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

Table of figures

< >
< >
page |< < (5) of 370 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div195" type="section" level="1" n="55">
          <p style="it">
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2545" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="5" file="0185" n="185" rhead="That the Earth may be a Planet."/>
            Or, how might any thing confirmed be,
              <lb/>
            For publick uſe, by its Antiquity?</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2546" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2547" xml:space="preserve">But for more full ſatisfaction of all thoſe
              <lb/>
            ſcruples that may ariſe from the ſeeming
              <lb/>
            Novelty or Singularity of this Opinion, I
              <lb/>
            ſhall propoſe theſe following conſiderations.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2548" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2549" xml:space="preserve">Suppoſe it were a Novelty: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2550" xml:space="preserve">Yet ’tis in
              <lb/>
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0185-01" xlink:href="note-0185-01a" xml:space="preserve">Conſid. 1.</note>
            Philoſophy, and that is made up of nothing
              <lb/>
            elſe; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2551" xml:space="preserve">but receives addition from every days
              <lb/>
            experiment. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2552" xml:space="preserve">True indeed, for Divinity we
              <lb/>
            have an infallible rule that do’s plainly in-
              <lb/>
            form us of all neceſſary Truths; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2553" xml:space="preserve">and there-
              <lb/>
            fore the Primitive Times are of greater Au-
              <lb/>
            thority, becauſe they were nearer to thoſe
              <lb/>
            holy Men who were the Pen-Men of Scrip-
              <lb/>
            ture. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2554" xml:space="preserve">But now for Philoſophy, there is no
              <lb/>
            ſuch reaſon: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2555" xml:space="preserve">Whatever the School-Men
              <lb/>
            may talk; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2556" xml:space="preserve">yet Ariſtotle’s works are not
              <lb/>
            neceſſarily true, and he himſelf hath by ſuf-
              <lb/>
            ficient Arguments proved himſelf to be lia-
              <lb/>
            ble unto errour. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2557" xml:space="preserve">Now in this caſe, if we
              <lb/>
            ſhould ſpeak properly, Antiquity does con-
              <lb/>
            ſiſt in the old age of the World, not in the
              <lb/>
            youth of it. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2558" xml:space="preserve">In ſuch Learning as may be in-
              <lb/>
            creaſed by freſh experiments and new diſ-
              <lb/>
            co eries: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2559" xml:space="preserve">’Tis we are the Fathers, and of
              <lb/>
            more Authority than former Ages; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2560" xml:space="preserve">becauſe
              <lb/>
            we have the advantage of more time than
              <lb/>
            they had, and Truth (we ſay) is the Daugh-
              <lb/>
            ter of Time. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2561" xml:space="preserve">However, there is nothing
              <lb/>
            in this Opinion ſo Magiſterially propoſed,
              <lb/>
            but the Reader may uſe his own liberty;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2562" xml:space="preserve">and if all the reaſons conſidered </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>