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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331151That the Earth may be a Planet. tion : Eſpecially ſince nature in her other
Operations does never uſe any tedious dif-
ficult means, to perform that which may
as well be accompliſhed by ſhorter and eaſier
ways.
But now, the appearances would be
the ſame, in reſpect of us, if only this lit-
tle Point of Earth were made the ſubject of
theſe Motions, as if the vaſt Frame of the
World, with all thoſe Stars of ſuch num-
ber and bigneſs, were moved about it.
’Tis
a common Maxim, Múdev ’Elxũ Púorv È?
-
11Galen. γὰ@ευαι.
Nature does nothing in vain, but
in all her courſes does take the moſt com-
pendious way.
’Tis not therefore (I ſay)
likely, that the whole Fabrick of the Hea-
vens, which do ſo much exceed our Earth
in magnitude and perfection, ſhould be put
to undergo ſo great and conſtant a Work in
the ſervice of our Earth, which might more
eaſily ſave all that labour, by the Circumvo-
lution of its own Body;
eſpecially, ſince
the Heavens do not by this motion attain
any farther perfection for themſelves, but
are made thus ſerviceable to this little Ball
of Earth.
So that in this caſe it may ſeem
to argue as much improvidence in Nature
to imploy them in this motion, as it would
in a Mother, who in warming her 22Lansberg would rather turn the Fire about that, than
that about the Fire.
Or in a Cook, 33Kep'ar. would not roaſt his Meat, by turning it a-
bout to the Fire;
but rather, by turning
the Fire about it.
Or in a Man, 44Gallilæ-
us.

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