and ufelefs, were there not men in the planets; they must therefore be in habited: and following out this confequence, the author fhews that these inhabitants must be similar to thofe on our earth. Accordingly be peoples thefe worlds with fools and wits, with rogues and honelt men; and in order to reftrain thele different characters within jufl bounds, he fuppofes there must be laws and judges. Thus Huyghens fupports the fame fyltem with Fontenelle, with this difference, that he finds in the planetary inhabitants the greatest analogy with us, and a fcribes to them the fame arts and acquirements. Wolfius not only declared himself a zealous partizan of the plurality of worlds, but fappofed he had good reafons for determining even the ftature of the aftrean inhabitants. Trofe that poffefs Jupiter, fays he, muft be giants of thirteen feet high, which was nearly the stature of Og, king of Bafhan, whose bed, according to Mofes, was nine cubits long and four broad. Benjamin Martin likewife adopted the hypothefis of Fontenelle. M. Save rien thinks the doctrine possible, but, adds he, fimple conje&tures, however ingenious they may be, advance but lule the knowledge of nature, and philofophers are content with probabilities when facts are wanting. Since the invention of the telescope thefe conjectures have been fortified. Dutens thinks the doctrine so probabie, that no found mind can reject it. I fhall now mention fuch learned men as have not admitted the plurality of worlds, and folve the difficulties which have been propofed against the fyftem. Although it appears that Ariftotle had embraced the opinion of Democritus on this fubject, yet the Peripatetics maintained that the moon could not be a world, because it contained no animals, that they could not exist there except by generation or corrup tion; that the moon is incorruptible, that it has always enjoyed a conftant P 2 and table pofition, and that no change has been obferved in it from the beginuing of the world to the prefent time. But Hevelius anfwers, that our earth, however corruptible it may appear to us, has endured as long as the moon; that there may have been corruption imperceptible to us from its diftance, happening only in its fmalleft parts, or on its furface like that on our earth, which we could not perceive were we as diftant from it as we are from the moon. He adds many other reafons, which he confirms by difcoveries he fays he has made by means of a telescope of his own invention, which has shown him that the luminous and dark places, the large and the fmall appearauces in the moon, have a juft corref pondence with our feas, rivers, lakes, plains, mountains, forefts. Plutarch, after having explained the opinion of a plurality of worlds generally taught by the ancient Greek philofophers, fays, that he was far from condemning it, and he thought it very probable, that there was a vaft, though determinate number of worlds like ours. It appears from a paffage of the fame author, that, in his time, the question was agitated, whether in the moon there were exhalations and vapours, which, rifing from its fuiface, caufed rain, and other meteors. Flutarch feems to incline to those who maintaine the negative; he thought the moon would be so heated, by the contant endurance of the fan's rays on its furface, that the whole moif ture would be evaporated, and nothing left to fuffice for new vapours, whence he concludes, that there were neither ran, nor clouds, nor wind, confequently neither animals nor plants. The fame reafon is ftill alledged by thofe moderns, who oppofe the opinion of the moon's being people; though the only neceffary confequence to be drawn from thofe difficulties fhould be, that the beings living on that planet are different from thofe thofe on ours, and that their conflitutions are accommodated to the climate, and to the nature of the place deftined for them. 1 M. de la Hire, from his obfervations, concluded that thofe fpots on the moon, which have been fuppofed feas, are only large portions, the foil of which is naturally darker. But if there be no feas in the moon, there can be no atmosphere, at leaft no fenfible one; and he endeavours to explain that ring of light, which appears in the folar eclipfes without fuppofing an atmosphere. It fhould follow from this, according to la Hire, that as there are no vapours, nor rain in the moon, there can be neither plants nor men. the danger of idolatry. Luckily for us the nature of things exempis us from the embarraflment." In another place, having mentioned Huyghens, Fontenelle, and the ingenious fiction of Kepler. on the ftate of the moon, our philofopher adds: “It will perhaps be faid, that it is just in the empire of the moon as it is here. It is true, that we judge otherw fe of moons, (which are only fatellites,) than we do of primary planets. An Englishman, a man of wit, has given a pleafant defcription a of Spaniard, whom fome birds of paffage tranfported to the moon; not to mention Cyrano, who afterwards went to find this fame Spaniard. Some men of genius, withing to draw a fine picture of another world, convey the fouls of the bleffed from world