From the diſcoveries of our Age. I might add much here of the late Diſcoveries, moſt of them of this Age, which have been made in all ſorts of Natural Knowledge as well as in Geometry and Aſtronomy, as of the Weight and Spring of the Air, of the Chymical Experiments that have ſhown us a way of making Liquors that ſhall ſhine in the Dark, and with gentle moving ſhall burn of themſelves. I might mention the Circulation of the Blood through the Veins and Arteries, which was underſtood indeed before; but now, by the help of the Microſcope, has an ocular demonſtration [[99]]in the Tails of ſome Fiſhes: of the Generation of Animals, which now is found to be performed no otherwiſe than by the Seed of one of the ſame kind; and that in the Seed of the Male are diſcover’d, by the help of Glaſſes, Millions of ſprightly little Animals, which it’s probable are the very Offspring of the Animals themſelves: a ſurpriſing thing, and never before now known!
The Planets have, tho’ not theſe ſame, yet as uſeful Inventions. Thus have I put together all theſe late Diſcoveries of our Earth: and now, tho’ perhaps ſome of them may be common to the Planetary Inhabitants with us, yet that they ſhould have all of them is not credible. But then they may have ſomewhat to make up that Defect, others as good and as uſeful, and as wonderful, that we want. We have allow’d that they may have rational Creatures among them, and Geometricians, and Muſicians: We have prov’d that they live in Societies, have Hands and Feet, are guarded with Houſes and Walls: Wherefore if a Man could be carried thither by ſome powerful Genius, ſome Mercury, I don’t [[100]]doubt ’twould be a very curious ſight, curious beyond all Imagination, to ſee the odd ways, and the unuſual manner of their ſetting about any thing, and their ſtrange methods of living. But ſince there’s no hopes of our going ſuch a Journey, we muſt be contented with what’s in our Power: we may ſuppoſe our ſelves there, and inquire as far as we can into the Aſtronomy of each Planet, and ſee in what manner the Heavens preſent themſelves to their Inhabitants. We ſhall make ſome Obſervations of the Eminence of each of them, in reſpect of their Magnitude, and number of Moons they have to wait on them; and ſhall propoſe a new Method of coming to ſome Knowledge of the incredible diſtance of the ſix’d Stars. But firſt after this long and deep Thoughtfulneſs we will give our ſelves a little Reſt, and ſo put an end to this Book. [[101]]
[1] The Author invented the Pendulum for Clocks. [↑]
New Conjectures concerning the Planetary Worlds.
BOOK the Second.
’Twas a pretty many Years ago that I chanc’d to light upon Athanaſius Kircher’s Book, call’d The Ecſtatick Journey, which treats of the nature of the Stars, and of the Things that are to be found in the Superficies of the Planets: I wondered to ſee nothing there of what I had often thought not improbable, but quite other Things, nothing but a Heap of idle unreaſonable Stuff: which I was the more confirm’d in, when, after the writing of the former part, I ran over the Book again. And I thought mine were very conſiderable and weighty Matters if compar’d with Kircher’s. That other People may be ſatisfied in this, and ſee how vainly thoſe, who caſt off the only Foundations of Probability in ſuch Matters, which we have all the way made uſe of, pretend to philoſophize [[102]]in this caſe, I think it will not be beſide the Purpoſe to beſtow ſome few Reflections upon that Book.
