7866That the Moon may be a World.
dies which are ſo full of deformity, ’tis requiſite
that it ſhould in ſome meaſure agree with them,
and as in this inferiour World, the higher Bo-
dies are the moſt compleat, ſo alſo in the Hea-
vens, Perfection is aſcended unto by degrees,
and the Moon being the loweſt, muſt be the
leaſt pure, and therefore Philo the Jew, Interpre-
11De ſomniis. ting Jacobs Dream, concerning the Ladder, doth
in an Allegory ſhew, how that in the Fabrick
of the World, all things grow perfecter, as they
grow higher, and this is the reaſon (ſaith he)
why the Moon doth not conſiſt of any pure ſim-
ple matter, but is mixed with Air, which ſhews
ſo darkly within her Body.
that it ſhould in ſome meaſure agree with them,
and as in this inferiour World, the higher Bo-
dies are the moſt compleat, ſo alſo in the Hea-
vens, Perfection is aſcended unto by degrees,
and the Moon being the loweſt, muſt be the
leaſt pure, and therefore Philo the Jew, Interpre-
11De ſomniis. ting Jacobs Dream, concerning the Ladder, doth
in an Allegory ſhew, how that in the Fabrick
of the World, all things grow perfecter, as they
grow higher, and this is the reaſon (ſaith he)
why the Moon doth not conſiſt of any pure ſim-
ple matter, but is mixed with Air, which ſhews
ſo darkly within her Body.
But this cannot be a Sufficient reaſon;
for though it were true, that Nature did frame
every thing perfecter, as it was higher, yet is it
as true, that Nature frames every thing fully
perfect for that Office to which ſhe intends it.
Now, had ſhe intended the Moon meerly to re-
flected the Sun-beams, and give light, the ſpots
then had not ſo much argued herProvidence, as
her unskilfulneſs and overſight, as if in the haſt
of her work, ſhe could not tell how to make
22Scalig. ex-
ercit. 62. that Body exactly fit, for that Office, to which
ſhe intended it.
’Tis likely then, that ſhe had ſome other end
which moved her to produce this variety, and
this in all probability was her intent to make
it a fit Body for Habitation, with the ſameCon-
veniences of Sea and Land, as this Inferiour
world doth partake of. For ſince the Moon is
ſuch a Vaſt, ſuch aSolid and Opacous Body, like
our Earth (as was above proved) why may
it not be probable, that thoſe thinner
which moved her to produce this variety, and
this in all probability was her intent to make
it a fit Body for Habitation, with the ſameCon-
veniences of Sea and Land, as this Inferiour
world doth partake of. For ſince the Moon is
ſuch a Vaſt, ſuch aSolid and Opacous Body, like
our Earth (as was above proved) why may
it not be probable, that thoſe thinner