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

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      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="040/01/354.jpg" pagenum="334"/>
              ſome more ſublime intelligence. </s>
              <s>In the mean time, if one
                <lb/>
              ſhould tell me, that an immenſe ſpace interpoſed between the
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              Orbs of the Planets and the Starry Sphere, deprived of ſtars and
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              idle, would be vain and uſeleſſe, as likewiſe that ſo great an
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              immenſity for receipt of the fixed ſtars, as exceeds our utmoſt
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              comprehenſion would be ſuperfluous, I would reply, that it is
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              raſhneſſe to go about to make our ſhallow reaſon judg of the
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              Works of God, and to call vain and ſuperfluous, whatſoever
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              thing in the Univerſe is not ſubſervient to us.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg619"/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              God & Nature
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              do imploy
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              ſelves in caring
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              for men, as if they
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              minded nothing
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              elſe.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg620"/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              An example of
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              Gods care of
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              kind taken from
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              the Sun.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>SAGR. </s>
              <s>Say rather, and I believe you would ſay better, that
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg621"/>
                <lb/>
              we know not what is ſubſervient to us; and I hold it one of the
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              greateſt vanities, yea follies, that can be in the World, to ſay,
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              becauſe I know not of what uſe
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Jupiter
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              or
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Saturn
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              are to me, that
                <lb/>
              therefore theſe Planets are ſuperfluous, yea more, that there are
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              no ſuch things
                <emph type="italics"/>
              in rerum natura
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              ; when as, oh fooliſh man! I
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              know not ſo much as to what purpoſe the arteries, the griſtles,
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              the ſpleen, the gall do ſerve; nay I ſhould not know that I have
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              a gall, ſpleen, or kidneys, if in many deſected Corps, they were
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              not ſhewn unto me; and then onely ſhall I be able to know what
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              the ſpleen worketh in me, when it comes to be taken from me.
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              </s>
              <s>To be able to know what this or that Cœleſtial body worketh in
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg622"/>
                <lb/>
              me (ſeeing you will have it that all their influences direct
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              ſelves to us) it would be requiſite to remove that body for ſome
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              time; and then whatſoever effect I ſhould find wanting in me, I
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              would ſay that it depended on that ſtar. </s>
              <s>Moreover, who will
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              ſume to ſay that the ſpace which they call too vaſt and uſeleſſe
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              between
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Saturn
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              and the fixed ſtars, is void of other mundane
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              dies? </s>
              <s>Muſt it be ſo, becauſe we do not ſee them? </s>
              <s>Then the four
                <lb/>
                <arrow.to.target n="marg623"/>
                <lb/>
              Medicean Planets, and the companions of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Saturn
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              came firſt
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              to Heaven, when we began to ſee them, and not before? </s>
              <s>And
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              by this rule the innumerable other fixed ſtars had no exiſtence
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              before that men did look on them? </s>
              <s>and the cloudy
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              ons called
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Nebuloſœ
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              were at firſt only white flakes, but afterwards
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              with the Teleſcope we made them to become conſtellations of
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              many lucid and bright ſtars. </s>
              <s>Oh preſumptious, rather oh raſh
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              ignorance of man!</s>
            </p>
            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg621"/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              It is great
                <lb/>
              neſſe to cenſure
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              that to be
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              ous in the Univerſe,
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              which we do not
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              perceive to be made
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              for us.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg622"/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              By depriving
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              Heaven of ſome
                <lb/>
              ſtar, one might
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              come to know what
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              influence it hath
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              upon us.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="margin">
              <s>
                <margin.target id="marg623"/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Many things
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              may be in Heauen,
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              that are inviſible
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              to us
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>SALV. It's to no purpoſe
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Sagredus,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              to ſally out any more into
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              theſe unprofitable exaggerations: Let us purſue our intended
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              deſigne of examining the validity of the reaſons alledged on
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              ther ſide, without determining any thing, remitting the
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              ment thereof when we have done, to ſuch as are more knowing.
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              </s>
              <s>Returning therefore to our natural and humane diſquiſitions, I
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                <arrow.to.target n="marg624"/>
                <lb/>
              ſay, that great, little, immenſe, ſmall,
                <emph type="italics"/>
              &c.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              are not abſolute,
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              but relative terms, ſo that the ſelf ſame thing compared with
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              divers others, may one while be called immenſe, and another </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
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