1576 A. Fleming tr. Anaximenes in Panoplie Epist. 205 At such time as he went out a stargazing [Gk. τὰ ἄστρα ἐθηεῖτο].

1596 H. Clapham Briefe of Bible ii. 127 That they [sc. the Magi] should be Kings, is not very likelie; seeing they passing seldome, gaue themselues vnto Star-gazing.

1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 63 One beginning of Idolatrie did arise of this curious and superstitious Starre-gazing.

1677 F. Bampfield All in One 123 Of the like Nature is divination by looking into the entrails of Beasts;..so is star-gazing, charms,..and the like.

1730 R. Budgen Passage of Hurricane 9 A Man in Bed slept out the Storm, and knew not the Conveniency he had for Star-gazing.

1779 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 28 Apr. A certain Lady,..who, far gone in speculation, and the art of star-gazing, takes her abode in the attic story.

1824 Ipswich Jrnl. 3 Jan. Such of your readers as are fond of star-gazing, will be amply paid for leaving their beds an hour or two earlier than usual just now.

1884 F. Harrison in 19th Cent. Mar. 501 Religion is not a thing of star-gazing and staring.

1925 Ada (Okla.) Evening News 13 Jan. 4/3 If we could do our star-gazing from the moon, we would be surprised to find the sky thickly studded with stars in the daytime.

1968 E. Roy Christopher Fry vii. 84 The Duke's onetime philanderings have been followed, now that he is middle-aged, by lonely stargazing.

2014 Progress (Clearfield, Pa.) 13 May (Suppl.) 5/3 Campers will find the dark sky at Bilger's Rocks provides a good observation point for stargazing.

1928 Manch. Guardian 9 May 10/4 If we flock to public readings..we do so in the quest of the magnetic and luminous personality whose light should be an authentic illustration of the page. To this kind of star-gazing there would be no objection.

1941 Washington Post 31 Jan. 16/2 Stars of stage and screen completely took over the Capital's social scene... Several Cabinet officers..did their bit of ‘star-gazing’ last night.

1998 Independent (Nexis) 10 May (Features section) 11 Rub shoulders with soap stars and models and shake your thing to rare groove classics. The perfect venue for stargazing.

2010 S. Kenyon & D. Love Silent Truth vii. 92 She had some ulterior motive beyond stargazing and rubbing elbows with celebrities.

1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 19^v All the starre-gazing Townes.

1596 Bp. W. Barlow tr. L. Lavater Three Christian Serm. i. 10 The like predictions of starre-gasing diuiners.

1646 J. Gaule Select Cases Conscience 26 The Astrologian, Starre-gazing, Planetary, Prognosticating Witch.

1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. ii. 45 Perhaps you'l say, 'Tis a Star-gazing Age.

1716 M. Davies Athenæ Britannicæ II. 394 Our Star-gazing Arian..has..a great many Papers and Manuscripts to prove the Arian Romancies.

1798 Hilaria 124 Star-gazing H——l, a knowing old fellow, As e'er peep'd at bodies above or below.

1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward III. v. 126 The quack-salving, word-mongering, star-gazing, lie-coining impostor.

1874 Times 6 July 8/2 The pious star-gazing shepherds of Holy writ.

1924 Times Lit. Suppl. 19 June 385/3 I have all the interior emotions of a star-gazing high priest.

1975 Advocate (Newark, Ohio) 2 Sept. 3/1 At first the star-gazing hobbyist thought the barely visible light was a slow-moving satellite passing.

2009 R. Hassan Empires of Speed i. 18 The stargazing British Druids who around 2500 BC constructed the megaliths at Stonehenge.