Page:A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More.djvu/181

 it by any reflexion from the Clouds. For besides that reflexion makes the images more dim then direct sight, such a distance from the Army to the clouds, and then from the clouds to our eye, will lessen the species so exceedingly that they will not at all be visible.

5. Or if we could imagine that there might be sometimes such an advantage in the figure of these Clouds as might in some sort remedy this lessening of the species, yet their surfaces are so exceeding rudely polish'd, and reflexion (which, as I said, is ever dim enough of it self,) is here so extraordinarily imperfect, that they can never be able, according to the course of Nature, to return the species of Terrestriall Objects back again to our sight, it being so evident that they are unfit for what is of far lesse difficulty. For we never finde them able to reflect the image of a Star, whenas not onely glasse, but every troubled pool or dirty plash of water in the high-way does usually doe it.

6. But that it is far easier for a Star then for any of these Objects here upon Earth to be reflected to our Eyes by those rude naturall Looking glasses placed among the Clouds, sundry reasons will sufficiently inform us.

For first, The Stars do not abate at all of their usuall magnitude in which they ordinarily appear to us by this reflexion, the difference of many hundreds of Leagues making no difference of magnitude in them; for indeed the distance of the Diameter of the Orbite of the Earth makes none, as must be acknowledged by all those that admit of the annual motion thereof. But a very few miles do exceedingly diminish the usual bigness of the species of an Horse or Man, even to that littleness that they grow invisible. What then will become of his sword, shield or spear? And in these cases we now speak of, how great a journey the species have from the Earth to the Cloud that reflects them, I have intimated before.

7. Secondly, it is manifest that a Star hath the preeminence above these Terrestrial objects, in that it is as pure a light as the Sun, though not so big, but they but opake coloured bodies; and that therefore there is no comparison betwixt the vigour and strength of the species of a Star and of them.

8. Thirdly, in the Night-time the Eye being placed in the shadow of the Earth, those reflexions of a Star will be yet more easily visible; whenas the great light of the Sun by Day must needs much debilitate these reflected Images of the Objects upon the Earth, his beams striking our Eyes with so strong vibrations.

9. Fourthly and lastly, there being Stars all over the Firmament so as there is, it should seem a hundred times more easie for natural Causes to hit upon a Paraster or Parastron (for let Analogie embolden me so to call these seldome or never seen Phænomena, the image of a single Star or whole Constellation reflected from the Clouds) then upon a Parelios or Paraselene. But now the story of these is more then an hundred times more frequent then that of the Paraster. For it is so seldome discovered, that it is doubted whether it be or no, or rather acknowledged not to be; of which there can be no reason, but that the clouds are so ill polished that