I. And yet Columbus has given us good reasons for believing that he can reach India by sailing in a westerly direction.
D. G. Delusion, your Majesty! Admitting that the earth is a sphere, how would it be possible for him to return, if he once descended the sphere in the direction he proposes? Would not the coming back be all up-hill? Could a ship accomplish it even with the most favorable wind?
I. What have you to say to these objections, Columbus?
Col. With your Majesty’s leave, I would suggest that if the earth is a sphere, the same laws of adhesion and motion must operate at every point on its surface.
D. G. Don’t try to make me, a grandee of Spain, believe such stuff as that there are people on the earth who walk with their heads down, like flies on a ceiling! Would not the blood run into my head if I were standing upside down?
Col. I have already answered that objection. If there are people on the earth who are our antipodes, it should be remembered that we are also theirs.
I. To cut short the discussion, you think that the enterprise, which Columbus proposes, is one unworthy of our serious consideration?
D. G. As a matter-of-fact man, I must confess that I do so regard it. Has your Majesty ever seen an embassador from this unknown coast?
I. Have you ever seen an embassador from the unknown world of spirits?
D. G. Certainly not. Through faith we look forward to it.