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n the Planets are as their Powers at equal diftances from and by Radii drawn to theSun, defcribe Areas proportional

•heir Centres: And, laflly, fince the Weights of equal to the Times; that the Orbits, or Trajeaories, are very

a nd homogeneous Bodies towards homogeneous Spheres, nearly Parabolas; that their Bodies are folid/compait

are, at the Surfaces of the Spheres, as the Diameters of iSc. like thofe of the Planets, and muft therefore acquire'

thol'e Spheres; and, confequently, the Denlities of hete- an immenfe heat in their Perihelia; that their Tails are

rogeneous Bodies are as the Weights at the Diameters of Exhalations arifing from them, and encompafflng them

theSpheres. SeeDENsiTY, like Atmofpheres. See Comet.

„yj- The common Centre of Gravity of the Sun, and The Objeaions rais'd againft this Phihfiphy, are chiefly

all the Planets, is at reft : And the Sun, tho always in Mo- again!! the Principle Gravity; which fome condemn as an

^yer never recedes far. from the common Center occult Quality, and others as a miraculous, and prater-natural

of all the Planets.

Caufe; neither of which have

longer any room in

lor, the Matter in the Sun being to that in Jupiter as found Philofophy. Others, again, fet it afide, as deftroy-

10;; to 1; and Jupiter's diftance from the Sun to the Semi- ing the Notion of Vortices; and others, as fuppofing a Va-

diameter of the Sun in a Ratio fomewhat bigger; the com- cuum. But thefe are all abundantly obviated under the

mon Center of Gravity of Jufiter and the Sun, will be a Articles Gravity, Attraction, Vortex, Vacuum

Point a little without the Sun's Surface. And by the fame Quality, ££c.

means the common Centte of Saturn and the Sun will be a NEXUS of Matter, fee Cohesion.

Point a little within the Sun's Surface : And the common NICHE, in Architecture, a Cavity, or Sinking, in the

Centte of the Earth, and all the Planets will be fcarce Thicknefs of a Wall; to place a Figure, orStatue'in. See

one Diameter of the Sun diftant from the Centre thereof. Statue.

But ihe Centre is always at reft : Therefore, tho the Sun The larger Nicies ferve for Groups of Figures; the

will have a Motion this and that way, according to the fmall ones for ilngle Statues, fometimes only for Bulls

various Situations of the Planets, yet it can never recede The Word comes from the Italian Ncchio, Sea-Shell'; in

regard the Statue, : '

far from the Centre. So that the common Centre of Gt_ vity of the Earth, Sun, and Planets may be efteem'd the Centre of the whole World. See Sun and Centre.

VII. The Planets move in Ellipfes that have their Fori in the Centre of the Sun 5 and defcribe Areas proportional to their Times.

This we have already laid down a fofteriori, as a Phe- nomenon : And now, that the Principle of the heavenly Mo- Circula tions is Jhewn.we deduce it therefrom a priori. Thus : Since the Weights of the Planets towards the Sun are reciprocally as the Squares of their diftances from the Centre of the Sun; if the Sun were at reft, and the other Planets did not aft on each other; their Orbits would be Elliptical, having the Sun in their common Umbilicus; and would defcribe Areas proportional to the Times : But the mutual Actions of the Planets are very fmall, and may be well thrown afide. Therefore, £J>c. See Planet and Or- bit.

Indeed, the Action of Jupiter on Saturn is of fome confequence; and hence, according to the different Situa- tions and Diftances of thofe two Planets, their Orbits will, bealittlediflurbed. See Disturbing Force.

here inclofed as in a Shell; or, per- haps, by reafon of the Shell wherewith the Top of fome ol them is adorn'd.

Great Care muft be taken to proportion the Niches to the Figures; and that the Pedeikls of the Figures be pro- portion'd to the Niches.

KohroINiciie, is that whofe Plan and Circumference are

Square Niche, That where they are Square.

Angular Niche, That form'd in a Corner of the Building.

Ground Niche, That which, inffead of bearing on a Maflive, has its Rife from the Ground; as the Niches of the Portico of the Pantheon at Rome : Thefe are otherwife call'd Tribunals. See Tribunal.

Niches are fometimes made with Ruftic-work, fometimes with Shell-work, and fometimes of Crail'd, or Arbor- work.

N1CHOLAITANS, or Nicolaitans, oneoftbe moft antient Sefls in the Chriftian Church. Ir had its Name from Nicholas, a Perfon ordain'd a Deacon of the Church of Jerusalem together with St. Stephen.

