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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              <pb o="141" file="0153" n="153" rhead="That the Moon may be a World."/>
            this Orb of vaporous Air, it might there reſt
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            immovable, and would not have in it any pro-
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            penſion to this motion of Deſcent.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2053" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2054" xml:space="preserve">For the better illuſtration of this, you muſt
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            know, that the heavineſs of a body, or (as
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              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0153-01" xlink:href="note-0153-01a" xml:space="preserve">De cælo
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              lib.4.cap.1.</note>
            Ariſtotle defines it) the proneneſs of it to tend
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            down unto ſome Centre, is not any abſolute
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            quality intrinſical unto it, as if, whereever the
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            body did retain its Eſſence, it muſt alſo retain
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            this quality: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2055" xml:space="preserve">or as if Nature had emplanted in
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            every condenſed Body Appetitionem centri, & </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2056" xml:space="preserve">
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            fugam extremitatis. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2057" xml:space="preserve">Such a Love to the Cen-
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            tre, and hatred to the Extremities. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2058" xml:space="preserve">Becauſe
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            one of theſe being leſs than a quantity, and the
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            other no more, cannot have any power of At-
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            traction or Diſpulſion in them. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2059" xml:space="preserve">According to
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            that common principle, Quantitatis nulla eſt
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            efficacia.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2060" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2061" xml:space="preserve">But now the true nature of Gravity is this.
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            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2062" xml:space="preserve">
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0153-02" xlink:href="note-0153-02a" xml:space="preserve">A magne-
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              tical natu-
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              ral axtra-
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              ction.
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              So Keplar
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              Somn.
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              Aſtron. N.
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              66.
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              Coper. l. 1.
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              cap. 26.
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              Foſcarin in
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              epiſt. ad
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              Sebaſt.
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              Fantonum.</note>
            ’Tis ſuch a reſpective mutual deſire of Union,
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            whereby condenſed Bodies, when they come
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            within the Sphere of their own Vigour, do
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            naturally apply themſelves, one to another by
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            Attraction or Coition. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2063" xml:space="preserve">But being both with-
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            out the reach of eithers Virtue, they can ceaſe
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            to move, and though they have general Apti-
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            tude, yet they have not any preſent Inclinati-
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            on or proneneſs to one another. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2064" xml:space="preserve">And ſo con-
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            ſequently, cannot be ſtiled heavy.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2065" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
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            <s xml:id="echoid-s2066" xml:space="preserve">The meaning of this will be clearly Illuſtra-
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            ted by a Simtlitude. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2067" xml:space="preserve">As any light Body
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            (ſuppoſe the Sun) does ſend forth his Beams
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            in an orbicular form; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2068" xml:space="preserve">ſo likewiſe any magneti-
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            cal Body, for inſtance, a round Load-ſtone does
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              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0153-03" xlink:href="note-0153-03a" xml:space="preserve">Gilbert de
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              Maguete.
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              l. 2. cap. 7.</note>
            caſt abroad his magnetical Vigour in a Sphere.
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            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2069" xml:space="preserve">Thus.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2070" xml:space="preserve"/>
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