Page:The Strange Voyage and Adventures of Domingo Gonsales, to the World in the Moon.djvu/33

Rh perceived also that this World was the greatest Part covered with a huge mighty Sea, those Parts only being dry Land which are to us somewhat darker than the rest of her Body, I mean, what the Country People call, The Man in the Moon, and that Part which shines so bright is another Ocean besprinkled with Islands, which for their Smallness we cannot discern so far off; so that the Splendor which appears to us in the Night, is nothing but the Reflection of the Sun-beams returned to us out of the Water as from a Lookinglass. How much this disagrees with what our Philosophers teach in the Schools is evident: But alas, how many of their Errors hath Time and Experience in this our Age, and among other vain Conjectures, who hath not hitherto believed the upper Region of the Air to be very hot; as being next, forsooth, to the natural Place of the Element of Fire; meer Vanities, Fancies and Dreams: For after I was once free from the attractive Beams of that tyrannous Load-stone the Earth, I found the Air altogether serene, without Winds, Rain, Mists or Clouds, neither hot nor cold, but constantly pleasant, calm and comfortable, till my Arrival in that New World of the Moon; as for that Region of Fire, our Philosophers talk of, I heard no News of it, mine Eyes have sufficiently informed me there is no such Thing.

The Earth had now by turning about shewed me all her Parts twelve Times, when I finished my Course; for when my Reckoning it seemed to be (as indeed it was) Tuesday, September 11, at which Time the Moon being two Days old was in the twentieth Degree of Libra) my Gansas seemed by one Consent to stay their Course, and rested for certain Hours, after which they took their Flight, and in less than an Hour set me on the Top of an Rh