The diftingui/hing Tener of ihe Nicholaitans, as repre- fented by Ecclefiattical Hiftorians, is, that all Married

The Sun's Orbit too, is fenfibly difturbed by the Aflion

fcribes an Ellipfis round the Sun placed in the Umbilicus; Women (hould be common; ,0 take away all occalion of

and with a Radius drawn to the Centte of the Sun, defcribes Tealoufy '

vTlHCnlr ,he 7^!f- & r e l h m H MdSA ™™- Other Authors tax Nicholas with other Impurities; but

VIII. XneApheliaand Nodes of the Planets are at rett. Clemens Jlexandnnus im? mes them all to his Difciples who

Excepting for fome inconfiderable lrreonlaritips <r;«» I,- r™ „v,„r..j ,K„;, T&,n..v vt /ords Nicholas t(ee

i fufpefied by the Apollles

VIII. IheAphehaand Nodes of the Planets are at reft. Clemens Mexandrinus impruea them all to his Difciples

Excepting for fome inconfiderable Irregularities arifing he fays, abufed their Matter's Words. Nicholas it \

from the Actions of the revolving Planets and Comets. having a very beautiful Wife, was fulpefled by the Av

Confequently as the fix'd Stars retain their Pofition to the as jealous of her, and as being a lafci vious Man

Apheha and Nodes; they, too, are at reft. See Node, To remove this fufpicionf he call'd his Wife; and to

iv- 'nL i • d 1 ™- r, „, fcew he was not at all attach'd to her, offer'd any of them

IX.TheAx.s, orPolar Diameter of the Planets, is lefs the liberty of efpoufing her. This is confirm'.! byEufehih,

who adds, that Nicholas never had more than one Wife. Other things charg'd on the Nicholaitans, are, That they

made no fcruple of eating Meats offer'd to Idols: That

than the Equatorial Diameter.

The Planets, had they no diurnal Rotation, would be Spheres; as having an equal Gravity on every fide : But by this Rotation, the Parts receding from the Axis, en- deavour to rife towards the Equator, which, if the Matter they confift of befluid, will be affeaed very fenfibly. Ac- cordingly Jupiter, whofe Denfity is found not much to ex-

they maintain'd that the Father of Jefus Chrift was not

the Creator : That fome of them adored one Earhelo, who

inhabited the eighth Heaven, and who proceeded from the

- Father, and was the Mother of Jaldahaoth; or accnrdmn

ceed that of Water on our G obe ,s obferved by the Aflro- ,0 others, of Sahaoth, who had forcibly

nomers to be _confiderably lefs between the Poles, than the feventh Heaven.

theL'^e tf Nam°I from Eaft to Weft. And on the fame Principle, unlefs our Frounicos to the Mother of the heavenh. Powers but Tl

fy % TIo feP T "? C ^"i™ than ,owards ,he Po,es - af " ibe *&*>» Aflions ,0 her, and wih her ' autn orke" «,t "st Wot" ^ ^ ""» ^'^ * ^eir own Impurities Others fhewedlook, and pretendel

wi^S^Tfrl^th^i^fe7ST Sli ^- "^"tSKKf^a^ Exrrava. y ail ,>,» m — '. •«»:... _.., ,,' , meatus, 1

Allthe Moon's Motions, and all the Inequalities in thofe Motions, follow from thefe Principles : E.gr. Her

Hoffman, Vitringa, and Mains, take the Name Nicholaitan to be coin'd, to fignify a Man addi3ed to Pie- rre and Debauchery; addina, that it has nothino- to do with Nicholas one of the feven Deacons. And, as the Doarine of the Nicholaitans is menrion'd in the Jpocalypfe immediately after menrion made of Balaam, and his Doc- trine, they compare the two Names Balaam and Nicholas

unequal Velocity, and that of her Nodes, and Apogee i the Syzygies and Quadratures; the differences in her Ec- centricity, and her Variation, ££?c. See Moon, Qua- drature, Syzygy, £5c. ^

t^et^^^^^l^ which in', heir Originals, the oneVc^, the other He-

lites. See Satellites. ">e Motions of the Satel- hew have nearly, , he fame fignification, *,'*. Prince, or

XII. From thefe Principles, particu'arlv the Afti™ of Mafter of the People.

the Sun and Moon upon the' lar h ft flllows <U< *« ^ f\ '?, ^"^ en0Ush ,he nicholaitans

mull have Tides; or that the Sea muft fwell a„d fi.hrT?* rT ^ thei? fdv 1 eS 0n bein S the Di W™ of one of the

twice every Day. See Tides, We " a " d fubCde f«en. Deacons 5 but that it was without any ground : not-

XIII. Hence likewife follows, the whole Theory nf w,,h 7 nd '"S »"« the Antients, ever too credulous, have

Comets; as, tha, they are above'the Region e of Th e So/ TimTI °NA "h'T t ■

and in the Planetary Spaces; that they fiiine b„ Vfc .. •' ^ NICOTIANA, or Herba Nicotiana, a Term given to

Light reflefled frL^thetn; that ,Ly mo/e i n Cote P 1 *T c7?* ^ A ™ baftd - « .be Court of

Seaions, whofe Umbilici are in the Centre of ILsZ ■ l ' " ' nt ° F '""" ''" « 5<r °' and S»e it

his