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

List of thumbnails

< >
51
51 (39)
52
52 (40)
53
53 (41)
54
54 (42)
55
55 (43)
56
56 (44)
57
57 (45)
58
58 (46)
59
59 (47)
60
60 (48)
< >
page |< < (155) of 370 > >|
167155That the Moon may be a World.
3. Another way to find the height of this Va-
porous Air, is, by knowing the difſerence of
Altitude, which it cauſeth, in refracting the
Beams of any Star near the Horizon.
And from
this Obſervation alſo, it is uſually concluded to
be about two or three miles high.
But now you muſt not conceive, as if the
Orb of Magnetical Vigor, were bounded in
an exact Superficies, or, as if it did equally
hold out juſt to ſuch a determinate Line, and
no further.
But as it hath been ſaid of the firſt
Region, which is there terminated, where the
Heat of Reflection does begin to Languiſh:
So
likewiſe is it probable, that this Magnetical
Vigor does remit of its degrees proportionably
to its diſtance from the Earth, which is the cauſe
of it:
and therefore though the thicker Clouds
may be elevated no higher, yet this Orb may
be continued in weaker degrees a little beyond
them.
We will ſuppoſe it (which in all like-
lyhood is the moſt) to be about Twenty Miles
high.
So that you ſee the former Theſis remains
probable, that if a Man could but fly, or by
any other means get Twenty Miles upwards, it
were poſſible for him to reach unto the Moon.
But it may be again Objected: Tho’ all this
were true;
though there were ſuch an Orb of
Air which did terminate the Earths vigour:
and tho’ the heavineſs of our Bodies could not
hinder our paſſage, through the vaſt ſpaces of
the Æthereal Air;
yet thoſe two other Impe-
diments may ſeem to deny the poſſibility of
any ſuch Voyage.
1. The extream coldneſs of that Air. If ſome
of our higher Mountains for this reaſon be

Text layer

  • Dictionary

Text normalization

  • Original

Search


  • Exact
  • All forms
  • Fulltext index
  • Morphological index