The young gentleman's astronomy, chronology, and dialling, containing such elements of the said arts or sciences, as are most useful and easy to be known / [Edward Wells].

Edward Wells

Date:: 1725

Credit: The young gentleman's astronomy, chronology, and dialling, containing such elements of the said arts or sciences, as are most useful and easy to be known / [Edward Wells]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$tions whence the faid Phenomena a- irife, after the moft (I) fimple and uniform Manner, and confequently after fucli a Manner a$ is moft agree¬ able to the infinite Wifdom of the Creator. I proceed therefore to fhcw, how the Celeftiai ‘Phxnornpna, at leaft the more remarkable of them, may be folved according to this Hypothe- whereas the T)chonic{ makes the Earth to have no Mo¬ tion at all, the Semi-tychonic^ makes it to move round its own Axis, ai\d fo agrees therein with the Copernk can. But though the Txchonicand Semi lychonicl^ Hypothecs were both defigned as Corrections of the Comnican, yet the Generality of the more Learned in 4.'■flronomy do fti]! prefer the Copernican as the moft probable, and that for the Reafon above mentioned in fhort, and to be more largely infifted on and ex¬ plained in the Annotations next following. (||) Thefe two Proportions, Fruftra fit per plu- ra, quod fieri pot eft per pauciora $ and Natura nihil agit fruflra, being fo evident to Reafon, as by Logicians and Philofophers to be efteemed Axioms, i. e. unque- ftionable Truths; it hence follows, that That Hypo¬ thecs is to be efteemed moft agreeable to the Wifdom of God, the Author of Nature, which explains the Motions whence the Celeftiai Phenomena arife, auer the moft fimple for uncompounded) and uniform Man¬ ner 5 that is, which adjufts the laid Motions ro the fewefl Laws and Principles. Bur herein the Coper nic an Hypothefis excdls all the reft, forafmuch as according thereto, all che Bodies, on vyhofe Motion depend the Cel ftial Phanomenay are rerained in their proper Orbits bv che Cagle Prciniple of Gravity, ar.d move in che<r Orbits according to one genera! Rule, or Law of Motion. Of which Tee more in Chap. 4. .Bj fis.$