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be tf8° 5P / 55 // i on the 21ft, 69 o' 10"} and on the 22d, tf8° 59 55". The greateft then was, 69° of 10" 5 from which the Height of the Equator 45 29' 50", being fubftrac"t.cd, left 23° 30' 2 o' ; for the greateft Declination.
It has been Matter of great Difpute among the late Aftronomers, whether the Obliquity of the Ecliptic be fix'd or moveable.
"Tis certain, the Observations of the antient Aftronomers reprefent it confiderably greater, than thofe of the Moderns : Whence 'Ptirhacfoius, Reinholdus, Regiomontaims, Coper- nicus, Rheticus, Ldngomontowus, *Tycho, Snell'ms, Lanf- hergitis, Sullialdus, and others, have concluded it variable. To determine the Point, the Obfervations of the Aftro- nomers of all Ages, have been collected together ; the chief of which are : That of Tytheas, in the Tear before Chrift 324, which makes it 23 52' 41": That of Era- tojihenes, in 230, 23° 5i / 20 // ; And that of J&pparcfaus, in the Year before Chrift 140, 23 51' 20": That of &tolomy, in the Year after Chrift 140, 23 51/ zo" : Of Albategnius in 880, 23 25': Regiomofttanus, in 146b, 23° 3c/: Waltherus, in 1476, 23° 30': Copernicus, in 1525, 23 28' 24": Rothmanmis and Syrgius, in 1570, 23 30' 20": lycho, in 1587, 23 30' 22; Kepler, in 1627, 23 30' 30" : Gajfendus, in i6"3<f, 23 31': Ric- ciokis, in 1641s, 23 3c/ 20"; Hevelms, 23 30' 20"; Mouton, 23 30': And 2)e la Hire, in 1702, 23 29'.
. Upon the whole, tho' the oldeft Obfervations make the Obliquity the greateft, yet it appears to be immutable : For it was by Miftake that Eratojlhenes concluded, from his Obfervations, the greateft Declination to be 23 51' 20 v : From me fame Obfervations he mould only have made it 23 31' 5" 5 as is fhewn by Ricciolus. And the like ovcr- iight has been found by Gajfendus and (Peirefcius in the Obfervations of 'Pythias 5 which Miftakes of Eratojlhenes and T'ythias were retain'd by Hipparchus and c Ptolo??iy : And gave Occasion to the foremention'd Authors to conclude that the Obliquity was continually decreafing.
Yet Monf. le Chevalier de Z-ouville, who has confider'd the Merits of the Caufe with infinite Attention, is of another Sentiment : The Rcfult of his Refearches, he gives us in the Memoirs of the Royal Academy, for the Year 17 17, viz. that the Obliquity of the Ecliptic diminifh.es at the Rate of a Minute in 100 Years. The Antients, we know, had no Regard to any Refractions in their Obfervations : And befides, made the Sun's Horizontal Parallax 3' 5 whereas the modern Aftronomers fcarce make it 10". Thefc two Inaccuracies have a very ill Effect on their Obfervations 5 which M. de J.ouville is obliged to free them of, e're he can build on them.
According to an antient Tradition of the Egyptians, mention'd by Herodotus, the Ecliptic had antientiy been perpendicular to the Equator -. This Notion they were led into, by observing, for a long Series of Years, that the Obliquity was continually diminishing 5 or which amounts to the fame, that the Ecliptic was continually approaching to the Equator. For hence they took Occafion to fufpecr. that thofe two Circles, in the Beginning, had been as far off each other as poftible. 2)iod. Siculus relates, that the Chaldeans reckon'd 40 3 coo Years from their firft: Obfervations to the Time of Alexander's entring 'Babylon. This enormous Account, may have fome Foundation, fup- pofing the Chaldeans to have built on the Diminution of the Obliquity of the Ecliptic of a Minute in 100 Years. M. de Louville, taking the Obliquity fuch as it muft have been at the Time of Alexander's Entrance into Ba- bylon, and going back to the Time when the Ecliptic, at that Rate, muft have been perpendicular to the Equator, actually finds 402942 Egyptian, or Chaldean Years, which is only 58 Years ihort of the former Epocha. In the ge- neral, there is no Way of accounting for the fabulous An- tiquity of the Egyptians, Chaldeans^ &c. fo probable, as by long Periods ot very flow Cceleftial Motions, whereof they had obferved a little Part, and thence calculated the Beginning of the Period 5 making the World and their own Nation to commence together. If M. de Zouvilles Syftem be true, in 140000 Years more, the Ecliptic and Equator muft coincide and mix in one.
The Ecliptic is divided into twelve Parts, called Signs. See Sign.
Ecliptic, in Geography, &c. is a great Circle of the Globe, cutting the Equator under an Angle of 23 2.9'. See Globe.
The 'Terrejlrial Ecliptic, therefore, is in the Plane of the C&leftial Ecliptic > Like which it has its Equ'moffial and Solstitial Points, and is bounded by Tropicks. See Eqjjator, Solstitial, Eqjjinoctial, Tropic, Ltc.
