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PLURALITY
n
OF
Worlds.
Written in French by the Author
of the Dialogues of the Dead.
: Le. i-- _____-__— — «
Tranflated into Englijb
By Mr. GLANV1LL.
LONDON,
Printed for R. W. and fold by Tho.
Osboume in Grays-Inn, near the
Walks, 1703.
/
THE
PREFACE-
MT C*/* « ^//^ //fo Ciccro'i
n^# fe undertook to write
of Philofophy , in Latine ;
f/w? being then no Books up-
on that Subject , but what were written
in Greek : When fome told Cicero, that
he would take pains to no purpofe, becaufe
fuch as ftudied Philofoplry, would make ufe
cf Greek Authors, and not read Latine
Rooks, which treated of it but at fécond
hand ; and others, who were no admirers
of this Science, would never trouble their
Heads with either Greek or Latine. Ci-
cero reply*à, they were much miftaken ;
for, faid he, the gnat eafe P top le will
find in reading Latin B;>o!:s, will ttmpt
thofe to be Philofphers who arc none \ and
A 4 thej
The Preface.
they who already are Philofophers , by read-
ing Greek Books , will be very glad to fee
how Philofopby is handled in Latine.
Cicero might with good reafon anfwer
as he didy becaufe the Excellency of his
Genius ', and the great Reputation he had
acquired^ warranted the fuccefs of all he
wrote : But in a deftgn, not 'much unlike
his , I am far from having thofe grounds
of Confidence which he had. My purpofe
is to difcourfe of Philofopby, but net in a
Philcfopbical manner ; and to raife it to
fuch a pitchy that it (hall not be too dry
and inftpid a Subji U to pleafe Gentlemen ;
nor too mean and trifling to entertain Scbo*
lars. Should I be told, (as Cicero was")
that fuch a Difcourfe as this, would not
pleafe the Learned, becaufe it can teach
them nothing, nor the 1 lie ter ate, becaufe
they will have no mind to learn J I will
not anfwer as he did, It may be endea-
vouring to pleafe every Body, 1 have pleased
no Body; to keep the middle betwixt two
Extreams is difficult ; and I believe I /ball
never de (ire to put my f elf a fécond time to
the like tzouble. If
Tfce Preface.
If this Book have the luck to be read, 1
declare to thofe who have any knowledge of
natural Philofophy, that 1 do not pretend
to injtrulty but only to divert them, by pre-
fenting to their view in a gay and pleafing
Drefs, that which they already know ; but
they to whom the Subject is new, may be
both diverted and injlructed: the firjl will
aft contrary to my intention, if they look
for Profit, and the fécond if they Jeek for
nothing but Pleafure.
I have chofen that part of Philofophy
which is mofl like to excite Curioftty \ for
what can more concern us, than to know how
this World which we inhabité, is made ;
and whether there be any other Worlds like
it, which are alfo inhabited as this is .
They who have any thoughts to lofe, may
throw them away uponfuch Subject's as this ;
but Ifuppofe they who can (pend their time
better will not be at jo vain and fruit hf s an
expence.
In thefe Difcourfes, I have introduced a
Woman + to be infracted in things of which
foe
The Preface.
fhe never heard ; t>nd J have made ufe of
this Fiction, to render the Book the more
acceptable, and to give encouragement to
Ladies, by the Example of one of thtir own
Sex, who without any fuper 'natural parts,
or tinclure of Learning, under flands what
is f aid to her ; and without, any confuÇwn,
rightly apprehends what Vortex's and 0-
ther Worlds are : And why may not there be
a Woman like this imaginary Count ef s ïfwce
her Conceptions are no other t haft fitch as [he
could not cbufe but have ?
To penetrate into things either obfeure
in themfelves, or but darkly expreffed, re-
quires deep Meditation, and earnejl appli-
cation of the Mind ; but here, nothing
more is requifite than to read, and to print
an Idea of what is read, in the Fancy,
which will certainly be clear enough. 1
fhall de fire no more of the fair Ladies ,
than that they will read this Syjleme of
Philojophy, with the fame ap.licaiion that
they do a Romance or a Aovel. 'TV/ true
that the Ideas of this Book are lefs fa-
miliar to mojt Ladies, than thofe of Re*
m am es
The Preface.
mances are y but they are not more obfcure ;
for At mo/l, twice or thrice thinly ng y will
render ^em very perfpicuous.
I have not composed an aery Syfleme, which
hath no foundation at all : / have made
uje offome true Philofophical Argument s ,
and of as many as I thought neceffary ;
but it falls out very luckily in this Sub-
jeff, that the Phyfical Ideas are in them*
fe.ves very diverting ; an J as thfy con*
vince and J at is fie reafon, fb at the fame
time they prefent to the Imagination a
Spectacle^ which looks as if it were made
on purpose to pleafe it.
When I meet with any Fragments which
are not of this kind y I put them into fome
pretty fir ange drefs ; Virgil hath done the
like in his Georgicks, when his Subject is
very dry , he adorns it with pleafant
digrefftous : Ovid hath done the fame in
his Art of Loving ; andtho his Subject
be of it felf very pleafing, yet he thought
it tedious to talk of nothing but hove.
My Subject hath more need of digrejfions
than
The Preface.
than his, yet 1 have made ufe of ^em very
ffaringly, and of fuch only, as the natural
liberty of conversation allows ; the great*
eft fart of ''em are in the beginning of the
Book, becaufe the mind cannot at fir ft he
fo well acquainted with the principal Ideas
which are pr p fented to it ; they are taken
from the Subject it j 'elf or are as near to it
as is pojjible.
J have fancfd nothing concerning the
Inhabitants of the many Worlds, which is
wholly fabulous \ J have faid all that can
be reajonably thought of them, andtheVifi-
ens which I have added, have fome real-
foundation ; what is true, and what isfalfe
are mingled together, but foas to be cafily
diftwguefhed: I will not undertake to ju*
f/ifie Jo fantafiical and odd a Compofttion,
that is the principal point of the Work, and
for which 1 can give no very goodreafon..
[here remains no more to be [aid in
this V raj ace. \but to a fort of People who
perhaps will not be eafily fatisfied ; not but
that 1 have good reajons to give 7 em, but
becaufe
The Preface.
becaufe the befl that can be given ', will not
content y em ; they are thofe [crapulous Per*
fons, who imagine, that the placing inhabit
tant s any where , but upon the Earth , will
prove dangerous to Religion : 1 know how
exceffively tender fome are in Religious
Matters, and therefore I am very unwiU
ling to give any offence in what I publi(h
to People, whoje opinion is contrary to that
I maintain : But Religion can receive no
prejudice by my Syfteme, which fills an in*
finity of Worlds with Inhabitants^ if a
little err our of the Imagination be but re*
ftifyed. When "*tis faid the Moon is In*
habited, fome presently fancy that there
are fuch Men there , as we are ; and
Church Men, without any more ado, think
him an Atheift, who is of that opinion*
None of Adam'j Pofterity ever travePd
Jo far as the Moon, nor were any Colo-
nies ever fent thither ; the Men then
that are in the Moon, are not the Sons
of Adam : And here again Theology
would be puzled, if there fbould be Men
4ny where that never defcended from
him s To fay no more % this is the great
difficulty
T. he Preface.
difficulty to which all others may be re-
duced, to clear it by a . larger explanation,
I mufl make ufe of Terms which deferve
greater refpect, than to be put in'o a
Pamphlet^ fo trivial, ana fo far from be-
ing ferions as this is ; but perhaps there
is no need of anfvering the Objection,
for it concerns no boiy but the Men in
the Moon ; and I never yet faii there
are Men there ; if any ask , what the
Inhabitants there are , if the) be not
Men ? all 1 can fay is, that J never f aw
them ; and tis not becaufe I have fee n
'em, that I [peak of em : Let none now
think that I Jay there are no Men in
the Moon, pur po fly to avoid the Objecti-
on made again ft me ; for it appears ^tis
impofjible there (h ou Id be any Mtn there,
according to that Idea I have framed of
that infinite diver ftty and variety, which
is to be objerved in the works of Nature ;
This Lie a runs through the whole Book,
ana cannot be contradicted by any Philo-
fopher : And to think there may be more
Worlds than one, is neither againjl Rea-
Jbn 7 or Scripture, If Qodglorifyed him-
felf
The Freface.
(elfin making one World, the more Worlds
be made, the greater mufi be his Glory \
But I do not declare theje Ideas to be Ar-
ticles oj n/y tarth; nhen 1 do, I hope I
fhall have the fame Liberty as the reft of
my Neighbours.
( • )
A
PLURALITY
F
O U would have me, Sir, give
you an exaâ account, how [
pafi'd my time in the Country^
at the Countcfs of D /,
Are youfenfible fuch an éxadt Account
will amount to a Volume ? Nay (what
is vvorfëj a Volume of Philofophy ? I
know you expeft another kind of En-
tertainment, Dancing, Gaming, Hun-
ting, é-c. but you muft take up with'
Vortex's, Planets, and New World*;
thefe were the Subject of our Conver-
fatiori. And by good luck yoiï aïe a
B Philo^
2 A Plurality of Worlds.
Philofopher, fb that it will be no great
difappointment, nay, I fancy, you will
be pkasM, that! have brought over the
Countefs to our Party, we could not
have gatn'd a more confidcrable Perfon,
for Youth and Beauty are ever ineftima-
ble : If Wifdom would appear with fuc-
cefs to Mankind, Do you think (he
would not do well to takecupon her the
Perfon of the Countefs ? And yet was
her Company but half lb agreeable, all
the World would run mad afterWildom
But tho' I tell you all the diicourfe I had
with the Lady, you mud not expedt
Miracles from me. It is impollible with-
out her Wit, to exprefs but what (lie
ftid, in the fame manner fhefpake it:
For my part, I think her very Learned,
from the great difpofition (he hath to
Learning. Is it a poring upon Books
that makes a Man of underftanding ? I
know many that have done nothing
elfe, and yet I fancy are not one tittle the
Wifer : But perhaps you expeft, before
I enter upon my Subjcft, I fhould de-
fcribe the Ladys Houfe, with all its Situa-
tion,
A Fhirality of Worlds. g
tïbn,many great Palaces have been turn-
ed infide outward upon far left occafion:
But Ï intend to fave you and my (elf
that labour, let it fuflice, that I tell yen,
Ï found no Company with the Coun-
ted, and I was not at al! dîfpleafèd ivitK
K$ the twa firft days drain'd fee of all
th?News î brought fvnm Loncloh.whzX
I now (end you is the reft of our Cori*
verfatidn, which I will divide into fo
many parts, as we were Evenings toge-
ther.
The Firft Evening.
E went one Evening: after
Supper, to Walk in the Park,
the Air was extremely refre(hing,becaufe
that day had been very lint 5 the Moon
had been up about an hour, and as (he
(hone between theTrees.madean agree-
ble mixture of Light and Darknefs J the
Stars were in all their Glory, and not a
Gloud appear'd on the AzareSky •> I was
B 2 mu-
4 A Plurality of Worlds.
nuifing on this awful Profpeft, but who
can think long of the Mocn and Stars
in the Company of a Pretty Woman /
lam muchmiftaken if that's a time for
Contemplation ; Well Madam, faid I ta
the Countefs, is not the Night as plea-
la nt as the Day ? The Day, faidfhe, like
a fair Beauty, is clear and dazling 5 but
the Night, like a brown Beauty, more
foft and moving.Youare Generous Ma-
dam, I reptyed, to prefer the Brown.You
that have all the Charms that belong to
the Fair : But is there any thing more
Beautiful in Nature than the Day ? The
Heroines of Romances are generally
fair, and that Beauty nvuft be perfect,
which hath all the advantages of imagi-
nation. Tell not me, faid fie, ofperfeft
Beauty, nothing can be fo that is not
moving. But iince you talk of Roman-
ces, why do Lovers in their Songs and
Eiegiesaddrefs themlèlves to the Night?
Tis the Night, Madam, faid J, that
crowns their Joys, and therefore de-
fcrves their thanks. But us the Night,
faid fie, that hears their Complaints,
and
A Plurality of Worlds. c;
and how comes it to pals, the day is Co
little trufted with their fcciets t \ con-
fefs, Madam , fatd I , the night hath
fomewhat a more melacholy Air, than
theday 5 we fancy the Stars march more
fi'entiv than the Sun, and our thoughts
wander with the more liberty, whilft
we think all the World at reft but our
(elves :Befid es the day is more uniform,
we fee nothing but the Sun, and light in
the Firmament ; whilft the night gives
us variety of Ob jeft?, and (hews us ten
thoufind Stavs, which iripire ns with
as many pleafant Ideas. YVhat you fay
is true, faidjhcj I love the Stars, there is
fomewhat charming in them, and I could
âlmoftbe angry with the Sun for effacing
\?m. Ï can never pardon him A cried, for
keeping all thofe worlds from my fight :
What Worlds, jaid fie, looking ear-
nestly upon me, what worlds do you
En< an ?
I beg your pirdon, Madam, [aid L
yon have put me upon my follv, and I
beg n to rave : what Folly, faidflye y I
dilcover none? Alas, fed I, [am afharo'd,
^B 3 I
6 A F Ural i ty of Worlds.
I m uft own it, I have had a ftrong
fancy every Star is a World. I will not
(wear it is true, but mull think fo, be-
cause it is fo pleafant to believe it s ' lis
a fancy come into my head, arid is very
diverting. If your folly be fo diverting,
jaid the Conntejs^ Pray make me lenfible
of it 5 provided the pleafurë befo great,
I will belive of the Stan all you would
have me. It is 3 faid 7, a diver (ion,
Madam, I fear you will not reliih, 'tis
not like one of Molkre*s Plays, 'tis a
Pleafiire rather or the fancy than of
the Judgment. I hope, replyed J/jc^yoxx
do not think me incapable of it^teach me
your Stars, I will fliew you the contra-
ry. No, No, I rep'jccl, it (hall never
belaid I was talking Philofophv at ten
of the Clock at Night,to the moft amia-
ble Creature in the World, find your
Philosophers fomewhere elfe.
