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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21232That the Earth may be a Planet.
1. What need the King of Babylon ſend
thither to enquire after it?
If you reply,
becauſe it was occaſioned by Hezekiah's Re-
covery.
I anſwer, ’Tis not likely that the
Heathens would ever believe ſo great a Mi-
racle ſhould be wrought, meerly for a Sign
of one Man's recovery from a Diſeaſe;
but
would rather be apt to think that it was
done for ſome more remarkable purpoſe,
and that by ſome of their own Gods, unto
whom they attributed a far greater power,
than unto any other.
'Tis more probable,
that they might hear ſome flying Rumour
of a Miracle that was ſeen in Judea;
which,
becauſe it hapned only in Hezekiab's Houſe
and Dial, and that too upon his recovery
from a dangerous ſickneſs, they might be
more apt to believe that it was a ſign of
it.
2. Why have we no mention made of it
in the Writings of the Ancients?
It is no
way likely, that ſo great a Miracle as this
was (if it were in the Sun) ſhould have
been paſſed over in ſilence;
Eſpecially, ſince
it hapned in thoſe later Times, when there
were many Heathen Writers that flouriſhed
in the World, Heſiod, Archilochus, Symo-
nides;
and not long after, Homer, with di-
vers others;
and yet none of them have the
leaſt mention of any ſuch Prodigy.
We
have many relations of Matters that were
leſs obſervable, which were done about that
Time;
the Hiſtory of Numa Pompilius, Gy-
ges;
the fight betwixt the three

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