Salusbury, Thomas, Mathematical collections and translations (Tome I), 1667
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              Points, the diviſible of indiviſibles, the quantitative of non-quan­
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              titative, is a rock very hard, in my judgment, to paſs over: And
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              the very admitting of Vacuity, ſo thorowly confuted by
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              Ariſtotle,
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              no leſs puzleth me than thoſe difficulties themſelves.</s>
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              <s>SALV. </s>
              <s>There be, indeed, theſe and other difficulties; but re­
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              member, that we are amongſt Infinites, and Indiviſibles: thoſe in­
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              comprehenſible by our finite underſtanding for their Grandure;
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              and theſe for their minuteneſs: nevertheleſs we ſee that Humane
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              Diſcourſe will not be beat off from ruminating upon them, in
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              which regard, I alſo aſſuming ſome liberty, will produce ſome of
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              my conceits, if not neceſſarily concluding, yet for novelty ſake,
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              which is ever the meſſenger of ſome wonder: but perhaps the car­
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              rying you ſo far out of your way begun, may ſeem to you imper­
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              tinent, and conſequently little pleaſing.</s>
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              <s>SAGR. </s>
              <s>Pray you let us enjoy the benefit, and priviledge, of free
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              ſpeaking which is allowed to the living, and amongſt friends; eſpe­
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              cially, in things arbitrary, and not neceſſary; different from Diſcourſe
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              with dead Books, which ſtart us a thouſand doubts, and reſolve not
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              one of them. </s>
              <s>Make us therefore partakers of thoſe Conſiderations,
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              which the courſe of our Conferences ſuggeſt unto you; for we
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              want no time, ſeeing we are diſengaged from urgent buſineſſes, to
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              continue and diſcuſſe the other things mentioned; and particular­
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              ly, the doubts, hinted by
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              Simplicius,
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              muſt by no means eſcape us.</s>
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              <s>SAIV. </s>
              <s>It ſhall be ſo, ſince it pleaſeth you: and beginning at
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              the firſt, which was, how it's poſſible to imagine that a ſingle Point
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              is equal to a Line; in regard I can do no more for the preſent, I
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              will attempt to ſatisfie, or, at leaſt, qualifie one improbability with
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              another like it, or greater; as ſome times a Wonder is ſwallowed
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              up in a Miracle. </s>
              <s>And this ſhall be by ſhewing you two equal Su­
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              perficies, and at the ſame time two Bodies, likewiſe equal, and
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              placed upon thoſe Superficies as their Baſes; and that go (both
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              theſe and thoſe) continually and equally diminiſhing in the ſelf­
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              ſame time, and that in their remainders reſt alwaies equal between
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              themſelves, and (laſtly) that, as well Superſicies, as Solids, deter­
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              mine their perpetual precedent equalities, one of the Solids with
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              one of the Superficies in a very long Line; and the other Solid
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              with the other Superficies in a ſingle Point: that is, the latter in
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              one Point alone, the other in infinite.</s>
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              The equal Super­
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              ficies of two Solids
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              continually ſub­
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              ſtracting from
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              them both equal
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              parts, are reduced,
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              the one into the
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              Circumference of a
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              Circle, and the o­
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              ther into a Point.
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              </s>
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              <s>
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              S
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              AGR. </s>
              <s>An admirable propoſal, really, yet let us hear you ex­
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              plain and demonſtrate it.</s>
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              <s>SALV. </s>
              <s>It is neceſſary to give you it in Figure, becauſe the proof
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              is purely Geometrical. </s>
              <s>Therefore ſuppoſe the Semicircle A F B,
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              and its Center to be C, and about it deſcribe the Rectangle
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              A D E B, and from the Center unto the Points D and E let there
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              be drawn the Lines C D, and C E; Then drawing the Semi-Dia­</s>
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