BRIEF [REFLECTIONS On the : GREAT ECLIPSE | OF pe Which will Happen upon| WEDNESDAY the rath of this Inftanc SEPTEMBER, ie | By 5 ek WHALLEY Prattitioner in PHYSICK and ASTROLOGY. | DUBLIN: Pristed and Sold at the AUTHOR’s | Printiog-Houfe, next Door to the }. FLEECE io St. NICO | te a ate ae Brief REFLE ICTIONS, be wicska (O prevent thy wondering at a Subject oF this 3 Kind, in this unufual Drefs, perhaps it may not — he ami{s here to acquaint you, by way of Intro- — duction, that there are three things which Det a cipally moved me to it, — EP . FIRST, To let the World know, That ‘the Her egt) | formerly promiled (and yet intend) for the Prefs concert ng this unufual Eclipfe, had been long fince Printed, on) __ that as it contained fome things, which I tuppofe may induc fome People to give it Entertainment among Things o greater Value; fo I was willing i it fhonld, (as 1 new refolve | it fhall) be as Curious in its Printing, as ] was in its Wri- * ting ; and by reafon of fome Impediments in my Printing- Houfe, could not till now give it fiich defigned Perfeétions : — ‘But thofe Obftruétions being now: removed, | hope to have | it Publifhed in NOVEMBER or DEC EMBER next at the | fartheft, fo that the World may be Supplied with it before 7 the Effects take place. =i SECONDLY, Becaufe there hath not been the like Eclipfe vifible in our Hemifphere fince that of the 29th of MARCH, 1652, commonly remembered by the Name of BLACK- _ MONDAY, to prevent the Confternation I find People al- — Peg conceive of its being attended with a Dreadful Dark 2 nefs 2 | THIRDLY, Top fevent, as much as may be, the farther ie fpreading of a falfe Rumour at the W riting of this hot about. City of DUBLIN , concerning Strange and Terrible faid to be Preditted ade me, ae this unm fial ' And in order to the Two laft, give me leave, Reader, to. | open your Eyes a little, and to tell you, that tho’ nothing in . the order of Natural Beings, is more certain, and Determni- J | natedly Limited and Bounded, than the Motions of theSUN, ~ 4 | MOON, and STARS: yet fuch is the Depravity Implanted : in Humane, Judgment, (through the Frailty_of our firft Pa- : __ rents) that the moft Striét and Curious Obfervations poflible « } to come within the Compafs of the Krowledge of the moft : _ Sharp-fighted Animal,falls far fhort of Hypothefis’sand Rules” | needful for the finding out, and exaétly Determining fuch @ | their Abfolute and Real Motions. But to bring it asnear | the White as poflible, the Pains hath not been imall which : | {ome of the moft Ingenious Wits of the World have taken, 7 | to Form. Tables for Calculating and Determining {uch their ! | Real and True Motions, and-every one pretends hisown = |» Tighteft ; and yet when all that isdone, no two io agrea- { _ ble but to differ much in one Point or other, | And in Cafes of Eclipfes in particular, the moft Applatided Tables Extant are liable to Sufpition; and yet there 1s no o- | thet way but by them for difcovering before-hand when : an Fclipfe will happen : and notwithftanding their Known | Fallibility: yet fo Curious do fome Calculators pretend */ | to be, in Finding out, and Foretelling the Beginning, _ Middle, End, and Duration. of Eclipfes, and the Digits or Parts Eclipfed, as to give them even to Minutes and Seconds ; when as it is no lefs than Common for the beft Tables from whence they Calculate, to differ in the Places of fome of the Planets, evento Degrees; and inthe Cafe of Ecliples, tome- times to Hours, Half Hours, and Quarters. ‘To Inftance in this very Eclipfe ; As to the Day, there is never any Diffe- “rence, except when it happens fo, that it cannot be well ‘known whether itbe At, Before, or After Noon (for Aftro- -romers Limit their Diurnal Calculations to the Noon-Tide of every Lay). but in the Hour, or rather Minute, the Diffe- _-refice is frequently confiderable. | ge EEE As to the Vay of this Eclipfe, itis no farther offthan WEDNESDAY the 13th of this Inftant SEPTEMBER, 1699, in the Forenoon; but as to the Hour and Minutes, they are as Various as the Authors from whence they a : ae. A FIRST. By thofe ‘call’d the BRITTISH - Table: 5-4 clipfe begins at- DUBLIN, 44 Minutes after Seven in the 4 Morning, and ends 14 Minutes after Ten; andthe Duration } _ © eonfequently from thence is two Hours and a Half, and the . Digits Eclipled 10. 