166
G. Galilæus, his Systeme.
as far one way as another. Having observed all these particulars, though no man doubteth that so long as the vessel stands still, they ought to succeed in this manner; make the Ship to move with what velocity you please; for (so long as the motion is uniforme, and not fluctuating this way and that way) you shall not discern any the least alteration in all the forenamed effects; nor can you gather by any of them whether the Ship doth move or stand still. In leaping you shall reach as far upon the floor, as before; nor for that the Ship moveth shall you make a greater leap towards the poop than towards the prow; howbeit in the time that you staid in the Air, the floor under your feet shall have run the contrary way to that of your jump; and throwing any thing to your companion you shall not need to cast it with more strength that it may reach him, if he shall be towards the prow, and you towards the poop, then if you stood in a contrary situation; the drops shall all distill as before into the inferiour bottle, and not so much as one shall fall towards the poop, albeit whil'st the drop is in the Air, the Ship shall have run many feet; the Fishes in their water shall not swim with more trouble towards the fore-part, than towards the hinder part of the tub; but shall with equal velocity make to the bait placed on any side of the tub; and lastly, the flies and gnats shall continue their flight indifferently towards all parts; nor shall they ever happen to be driven together towards the side of the Cabbin next the prow, as if they were wearied with following the swift course of the Ship, from which through their suspension in the Air, they had been long separated; and if burning a few graines of incense you make a little smoke, you shall see it ascend on high, and there in manner of a cloud suspend it self, and move indifferently, not inclining more to one side than another: and of this correspondence of effects the cause is for that the Ships motion is common to all the things contained in it, and to the Air also; I mean if those things be shut up in the Cabbin: but in case those things were above deck in the open Air, and not obliged to follow the course of the Ship, differences more or lesse notable would be observed in some of the fore-named effects, and there is no doubt but that the smoke would stay behind as much as the Air it self; the flies also, and the gnats being hindered by the Air would not be able to follow the motion of the Ship, if they were separated at any distance from it. But keeping neer thereto, because the Ship it self as being an unfractuous Fabrick, carrieth along with it part of its neerest Air, they would follow the said Ship without any pains or difficulty. And for the like reason we see sometimes in riding post, that the troublesome flies and * Tafaris, horse-flyes.* hornets do follow the horses flying sometimes to one, sometimes to another part of the body, but in the falling drops
the
