Salusbury, Thomas, Mathematical collections and translations (Tome I), 1667

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              <s>
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              ture, and which is, in a word, the habitation of all animals, and
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              the womb of all vegetables?</s>
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              <s>SIMP. </s>
              <s>Tis this that I would affirm to be the ſubſtance of this
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              our Globe.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>SALV. </s>
              <s>But in this you do, in my judgment, affirm that which
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              is not right: for this Earth which is broke up, is ſowed, and is
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              fertile, is but one part, and that very ſmall of the ſurface of the
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              Globe, which doth not go very deep, yea, its depth is very ſmall,
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              in compariſon of the diſtance to the centre: and experience
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              ſheweth us, that one ſhall not dig very low, but one ſhall finde
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              matters very different from this exteriour ſcurf, more ſolid, and
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              not good for the production of vegetables. </s>
              <s>Beſides the interne
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              parts, as being compreſſed by very huge weights that lie upon
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              them, are, in all probability, ſlived, and made as hard as any
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              hard rock. </s>
              <s>One may adde to this, that fecundity would be in
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              vain conferred upon thoſe matters which never were deſigned to
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              bear fruit, but to reſt eternally buried in the profound and dark
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              abyſſes of the Earth.</s>
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              <s>SIMP. </s>
              <s>But who ſhall aſſure us, that the parts more inward
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              and near to the centre are unfruitful? </s>
              <s>They alſo may, perhaps,
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              have their productions of things unknown to us?</s>
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              <s>SALV. </s>
              <s>You may aſwell be aſſured thereof, as any man elſe,
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              as being very capable to comprehend, that if the integral bodies
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              of the Univerſe be produced onely for the benefit of Mankind,
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              this above all the reſt ought to be deſtin d to the ſole
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              ces of us its inhabitants. </s>
              <s>But what beneſit can we draw from
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              matters ſo hid and remote from us, as that we ſhall never be
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg697"/>
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              ble to make uſe of them? </s>
              <s>Therefore the interne ſubſtance of
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              this our Globe cannot be a matter frangible, diſſipable, and
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              coherent, like this ſuperficial part which we call ^{*} EARTH: but
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg698"/>
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              it muſt, of neceſſity, be a moſt denſe and ſolid body, and in a
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              word, a moſt hard ſtone. </s>
              <s>And, if it ought to be ſo, what reaſon
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              is there that ſhould make you more ſcrupulous to believe that it
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              is a Loadſtone than a Porphiry, a Jaſper, or other hard
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              ble? </s>
              <s>Happily if
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Gilbert
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              had written, that this Globe is all
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg699"/>
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              pounded within of ^{*}
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              Pietra Serena,
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              or of
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              Chalcedon,
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              the paradox
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              would have ſeemed to you leſſe exorbitant?</s>
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            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg697"/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              The interne parts
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              of the terreſtrial
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              Globe muſt of
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              ceſſity be ſolid.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg698"/>
              * Or MOULD.</s>
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            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg699"/>
              Of which with
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              the Latin
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              tour, I muſt once
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              more profeſſe my
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              ſelf ignorant.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>SIMP. </s>
              <s>That the parts of this Globe more intern are more
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              compreſſed, and ſo more ſlived together and ſolid, and more
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              and more ſo, according as they lie lower, I do grant, and ſo
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              likewiſe doth
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              Ariſtotle,
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              but that they degenerate and become
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              other than Earth, of the ſame ſort with this of the ſuperficial
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              parts, I ſee nothing that obliege h me to believe.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>SALV. </s>
              <s>I undertook not this diſcourſe with an intent to prove
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              demonſtratively that the primary and real ſubſtance of this our </s>
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