248. From the shifting of the Equinoctial points, and with them all the Signs of the Ecliptic, it follows that those Stars which in the infancy of astronomy were in _Aries_ are now got into _Taurus_; those of _Taurus_ into _Gemini_, &c. Hence likewise it is, that the Stars which rose or set at any particular season of the year, in the time of HESIOD, EUDOXUS, VIRGIL, PLINY, &c. by no means answer at this time to their descriptions. The preceding table shews the quantity of this shifting both in the heavens and on the earth, for any number of years to 25,920; which compleats the grand celestial period: within which any number and its quantity is easily found; as in the following example, for 5763 years; which at the Autumnal Equinox, A. D. 1756, is thought to be the age of the world. So that with regard to the fixed Stars, the Equinoctial points in the heavens, have receded 2^s 20° 2ʹ 30ʺ since the creation; which is as much as the Sun moves in 81^d 5^h 0^m 52^s. And since that time, or in 5763 years, the Equinoxes with us have fallen back 44^d 5^h 21^m 9^s; hence, reckoning from the time of the _Julian_ Equinox, _A. D._ 1756, _viz._ _Sept._ 12th, it appears that the Autumnal Equinox at the creation was on the 26th of _October_. +---------+----------------------------------++----------------+ | | Precession of the Equinoctial || Anticipation | | | Points in the Heavens. || of the | | Julian +-----------------+----------------+| Equinoxes on | | years. | Motion. | Time. || the Earth. | | +-----------------+----------------++----------------+ | | S. ° ʹ ʺ | D. H. M. S. || D. H. M. S. | +---------+-----------------+----------------++----------------+ | 5000 | 2 9 26 40 | 70 10 58 20 || 38 8 50 0 | | 700 | 0 9 43 20 | 9 20 44 10 || 5 8 55 0 | | 60 | 0 0 50 0 | 0 20 17 30 || 0 11 3 0 | | 3 | 0 0 2 30 | 0 1 0 52 || 0 0 33 9 | +---------+-----------------+----------------++----------------+ | 5763 | 2 20 2 30 | 81 5 0 52 || 44 5 21 9 | +---------+-----------------+----------------++----------------+ [Sidenote: The anticipation of the Equinoxes and Seasons. PLATE VI.] 249. The anticipation of the Equinoxes, and consequently of the seasons, is by no means owing to the Precession of the Equinoctial and Solsticial points in the Heavens, (which can only affect the apparent motions, places and declinations of the fixed Stars) but to the difference between the Civil and Solar year, which is 11 minutes 3 seconds; the Civil year containing 365 days 6 hours, and the Solar year 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 57 seconds. The following table shews the length, and consequently the difference of any number of Sidereal, Civil, and Solar years from 1 to 10,000. [Sidenote: The reason for altering the Style.]