Kircher’s Journey in Ecſtacy examin’d. That ingenious Man ſuppoſing himſelf carried by ſome Angel thro’ the vaſt Spaces of Heaven, and round the Stars, tells us, he ſaw a great many things, ſome of which he had out of the Books of Aſtronomers, the reſt are the Product of his own Fancy and Thoughts. But, before he enters upon his Journey, he lays down theſe two Things as certain; that no Motion muſt be allowed the Earth, and that God has made nothing in the Planets, no not ſo much as Herbs, which has either Life or Senſe in it. Leaving then the Syſtem of Copernicus, he chuſes Tycho for his Guide. But when he ſuppoſes all the fix’d Stars to be Suns, and round each of them places their Planets, here (againſt his Will I ſuppoſe) he has unawares made an infinite number of Copernican Syſtems. All which, beſide their own Motion, he abſurdly makes to be carried, with an incredible ſwiftneſs, in twenty four Hours round the Earth. Since moſt [[103]]of theſe Worlds are out of the Reach of any Man’s ſight, as he owns they are, I cannot think for what purpoſe he makes ſo many Suns to ſhine upon deſolate Lands (like our Earth in every thing, he ſays, only that they have neither Plants nor Animals) where there’s no one to whom they ſhould give light. And from hence he ſtill falls into more and more Abſurdities. And becauſe he could find no other uſe of the Planets, even in our Syſtem, he is forc’d to beg Help of the Aſtrologers; and would have all thoſe vaſt Bodies made upon no other account than that the whole Univerſe might be preſerved and continue ſecure by their means, and that they might govern the Mind of Man by their various and regular Influences. Accordingly, to gratify Aſtrology, he ſays that Venus was the moſt pleaſant Place, every thing fine and handſome, its Light gentle, its Waters ſweet and purling, and it ſelf beſet all about with ſhining Chryſtals. In Jupiter he found wholeſome and ſweet Gales, delicate Waters, and a Land ſhining like Silver. For from [[104]]theſe two Planets it ſeems, Men have all that is happy and healthful poured down upon them; and all that renders them handſome and lovely, wiſe and grave, is owing to their Influences. Mercury had I don’t know what Airineſs and Briskneſs in it; whence Men derive, when they are firſt born, all their Wit and Cunning. Mars was nothing but infernal, ſtinking, black Flames and Smoke: and Saturn was all melancholy, dreadful, naſty, and dark: for theſe are the Planets (I don’t know why, but all Fortune-tellers hate them) that bring all the Plagues and Miſchiefs that we feel upon us, and would exerciſe their Spite ſtill more, unleſs they were ſometimes mitigated and corrected by the benign and kind Influences of the other Planets. All this and ſuch like Stuff his Genius teaches him. Which he makes give a ſerious Anſwer to this idle Queſtion, Whether a Jew or Heathen could be duly and rightly baptized in the Waters of Venus? Of him too he learns that the Heaven of the fix’d Stars is not made of ſolid Matter, but of a thin fluid, [[105]]wherein an innumerable company of Stars and Suns lie floating here and there, not chain’d down to any Place, (thus far he’s in the right) and deſcribing in the Space of a Day theſe prodigious Circles round the Earth. He forgets here, if there were ſuch a Motion, with what an incredible ſwiftneſs they would fly off from every part of their Orbits. But I ſuppoſe the Intelligences that he has plac’d in them are to take care of that, thoſe Angels that preſide over, and regulate their Motions. And in that he follows a company of Doctors that harbour’d that idle fancy of Ariſtotle upon no Account or Conſideration. But Copernicus has freed thoſe Intelligences of all that Labour and Trouble, only by bringing in the Motion of the Earth: which, if upon no other Account, every one that is not blind purpoſely, muſt own to be neceſſary upon this. I dare ſay Kircher, if he had dar’d freely to ſpeak his Mind, could have afforded us better ſort of Things than theſe. But when he could not have that liberty, I think he might as well have [[106]]let the whole Matter alone. But enough of this; let’s have have done with this famous Author: And now that we have ventur’d to place Spectators in the Planets, let us examine each of them, and ſee what their Years, Days, and Aſtronomy are.