But in vain I excu'ied my ft If, who
couid refift ib many Charms ? I was
fprcd to yield, and yet I knew noc
where to begin 5 for to a Perfbn who
under ftood nothing of Natural Philo-
fbpfjy
A Plurality of Worlds. y
phy you mnft go a great way about to
prove that the Earth may be a Planet,
the Planets fo many Earths, and all the
Stars worlds ; however to give her a
general Notion of Philofophy, I at laft
refblved on this method. All Philofo-
phy, /aid /, Madam, h founded upon
two things, either that we are too (liort
fignted, or that we are too curious 5 for
if our eyes were better than they are,
we (hould foon fee whether the Stars
were worlds or not.} and if on the other
fide we werelefs curious wc (hould not
care whether the Stars are Worlds or
not, which I think is much to the dime
purpofe. But the Bufinefs is we have
a mind to know more than we fee/ And
again, if we could difcernwell what wc
do iee,it would be fo much known to us :
But we fee things quite other wifè than
they nre. So that your true Ph'ilofbpher
will not believe what he doth See, and is
always conjefturing at what he doth
rot, which h a Life I think not much to
beenvy'd : Upon thi i J I fancy to my (elf,
that Nature very much reitrribleth an
B 4 Op< ,
8 A Flurality cj Worlds.
Opera,where y ou {ïan^,you do notfee the
Stage as really it is ; but it is placed with
advantage, and al! the Wheels and Move-
ment:; arehid,to roajietheïvtrrefèntation
the more agreeable ; Nor do you trouble
your felf how, or by what means the
Machines are moved, tho certainly an
Engineer in the Pit is affe&ed with what
doth not touch you; he is pleas'd with the
motion, and is demonftrating to hirnfelf
bn what it depends,and how it comes to
jpafs.This Engineer then is like a Philofo-
pher,rho ? the circuity fe greater on thé
Fhilofophers part, the Machines of the
Theatre being nothing (b curious as thofe
of Nature, which difpoftth her Wheels and
Springs (b out of fight,that we have been
long a gueiîing at the movement of thç
Univer/e. Suppofe then the Sages at an
Opera, the Pytkigoras's, the Plato% the
Ur?ftrtle% and all the Wife Men who
haw made fuch a noifè in the World, for
thefe many Ages : We will ftppofe 'em
at the Representation oiPlacton> where
they fee the aipiri.bg Youth lifted up by
the* WindSj but do not difcover the
Wires
A Plurality of Worlds. 9
Wires by which he mounts, nor know
they any thing of what is done behind
the Scenes. Would you have all thefè
Philofophers own themielves to be ftark
Fools, and confetè ingenuoufly they
know not how it comes to pals : No, no,
they are not called Wife Men for no-
thing 5 tho\ let me tell you, moft of
their Wifdom depends upon the ignorance
of their. Neighbours. Every man pre-
fently gives his opinion, and how im-
probable foever, there are fools enough
of all forts to believe 'cm : One tells you
Phaeton \s drawn up bv a hidden Magne-
tick Vertue, no matter where it lies 5 and
perhaps the grave Gentleman will take
pet, if you ask him the Queftion. Anor
ther fays, Phaeton is compofed of certain
Numbers that make him mount 5 and
after all the Philoiopher knows no more
of thcle numbers than a fucking Child
of Algebra : A third tells you, Phaeton
hath a (ecret love for the top of the
Theatre, and like a true lover cannot
be at reft out of his Miftrefles Company
with an hundred fuch extravagant fan-
ties
ï o A Plurality of Worlds.
cies, that a Man mud conclude the
Old Sages were very good Banterers :
But now comes Monfieur Defcartes^ with
lome of the Moderns, and they tell
you Phaeton afcends becaule a greater
weight than he defcends 5 (o th.it now
we do not believe a Body can move
without it is puftied and forced by ano*
ther body, and as it were drawn by
Cords, fo that nothing can rife or fall
but by the means of a Counterpohe^he
then that will fee Nature reallv as fhe b f
muft (land behind the Scenes at the O-
pera. I perceive, /aid the Cowitefs, Phi -
lofophy is now become very Mechanical.
So Mechanical, faid /, that I fear we
(hall quickly be aftiamedof it 5 they will
have the World to be in great, what a
Watch is in little 5 which is very regular
and depends only upon the juft difpofing
Of the feveral parts of the movement.
But pray tell me, Madam, had you not
formerly a more fublime Idea of the
Univerfè? Do you not think you did
then honour it more than it deferved ?
For moft have the lefs efteem of it fince
they
A Plurality of Worlds, \ t
they have pretended to know it. lam
not of their opinion, f aid fie, I value
it the more fince I know it rtfembles
a Watch, and the whole order of Na-
ture the more plain and eafie it is,tome
it appears the more admirable,
I know not, laid I, who hath in-
fpir'd you wich thefè Polid Nouons, but
I am certain there are few that have
them befides your (elf, People general-
ly admire what they do nor compre-
hend, they have a Veneration for Ob-
fcurityv and lock upon Nature while
they do not andcrftand her, as a kind
of Magickj and defpife h.;r below Le-
gerdemain, when once they are ac-
quainted with her 5 but I find you,
Madam, fo much better difpofèd, that
I have nothing to do but to draw the
Curtain, and (hew you the World.
That then which appears fartheft from
the Earth, (where we refide) is called
the Heavens, that Azure Firmament
where tha Stars are faftned like fo
many Nails, and are call'd fix'd, be-
caufe they ieera to have no other Mo-
tion
î 2 A Plurality of Worlds.
tion than that of their Heaven, which
carries them with it felf from Eaft to
Weft. Between the Earth and this
great Vault (as I may call it) hang
at different heights the Sun, and the
Moon, with the other Stars, Mercury,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, whicn
we call the Planets $ thefe Planets, not
being faftned to the fame Heaven, and
having very unequal Motions, have di-
vers Afpe&s and Pofition?. Whereas
the fix'd Stars in refpeft to one ano-
ther, are aWa\s in the faille Scituatiod
for Example, Charles Wain which is
compos'd of thofe feven Stars, hath
been and ever will be as it now is,
tho'the Moon is fometimes nearer to
the Sun, and fometimes farther from
it, and fo it is with the reft of the
Planets. Thus things appeared to the
Old CaUaan Shepherds, whofe great
leifure did produce thefe firft Obfer-
vations, which have fince been the
foundation of Aftronomy , for Aftro-
nomy had its Birth in Cald£a, as Geo-
metry was born in Egypt, where the
Inun-
A Plurality of Worlds. 15
Inundation of the Nile confounding the
bounds of their Fields, was anoccafi-
on of their inventing exafter Meafures
to diftinguifti every ones Land from
that of his Neighbour. So that Aftro-
nomy was the Daughter of Idlenefs,
Geometry the Daughter of Intereft ;
and if we did but examine Poetry, we
fhould certainly find her the Daughter
of Love.
I am glad, faid the Lady, I have
learnt the Genealogy of the Sciences,
and am convinced I muft ftick to A-
ftroncmy, my Soul is not mercenary
enough for Geometry, nor is it tender
enough for Poetry 5 but I have as much
time to fpare 3 s Aftronorny requires,
beiîde, we are now in the Country,
and lead a kind of Paftoral Life, all
which fuits beft with Aftronorny. Do
not deceive your felf, Madam, /aid J,
'tis not a true Shepherds life to talk of
the Stars and Planets : See if they
pais their time fo in Ajlrœa. That fort
of Shepherds Craft, replyed fie, is too
dangerous for me to learn : J love the
honeft
14 ATlnralHy of Worlds*
honed Caldœws^ and you mufr teach
me their Rules, if you would have me
improve m their Science. But let us
proceed, When they had ranked the
Heavens in tfeat mmner you tell mc,
pray, what is the next Queftion ? The
next, /aid /, is the diipofing the f. ve-
ra! parts of the Univerle, which the
Learned call, making a Syfteme j but
before I expound the fir ft Syfteme, I
would have you o'b'fèrve, we are all na-
turally like that Mad man at Athens,
who fancy M all the Ships were his,'
that came into the Port Pjr&tna : Nor
is our Folly left extravagant, we be-
lieve all things in Nature defign'd for
our ufe 5 and do but ask a Philosopher,
to what purpofe there is that prodigi-
ous company of fixed Stars, when a far
lefs number would perform the fèrvice
they do us ? He anfwers coldly, they
were made to pleafe our Sight. Up-
on this Principle they imagined the
Earth refted in the Centre of the Uni-
verfc, while all the Celeftial Bodies
(which were made for it) took the
pains
A Plurality of Worlds. i $
pains to turn round to give light to
it. They placed the Moon above the
Earth, Mercury above the Moon, after
Venus i the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
above all thele they fet the Heaven of
fixed Stars, the Earth was juft in the
middle of thofe Circles which contain
the Planets, and the greater the Cir-
cles were, they were the farther di-
ftan' from the Earth, and by confe-
quence the fartheft Planets took up the
moft time in finifhing their courfe,
which in effeft is true : but why, [aid
the Countefs. interrupting me, do you
diflike this S\ fteme : It feems to me
very Clear and Intelligible. However,
Msahmjaid 1 9 I will make it plainer 5
for fhould I give it you as it came
from \ J tolomey its Author, or fome other
who have fince ftudied it, I (hould
fright you, I fancy, inftead of diverting
you. Since the Motions of the Planets
are not fo regular, but that fometimes
they go fafter, fometimes flower, fome-
times are nearer the Earth, and fome-
times farther from it 3 the Ancients
did
1 6 A Plurality df Worlds,
did invent Ï do not know how many
Orbs or Circles involved one within
another, which they thought would falve
all Objedions $ this confufion of Cir-
cles was fo great, that at that time when
they knew no better, a certain King of
Arragon, a great Mathematician, but
not much troubled with Religion, laid,
That had God confuhed him rvhai Be
made tie World, he would have told him
haw to have framed it better, Tht fan-
cy was very Atheiftical, and no doubt
the Inftriictiohs he would have given
the Almighty, was the fuppreffing thole
Circles with which they had cloged the
Celeftial Motions, and the taking away
two or three fuperflûôus Heavens which
they placed above the fixed Stars 5 for
thefè Philosophers to explain the Mo-
tion of the Celeftial Bodies, had above
the uppermoft Heaven (which we fee,)
found another of Cryftal, to influencé
and give Motion to the inferiour Hea-
vens: and wherever they heard of a-
nother Motion, they preiently clapp'ct
up a Cryftal Heaven Which coft 'em
nothing»
À Plurality of Worlds. i j
nothing; But why muft their Heaven
be of Cryftal, faidthc Comtefs, would
nothing elfe ferve as well ? No, no, 7
replyed, nothing fo well 5 for the Light
was to come thro' them, and yet they
were to be fblid. Ariftotle would have
it at laft come Mats, Ju-
piter, Saturn, in the fame order I name
'em, fo that Saturn hath the greateft
circle round the Sun, which is the realbn
he is a longer time in making his R.evo~
lutionthan any of the other Planets. And
the Moon, you have forgot her, faid
(he : We (hall quickly find her zgam,faid
/, the Moon turns round the Earth, and
doth not leave her,but as the Earth ad-
vanceth in the Circle, which (he describes
about the Sun, and if the Moon turns
round the Sun, it is becaufè (he will not
quit the Earth 5 I underftand you, /aid
(Ik\ and 1 love the Moon for flaying
with us when all the other Planets do
abandon us 3 nay I fear your German
would have willingly taken her away
too,
A Plurality of Worlds. 2 1
too if he could, for in all his proceedings,
I find he had a great fpight to the Earth!
Twas well done of him, ft id I, to abate
the Vanity of Mankind, who had taken
up the bed place in the Univerfe, and
it pleafeth me to fee the Earth in the
crouds of the Planets. %ax^faidjhe h vou
do not think their Vanity extends it felf
as far as Aftronomy ! Do you believe
you have humbled me, in telling me the
Earth goes round the Sun ? For my part
I do not think my felf at all the worfe
for't. Iconfcfs, [aid I, Madam, I be-
lieve a fair Lady would be much more
concern'd for her place at a Ba!l,than for
her rank in the Univerfe 5 and the Pre-
cedence of two Plmets will not make
half fuch a noifein the World, as that of
two Ambafladonrs } however the fame
inclination which reigns at a Ceremony,
governs in a Syfteme,and if you love the
uppermofi: place in the one, the Philofo-
pher dtfires the Centre in the other} he
flatters himfelf that all things were made
for him, and infenfibly believes a matter
of pure fpeculation to be a point of Inte-
C 3 reft
22 A Plurality of Worlds.
reft. This is a Calumny, faidjhe, you
have invented againft Mankind $ *#by
did they receive this Syfteme if it .as Co
abafing ? Ï know not, faid I, but I am
fure Copernicus hirnielf diftrufted the (uc-
cefs of his opinion, he was a long time
before he would venture to publifli it,
nor had he done it then without the im-
portunity of his Friends. But do you
know what became of him ? the very
day they brought him the firft Proof of
his Book, he dy'd 5 he forefaw he (hould
never be able to clear ail the Contradidi-
ons,and very vvïfcfly flipt out of the way,
I would be juft to all the World, fat d the
Countefs 5 but 'tis hard to fancy we move
and* yet fee we do not change our place $
we find our (elves in the Morning where
we lay down at Night .' Perhaps you will
tell me the whole Earth moves-— Yes cer-
tainly, /aid J, it is the (àme cale as if
you fell aileep in a Boat upon the River,
when you awake you find your (elfin
the (àme place, and the (àmefituationin
re(pe& of all the^parts of the Boat. Tis
true, Jherepljed, but here's a great diffe-
rence
A Plurality of Worlds. 23
rencc, when I awake I find another (hoar
andWîat (hows me,my Boat hath changed
place. But 'tis not the fame with the
Earth, I find all things as I left 'em. No
no, [aid J, there is another (hoar too 3
You know that beyond the Circles of the
Planets are fixed Scars, there is our (hoar
I am upon the Earth ,and the E trch makes
a great Circle round the Sun, I look for
the Centre of the Circle and fie the Sun
there, I then direct my fight beyond the
Sun in a right Line, and fhould certainly
difcover the fixed Stars which anfwer to
the Sun, but that the light of the Sun
effaceth 'em : But at Night I eatily per-
ceive the Stars which correlponded with
him in the day, which is exaftiy the
fame thing 5 if the Earth did not change
its place in the Circle where it is, I
(hould fee the Sun always againft the
fame fixed Stars, but when the Earth
doth change its place, the Sun muft anf-
fwer to other Stars and there again is
your Shoar which is always changing.
And feeing the Earth makes her Circle in
a year, I fee the Sun likewifè in the
C 4 (pace
24 A Plurality of Worlds.
fpace of a year anfwer fucceffively to
the whole Circle of the fixed Stars,,
which Circle is called the Zodiack : I
will draw you the Figure of it, if you
pleafe, on the Sand? 'Tis no matter,
fed y&e, I can do well enough with-
out it 5 befide, it will give an Air
of Learning to my Park which I
would not have in it .* For Ï have heard
of a certain Philofbpher, who being
ShipwrackM,and caft upon an unknown
Ifland, feeing fèveral Mathematical Fi-
gures traced on the Sea Shore, cry'd out
to thofe that followed him, Courage,
Courage, my Companions, the Hie is
inhabited, behold the footftepsof Men:
But you may fpare your Figures, fiich
Footfteps are not decent here.
I confeis , faid I , Madam , the
footfteps of Lovers would better be-
come this Place 5 that is, your Name
and Cypher grav'd on the Trees by
your Adorers. Tell not me, /aid/lie,
of Lovers and Adorers, I am for my
beloved Sun and Planets. But how
comes it to pafs that the Sun as to the
fixed
A Plurality of Worlds. 2 «J
fixed Stars compleats his courte butin
a year, and yet goes over our Heads
every day ? Did you never, I replyed^
obfèrve a Bowl on a Bowling Green?
