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cover the sun in the equator. Thus would there nothing fructify either near or under them, the sun being horizontal to the poles, and of no considerable altitude unto parts a reasonable distance from them. Again, unto a right sphere, or such as dwell under the equator, although it made a difference in day and night, yet would it not make any distinction of seasons; for unto them it would be constant summer, it being always vertical, and never deflecting from them. So had there been no fructification at all, and the countries subjected would be as unhabitable, as indeed antiquity conceived them.

Lastly, it moving thus upon the equator, unto what position soever, although it had made a day, yet could it have made no year, for it could not have had those two motions3 now ascribed unto it, that is, from east to west, whereby it makes the day, and likewise from west to east, whereby the year is computed. For according to received astronomy, the poles of the equator are the same with those of the primum mobile. Now it is impossible that on the same circle, having the same poles, both these motions, from opposite terms, should be at the same time performed, all which is salved, if we allow an obliquity in his annual motion, and conceive him to move upon the poles of the zodiack, distant from those of the world, twenty-three degrees and an half. Thus may we discern

3 two motions.] The motion from east to west is cald the motion of the world, bycause by itt all the whole frame of the universe is carved round every 24 hores, and among the rest of the cælestial lights the sun alsoe, to whom this motion does not belong but passively onlye, and therefore heere was noe feare of crossing that undoubted principle which unavoydably recoyls upon the Copernicans, who to make good their hypothesis, fancye a rotation of dinetical, that is, a whirlinge rapture of the earthe about his owne axe every 24 houres, that is, 900 miles every howre, which is more impossible then for the heaven which wee call the primum mobile to turne about 400,000 miles every houre; unless they thinke that he who made itt soe infinitelye vast in compasse and in distance from us, could not make itt as swift in motion alsoe, as he

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the necessity of its obliquity, and how inconvenient its motion had been upon a circle parallel to the equator, or upon the equator itself.

Now with what providence this obliquity is determined, we shall perceive upon the ensuing inconveniences from any deviation. For first, if its obliquity had been less (as instead of twenty-three degrees, twelve or the half thereof) the vicissitude of seasons appointed for the generation of all things would surely have been too short; for different seasons would have huddled upon each other, and unto some it had not been much better than if it had moved on the equator. But had the obliquity been greater than now it is, as double, or of 40 degrees, several parts of the earth had not been able to endure the disproportionable differences of seasons, occasioned by the great recess, and distance of the sun. For unto some habitations the summer would have been extreme hot, and the winter extreme cold; likewise the summer temperate unto some, but excessive and in extremity unto others, as unto those who should dwell under the tropick of Cancer, as then would do some part of Spain, or ten degrees beyond, as Germany, and some part of England, who would have summers as now the Moors of Africa. For the sun would sometime be vertical unto them; but they would have winters like those beyond the arctic circle, for in that season the sun would be removed above 80 degrees from them. Again, it would be temperate to some habitations in the summer, but very extreme in the winter; temperate to those in two or three degrees beyond the arctic circle, as now it is unto us, for they would be equidistant from that tropic, even as we are from this at present. But the winter would be extreme, the sun being removed above an hundred degrees, and so consequently would not be visible in their horizon, no position of sphere discovering any star distant above 90 degrees, which is the distance of every zenith from the horizon. And thus, if the obliquity of this circle had been less, the vicissitude of seasons had been so small as not to be distinguished; if greater, so large and disportionable as not to be endured.

Now for its situation, although it held this ecliptic line, yet

had it been seated in any other orb,5 inconveniences would ensue of condition unlike the former; for had it been placed in the lowest sphere of the moon, the year would have consisted but of one month, for in that space of time it would have passed through every part of the ecliptic; so would there have been no reasonable distinction of seasons required for the generation and fructifying of all things, contrary seasons which destroy the effects of one another so suddenly succeeding. Besides, by this vicinity unto the earth, its heat had been intolerable; for if, as many affirm, there is a different sense of heat from the different points of its proper orb, and that in the apogeum or highest point, which happeneth in Cancer, it is not so hot under that tropic, on this side the equator, as unto the other side in the perigeum or lowest part of the eccentric, which happeneth in Capricornus, surely, being placed in an orb far lower, its heat would be unsufferable, nor needed we a fable to set the world on fire.

But had it been placed in the highest orb, or that of the eighth sphere, there had been none but Plato's year, and a far less distinction of seasons; for one year had then been many, and according unto the slow revolution of that orb which absolveth not his course in many thousand years, no Iman had lived to attain the account thereof. These are the inconveniences ensuing upon its situation in the extreme orbs, and had it been placed in the middle orbs of the planets, there would have ensued absurdities of a middle nature unto them.

Now whether we adhere unto the hypothesis of Copernicus,7 affirming the earth to move and the sun to stand still; or whether we hold, as some of late have concluded, from the spots in the sun, which appear and disappear again, that

5 orb.] Orbit.