to world, and we find in them a part of whất men of genius can conceive. But whatever their conceptions may be, I am afra:d, confidering the great distance b.tween us and fuch geniules, and until thefe glaffes are difcovered which Defcartes makes us hope for, that are to fhew us parts in the moon no larger than houfes, we shall not be able to determine what are the contents of a world different from ours." ега The most univerfal fcholar in Europe, who held in his hands the chain of all human acquirements, the illuftrious Leibnitz, has diverted himfelf with our prefent fubject, and thus explains himself: "If the communica tion with thofe planetary men, who, according to Huyghens, are the most like curfelves, were open, it would deferve the confideration of a general council, whether we should extend the propagation of the faith byond our own earth. Many, no doubt, would infift that the reafonable animals of thofe countries, not being of the race of Adam, have no right to the redemption of Jefus Chrift; but others would perhaps fay, that we are not fufficiently certain, neither where Adam always was, nor what has become of all his poflerity, for there have been even divines, who have, fuppofed that the moon was the feat I think, adds he, that this is to of paradife, and therefore that it would be the fafeft way to baptife thofe doubtful men conditionally, that is, if they were fufceptible of it: but I must doubt, if they would ever be priests of the Roman church, because their confecration would always be doubtful, and people would be expofed, in the opinion of that church, to The Abbé Paulian confiders a plurality of worlds as a clisera and the work of Fontenelle as a ion ance, to which, however, he in fʊme refpects docs jullice. He cites the paf. fage of the Parifian on the turrets of Notre Dame, and fays, that this is the foundation on which the author bu lôs his opinion ofthe moon's being peopled. prove a propofition, as a man would do who does not care whether he is believed or not. But Fontenelle knew that comparifons are not reafons, and it is not on this foundation alone that he has reared his tructure. The difficulties urged against the doârine of the planets being people d may be reduced to the following; ift, It is doubted if feveral of the planets, and among others the moon, be furnished with an atmosphere; and, in this cate, it is not to be conceived how living beings could breathe there or exift: 2d, We obferve in feveral planets, for inftance in Jupiter, &c. diftinct and confiderable changes on their surface; but an inhabited planet ought to remain uniform: 3d, Comets are certainly planets, but it is difficult to believe that comets are inhabited, on account of the extreme diffrence which the people there would experience in the heat of the fua; being fometimes burnt, and fometimes frozen. The comet of 1680, for inftance, paffed almoft clofe upon the fun, and then went off in fuch manner that it will not perhaps return for five hundred and feventyfive years. What living beings could fupport fuch prodigious heat at one time, and fuch intenfe cold at another? 4, Theological objections. To thefe conjectures it has. been pníwered: Ift, That the atmosphere of the planets is confirmed by a great many aftronomical o fervations, according to which the pots, the belts of Jepiter, &c. have been confidered as long feas of water, or some other flad matter, and that the dark fpots of the fame planet are fufficient ground for believing that the fur ace Conffts of land and water like our earth: 2d, The different diflances of the planets, while they occafion too much heat and light on fome, and too much darkness and cold in others, do not make it impoffible for thefe bodies to be peopled worlds, as the ftructure and different organs of sense, in their different inhabitants, are no doubt adapted and appropriated to the different conftitutions and temperature of the place they inhabit, by the fame wife and powerful being who has accommodated our bodies to the earth we live on : 3d, Fontenelle has sheltered himfelf from the objections of divines, by declaring that he did not place men there, but creatures quite different from men. But, after all, why fhould the opinions of Huyghens be contrary to fcripture? we are told indeed, that all men are defcended from Adam, meaning all the men on our globe; other men, may inhabit other worlds, and defcend from other progenitors than Adam. Shall the infect that creeps on a point of the furface of this carth dare to prefcribe limits to the plastic hand of nature? 