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Image 014, folio 5b; A prognostication; astronomical and mathematical material

A prognostication.
eclipticall cause: but by supernaturall, or miracle. For it was at the full moone,
scriptures witnes: which inforced Dyonisius Areopagita* at the time of his
passion, to speake thus: Eyther ye God of nature suffereth, or els the frame of the
worlde is dissolved.
Many things by the Eclipses are gathered, as Longitudes of countries, the
Quantity of the Sunne, contayninge the bignes of the Earth 162 times: the
compasse of the Earth 21600 miles: whose thicknes, according to Archimedes
rule is 6872 miles, and eighte elevenths of a mile.
The quantity of the moone is the 43 part of the earthe.
The sunne contayneth the globe of the moone 7000 times.
Saturnus comprehendeth the bignes of the earth 91 times.
Jupiter 95 times. Mars, once, and ten sixteenthes. Venus the 37 part. Mercu=
rius, one, 32000 parte of the earthe.
Note here, that Alfraganus* affirmeth the least fixed starre perfectly seene,
as bigge as the whole earthe.
The distaunce or miles that the moone is from the
Earth, and every planet from other.
As some have published, it is from the earth to the moone, 15750 miles.
From the moone to Mercurie, is 12812. miles.
From Mercury to Venus, as many miles.
From Venus to the Sunne, is 23437 miles and a halfe.
From the Sunne to Mars, is 15725 miles.
From Mars to Jupiter, is 78721 miles.
From Jupiter to Saturne, as manye miles.
From Saturne to the Firmamente, 120485. miles.
The whole summe from the earth to the firmamente, is 358463 miles & a halfe.
The naturall causes of many Sunnes or moones.
These came to passe, when a thicker cloude is gathered toward the side of the
sunne or moone, in which the broken beames of the sunne doe leake ye fashion
and very forme of that sunne. Thus as followeth, sayth Plinius* in his
second booke of the historye of nature, and 31 chapter. No moe sunnes are per=
ceived in our time then three: and they are never seene, ayther above or be=
neath the sunne, but on the sides: never in the nighte, but onelye at ye sunne
riseinge, or goeinge downe.
A way to get the Golden number*, or
prime without a table.
Adde unto the yeare of our Lorde, one, then divide that summe by nineteen,
the remayne is the prime, or golden number.
The Epact* is

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Transcribed by LF and JW