And every Student of the Night inspires.
'Tis elder Scripture, writ by God's own Hand;
Scripture authentic! uncorrupt by Man.
"This then is that Philosophy, which opens the Senses, which satisfies the Mind, which enlarges the Understanding, and which leads Mankind to the only true Beatitude, whereof they are capable according to their natural State and Constitution; for it frees us from the sollicitous Pursuit of Pleasure, and from the anxious Apprehensions of Pain, making us to enjoy the good Things of the present Hour, and not to fear more, than we hope from the future; since that same Providence, or Fate, or Fortune, which causes the Vicissitudes of our particular Being, will not let us know more of the one, than we are ignorant of the other."
And farther, "From these Contemplations, if we do but rightly consider, it will follow, that we ought never to be dispirited by any strange Accidents, through Excess of Fear or Pain, nor ever be elated by any prosperous Event, through Excess of Hope or Pleasure; whence we have the Path to true Morality, and following it, we shall of course become the magnanimous Despisers of what Men of weak Minds fondly Esteem, and be wise Judges of the History of Nature, which would be written in our Minds, and consequently be chearful and strict Executioners of the divine Laws, which would thus be ingraved in the Center of our Hearts. Seeking, as it were, in ourselves, an Approbation of our own Action, which alone is capable of true Content and Happiness."
Christopher Huygens,
[E] The Pendulum Clock; the first Discovery of Jupiter's Satellites, and Saturn's Ring.
To whom the World is much indebted for many curious Inventions, and Discoveries, says in his Planetary Worlds, "I must be of the same Opinion with all the great Philosophers of our Age, that the Sun is of the same Nature with the fix'd Stars; and this will give us a greater Idea of the World than all other Opinions can. For then why may not every one of these Stars, or Suns, have as great a Retinue, as our Sun, of Planets, with their Moons to wait upon them? Nay, there is a manifest Reason why they should; for, if we imagine ourselves placed at an equal Distance from the Sun and fix'd Stars, we should then perceive no Difference at all betwixt them.
"Why then may we not make use of the same Judgment that we would in that Case; and conclude, that our Star has no better Attendance than the others? So that what we allowed the Planets upon the Account of our enjoying it, we must likewise grant to all those Planets that surround that prodigious Number of Suns. They must have their Plants and Animals, nay, their rational Creatures too, and those as great Admirers and as diligent Observers of the Heavens as ourselves; and must consequently enjoy whatever is subservient to, and requisite for such Knowledge.