Wilkins, John, A discovery of a new world : or a discourse tending to prove, that 'tis probable there may be another Habitable World in the Moon ; with a discourse concerning the Probability of a Passage thither; unto which is added, a discourse concerning a New Planet, tending to prove, that 'tis probable our earth is one of the Planets

Page concordance

< >
Scan Original
261 81
262 82
263 83
264 84
265 85
266 86
267 87
268 88
269 89
270 90
271 91
272 92
273 93
274 94
275 95
276 96
277 97
278 98
279 99
280 100
281 101
282 102
283 103
284 104
285 105
286 106
287 107
288 108
289 109
290 110
< >
page |< < (9) of 370 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div30" type="section" level="1" n="26">
          <pb o="9" file="0021" n="21" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s207" xml:space="preserve">And thoſe Wizzards knowing the times of her
              <lb/>
            Eclipſes, would then threaten to ſhew their
              <lb/>
            Skill, by pulling her out of her Orb. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s208" xml:space="preserve">So that
              <lb/>
            when the ſilly Multitude ſaw that ſhe began to
              <lb/>
            look red, they preſently feared they ſhould
              <lb/>
            loſe the benefit of her Light, and therefore
              <lb/>
            made a great noiſe that ſhe might not hear the
              <lb/>
            ſound of thoſe Charms, which would other-
              <lb/>
            wiſe bring her down; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s209" xml:space="preserve">and this is rendred for a
              <lb/>
            reaſon of this cuſtom by Pliny and Propertius:</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s210" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
        </div>
        <div xml:id="echoid-div31" type="section" level="1" n="27">
          <note position="right" xml:space="preserve">Nat. Hiſt.
            <lb/>
          Lib. 2. c. 12</note>
          <head xml:id="echoid-head29" style="it" xml:space="preserve">Cantus & ſi curru lunam deducere tentant,
            <lb/>
          Et facerent, ſi non æra repulſa ſonant.</head>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s211" xml:space="preserve">Plutarch gives another reaſon of it, and he
              <lb/>
            ſays, ’tis becauſe they would haſten the Moon
              <lb/>
            out of the dark ſhade wherein ſhe was involv’d,
              <lb/>
            that ſo ſhe might bring away the Souls of thoſe
              <lb/>
            Saints that inhabit within her, which cry out
              <lb/>
            by reaſon they are then deprivd of their won-
              <lb/>
            ted Happineſs, and cannot hear the Muſick
              <lb/>
            of the Spheres, but are forced to behold the
              <lb/>
            torments and wailing of thoſe damned Souls
              <lb/>
            which are repreſented to them as they are
              <lb/>
            tortur’d in the Region of the Air. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s212" xml:space="preserve">But whether
              <lb/>
            this or whatever elſe was the meaning of this
              <lb/>
            Superſtition, yet certainly ’twas a very ridi-
              <lb/>
            culous cuſtom, and bewrayed a great ignorance
              <lb/>
            of thoſe ancient times; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s213" xml:space="preserve">eſpecially ſince it was
              <lb/>
            not only received by the vulgar, ſuch as were
              <lb/>
            Men of leſs Note and Learning, but believed
              <lb/>
            alſo by the more Famous and Wiſer ſort, ſuch
              <lb/>
            as were thoſe great Poets, Steſichorus and Pir-
              <lb/>
            dar. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s214" xml:space="preserve">And not only amongſt the more ſottiſh
              <lb/>
            Heathens, who might account that Planet to
              <lb/>
            be one of their Gods; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s215" xml:space="preserve">but the Primitive </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>
Impressum