Archimedes Texts

SIMP. This is a kind of Shell-fish, which here at Venice they
call buovoli; and this also came from the Moons concave.

SAGR. Indeed, it seems then, that the Moon hath a great pow

er over these Oyster-fishes, which we call ^{*} armed sisbes.

SIMP. And this is that calculation, which I mentioned, of this
Journey in a natural day, in an hour, in a first minute, and in a
second, which a point of the Earth would make placed under the
Equinoctial, and also in the parallel of 48 gr. And then followeth
this, which I doubted I had committed some mistake in reciting,
therefore let us read it. His positis, necesse est, terra circulariter
mota, omnia ex aëre eidem, &c. Quod si hasce pilas æquales po
nemus pondere, magnitudine, gravitate, & in concavo Sphæræ Lu
naris positas libero descensui permittamus, si motum deorsum æque
mus celeritate motui circum, (quod tamen secus est, cum pila A,
&c.) elabentur minimum (ut multum cedamus adversariis) dies
sex: quo tempore sexies circa terram, &c. [In Englisb thus.]
These things being supposed, it is necessary, the Earth being cir
cularly moved, that all things from the air to the same, &c. So
that if we suppose these balls to be equal in magnitude and gra
vity, and being placed in the concave of the Lunar Sphere, we
permit them a free descent, and if we make the motion down
wards equal in velocity to the motion about, (which nevertheless
is otherwise, if the ball A, &c.) they shall be falling at least (that
we may grant much to our adversaries) six dayes; in which time
they shall be turned six times about the Earth, &c.

SALV. You have but too faithfully cited the argument of this
person. From hence you may collect Simplicius, with what cau
tion they ought to proceed, who would give themselves up to be
lieve others in those things, which perhaps they do not believe
themselves. For me thinks it a thing impossible, but that this Au
thor was advised, that he did design to himself a circle, whose dia
meter (which amongst Mathematicians, is lesse than one third part
of the circumference) is above 72 times bigger than it self: an
errour that affirmeth that to be considerably more than 200,
which is lesse than one.

SAGR. It may be, that these Mathematical proportions, which
are true in abstract, being once applied in concrete to Physical and
Elementary circles, do not so exactly agree: And yet, I think,
that the Cooper, to find the semidiameter of the bottom, which he
is to fit to the Cask, doth make use of the rule of Mathematicians
in abstract, although such bottomes be things meerly material,