It runs towards the Block, and at the
lame time turns very often round it
felf fo that the parts which were above
are below, and thofe which were below
are above s juft fo it is with the Earth,
at the fame time that (he advanceth on
the Circle which in a years ipace fhe
makes round the Sun, in twenty four
hours the turns round her felf s fothat
in rwenty four hours every part of the
Earth loofeth the Sun, and recovers him
again, and av it turns towards the Sun,
it teems zo rife a and as it turns from
him, ic teems to fall. It is very plea-
fant, faidjhe 9 that the Earth muft take
all upon her felf, and the Sun do no-
thing. And when the Moon, the other
Planets, and the fixed Stars teem to go
over our heads every twenty four
hours, you'll fay that too is only Fan-
cy.^ Pure Fancy, [aid i, which pro-
ceeds from the fame caufè, for the Pla-
nets
2 6 A Plurality of Worlds.
nets compleat their courfes round the
Sun at unequal times, according to their
unequal diftanees, and that which we
fee to day anfwer to a certain Point
in the Zodiack or Circle of the fixed
Stars, to morrow we fee anfwer to a-
nother point, becaufe it is advanced on
its own Circle as well as we are ad-
vanced upon ours. We move, and the
Planets move too, which muft make a
great alteration 5 (b that what feems
irregular in the Planets, proceeds only
from our motion, when in truth they
are all very regular : I will fuppofè'em
fo, [aid the Countefs^ but I would not
have their regularity put the Earth to
fo great trouble 3 methinks you exa (he
atifwered, fhe began to be accuftomed
toit, and that fhehad flept as well as
Copernicus himfelf : Soon after there
came fome Neighbours to dine with
her, but they went away in the Eve-
ning 5 (b that after Supper we walk'd a-
gain into the Park, and immediately fell
upon our Syftemes. She (b weil con-
ceived what I told her the Night be-
fore, that (he defired I would proceed
without any repitition. Well, Madam,
/aid J, Since the Sun, which is now
immoveable, hath left off being 9 Pla-
net 5 and theE arth which turns round
him is now become one, you will not
befurprized when you hear that the
Moon is an Earth too, and that (he is
inhabited as ours is, I confefs, faidflye^
I have often heard talk of the World in
the Moon, but I always lpoked upon it
as Vifionary and raeer Fancy. And it
may befb tVill, faid £ I am in this ca£
as People in a Civd War, where the urn
certainty of what may happen makes
em hoir! intelligence with the oppofitç
D 7 rzxxif
3 6 À plurality of Worlds.
Party; For tho' I verily believe the
Moon is inhabited, I live civilly with
thole who do not believe it 5 and I am
fas fome honeft Gentlemen in point of
ReligionJ) (till ready to embrace the
prevailing opinion, but till the Un-
believers have a more confiderable Ad*
vantage , I am for the People in the
Moon.
Suppofe there had never been any
Communication between London and
Greenwich^ and a Cockney who was ne-
ver beyond the Walls of London^ faw
Greenwich from the top of a Pyramid;
you ask him if he believes Greenwich
is Inhabited as London is ? He preiently
anfwers, No 5 for faith he , I fee People
at London^ but none at Greenwich 5 nor
did I ever hear of any there ; 'Tis true,
you tell him, that from the Pyramid he
cannot perceive any Inhabitants atGreen-
wid\ becaufe of the diftanee •> but all
that he doth difcover of Greenwich very
much refembleth what he fèes at Lon-
don, the Steeples, Houfes, Walls 5 fbthat
it may very well be Inhabited as London
is;
A plurality of Worlds 37
is 5 all this lénifies nothing, my Cock-
ney ftill perfifts Greenwich is not inha-
bited, becaufehe fees no body there.
The Moon is our Greenwich, and every-
one of us as meer Cockneys as he that
never was out of the found of Bow-
Bell. You are too fevere, faidjbe 7 up-
on your fellow Citizens ^ we are nor
all iure fo filly as your Cockney =, fince
Greenwich is jiift as London is, he is a
Fool if he doth not think it inhabited .-
But the Moon is not at all like the Earth.
Have a care of what you fay, I reply cd^
for if the Moon refembleth the Earth,
you are under a neceility to believe it
inhabited. Ifit be fo, Jaid fie, i own
I cannot be diipens'd from bdievingit,
and youfeem fo confident ot it, that I
fear I muft, whether I will or no. ' Hs
true, the two Motions of the Earth,
(which I could never Imagine till now)
do a little dagger me as to all the red,
But yet how is it poffible the Earth
(hould enlighten as the Moon doth,
without which they cannot be alike ?
If that be all, [aid h the difference is
D 2 not
58 A Plurality of Worlds.
not great, for 'tis the Sun which is the
fole Fountain of Light 5 that Quality
proceeds only from him, and if the Pla-
nets give Light to us, it is becaufe they
firft receive it from the Sun 5 the Sun
iends Light to the Moon, and (he re-
flects it back on the Earth 5 the Earth in
the fame manner receives Light from
the Sun, and (ends it to the Moon ; for
the Diflance is the fame between the
Earth and the Moon, as between the
Moon and the Earth. But is the Earth
fa/d the Countefs, as fit to (end back
the Light of the Sun as the Moon is £
You are altogether for the Moon, jaid
J, (he is much obliged to you , but you
muft know that Light is made up of
certain little BpIIs, which rebound from
what isfolid, but pafs through what ad-
mits of an entrance in a right Line, as
Air or Glafs:Sothat, that which makes
the Moon enlighten us, is that (he is. a
Firm and (olid Body, from which the
little Balls rebound 3 and we muft deny
our Senfës, if we will not allow the
Earth the fame Solidity ; in fhort, the
difference
A Plurality of Worlds. 39
difference is how we are featecf, for the
Moon being at fo vaft a diftance from
us, we can only difcover her to be a
Body of Light, and do not perceive
that fheisagreat Mifs, altogether like
the Eirth .• Whereas on the contrary,
becaufe we are fo near the Eirth, we
know her to be a great Mafs, but do
not difcover her to be a Body of Light,
for want of the due diftance: It is jaft
(b with us all, faid the Comtefs, we are
dazled with the Quality and Fortune of
thofe who are above us, when, do but
look to the Bottom and we are all a-
like.
Very true, faid I, we would jadge
of all things, but 0: ill ftand in the
wrong place 3 we are too near to j ulge
of our (elves, and too far off to know
others : So that th; true way ti fee
things as they are is to be between the
Moon and the Earth, to be purely a
Spe&ator of this World, and not an In-
habitant. I (hal! never be lattery Vî faid
Jhe, tor the Injultice we do the Eirch,
and the two favourable opinion we have
D 4 oF
j^q A Plurality of Worlds.
of the Moor, till you affure me th^t
the People in the Moon are as little ao
quainted wjth their Advantages, as wç
are with ours, and th?t they take our
Earth for a Planet, without knowing
theii sis one too. Do not doubt it, faia
I, we appear to them to perform very
regularly our funftion of a Planet: 'lis
true, they do not fee us make a. Circle
round them, but that is no great mat-
ter. That half of the Moon which was
turn'd towards us at the beginning of
the World, hath been turn'd towards us
ever fince 5 the Eyes, Mouth and Face
which we have fancy ed of the Spots in
her, are dill the fame, and if the other
pppofite hajf fhpuld appear to us, \ve
iliould no doubt fancy another Figure
from the different fpots that are in it :
Not but that the Moon turns upon her
'{elf, and in the lame time that (lie turns
round the Earth, that is in a Month 5
but while fhe is making that turn upon
her felf, and that (lie fnould hid a cheek
for pxample and appear fbmewhat elle
:ous, (he makes a like part of her Circle
round
Aphtrality of Worlds. 41
round rhe Earth, and ftill prefènts to us
the fame Cheek 5 fo that the Moon, who
in refpeft of the Sun and Stars turns
round her felÇ in refpeft of us doth not
turn at all 5 they fecm to her to rife
and fet in the (pace of fifteen days 5 but
for our Earth, it appears to her to be
held up in the fame place of the Hea-
vens : 'Tistrue, this apparent Immobi-
lity is not very agreeable for a Body
which fhould pafs for a Planet, but it
is not altogether perfefr, the Moon hath
a kind of trembling, which cauiètha
little corner of her face to be fometimes
hid from us, and a little corner of the
pppofite half appears } butthenupon my
word (he attributes that trembling tous,
and fancys that we have in the Heavens
the motion of a Pendulum^which vibrates
to and fro.
I find, faith the Countefs, the Planets
are juft like us 5 we caft that upon o-
thers which is iu our (elves 3 the Earth
faith, yfis not I that turit 9 'tis the Sun $
the Moon faith, 'tis not I that fliakl*
tis the Earth $ there is a great deal of
errour
4 2 À Plurality of Worlds.
errour every where. Eut I would not
advife you, Jaid 7, to undertake the
reforming it ; you had better convince
your (elf of the entire refemblance of
the Earth and the Moon : Imagine
then thefe two great Bowls held up in
the Heavens, jo.i know that the Sun
always enlightens the one half of a Bo-
dy that is round, and the other half is
in the Shadow ; there is then onehalf
of theEarth and one half of the Moon
which is enlightned by the Sun } that
is, which hath Day, and the other half
which is Night. Obferve alfo that as
a Ball hath lefs force after it hath been
ftrudl: againfl a Wall which (ends it to
the other fide, fb Light is weakned
when it is reflected. This Pale Light
which comes to us from the Moon, is
the very Light of the Sun, but it can-
not come to us from the Moon but by
reflection 3 it hath loll much of the f >rce
and luftre it had when ic came directly
from the Sun upon the Moon ; and that
bright Light which fhines dirraly upon
us from the Sun-, and which the Earth
rcflefo
A Plurality of World s. 43
reflefts upon the Moon, is as pile and
weak when it arrives there $ fo that
th: Light which appears to us in the
Moon, and which enlightens our Nights,
is the parts of the Moon which have
Day, and that part of the Earth which
hath Day, when it is oppofite to the
part of the Moon which hath Night,
gives Light to it : All depends upon
how the Moon and the Earth behold
one another. At the beginning of the
Month we do not fee the Moon, be-
caule (lie is between the Sun and us 3
that half of her which hath Day, is
then turned toward the Sun, and that
half which hath Night, turned towards
us 5 we cannot fee it then, becaufe it
hath no Light upon it 5 but that half
of the Moon which hath Night, being
turned to the half of the Earth, which
hath Day, fees us without being per-
ceiv'd, and we then appear to them
juft as the full Moon doth to us $ fo
that, a$: I may fay, the People of the
Moon have then a full Earth 5 but the
Moon being advanced upon her Circle
of
44. A Plurality oj World s.
of a Month, comes from under the Sun
and begins to turn towards us a little
corner of the half which is Light ,
there's the Crefcent $ then thofe parts
of the Moon which have Night do not
Fee all the half of the Earth which hath
Day, and we are then in the Wayn to
them.
I comprehend you very well, /aid the
Comtefs, the People in the Moon have
a Month quite contrary to us ; when we
have a full Moon.their half of the Moon
which is Light is turned to our half of
the Earth which is dark § they do not
lèe us at all, and they have then a new
Earth, this is plain. But now tell me
how come the Eclipfès:' You may eafily
guefs that, faid L when it is new Moon,
that (lie is between the Sun and us, apd
all her dark half is turned towards us
who have Light, that obfeure fhadow is
caft upon us, if the Moon be direftly
under the Sun, that fhadow hidshim
from us and at the fame time obicures
a part of that half of the Earth which
ïkliçht, which was fecn by that half
of
A Plurality of Worlds. 4Ç
of the Moon which was dark, here then
is an Eclipfe of the Sun to us during
our Day, and an Ecliple of the Earth
to the Moon during her Night, When
it is full Moon, the Earth is between her
and the Sun, and all the dark half of the
Earth is turned towards all the light half
of the Moon } the Qiadow then of the
Earth cafts it fèlf towards dît Moon,
and if it falls on the Moon, ic obfeures
that light half which we fee. which hath
then Day, and hinders the Sun from
(hining on it .• Here then is an Eclypfe
of the Moon to u« during our Night
and an Eclypfe of the Sun to the Moon
during her day : But the reafon that we
have not Eclypfes every time that the
Moon is between the Sun and the Earth,
or the Earth between the Sun and the
Moon, is, becaufe thefe three Bodies are
not exactly placed in a right Line, and
by Confluence that that fhould make
the Eclypfe, cafts its fhadow a little be-
fide chat which fhould be obfeured,
âç6 A Plurality of Worlds*
Iamfurprized, faidthe Comtefs, that
there fhould be fo little myftery in E-
clipfes,and that the whole World fhould
not know the caufe of 'em. Nor never
will, faid J, as fotne People go about
it. In the Eaft Indies, when the Sun
and the Moon are in Eclipfè, they be-
lieve a certain Devil who hath black
Claws is feifing on thofe Planets with
his Talons, and during that time the
Rivers are covei'd with the Heads of
Indians^ who are up to the Neck in
Water becaufe they efteem it a very
devout Pofturc, to implore the Sun and
the Moon to defend themfèlves againft
the Devil* In America they areperfua-
dedthat the S m and the Moon, when
Eclipfed, are angry, and what is it they
will not do to be reconciled with them ?
The Greeks^ who were fo refined, did
they not believe the Moon was enchant-
ed, and that the Magicians forced htr
todefcend from Heaven,and died a dan-
gerous juice on the Plants \ Nay , in
whatapânnick fear were we inarove
thirty years ago at an Eclipfè of the
Sun?
A Plurality of Worlds. 47
£un > How many People hid themfelves
in their Cellars, and all the Philcfo-
phers of Grefoam could not perfwade
them to come out till the Eclipfe was
over?
Methinks, fauljhe, 'tis (candalous for
Men tobefuchCoyvards } there ought
to be a general Law of Mankind to
prohibit the diicouifing ofEclipfes, that
we might net call to mind the Follies
that have been laid and done upon rhat
Subjed. Your Law then, [aid /, mult
aboliCh even the memory of all things,
and forbid us to fpeak at all, for I know
nothirgin the World which is not a Mo-
nument of the folly of Man.
But what do you think, fvcifhc, of
the People in the Moon, are they as a-
fraid of an Eclipfe as we are ? It would
be very burlefque for the Indians there
to be up to the neck in Water j that
the AntiYicéLns Inould believe the Earth
angry with them \ the Greeks fancy we
were bewitched,and would deftroy their
Plants 5 in fhort, that we fhould caufe
the fame Confternation among them.as
they
48 A Plurality of Wùtldt.
they do here. And why not, faidl>
I do not doubt it at all J for why (hould
the People of the Moon have more
Wit than we? What right have they
to affright us and not we them ? For
rny part, I believe that fince a prodi-
gious Company of Men have beenand
ftill are fuch fools to adore the Moon,
there are People in the Moon that wor-
fhip the Earth, and that we are upon
our knees the one to the other. But
fure, [aid fbe y we don't pretend to
fend any influences to the Moon, and
to give a Crifis to her fick $ if the People
have any Wit in thofe parts, they wïfî
loan deftroy the Honour we flatter our
felves with, and I fear, wé (hall have the
difàdvantage.
Fear it not Madam, faid 1 5 do you
think we are the only Fools of the U-
niverfe ? Is it hot confident with Igno-
rance to fpread it felf every where >
Tistrue, we can only guefs at the
Folly of the People in the Moon,butl
no more doubt it,than I do the moft au-
thentick News that comes from thence.
