Galilei, Galileo, Discourse concerning the natation of bodies, 1663

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    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb pagenum="467"/>
              Needle go to the bottom. </s>
              <s>Now I here doubt, or rather am certain,
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              that a Needle put lightly upon the water, reſts afloat, no leſs than the
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              thin Plates of Iron or Lead. </s>
              <s>I cannot believe, albeit it hath been
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              told me, that ſome to defend
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ariſtotle
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              ſhould ſay, that he intends a
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              Needle demitted not longwayes but endwayes, and with the Point
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              downwards; nevertheleſs, not to leave them ſo much as this, though
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              very weak refuge, and which in my judgement
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ariſtotle
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              himſelf
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              would refuſe, I ſay it ought to be underſtood, that the Needle muſt
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              be demitted, according to the Dimenſion named by
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ariſtotle,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              which
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              is the length: becauſe, if any other Dimenſion than that which is
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              named, might or ought to be taken, I would ſay, that even the Plates
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              of Iron and Lead, ſink to the bottom, if they be put into the water
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              edgewayes and not flatwayes. </s>
              <s>But becauſe
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ariſtotle
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              ſaith, broad
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              Figures go not to the bottom, it is to be underſtood, being demitted
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              broadwayes: and, therefore, when he ſaith, long Figures as a
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              Needle, albeit light, reſt not afloat, it ought to be underſtood of
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              them when demitted longwayes.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Morcover, to ſay that
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Ariſtotle
                <emph type="italics"/>
              is to be underſtood of the Needle
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              mitted with the Point downwards, is to father upon him a great
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              tinency; for in this place he ſaith, that little Particles of Lead or Iron,
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              if they be round or long as a Needle, do ſink to the bottome; ſo that by
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              his Opinion, a Particle or ſmall Grain of Iron cannot ſwim: and if he
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              thus believed, what a great folly would it be to ſubjoyn, that neither
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              would a Needle demitted endwayes ſwim? </s>
              <s>And what other is ſuch a
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              Needle, but many ſuch like Graines accumulated one upon another? </s>
              <s>It
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              was too unworthy of ſuch a man to ſay, that one ſingle Grain of Iron could
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              not ſwim, and that neither can it ſwim, though you put a hundred more
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              upon it.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>Laſtly, either
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ariſtotle
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              believed, that a Needle demitted
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              wayes upon the water, would ſwim, or he believed that it would
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              not ſwim: If he believed it would not ſwim, he might well ſpeak
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              as indeed he did; but if he believed and knew that it would ſloat,
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              why, together with the dubious Problem of the Natation of broad
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              Figure, though of ponderous Matter, hath he not alſo introduced
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              the Queſtion; whence it proceeds, that even long and ſlender
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              gures, howbeit of Iron or Lead do ſwim? </s>
              <s>And the rather, for that
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              the occaſion of doubting ſeems greater in long and narrow Figures,
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              than in broad and thin, as from
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Aristotles
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              not having doubted of it,
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              is manifeſted.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>No leſſer an inconvenience would they faſten upon
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ariſtotle,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              who
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              in his defence ſhould ſay, that he means a Needle pretty thick, and
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              not a ſmall one; for take it for granted to be intended of a ſmall </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
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