If or not it’s true that the life of a man should be estimated solely by the use he has made of it, that of Latreille is worthy of envy, because it was spent so worthily. There being no declivity, there may be no pure inclination to movement: and there being no acclivity, there can be no resistance to being moved; in order that there would come up an indifference between propension and resistance of motion; therefore, methinks it ought naturally to face nonetheless. Salv.Well: but when there be no cause of retardation, much much less ought there to be any trigger of rest. In order that the identical holding true in the Earth, as within the Ship, one can’t from the stones falling perpendicularly at the foot of the Tower, conclude any thing touching the movement or rest of the Earth. Yet I am so good at taming of wits, that I’ll make you confess the identical whether or not you’ll or no. But Sagredus stands very mute, and yet, if I mistake not, I noticed him make a suggestion to speak considerably.
Salv.Your making a better scruple of this than of the opposite instances dependeth, if I mistake not, upon the birds being animated, and thereby enabled to make use of their strength at pleasure against the primary movement in-bred in terrene bodies: like as for instance, we see them whil’st they are alive to fly upwards, a thing altogether impossible for them to do as they are grave bodies; whereas being lifeless they’ll onely fall downwards; and subsequently you hold that the explanations that are of power in all of the kinds of initiatives above named, can’t take place in birds: Now this could be very true; and since it’s so, Sagredus, that doth not seem like performed in these initiatives,The reply to the argument taken from the flight of birds opposite to the motion of the Earth. Globe of Wood or Ball of Lead, as suppose of 200 weight, the movement wherewith its self is moved, and which it doth maybe talk to feathers, snow, and other very mild issues: nay, I see that a weight of that nature, being exposed to any the most impetuous wind, isn’t thereby removed an inch from its place; now consider with your self whether or not the air will carry it along therewith.
Simpl.I don’t see how it could actually overcome or yield to it self in motion, unlesse by shifting one whereas sooner, and another while slower. You introduce the wind blowing against that stone, supposed in a state of rest, and we expose to the air, which already moveth, the stone which doth also transfer with the identical velocity; in order that the air is to not conferr a brand new movement upon it, but onely to take care of, or to talk better, to not hinder the movement already acquired: you’ll drive the stone with a strange and preternatural motion, and we need to conserve it in its pure. To this I add, that it’s necessary, that not less than that a part of the Air which is beneath the better heights of mountains, should be transported and carried spherical by the roughness of the Earths surface; or that, as being mixt with many Vapours, and terrene Exhalations, it do naturally observe the diurnal motion, which occurreth not within the Air concerning the ship rowed by Oars: So that your arguing from the ship to the Tower hath not the force of an illation; as a result of that stone which falls from the round high of the Mast, entereth right into a medium, which is unconcern’d in the movement of the ship: however that which departeth from the top of the Tower, finds a medium that hath a movement in frequent with the entire Terrestrial Globe; in order that without being hindred, reasonably being assisted by the movement of the air, it may follow the common course of the Earth.
And that I might no longer hold you in suspense, tell me, Simplicius, do you really consider, that the Experiment of the ship squares so very properly with our purpose, as that it should be believed, that that which we see occur in it, ought also to evene within the Terrestrial Globe? Salv.Take good heed what you say, Simplicius, for I’m assured that it might lie nonetheless in what ever place you need to lay it. Salv.That it is possible that those Authors instance in it, with out having made tryal of it, you your self are an excellent testimony, that without having examined it, alledg it as certain, and in a credulous means remit it to their authority; as it’s now not onely attainable, but very possible that they likewise did; I mean, did remit the same to their Predecessors, without ever arriving at one which had made the experiment: for whoever shall look at the identical, shall find the occasion succeed fairly opposite to what hath been written of it: that is, he shall see the stone fall always in the identical place of the Ship, whether or not it stand still, or move with any in any way velocity.The stone falling from the Mast of a ship lights in the identical place, whether the ship doth transfer or ly nonetheless.