which being of a &longs;pherical figure, if its &longs;uperficies were &longs;mooth, as <lb/>
this paper, the parts of its hemi&longs;phere illuminated by the Sun, <lb/>
which are towards its extremity, would receive much le&longs;s light, <lb/>
than the middle parts; the rays falling upon them mo&longs;t obliquely, <lb/>
and upon the&longs;e at right angles; whereupon at the time of full <lb/>
Moon, when we &longs;ee almo&longs;t its whole Hemi&longs;phere illuminated, the <lb/>
parts towards the mid&longs;t, would &longs;hew them&longs;elves to us with more <lb/>
&longs;plendor, than tho&longs;e others towards the circumference: which is <lb/>
not &longs;o in effect. </s><s>Now the face of the Moon being repre&longs;ented <lb/>
to me full of indifferent high mountains, do not you &longs;ee how their <lb/>
tops and continuate ridges, being elevated above the convexity of <lb/>
the perfect &longs;pherical &longs;uperficies, come to be expo&longs;ed to the view <lb/>
of the Sun, and accommodated to receive its rays much le&longs;s ob <lb/>
liquely, and con&longs;equently to appear as luminous as the re&longs;t?</s>

<s><margin.target id="marg177"></margin.target><emph type="italics"/>The more oblique <lb/>
Rayes illuminate <lb/>
leß, and why.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>

<s>SAGR. </s><s>All this I well perceive: and if there are &longs;uch moun <lb/>
tains, its true, the Sun will dart upon them much more directly <lb/>
than it would do upon the inclination of a polite &longs;uperficies: but <lb/>
it is al&longs;o true, that betwixt tho&longs;e mountains all the valleys would <lb/>
become ob&longs;cure, by rea&longs;on of the va&longs;t &longs;hadows, which in that <lb/>
time would be ca&longs;t from the mountains, whereas the parts towards <lb/>
the middle, though full of valleys and hills, by rea&longs;on they have <lb/>
the Sun elevated, would appear without &longs;hadow, and therefore <lb/>
more lucid by far than the extreme parts, which are no le&longs;s diffu <lb/>
&longs;ed with &longs;hadow than light, and yet we can perceive no &longs;uch diffe <lb/>
rence.</s>

<s>SIMPL. </s><s>I was ruminating upon the like difficulty.</s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>How much readier is <emph type="italics"/>Simplicius<emph.end type="italics"/> to apprehend the ob <lb/>
jections which favour the opinions of <emph type="italics"/>Ari&longs;totle,<emph.end type="italics"/> than their &longs;oluti <lb/>
ons? </s><s>I have a kind of &longs;u&longs;pition, that he &longs;trives al&longs;o &longs;ometimes to <lb/>
di&longs;&longs;emble them; and in the pre&longs;ent ca&longs;e, he being of him&longs;elf able <lb/>
to hit upon the doubt, which yet is very ingenious, I cannot be <lb/>
lieve but that he al&longs;o was advi&longs;'d of the an&longs;wer; wherefore I will <lb/>
attempt to wre&longs;t the &longs;ame (as they &longs;ay) out of his mouth. </s><s>There <lb/>
fore tell me, <emph type="italics"/>Simplicius,<emph.end type="italics"/> do you think there can be any &longs;hadow, <lb/>
where the rays of the Sun do &longs;hine?</s>

<s>SIMPL. </s><s>I believe, nay I am certain that there cannot; for that <lb/>
it being the grand luminary, which with its rays driveth away dark <lb/>
ne&longs;s, it is impo&longs;&longs;ible any tenebro&longs;ity &longs;hould remain where it com <lb/>
eth; moreover, we have the definition, that <emph type="italics"/>Tenebræ &longs;unt priva <lb/>
tio luminis.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>

<s>SALV. </s><s>Therefore the Sun, beholding the Earth, Moon or o <lb/>
ther opacous body, never &longs;eeth any of its &longs;hady parts, it not ha <lb/>
ving any other eyes to &longs;ee with, &longs;ave its rays, the conveyers of <lb/>
light: and con&longs;equently, one &longs;tanding in the Sun would never <lb/>
&longs;ee any thing of umbrage, fora&longs;much as his vi&longs;ive rays would ever