Taus having made it evident, that particularly our own Globe received its Figure by the direction of the infinitely wife Architect of all things: we have reason, had we none befides, to conclude the fame of all the rest of the Globes of the Universe, inafmuch as they agree with ours in other things as well as in their Figure, fo far as we have any knowledge of Them, and their State. Thus the Planets of the Solar Systeme have their Light from the Sun as well as we; they turn round on their own Axes, and revolve round the Sun, and confequently have their Days and Nights, their Summers and Winters as well as we; they have their Hills and Valleys as I faid, their Land and Waters, by all the Signs that may be, as well as we; and therefore agreeing with our Globe in fo many of thofe very things wherein their Figure is concerned, had we none of thofe Reasons I K 4 have have already mentioned, there would however be great reason to prefume the fame thing of them as of our Earth, viz. That they received their Figure from the fame wife CREATOR, and that (were we near enough to behold them) they have as manifeft Signals of it as we. BOOK BOOK VI. OF THE Attraction or Gravity OF THE Terraqueous, and the other Globes. CHAP. I. The Usefulness of Attraction in the production and prefervation of the Figure of the Earth, and the Defcent of Hea vy Bodies. AVING in the two, laft confider their Gravity or Attraction, which according to the modern Philofophy (which hath great reason and probability on its fide) hath a great agency in both these matters, both in effecting and preferving the Figure of the Globes, and governing their Motion. As to the agency of the natural Attraction of Matter in theproduction and prefervation of a spherical figure, as that of the several Globes is,befides what hath been before supposed, it may be collected from the spherical figure which most Fluids take, when there is no obftacle to hinder their doing fo. Thus I have faid Quick filver manifeftly doth, efpecially in fmall drops or quantities; in which case their own felf attracting power is equal to, or exceeds that of the earth: fo doth Lead and other Metals when in fluxion (1); fo doth Water, Oyl, and (1) This is very manifeft from the making of Shot. The way of doing which, is by run in in fhort all Liquids, which run nearly into a spherical form, when hung: on a small surface, as at the point of a Pin; or into an hemifpherical figure, on a broader surface; their Self-Attraction causing the former, as that of the Earth and the Surface on which they lye doth the latter. Thefe Phanomena have indeed been afcribed to divers Causes, most of them improbable enough, except the Preffure of the incumbent Air: but this is manifeftly not the true Caufe, by reason the cafe is the very fame in the Air-Pump (when the Preffure is taken off) as in the free ning the melted Lead through a Ladle full of holes into cold water. In doing which they take care their Lead be not too hot, because the globules would then fly to pieces; nor too cold, because it would then be long and have tails; but in a due temper it turns round. They put Orpiment into their Lead, when they melt and prepare it for Shot. |