 7. In the time of Anaxagoras, a huge great one burned 75 dayes; and so great a Tempest of winds followed, that it brake a stone off as great as a Chariot, and the whirlwind carried it aloft, and threw it into the River Aegaeum in Thracia, Niceph. l. 12. c. Again, in the Reign of Theodosius the elder, an unusuall one appeared at midnight, about Lucifer, and a great multitude of Stars were gathered about it, which by their mutual lustre sent out the greater light; this was resolved into one flame, like to a two edged sword: The same day in July the Spaniards report they saw it: that was fatall to them and to their Ships. Cardanus l. 4. de varietat. c. 63. saith, it happened either by reason of the purenesse of the Ayr, or the union of Light, or by reason of the darknesse of the day.