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 contents

< >
[11.] PROP. V.
[12.] PROP. VI.
[13.] PROP. VII.
[14.] PROP. VIII.
[15.] PROP. IX.
[16.] PROP. X.
[17.] PROP. XI.
[18.] PROP. XII.
[19.] PROP. XIII.
[20.] PROP. XIV.
[21.] The Firſt Book. That the MOON May be a WORLD. The Firſt Propoſition, by way of Preface.
[22.] Sed vanus ſtolidis hæc omnia finxerit Error.
[23.] Solis lunæq; labores.
[24.] Cum fruſtra reſonant æra auxiliaria Lunæ.
[25.] Una laboranti poterit ſuccerrere Lunæ.
[26.] Gantus & è cælo poſſunt deducere Lunam.
[27.] Cantus & ſi curru lunam deducere tentant, Et facerent, ſi non æra repulſa ſonant.
[28.] PROP. II. That a Plurality of Worlds doth not contradict any Principle of Reaſon or Faith.
[29.] Æſtuas infelix auguſto limite mundi.
[30.] PROP. III. That the Heavens do not conſiſt of any ſuch pure Matter, which can priviledge them from the like Change and Corruption, as theſe Inferiour, Bodies are liable unto.
[31.] Necnon Oceano paſci phæbumque polumq; Gredimus.
[32.] PROP. IV. That the Moon is a Solid, Compacted, Opacous Body.
[33.] PROP. V. That the Moon hath not any Light of her own.
[34.] PROP. VI. That there is a World in the Moon, bath been the direct Opinion of many Ancient, with ſome Modern Mathematicians, and may probably de deduc’d from the Tenents of others.
[35.] PROP. VII. That thoſe Spots and brighter parts, which by our ſight may be diſtinguiſhed in the Moon, do ſhew the difference betwixt the Sea and Land, in that other World.
[36.] PROP. VIII. The Spots repeſent the Sea, and the brighter parts the Land.
[37.] PROP. IX. That there are high Mountains, deep Vallies, and ſpacious Plains in the Body of the Moon.
[38.] PROP. X. That there is an Atmo-ſphæra, or an Orb of groſs, Vaporous Air, immediately encompaſſing the body of the Moon.
[39.] PROP. XI. That as their World is our Moon, ſo our World is their Moon.
[40.] Provehimur portu, terræque urbeſque recedunt.
< >
page |< < (118) of 370 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div140" type="section" level="1" n="41">
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1684" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="118" file="0130" n="130" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
            But enough of this. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1685" xml:space="preserve">You may commonly ſee
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0130-01" xlink:href="note-0130-01a" xml:space="preserve">Clavius in
                <lb/>
              ſphæram.
                <lb/>
              cap. 1.</note>
            it confuted by many other Arguments. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1686" xml:space="preserve">Others
              <lb/>
            there are, who affirm theſe to be ſome new
              <lb/>
            created Stars, produc’d by an extraordinary
              <lb/>
            ſupernatural Power. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1687" xml:space="preserve">I anſwer, true indeed,
              <lb/>
            ’tis poſſible they might be ſo, but however,
              <lb/>
            ’tis not likely they were ſo, ſince ſuch appea-
              <lb/>
            rances may be ſalved ſome other way; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1688" xml:space="preserve">where-
              <lb/>
            fore to fly unto a miracle for ſuch things, were
              <lb/>
            a great Injury to Nature, and to derogate
              <lb/>
            from her skill; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1689" xml:space="preserve">an Indignity miſ-becoming
              <lb/>
            a Man who profeſſes himſelf to be a Philoſo-
              <lb/>
            pher. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1690" xml:space="preserve">Miraculum (ſays one) eſt ignorantiæ Aſy-
              <lb/>
            lum, a Miracle often ſerves for the Recepta-
              <lb/>
            cle of a lazy Ignorance; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1691" xml:space="preserve">which any induſtrious
              <lb/>
            Spirit would be aſham’d of, it being but an
              <lb/>
            idle way to ſhift off the Labour of any further
              <lb/>
            ſearch. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1692" xml:space="preserve">But here’s the miſery of it, we firſt
              <lb/>
            tye our ſelves unto Ariſtotle’s Principles, and
              <lb/>
            then conclude that nothing can contradict ’em,
              <lb/>
            but a Miracle; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1693" xml:space="preserve">whereas ’twould be much bet-
              <lb/>
            ter for the Commonwealth of Learning, if
              <lb/>
            we would ground our Principles rather upon
              <lb/>
            the frequent experiences of our own, than the
              <lb/>
            bare Authority of others.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1694" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1695" xml:space="preserve">Some there are who think, that theſe Co-
              <lb/>
            mets are nothing elſe, but Exhalations from
              <lb/>
            our Earth, carryed up into the higher parts of
              <lb/>
            the Heaven. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1696" xml:space="preserve">So Peno, Rothmannus & </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1697" xml:space="preserve">Galilæus.
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1698" xml:space="preserve">But this is not poſſible, ſince by Computation
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0130-02" xlink:href="note-0130-02a" xml:space="preserve">Tycho Pro-
                <lb/>
              gym. l. 1.
                <lb/>
              c. 9.</note>
            ’tis found, that one of them is above 300 times
              <lb/>
            bigger than the wholeGlobe of Land & </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1699" xml:space="preserve">water.
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s1700" xml:space="preserve">Others therefore have thought that they did
              <lb/>
            proceed from the Body of the Sun, and that
              <lb/>
            Planet only is Gometarum officina, unde </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>