4th, The doctrine of a plurality of worlds, founded on the moft folid obfervations and reafonings of aftronomy, is rendered the more probable as it gives us the most sublime idea we can conceive of the deity, and tends to demonstrate his pow er and glory. It is therefore with reafon that all modern philofophers acknowledge as many folar fyltems, more or lefs like ours, as there are fixed fars. Interefting Obfervations on fome Comman Improprieties in Writing the English Language: (Part of the Preface to Switt's Works) By Mr Sheridan. These two words being of a fimilar found, are very improperly ufed prom fcuously, the one for the other. When employed as a prepofition, the word befide fhould always be ufed; when as an adverb, befides. The first fignifies, over and above; the laft, moreover: as in the following fentences. Befide (over and above) what has been advanced upon this fubject, it may lead us to enquire, &c. Befies, (moreover) what has been advanced upon this fubject, may lead us to enquire, &c. From whence-whence. The prepofition-from-in the ufe of this phrafe, is for the most pa t dundant, as it is generally included in the word whence. Thus whence come you? fignifies-from what place come you? Whence it follows-from which it follows. No-not It is always an imperfection in a language to have the fame individual word belong to different parts of fpeech; but when there are two words The particle-no-is often fubftidifferently pronounced, and differently tuted in the place of—not ; as—I care felt, ufed promifcuously for each not whether you believe me or no. other, both in point of meaning, and To fhew the abfurdity of this, it will in difcharging the different offices of be only neceffary to add the words prepofition and adverb, it favours after-n-which are understood—as much of barbarifm, as it is fo eafy to thus-I care not whether you believe alot their peculiar province to each. me, or no believe me-inttead of do When I faid that the word befide- not believe me. The adverbs no and fhould be always ufed as the prepofi- yes, are particles expreffive of the fimtion, and-befides-as the adverb, the ple diffent or affent of the fpeaker, and chcice was not made at random. In can never be connected with any following word; and we might with as much propriety fay-I care not whether you do not believe me or yes— as make ufe of its oppofite-no-in. that manner. This vulgarifm has taken its rife from the fame caufe before-mentioned, the fimilarity of found between no and not. its prepofitional ftate, it must be close- Never fo-ever fo. This is a strange folecifm in language. Never fo, fignifies not ever fo. Let us fubftitute the one for the other, and the abfurdity will be apparent. Thus, when we fay-I will do it, let him be never fo angry how contrary to the intention would it appear, fhould the phrafe be changed 10 t him not be ever fo angry. Or if we use the fame word in a phrafe of like import-I will do it however angry he may be-how glaring would the abfurdity appear, fhould any one fay-hownever angry he may be. I bad rather. This phrafe is strangely ungrammatical; rather—means more wil lingly. Now let us fubftitute the one in the place of the other as I had more willingly go than ftay, and its impropriety would be manifeft. The adverb-rather-is expreffive of an act of the will, and therefore fhould be joined to the verb-to will-and not to the auxiliary to have. Inftead of I had rather-it fhould be-I would rather. A-an. In the ufe of this article, it has been laid down as a rule, that it hould be written—a—before a confonant, and—an-before a vowel; but by not attending to the exceptions to this rule, the article an has been very improperly placed before words of a certain clafs, which ought to be preceded by the vowel fingly. All words beginning with u, when the accent is on it, or when the vowel is founded feparately from any other letter, fhould have a with u, when founded exactly in the fame manner: if we write-a youth, we should also write-a use. In like manner-an-never precedes words commencing with w, nor fhould it therefore the vowel o, when it forms the fame found. Thus the word, one, has the fame found as if written, won, and yet it has been the custom to write-fuch an one. In both cafes contrary to the ufage of fpeech. When words begin with the letter h, they are preceded fometimes by a, variable rule in fpeaking. When the fometimes by an; and this by an inb, or afpirate, is founded, the article a is used; as, a house, a horfe: when the his mute, an is employed; as, if written an our, an onnor. an hour, an honour; pronounced as And yet in all books published of late words beginning with b, alike—as an years, the article an preceeds all house, an horfe, &c. printers ought to reform this abufe, Surely the when they have fuch an obvious rule to guide them. They have nothing mode of fpeech, whereof printing to do but to follow the established ought, as nearly as poffible, to be the tranfcript. I have alfo taken the liberty of changing throughout an affected ofe of the third perfon fingrar in verbs, by employing the termination eth, long fince become obfolete, as, loveth, readeth, writeth, inftead of loves, reads, writes. This habit feems to have been caught from Swift's profeffional ufe of the church-service, the bible, fermons, &c.; for in the carly editions of his first publications, it had not obtained; nor indeed in any of the others has it uniformly prevailed, as not only in the fame page, but even the fame fentence, the different modes are frequently to be found; and the terminating es, is, out of all proportion, oftener ufed than that of eth; which would not have been the cafe, had it been the effect of judgment, or |