Page:Mathematical collections and translations, in two tomes - Salusbury (1661).djvu/281

 pearing in Cassiopeia, tell me, Simplicius, whether you believe that it might be in the same time placed in divers places, that is, amongst the Elements, aud also amongst the planetary Orbs, and also above these amongst the fixed Stars, and yet again infinitely more high.

There is no doubt, but that it ought to be confessed that it is but in one only place, and at one sole and determinate distance from the Earth.

Therefore if the observations made by the Astronomers were exact, and the calculations made by this Author were not erroneous, it were easie from all those and all these to recollect the same distances alwayes to an hair, is not this true?

My reason hitherto tells me that so it must needs be; nor do I believe that the Author would contradict it.

But when of many and many computations that have been made, there should not be so much as two onely that prove true, what would you think of them?

I would think that they were all false, either through the fault of the computist, or through the defect of the observators, and at the most that could be said, I would say, that but onely one of them and no more was true; but as yet I know not which to choose.

Would you then from false fundamentals deduce and establish a doubtful conclusion for true? Certainly no. Now the calculations of this Author are such, that no one of them agrees with another, you may see then what credit is to be given to them.

Indeed, if it be so, this is a notable failing.

But by the way I have a mind to help Simplicius, and the Author by telling Salviatus, that his arguments would hold good if the Author had undertook to go about to find out exactly the distance of the Star from the Earth, which I do not think to be his intention; but onely to demonstrate that from those observations he collected that the Star was sublunary. So that if from those observations, and from all the computations made thereon, the height of the Star be alwayes collected to be lesse than that of the Moon, it serves the Authors turn to convince all those Astronomers of most impardonable ignorance, that through the defect either of Geometry or Arithmetick, have not known how to draw true conclusions from their own observations themselves.

It will be convenient therefore that I turn my self to you, Sagredus, who so cunningly aphold the Doctrine of this Author. And to see whether I can make Simplicius, though not very expert in calculations, and demonstrations to apprehend the