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

Page concordance

< >
Scan Original
31 19
32 20
33 21
34 22
35 23
36 24
37 25
38 26
39 27
40 28
41 29
42 30
43 31
44 32
45 33
46 34
47 35
48 36
49 37
50 38
51 39
52 40
53 41
54 42
55 43
56 44
57 45
58 46
59 47
60 48
< >
page |< < (65) of 370 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div98" type="section" level="1" n="35">
          <pb o="65" file="0076" n="76" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s984" xml:space="preserve">The Stoicks held that Planet to be
              <note symbol="a" position="left" xlink:label="note-0076-01" xlink:href="note-0076-01a" xml:space="preserve">Plut. Fe
                <lb/>
              placit. phil.
                <lb/>
              l 2. c. 25.</note>
            ed by Fire and Air, and in their Opinion, the
              <lb/>
            Variety of its Compoſition cauſed her ſpots;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s985" xml:space="preserve">being not aſhamed to ſtile the ſame Body a
              <lb/>
            Goddeſs, calling it Diana, Minerva, &</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s986" xml:space="preserve">c. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s987" xml:space="preserve">and
              <lb/>
            yet affirm it to be an impure Mixture of
              <lb/>
            Flame and Smoke, and Fuliginous Air.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s988" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s989" xml:space="preserve">But this Planet cannot conſiſt of Fire (ſaith
              <lb/>
            Plutarch) becauſe there is not any Fewel to
              <lb/>
            maintain it. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s990" xml:space="preserve">And the Poets therefore have
              <lb/>
            fained Vulcan to be lame, becauſe he can no
              <lb/>
            more ſubſiſt without Wood or other Fewel,
              <lb/>
            than a Lame Man without a Staff.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s991" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s992" xml:space="preserve">Anaxagor as thought all the Stars to be of an
              <lb/>
            Earthly Nature, Mixed with ſome Fire; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s993" xml:space="preserve">and
              <lb/>
            as for the Sun, he affirmed it to be nothing
              <lb/>
            elſe but a ſieryStone; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s994" xml:space="preserve">for which later Opinion
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0076-02" xlink:href="note-0076-02a" xml:space="preserve">Foſephus
                <lb/>
              l. 2. com.
                <lb/>
              App. Au-
                <lb/>
              guſte de ci-
                <lb/>
              vit. Dei.
                <lb/>
              l. 18. c. 41.</note>
            the Athenians ſentenc'd him to Death, thoſe
              <lb/>
            Zealous Idolaters counting it a great Blaſphe-
              <lb/>
            my to make their God a Stone, whereas not-
              <lb/>
            withſtanding, they were ſo ſenſeleſs in their
              <lb/>
            adoration of Idols, as to make a Stone their
              <lb/>
            God. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s995" xml:space="preserve">This Anaxagor as affirm'd the Moon to
              <lb/>
            be more Terreſtrial than the other Planets,
              <lb/>
            but of a greater Purity than any thing here
              <lb/>
            below, and the Spots, he thought, were no-
              <lb/>
            thing elſe, but ſome cloudy parts, intermin-
              <lb/>
            gled with the Light which belonged to that
              <lb/>
            Planet; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s996" xml:space="preserve">but I have above deſtroyed the Sup-
              <lb/>
            poſition on which this Fancy is grounded. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s997" xml:space="preserve">Pli-
              <lb/>
            ny thinks they ariſe from ſome droſſie ſtuff,
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0076-03" xlink:href="note-0076-03a" xml:space="preserve">Nat. Hiſt.
                <lb/>
              l. 2. c. 9.</note>
            mixed with that moiſture which the Moon
              <lb/>
            attracts unto her ſelſ; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s998" xml:space="preserve">but he was of their Opi-
              <lb/>
            nion, who thought the Stars were nouriſhed
              <lb/>
            by ſome Earthly Vapours, which you </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>
Impressum