be equal, the alterations of the annual Period would fail.
Sagr.It seems then, that the Monethly alteration of ebbings and flowings dependeth on the alteration of the annual motion of the Earth? And the annual alteration of those ebbings and flowings do, it seems, depend on the additions and substractions of the diurnal conversion? And here now I finde my self worse puzzled than before, and more out of hope of being able to comprehend how this intricacy may be, which is more inextricable, in my judgment, than the Gordian knot. And I envy Simplicius, from whose silence I argue that he doth apprehend the whole businesse, and is acquit of that confusion which greatly puzzleth my brains.
Simp.I believe verily, Sagredus, that you are put to a a stand; and I believe that I know also the cause of your confusion, which, if I mistake not, riseth from your understanding part of those particulars but even now alledged by Salviatus, and but a part. It is true likewise that I find my self free from the like confusion; but not for that cause as you think, to wit, because I apprehend the whole, nay it happens upon the quite contrary account; namely, from my not comprehending any thing, and confusion is in the plurality of things, and not in nothing.
Sagr.You see Salviatus, how a few checks given to Simplicius in the dayes preceding, have rendered him gentle, and brought him from the capriol to the amble. But I beseech you without farther delay, put us both out of suspence.
Salv.I will endeavour it to the utmost of my harsh way of expressing my self, the obtusenesse of which, the acutenesse of your wit shall supply. The accidents of which we are to enquire the causes are two: The first respecteth the varieties that happen in the ebbings and flowings in the Monethly Period; and the othr relateth to the Annual. We will first speak of the Monethly, and then treat of the Annual; and it is convenient that we resolve them all according to the Fundamentals and Hypothesis already laid down, without introducing any novelty either in Astronomy, or in the Universe, in favour of the ebbings and flowings; therefore let us demonstrate that of all the several accidents in them observed, the causes reside in the things already known,The true Hypothesis may dispatch its revolutions in a shorter time, in lesser circles than in greater; the which is proved by two examples. and received for true and undoubted. I say therefore, that it is a truly natural, yea necessary thing, that one and the same moveable made to move round by the same moving virtue in a longer time, do make its course by a greater circle, rather than by a lesser; and this is a truth received by all, and confirmed by all experiments,The first example. of which we will produce a few. In the wheel-clocks, and particularly in the great ones, to mo-derate
