A diurnal speculum, for the year of our Lord God, 1684 Being the bissextile, or leap-year, with annual and Mon[thly] predictions & progn[o]stications astrologically handled. (Written and design'd for the press in Aug, 1683. but its publication prevented by the printers t[e]merity.) Wherein was fore-told, in D[e]cemb. 1683. the late and unheard of frost; with the events that may probably and suddenly ensue thereon. By Richard Kirkby, student in astrology and physick.

A true Systeme of the Visible World, ex∣plained according to Copurnicus, De∣cember the 11th. 1684.

[illustration]

ACcording to the fore-going Systeme, the Sun is the Center of the Lower World, which, without doubt, is the Point and Place of his Situation; and above the Sun, in the first Orb next the Center, is placed Mercury; who ac∣complisheth his Revolutions, through the 12 Signs of the Zodiack, in 88 days. Venus moves in the next Sphere, and finisheth her Course through the Zodiack Signs, in 225 days. In the next Sph••re is the E••rth, who makes her Course about the Body of the Sun, in a Year. About the Body of the

Earth, is the Sphere of the Moon; who performs her Course in a Month Next above the Earth, wheels Mars; who per∣forms his Perambulation in two Years, and no less, because his Orb is much larger than the Earths. The next is the Sphere of Jupiter; wh•• performs his Revolution in twelve Years. A••d lastly, in the highest Orb of all, is old Saturn; who m••••es his Progress th••ough the Zodiack, but once in t••irty Years.

Dear Country-Men: I having taken this short Survey of the Planetary ••pheres, and ascended ••rom the Center to the Circumference; 〈◊〉〈◊〉 am now 〈◊〉〈◊〉 stand, to behold the vast Di∣stance of the fixed Stars; when••s so ••xceeding far, that they are altogether void of Paraliax of the Annual Orb. There∣fore i•• is beyond the Capacity of Man, to obtain their Di∣stance exactly, &c

My present Ta••k in hand is to prove, That the Earth moves about the Sun, and not the Sun round the Earth: Therefore, I shall have recourse to the former Figure or Sy∣steme of the ••orld, wherein the great outward Circle re∣presents the Zodiack, or Eight Sphere, in which the 12 Signs are placed according to their Natural Order: and that I may the better explain the Figure, I have placed the Planets b••th Heliocentrical, and Geocentrical to the Meridian of the 11th Day of December, 1684. Whereof the former is noted with a pr••c••t Line, being directed from the Sun; but the latter (which is the true Place from the Earth) with a Black Line; both of them passing through the Body of the Planet, to the Zodiack, a••d the Angle made at the Planet, by the In••ersection of the said Lines, is called the Parallax of the ••nnual Orb: which Angle, as it increaseth or decreaseth, in respect of the mutual Position of the Planet, and the Earth, their separation one from another, or applying one to the o∣ther, is the sole reason, that the Planets are b••th Direct, Re∣trograde, and Stationary; sometimes near the Earth, and sometimes far distant, as here in this Figure. The true place of old Saturn from the Sun represented by the prickt Line ♄ A, falls in 12 deg 30 min. ♍; but his true pl••ce in the Zodiack, as we b••hold it at the Earth is ••7 deg. 8 min. of the same Sign, as it is shewed by the Line Earth ♄ b; so that the Angle Earth ♄ ☉ (is equal to the Angle A ♄ b) and is 4 deg.

38 min. which is the Parallax of the Earths Orb; and makes the Planet appear farther in the Zodiack, at the Earth, than at the Sun; and that you may know whether Saturn be Direct or Retrograde, we see it plainly by Inspection with our Eyes; for the Earth moving switter towards z, than Saturn doth towards n, it follows, that he is now Stationary to Retrogradation, and his Place w••ll appear more backward in the Zodiack, till the Earth cometh to z, which will be the Third of May: on which day, ••aturn becomes Direct, after some few days being Stationary, as you may perceive by the Scheme.

In ••upiter's Orb you may observe, that his true Place from the Sun are is 12 deg. 10 min. of ♎: but his true P••ace from the Earth at D, is 19 deg 50 min, of the same Sign, whereby the Angle c ♃ D, which is equal to the Angle Earth ♃ ☉ is 7 deg. 40 min. And because the Earth moves sw••tter towards ••, than Jupiter doth towardt ♉, the Line drawn through the Body of Jupiter, will make him appear every Day further and further in the Zodiack, ••ntil such time as ••h•• Earth comes to o: at which time he will seem Station••ry for two or three days: and then will be apparently Retrograde, until such time as the Earth comes to 〈◊〉〈◊〉; as you may see by observing their Motions upon the Figure. Also, if you look upon Mars, you shall find his Place from the Sun to be 6 deg. 35 min. of ♎: but if you take his Place from the Ea••th, it will be 24 deg. 11 min of the same Sign; and you may see also by the Figure, it is not long since he was with the Body of Jupiter, and in Sextile of Mercury. He hath been Direct a long time, and will continue till the Earth comes to a: then he comes Retrograde, and will appear of a greater Magnatude than ordinary, because he will be nearer the Earth. Let any Man observe the Time, and he shall find it most containly true: If Mars be above the Earth, as I am sure he will, the Time is April the 15th. 1685. In a word, Venus and Mercury are also both Direct: Mercury is near the Body of the Sun, Venus is in the Sextile to Saturn, and the Moon goes to an Opposition of Mercury, and an Oppo∣sition of the Sun. She will be in Opposition of the Sun, December the 11th. about eleven at Hight: at which time

she will be almost totally Eclipsed, and that by the Inter∣position of the gross Body of the Earth between the Bo∣dies of the Sun and Moon, as may be seen by the Figure at large, &c.

Kind Readers, tell me where I have erred in This, And I••lle correct and mend what••s done amiss.

Let's pray for our Dread Soveraign's Life each Day and Hour, That He May still with us remain, and Rule in Power: Ʋntil which Time the King of Kings H••m shall remove From this Lower Orb, into his Throne obove.