ECLOGUE, in Poetry, a Kind of paftoral Compofition, wherein Shepherds are introduced converfing together. See Pastoral.
The Eclogue is properly an Image of the Paftoral Life : Hor do we fee what Fineffe it was that determined
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Samazarms to put Fifliermen in lieu of Shepherds, who had been Time out ot Mind in Poffeffion of the Eclogue
The Beauty of the Eclogue, Monf. Fontenelle obferves, is not attach d to Rural Things, but rather to what is calm and eafy in the Country Life. Shepherds being agreeable Perfonages, the Poets abufe them ; and provided they do but talk a little about Reeds, and Herbage, they conclude on Courie 'tis an Eclogue.
There are Eclogues in Theocritus of a lofty Character ; and Virgil has fome in the fublime Style. The Eclogue, therefore, occafionally raifes its Voice. Yet M. Fontenelle efteems it a Fault in fome modern Poets, to have put Matters of high Concern in their Eclogues j and to have made their Shepherds fing the Praifes of Kings and Heroes. Rsnfard, in particular, has made himfelr ridiculous, by making the Eloge of Sudeus and Vatable in his firft Eclogue, by the Shepherd Margot. Such Folks fliould have been above the Knowledge of fimple Margot.
The Sentiments, whereof Eclogues confift, the fame Au- thor obferves, fliould be finer and more delicate than thofe of real Shepherds : Only, their Form fliould be as fimple, and Country-like as can be. But this Simplicity excludes none but glaring and exceffive Ornaments.
Since the Eftablifliment of the Academy, or Aflembly of Arcadians at Rome, about the Tear i«jo ; the Taft for Eclogues has been greatly improved among the Italians. Thofe Gentlemen, who are the Flower of the Wits of Italy, take the Name of the Shepherds of Arcadia ; and will not allow their Aflembly to be treated as an Academy. They have each of them a poetical Name, which is al- ways that of fome Shepherd ; and apply themfelves par- ticularly to Eclogues, as Pieces mod proper to their Pro- feflion.
The learned Sig. Crefcentini, one of the Founders of the Aflembly, who had long been Cuflos, i. e. the President thereof, and bore the Name of Alfhefibteo Cario, has wrote the Laws and Eflablifliment of the Society, with the Names of all who had been admitted thereof, at the End of his Book, entitled, la, Bellezza de la Voigar Toefie.
The Word Eclogue, is form'd from the Greek siuon*?, Choice. According to the Etymology of the Word, there- fore, Eclogue fliould be no more than a choice Piece ; but Cuftom has determined it to a farther Signification, viz. a little, elegant Compofition in a fimple, natural Style and Manner.
Idyll and Eclogue, in their primary Intention, are the fame Thing : Thus, the Idylls, hHhhta. of Theocritus, are Pieces wrote perfect ly in the fame Vein with the Eclogtff of Virgil.
But Cuflom has made a Difference between them, and affected the Name Eclogue, to Pieces wherein Shepherds are introduced fpeaking ; Idyll, to thofe wrote like the Eclogue, in a fimple, natural Style, but without any Shep- herds in them. See Idyll.
Some imagine the Name Eclogue, to have been origi- nally attributed to fuch Poems, as were wrote in Imita- tion of others ; fuch as the Eclogues of Virgil, which are only Imitations of Theocritus.
Others are of Opinion, the Word was firft form'd from a'ij itjis, Goat, and Ao^V, Difiourfe, q. d. a Converfation or tDifcourfe of Goats, or Goat-herds. But Fa. Ruaus, in his Comments on Virgil, thinks, they would then have made it 'Aiyitoya., Mgology, rather than Eclogue ; or, at leaft, the Word would have been wrote in Greek by at, and in Latin by <e, not e.
Harthius advances another Opinion, viz. that the Name Eclogue, was given to all Poetical Compofitions that were of a moderate Length, tho' too fliort to give them the Name of Hooks ; and hence it is, that Statins, in the Epiftle at the Head of the Hid Book of his Syivte, and in the Preface to his fourth Book, calls his Poems Eclogues ; tho' he had not call'd them fo in the Title.
Au[onius, in the Preface to his Cupid crucified, calls alfo his Idylls, Eclogues. Add, that Crucius, in his Com- ment on Horace, declares to have feen very antient Ma- nufcripts, wherein the Satyrs of the Poet are called Eclogues 3 in which he is feconded by our learned Country- man Mr. Baxter.
Eclogue, is alfo applied to other Compofitions befide thofe of Poetry.
Thus, we fometimes read of the Eclogues of Diodorus, of Tolybius, of Ctefius, Theofbrafius, Strabo, &c. In which Senfe it only fignifies Extra/S, or ColleSion; whence the Name.
ECLOGARIUS, Eclogary, a learned Man, who has
made Abundance of Extracts from Authors. Jupis
Liffius, the Jefuite Tetav'ms, Vofftus, Seidell, and Grotius,
muft have been great Eclogaries.
Gg* ECPHRAC-
