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
51 39
52 40
53 41
54 42
55 43
56 44
57 45
58 46
59 47
60 48
61 49
62 50
63 51
64 52
65 53
66 54
67 55
68 56
69 57
70 58
71 59
72 60
73 61
74 42
75 63
76 65
77 65
78 66
79 67
80 68
< >
page |< < (159) of 370 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div155" type="section" level="1" n="43">
          <pb o="159" file="0171" n="171" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2378" xml:space="preserve">I anſwer, 1. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2379" xml:space="preserve">’Tis not perhaps impoſſible, that a man
              <lb/>
            may be able to Fly, by the application of Wings to his
              <lb/>
            own body; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2380" xml:space="preserve">as Angels are pictur’d, as Mercury and Dæda-
              <lb/>
            lus are feigned, and as hath been attempted by divers,
              <lb/>
            particularly by a Turk in Conſtantinople, as Busbequius relates.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2381" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2382" xml:space="preserve">2. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2383" xml:space="preserve">If there be ſuch a great Ruck in Madagaſcar, as
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0171-01" xlink:href="note-0171-01a" xml:space="preserve">Mr. Bur.
                <lb/>
              ton.</note>
            cus Polus the Venetian mentions, the Feathers in whoſe
              <lb/>
            Wings are twelve Foot long, which can ſoop up a Horle
              <lb/>
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0171-02" xlink:href="note-0171-02a" xml:space="preserve">Melanch.
                <lb/>
              pa. 2. ſect. 2
                <lb/>
              mem. 3.</note>
            and his Rider, or an Elephant, as our Kites do a Mouſe;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2384" xml:space="preserve">why then ’tis but teaching one of theſe to carry a man, and
              <lb/>
            he may ride up thither, as Ganimed does upon an Eagle.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2385" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <note symbol="*" position="right" xml:space="preserve">Lib. 3.
            <lb/>
          c. 40.</note>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2386" xml:space="preserve">3. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2387" xml:space="preserve">Or if neither of theſe ways will ſerve; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2388" xml:space="preserve">yet I do ſeri-
              <lb/>
            only, and upon good grounds, affirm it poſſible to make a
              <lb/>
            Flying Chariot; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2389" xml:space="preserve">in which a Man may ſit, and give ſuch a
              <lb/>
            motion unto it, as ſhall convey him through the Air. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2390" xml:space="preserve">And
              <lb/>
            this perhaps might be made large enough to carry divers
              <lb/>
            Men at the ſame time, together with Food for their Via-
              <lb/>
            ticum, and commodities for Traffick. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2391" xml:space="preserve">It is not the bigneſs
              <lb/>
            of any thing in this kind, that can hinder its motion, if
              <lb/>
            the raotive Faculty be anſwerable thereunto. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2392" xml:space="preserve">We ſee a
              <lb/>
            great Ship ſwims as well as a ſmall cork, and an Eagle flies
              <lb/>
            in the Air as well as a little gnat.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2393" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2394" xml:space="preserve">This Engine may be contrived from the ſame Principles
              <lb/>
            by which Architas made a wooden Dove, and Regiomontanus
              <lb/>
            a wooden Eagle.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2395" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2396" xml:space="preserve">I conceive it were no difficult matter (if a man had lei-
              <lb/>
            ſure) to ſhew more particularly the means of compoſing it.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2397" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2398" xml:space="preserve">The perfecting of ſuch an Invention, would be of ſuch ex-
              <lb/>
            cellent uſe, that it were enough, not only to make a man
              <lb/>
            Famous, but the Age alſo where he lives. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2399" xml:space="preserve">For beſides the
              <lb/>
            ſtrange diſcoveries that it might occaſion in this other
              <lb/>
            World, it would be alio of inconceivable advantage for
              <lb/>
            Travelling, above any other conveyanee that is now in uſe.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2400" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2401" xml:space="preserve">So that notwithſtanding all theſe ſeeming impoſſibilities,
              <lb/>
            ’tis likely enough, that there may be a means invented of
              <lb/>
            Journying to the Moon; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2402" xml:space="preserve">and how happy ſhall they be,
              <lb/>
            that are firſt ſucceſsful in this attempt?</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2403" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p style="it">
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2404" xml:space="preserve">--------Fæliceſque animæ, quas nubila ſupra,
              <lb/>
            Et turpes fumos, plenumque vaporibus orbem,
              <lb/>
            Inſeruit cælo ſancti ſcintilla Promethei.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2405" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2406" xml:space="preserve">Having thus finiſhed this Diſcourſe, I chanced upon a
              <lb/>
            late fancy to this purpoſe under the feigned Name of Do-
              <lb/>
            mingo Gonſales, written by a late Reverend and Learned
              <lb/>
            Biſhop: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2407" xml:space="preserve">In which (beſides ſundry partlculars wherein </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>