iet. iv. Tycho Brahe, and Copernicus. 6r

siderable mathematician of his time, did notscruple to observe that if God had called himto his council when he made the world, hecould have directed him how to have done it ina much better manner. The thought savourstoo strongly of libertinism, but at the sametime sufficiently exposes the confusion and ab-surdity of this hypothesis.

But independent of these considerations, thisrude system was soon found incapable of stand-ing the test of observation and experiment; and,notwithstanding the opposition of blind andzealous bigots, has long been rejected by all ma-thematicians and true philosophers. The planets,Mercury and Venus, are now with certaintyknown not to include the earth in their orbits;and the comets move through the heavens in allmanner of directions, so that they must infal-libly have met with continual obstructions, andwould, long ere this, have broken all these crystalspheres to pieces, and rendered them totally unfitfor the purposes for which they were designed.

The contradictions and perplexities attendingthe Ptolemaic hypothesis, were indeed so nume-rous and evident, that it was impossible theyshould ever be reconciled upon that supposition.But notwithstanding this, mankind were noteasily induced to give up their darling prejudices,and embrace the truth, in whatever form shepresented herself to them. Many early habits

must