The mariners magazine, or, Sturmy's mathematical and practical arts containing the description and use of the scale of scales, it being a mathematical ruler, that resolves most mathematical conclusions, and likewise the making and use of the crostaff, quadrant, and the quadrat, nocturnals, and other most useful instruments for all artists and navigators : the art of navigation, resolved geometrically, instrumentally, and by calculation, and by that late excellent invention of logarithms, in the three principal kinds of sailing : with new tables of the longitude and latitude of the most eminent places ... : together with a discourse of the practick part of navigation ..., a new way of surveying land ..., the art of gauging all sorts of vessels ..., the art of dialling by a gnomical scale ... : whereunto is annexed, an abridgment of the penalties and forfeitures, by acts of parliaments appointed, relating to the customs and navigation : also a compendium of fortification, both geometrically and instrumentally / by Capt. Samuel Sturmy.

Circles of the Sphere.

The Ten Circles are as followeth; The Equinoctial, or likewise called the Equator, which is the chief Circle in the Sphere, dividing the Heavens in the middle between the two Poles; the two Points of Aries and Libra, cut this Circle in opposite Points, and make the Days and Nights of equal length over all the World.

2. The Meridian is a great Circle passing through the Poles of the World, and the Zenith of the Place; the Sun when he comes to this Meridian, it is Noon; the number of Meridians is as many as can be imagined Vertical Points from the West to the East, whereof the Cosmographers have described, 180.

3. The Horizon is distinguished by the names of Rational, or Sensible; the first is a great Circle every where Equidistant from the Zenith, and divides the superior or upper Hemisphere, from the lower, and by chance are distinguished by the names of Right, Oblique, and Parallel-Horizon.

A Right-Horizon have the Inhabitants under the Equator, who have the Horizon passing through the Poles of the World, and cuts the Equator at Right-Angles.

An Oblique-Horizon is such an one as cuts the Equinoctial Oblique, or aslope, or hath any degr. of Latitude from the Equator.

A Parallel-Horizon is one that hath the Poles for the Zenith and Nadir, and the Equinoctial for the Horizon.

The Sensible-Horizon is a Circle that divideth the part of the Heavens, which we see, from the part we see not, called a Finitor.

4. The Zodiack is a great Circle, that divides the Equator into two equal parts; the Points of Intersection are Aries and Libra, the one half declining toward the North, the other to the South 23 degr. 31 min. his ordinary breadth is 12 degrees; but later Writers make it 14 or 16 degrees by reason of the Wandring of Mars and Venus.

In the middle thereof is a Line called the Ecliptick, from which the Latitude of the Planets are numbred both Northward and Southward; the Circumference of this Circle containeth 360 degr. which is divided into 12 equal Parts called Signs, every one representing some living Creature, either in Shape or Property, as you read in the De∣nominations; and also every Sign containeth 30 degr. and every degree containeth 60 min. and every min. 60 seconds, and every second 60 thirds.

The Names and Characters of the 12 Signs.

♈	♉	♊	♋	♌	♍
Aries.	Taurus.	Gemini.	Cancer.	Leo.	Virgo.
♎	♏	♐	♑	♒	♓
Libra.	Scorpio.	Sagitarius.	Capricornus.	Aquarius.	Pisces.

5. The Six uppermost are the Northern, and Six undermost the Southern Signs.