inferted on the Outfide of the Optic Axes; because an Object may be fo placed, that all the Rays, which come from one Point, may fall upon the Outfide of both Eyes: Whereas, by their prefent Mechanism, that Point of an Object, which is loft to One Eye, is vifible to the other. [WHAT then can the Atheistical and Chance-Reafoners reply to this?]

From the above Principles, it is evident, we may stand at such a Distance from two Objects plac'd near each other, as to fee both with the left Eye fout, looking ftedfaftly at the left Hand Object only; and advancing forward loofe Sight of the right Hand Object, ftill looking at that on the left Hand; and advancing ftill farther recover the Sight of the right Hand Object, walking directly betwixt both, as described in the Paradox; which anfwers it.

II. PARADOX, anfwered by Philofophicus.

A Ball fhot upwards fo as to fall directly into the Cannon's Mouth, cannot ascend or defcend in a right Line; because of the Earth's progreffive and rotary Motion, the former about 56,000 Miles per Hour, (fee Lady's Diary 1749, p. 30, and 31.) or 15 Miles per Second. Whence, if a Ball fhot a Mile high, or 5280 Feet, defcend to the Canon in 18 Sec., it paffes over about 274 Miles of the Earth's (elliptical) Orbit, (defcribed by the Earth's Centre), in the Time of its Paffage from and to the Canon on the Surface; defcribing a Cycloydal Arch by the Earth's progreffive and rotary Motion; while the Ball itfelf defcribes a Parabola.

OBSERVATIONS on the CALENDAR, with Regard to FASTS and FESTIVALS, and Religious Duties to be observed.

Fafts and Feftivals interfering with each other, the leffer Festivals, as well as Fafts, ought to give Way to the greater. For which Reafon a Weekly Faft fhould fo far give Way to an Annual Festival, as not to be obferved with the Strictness it otherwife would be; but yet not intirely to be neglected, except on Chrifimas-Day, (if it thould fo fail) about which the Church of England gives particular Orders, not to ob ferve any Faft at all. For farther Satisfaction herein, fee Durandus, a Book, (by a Popish Author) from whence moft Writers on these Matters draw their Directions, in particular Cafes: Alfo fee Bishop Barrow's Rationale, by a Proteftant Author, for a farther Account.

As one Part of our Chriftian Duty on Faft Days is to reflect on our Faults, and confefs and implore Pardon for them of the Divine Being, with which our Devotion is alfo required to begin in Festivals, therein the Duty of a Weekly Faft will not be inconfiftent with the Celebration of an annual Festival: Our Church having left us at Liberty on thofe Days how to behave with Regard to Both; who can't be fuppofed to thwart the End of her Feftivals; tho' fhe may moderate that Joy of Feftivity, which fhould otherwife more attend the Commemoration of the Chriftian Bleffings we ought to be thankful to God for derived from those Heroes who have glorioufly fought under CHRIST'S Banner, and fuffered for our Happiness; leaving us behind them Examples of Virtue, Perfeverance in the true Faith, and other religious Duties to GOD and Man.

The

The most Ancient and Primitive Chriftians always fafted on Wednefdays and Fridays 'till Three o'Clock in the Afternoon, calling these Days Stationary, which they so closely observed, according to Tertullian and other early Writers.

If a Festival happened on either of thofe Days, (it being their Cuftom to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharift on every Festival, and to receive it Fafting) the Celebration of it could not interfere, or be inconfiftent with their Manner of observing their weekly-Fasts abovementioned.

If a Moveable and Fixt Festival happen on the fame Day, our Church fometimes gives particular Directions, for obferving them. For the proper Collect, Epifle and Gospel appointed for a Festival takes Place of that which being under the Sunday Collect, would otherwife ferve for the whole Week. In the Rubricks for the 29th of May, there are particular Directions in Cafe it falls on a Moveable Feaft. On the Day of King GEORGE's (our prefent Majesty's) Inauguration, the Service then appointed is to take Place of St. Barnabas, to whom our Bishops have not allow'd a Collect.

The Church has not required, that any of the Vigik, or Eves of Saints Days, between Lady-Day and Midfummer, are to be kept as Fafts; becaufe they may happen between Eafter and Whitfuntide, all which Time the ancient Church, as well as ours, accounted it Festivity or Rejoicing.

The Rules and Obfervations here relating to Fafts and Festivals to be obferved in our Religious Duty, are now by fome accounted infignificant Trifles, and by others downright Superftition, and the Remains of what Dean Swift ftiles (in his Tale of a Tub) Points and Lace of PETER'S Coat, which ought to be torn off. JACK and MARTIN are reprefented by fome as a Couple of ragged Fellows but should not be coupled, becaufe Honeft Martin retamed fo much of the Fashion as was neceffary to preferve Decency, whilst Jack Stript not only the Trimmings off Peter's Coat, but fo rent the Body of the Garment in fashioning out his own, as to become himfelf a mere Heathen Philofopher. He has too many Imitators, who are not content to tear the original Garment, and even to lop off from its Body the neceffary Limbs, but fupply their Place with fuch Patches of Mothcaten and Thread-bare Stuff of their own, as must expose the Fashion to reproach, and one Day prove its Destruction by intirely abolishing

it.

