Astronomical Dialogues.
45
Far on the Right and Left the Extreams of Heaven,
To Frosts and Snows, and bitter Blasts are given;
Betwixt the midst and these the Gods assign'd
Two Habitable seats for human Kind;
And cross their Limits cut a sloping Way,
Which the twelve Signs in beauteous Order sway:
And as five Zones the Ætherial Regions bind,
Five correspondent are to Earth assign'd;
The Sun with Rays directly darting down,
Fires all beneath and frys the middle Zone:
The two beneath the distant Poles, complain
Of endless Winters and perpetual Rain:
Betwixt the Extreams two happier Climates hold,
The Temper that partakes of Hot and Cold.
To Frosts and Snows, and bitter Blasts are given;
Betwixt the midst and these the Gods assign'd
Two Habitable seats for human Kind;
And cross their Limits cut a sloping Way,
Which the twelve Signs in beauteous Order sway:
And as five Zones the Ætherial Regions bind,
Five correspondent are to Earth assign'd;
The Sun with Rays directly darting down,
Fires all beneath and frys the middle Zone:
The two beneath the distant Poles, complain
Of endless Winters and perpetual Rain:
Betwixt the Extreams two happier Climates hold,
The Temper that partakes of Hot and Cold.
Well, said she, these Verses have a little recovered my Spirits, as well as refreshed my Memory, and will, I find, fix in the latter, the obliging Pains you have taken to instruct me: But pardon me, Good Sir, if I stop you a Minute: Mr. Dryden here mentions the Word ClimatesClimates; Pray what are they?
Madam, said I, you will find a deal of useless Stuff in some Introductions to Geography, &c. about these Parallels.Climates; but all that is necessary to know of them, is, that the Ancients supposing two Circles to be so drawn parallel to the Equator, on the Terrestrial Globe, or at that Distanceone
