Planets

Planets are wandering stars or bodies; their second or proper motions from west to east are not regular as those of the other stars are, nor do they always keep at the same distance one from the other; but are sometimes nearer and sometimes farther off, and sometimes joined, being observ’d under the same point of heaven, and sometimes opposite.

Some turn about on their axis, at several times, and these planets which may be imagined to be like our earth are opaque bodies, and receive light from the sun, and reflect it; for there is none of the planets, except the sun tht shines with his own light, but he enlightens the planets.

The planets are lower than the fixed stars. This appears in that they sometimes eclipse them and hide their light from us.

There is a great difference between the planets as to their lustre. The Sun appears of a gold colour; the Moon of a silver colour; Venus very white, brilliant and luminous; Jupiter is not so white and luminous; Saturn appears of a pale lead colour, and does not seem to shine; Mars is as red as fire, and glances very much; Mercury is of a bright silver colour, and glances but little, is not often seen in our climate, because of the obliquity of the sphere, and he being near the sun, for which reason he is always obscur’d by or plung’d in its rays, or the vapours of the horizon; but it is frequently seen in the torrid zone, because in those places the sphere is not in so oblique a position.

The planets are distinguish’d into great and small.

The greater are in number severn, Saturn, Jupiter,Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon; the smaller planets are in number nine, four of which are call’d Jupiter’s Satellites, and turn about Jupiter, and the other five revolve about Saturn.

Definition taken from The Universal Etymological English Dictionary, edited by Nathan Bailey (1736)

Pity [an Allegorical Deity with the Heathens] * Pleasure [in Sculpture and Painting]