Consideratio & observatio cometae aetherei astronomica qui anno MDLXXX mensibus octobri, novembri et decembri in alto aethere apparvit

appeared between the North and the West, through which, in the same way as in the previous days, the varied points of the spears protruded. But when I had watched for a long time the passage of them toward the West, their vibrations, disappearances, and new ones continually succeeding into the places of those departing, I was astonished. Behold, to the North, on the meridian line, not much above the horizon—say, 10 degrees—from the clouds (for the sky was not very clear, but covered here and there with clouds), a large globe offers itself to be seen with horrible brightness, with the other half, which faced the East, which I could notice by easy conjecture was much brighter than the rest, hiding under the clouds. Toward the West preceded not a few spicula small spikes or rays of light, yet shorter than the previous ones, no differently than if a distinguished leader with an innumerable army were lying in ambush on the opposite side of a mountain, keeping his ranks drawn up, watching the mutual conflicts of those three armies, so that he might seize the opportunity to burst forth and invade anyone who was in his way and fearing no such thing, intending either to bring auxiliary hands to one of them, or indeed, to crush and utterly destroy everyone. And for this reason, he sends out his skirmishers to explore the fortune of the battle. Furthermore, in the East, a new splendor suddenly shines out in a wide area, yet darker than the others, as if it, too, wished to watch the battle with a hostile face, intent on vomiting all its virulence upon them at will once they have been weakened by their own efforts.

But God did not think that this matter had been satisfied even in this way; therefore, He impressed these same apparitions by repeating them very frequently in the following days and months in various and dire ways. Many also saw with great consternation fire falling from heaven in a clear sky, just