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
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
81 69
82 70
83 71
84 72
85 73
86 74
87 75
88 76
89 77
90 78
< >
page |< < (139) of 370 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div155" type="section" level="1" n="43">
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2012" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="139" file="0151" n="151" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
            Motion. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2013" xml:space="preserve">’Tis uſually Obſerved, that amongſt
              <lb/>
            the Variety of Birds, thoſe which do moſt
              <lb/>
            Converſe upon the Earth, and are Swifteſt in
              <lb/>
            their running, as a Pheaſant, Partridge, & </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2014" xml:space="preserve">c. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2015" xml:space="preserve">to-
              <lb/>
            gether with all Domeſtical Fowl, are leſs able
              <lb/>
            for Flight, than others, which are for the moſt
              <lb/>
            part upon the Wing, as a Swallow, Swift, & </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2016" xml:space="preserve">c.
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2017" xml:space="preserve">and therefore we may well think, that Man
              <lb/>
            being not naturally endowed with any ſuch
              <lb/>
            Condition as may enable him for this Motion,
              <lb/>
            and being neceſſarily tyed to a more eſpecial
              <lb/>
            Reſidence on the Earth, muſt needs be ſlower
              <lb/>
            than any Fowl, and leſs able to hold out. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2018" xml:space="preserve">Thus
              <lb/>
            it is alſo in Swimming; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2019" xml:space="preserve">which Art, though it
              <lb/>
            be grown to a good Eminence, yet he that is
              <lb/>
            beſt skilled in it, is not able, either for conti-
              <lb/>
            nuance, or ſwiftneſs, to equal a Fiſh; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2020" xml:space="preserve">becauſe
              <lb/>
            he is not naturally appointed to it. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2021" xml:space="preserve">So that
              <lb/>
            though a Man could Fly, yet he would be ſo
              <lb/>
            ſlow in it, and ſo quickly weary, that he could
              <lb/>
            never think to reach ſo great a Journey as it is
              <lb/>
            to the Moon.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2022" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2023" xml:space="preserve">But Suppoſe with all, that he could Fly as
              <lb/>
            Faſt, and Long, as the Swifteſt Bird: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2024" xml:space="preserve">yet it
              <lb/>
            cannot Poſſibly be Conceived, how he ſhould
              <lb/>
            ever be able to paſs through ſo vaſt a Diſtance
              <lb/>
            as there is betwixt the Moon\and our Earth.
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2025" xml:space="preserve">For this Planet, according to the common
              <lb/>
            Grounds, is uſually Granted to be at the Leaſt,
              <lb/>
            52 Semidiameters of the Earth from us.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2026" xml:space="preserve">Reck-
              <lb/>
            oning for each Semidiameter 3456 Engliſh
              <lb/>
            Miles, of which the whole ſpace will be about
              <lb/>
            179712.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2027" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2028" xml:space="preserve">So that though a Man could Conſtantly keep
              <lb/>
            on in his Journey thither by a Strait </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>
Impressum