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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        <div xml:id="echoid-div30" type="section" level="1" n="26">
          <pb o="9" file="0021" n="21" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s207" xml:space="preserve">And thoſe Wizzards knowing the times of her
              <lb/>
            Eclipſes, would then threaten to ſhew their
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            Skill, by pulling her out of her Orb. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s208" xml:space="preserve">So that
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            when the ſilly Multitude ſaw that ſhe began to
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            look red, they preſently feared they ſhould
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            loſe the benefit of her Light, and therefore
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            made a great noiſe that ſhe might not hear the
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            ſound of thoſe Charms, which would other-
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            wiſe bring her down; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s209" xml:space="preserve">and this is rendred for a
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            reaſon of this cuſtom by Pliny and Propertius:</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s210" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
        </div>
        <div xml:id="echoid-div31" type="section" level="1" n="27">
          <note position="right" xml:space="preserve">Nat. Hiſt.
            <lb/>
          Lib. 2. c. 12</note>
          <head xml:id="echoid-head29" style="it" xml:space="preserve">Cantus & ſi curru lunam deducere tentant,
            <lb/>
          Et facerent, ſi non æra repulſa ſonant.</head>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s211" xml:space="preserve">Plutarch gives another reaſon of it, and he
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            ſays, ’tis becauſe they would haſten the Moon
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            out of the dark ſhade wherein ſhe was involv’d,
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            that ſo ſhe might bring away the Souls of thoſe
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            Saints that inhabit within her, which cry out
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            by reaſon they are then deprivd of their won-
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            ted Happineſs, and cannot hear the Muſick
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            of the Spheres, but are forced to behold the
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            torments and wailing of thoſe damned Souls
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            which are repreſented to them as they are
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            tortur’d in the Region of the Air. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s212" xml:space="preserve">But whether
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            this or whatever elſe was the meaning of this
              <lb/>
            Superſtition, yet certainly ’twas a very ridi-
              <lb/>
            culous cuſtom, and bewrayed a great ignorance
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            of thoſe ancient times; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s213" xml:space="preserve">eſpecially ſince it was
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            not only received by the vulgar, ſuch as were
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            Men of leſs Note and Learning, but believed
              <lb/>
            alſo by the more Famous and Wiſer ſort, ſuch
              <lb/>
            as were thoſe great Poets, Steſichorus and Pir-
              <lb/>
            dar. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s214" xml:space="preserve">And not only amongſt the more ſottiſh
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            Heathens, who might account that Planet to
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            be one of their Gods; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s215" xml:space="preserve">but the Primitive </s>
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