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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              <pb o="39" file="0051" n="51" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
            agreed on by the General Conſent of the moſt,
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            and the beſt Philoſophers.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s619" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s620" xml:space="preserve">1. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s621" xml:space="preserve">It is Solid, in Opoſition to Fluid, as is the
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            Air; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s622" xml:space="preserve">for how otherwiſe could it beat back
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            the Light which it receives from the Sun?</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s623" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s624" xml:space="preserve">But here it may be Queſtioned, whether
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            or no the Moon beſtow her light upon us, by
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            the Reflection of the Sun-beams from the Su-
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            perficies of her Body, or elſe by her own illu-
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            mination? </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s625" xml:space="preserve">Some there are who affirm this
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              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0051-01" xlink:href="note-0051-01a" xml:space="preserve">a De Cælo
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              l. 2.com.49.
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              b Ante le-
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              ction.li. 20.
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              c. 4.
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              c De pbæ-
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              nom. Lunæ
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              c. II.</note>
            latter part. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s626" xml:space="preserve">So (a) Averroes, (b) Gælius Rho-
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            diginus, (c) Fulius Gæſar &</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s627" xml:space="preserve">c. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s628" xml:space="preserve">And their Rea-
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            ſon is, becauſe this Light is diſcern'd in many
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            Places, whereas thoſe Bodies which give
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            Light by Reflexion, can there only be percei-
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            ved where the Angel of Reflexion is Equal
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            to the Angel of Incidence, and this is only in
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            one place, as in a Looking Glaſs, thoſe Beams
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            which are reflected from it, cannot be percei-
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            ved in every place where you may ſee the
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            Glaſs, but only there where your Eye is pla-
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            ced on the ſame Line whereon the Beams are
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            Reſlected.</s>
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            <s xml:id="echoid-s630" xml:space="preserve">But to this I anſwer, That the Argument
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            will not hold of ſuch Bodies, whoſe Superfi-
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            cies, is full of Unequal parts and Giboſities
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            as the Moon is. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s631" xml:space="preserve">Wherefore ’tis as well the
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            more probable, as the more common Opini-
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            on, that her Light proceeds from both theſe
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            Cauſes, from Reflexion and Illumination;
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            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s632" xml:space="preserve">nor doth it herein differ from our Earth, ſince
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            that alſo hath ſome Light by Illumination: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s633" xml:space="preserve">
              <lb/>
            for how otherwiſe would the Parts about us
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            in a Sun-ſhine Day appear ſo Bright, when as
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            the Rays of Reflexion cannot Enter into our
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            Eye?</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s634" xml:space="preserve"/>
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