<s>THE AUTHOR'S <lb/>
INTRODUCTION.</s>

<s>Judicious Reader,</s>

<emph type="italics"/><s>There was publi&longs;hed &longs;ome years &longs;ince in<emph.end type="italics"/> Rome <emph type="italics"/>a &longs;alutiferous Edict, that, for <lb/>
the obviating of the dangerous Scandals of the pre&longs;ent Age, impo&longs;ed a &longs;ea <lb/>
&longs;onable Silence upon the Pythagorean Opinion of the Mobility of the Earth. <lb/>
</s><s>There want not &longs;uch as unadvi&longs;edly affirm, that that Decree was not the produ <lb/>
ction of a &longs;ober Scrutiny, but of an ill informed Pa&longs;sion; & one may hear &longs;ome mut <lb/>
ter that Con&longs;ultors altogether ignorant of A&longs;tronomical Ob&longs;ervations ought not <lb/>
to clipp the Wings of Speculative Wits with ra&longs;h Prohibitions. </s><s>My zeale can <lb/>
not keep &longs;ilence when I hear the&longs;e incon&longs;iderate complaints. </s><s>I thought fit, as being thoroughly ac <lb/>
quainted with that prudent Determination, to appear openly upon the Theatre of the World as a Wit <lb/>
ne&longs;s of the naked Truth. </s><s>I was at that time in<emph.end type="italics"/> Rome; <emph type="italics"/>and had not only the audiences, but applauds of <lb/>
the mo&longs;t Eminent Prelates of that Court; nor was that Decree Publi&longs;hed without Previous Notice given <lb/>
me thereof. </s><s>Therefore it is my re&longs;olution in the pre&longs;ent ca&longs;e to give Foraign Nations to &longs;ee that this <lb/>
point is as well under stood in<emph.end type="italics"/> Italy, <emph type="italics"/>and particularly in<emph.end type="italics"/> Rome, <emph type="italics"/>as Tran&longs;alpine Diligence can imagine <lb/>
it to be: and collecting together all the proper Speculations that concern the<emph.end type="italics"/> Copernican Sy&longs;teme, <lb/>
<emph type="italics"/>to let them know, that the notice of all preceded the Cen&longs;ure of the<emph.end type="italics"/> Roman Court; <emph type="italics"/>and that there <lb/>
proceed from this Climate not only Doctrines for the health of the Soul, but al&longs;o ingenious Di&longs;coveries <lb/>
for the recreating of the Mind.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>

<s><emph type="italics"/>To this end I have per&longs;onated the<emph.end type="italics"/> Copernican <emph type="italics"/>in this Di&longs;cour&longs;e; proceeding upon an Hypothe&longs;is <lb/>
purely Mathematical; &longs;triving by all artificial wayes to repre&longs;ent it Superiour, not to that of the Im <lb/>
mobility of the Earth ab&longs;olutely, but according as it is mentioned by &longs;ome, that retein no more, but the <lb/>
name of<emph.end type="italics"/> Peripateticks, <emph type="italics"/>and are content, without going farther, to adore Shadows, not philo&longs;ophizing <lb/>
with requi&longs;it caution, but with the &longs;ole remembrance of four<emph.end type="italics"/> Principles, <emph type="italics"/>but badly under &longs;tood.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>

<s><emph type="italics"/>We &longs;hall treat of three principall heads. </s><s>Fir&longs;t I will endeavour to &longs;hew that all Experiments that can <lb/>
be made upon the Earth are in&longs;ufficient means to conclude it's Mobility, but are indifferently applicable <lb/>
to the Earth moveable or immoveable: and I hope that on this occa&longs;ion we &longs;hall di&longs;cover many ob&longs;er <lb/>
vable pa&longs;&longs;ages unknown to the Ancients. </s><s>Secondly we will examine the C&oelig;le&longs;tiall<emph.end type="italics"/> Ph&oelig;nomena <lb/>
<emph type="italics"/>that make for the<emph.end type="italics"/> Copernican Hypothe&longs;is, <emph type="italics"/>as if it were to prove ab&longs;olutely victorious; adding by the <lb/>
way certain new Ob&longs;ervations, which yet &longs;erve only for the A&longs;tronomical Facility, not for Natural <lb/>
Neceßity. </s><s>In the third place I will propo&longs;e an ingenuous Fancy. </s><s>I remember that I have &longs;aid many <lb/>
years &longs;ince, that the unknown Probleme of the Tide might receive &longs;ome light, admitting the Earths <lb/>
Motion. </s><s>This Po&longs;ition of mine pa&longs;sing from one to another had found charitable Fathers that <lb/>
adopted it for the I&longs;&longs;ue of their own wit. </s><s>Now, becau&longs;e no &longs;tranger may ever appear that defending him <lb/>
&longs;elf with our armes &longs;hall charge us with want of caution in &longs;o principal an Accident, I have thought <lb/>
good to lay down tho&longs;e probabilities that would render it credible, admitting that the Earth did <lb/>
move. </s><s>I hope, that by the&longs;e Con&longs;ider ations the World will come to know, that if other Nations have <lb/>
Navigated more than we, we have not &longs;tudied le&longs;s than they; & that our returning to a&longs;&longs;ert the Earths <lb/>
Stability, and to take the contrary only for a Mathematical<emph.end type="italics"/> Capriccio, <emph type="italics"/>proceeds not from inadvertency <lb/>
of what others have thought thereof, but (had we no other inducements) from tho&longs;e Rea&longs;ons that Pic <lb/>
ty, Religion, the Knowledge of the Divine Omnipotency, and a con&longs;ciou&longs;ne&longs;s of the incapacity of mans <lb/>
Vnder&longs;tanding dictate unto us.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>