What
 Fluraliiy of Worlds. 49
What News comes from thence, [aid
(hew ? That which the Learned bring us 7
/ reply d y who travel thither every day
with their Tubes and Tellefcopes : they
will tell you of their difcoveries there,
of Lands, Seas, Lakes, high Mountains,
and deep Abyifes.
I fancy indeed, faidjhe, they may dis-
cover Mountains and Abyifes, becaufeof
the remarkable inequality ; but how do
they diftinguilh Lands and Seas ? Very
eafily, faid /, for the Waters letting
part of the Light pais thro' them, fend
back but a very little, fo that they ap-
pear afar off like fo many dark Spots,
whereas, the Lands being folid, reflect
the whole Light, and appear to be more
bright andfhining: Nay, they pretend
to be fo well acquainted with the lève-
rai parts that they have given them alt
Names ; one place they ca\lCopcrmcns y 2i-
nother Archimedes , another Galileus ;
there is the Cafpian Sea, the Black Lake,
the Porphirite Mountains ; in fhort, they
have publifh'd fuch exacl defcriptions of
the Moon, that a very Almanack-ma-
E kef
c;o A Plurality of Worlds.
ker will be no more to feek there, than
I am in London,
I muft own then 5 faid the Count efs,
they are very exaft ; but what do they
fay to the infide of the Country ? I
would very fain know that. 'Tis im-
polïible, 1 reply^d, Mr. Flamjled himfelf,
( one of the moft Learned Aftrono-
mers of our Age ) cannot inform you.
You muft ask that of AJto/fo, who was
carried into the Moon by St. John.
I am going to tell you one of the
agreeable Follies of Ariojlo, and I am
confident you will be well pleafed to
hear it : I muft confefs he had better
have let alone St. John, whofe Name is
fo worthy of Refpect, but 'tis a Poetical
Licenfe, and muft be allow'd. The Po-
em is dedicated to a Cardinal , and a
great Pope hath honoured it with his
Approbation, which is prefixed to feve-
ral of the Editions ; this is the Argu-
ment, Rowland Nephew to Charlemagne y
falls mad becaufe the fair Angelica prefers
Medore before him. Afiolfo a Knight
Errant, finding himfelf one day in the
terreftrial
À Plurality of Worlds. $ t
terreftrial Paradife, which was upon the
top of a very high Mountain, whereto he
was carried by his flying Horfe, meets
St. John there, who tells him, if he
would have Rowland cured, he mult
make a Voyage with him into the Moon.
•Aflolfo , who had a great mind to fee-
Countries, did notftand much upon en-
treaty, and immediately there came a.
fiery Chariot which carry'd the Apoille
and the Knight up into the Air ; Aftol*
fo being no great Philofopher, wasfur-
priz'd to find the Moon fo much bigger
than it appear'd to him when he was
upon the Earth ; to fee Rivers , Seas,
Mountains, Cities, Forefts, nay, what
would have furprizM me too, Nymphs
hunting in thofe Forefts; but that which
wasmoftremarkable,wasa Valley where
you might find any thing that was loft
in our World, of what nature foever ;
Crowns, Riches, Fame, and an infinity
of Hopes, the time we fpend in Play,
and in fearching for the Fhilofophers
Stone, the Alms we give after our Death,,
the Verfes we prefent to great Men and
E 2 Frin<
^2 A Plurality of Worlds.
Prince, and the Sighs of Lovers. Ï
know not, /aid foe, what became of
the Sighs of Lovers in the time of J-
riopo, but I fancy there are very few of
'em afcend to the Moon in our days.
Ah, Madam, Ireptyed, how many doth
the Countefs of D — ■ — r fend thither
every day ? thofe that are addrefs'd to
her, will make a confiderable Heap ;
and I affure you the Moon keeps
all fafe that is loft here below. Yet
I muft tell you Ariojlo doth but whif-
per it, tho every thing is there, even
to the donation of Confiant ine, (V.é'.)the
Popes have pretended to be Matters of
Rome and Italy by Virtue of a Dona-
tion which the Emperor Confiant ine
made Siheper ; and the truth is, no
body knows what is become of it ;
bur what do you think is not to be
found in the Moon ? Folly, all that
ever was upon the Earth is kept there
ftili, but in lieu of it, it is not to be
Imagined how many Wits (it I may fo
call 'em ) that are loft here, are got
up into the Moon, they are fo many
Vials
i M
A Plurality of Worlds. «- g
Vials full of averyfubtile Liquor,which
evaporates immediately, if it be nor
well ftoppM ; and upon every one of
thefe Vials the Names are written to
whom the Wits belong ; I think Ari*
ofio hath heap'd 'em upon one ano-
ther a little confufedly, but for order
fake we will fancy 'em plac'd upon
Shelves in a long Gallery ; J/hlfowon-
der'd to fee feveral Vials full ijifcrib'd
with the Names of the mofr. confide-
rableStatefemen, Divines, Lawyers,^
Blefs me, fki'd he, is my Lord—-
and my Lord here! Sir Tho\
Sir Jo. nay, Doctor and Fa-
ther too? Why in my Coun
trey we look upon 'em as Oracles ;
and after all it feems, they are but
little better than mad Men, if not liar!;
Fools. I find now the poor Rogue
was in the right, tho he was found;,
whipp'd for't, who told the fudge that
he had feenan Alscloathed in Scarlet ;
and a right Worfhinfnl Alderman, that
he knew not which was the greatc
Bruit of the two, the Beaftthatb
E 3 the
54 A Plurality of Worlds.
the Fuit, or the Beaft that wore it ;
but had I been there, I fhould have told
Jjlolfo the fancy Knave was well e-
nough ferv d, for we are not to look up-
on the Man, but the Place he fiills ; we
are to reverence a Magiftrate when
and wherefoever we meet him, and to
iuppofe his Merit was the fole caufeof
his Preferment, tho we are certain it
came by Bribary or Pimping ; but e-
nough of this, let us return to our Vi-
als. To confefs the truth, I begin to
fear fnice I have entertained you with
thefe Fhilofophical and Poetical Vifions,
mine there is not very empty ; howe-
ver, 'tis fome confolatiôn to me that
while you are io attentive, you have a
little Glafs full as well as your Servant :
The good Knight found his own wits a-
mong the reft, and with the Apoftles
leave funffed itall up hisNofe, like fo
rnuch Queen of Hungary s Water ; but
Anofto laid he did not carry it far, it
returned again to the Moon a little
• :er.
The
A Plurality of Worlds. cj cj
*—*The love of one fair Nor then Lafs,
Sent up his wit unto the pi ace it iras.
Well, he did not forget Qrla*ub % sVial 7
which was the occafionof his Voyage,
but he was curfedly plagu'd to carry it,
for Heroes wits are naturally very heavy,
and there did not want one drop of it ;
in conclufion Anofio, acording to his
laudable cuftom, addreCedi himfeifto his
Miltrefs in this manner,
*Fair Miftrefs, who forme to Heaven ftialify,
To bring again from thence my wandring wit f
Which I Jiili loje, fince from that per cing eye
The Dart came forth that ftrft my Heart did
Nor of my lofs at all complain would I, (Joit :
Might 1 but keep that which rcmaineth yet '
But if it ft ill deer cafe, within ftiort fpacc,
I doubt 1 foall be in Orlando 7 * cafe -
Tet, well ./ wot where to recover mine,
Tho notin Paradife, nor Cynthia' 's Sphere,
Tet doubt leji in a Place ?io lefs divine ,
In that Jweet Face of yours. m that fair Hair,
That ruby Lip, in thofe two far like cyn,
There is my wit, I know it wander* there,
E 4 And
* c ir Jo. Htfriygw's tranflvim of Orland Furiofo
Hb. 36.
ty 6 A Plurality of Worlds.
Jndwhhwy Lips, if you would give me leave,
I there would fearch 7 I thence wonldit receive'.
Is not this very fine ? To reafon like
Afïcjio, the fafeft way of lofing our wits
fê to be in love ; for you fee they do not
go far from us, we may recovere 'em a-
gain at our Lips : but when we lofe 'em
by other means, as for example, by Phi-
lofophizing, whip they are gone into
the Moon, and there is. no coming at
'em again when we would. Howe-
ver, faid the Countefs^ our Vials have
an honourable Station among the Phi-
lofophers./when 'tis forty to one,but Love
fixeth pur Wits on an Objefl: we can-
not but heafham'd,of. But to takeaway
mineintirely, pray tell me, but tell me
ieriouily, if you believe there are any
Men in the Moon; for methinks hither-
to you have not been very pofitive. For
my part , [aid I, I do not believe there
are Men in the Moon, for do but ob-
ieve how much the Face of Nature is
chcinifd batween this and China ; other
ViiageS) Shapes, Manners, nay almofto-
ther
A Plurality of Words. tj
ther Principles of Reafon ; and there-
fore, between us and the Moon the
alteration muft be much more confide-
rable. In the Lands that have been late-
ly difcovered, we can fcarce call the In-
habitants Men, they are rather Animals
of humane fhape,andthat toofometimcs
very Imperfeft, almoft without hu-
mane Reafon ; he therefore that will
travel to the Moon, muft not expeft: to
find Men there.
What fort of People will they be
then, faid the Counters ? Troth, Madam,
faid /, I know not ; for put the cafe
that we our felves inhabited the Moon,
and were not Men, but rational Crea-
tures ; could we imagin, do you think,
fuch fantaftical People upon the Earth,
as Mankind is? Is it pofïible we fhould
have an Idea of fo ftrangc a Compo-
fition>a Creature of fuch foolifh Patfions,
and fuch wife Reflections? So Learned in
things of noufe, and fo ftupidly Ignorant
of what moft concerns him? So much con-
cern for Liberty, and yet fuch great in-
clinations to Servitude? Sodefirous of
Hanpinefs,
58 A Plurality of Worlds.
Happinefs, and yet fo very incapable
of being fo ? the People in the Moon
muft be wife indeed to fuppofe all this
of us. But do we not fee ourfelves
continually, and cannot fo much as guefs
how we were made ? So that we are
forc'd to fay the Gods when they crea-
ted us were drunk with Nefror,& when
they were fober again, could not chufe
but lau^h at their own handy-work.
Well, well, fazd the Count u efs, we are
fafe enough then, they in the Moon
know nothing of us ; but I could wifh
we were a little better acquainted with
them, fork troubles me that we fhould
fee the Moon above us, and yet not
know what is done there. Why, /aid
J, are you not as much concerned for
that part of the Earth which is, not
yet difcover'd ? What Creatures in-
habit it , and what they do there ? for
we and they are carry'd in the fame
Veffel : they poffefs the Prow, and
we the Poop, and yet there is no man-
ner of Communication between us ;
they do not know at one end of the
Ship
A Plurality of Worlds. $9
Ship who lives or what is done at the
other end ; and you would know
what palTeth in the Moon, which is
another great Veffel, failUng in the
Heavens at a vail diftance from
us.
Oh, fa/d (be, for the Earth I reckon
it all as good as dilcover'd, and can
guefs at the People, tho Ï never heard
a word of 'em ; for certainly they all
refemble us very much, and we may
know 'em better when we have a mincl
to't ; they will ftay where they are ,
and 'tis no more but going to fee 'em ;
but we cannot get into the Moon if
we would, to that I defpairof know-
in what they do there. You would
laugh at me, fiid 1, if I fhould an-
fwer you feriouily, perhaps I may de-
fer ve it, and yet, I fancy. I can fay
a great deal to juftifie a ridiculous
thought that is juft now come into my
Head ; nay to ufe the Fools beft Argu-
ment, I'll lay a wager I make you
own (in fpite of Rcaibn) that one of
thefe
6o A Plurality of Worlds.
thefe days there may be a Commu-
nication betwen the Earth and the
Moon , and who knows what great
Advantages we may procure by it ? Do
but confider America before it was dif-
covefd by Calumbm, how profoundly
ignorant were thofe People, they knew
nothing at all of Arts and Sciences,they
went naked, had no other Arms but
a Bow and Arrows, and did not con-
ceive they might be carried by Ani-
mals ; they lookM upon the Sea as a wide
Space, for b dden to Man, that it was
joyn'd to the Heavens, and that be-
yond it was nothing : 'Tis true, after
having {pent whole years in making
hollow the truks of great Trees with
fharpe ftones, they put themfelves to
Sea in thefe Trunks, and floated from
Land to Land, as the Wind and
Waves drove 'em ; but how often
was their Trough overiet, and they
iorc'd to recover it again by fwim-
ming ? So that ( except when they
were on the Land ) it might be faid
they were continually fwimming :
And
À Plurality of Worlds. 61
And yet had any one but told 'em of
another kind of Navigation incompa-
rably more perfect and ufeful than
their own, that they might eafily pafs
over that infinite Space of Water, that
they might flop in the middle of the
Waves, and in fome fenfe command the
Winds, and make their Veifel go faft
or flow as they pleasM ; in fhort, that
this impaflabie Ocean fhould be
rio obftacle to their converfing with
another different people ; do you think
they would have believ'd you ? and
yet at laft that day is come ; the un-
heard of and moil furprizing Sight
appears, vaft great Bodies, with white
Wings, are feen to Hy upon the Sea,
to vomit Fire from all Farts, and to
caft on their Shoars an unknown Peo-
ple , all fcaled with Iron, who dif-
pofe and govern Monfters as they
pleafe ; carry Thunder in their Hands,
and over throw and deftroy whoever
refills 'em : From whence came they ?
Who brought 'em over the Sea ? Who
gave to 'em the Difpofal of the Fire
of
&2 À Plurality of Worlds.
of Heaven ? Are they Gods? Are they
Sons of the Sun ? for certainly they
are not Men. Do but confider, Ma-
dam, the furprize of the Americans ,
there can be nothing greater ; and af-
ter this, fhall any one fay there fhall
never be a Communication between the
Moon and the Earth. Did the Ameri-
cans believe there would ever be any
between them and Europe^ till it came
to pafs ? 'Tis true, you muft pafs this
great Space of Air and Heaven which
is between the Earth and the Moon ;
but did not thofe vaft Seas feem at.
firft as impaflable. to the Americans**
You rave, I think, faidjbe, did you
not own the Americans were fo igno-
rant, that they had not the leaft con-
ception of crofting the Sea ; but we
who know a great deal more than
they, can imagine and fancy the go-
ing through the Air, tho we are affur'd
it is not to be done. There is fome-
what more than fancy, / replfd y when
it hath been already pradis'd for feve-
ral have found the fecret of fattening
Wings,
À Plurality of Worlds'. 6%
Wings, which bear them up in the
Air, to move them as they pleafe , and
to fly over Rivers, and from Steeple to
Steeple ; I cannot fay indeed they have
yet made an Eagles flight, or that it
doth not colt now and then a Leg or
an Arm to one of thefe new Birds ;
but this may ferve to reprefent the firft:
Planks that were launch'd on the Wa-
ter, and u hich were the very begin-
ning of Navigation ; there were no
Velfels then thought of to fail round
the World, and yetyou fee what great
Ships are grown by little and little
from thofe firft Planks. The Art of
Flying is but newly invented, it will
improve by degrees, and in time grow
prefeft ; then we may fly as far as the
Moon. We do not yet pretend to
have difcoverd all things, or that what
we have difcov'rd can receive no ad-
dition ; and therefore, pray let us agree,
there are yet many things to be done
in the Ages to come. Were you to
live a thoufand Ages, [aid the Qountefs y
I
6$ A Plurality of Worlds.
