buckler of the little Treati&longs;e of <emph type="italics"/>Conclu&longs;ions,<emph.end type="italics"/> or Di&longs;qui&longs;itions Ma <lb/>
thematical, the oppugnations of which it would be good to be <lb/>
gin to produce.</s>

<s>SIMP. </s><s>I will, if you &longs;o plea&longs;e, re&longs;erve them to the la&longs;t, as tho&longs;e <lb/>
that are of late&longs;t invention.</s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>It will therefore be nece&longs;&longs;ary, that in conformity to the <lb/>
method hitherto ob&longs;erved, you do orderly, one by one, propound <lb/>
the arguments, on the contrary, a&longs;well of <emph type="italics"/>Ari&longs;totle,<emph.end type="italics"/> as of the o <lb/>
ther ancients, which &longs;hall be my task al&longs;o, that &longs;o nothing may e <lb/>
&longs;cape our &longs;trict con&longs;ideration and examination; and likewi&longs;e <emph type="italics"/>Sa <lb/>
gredus,<emph.end type="italics"/> with the vivacity of his wit, &longs;hall interpo&longs;e his thoughts, as <lb/>
he &longs;hall finde him&longs;elf inclined.</s>

<s>SAGR. </s><s>I will do it with my wonted freedome; and your com <lb/>
mands &longs;hall oblige you to excu&longs;e me in &longs;o doing.</s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>The favour will challenge thanks, and not an excu&longs;e. <lb/>
</s><s>But now let <emph type="italics"/>Simplicius<emph.end type="italics"/> begin to propo&longs;e tho&longs;e doubts which di&longs; <lb/>
&longs;wade him from believing that the Earth, in like manner, as the <lb/>
other pianets, may move round about a fixed centre.</s>

<s>SIMP. </s><s>The fir&longs;t and greate&longs;t difficulty is the repugnance and <lb/>
incompatibility that is between being in the centre, and being far <lb/>
from it; for if the Terre&longs;trial Globe were to move in a year by <lb/>
the circumference of a circle, that is, under the Zodiack, it is im <lb/>
po&longs;&longs;ible that it &longs;hould, at the &longs;ame time, be in the centre of the Zo <lb/>
diack; but that the Earth is in the &longs;aid centre <emph type="italics"/>Aristotle, Ptolomy,<emph.end type="italics"/> <lb/>
and others have many wayes proved.</s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>You very well argue, aud there is no que&longs;tion but that <lb/>
one that would make the Earth to move in the circumference of a <lb/>
circle, mu&longs;t fir&longs;t of nece&longs;&longs;ity prove, that it is not in the centre of <lb/>
that &longs;ame circle; it now followeth, that we enquire, whether the <lb/>
Earth be, or be not in that centre, about which, I &longs;ay, that it tur <lb/>
neth, and you &longs;ay that it is fixed; and before we &longs;peak of this, it <lb/>
is likewi&longs;e nece&longs;&longs;ary that we declare our &longs;elves, whether you and I <lb/>
have both the &longs;ame conceit of this centre, or no. </s><s>Therefore tell <lb/>
me, what and where is this your intended centre?</s>

<s>SIMP. </s><s>When I &longs;peak of the centre, I mean that of the Uni <lb/>
ver&longs;e, that of the World, that of the Starry Sphere.</s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>Although I might very rationally put it in di&longs;pute, whe <lb/>
ther there be any &longs;uch centre in nature, or no; being that neither <lb/>
<arrow.to.target n="marg515"></arrow.to.target> <lb/>
you nor any one el&longs;e hath ever proved, whether the World be fi <lb/>
nite and figurate, or el&longs;e infinite and interminate; yet neverthele&longs;s <lb/>
granting you, for the pre&longs;ent, that it is finite, and of a terminate <lb/>
Spherical Figure, and that thereupon it hath its centre; it will be <lb/>
requi&longs;ite to &longs;ee how credible it is that the Earth, and not rather <lb/>
&longs;ome other body, doth po&longs;&longs;e&longs;&longs;e the &longs;aid centre.</s>

<s><margin.target id="marg515"></margin.target><emph type="italics"/>It hath not been <lb/>
hitherto proved by <lb/>
any, whether the <lb/>
World be finite or <lb/>
infinite.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>

<s>SIMP. </s><s>That the world is finite, terminato, and &longs;pherical, <emph type="italics"/>Ari-<emph.end type="italics"/>