Salusbury, Thomas, Mathematical collections and translations (Tome I), 1667

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              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="040/01/479.jpg" pagenum="455"/>
              wards in coming to engage, preſently betake themſelves to a Wea­
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              pon inevitable & dreadful to terrifie their Opponent with the ſole
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              beholding of it? </s>
              <s>But if I may ſpeak the truth, I believe that they are
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              the firſt that are affrighted, and that perceiving themſelves unable
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              to bear up againſt the aſſaults of their Adverſary, go about to find
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              out ways how to keep them far enough off, forbidding unto them
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              the uſe of the Reaſon which the Divine Bounty had vouchſafed
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              them, & abuſing the moſt equitable Authority of ſacred Scripture,
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              which rightly underſtood and applyed, can never, according to
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              the common Maxime of Divines, oppoſe the Manifeſt Experi­
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              ments, or Neceſſary Demonſtrations. </s>
              <s>But theſe mens running
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              to the Scriptures for a Cloak to their inability to comprehend,
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              not to ſay reſolve the Reaſons alledged againſt them, ought (if I
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              be not miſtaken) to ſtand them in no ſtead: the Opinion which
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              they oppoſe having never as yet been condemned by Holy
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              Church. </s>
              <s>So that if they would proceed with Candor, they
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              ſhould either by ſilence confeſs themſelves unable to handle ſuch
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              like points, or firſt conſider that it is not in the power of them or
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              others, but onely in that of the Pope, and of Sacred Councils to
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg856"/>
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              cenſure a Poſition to be Erroneous: But that it is left to their
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              freedome to diſpute concerning its falſity. </s>
              <s>And thereupon,
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              knowing that it is impoſſible that a Propoſition ſhould at the
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              ſame time be True and Heretical; they ought, I ſay, to imploy
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              themſelves in that work which is moſt poper to them, namely,
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              in demonſtrating the falſity thereof: whereby they may ſee
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              how needleſſe the prohibiting of it is, its falſhood being once
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              diſcovered, for that none would follow it: or the Prohibition
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              would be ſafe, and without all danger of Scandal. </s>
              <s>Therefore
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              firſt let theſe men apply themſelves to examine the Arguments
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              of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Copernicus
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              and others; and leave the condemning of them
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              for Erroneous and Heretical to whom it belongeth: But yet let
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              them not hope ever to finde ſuch raſh and precipitous Determina­
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              tions in the Wary and Holy Fathers, or in the abſolute Wiſ­
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              dome of him that cannot erre, as thoſe into which they ſuffer
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              themſelves to be hurried by ſome particular Affection or Inte­
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              reſt of their own. </s>
              <s>In theſe and ſuch other Poſitions, which are
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              not directly
                <emph type="italics"/>
              de Fide,
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              certainly no man doubts but His Holineſs
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              hath alwayes an abſolute power of Admitting or Condemn­
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              ing them, but it is not in the power of any Creature to make
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              them to be true or falſe, otherwiſe than of their own nature,
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              and
                <emph type="italics"/>
              de facto
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              they are.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg856"/>
              If this paſſage
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              ſeem harſh, the
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              Reader muſt re­
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              member that I do
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              but Tranſlate.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>Therefore it is in my judgment more diſcretion to aſſure us
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              firſt of the neceſſary and immutable Truth of the Fact, (over
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              which none hath power) than without that certainty by condem­
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              ning one part to deprive ones ſelf of that authority of freedome </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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