24 or- THE FIGURE AND MOTION

These, and many other absurd opinions ofthe fame kind, which are attributed to the an-cients, plainly shew the confusion and uncer-tainty which, at that time, attended the subject.But it is the glory of modern philosophy, thatthis doctrine is now set in so clear a light, andthe knowledge of it so generally diffused, thatit is almost impossible it should ever again beforgotten ; or that the ravages of ignorant bar-barians, should involve it in doubt and obscurity.We are now certain, that the earth is not alevel horizontal plane, stretched out infinitely onall sides, and with a bottomless foundation. Butthat it is a globular body, suspended in the voidspace, and covered on all sides with innume-rable inhabitants; who, by means of the artsof navigation and commerce, can carry on acorrespondence with each other, and transporttheir commodities to the most distant regions.

Having said thus much concerning the figureof the earth, I might now proceed to give yousome account of its bulk or magnitude ; forthis also has been ascertained; and is nowsettled, by Mathematicians, to a sufficient de-gree of accuracy and precision. But as themethod by which the measurement of this largebody was effected, as well as several other mat-ters relating to the true figure of the earthitself, depend upon principles which will bebetter explained hereafter, I must defer enter-ing-