4230That the Moon may be a World.
to this purpoſe in theſe Words.
Ex illâ ali-
menta omnibus animalibus, omnibus ſatis, omnibus
ſtellis dividuntur, hinc proſertur quo fuſtineantur
tot Sidera tam exercitata, tam avida per diem,
noctemque, ut in opere, ita in paſtu. Speaking
of the Earth, he ſays, from thence it is that
Nouriſhment is divided to all the Living
Creatures, the Plants and the Stars; hence
were ſuſtain'd ſo many Conſtellations, ſo La-
borious, ſo Greedy, both Day and Night, as
well in their Feeding as Working. Thus alſo
Lucan Sings,
menta omnibus animalibus, omnibus ſatis, omnibus
ſtellis dividuntur, hinc proſertur quo fuſtineantur
tot Sidera tam exercitata, tam avida per diem,
noctemque, ut in opere, ita in paſtu. Speaking
of the Earth, he ſays, from thence it is that
Nouriſhment is divided to all the Living
Creatures, the Plants and the Stars; hence
were ſuſtain'd ſo many Conſtellations, ſo La-
borious, ſo Greedy, both Day and Night, as
well in their Feeding as Working. Thus alſo
Lucan Sings,
Necnon Oceano paſci phæbumque polumq;
Gredimus.
Gredimus.
Unto theſe Ptolomy alſo, that Learn'd Egyp-
11@ Apoſtel. tian, ſeem'd to agree, when he affirms that
the Body of the Moon is moiſter, and cooler
than any of the other Planets, by reaſon of
the Earthly Vapours that are exhaled unto it.
You ſee theſe Ancients thought the Heavens
to be ſo far from this imagined Incorruptibili-
ty, that rather like the weakeſt Bodies they
ſtood in need of ſome continual Nouriſhment,
without which they could not ſubſiſt.
11@ Apoſtel. tian, ſeem'd to agree, when he affirms that
the Body of the Moon is moiſter, and cooler
than any of the other Planets, by reaſon of
the Earthly Vapours that are exhaled unto it.
You ſee theſe Ancients thought the Heavens
to be ſo far from this imagined Incorruptibili-
ty, that rather like the weakeſt Bodies they
ſtood in need of ſome continual Nouriſhment,
without which they could not ſubſiſt.
But Ariſtotle and his Followers were ſo far
22De Cælo.
l. 1. c. 3. from this, that they thought thoſe Glorious
Bodies could not contain within them any ſuch
Principles as might make them lyable to the
leaſt Change or Corruption; and their Chief
Reaſon was, becauſe we could not in ſo long
a ſpace diſcern any alteration amongſt them;
But to this I anſwer.
22De Cælo.
l. 1. c. 3. from this, that they thought thoſe Glorious
Bodies could not contain within them any ſuch
Principles as might make them lyable to the
leaſt Change or Corruption; and their Chief
Reaſon was, becauſe we could not in ſo long
a ſpace diſcern any alteration amongſt them;
But to this I anſwer.
1.
Suppoſing we could not, yet would it
not hence follow that there were none, as
not hence follow that there were none, as