54... a a SECONDLY, by the BONONIAN Tables, it ocak q : Minutes after Eight, and ends 27 Minutes after. Ten ; be = _the Duration, or time of Continuance, iS 2 Hours, and. 22 | Minutes. - : - THIRDLY, By ARGOL, it begins 26 Minutes after Eight, and ends 18 Minutes after Ten; and from Beginning toEnd continues but 1 Hour, and 58 Minutes ; and. the Digits E- clipted are but 9. 58. 4 FOURTHLY, By the Calculation in the Almanack of my 4 SHEEPS-FACE Antagonitt, ANDREW CUMPSTY, for =| this Year, it begins 7 Minutes and 28 Seconds after. Eight, “_ the Middle 54 Minutes after 9, and the End 22 Minutes, 32 4 Seconds after Eleven ; The Duration 3 Hours, and.15.Mi- 1 nutes ; and the Digits Eclipfed 10, 00. 8. 7 FIETHLY, By others of our ENGLISH Tables the Des : ginning is at 48 Minutes after 8, the Middle 58 Minutes af-. -* ter Nine, the End ro Minutes after Eleven, the Duration 2 ___Hours 22 Minutes; and the Digits Eclipfed TO. O0rGe! a4 ~ Which of ‘thefé, or other ‘Tables, or Calculations, are = moft exa¢t, I will not-here controvert ; and the rather, be- |* caufe the time it felf being fo near at hand, will prove.a F more undeniable Informer, and give room for fomething to ! that purpofe, to be more materially treated of in the Trea-_ tife which I defigtf (as aforefaid) to Publifh of this Eclipfe. But the greateft Difference among all the before-named, is in the Calculation of the Worthy, Wéfe, and Couragiot Mr. CUMPSTY ; but how truly, perhaps I may at a “mor convenient time ‘more ftridtly examine : In the mean time L fufpect his Doublet in this Calculation a little threwdly ; and. fince he pretends to give fudgment Aftrological on the Af — fairs of the Years of the World, and on the Eclipfes. of — . and even this very Eclipfe in particular; and in dgment on the fecond Ecliple of this Year, fh ppofeth : /e no sable Effects, becaule not -vinble- to th . ~ bare Eye + Idefire his Wifdom to Inform the World, how _ © the difference of its Vifibility to either the Bare or Defended Eye doth beget a Difference in the Effects; or whether an Eclipfe Invifible doth Effect or Not; and if it doth ; how, and where? And if not, Why, as well as fuch as are Vifi- ble > This is what relates to Aftrology, and in particular, that Branch of it which he moft pretends to; and if he doth not anfwer thefe eafie Queftions, I fuppofe it may pafs for granted he knows nothing of the matter, and that confe- | quently whatever he pretends to as to Obfervations, muft | +» be either done Hab Nab, by chance, as the Blind Man caught the Hare; or ftole from others, as all thofe in his Almanack for this Year in particular were from my Almanack for the | fame Year, and the Year before : for in truth notwithitanding his feveral Years Boafting and Scribling to Impofe upon the | Ignorant, I am ready (if he dares come tothe Teft) to main- | tain to his Face, that he knows no more of the Truth of — - Aftrology than one of his Brethren which are ufually plac’d in the Perriwig-makers Windows; and yet he wants not Confidence to pretend to write Almanacks,when as in reality he cannot write five Lines together either of true Sence or true ENGLISH ; and therefore Jet the World Judge if he is not like to make 4 fine Aftrologer and Maker of Almanacks, when indeed all that he, and fuch other Spurious Pretenders | doth, can amount to, is only to bring the Art they pretend to be Matters of, into contempt among the more Ingenious © and Senfible