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

< >
< >
page |< < (172) of 370 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div329" type="section" level="1" n="65">
          <pb o="172" file="0352" n="352" rhead="That the Earth may be a Planet."/>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5302" xml:space="preserve">Suppoſe the Sun to be ſcituated at A. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5303" xml:space="preserve">Now
              <lb/>
            becauſe Mercury is found by experience to
              <lb/>
            be always very near the Sun, ſo that he does
              <lb/>
            for the moſt part lie hid under his Rays. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5304" xml:space="preserve">As
              <lb/>
            alſo becauſe this Planet hath a more lively
              <lb/>
            vigorous Light than any of the other; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5305" xml:space="preserve">there-
              <lb/>
            fore we may infer, that his Orb is placed
              <lb/>
            next unto the Sun, as that at B.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5306" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5307" xml:space="preserve">As for Venus, ’tis obſerved, That She
              <lb/>
            does always keep at a ſet diſtance from the
              <lb/>
            Sun, never going from him above forty de-
              <lb/>
            grees, or thereabouts; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5308" xml:space="preserve">that her Body ap-
              <lb/>
            pears, through the Perſpective, to be forty
              <lb/>
            times bigger at one time than at another;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5309" xml:space="preserve">that when ſhe ſeems biggeſt and neareſt un-
              <lb/>
            to us, we then diſcern her as being perfectly
              <lb/>
            round. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5310" xml:space="preserve">Therefore doth this Planet alſo
              <lb/>
            move in a Circle that incompaſſeth the Sun: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5311" xml:space="preserve">
              <lb/>
            Which Circle does not contain the Earth
              <lb/>
            within it, becauſe then, Venus would ſome-
              <lb/>
            times be in oppoſition to the Sun; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5312" xml:space="preserve">whereas,
              <lb/>
            ’tis generally granted, that ſhe never yet
              <lb/>
            came ſo far as to be in a Sextile.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5313" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5314" xml:space="preserve">Nor is this Circle below the Sun, (as Pto-
              <lb/>
            lomy ſuppoſeth) becauſe then this Planet, in
              <lb/>
            both its Conjunctions, would appear
              <note symbol="" position="left" xlink:label="note-0352-01" xlink:href="note-0352-01a" xml:space="preserve">Matuti-
                <lb/>
              na, Veſper-
                <lb/>
              tina.</note>
            ned, which ſhe does not.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5315" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5316" xml:space="preserve">Nor is it above the Sun, becauſe then ſhe
              <lb/>
            would always appear in the Full, and never
              <lb/>
            horned.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5317" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5318" xml:space="preserve">From hence it will follow, that this Orb
              <lb/>
            muſt neceſſarily be betwixt the Earth and the
              <lb/>
            Sun, as that at C.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5319" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s5320" xml:space="preserve">As for Mars, ’tis obſerved, That he </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>