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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162150That the Moon may be a World. is in ſome part of the World ſuch a place
where Men might be plentifully nouriſh’d by
the Air they breath; which cannot more pro-
perly be aſſign’d to any one particular, than to
the Æthereal Air above this.

I know ’tis the common Opinion, that no
Element can prove Aliment, becauſe ’tis not
11Arriſt. de
Senſ. cap. 5. proportionate to the Bodies of living Crea-
tures which are compounded. But,

1. This Æthereal Air is not an Element’; and
tho’ it be purer, yet ’tis perhaps of a greater
agreabieneſs to man’s Nature and Conſtitution.

2. If we conſult experience and the credible
Relations of others, we ſhall find it probable
enough that many things receive Nouriſhment
from meer Elements.

Firſt, for the Earth; Ariſtotle and 22The Earth thoſe two great Naturaliſts, tell us of ſome
33Hiſt.
Anima.
lib. 8. cap. 5. Creatures that are fed only with this. And it
was the Curſe of the Serpent, Gen. 3. 14. Up-
44Hiſt. l. 10.
cap. 72. on thy body ſhalt thou go, and duſt ſhalt thou eat all
the days of thy life.

So likewiſe for the Water. Albertu Mag- nus ſpeaks of a man who lived ſeven Weeks
55The water together by the meer Drinking of water. 66De Anim.
lib. 7. Rondoletius (to whoſe diligence theſe later
times are much beholden for ſundry Obſerva-
77De Piſc.
l. 1. cap. 12. tions concerning the Nature of Aquatils) af-
firms, that his Wife did keep a Fiſh in a Glaſs
of water, without any other Food, for three
Years; in which ſpace it was conſtantly aug-
mented, till at firſt it could not come out of
the place at which it was put in, and at length
was too big for the Glaſs it ſelf, though that
were of a large capacity. Gardan tells us of

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