་་

While the Colours and Trimmings of Peter's Coat remain'd for Curs to fnarl, and Turkey-Cocks to gobble at! It must be owned fewer Points had better fufficed, but the Lace and Trimmings being quite torn off, the Remainder of the whole Body became a ridiculous Spectacle! Nakedness was now called the State of Innocence and Purity; and nothing would please but the naked Truth. Religion must be felt! And Enthufiafm foon enlighten'd and delighted the inward Man! But to change the Allegory, the MAIM'D BODY becoming unarmed and unguarded, the Wolves and Vultures found an easy Way to its Vitals! Which being corrupted and a Receptacle for Vermin; it is to be feared they will at length quite cat out the Substance.

What is here advanced is not with Design to countenance Superftition on the one Hand, or Fanaticism on the other; neither to go back to ancient Heathenifm, or to follow the oblique Road of modern Deism,

or

or Infidelity; but to press directly forward in the ftrait Road of our Duty, fet before us by CHRIST and his Apostles, whereof fufficient Example and Testimony are left for our Inftruction in the Sacred Scriptures: And are alfo contained in the Doctrines of the Reform'd Church of England, by Law established; over which his present most GRACIOUS MAJESTY on the Throne prefides as GUARDIAN.

Of the JEWISH YEAR; Beginning of the JEWISH DAY, and the Motive of the LEGISLATURE for fixing the Vernal Equinox on the 21st of March, inflead of the 20th as it now happens.

THE Jerus, whofe Year confifted of lunar Months, begun their Month at the Moon's first Appearance, and when it should appear, if not clouded, (and not at the Moon's true Change) of which Proclamation was made in all public Places, 'till their Nation had lost its Authority; when they had Recourfe to Cycles, for determining the Day of apparent Change, and the 14th Day after, which they counted the Day of the Full Moon; tho' it really happened the 15th Day from the true Change. And hence the 15th Day of the Moon came to be called the 14th, which was the apparent and real Day of Full Moon; tho' fome are apt to think it really happens the 14th after the true Change.

The Jews always begin their Day at Sun-fetting about three Fourths of a Day before our Aftronomical Day begins. The Arabians, Athenians, and, in general, all thofe Eastern Nations, who regulated their Months and Years by the Courfe of the Moon followed their Example. And this Cuftom (of beginning the Day) prevailed among the Ancient Gauls and Germans, and ftill continues in Bobemia and Poland, where the Clock ftrikes twenty-four at Sun-fet, and the New Day begins. Regard being had to this Custom feems to be the Reason why the Church of England now orders the Collect for any Festival to be read in the Evening preceding that Feftival. And the Celebration of our Eafter depending on the Time of the Jewish Paffover, and that on the Vernal Equinox, if Regard is not had to the Commencement of the Jewish Day, we shall sometimes fall into the Miftake the Nicene Council were folicitous to avoid, by keeping our Pafchal Feast Day of Chrift's Refurrection, at the fame Time with the Jewish Passover.

Our prefent political Day begins at Midnight, yet fome compute the wernal Equinox from the afronomical Day, beginning 12 Hours later, neither of which Commencements are fo much to be regarded in this Affair, as the Commencement of the Jewish Day at Sun-fet, preceding both thofe Times, for avoiding our keeping Eafter with their Pallover: For if the vernal Equinox falls on the 20th of March (reckoning the beginning from Midnight) some Time after Sun-set of that Day, and the full Moon falls later on the fame Day, after Sun-fet, but before Midnight, which may happen to be on a Saturday, then EASTER, (according to the Rule for obferving it, (being on the Sunday after the full Moon which bappens next after the vernal Equinox) fhould be kept the next Day, being Sunday, or the Day after the Jewish Sabbath, ending at Sun-fet, But the Jews then begin the 14th Day of their ecclefiaftical Month

Nifan, on the 21ft of their March, or 20th of ours at Sun-fet, who on that 21ft Day following are by the Law of Mofes to celebrate their Paffover; and therefore our Eafter being made to fall with our 21ft of March, that Coincidence with our Commemoration of Chrift's Refurrection, is avoided by a Moon.

