another point in the contact being taken as D, conjoyn the two <lb/>
right lines A D and B D, &longs;o as that they make the triangle A D B; <lb/>
of which the two &longs;ides A D and D B &longs;hall be equal to the other one <lb/>
A C B, both tho&longs;e and this containing two &longs;emidiameters, which <lb/>
by the definition of the &longs;phere are all equal: and thus the right <lb/>
line A B, drawn between the two centres A and B, &longs;hall not be the <lb/>
&longs;horte&longs;t of all, the two lines A D and D B being equal to it: which <lb/>
by your own conce&longs;&longs;ion is ab&longs;urd.</s>

<s><margin.target id="marg373"></margin.target><emph type="italics"/>A demon &longs;tration <lb/>
that the &longs;phere tou <lb/>
cheth the plane but <lb/>
in one point.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>

<s>SIMP. </s><s>This demon&longs;tration holdeth in the ab&longs;tracted, but not in <lb/>
the material &longs;pheres.</s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>In&longs;tance then wherein the fallacy of my argument con <lb/>
&longs;i&longs;teth, if as you &longs;ay it is not concluding in the material &longs;pheres, but <lb/>
holdeth good in the immaterial and ab&longs;tracted. <lb/>
<arrow.to.target n="marg374"></arrow.to.target></s>

<s><margin.target id="marg374"></margin.target><emph type="italics"/>Why the &longs;phere in <lb/>
ab&longs;tract, toucheth <lb/>
the plane onely in <lb/>
one point, and not <lb/>
the material in <lb/>
conerete.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>

<s>SIMP. </s><s>The material &longs;pheres are &longs;ubject to many accidents, <lb/>
which the immaterial are free from. </s><s>And becau&longs;e it cannot be, <lb/>
that a &longs;phere of metal pa&longs;&longs;ing along a plane, its own weight &longs;hould <lb/>
not &longs;o depre&longs;s it, as that the plain &longs;hould yield &longs;omewhat, or that <lb/>
the &longs;phere it &longs;elf &longs;hould not in the contact admit of &longs;ome impre&longs;&longs;i <lb/>
on. </s><s>Moreover, it is very hard for that plane to be perfect, if for <lb/>
nothing el&longs;e, yet at lea&longs;t for that its matter is porous: and per <lb/>
haps it will be no le&longs;s difficult to find a &longs;phere &longs;o perfect, as that <lb/>
it hath all the lines from the centre to the &longs;uperficies, exactly <lb/>
equal.</s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>I very readily grant you all this that you have &longs;aid; but <lb/>
it is very much be&longs;ide our purpo&longs;e: for whil&longs;t you go about to <lb/>
&longs;hew me that a material &longs;phere toucheth not a material plane in <lb/>
one point alone, you make u&longs;e of a &longs;phere that is not a &longs;phere, and <lb/>
of a plane that is not a plane; for that, according to what you <lb/>
&longs;ay, either the&longs;e things cannot be found in the world, or if they <lb/>
may be found, they are &longs;poiled in applying them to work the effect. <lb/>
</s><s>It had been therefore a le&longs;s evil, for you to have granted the con <lb/>
clu&longs;ion, but conditionally, to wit, that if there could be made of <lb/>
matter a &longs;phere and a plane that were and could continue perfect, <lb/>
they would touch in one &longs;ole point, and then to have denied that <lb/>
any &longs;uch could be made.</s>

<s>SIMP. </s><s>I believe that the propo&longs;ition of Philo&longs;ophers is to be <lb/>
under&longs;tood in this &longs;en&longs;e; for it is not to be doubted, but that the <lb/>
imperfection of the matter, maketh the matters taken in con <lb/>
crete, to di&longs;agree with tho&longs;e taken in ab&longs;tract.</s>

<s>SALV. What, do they not agree? </s><s>Why, that which you your <lb/>
&longs;elf &longs;ay at this in&longs;tant, proveth that they punctually agree.</s>

<s>SIMP. </s><s>How can that be?</s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>Do you not &longs;ay, that through the imperfection of the <lb/>
matter, that body which ought to be perfectly &longs;pherical, and that <lb/>
plane which ought to be perfectly level, do not prove to be the