Archimedes Texts

164
son of its great resistance to the division made by the hull of the
ship, doth with great noise resist the same; nor doth it permit it
of a great while to acquire that velocity which the wind would
confer upon it, were the obstacle of the water removed. Per
haps Simplicius you have never considered with what fury the
water besets a bark, whil'st it forceth its way through a standing
water by help of Oars or Sails: for if you had ever minded that
effect, you would not now have produced such an absurdity.
And I am thinking that you have hitherto been one of those who
to find out how such things succeed, and to come to the know
ledg of natural effects, do not betake themselves to a Ship, a
Crosse-bow, or a piece of Ordinance, but retire into their stu
dies, and turn over Indexes and Tables to see whether Aristotle
hath spoken any thing thereof, and being assured of the true
sense of the Text, neither desire nor care for knowing any
more.

The great feli
city for which they
are much to be en
vied who perswade
themselves that
they know every
thing.

SAGR. This is a great felicity, and they are to be much en
vied for it. For if knowledg be desired by all, and if to be wise,
be to think ones self so, they enjoy a very great happinesse, for
that they may perswade themselves that they know and understand
all things, in scorn of those who knowing, that they understand
not what these think they understand, and consequently seeking
that they know not the very least particle of what is knowable,
kill themselves with waking and studying, and consume their days
in experiments and observations. But pray you let us return to
our birds; touching which you have said, that the Air being mo
ved with great velocity, might restore unto them that part of the
diurnal motion which amongst the windings of their flight they
might have lost; to which I reply, that the agitated Air seemeth
unable to confer on a solid and grave body, so great a velocity as
its own: And because that of the Air is as great as that of the
Earth, I cannot think that the Air is able to make good the losse
of the birds retardation in flight.

SALV. Your discourse hath in it much of probability, and to
stick at trivial doubts is not for an acute wit; yet neverthelesse the
probability being removed, I believed that it hath not a jot more
force than the others already considered and resolved.

SAGR. It is most certain that if it be not necessatily conclu
dent, its efficacy must needs be just nothing at all, for it is
onely when the conclusion is necessary that the opponent hath no
thing to alledg on the contrary.

SALV. Your making a greater scruple of this than of the other
instances dependeth, if I mistake not, upon the birds being ani
mated, and thereby enabled to use their strength at pleasure a
gainst the primary motion in-bred in terrene bodies: like as for