1
we may aſſure our ſelves, I ſay, that bodies ſhining with moſt|
ly light do irradiate, or beam forth rayes more by far than thoſe
that are of a more languiſhing light. I have many times ſeen
piter and Venus together twenty or thirty degrees diſtant from the
Sun, and the air being very dark, Venus appeared eight or ten
times bigger than Jupiter, being both beheld by the eye at
ty; but being beheld afterwards with the Teleſcope, the Diſcus
of Jupiter diſcovered it ſelf to be four or more times greater than
that of Venus, but the vivacity of the ſplendour of Venus was
comparably bigger than the languiſhing light of Jupiter; which
was only becauſe of Jupiters being far from the Sun, and from us;
and Venus neer to us, and to the Sun. Theſe things premiſed, it
will not be difficult to comprehend, how Mars, when it is in
ſition to the Sun, and therefore neerer to the Earth by ſeven times,
and more, than it is towards the conjunction, cometh to appear
ſcarce four or five times bigger in that ſtate than in this, when as it
ſhould appear more than fifty times ſo much; of which the only
irradiation is the cauſe; for if we diveſt it of the adventitious
rayes, we ſhall find it exactly augmented with the due proportion:
but to take away the capillitious border, the Teleſcope is the beſt
and only means, which inlarging its Diſcus nine hundred or a
thouſand times, makes it to be ſeen naked and terminate, as that
of the Moon, and different from it ſelf in the two poſitions,
cording to its due proportions to an hair. Again, as to Venus,
that in its veſpertine conjunction, when it is below the Sun, ought
to ſhew almoſt fourty times bigger than in the other matutine
junction, and yet doth not appear ſo much as doubled; it
eth, beſides the effect of the irradiation, that it is horned; and its
creſcents, beſides that they are ſharp, they do receive the Suns light
obliquely, and therefore emit but a faint ſplendour; ſo that as
being little and weak, its irradiation becometh the leſſe ample
and vivacious, than when it appeareth to us with its Hemiſphere all
ſhining: but now the Teleſcope manifeſtly ſhews its hornes to
have been as terminate and diſtinct as thoſe of the Moon, and
appear, as it were, with a great circle, and in a proportion thoſe
well neer fourty times greater than its ſame Diſcus, at ſuch time
as it is ſuperiour to the Sun in its ultimate matutine apparition.
we may aſſure our ſelves, I ſay, that bodies ſhining with moſt|
ly light do irradiate, or beam forth rayes more by far than thoſe
that are of a more languiſhing light. I have many times ſeen
piter and Venus together twenty or thirty degrees diſtant from the
Sun, and the air being very dark, Venus appeared eight or ten
times bigger than Jupiter, being both beheld by the eye at
ty; but being beheld afterwards with the Teleſcope, the Diſcus
of Jupiter diſcovered it ſelf to be four or more times greater than
that of Venus, but the vivacity of the ſplendour of Venus was
comparably bigger than the languiſhing light of Jupiter; which
was only becauſe of Jupiters being far from the Sun, and from us;
and Venus neer to us, and to the Sun. Theſe things premiſed, it
will not be difficult to comprehend, how Mars, when it is in
ſition to the Sun, and therefore neerer to the Earth by ſeven times,
and more, than it is towards the conjunction, cometh to appear
ſcarce four or five times bigger in that ſtate than in this, when as it
ſhould appear more than fifty times ſo much; of which the only
irradiation is the cauſe; for if we diveſt it of the adventitious
rayes, we ſhall find it exactly augmented with the due proportion:
but to take away the capillitious border, the Teleſcope is the beſt
and only means, which inlarging its Diſcus nine hundred or a
thouſand times, makes it to be ſeen naked and terminate, as that
of the Moon, and different from it ſelf in the two poſitions,
cording to its due proportions to an hair. Again, as to Venus,
that in its veſpertine conjunction, when it is below the Sun, ought
to ſhew almoſt fourty times bigger than in the other matutine
junction, and yet doth not appear ſo much as doubled; it
eth, beſides the effect of the irradiation, that it is horned; and its
creſcents, beſides that they are ſharp, they do receive the Suns light
obliquely, and therefore emit but a faint ſplendour; ſo that as
being little and weak, its irradiation becometh the leſſe ample
and vivacious, than when it appeareth to us with its Hemiſphere all
ſhining: but now the Teleſcope manifeſtly ſhews its hornes to
have been as terminate and diſtinct as thoſe of the Moon, and
appear, as it were, with a great circle, and in a proportion thoſe
well neer fourty times greater than its ſame Diſcus, at ſuch time
as it is ſuperiour to the Sun in its ultimate matutine apparition.
It is ſeen by
nifeſt experience,
that the more
ſplendid bodies do
much more
ate than the leſſe
lucid.
nifeſt experience,
that the more
ſplendid bodies do
much more
ate than the leſſe
lucid.
SAGR. Oh, Nicholas Copernicus, how great would have been
thy joy to have ſeen this part of thy Syſteme, confirmed with ſo
manifeſt
thy joy to have ſeen this part of thy Syſteme, confirmed with ſo
manifeſt
SALV. Tis true. But how much leſſe the fame of his ſublime
wit amongſt the intelligent? when as it is ſeen, as I alſo ſaid before,
that he did conſtantly continue to affirm (being perſwaded thereto
by reaſon) that which ſenſible experiments ſeemed to contradict;
for I cannot ceaſe to wonder that he ſhould conſtantly perſiſt in
ſaying, that Venus revolveth about the Sun, and is more than ſix
wit amongſt the intelligent? when as it is ſeen, as I alſo ſaid before,
that he did conſtantly continue to affirm (being perſwaded thereto
by reaſon) that which ſenſible experiments ſeemed to contradict;
for I cannot ceaſe to wonder that he ſhould conſtantly perſiſt in
ſaying, that Venus revolveth about the Sun, and is more than ſix