6 as many affirm.] Especially Scaliger, in that admirable work of his exercitations upon Cardan de Subtilitate. Exercit. 99, § 2, p. 342.-Wr.

7 Copernicus.] Copernicus, to make good his hypothesis, is forced to ascribe a triple motion to the earthe; the first annuall, round about the sonne, which hee places in the midst of the universe, and the earthe to bee caryed, as the sonne

was ever supposed to be, in a middle orbe between Venus and Mars; the second not a motion of declination from the æquator to bothe the tropicks onlye, causinge the different seasons of the yeare, but more properlye a motion of inclination likewise to the sonne, which supposes also the poles of the earth to bee mooved, and the third motion is that called dineticall, or rotation upon his owne axis, causing day and night.-Wr.

besides the revolution it maketh with its orbs, it hath also a dinetical motion, and rolls upon its own poles; whether I say we affirm these or no, the illations before mentioned are not thereby infringed. We therefore conclude this contemplation, and are not afraid to believe it may be literally said of the wisdom of God, what men will have but figuratively spoken of the works of Christ, that if the wonders thereof were duly described, the whole world, that is, all within the last circumference, would not contain them. For as his wisdom is infinite, so cannot the due expressions thereof be finite, and if the world comprise him not, neither can it comprehend the story of him.

CHAPTER VI.

Concerning the vulgar opinion, that the earth was slenderly peopled before the flood.

BESIDE the slender consideration, men of latter times do hold of the first ages, it is commonly opinioned, and at first thought generally imagined, that the earth was thinly inhabited, at least not remotely planted, before the flood, whereof there being two opinions, which seem to be of some extremity, the one too largely extending, the other too narrowly contracting the populosity of those times, we shall not pass over this point without some enquiry into it. 9

8 dinetical. Signifies whirlinge, from diva, which in the Greeke is a whirlpole, soe that the dineticall motion of the son is such, in their opinion, as that of the materiall globes, which wee make to turne upon their axis in a frame.-Wr.

9 whereof, &c.] Instead of this passage, the first five editions have the following: "So that some conceiving it needless to be universal, have made the deluge particular, and about those parts where Noah built his ark; which opinion, because it

is not only injurious to the text, human history, and common reason, but also derogatory to the great work of God, the universal inundation, it will be needful to make some further inquisition; and although predetermined by opinion, whether many might not suffer in the first flood, as they shall in the last flame, that is who knew not Adam nor his offence, and many perish in the deluge, who never heard of Noah or the ark of his preservation."

Now for the true enquiry thereof, the means are as obscure as the matter, which being naturally to be explored by history, human or divine, receiveth thereby no small addition of obscurity. For as for human relations, they are so fabulous in Deucalion's flood, that they are of little credit about Ogyges' and Noah's. For the heathens, as Varro accounteth, make three distinctions of time. The first from the beginning of the world unto the general deluge of Ogyges, they term Adelon,1 that is, a time not much unlike that which was before time, immanifest and unknown; because thereof there is almost nothing or very obscurely delivered; for though divers authors have made some mention of the deluge, as Manethon the Egyptian Priest, Xenophon, De Equivocis, Fabius Pictor, De Aureo seculo, Mar. Cato, De Originibus, and Archilochus the Greek, who introduceth also the testimony of Moses, in his fragment De Temporibus; yet have they delivered no account of what preceded or went before. Josephus, I confess, in his discourse against Appion, induceth the antiquity of the Jews unto the flood, and before, from the testimony of human writers, insisting especially upon Maseus of Damascus, Jeronymus Ægyptius, and Berosus; and confirming the long duration of their lives, not only from these, but the authority of Hesiod, Erathius, Hellanicus, and Agesilaus. Berosus, the Chaldean Priest, writes most plainly, mentioning the city of Enos, the name of Noah and his sons, the building of the ark, and also the place of its landing. And Diodorus Siculus hath in his third book a passage, which examined, advanceth as high as Adam; for the Chaldeans, saith he, derive the original of their astronomy and letters forty three thousand years before the monarchy of Alexander the Great; now the years whereby they computed the antiquity of their letters, being, as Xenophon interprets, to be accounted lunary, the compute will arise unto the time

1 Adelon.] To the heathen who either importes, whereas in the church of God, knew nothing of the creation, or at least the third, (which they call historicall, and beleeved itt not, the first distinction of began not till after the 3000th yeare of time must needs bee onλov, that is the world's creation with them,) was conutterly unknowne, for the space of 1656 tinued in a perfect narration and unfrom the creation to the flood, and the questionable historye from the beginning second, the mythicon, little better, as the of time through those 3000 yeares.-Wr. very name they give itt, (yt is fabulous,)

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