I can never believe you will fly, bujC
you muft endanger your Neck. I
will not, I reply 7 d y be fo unmannerly
as to contradict a fair Lady, but tho
we cannot learn the Art here, I hope
you will allow they my fly better in the
Moon ; 'tis no great matter whether
we go to them, or they come to us, we
iliall then be the Americans, who knew
nothing of Navigation, and yet there
were very good Ships at t'other end
of the World. Were it fo, faid (he ,
the People in the Moon would have
been here before now. All in good
time, faid J, the Europeans were not
in America till at the end of fome
thoufands of years, they were fo long
in improving Navigation to the point
of croffing the Ocean. The People in
the Moon have already made fome fliort
Voyages in the Air ; they are exerci-
fing continually, and by degrees will
be more expert, than we fhall fée 'em,
and God knows how we fhall be fur-
prizèd. It is unfufferable, faid (he,
you*
A Plurality of Worlds. 6$
you fhould banter me at this rate, and
■juftifie your ridiculous Fancy by fuch
falfe reafoning. I am going to demon-
strate , [aid I y you reproach me very
unjnftly : Confider,, Madam, that the
World is unfolded by degrees ; for the
Ancients were very, pofitivc, that the
Torrid and Frigid Zones were not in-
habitable, by reafon of their excefiive
Heat and Cold ; and in the time of the
Romans, the general Map o^ the World
was but very little extended beyond
that of their Empire ; which tho in one
fenfe, exprefs'd much Grandeur, in an-
other fenfe, w r as a fign of as great Ig-
norance ô however, there were Men
found both in very hot and in very
cold Countrys ; fo that yju fee the
World is already encreasM ; after thar,
it was thought that the Ocean cover'd
the whole Earth, except what was
then difcover'd , there was no talk
then of the Antipodes, not fo much as
a thought of 'em, for who could fan-
cy their Heels at top, and their Heads
F ki
66 A Tluraliiy of Worlds,
at bottom, and yet after all their fine
reafoning, the Antipodies were difco-
ver'd ; here's now another half of the
World ftarts up, and a new Reforma-
tion of the Map ; methinks this, Ma-
dam, fhould reftrain us, and teach us
not to be fo pofitive in our Opinions ,
the World will unfold it felf more to
us hereafter ; then we fhall know the
People in the Moon as well as we do
now the Antipodes ; but all things
muft be done in order, the whole Earth
muft be firft difcover'd, and till we
are perfe&ly acquainted with our own
Habitation, we (hall never know that
of our Neighbours. Without fooling,
fad the Count efs, you arefo very pro-
found in this Point, that I begin ta
think you are in earned, and believe
what you fay. Not fo neither, [aid I,
but I would fhew you how eafie it is
to maintain a chymerical Notion, that
may ( like fome opinions in Religion,)
perplex a Man of Underftanding, but
never perfwade him ; there is nothing
per-
À Plurality of Worlds. 6 J
perfwades but Truth, it hath no need
of all its proofs , but enters natural-
ly into our Underftanding ; and when
once we have learn'd it, we do no-
thing but think of it. I thank you
then, faid JJje, for impofing on me no
longer ; for I confefs your falfe reafon-
ing difturb'dme, butnowlfhall deep
very quietly, if you think fit to go
home*
F 2 The
£"8 A Plurality of Worlds.
Hip Third F.m
1 we l Dira trcemng,
HE Countefs was fo intent up-
on her Notions, that fhe would
fain have engag'd me next day, to go
on where I left off ; but I told her, fince
the Moon and Stars were become the
Subject of our Difcourfe, we would truft
our Cbymseras with no body elfe : At
Night we went again into the Park,
which was now dedicated to our learn-
ed Converfation.
Well, Madam, faidl, I have great
News for you ; that which I told you
laft Night, -of the Moon's being inhabi-
ted, may not be fo now : There is a
new Fancy got into my Head,whichputs
thofe People in great danger. I can-
not fuffer it, ./did fie ; yefterday you
were preparing me to receive a Vifit
frcm'em, and now there are no fuch Peo-
ple
A Flurality of Worlds. 6 g
pie in Nature : Once you would have
me believe the Moon was inhibited; i
furmounted the Difficulty I had, and
will now believe it. You are a little
too nimble, / repljed: did I not advife
you never to be entirely convinced in
things of this nature , but to rcferve
half of your understanding free and dif-
cngag'd, that you may admit of the
contrary opinion, if there be any oc
cafion. I care not for your Sentences,
/aid foe, let us come to matter of Fact,
Are we not to confider the Moon as
Greenwich ? No, Jaid /, the Moon doth
not fo much referable the Earth, as
Greenwich doth London \ The Sun draws
from the Earth and Water, Exhalations
and Vapours, which mounting to a cer-
tainheight in the Air, do there affembte
and form the Clouds; thefc uncertain
Clouds are driven irregularly round the
Globe, fometimes fhadowing one Conn-
trey, and fometimes another ; he then
who beholds the Earth from a-far 6%
will fee frequent alterations upon its
furface, becaufe a great Country over-
F 3 call
jo A Plurality of Worlds.
caft with Clouds, will appear dark qr
light, as the Clouds ftay,or pafsoverit;
he will fee the Spots on the Earth often
change their Place, and appear or dis-
appear as the Clouds remove ; but we
fee none of thefe changes wrought upon
the Moon, which . would certainly be
the fame, were there but Clouds about
her ; but on the contrary, all her Spots
are fix'd and certain, and - her light
parts continue where they wereatfirft,
which trueiy is a \ great misfortune ;
for by this reafon, the Sun draws no
Exhalations or Vapours above the
Moon ; fo that it appears file is a
Body infinitely more hard, and folid
than the Earth whofe fubtile parts are
eafily feparated from the reft , and
mount upwards as foon as heat puts
them in Motion : But it muft be a
heap of Rock and Marble, where
there is no Evaporation ; befides, Ex-
halations are fo natural and neceffary
where thçre is Water, that there can
be no Water at all, where there is no
Exhalation ; and what fort of In-
habitants
A Plurality of Worlds. 71
habitations muftthofebe, whofe Coun-
try afFords no Water, is all Rock, and
produceth nothing ? Very ^e,fitd
(be, you have forgot fince you ailur d
me, we might from hence difhnguilh
Sea's in the Moon ; nay, You or your
Friends were Godfathers to lomeor em.
Pray what is become of your Cafpia»
Sea, and your Black Lake ? All Con-
leaure, Madam, 1 replyed, tho for your
Ladylhips fake, I am very forry for it ;
for thofe dark places we took to be
Seas, may perhaps be nothing but
large Cavities ; 'tis hard to guefs a-
rbht at fo great a diftance. But will
thisfuffice then, (aid fie, to extirpate
the People in the Moon ? Not altoge-
ther, / replfd, we will neither deter-
mine for ,' nor againft them. I rauft
own my weaknefs (if it be one )pttd
(he, I cannot be fo perfeftly undeter-
mined as you would have me to be,
but muft believe one way, or the o-
ther ; therefore pray fix me quickly in
my opinion, as to the Inhabitants ot
the Moon ; preferve or annihilate them,
F 4 as
y 2 A Plurality of Worlds.
as you fljall think fit ; and yet me«
thinks I have a ftrange inclination for
'cm, and would not have 'em deitroy'd,
if it were poffible to fave 'em. You
know , Madam, [aid I , I can de-
ny you nothing ; the Moon (hall be
po longer a Delart, but to do you fer-
vice, we will repeople her. Since tô
all appearance the Spots in the Moon do
not change, I cannot conceive there
are anv Clouds about her, that fome-
times obfcure one part, and fômetirnes
another; yet this doth not hinder, but
that the Moon fends forth Exhalations,
and Vapours. Our Clouds which we
fee in the Air, are nothing but Exhala-
tions and Vapours, which at their com-
ing out of the Earth, were feparated
into fuch minute Particles, that they
could not be difcern'd ; but as they
afcend higher, they are condensed by the
Cold, and by the re-union of their Parts,
are render'd vilible ; after which they
become great Clouds, which fluctuate
ip the Air, till they return back again
[p Rain ; however thefe Exhalations
and
A Plurality of Words. 73
and Vapours do fometimes keep them-
felvesfodifpers'd, that they ate imper-
ceptible ; or if theydoaflemble, it is in
forming fuch fubtile Dews that they
cannot be difcernM to fall from any
Cloud. It may likewife happen, that
the Vapours which go out of the Moon
(for it is incredible that the Moon is
fuch a Mafs, that all its parts are of an
equal Solidity ,all at reft one with another,
and all incapable of any alteration from
the efficacy of the Sun ; I am fure we
are yet unacquainted with fuch a Body :
Marble it felf is of another Nature, and
even that which is moll Solid, is fubjeft
to change and alteration ; either from
the fecret and invifible motion it hath
within it felf, or from that which it re-
ceives from without) it may fo happen
then, that the Vapours which ifTuefrorn
the Moon, may notaffemble round her
in Clouds, and may not fall back again
in Rain, but only in Dews. It is fuffi-
cient for this, that the Air with which
the Moon is environ'd, (for it is certain
that the Moon is tncompafled with Air
as
74 4 Plurality of Worlds.
as well as the Earth) be a little diffe-
rent from our Air, and the Vapours
of the Moon a little different from thofe
of the Earth, which is very probable.
Hereupon the matter being otherwife
difpos'd in the Moon than on the Earth,
the Effects muft be different ; tho it is
of no great eonfequence whether they
are or no; for from the moment we have
found an inward motion in the parts of
the Moon, or produced by foreign Cau^
fes, here is enough for the new birth of
its Inhabitants, and a fufRcient and ne-
ceflary fund for their fubfiftance. This
will furnifli us with Corn, Fruit, Wa-
ter, according to the cuftom or man-?
ner of the Moon, which I do not pre-
tend to know ; and all proprotion'd to
the wants and ufe of the Inhabitants ,
with whom I pretend to be as little ac-
quainted. That is to fay, reply d the
Countefsj you know all is very well,
without knowing how it is fo, which is
a great deal of Ignorance upon a very
little Knowledge ; however I comfort
my felf, that you have given the Moon
her
À Flurality of Worlds . je*
her Inhabitants again, and have wrapM
her in an Air of her own, without which
a Planet would feem but very naked.
'Tis thefe two different Airs, [aid
7, that hinder the Communication
of the two Planets ; if it was only
flying, as I told you yelterday, who
knows but we may improve it to per-
fection , tho I confefs there is but little
hopes of it ; the great diftance between
the Moon and the Earth is a difficulty
not eafily to be furmounted, yet were
the diftance but inconfiderable, and the
two Planets almoft contiguous, it would
be {till impoffible to pafs from the Air
of the one, into the Air of the other :
The Water is the Air of Fifties, they ne-
ver pafs into the Air of the Birds, nor
the Birds into the Air of the Fifh ; and
yet r tis not the diftance that hinders
them, but both are imprifoned by the
Air they breath in ; we find our Air con-
flits of thicker and grofler Vapours than
the Air of the Moon. So that one of
her Inhabitants arriving at the Confines
of
J 6 A Plurality ofWorlis.
of our World, as foon as he enters our
Air will inevitably drown himfelf, and
we (hall fee him fall dead on the
Earth.
I flhould rejoyce at a Wreck, fad the
Countefsj as much as my Neighbourson
the Coaft of Sujfex; how pleafant would
it be to fee 'em lie fcattered on the
ground, where we might confider at
our eafe, their extraordinary Figures ?
But what, fad J, if they could fwim on
the outward furface of our Air, and be
as curious to fee us, as you are to fee
them ; fhould they Angle or caft a Net
for us, as for fo many Fifh, would that
pleafe you? why not? fad the Coantefs;
For my part I would go into their Nets
of mine own accord, were it but for
the pleafure to fee fuch ft range Fiilier-
men.
You would be very Sick , fad I ',
when you were drawn to the top of
our Air, for it is not refpirable in all its
extent, as may be feen on the tops of
fomc
A Tlurality of Worlds. yj
fome very high Mountains; and I ad-
mire that they who have the folly to
believe that our Fârfes, whom they a-
low to be Corporeal, and to inhabit the
moft pure and refin d Air, do not tell
us that the reafon why they give us ,
liich fhort and feldom vifits, is that there
are very few among them that can dive,
and thofe that can, if it be poflible to
get through the thick Air where we are,
cannot ftay half fo long in it, as one of
the worft of Sir Harry Blunfs Sponge
getherers. Here then are natural Barri-
cades , which defend the paffage out
of our World, as wellasthe Entry into
that of the Moon ; fo thatfince we can
only guefs at that World, let us fancy
all we can of it. For Example, I will
fuppofe that we may fee there the Fir-
mament, the Sun, and the Stars, of a-
nother colour than what they are here;
all thefe appear to us through a kind of
Natural Spectacles, which change and
alter the Obje&s. Thefe Speftacles are
our Air, mix'd as it is with Vapours and
Exhalations, and which doth not extend
it
78 À Plurality of Worlds.
it felf very high. Some of our Modern
Philofophers pretend, ofitfelfitsis blue^
as well as the Water of the Sea,and that
this colour neither appears in the one
nor in the other, but at a great depth ;
the Firmament,fay they, where thé fix'd
Stars are faftned, hath no peculiar light
of its own, and by confequencemuft ap-
pear black, \j>ut we fee it through the
Air which is blue, and therefore to us
it appears blue ; which if fo, the Beams
of the Sun and Stars cannot pafs through
the Air without being ting'd a little with
its colour, and lofing as much of their
own ; yet were the Air of no colour, it
is very certain, that through a great
Mift the light of a Flambeau at fome di-
ftance appears reddifh, though it be not
its true natural colour. Our Air is no-
thing buta great Mift, which changeth
the true colour of the Skey, of the Sun
and of the Stars; it bclprigs only to the
Celeftial Matter to bring us the Light
and Colours as they really are in all their
purity ; fo that fince the Air of the Moon
is of another nature than our Air, or is
ftain'd
A Plurality of Worlds. jp
ftain'd of another colour, or atleaft is
another kind of Mift, which caufeth o-
ther alterations to the Colours oftheCe-
leftial Bodies ; in fhort, as to the People
of the Moon, their Spe&acles through
which they fee every thing are chang'd.
If it be fo, faid the Count efs , I prefer
my abode before that of the Moon ;
for I cannot believe the Celeftial Co-
lours are fo well fuited as they are here ;
for if you will let us put green Stars
on a red Sky, they cannot be fo agree-
able as Stars of Gold on an Azure Fir-
mament. To hear you, [aid I, one
would think you was chufing a Petti-
coat, or a fuit of Knots ; but believe
me, Nature hath as good a Fancy as
Mrs. Harnfon\ leave it to hertochufe
Colours for the Moon, and I'll engage
they fliall be well forted ; flic will not
fail to vary the Profpect of the Uni-
verfe, at every different point of Sight,
and always the Alteration fhall be very
agreeable. I know very well, faid the
Countefsy her Skill m this Point ; fbe is
not
So À Plurality of Worlds.
not at the charge of changing the Ob-
jects, but only the Spe&acles, and hath
the credit of this great variety, with-
out being at any expence ; with a blue
Air, fhe gives us abluePirmament;and
perhaps with a red Air, fhe gives to the
Inhabitants of the Moon a red Firma-
ment ; and yet ftill it is but the fame Fir-
mament ; nay, I am of opinion, fhe hath
plac'd a fort of Spe&acles in our Ima-
gination , through which we fee all
things, and which to every particular
Man change the Objefts. Alexander
look'd on the Earth as a fit place to e~
ftablifha great Empire, it feem'dto Ce-
ladon a proper refidence for JJirœaj and
It appeared to a Philofopher, a great Pla-
net in the Heavens, covered with Fools :
I do not believe the Sights vary more
between the Earth and the Môon, than
they do between one man's Faiipy and
aiîothers.
