6553That the Moon may be a World.
in hac terra, &
c.
As if he had conceived the
Moon to be a great hollow Body, in the midſt
oſ whoſe Concavity, there ſhould be another
Globe oſ Sea and Land, inhabited by Men, as
as our Earth is. Whereas it ſeems to be
more likely by the Relation of others, that
this Philoſophers Opinion is to be underſtood
in the ſame Senſe, as it is here to be prov’d.
True indeed, the Father condemns this Aſſer-
tion as an equal Abſurdity to that of Anaxaga-
ras, who affirm’d the Snow to be black: but
no wonder, for in the very next Chapter, it is
that he does ſo much deride the Opinion of
thoſe who thought there were Antipodes. So
that his ignorance in that particular, may per-
haps diſable him from being a Competent
Judge in any other like point in Philoſophy.
Upon theſe agreed Pythagoras, who thought
that our Earth was but one of the Planets
which mov’d round about the Sun, (as Ari-
11De Cælo.
l. 2. cap. 13. ſtotle relates of him) and the Pythagoreans in
general did affirm, that the Moon was alſo Ter-
reſtrial, and that ſhe was Inhabited as this low-
er World; That thoſe living Creatures and
Plants which are in her, exceed any of the
like kind, with us in the ſame proportion, as
22Plut. ibid.
cap. 30. their Days are longer than ours, viz. by 15.
times. This Pythagoras was eſteem’d by all of a
moſt Divine Wit, as appears eſpecially by his
valuation amongſt the Romans, who being com-
manded by the Oracle to erecta Statue to the
wiſeſt Græcian, the Senate determin’d Pythago-
ras to be meant, preferring him in their Judge-
33Plin. Nat.
Hiſt. l. 34,
cip. 6. ment before the Divine Socrates, whom their
Gods pronounc’d the Wiſeſt. Some
Moon to be a great hollow Body, in the midſt
oſ whoſe Concavity, there ſhould be another
Globe oſ Sea and Land, inhabited by Men, as
as our Earth is. Whereas it ſeems to be
more likely by the Relation of others, that
this Philoſophers Opinion is to be underſtood
in the ſame Senſe, as it is here to be prov’d.
True indeed, the Father condemns this Aſſer-
tion as an equal Abſurdity to that of Anaxaga-
ras, who affirm’d the Snow to be black: but
no wonder, for in the very next Chapter, it is
that he does ſo much deride the Opinion of
thoſe who thought there were Antipodes. So
that his ignorance in that particular, may per-
haps diſable him from being a Competent
Judge in any other like point in Philoſophy.
Upon theſe agreed Pythagoras, who thought
that our Earth was but one of the Planets
which mov’d round about the Sun, (as Ari-
11De Cælo.
l. 2. cap. 13. ſtotle relates of him) and the Pythagoreans in
general did affirm, that the Moon was alſo Ter-
reſtrial, and that ſhe was Inhabited as this low-
er World; That thoſe living Creatures and
Plants which are in her, exceed any of the
like kind, with us in the ſame proportion, as
22Plut. ibid.
cap. 30. their Days are longer than ours, viz. by 15.
times. This Pythagoras was eſteem’d by all of a
moſt Divine Wit, as appears eſpecially by his
valuation amongſt the Romans, who being com-
manded by the Oracle to erecta Statue to the
wiſeſt Græcian, the Senate determin’d Pythago-
ras to be meant, preferring him in their Judge-
33Plin. Nat.
Hiſt. l. 34,
cip. 6. ment before the Divine Socrates, whom their
Gods pronounc’d the Wiſeſt. Some