Tycho nor his
followers ever
tempted to ſee
ther there are any
appearances in the
Firmament for or
against the annual
motion.
followers ever
tempted to ſee
ther there are any
appearances in the
Firmament for or
against the annual
motion.
SALV. I am of the ſame judgment, and verily believe that
they argue contra hominem, ſtudying more to defend another
man, than deſiring to come to the knowledge of the truth. And
I do not only believe, that none of them ever applied themſelves
to make any ſuch obſervation, but I am alſo uncertain, whether
any of them do know what alteration the Earths annual motion
ought to produce in the fixed ſtars, in caſe the ſtarry Sphere were
not ſo far diſtant, as that in them the ſaid diverſity, by reaſon of
its minuity diſ-appeareth; for their ſurceaſing that inquiſition,
and referring themſelves to the meer aſſertion of Copernicus,
may very well ſerve to convict a man, but not to acquit him of
the fact: For its poſſible that ſuch a diverſity may be, and yet
not have been ſought for; or that either by reaſon of its
ty, or for want of exact Inſtruments it was not diſcovered by
pernicus; for though it were ſo, this would not be the firſt thing,
that he either for want of Inſtruments, or for ſome other defect
hath not known; and yet he proceeding upon other ſolid and
rational conjectures, affirmeth that, which the things by him not
diſcovered do ſeem to contradict: for, as hath been ſaid already,
without the Teleſcope, neither could Mars be diſcerned to
creaſe 60. times; nor Venus 40. more in that than in this
on; yea, their differences appear much leſſe than really they are:
and yet nevertheleſſe it is certainly diſcovered at length, that
thoſe mutations are the ſame, to an hair that the Copernican
ſteme required. Now it would be very well, if with the greateſt
accurateneſſe poſſible one ſhould enquire whether ſuch a
tion as ought to be diſcoverable in the fixed ſtars, ſuppoſing the
annual motion of the Earth, would be obſerved really and in
effect, a thing which I verily believe hath never as yet been done
by any; done, ſaid I? no, nor haply (as I ſaid before) by many
well underſtood how it ought to be done. Nor ſpeak I this at
randome, for I have heretofore ſeen a certain Manuſcript of
one of theſe Anti-Copernicans, which ſaid, that there would
ceſſarily follow, in caſe that opinion were true, a continual
ſing and falling of the Pole from ſix moneths to ſix moneths,
cording as the Earth in ſuch a time, by ſuch a ſpace as is the
meter of the grand Orb, retireth one while towards the North, and
another while towards the South; and yet it ſeemed to him
nable, yea neceſſary, that we, following the Earth, when we were
towards the North ſhould have the Pole more elevated than when
we are towards the South. In this very error did one fall that was
otherwiſe a very skilful Mathematician, & a follower of Copernic.
as Tycho relateth in his ^{*}Progymnaſma. pag 684. which ſaid, that he
had obſerved the Polar altitude to vary, and to differ in Summer
from what it is in Winter: and becauſe Tycho denieth the merit
they argue contra hominem, ſtudying more to defend another
man, than deſiring to come to the knowledge of the truth. And
I do not only believe, that none of them ever applied themſelves
to make any ſuch obſervation, but I am alſo uncertain, whether
any of them do know what alteration the Earths annual motion
ought to produce in the fixed ſtars, in caſe the ſtarry Sphere were
not ſo far diſtant, as that in them the ſaid diverſity, by reaſon of
its minuity diſ-appeareth; for their ſurceaſing that inquiſition,
and referring themſelves to the meer aſſertion of Copernicus,
may very well ſerve to convict a man, but not to acquit him of
the fact: For its poſſible that ſuch a diverſity may be, and yet
not have been ſought for; or that either by reaſon of its
ty, or for want of exact Inſtruments it was not diſcovered by
pernicus; for though it were ſo, this would not be the firſt thing,
that he either for want of Inſtruments, or for ſome other defect
hath not known; and yet he proceeding upon other ſolid and
rational conjectures, affirmeth that, which the things by him not
diſcovered do ſeem to contradict: for, as hath been ſaid already,
without the Teleſcope, neither could Mars be diſcerned to
creaſe 60. times; nor Venus 40. more in that than in this
on; yea, their differences appear much leſſe than really they are:
and yet nevertheleſſe it is certainly diſcovered at length, that
thoſe mutations are the ſame, to an hair that the Copernican
ſteme required. Now it would be very well, if with the greateſt
accurateneſſe poſſible one ſhould enquire whether ſuch a
tion as ought to be diſcoverable in the fixed ſtars, ſuppoſing the
annual motion of the Earth, would be obſerved really and in
effect, a thing which I verily believe hath never as yet been done
by any; done, ſaid I? no, nor haply (as I ſaid before) by many
well underſtood how it ought to be done. Nor ſpeak I this at
randome, for I have heretofore ſeen a certain Manuſcript of
one of theſe Anti-Copernicans, which ſaid, that there would
ceſſarily follow, in caſe that opinion were true, a continual
ſing and falling of the Pole from ſix moneths to ſix moneths,
cording as the Earth in ſuch a time, by ſuch a ſpace as is the
meter of the grand Orb, retireth one while towards the North, and
another while towards the South; and yet it ſeemed to him
nable, yea neceſſary, that we, following the Earth, when we were
towards the North ſhould have the Pole more elevated than when
we are towards the South. In this very error did one fall that was
otherwiſe a very skilful Mathematician, & a follower of Copernic.
as Tycho relateth in his ^{*}Progymnaſma. pag 684. which ſaid, that he
had obſerved the Polar altitude to vary, and to differ in Summer
from what it is in Winter: and becauſe Tycho denieth the merit