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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9987That the Moon may be a World. and the Sun on the other ſide of her, then like-
wiſe may we Diſcover theſe brighter Parts
caſting their ſhadows Weſtward.
Whereas in
the full Moon there are none of all theſe to be
feen.
But it may be Objected, that ’tis almoſt Im-
poſſible, and altogether Unlikely, that in the
Moon there ſhould be any Mountains ſo high,
as thoſe Obſervations make them.
For do but
Suppoſe, according to the common Principles,
that the Moons Diameter unto the Earths, is
very neer to the Proportion of 2 to 7.
Suppoſe
withall that theEarthsDiameter contains about
7000.
Italian Miles, and the Moons 2000. (as is
commonly granted.)
Now Galilæus hath Ob-
ſerved, that ſome parts have been Enlightned,
when they were the Twentieth part of the Di-
ameter diſtant from the common term of Illu-
mination.
From whence, it muſt neceſſarily
follow, that there may be ſome Mountains in
the Moon, ſo high, that they are Able to caſt a
ſhadow a 100 Miles off.
An opinion that ſounds
like a Prodigy or a Fiction, wherefore ’tis likely
that either thoſe Appearances are cauſed by
ſomewhat elſe beſides Mountains, or elſe thoſe
are fallibleObſervations, from whence may fol-
low ſuch Improbable, Inconceiveable Conſe-
quences.
But to this I anſwer:
1. You muſt Conſider the height of the
Mountains is but very little, if you compare
them to the Length of their ſhadows.
Sir Walter
11Hiſt. l. 1.c.
7. Sect. 11.
Rawleigh Obſerves, that the Mount Atbos, now
called Lacas, caſt its ſhadow 300 Furlongs, which
is above 37 Miles;
and yet that Mount is

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