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 handwritten notes

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          <pb o="109" file="0121" n="121" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1569" xml:space="preserve">1. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1570" xml:space="preserve">Conſider its Opacity; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1571" xml:space="preserve">if you mark theſe
              <lb/>
            Sublunary things, you ſhall perceive that a-
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            mongſt them, thoſe that are moſt perſpicuous
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            are not ſo well able to reverberate the Sun-
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            beams, as the thicker Bodies. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1572" xml:space="preserve">The Rays paſs
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            ſingly through a Diaphanous matter, but in an
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            Opacous Subſtance they are doubled in their
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            Return, and multiplyed by Reflection. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1573" xml:space="preserve">Now
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            if the Moon and the other Planets can ſhine
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            ſo clearly by beating back the Sun Beams, why
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            may not the Earth alſo ſhine as well, which
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            agrees with them in the cauſe of this Bright-
              <lb/>
            neſs their Opacity?</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1574" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1575" xml:space="preserve">2. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1576" xml:space="preserve">Conſider what a clear Light we may diſ-
              <lb/>
            cern reflected from the Earth in the midſt of
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            Summer, and withal conceive how much
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            greater that muſt be which is under the Line,
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            where the Rays are more directly and ſtrongly
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            Reverberated.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1577" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1578" xml:space="preserve">3. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1579" xml:space="preserve">’Tis conſiderable that though the Moon
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            does in the Night time ſeem to be of ſo clear
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            a Brightneſs, yet when we look upon it in the
              <lb/>
            Day, it appears like ſome little whitiſh Cloud:
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            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1580" xml:space="preserve">Not but that at both times, ſhe is of an equal
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            Light in her ſelf. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1581" xml:space="preserve">The Reaſon of this diffe-
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            rence is, becauſe in the Night we look upon
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            it through a dark and obſcure medium, there
              <lb/>
            being no other enlightned Body, whoſe bright-
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            neſs may abate from this: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1582" xml:space="preserve">whereas in the day
              <lb/>
            time, the whole Heavens round about it, are
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            of an equal clearneſs, and ſo make it to appear
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            with a weaker Light. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1583" xml:space="preserve">Now becauſe we can-
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            not ſee how the enlightned parts of our Earth
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            do look in the Night, therefore in comparing
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            it with the Moon, we muſt not conſider </s>
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