Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 029.djvu/419



HE Royal Society having received Accounts from very many Parts of Great Britain, of the unuſual Lights which have of late appeared in the Heavens; were pleased to ſignify their Deſires to me, that I ſhould draw up a general Reaction of the Fact, and explain more at large some Conceptions of mine I had propoſed to them about it, as ſeeming to ſome of them to render a tollerable Solution of the very ſtrange and ſurprizing Phnomena thereof. The Deſires oi the Society having with me the force of Commands; I ſhall not decline the Task: only premiſing that if, in delivering the Etiology of a Matter ſo uncommon, never before ſeen by my ſelf, not fully deſcribed by any either of the Ancients or Moderns, I fail to answer their Expectation or my own Deſires; yet 'tis hoped a good Hiſtory of the Fact, deduced partly from my own Obſervations, and partly collected from the uniform Relations of credible Perſons, or from the Letters of ſuch, may not be unacceptable to the Curious; and may perhaps excite the Genius of ſome more able Meteorologiſt to a more ſatisſactory Enquiry. The Account of this Appearance take as follows.