It was ordained, at the Nicene Council, Anno 325, and fince by the British Parliament, that the vernal Equinox fhould be confidered as happening on the 21ft, (a Day forward of the true) instead of the 20th of March, (as it then really happened) for avoiding a Coincidence of Eafter with the Jewish Pallover, which yet is not prevented, if the Jewish Method of computing the Time of the vernal Equinox, and Full Moon next happening, is fallacious; whereby the Jews retarding a Day may yet coincide with us, as in the preceding Cafe, of the vernal Equinox happening on the 20th: This is a Nicety in Distinction cannot always be made with Certainty, (on Account of their carrying the vernal. Equinox before the End of our Day into the Beginning of their next) and therefore the vernal Equinox might as well have been fixed on the 20th of March, as it really happens. For, while we make the vernal Equinox on the 21st, and the Jewish, or true vernal Equinox to fall on the 20th of March, Eafter is poftpon'd a whole Moon, befides the Days to Sunday following; whereas it ought to have been kept the Sunday next after the Jewish Paffover, as it should be kept when the Full Moon of the Jerus happens the Day next after their vernal Equinox ; provided they keep their Paffover on that Day; which yet is beft determined by Aftronomical Tables of the Moon's mean Motion from the Sun. If the exact true Time of the Full Moon happening on, or next after, the vernal Equinox, of Few and Chriftian, were duly fix'd for determining Eafter, Difference will yet neceffarily arife from the Time of that true and the mean Full Moon, often happening on different Days in the fame Months of March or April. Or from either happening fo near the End of one Day and the Beginning of the next, that the true Day of happening may not be eafy to affign.

Yet, if the Legislature had ordained an Exception to the prefent Rule for finding Eafter, and made it poftpone a Week only, instead of a Moon and to Sunday, (from its Original Înstitution) in Cafes where the Jewish Paflover, and that Rule fhould happen to coincide, when the Full Moon falls on the 20th of March, (which is the true Time of the prefent vernal Equinox) tho' we had differed from the Church of Rome herein, it had certainly been for our Honour; the Coincidence Happening fo feldom, would have required little Trouble to correct; at the fame Time we had fhewn our friet Adherence to a Matter which the Papifts themselves acknowledge to be right.

The Form of the Jewish Year was Lunæ folar, or a Solar Year, compofed of 12 Lunar Months, befides the Intercolary, or embolimean Month, Veadar. The Lunar Months were called Pleni and Cavi, confifting of 30 and 29 Days by Turns. And this artificial lunar Month feems to be regarded in our old Calendar, making the Moon to have 30 Days when the Month has 31, and only 29 when it contains 30. The Golden Numbers pointing out the Ecclefiaftical Moon, (as 'tis called) are there fixed according to this Suppofition. The Embolimean, confifting of 30 Days, were added, when necessary, to keep the Lunar Year receding from the Equinoxes, that the Paflover might be kept at the Time appointed, making the Equinoctial Moon the first Month.

They

They used a Decennoval Cycle of the Years like our own, of which 12 were common, and 7 embolimean. In their civil Year they fometimes added, and fometimes omitted a Day, to make it correfpond with the Year Aftronomical; which, when common, contained 354 Days, 8 Hours and 793 Helakim, of 18 Minutes each; and the Embolimean 383 Days, 21 Hours, and 589 Helakim.

They ftrictly regarded their Tekupha, or Cardinal Points, correfponding to the Equinoxes and Solftices, as their Year by this Means was conftantly regulated, fo as never to require any fuch Reformation as the Julian Form, after a long Period. For such Corrections were continually made and required by the Conftitution and Form of their Year, as was every way adapted to their Fafts and Feftivals enjoined by the Law.

Bishop Beveridge diftinguishes their Civil Year into Deficient, Abundant, and Ordinary. In the firft, a Day (he fays) is taken from their Aftronomical Year whether common or embolimean; in the fecond, a Day is added; and in the third, the Aftronomical Computation is unalterably obferved. This Author alfo takes Notice, that they had likewife a Solar Year of the like Extent with the Julian. See Beveridge's Inftitutiones Chronologica.

In the Preface to Dean Prideaux's Connection there is another good Account of this Jewish Year.

The REASONS for the Commencement of the Date of the YEAR in January, and CORRECTION of the BRITISH CALENDAR.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Macclesfield, in an excellent Speech made to the House of Peers, on Monday the 18th Day of March, 1750, Julian Style, explained to their Lordships the Reasonablenefs of having eftablished in Great Britain, one uniform Method of reckoning or computing Time, and of fixing the Dates of all Matters which may be tranfacted by the Inhabitants of much the greatest Part of Europe. His Lordship then fhewed the Abfurdity of the legal Commencement of the Year in one Part of our Kingdom, differing by the Space of near three Months from the legal Commencement of the Year in another Part of the fame Kingdom, and alfo from the general ufage throughout the Whole. In Confequence of which, it was established by the Legislature, that the Date of the Year, throughout Great Britain, fhould commence the Year following from January 1752.

His Lordship then made appear the neceffary Correction our Calendar ftood in need of, with regard to the Civil Year, to make the Times of our fixed Festivals, and Dates of Transactions thereon depending, as alfo the Time of Eafter, and Moveable Feafts depending on Eafter, accord with the Practice of the greatest Part of Europe; for the right understanding and difpatch of Bufinefs, as well as the Benefit of Commerce in general. In Confequence of which, it was established by the Legiflature, 1751, that the Third of September 1752, according to the Julian Stile, fhall be reckon'd the 14th Day, New Stile, and fo on, (as obferved in our laft Palladium and Diary) and that Eafter-Limit fhall fall, and Eafter be determined as formerly, from the 11 Days fo added; whereby our Day of the Month, and Festivals, now correfpond in all thofe Countries who keep their Account according to Pope Gregory's Correc