The works of that late most excellent philosopher and astronomer, Sir George Wharton, bar. collected into one volume / by John Gadbvry ...

APOTELESMA: or, The Nativity of the World, and Revolution thereof.

I'Le not trouble my self, or the Reader with the va∣rious Opinions of Men and Nations concerning the Lapsed years of the World's Creation; some be∣ing utterly lost in conceipts that repugn Philosophy, others sway'd with Philosophical Conjectures destru∣ctive to Divinity, and the rest miserably varying one from another: For the Heathens afford us no satisfacti∣on, [Epicurus, and Aristotle will not allow it had any beginning.] The Jews are w••etchedly dissenting in their accompts; [Philo and Josephus irreconcilea∣ble.] The Samaritans differing from the Jews, and indeed all others, The Jews from the Christians, and they amongst themselves; Scaliger and Petavius of the Latins, Clemens Alexandrinus and Nicephorus among the Greeks.

Tis true, Longomontanus (a most learned modern Astronomer) with a silere amplius nequeo, takes bold∣ly upon him to discover this grand secret from the motion of the Sun's Apogaeum supposing the Sun's Eccentricity immutable, and the Apogaeum a yearly motion of One Minute, One Second, Fifty Thirds, Fourteen Fourths, stiling it Illus••re testimonium de Mundi Exordio, & duratione hactenus.— For, by positing the Sun's Apogaeum in the beginning of Aries at the Creation, and his Perigaeum in the opposite point Libra: He concludes of 4000 years (within a half) betwixt the Creation and the Passion of our Saviour;

and till the 1588th year of his Incarnation, 5554. (allowing 33 whole years for our Saviour's Age, with addition of the time intercepted betwixt his Nativity and Passion.) And this, this learned Author grounds on the accurate Observations of his learned Master Ticho-Brahe. (who indeed concluded the progress of the Sun's Apogaeum, (S.S.S.) till that year, 55 de∣grees, 30 Minutes. And to the End we might com∣pare the same with the Observations of sundry old and late Astronomers, throughout the respective Ages they lived in, exhibits to our view the following Table of,—

The Place of the Sun's Apogaeum, from the beginning of the World, and the true Vernal Aequinox.

In the several Ages of—	Years of the World.	Deduct.	Obser∣vat.	Differ∣ence.
Hipparchus Rhodius,	3810	65	16	65	30	14	Min.
C. Ptolemaeus Alexandriae,	4099	70	3
Albategnius Maham.	4849	82	53	82	16	37	Min.
Guarterus Norimberg,	5454	93	43	94	15	32	Min.
Nicolaus Copernicus Tur.	5492	94	23	95	8	45	Min.
Tycho-Braheus Dan.	5554	95	30	95	30	0	Min.

Whereby it appears that the moved Apogaeum of the Sun proportionably deduced (according to the Annual motion here allowed it) throughout the re∣spective Ages of their Astronomers, differs no where more than 45 Minutes, from what it was observed by them, Ptolemy excepted, who (as saith Longo∣montanus) too confidently maintained that Hippar∣chus's supposition of the Sun's Apogaeum had continued invariable until his time; his observations: being with∣out all question violently fitted to such a purpose.

And (to say the truth) were it that we had the Sun's Apogaeum precisely and uncontroulably so deter∣mined by Longomontanus, or otherwise by any other; very well it might be called Illustre testimonium of the Worlds Original. But forsomuch as later Authors do all or most of them differ (more or less) from him in the Annual motion of the Sun's Apogaeum, and consequently in the place thereof, (for instance Bulli∣aldus, who makes it this year (viz. 1655.) much less than he, viz. 3^s. 6°. 26′. 27″. by abating 5 Seconds of what Longomontanus allows for its Annual Motion;) I dare not confidently build upon this Foundation: which would (this year 1655.) compute of above 5621 years since the Creation, yet that far short of what arises from Bullialdus, whereby the Age of the World should now be no less than 6091 years; both of them exceeding (but the later by far) that Ac∣count which the latest and best Chronologers sit down with. So that hence (also) we receive very little or no satisfaction.

But let the Age of the World be what it please: the Season of its Birth I undoubtedly take to be Spring, the particle of time in which that mighty Giant (the Sun) began his unwearied course (according to ap∣pearance from the first scruple of Aries in the Meridian of Mesopotamia, where Paradise is, by men very learned both in Divinity and Geography, affirm'd to have stood, unless we admit of such Allegories as make Paradise to signifie a place of Pleasure, and the four Rivers, Four Cardinal Vertues; or hoist it up in the Air under the Moons Orbit, fancying those Rivers to fall down from thence, and running under the Oce∣an to rise up again in those places where now they are found: the one Opinion being as unwarantable as the other.

For, it is as true as truth it self, that God instituted the beginning of the Ecclesiastical year at the Vernal Aequinox: whereby he restored to the People the Beginning of the years which the Patriarchs had ob∣served before them, and which they by their long Conversation with the Egyptians had discontinued, whence the soundest, both Divines and Historians con∣clude, that God restored to the Israelites the Ancient ac∣count of the year and the true beginning thereof, part∣ly to the end it might be a memorial of their departure out of Egypt, partly that the Worlds Creation might be recorded, and partly that it might be a Prophecy o•• Christ, who was to suffer at this time. So that the Creation, the celebration of the Passover, and the Rede••ption of the World (by the Death of Christ) do all of them fall out at the same time.

Now that the Patriarchs had this beginning of the year, who can doubt it? They had the most na∣tural account of the year, and such is that which fixes its Original at the Vernal Aequinox. For seeing the Mode of Perfection is two-fold, One cùm res fit, the Other cùm facta est, the consummate Perfection doth in no wise app••rtain to the Birth of the thing, but the Inchoate, and (as I may say) Vernant. For illustra∣tion whereof it may be added, That the Spring is the most beautiful time of all the year, and the most pro∣per for g••neration of things: Which Moses not Ob∣scurely implyeth, where he saith, Terram germinasse herbam vir••ntem. Neither is the Objection of A∣dam's plucking Fruit from off the forbidden-Tree available, it being very well known that in some East∣ern Countries (yea elsewhere) they have Fruit grow∣ing twice a year; t••e Poma aurea of Spain, both at Spring and Autumn. No•• does the great Volume of Heaven but confirm this Opinion, whilst the Dode∣catemory

of Aries Commences the natural year, wherein the first Conversion, or change of these sub∣lunary things is caused.

To conclude this point, The Chaldaeans had their Learning and Wisdom from the Hebrews: Now foras∣much as they appointed the beginning of the year at the Vernal Aequinox, as did also the Persians; 'tis v••ry pro••able they borrowed this account of the year from t••e He••••ews: and therefore saith Scaliger, Exerc. 257. Mundum verè ortum primò, & autum∣naut sapientes & credere par est. So runs (also) the sentence of pious Antiquity.

Hâc est illa dies quinta & vigesima Marti, Q••à verbo Domini mundi textura peracta est: Mortuus hâc Adam: Mortem hàc devicit Iêsus: Hâc est casus Abel: fuit hàc ••actandus Isaacus: Hâc Pascha indictum: Hàc David Rex dicitur unctus.

Which is thus much after my rude version.

This is (of March) the Five and Twenti••th day, Whereon God finished th' Heavens, ••arth and Sea, And all therein: when the first Adam di'd: And when the Second [JESUS] Crucifi'd: When Abels blood was by his Brother shed, And Isaac's ready to be offered, The Passover proclaimed to begin, Wh••n Holy David was Anointed King.