This change in our Imaginations,/^/
J, is very furprizing ; for they are ftill
the fame Objects, tho 7 they appear dif-
ferent :
A flurdiiy of Worlds. g i
ferent ; when in the Moon, we may fee
other Objefts we do not fee here, or at
leaft, not fee all there we do fee here ;
perhaps in that Country they know no-
thing of the Dawn and the Twilight,
before the Sun rifeth, and after the Suri
fets ; the Air which cncompafTcth, and
is elevated above us, receives the Rays,
fo that they cannot ftrike on the Earth ;
and being grofs, (tops fomeof them, and
fends 'em to us, tho' indeed they were
never naturally defign'd us; fo that thé
Day-break and the Twilight are a fa-
vour which Nature bellows on us ; they
are a Light which regularly we fhould.
not have, and which fhe gives us over
and above our due ; but in the Moon,
where apparently the Air is more pure*
and therefore not fo proper to fend
down the Beams it receives from the Sun
before his rifing, and after his fettidg ;
you have not that Light of Grace (as I
may call it) which growing greater by
degrees,doth more agreeably prepare you
for the arrival of the Sun, and which
growing weaker, and dimiaifhirig by
G degn
8 2 À Plurality of Worlds.
degrees, doth infenfibly prepare you for
the Sun's departure : But you are in a
profound darknefs, where a Curtain (as
it were) is drawn all on a ludden, your
Eyes are immediately dazled with the
whole light of the Sun, in all its glo-
ry and brightnefs; folikewife, you are
on a fudden furpriz'd with utter Dark-
nefs ; the Night and the Day have no
medium between them, but you fall in
a moment from one extreme into theo-
ther. The Rainbow likewife is not
known to them in the Moon ; for if the
Dawn is an effeft of the groiTnefs of the
Air and Vapours,the Rainbow is form'd
in the Clouds, from whence the Rain
fall,; fo that the moft beautiful things
in the World, are produced by thofe
things which have no beauty at all. Since
then there are no Vapours thick enough,
nor no Clouds of Rain about the Moon, .
farewell Dawn, adieu Rainbow : What
muft Lovers do for Simili es in that Coun-
try, when fuch an inexhauftible Ma-
gazine of Companions is taken from
them ?
I doubt
A Plurality of Worlds. 83
I doubt not , faid the Gountefs, but
there are thofe in the Moon as good at
Simily as the greateft Beau in Covert-
Garden ; and had they neither Sun nor
StarSjPearls nor Rubies,Rofes nor Liilies,
yet could fay as many fine ihingstoa
Vifor Mask,as the perteftWitatthe Pup*
pet [how ; and they are well enough
recompenc'd for the lofs of our Dawn
and Rainbow ; for by the fame reafon,
they have neither Thunder nor Light*
ning, both which are formed in the
Clouds; how glorious are their Days,
the Sun continually filing ? How plea-
fant their Nights,not the leatt Star is hid
from them ? They never hear of Storms
or Tempefts, which certainly are an
effeft of the wrath of Heaven : Do you
think then they ftand in need of our
pity ? You are defcribing the Moon, /
rep/yed, like an enchanted Palace ; but
do you think it is lb pleafant to have a
fcorching Sun always over our Head*
and not the leaft Cloud to moderate its
Heat? Tho' I fancy 'tis for thisreafon
G 2 that
*4 4 flnralitj of Worlds.
that Nature hath made great Cavities
in the Moon ; we can difcern 'em eafily
with our Tellefcopes, for they are not
Mountains, but fo many Wells or Vaults
in the middle of a Plain ; and what do
we know but the Inhabitants of the
Moon, being continually broil'd by the
excefllve heat of the Sun, do retire in-
thofe great wells ; perhaps they live
no where elfe, and *tis there they build
'em Cities ; for we ftill fee in the Ruines
of old Rome, that that part of the City
which was under ground,was almoft as
large as that which was above ground.
I fancy, during the late fiege oïBuda y
they lived there as they do in the Moon,
or 'tis but going to the Fountain Tavern
Cellar, where the feveral Vaults are as
fo many high Streets, the Vats, Pipes,
Hogsheads, lo many different Edifices,
and the Drawers and Coopers , like
fo many Troglodites. I perceive you
laugh at me, yet if I may be fo free
with a fair Lady, you deferve it much
better than I ; for you believe the People
in the Moon muft live upon the furface of
their
A Plurality of Worlds. S$
their Planet, becaufe we do fo upon
ours ; but quite contrary, fince we dwell
upon the Superficies of our Planet, they
fhouldnot dwell upon the fuperficies
of their Planet ; if things differ fo
much in this World, what muft they do
in another ?
'Tis no matter, [aid the Cortntefs y I
can never fuffer the Inhabitants of the
Moon to live in perpetual darknefs. You
will be more concerned for 'em, J re-
plyd, when I tell you that one of the
ancient Philofophers did long fince dis-
cover the Moon to be the abode of the
bleifed Souls departed out of this Life,
and that all their happinefs confifted in
hearing the Harmony of the Spheres ;
that is, the Mufick (I had like to have
faid Noife) which is made by the mo-
tion of the Celeftial Bodies ; if you
have feen a Rarée Show, you will eafily
comprehend it : But becaufe thePhilo-
fopher pretends to know exaftly all
they do there, he tells you, that when
the Moon is obfcured by the fhadow of
G 3 the
8 <5 A Plurality of Worlds.
the Earth,they no longer hear the Hea*
venly Mufick, but howil like fo many
Souls in Purgatory ; fo that the Moon
taking pityof'ern, makes all the haft,
fhe can to get into the Light again.
Metbinks then, fays fie, we fhould now
and then fee fomeofthe Bleffed Souls
arrive here from the Moon, for cer-
tainly they are fent to us. I confefs
indeed, faid I, it would be very plea-
fant to fee different Worlds ; fuch a
Voyage, tho' but in imagination, is ve-
ry delightful } what would it be in
effect: ? It would be much better cer-
tainly than to go to Jagax, which at
beft, is but cradling from one end of
the World to t'other, and after all to
fee nothing but Men. Well then, fays
fbe, let us travel over the Planets, as
fall as we can ; what fhould hinder us ?
Let us place our felves at all the dif-
ferent Profpefts, and from thence con-
fiderthe Univerfe. But firft, have we
any thing more to fee in the Moon ?
I believe not, I replyed ; at leaft, you
have feen all I can fhew you, Com-
ing
A Plurality of Worlds 87
ing out of the Moon, towards the Sun,
we fee Venus ^ which puts me again in
mind of Greenwich* Venus turns upon
her felf, and round the Sun, as well as
the Moon ; they likewife difcovër by
their Tellefcopes, that Venus like the
Moon, if I may fpeak after the fame
manner) is fonietimes n^W, fometimes
full,and fometimes in the Vayn,accord-
ing to the divers fituations (he is in, in
refpect of the Earth.
The Moon to all appearance, is inha-
bited, why fhould not Venus be fo too ?
You are fo full of your Whys, and
your Wherefores, fay s fie, interrupting
me, that I fancy you are fending Colo-
nies to all the Planets. You may be
certain, fo I will, I replyed, for I fee no
reafonto the contrary ; we find that all
the Planets are of the fame nature, all
obfeure Bodies, which receive no light
but from the Sun, and then lend it to
one another \ their morions are the fame
fo that hitherto they are alike ; and yet
if we are to believe that thefe va ft Bo-
G 4 dies
U À Plurality of Worlds.
dies are not inhabited, I think they
were made but to little purpofe ; why
fhould Nature be fo partial, as to ex-
cept only the Earth? But let who will
lay the contrary, I muft believe the Pla-
nets are peopled as well as the Earth.
Ifind, fays the Countefs^ with fome con-
cern, a Fhilofopher will never make a
good Martyr, you can fo quickly fhift
your Opinion, 'twas not many minutes
fince the lV?oon was a perfect Defart,
now the red of the Planets are inhabi-
ted. Why truly, Madam, A/WZ, there
is a time for all things, and your true
Philofopher believes any thing, or no-
thing, as the Maggot bites. Had you
taken me in the fceptical Vein, I would
have as foon granted a Nation in a
Muftard Ball, as a living Creature in
the Moon ; but the tide is turn'd, and
all the Planets are Peopled like an Ant-
hill; yet, Raillery apart, this is not fo
very improbable as you think it ; for
do you believe wedifcover, (as I may
fay) all the Inhabitants of the Earth?
there be as many kinds of invifible as
vifible
A Plurality of Worlds. $p
vifible Creatures ; we fee from the Ele-
phant to the very hand-worm, beyond
which our fight fails us, and yet count-
ing from that minute Creature, there
are an infinity of leifer Animals, which
were they perceptible, would be as
little in comparifon with a Mite, as a
Mite is of an Ox. How lately have
our Virtuofo's found out the Pepper
Worms, which in the leaft drop of Wa-
ter appear like fo many Dolphins, fport-
ing in the Ocean ; nay, they tell you
that the fharpnefs of Vineger conflits in
the fiercenefs of the little Animals that
bite you by the Tongue ; not to name
the blue on Plums,and twenty Experi-
ments of the like nature.
Nay, to (hew you that they can fee
as far into a Militone as Defcartes him-
felf, they have difcovered that feveral,
even of the moft folid Bodies, are no-
thing but an immenfe fwarm of imper-
ceptible Animals: Do but confider this
little Leaf; why it is a great World, of
a vaft extent, what Mountains, what A-
byffes
9 o À plurality oj Worlds .
byfles are there in it? thelnfeSs of one
fide,know no more of their fellow Crea-
tures on t'other fide, than you and lean
tell what they are now doing at the An-
tipodes ; is it not reafon then that a great
Planet fhould be inhabited ?In the hard-
eft Stones for Example, in Marble,there
are an infinity of Worms, which fill up
the vacuums, and feed upon the fub-
ftanceof the Stone ; fancy then millions
of living Creatures to fubfift many years
on a grain of Sand ; lb that were the
Moon but one continued Rock,fhe (liould
be gnaw'd by thefe invifible Mites, (as
if Hie were a green Cheefe) rather than
not be inhabited : In fhort, every thing
is animated, and the Stones upon Salis-
bury Plain are as much alive as a Hive
of Bees ; imagine then thofe Animals
which are yet undifcovered, and add
them and thofe which are but lately
difcover'd, to thofe we have always
feen, you will find the Earth fwarms
with Inhabitants. Why then fhould
Nature which is fruitful to an excels
here, be fo very barren in the reft of
the
A Plurality of Worlds. pi
the Planets? I muft own, faid the Conn*
te/s, you have convinr'dmy Reafon.but
you have confounded my fancy , with
iucli variety, that I cannot imagine how
Nature, which hates Repetitions,fhould
produce fo many different kinds. There
is no need of Fancy , I replyty do but
truft your Eyes, and you will eahly
perceive how Nature diverfifies inthefe
lèverai Worlds.
All humane Faces,in general,are of the
fame Model, and yet the Europeans and
the Africans have two particular Moulds;
nay, commonly every Family have a
different Form ; what fecret then has
Nature to fhew fo much variety in the
fingle Face ? Our World, in refpeftof
the Univerfe, is but a little Family ; all
whofe Faces have fome refemblance ; in
another place, there is another Family,
whofe faces have a different Air and Fa-
fhion ; the difference too increafeth with
thediftance, for whofoever fhould fee
an Inhabitant of the Moon, and an In-
habitant of the Earth, would foon per-
ceive
2 A Plurality of Worlds.
ceive they were nearer Neighbours than
one of the Earth, and one of Saturn ;
here, for Example, we have theufeof
Voice, in another World, they fpeakby
Signs, and at a greater diftance they
do noi fpeak at all ; here our Reafon
is formd by Experience, in the next
World, Experience contributes little to-
wards it ; and in the next to that, old
Men know no more than Children; here
we are troubled more with what is to
come, than with what is paft ; further
off, they are not concerned with either,
which by the way, I think, is much
the better : Here, 'tis thought we want
a lixth Senfe, which would teach us
many things, of which we are now ig-
norant ; this fixth Senfe is apparently
in another World, where they want one
of the five which we enjoy ; nay, per-
haps there is a much greater number of
Senfes, but in the Partition we have
made of 'em with the Inhabitants of
the other Planets, there are but five
fall'n to our fhare, with which we are
well contented, for want of being ac-
quainted
A Plurality of Worlds. ç 3
quainted with the reft : Our Sciences
have bounds , which the wit of Man
could never pafs; there is a point where
they fail us on a fudûlen, the reft is re-
ferv'd for other Worlds, where fome-
what which we know, is unknown to
them. This Planet enjoys the pleafures
of Love, but lies defolate in feveral pla-
ces by the fury of War ; in another Pla-
net they enjoy a perpetual Peace, yet
in the midft of that Peace, know no-
nothing of Love, and time lies on their
hands ; in a word, that which Nature
praftifes here in little, in diftributing
her Gifts among Mankind ; fhe does at
large in other Worlds, where fhe makes
ufe of that admirable fecret fhe hath to
diverfifie all things, and at the fame time
makes 'em equal, by compenfating for
the inequality ; this I confefs is on the
Borders of Nonfenfe, but a Man is ne'er
the lefs a Philofopher for being a little
obfeure, if not unintelligible.
But
94 A plurality of Worlds.
But isitnottime,Madam,to beferious*
how will you difpofe of all thefe Noti-
ons ; Trouble not your felf, fays/be^mcy
is a great Traveller ; I already compre-
hend thefe feveral Worlds,and reprefent
to my felf their different Characters and
Cuftoms ; fome of 'em, I affure you,
are very extraordinary ; I fee at this
moment, a thoufand different Figures,
tho I cannot well defcribe 'em. Oh
leave 'em, / repl/d, to your Dreams,
they will reprefent 'em very faithfully.
THE
A plurality of Worlds.