The Syſtem of the Planets in Mercury. To begin with the innermoſt and neareſt the Sun: We know that Mercury is three times nearer that vaſt Body of Light than we are. Whence it follows that they ſee him three times bigger, and feel him nine times hotter than we do. Such a degree of Heat would be intolerable to us, and ſet afire all our dry’d Herbs, our Hay and Straw that we uſe. And yet there is no doubt but that the Animals there, are made of ſuch a Temper, as to be but moderately warm, and the Plants ſuch as to be able to endure the Heat. The Inhabitants of Mercury, it’s likely, have the ſame opinion of us that we have of Saturn, that we muſt be intolerably cold, and have little or no Light, we are ſo far from the Sun. There’s reaſon to doubt, whether the Inhabitants of Mercury, tho’ they live ſo much nearer [[107]]the Sun, the Fountain of Life and Vigour, are much more airy and ingenious than we. For if we may gueſs at them by what we ſee here, we ſhall not be obliged to grant it. The Inhabitants of Africa and Braſil, that have got for their Share the hotteſt Places in the Earth, being neither ſo wiſe nor ſo induſtrious as thoſe that belong to colder and more temperate Climates; they have ſcarce any Arts or Knowledge among them; and thoſe of them that live upon the very Shore, underſtand little or no Navigation. Nor can I be willing to make all that vaſt number that muſt inhabit thoſe two large Planets, Jupiter and Saturn, and have ſuch noble Attendance, mere dull Blockheads, or without as much Wit as our ſelves, tho’ they are ſo far more diſtant from the Sun. The Aſtronomy of thoſe that live in Mercury, and the appearance of the Planets to them, oppoſite at certain times to the Sun, may be eaſily conceived by the Scheme of the Copernican Syſtem in the former Part. At the times of theſe Oppoſitions Venus and the Earth muſt needs [[108]]appear very bright and large to them. For if Venus ſhines ſo gloriouſly to us when ſhe is new and horned, ſhe muſt neceſſarily in oppoſition to the Sun, when ſhe is full, be at leaſt ſix or ſeven times larger, and a great deal nearer to the Inhabitants of Mercury, and afford them Light ſo ſtrong and bright, that they have no reaſon to complain of their want of a Moon. What the Length of their Days are, or whether they have different Seaſons in the Year, is not yet diſcovered, becauſe we have not yet been able to obſerve whether his Axis have any inclination to his Orbit, or what Time he ſpends in his diurnal Revolution about his own Axis. And yet ſeeing Mars, the Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, have certainly ſuch Succeſſions, there’s no reaſon to doubt but that he has his Days and Nights as well as they. But his Year is ſcarce the fourth part ſo long as ours.
The Inhabitants of Venus have much the ſame Face of Things as thoſe in Mercury, only they never ſee him in oppoſition to the Sun, which is occaſioned [[109]]by his never removing above 38 degrees, or thereabouts, from it. The Sun appears to them larger by half in his Diameter, and above twice in his Circumference, than to us: and by conſequence affords them but twice as much Light and Heat, ſo that they are nearer our Temperature than Mercury. Their Year is compleated in ſeven and a half of our Months. In the Night our Earth, when ’tis on the other ſide of the Sun from Venus, muſt needs ſeem much larger and lighter to Venus than ſhe doth ever to us; and then they may eaſily ſee, if their Eyes be not weaker than ours, our conſtant Attendant the Moon. I have often wonder’d that when I have view’d Venus when ſhe is neareſt to the Earth, and reſembled an Half-moon, juſt beginning to have ſomething like Horns, through a Teleſcope of 45 or 60 Foot long, ſhe always appeared to me all over equally lucid, that I can’t ſay I obſerved ſo much as one Spot in her, tho’ in Jupiter and Mars, which ſeem much leſs to us, they are very plainly perceiv’d. [[110]]For if Venus had any ſuch Thing as Sea and Land, the former muſt neceſſarily ſhow much more obſcure than the other, as anyone may ſatisfy himſelf, that from a very high Mountain will but look down upon our Earth. I thought that perhaps the too brisk Light of Venus might be the occaſion of this equal appearance; but when I uſed an Eye-glaſs that was ſmok’d for the Purpoſe, it was ſtill the ſame Thing. What then, has Venus no Sea, or do the Waters there reflect the Light more than ours do, or their Land leſs? Or rather (which is moſt probable in my Opinion) is not all that Light we ſee reflected from an Atmoſphere ſurrounding Venus, which being thicker and more ſolid than that in Mars or Jupiter, hinders our ſeeing any thing of the Globe it ſelf, and is at the ſame time capable of ſending back the Rays that it receives from the Sun? For it is certain that if we looked on the Earth from the outſide of the Atmoſphere, we ſhould not perceive ſuch a difference as we do from a Mountain; but by reaſon of the interpoſed [[111]]Atmoſphere, we ſhould obſerve very little Diſparity between Sea and Land. ’Tis the ſame Thing that hinders us from ſeeing the Spots in the Moon as plain in the Day as in the Night, becauſe the Vapours that ſurround the Earth being then enlighten’d by the Rays of the Sun, are an Impediment to our Proſpect.