Part of Mankind. sy. “ But to return,and be fomething more certain ; as I faid be- fore, the time of this great Eclipfe will be upon WEDNES... DAY the 13th of this Inftant SEPTEMBER, 1699, between the Hours of Seven in the Morning and Noon; but more nicely, I judge it will begin about 2 Quarter of an Hour at ter Eight, and ends'about Half (or Three Quarters of) an Hourafter Ten; and its whole Duration from Beginning to _ End, continues about two Hours and a Quarter, or two __ Hours and an Half, arid confequently that the greatelt Dark- a -_mefs will be about or near upon an Hour anda Quarter.after Eo : _ X Fn ¥ eens =) *: SSS ae Sally oh oa = 2 pce ot eet Asto its MAGNITUDE, tho’ it will not be Totally Dark, yet whether the Day. be Fair or Foul, Clear or Cloudy, the Darknefs will be both Vifible and Remarkable; butnot fuch as that of the Night to,force us to go to Breakfaft by Candle-- light,unlefs in very dark Rooms and Cellars; or force People to ufe Lanthorns and Candles to walk the Streets with; nor yet fo Dark as that call’d BLACK-MONDAY ; for of 12 Digits that wanted but 26 Minutes (and that is lefs than the . 24th part of 12 Digits) of being Total: but in this it will want Very near two Parts in 12 of being Total. That is, Suppofe the Body of the SUN like a Board, Flat and Round, - ftanding upon one Edge, and juft 12 Inches Diameter ; and~ thofe 12 Inches meafured upon a Line drawn Perpendicular, — or Down-right, crofs the Centre or very: Middle, from the Uppér Side to the Lower: and another round Board laid — upon that, fo as to cover the uppermoft ro Inches of the for- mer Board, and there will remain 2 Inches of the lower part - of the firft Board uncovered ; and juit fo it will be in this: Cafe,’ the upper ro Digits or Parts, of the SLIN’s Body, or fome {mall matter more, will be obfcured by the Interpofition of. the Body of the MOON ; and the remaining Parts being near‘ 2 0f 12, will Gf it happens to be Clear) appear exactly thap’d like that of the MOON at her firft Appearance next after her Change. fee. AAs to its EFFECTS, the Renowned PTOLOMY, Prince of Aftrologers, fays, If an Eclipfe-happens in an Equino¢tial Sign (as this does) the Effects will be Famous, and happens among fuch as we call Gown-Men, and thofe too that Pro« fels Holineis, and to Things Sacred. . = And becaufe I profefs my felf one of PTOLOMY’s Difci-. ples, give me leave by way of Comment upon his Saying, — ere to tell you, That this Eclipfe doth happen not only im an Equinoétial Sign, but in the very beginning of One too, and that therefore its Effects will be the much more abun- dantly Remarkable and Famous; and Eminently concern not | only Gown-Men, and Pretenders to Piety in particular, but | alfo even the Fundamentals of the Laws, Cuftoms, and-Con. — | dhtutions of Nations, Families, Cities, and Countries. And | 48 the greateft Obfcuration happens in the Principal Angle of Heavey, Frects will concern Mén of Middle Age, . = Heaven, {0 its | of States, Nations, and Kingdoms; but whether: to Good ~ » or-Ill, Better or Worfe, When, Where, to whom in Par= .. ticolar, and in what Degree and Manner, for particular Rea- . ‘fons (which I think not convenient at prefent here to Offer) | Ireferve tobe more Amply treated of in my before-men- | tioned Treatife, which I intend to Publith concerning this Eclipfe in particular ; and wherein I fhall (God permitting) offer fomething in Reference to Eclipfes. in General, to. _ which I believe fome of our greateft late Pretenders to this _ Art, and’everi all the very beft of the Publick Profeffors in _ IRELAND at leaft are Strangers ; and but for the Rafcalli- ties of Sir SHEEPS-FACE, had before now been Publifhed * and fich as have Dominion, Power, and Rule inthe Affairs "JOHN WHALLEY. From my Study at the PRINTING- HOUSE) next Door to:the FLEECE inSt. NICHOLAS-STREET, DUB_. |. .2EN; SEPTEMBER ir, 1699, |’