and Leifure,I hope to compenfate for my Defects. But however, what is here wanting in my own, is fufficiently made up from the Observations of others. Of which the learned World hath good ftore fince the Invention of the Telescope; which as it hath made ample discoveries of the Works of God, fo hath laid open a new, and a far more grand and noble fcene of thofe Works than the World before dreamt of, and afforded us a far more Rational Syfteme of the Heavens and the Univerfe, than was before entertained. AND forafmuch as I have frequent occafions in my following Book to fpeak of, and according to, this and fome of the other Syftemes, it is neceffary I fhould, by way of Preface, give fome account of them, to enable fuch perfons to read my Book as are unacquainted with Aftronomical matters.500 AMONG AMONG all the various Systemes, I need take notice only of three, the Ptolemaick, the Copernican, and the New Syfteme. Of each of which in their Order. Of the Ptolemaick Systeme. In the Ptolemaick Systeme the Earth and Waters are fuppofed to be in the Center of the Universe; next to which is the Element of Air,and next above that is the Element of Fire: next that the Orb of Mercury; then that of Venus, then that of the Sun; and above the Sun's Orb, thofe of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and above them all,the Firmament or Orb of the Fixt Stars; then the Crystalline Orbs; and laftly the Calum Empyreum, or Heaven of Heavens. All these maffy Orbs, and vaft Bodies born by them, are, in this Syfteme,fuppofed to move round the terraqueous Globe once in 24 hours: hours: and befides that,in fome other certain periodical times. For the effecting of which Motions, they were forced to contrive fuch Circles as they called Eccentricks and Epicycles,croffing and interfering with one another which I could not represent in so narrow a compass as Fig. 1. is, which is a Scheme of this Ptolemaick Syfteme; which is univerfally maintained by the Peripatetick Philofophers. Of the Copernican Syfteme. THE next Systeme is the Pythagorean or Copernican, being invented as fome imagine by Pythagoras himself. But Diogenes Laertius(1)exprefly faith, That Pythagoras's opinion was, That the World was round, containing the Earth in the midst of it. And by Pliny's account (2) of Pythagoras his Diftan (1) Lib. 8. in Pythagorâ. çes, e ces, and Orders of the Planets, this feems to have been his opinion, But the fame Laertius(3)affirms Philolaus the Pythagorean τ Γῷ κινεῶς κατὰ Κύκλον, πρῶτον ἐπειν. οι 5, Ἱκέτων Συρακέσιον φασίν ; to have been the first that faid the Earth was moved in a Circle: but fome fay Hicetas the Syracufian. So Plutarch in his Life of Numa, fpeaking of Numa's building The Temple of Vefta, faith, he built it round, and that a continual fire was kept therein in imitation of the figure of the Earth, or rather of the whole World it felf, the middle of which the Pythagoreans (not Pythagoras) take to be the Seat of Fire. THIS Syfteme (whoever was the Inventer of it) Copernicus, a Canon of Tourain restored about the beginning of the 15th Century,and was followed therein by many confiderable men, (3) Ibid. in Philolao. a as Rheticus, Maftlinus, Kepler, Rothman, Bullialdus, Lansberge, Herigonius, Schickard, Gaffendus, Galileo, and others. The laft of which (by the ill will and inftigation of Pope Urban VIII. as 'tis fuppofed) had the misfortune to fall under the cenfure of, and to have his Copernican Tenets condemned by,the Inquifition, and was forced to abjure them. The particulars of which, if the Reader hath a mind to fee, he may find them in Riccioli's Almageft. (4). ACCORDING to this Syfteme, the Sun is fuppofed to be in the Center, and the Heavens and Earth to revolve round about him according to their several Periods: firft Mercury in near 88 days; then Venus in fomewhat above 224 days; then the Earth, with its Satellite the Moon, in (4) Lib. 9. Sect. 4. Cap. 40. 368 |