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="91" file="0271" n="271" rhead="That the Earth may be a Planet."/>
            ſine accidente augere, (ſaith Kepler.) </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4054" xml:space="preserve">His
              <lb/>
            meaning is, that ’tis leſs abſurd to imagine
              <lb/>
            the eighth Sphere of ſo vaſt a bigneſs, as
              <lb/>
            long as ’tis without motion, or at leaſt,
              <lb/>
            has but a very ſlow one; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4055" xml:space="preserve">than to attribute
              <lb/>
            unto it ſuch an incredible celerity, as is
              <lb/>
            altogether diſproportionable to its big-
              <lb/>
            neſs.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4056" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4057" xml:space="preserve">2. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4058" xml:space="preserve">’Tis the acknowledgment of Clavius,
              <lb/>
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0271-01" xlink:href="note-0271-01a" xml:space="preserve">Comment.
                <lb/>
              in sphær.
                <lb/>
              cap. 1.</note>
            and might eaſily be demonſtrated, That if
              <lb/>
            the Centre were faſtned upon the Pole of
              <lb/>
            the World, the Orb wherein he ſuppoſes
              <lb/>
            the Sun to move, would not be able to reach
              <lb/>
            ſo far in the eighth Sphere, (being conſi-
              <lb/>
            dered according to Ptolomy's Hypotheſis) as
              <lb/>
            to touch the Pole-ſtar: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4059" xml:space="preserve">which notwith-
              <lb/>
            ſtanding (ſaith he) is ſo near the Pole it
              <lb/>
            ſelf, that we can ſcarce diſcern it to move:
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4060" xml:space="preserve">Nay, that Circle which the Pole-ſtar makes
              <lb/>
            about the Pole, is above four times bigger
              <lb/>
            than the Orb of the Sun. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4061" xml:space="preserve">So that according
              <lb/>
            to the opinion of our Adverſaries, though
              <lb/>
            our Earth were at that diſtance from the
              <lb/>
            Centre, as they ſuppoſe the Sun to be, yet
              <lb/>
            would not this Excentricity make it nearer to
              <lb/>
            any one part of the Firmament, than the
              <lb/>
            Pole-ſtar is to the Pole, which according to
              <lb/>
            his confeſſion, is ſcarce ſenſible. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s4062" xml:space="preserve">And there-
              <lb/>
            fore according to their opinion, it would
              <lb/>
            cauſe very little difference in the appearance
              <lb/>
            of thoſe Stars, the biggeſt of which does
              <lb/>
            not ſeem to be of above five Seconds in its
              <lb/>
            Diameter.</s>
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