Well, let the World fay what it will,
go on with your Whirlpools. I will,
faid 1, and you (hall fee the Whirlpools
are worthy of thefe Tranfports : That
then which we call a Whirlpool, or Vor-
tex, is a Mafs of Matter, whofe Parts
are feperated or detach'd one from ano-
ther, yet have all one uniform Motion,
and at the fame time, every one is al-
low'd or has a particular Motion of its
own, provided it follows the general
Motion : Thus a Vortex of Wind, or
Whirlwind, is an infinity of little Par-
ticles of Air, which turn round all to-
gether, and involve whatever they meet
with. You know the Planets are born
up by the Celeftial Matter, which is pro-
digioufly fubtile and attive \ fo that this
great
io8 A Plurality of Worlds.
great Mais, or Ocean of Celeftial Mat-
ter, which flows as far as from the Sun
to the fix M Stars, turns round, and bears
the Planets along with it 5 making them
all turn after the fame manner round
the Sun, who poffèlïès the Centre, but
in a longer or a fhorter time, according
as they are farther or nearer in diftance
to it ^ there is nothing to the very Sun,
which does not turn, but he turns on
himfelf, becaule he is juft in the middle
of this Celeftial Matter $ and you muft
know by the way, that were the Earth
in his place , it muft turn on it felf ,
as the Sun does. This is the great Vor-
tex, of which the Sun is Lord 5 yet at
the fame time, the Planets make little
particular Vortex's, in imitation of that
of the Sun, each of them in turning
round the Sun, doth at the fame time
turn round it (elf, and makes a certain
quantity of Celeftial Matter turn round
it likewife, which is always prepaid to
follow the Motion the Planet gives it,
provided it is not diverted from its ge*
neral Motion 5 this then is the particu-
lar
A "Plurality of Worlds. 109
kr Vortex of the Planet, which puflies
it as far as the ftrensth of its Motion
reaches , and if by chance, a leffer Pla-
net falls into the Vortex of a greater
Planet, it is immediately born away by
the greater, and is indifpenfebly forc'd
to turn round it, tho* at the fame time,
the great Planet, the little Planet, and
the Vortex which enclofes 'em, all turn
round the Sun : Twas thus at the be-
ginning of the World, when we made
the Moon follow us, becaufe (he was
within the reach of our Vortex, and
therefore wholly at our difpofe : Ju-
piter was ftronger, or more fortunate
than we, he had four little Planets in
his neighbourhood, and he brought 'em
all four under his fubje&ion 5 and no
doubt, we, tho* a principal Planet, had
had the fame Fate, had we been within
the Sphere of his A&ivity 5 he is nine-
ty times bigger than the Earth, and
would certainly have fwallow'd us into
his Vortex 5 we had then been no more
than a Moon in his Family, when now
we have one to wait on us % fo that
yon
f so A Vlurality of Worlds.
you fee the Advantage of Situation, de-
cides often all our good Fortune.
But pray, fays Jhe 9 who can afïure
us we (hall ftill continue as we do now?
If we (hould be fuch Fools as to go near
Jupiter, or he fo Ambitious as to ap-
proach us, what will become of us ? For
if (as you fay) the Celeftial Matter is
continually under this great Motion, it
muft needs agitate the Planets irregu-
larly • fometimes drive 'em together ,
and fometimes feperate em. Luck is all,
faid 1% we may win as well as lofe,
and who knows, but we (hould bring
Mercury and Venus under our Govern-
ment 5 they are little Planets, and can-
not refift us 5 but in this Particular, Ma-
dam, we need not hope or fear 3 the Pla-
nets keep within their own Bounds, and
are oblig'd (as formerly theRings of China
were) not to undertake new Conquefts.
Have you not feen when you put Water
and Oyl together, the Oyl fwims a top 5
and if to thefe two Liguors, you add a
very light Liquor, the Oyl bears it up,
and it will not fink to the Water : But
put
A "Plurality of Worlds. m
put an heavier Liquor, of a juft weight
and it will pafs through theOyl, which
is too weak to fuftain it, and fink till it
comes to the Water, which is ftrong
enough to bear it up $ fo that in this Li-
quor, compos'd of two Liquors, which
do not mingle, two Bodies of an une-
qual weight, will naturally allume two
different Places 5 the one will never a-
lcend, the other will never defcend :
• Fancy then that the Celeftial Matter
which fills this great Vortex, hath fe-
veral refting Places, one by another,
whofe weight are different, like that of
Oyl, Water, and other Liquors ^ the Pla-
nets too are of a different Weight, and
confequently every Planet fettles in that
Place which has a juft ftrength to fu-
ftain and keep it equilibrate, fo you fee
'tis impoffibleitfhould ever go beyond.
Would to God, fays the Comrtefs, our
World were as well regulated,and every
one among us knew their proper Place.
I am now in no fear of being over-run
by Jupiter ; and fince he lets us alone
m our Vortex, with our Moon, I do not
envv
ni A Ylurality of Worlds.
envy him the four which he hath. Did
you envy him, I reply d, you would do
him wrong, for he has no more than
what he has occafion for 5 at the diftance
he is from the Sun. his Moons receive,
and fend him but a very weak light 5 it
is true, that as he turns upon himfelt in
Ten Hours, his Nights, by confequence,
are but Five Hours long 5 fo one would
think there is no great occafion for four
Moons 5 but there are other things to
be confidered. Here under the Poles,
they have fix Months Day , and fix
Months Night, becaufe the Poles are
the two extremities of the Earth, the
fartheft removed from thofe places
where the Sun is over em in a Perpen-
dicular Line. The Moon feems to keep
almoft the fame courfe as the Sun, and
if the Inhabitants of the Pole fee the
Sun during one half of his courfe of a
Year, and during the other half, do not
fee him at all 5 they fee the Moon like-
wife during one half of her courfe of a
Month 5 that is, (he appears to em Fifteen
Days, but they do not fee her during
the
A Plurality of Worlds. 115
the other half. Jupiter s Year is as
much as twelve of ours, fo that there
mutt be two oppofite extremities in that
Planet, where their Night and their
Day are fix Years each. A Night fix
Years long, is a little difconfolate, and
'tis for that reafon, I fuppofe, they have
four Moons 5 that which (in regard to
Jup/ter) is uppermoft, finifheth its courfe
about him in Seventeen Days, the Second
infeven, the Third three Days and an
half, and the Fourth in two and forty
Hours 5 and tho* they are fo unfortu-
nate as to have fix years Night, yet their
courfe being exactly divided into halves,
they never pafs above one and twenty
Hours, wherein they do not fee atleaft
the laft Moon, which is a great comfort
in fo tedious a dark nefs ^fo that be where
you will,thefefour Moons are fometimes
the prettied fight imaginable ^ fometimes
they rife all four together, and then fe-
parate according to the inequality of
their courfe 5 fometimes they are all in
their Meridian, rang'd one above ano-
ther, fometimes you fee em at equal
I diftances
114 A Vlurality of Worlds.
diftances on the Horizon, fometimes
when two rife, the other two go down.
Oh, how I Qiou d love to fee this plea-
fant Sport of Eclipfes $ for there is not
a Day paffes but they Eclipfe the Sun, or
one another $ and they are fo accuftomM
to this diverfion in Jupiter y that the late
Duke of B—vt in his Rehcrfal, brought
the Dance of Eclipfes from that Planet,
as now mod of our modifh Dances come
out of France.
Well, fays the Counters, I hope you
will People thefe four Moons, tho* you
fay they are but little fecondary Pla-
nets, appointed to give Light to another
Planet during its Night. Do not doubt
it, I reply d-^ thefe Planets are not a jot
the worfe to be inhabited, for being
fore'd to turn round another Planet
of greater Confequence. I would have
then, fays fie, the People of thefe four
Moons, to be fo many Colonies under
Jupiter s Government ^ they fhould re-
ceive their Laws and Cuftoms from him.
Would it not be convenient too, fata I,
that they (hould fend Deputies with Ad-
dreffes
A Plurality of Worlds. 1 1 ç
dreffes to faim 5 for he hath certainly a
more abfctute command over his Moon,
than we have over ours 5 tho* his Pow-
er after all, is but imaginary, and con-
fifts chiefly in making em afraid 5 for
that Moon which is neareft to him, fees
that he is three Hundred and fixty times
bigger than our Moon appears to us 5
for in truth, he is fo much bigger than
(he $ he is alfo much nearer to them,
than our Moon is to us,the which makes
him appear the greater, fo that this for-
midable Planet hangs continually over
their Heads, at a very little diftance
and if the Gauls were afraid heretofore
that the Heavens would fall on 'em, I
think the Inhabitants of that Moon may
well be apprehenfive that Jupiter will
at fome time or other overwhelm em;
They are, fays Jhe, I fancy , poflefs'd
with that fear,becaufe they are not con-
cerna at Eclipfes : Every one has their
due folly 5 we are afraid of an Eclipfe,and
they, that Jupiter will fall on their Heads.
It is very true, faid J, the Inventer of
the third Syftem, I told you t'other
I 2 night.
1 16 A Plurality of Worlds.
night , the famous Ticho Brake, (one ôf
the greateft Aftronomers that ever was,)
did not apprehend the leaft danger from
an Eclipfe, when every body elle was
under the greateft confternation ^ yet this
great Man had as an unaccountable a fear,
did a Hare crofs him , or were the firft
Perfon he met in a Morning an old Wo-
man, home prefently went Ticho Brake,
he (hut himfelf up for that day, and
would not meddle with the leaft Bufinefs.
Let us go on with ours tho', fays the
Counters, and leave Ticho Brahe to de-
fend his Superftition. Pray tell me, if
the Earth be fo little in comparifon of
Jupiter, whether his Inhabitants do dis-
cover us ? Indeed, faid 1, I believe not 5
for if we appear to him ninety times
lefs than he appears to us 5 judge you if
there be any poffibility : if et this we
may reafonably conje&ure, that there
are Aftronomers in Jupiter, that after
they have maid the moft curious Tele-
fcopes, and taken the cleareft Night for
their obfervations, they may have dit
cover'd a little Planet in the Heavens,
which
A Vhrality of Worlds. 117
which they never faw before 5 if they
publiQi their difcovery , moft People
know not what they mean, or laugh at
D em for Fools 5 nay, the Philofophers
themfelves will not believe 'em, for fear
of deftroyin?, their own Opinions 3 yet
fome few may be a little curious 5 they
continue their obfervations, difcover
the little Planet again, and are now
aflur'd it is no Vifion 5 then they con-
clude it hath a motion round the Sun,
which it compleats in a year, and at laft,
(thanks to the Learned,) they know in
Jupiter our Earth is a World, every bo-
dy runs to fee it at the end of the Te-
lefcope, tho* 'tis fo little, 'tis hardly dif-
cover'd.
It muft be pleafant, fays Jhe y to fee
the Aftronomers of both Planets, level-
ling their Tubes at one another, like
two Files of Mufqueteers, and mutually
asking, what World is that ? What Peo-
ple inhabit it > Not fo faft neither, 1
reply d, for tho* they may from Jupiter
difcover our Earth, yet they may not
know us 5 that is, they may not have
I 3 th e
lié A Plurality of Worlds.
the leaft fufpicion it is inhabited $ and
fhould any one there chance to have
fuch a fancy, he might be fufficiently
ridicul'd, if not profecuted for it ^ for
my part, I believe they have work e-
nough to make difcoveries on their own
Planet, not to trouble their Heads with
ours 5 and had Sir Francis Drake and Co-
lumbus been in Jupiter \ they might have
had good employments $ why, I warrant
you, they have not yet difcover'd the
hundredth part of their Planet. But if
Mera/r>'isfolittle,they are all (as it were)
near Neighbours, and 'tis but taking a
walk, to go round that Planet. But if
we do not appear to em in Jupiter , they
cannot certainly difcover Venus and Mer-
cury , which are much lefs than the
Earth, and at a greater diftance 5 but in
lieu of it,they fee Mars, their own four
Moons,and Saturn, with his $ this I think
is work enough for their Aftronomers ^
and Nature hath been fo kind to conceal
from 'em the reft of the Univerfe. Do
you think it a favour then, fays fhe ? Yes
certainly, faid I 7 for there arefixteen Pla-
nets
A Vlurality of Worlds. 1 1 9
nets in this great Vortex : Nature faves
us the trouble of ftudying the Pactions
of em all,andfhowsus but Seven, which
I think is very obliging, tho' we know
not how to value the kindnefs, for we
have recovered the other Nine which
were hid from us, and fo render the Sci-
ence of Aftronomy much more difficult
than Nature defign'd it.
If there are fixteen Planets, fays fie,
Saturn muft have five Moons. 'Tis very
true, faid J, and two of thefe five, are
but lately difcover'd 5 but there is fome-
vvhat that is more remarkable, fince his
Year is thirty of ours, there are confe-
qiently in him fome Countries, where,
their Night is fifteen Years long ^ and
what can you imagine Nature hath in-
vented to give Light^during fo dreadful a
Night ? Why, fhe hath not only given
Saturn five Moons, but (he hath encom-
pafs'd him round with a great Circle or
King, the which being plac'd beyond
the reach of the (hadow which the Bo-
dy of that Planet carts, reflefts the light
of the Sun continually on thofe places
Ï 4 where
120 A Plurality of Worlds.
where they cannot fee the Sun at all.
I proteft, fays the Comiefs.xXm is very
furprizing,and yet all is contrived in fuch
great order, that it is impoffible nGt to
think but Nature took time to confider
the neceffities of all animate Beings, and
that the difpofing of thefe Moons was
not a work of Chance, for they are on-
ly divided among thofe Planets which
are fartheft diftant from the Sun, the
Earth, Jupiter ^Saturn ^ indeed it was not
worth while to give any to Mercury or
Pe///Kf,they have too much light already 5
and they account their Nights (as (hott
as they are) a greater bleffing than
their Day. But pray, why was not Mars
a Moon too ? It feems he has none, tho'
lie is much further than the Earth from
the Sun. It is very true, faid I - no
doubt but he hath other helps, tho 5 we
do not know 'em : You have feen the
Thofphorus, both liquid and dry, how it
receives and imbibes the rays of the Sun,
and what a great light it will caft in a
dark Place: Per haps Mars hath many
great high Rocks, which are fo many na-
tural
A fluralhy of Worlds. "ioi
tural Phofphorus\ which in the day take
in a certain provision of light, and re-
turn it again at Night. What think you,
Madam, is it not very pleaftnt when the
Sun is down to fee thole lighted Recks,
like fo many Illuminations at a Birth-day
Night? Befides, there is a kind of Bird
in America, that yields fuch a light, you
may read by it in the darkeft Night 5 and
who knows but Mars may have great
flocks of thefe Birds, that as foon as it
is Night, difperfe themfelves into all
parts, and fpread from their Wings ano-
ther day.
I am not at all contented, fays fie,
with your Rocks, or your Birds $ 'tis a
pretty fancy indeed, but 'tis a fign that
there fhould be Moons in Mar s fmce Na-
ture hath given fo many to Saturn and
Jupiter 5 and if all the other Worlds that
are diftant from the Sun, have Moons,
why fhould Mars only be excepted ? Ah,
Madam, [aid 1, when you are a little
more dip'd in Philofophy, you will find
exceptions in the very beft Syftcms 5
there are always fome things that agree
extream
ill A Plurality. of Worlds.
extream well, but then there are others
that do not accord at all ^ thofe you rnuft
leave as you found 'em, if ever you in-
tend to make an end : We will do fo by
M*rs, if you pleafe, and fay no more of
him 5 but return to Sut urn. What do
you think of his great King, in .the form
of a ferny Circle, that reaches from one
end of the Horizon to the other, which
refle&ing the light of the Sun, performs
the office of a continual Moon ? And
rnuft we not inhabit this Ring too, fays
foe ? I confefs, faid I> in the humour I
am in,I could almoft fend Colonies every
where 5 and yet leant well plant any
there, it feems (o irregular a habitation $
but for the five little Moons, they can-
not chufe but be inhabited 3 tho' fome
think this Ring is a Circle of Moons,
which follow clofe to one another, and
have an equal Motion ^ and that the five
little Moons fell out of this Circle } how
many Worlds are there then in the Vof-
tex of Satura? But let it be how it will,
the People in Saturn live very miferably :
Tistrue, this Ring gives light to "em,
but
A Plurality of Worlds. 12 5
but it muft be a very poor one,when the
Sunfeems to em but a little pale Star,
whofe light and heat cannot bur be ve-
ry weak at fo great a difbnce ^ they (ay
Greenland is a perfeft Bagnio in ccmpa-
rifon of that Planet,and that they would
expire with heat in our coldeft Coun-
tries.
