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

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27494That the Eartb may be a Planet. authority of others, Keplar tells us, 11* Aſtron.
Copern.
l.I. par.I.
the experience of skilful Men, that the bet-
ter the Perſpective is, by ſo much the lefs
will the fixed Stars appear through it, being
but as meer Points from which the Beams of
Light do diſperſe themſelves like Hairs.
And
’tis commonly affirmed by others, that the
Dog-ſtar, which ſeems to be the biggeſt
Star amongſt thoſe of the firſt Magnitude,
does yet appear through this Glaſs, but as a
little Point no bigger than the fiftieth part
of Jupiter.
Hence it is, that though the
common Opinion hold the Stars of the firſt
Magnitude to be two Minutes in their Dia-
meter, and Tycho three;
yet 22Syſtem.
mundi,
Coll.3.
who had been moſt verſed in the Experi-
ments of his own Perſpective, concludes them
to be but five Seconds.
2. To the ſecond: Firſt, we affirm the
fixed Stars to be of a vaſt Magnitude.
But
however, this Argument does not induce any
neceſſity that we ſhould conceive them ſo big
as the Earth's Orb.
For it might eaſily be
proved, that though a Star of the ſixth Mag-
nitude, were but equal in Diameter unto
the Sun, (which is far enough from the
greatneſs of the Earth's Orb) yet the
ftarry Heaven would be at ſuch a diſtance
from us, that the Earth's annual Motion
could not cauſe any difference in its appear-
ance.
Suppoſe the Diameter of the Sun to be a-
33Vid Galil.
ibid.
bout half a Degree, as our Adverſaries
grant;
whereas a Star of the ſixth

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