27090That the Earth may be a Planet.
ment (as it is according to Copernicus) is
ſaid to be too big; ’tis likely, that this word
is to be underſtood in reference to ſome o-
ther thing of the ſame kind, the leaſt of
which is the Moons Orb: But now if its
being ſo much bigger than this may be a ſuf-
ficient reaſon, why it ſhould be thought too
great, then it ſeems that every thing which
exceeds another of the ſame kind, in ſuch
a proportion, may be concluded to be of
too big a quantity: and ſo conſequently,
we may aſſirm, that there is no ſuch thing
in the World. And hence it will follow,
that Whales and Elephants are meer Chimæ-
ra's, and poetical Fictions, becauſe they do
much exceed many other living Creatures.
If all this eighth Sphere, (ſaith Gallilæus)
as great as it is, were a light Body, and pla-
ced ſo far from us, that it appeared but as
one of the leſſer Stars, we ſhould then eſteem
it but little; and therefore, we have no rea-
ſon now to thruſt it out from being amongſt
the Works of Nature, by reaſon of its
too great immenſity. ’Tis a frequent ſpeech
of our Adverſaries, Tycho, Fromondus, and
others, in excuſe of that incredible ſwift-
neſs which they imagine in their Primum
Mobile, That ’twas requiſite the Motion of
the Heavens ſhould have a kind of inſinity
in it, the better to manifeſt the infiniteneſs
of the Creator. And why may not we as
well affirm this concerning the bigneſs of
the Heavens ? Difficilius eſt accidens præter
modulum ſubjecti intendere, quàm
ſaid to be too big; ’tis likely, that this word
is to be underſtood in reference to ſome o-
ther thing of the ſame kind, the leaſt of
which is the Moons Orb: But now if its
being ſo much bigger than this may be a ſuf-
ficient reaſon, why it ſhould be thought too
great, then it ſeems that every thing which
exceeds another of the ſame kind, in ſuch
a proportion, may be concluded to be of
too big a quantity: and ſo conſequently,
we may aſſirm, that there is no ſuch thing
in the World. And hence it will follow,
that Whales and Elephants are meer Chimæ-
ra's, and poetical Fictions, becauſe they do
much exceed many other living Creatures.
If all this eighth Sphere, (ſaith Gallilæus)
as great as it is, were a light Body, and pla-
ced ſo far from us, that it appeared but as
one of the leſſer Stars, we ſhould then eſteem
it but little; and therefore, we have no rea-
ſon now to thruſt it out from being amongſt
the Works of Nature, by reaſon of its
too great immenſity. ’Tis a frequent ſpeech
of our Adverſaries, Tycho, Fromondus, and
others, in excuſe of that incredible ſwift-
neſs which they imagine in their Primum
Mobile, That ’twas requiſite the Motion of
the Heavens ſhould have a kind of inſinity
in it, the better to manifeſt the infiniteneſs
of the Creator. And why may not we as
well affirm this concerning the bigneſs of
the Heavens ? Difficilius eſt accidens præter
modulum ſubjecti intendere, quàm