You give me, fays Jhe, fuch an Idea
of Saturn, that makes me fhake with cold,
and that of Mercury, puts me into a fea-
ver. It cannot be otherwife, I reply W,
for the two Worlds, which arc the ex-
tremities of this great Vortex, muft be
ôppofite in all things. They muft then,
fays fhc, be very wife in Saturn, for you
told me they were all Fools in Mercury.
If they are not wife, faid J, yet they
have all the appearances of being very
Flegmatick: They are People that know
not what it is to laugh, they take a days
time to anfwer the leaftqueftion you can
ask 'em 5 and are fo very grave,that were
Cato living among em^hey would think
him a worry Andrew.
It
124 A Plurality of Worlds.
It is odd to confider, fays fhefhti the
Inhabitants of Mercury are all -life, and
the Inhabitants of Saturn quite contrary^
but among us, fome are brisk, and fome
are dull 5 it is, I fuppofe, becaufe our
Earth is plac'd in the middle of the other
Worlds,and fo we participate of both ex-
treams, there is no fix d or determine
Character 5 fome are made like the Inha-
bitants of Mercury, fome like thofe of
Saturn $ we are a mixture of the feveral
kinds that are found in the reft of the
Planets. Why faid I, do you not ap-
prove of the Idea ? Methinks it is plea-
fant to be composed of fuch a fantastical
Affembly,that one would think we were
colle&ed out of different Worlds 5 we
need not travel, when we fee the other
Worlds in Epitome at home.
I am fure, fays the Countcfs, we have
one g;reat convenience in the Situation
of our World 5 it is not fo hot as Mer-
cury or Venus^ nor fo cold as Jupiter or
Saturn 5 and our Country is fo juftly
plac'd, that wc have no excefs either of
Heat or Cold. I have heard of a Philo-
fopher,
A Plurality of Worlds. 12 f
fopher, who gave thanks to Nature that
he was born a Man, and nota Beaft,
a Greel^, and not a Barbarian 5 and
for my part , I render thanks that I
am feated in the mod temperate Planet
of the Univerfe, and in one of themoft
temperate Regions of that Planet. You
have more reafon, [aid I, to give thanks
that you are Young, and not Old 5 that
you are Young and Handfome, and not
Young and Ugly 5 that you are Young,
Handfome and an Englifl) Woman, and
not Young, Handfome, and a Spaniard^
or an Italian 5 thefe are other-guefs Sub-
jects for your thanks, than the Situation
of your Vortex, or the Temperature of
your Country.
Pray Sir, fays foe, let me give thanks
for all things,to the very Votex in which
I am planted : Our proportion of Happi-
nefs is fo very fmall, that we (hould lofe
none, but improve continually what we
have,and be grateful for every thing,tho'
never fo common or inconfiderable. If
nothing but exquifite pleafure will ferve
us, we muft wait a long time, and be
fure
i % 6 A Plurality of Worlds.
fare to pay too dear for it at lad. I with,
faid J, that Philofophy was the pleafure
you propofe, that when you think of
Vortex's you would not forget an hum-
ble Servant of your Ladyfhips. I efteem
it a pleafure, faysjhe^ while it diverts in-
nocently, but no longer. I will engage
for it till to morrow, I reply d y for the
fix'd Stars are beyond what you have yet
feen*
THE
A Plurality of Worlds. 1 27
THE
Fifth EVENING.
TH E Countefs was very impatient
to know what would become of
the fix'd Stars 5 are they inhabited, fajs
fie, as the Planets are, or are they not
inhabited ? What (hall we do with em>
You may foon 'guets, faid 1$ the fix'd
Stars cannot belefs diftant from the Earth
than fifty millions of leagues ^ nay, if you
anger an Aftronomer, he will fet*em fur-
ther. The diftance from the Sun to the
fartheft Planet is nothing in companion
of the diftance from the Sun, or from the
Earth, to the fix'd Stars, it is almoft be-
yond Arithmetick. You fee their light
is bright and (liining, and did they re-
ceive it from the Sun, it muft weeds be
very weak after a paffage of fifty milli-
ons of Leagues ^ then judge how much
it is wafted by reflection 5 for it comes
back again as far to us 5 fo that forwards
and
128 A Vlurality of Worlds.
and backwards, here are an hundred mil-
lions of Leagues for it to pafs $ and it is
impoffible it (hould be fo clear and ftrong
as the light of a fixd Stars,which cannot
but proceed from it fel f 5 fo that, in a
word, all the fix'd Stars are fo many
Suns.
Ï perceive, Jays the Counters, where
you would carry me 5 you are going to
tell me : that if the fix'd Stars are fo many
Suns,ând our Sun the centre of a Vortex
that turns round him, why may not e-
very fix'd Star be the centre of a Vortex
that turns round the fix'd Star? Our Sun
enlightens the Planets 3 why may not e-
very fix'd Star have Planets to which they
give Light ? You have faid it, / reply d,
and I will not contradift you.
You have made thellniverfe fo large,
{ays fie, that I know not where I am, or
what will become of me 5 what is it all
to be divided into heaps confufedly, one
among another? Is every Star the Centre
of a Vortex, as big as ours ? Is that vaft
fpace which comprehends our Sun and
Planets, but an inconfiderable part of the
Uni-
A Plurality of Worlds. 129
tlniverfë? And are there as many fuch
fpaces* as there are fix'd Stars ? I proteft
it is dreadful. Dreadful, Madam, [aid 1 5 1
think it very pleafant,when the Heavens
were a little blue Arch,ftuck with Stars 5
methought the Univerfe was too ftrait
and clo(e.,I was almoft ftifled for want of
Air$ but now it is enlarg'd in heighthand
breadth, and a thoufand and a thouDnd
Vortex's taken in 5 I begin to breath
with more freedom, and think thellni-
verfe to be incomparably more magni-
ficent than it was before. Nature hath
fpar d no coft, even to profufenefs, and
nothing can be fo glorious,as to fee fuch
a prodigious number of Vortex's, whofe
feveral centres are poffèfs'd by a particular
Sun, which makes the very Planets turn
round it. The Inhabitants of a Planet of
one of thefe innumerable Vortex's, fee
on all fides thefe luminous centres of the
Vorte, with which they are encom-
pafs'd 5 but perhaps they do not fee the
Planets, who receiving but a faint Light
from their Sun, cannot fend it beyond
their own World.
130 A Plurality of Worlds.
You prefent me with a kind of Per-
fpedive of fo vaft a length, that no Eye
can reach to the end of it : I plainly fee
the Inhabitants of the Earth, and you
have made me difcover thofe that dwell
in the Moon, and in other Planets of
our Vortex 5 but thefe indeed, I do not
fee fo clearly as thofe of the Earth 5 after
thefe, we come to the Inhabitants of the
Planets which are in the other Vortex's,
but they are funk into fo great a depth,
that tho 5 1 do all I can to fee them, yet I
muft: confels I can hardly perceive em 3
by the expreffion you ufe in fpeaking of
em, they feem to be almoft annihilated 5
you ought then to call 'em the Inhabi-
tants of one of thofe innumerable Vor-
tex's: We our felves, for whom the fame
expreffion ferves, muft confefs, that we
fcarce know where we are, in the midft
of fo many Worlds 5 for my own part,
I begin to fee the Earth fo fearfully little,
that I believe from henceforth, I (hall ne-
ver be concern d at all for any thing $
That we fo eagerly deiîre to make our
felves great,that we are always defigning,
always
A Plurality of Worlds. 131
always troubling and haraffingour felves,
is certainly becaufe we are ignorant what
thefe Vortex's are 5 but now I hope my
new Lights will in part juftifie my Lazi-
nefs, aud when any one reproaches me
with my carelefsnefs, I will anfwer, Ah
did yon hut know what the fixd Stars
are! It was not fit, faid J, that Alex-
ander (hould know what they were 5 for
a certain Author who maintains that the
Moon is inhabited, very gravely tells us,
that Arljiotle, (from whom no truth
could be long conceafd) muft neceflari-
ly be of an opinion,back*d with fomuch
reafon 5 but yet he could never acquaint
Alexander with the fecret, fearing he
might run mad with defpair, when he
knew there was another World which
he could not conquer 5 with much more
reafon then was this Myftery of Vortex's,
and fix d Stars kept fecret in Alexanders
time 5 for tho 5 they had been known in
thofe days, yet a Man would have been
a great Fool, to have faid any thing of
em to Alexander 5 it had been but an ill
way of making hiscoutt that ambitious
K 2 Prince
132 A Plurality of Worlds.
Prince • for my part, I that know 'em,
am not a little troubled to find my felf
not one jot the wifer for all the know-
ledge I have of em 5 the moft they can
do, according to your way of reafoning,
is but to cure People of their ambition,
and their unquiet reftlefs humour, which
are difeafesl am notât all troubled with 5
I confefs, I am guilty of fo much weak-
nefs, as to be in love with what is beau-
tiful $ that's my diftemper,and I am con-
fident, the Vortex's can never cure it :
What if the other Worlds render ours fo
very little ? They cannot fpoil fine Eyes,
or a pretty Mouth ^ their value is ftill
the fame, in fpiteof all the Worlds that
can poffibly exift*
This Love, reply d the Coutttefs, fmi-
ling, is a ftrangc thing 5 let the World
go how 'twill/tis never in danger 5 there
is no Syftem can do it any harm. But
tell me freely,, is your Syftem true ?
Pray conceal nothing from me 5 I will
keep your fecret very faithfully 5 it
feems to have for its foundation, but a
flight probability ; which is, that if a
fix d
A Plurality of Worlds. 133
hYd Star be in it felf a luminious Body,
like the Sun, then by confequence, it
muft, as the Sun is, be the Centre and
Soui of a World ^ and have its Planets
turning round about it : But is there an
abfolute neceffity it muft be fo ? Madam,
[aid i, fince we are in the humour of
mingling amorous Follies with our moft
ferious Difcourfè, I muft tell you, that
in Love and the Mathematicks, People
reafon alike : Allow never fo little to a
Loverjet prefently after you muft grant
him more $ nay, more and more^ which
will at laft go a great way : In like man-
ner, grant but a Mathematician one little
Principle, he immediately draws a con-
fequence from it, to which you muft ne-
ceflarily a0ent^ and from this confe-
quence another, till he leads you fo far
(whether you will or no) that you have
much ado to believe him. Thefe two
forts of People, Lovers andMathemati-
cians, will always take more than you
give 'em. You grant that when two
things are like one another in all thofe
things that appear to you, it is poffible
K 3 they
ïg± A Plurality of Worlds.
they may be like one another in thofe
things that are not vifible,if you have not
fome good Reafon to believe otherwife :
Now this way of arguing have I made
life of. The Moon, Jay 2, is inhabited,
becaufe (he is like the Earth 5 and theo-
ther Planets are inhabited, becaufe they
are like the Moon 5 I find the fix'd Stars
to be like our Sun, therefore I attribute
to them what is proper to that : You are
now gone too far to be able to retreat,
therefore you mull: go forward with a
good Grace. But, fays the Countefs, if
you build upon thisRefemblanceorLike-
nefs which is between our Sun and the
fix'd Stars, then, to the People of ano-
ther great Vortex, our Sun muft appear
no bigger than a fmall fix'd Star, and can
be feen only when 'tis Night with them.
Without doubt, Madam, [aid 2, it muft
be fo : Our Sun is much nearer to us,
than the Suns of other Vortex's, and
therefore its Light makes a much greater
Impreffion on our Eyes, than theirs do :
We fee nothing but the Light of our
own Sun , and when we fee that, it
darkens
A Plurality of Worlds. 135
darkens and hinders us from feeing any
other Light : but in another great Vor-
tex, there is another Sun, which rules
and governs, and, in its turn, extinguifh-
eth the Light of our Sun, which is ne-
ver feen there, but in the Night, with
the reft of the other Suns, that is the
fix'd Stars 5 with them our Sun is faftned
to the great arched Roof of Heaven,
where it makes a part of fome Bear or
Bull : For the Planets which turn round
about it, (our Earth for Example) as
they are not feen at fo vaft a Diftance,
fo no Body doth fo much as dream of
em : All the Suns then are Day Suns in
their own Vortex's, but Night Suns in o-
ther Vortex's: In his own World or
Sphere every Sun is fingle, and there is
but one to be feen ^ but every where elle,
they ferve only to make a Number. May
not the Worlds, reply d the Countefs • ' not-
rwithftanding this great Refemblance be-
tween 'em, differ in a thoufand other
things:, for tho* they may be alike in one
particular, they may differ infinitely in
others.
K 4 ft
ï3 6 A Plurality of Worlds.
It is certainly true, fuid I • but the
difficulty is to know wherein they differ.
One Vortex hath many Planets that turn
round about its Sun $ another Vortex
hath buta few: In one Vortex, there are
inferiour or lets Planets, which turn a-
bout thofe that are greater 5 in another
perhaps, there are no inferiour Planets 5
here, all the Planets are got round about
their Sun, in form of a little Squadron ^
beyond which, is a great void Space,
which reacheth to the neighbouring Vor-
tex's : In another Place, the Planets take
their Courfe towards the out fide of their
Vortex, and leave the middle void. There
may be Vortex's alfo quite void, without
any Planets at all} others may have their
Sun not exactly in their Centre ? and
that Sun may fo move, as to carry its
Planets along with it : Others may have
Planets which in regard of their Sun, %-
fcend, and defcend, according to the
change of their Equilibration, which
keeps them fufpended. But I think I
have faid enough for a Man that was ne-
ver out of his own Vortex,
It
A Plurality of Worlds. 1 37
It is not fo much, rcpl/d the Countefs,
confidering what a multitude of Worlds
there are 3 what you have faid is fuffici-
ent but for five or fix, and from hence I
fee thoufands.
What, Madam, would you fay, if I-
flaould tell you, there are many more
fix'd Stars than thofe you fee ? and that
an infinite Number are difcover'd with
Glafles, which never fhew'd themfelves
to our Eyes : In only one Conftellation,
where it may be, we count twelve or
fifteen, there are as many to be found
as ufually appear in the whole Hemi-
(phere.
I fubmit, fays the Conntefs^ and beg
your pardon : You quite confound me
with Worlds and Vortex's. I have yet
more to tell you, Madam, faid I: You
fee that whitenefs in the Sky, which fome
call the milky w>