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it being a Vindication of the Exiftence and Attributes of that infinite BEING,to whom your Royal Highnefs hath, no lefs piously than justly,aferibed your great Royal FATHER'S, and your Family's peaceable Acceffion to the Crown and Dignity of thefe Realms. THAT the Bleffings of the fame moft merciful BEING may be perpetuated to your Royal Highness and all Yours, is the hearty Prayer of,

Moft Illuftrious SIR,

Do Your Royal Highness's

moft humble obedient

Servant,

W. Derbam.

A

Preliminary Difcourfe,

CONCERNING

The Syftemes of the Heavens, the Habitability of the Planets, and a Plurality of Worlds: Useful for the reading of the following Book.

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unknown, have given me great encouragement to fulfil my promife, in fending abroad this other Part, relating to the Heavens: which fhould fooner have seen the light, but that I was minded not to interrupt the Reader's patience with many Notes (which I could not well avoid in my

Phyfico-Theology and which my

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Rough-Draught of this was burthened with) and therefore I threw the greatest part of them into the Text: which neceffitated me to transcribe the whole. And when my Hand was in, I new-made fome part of it, and added many new Obfervations of my own, which I have lately made with fome very good long Glaffes I have in my hands; one of Campani's grinding; and others of English work, which exceed it; but especially one of Mr. Huygens's of about 126 feet, which few for goodness do surpass.

OF

Or thefe Obfervations the Reader fhould have met with many more (and I believe some of my ingenious Friends do expect more) but that I lay under two inconveniences. One the want of an open free Horizon, my Habitation being furrounded much with Trees. The other, and indeed the chief, the want of a long Pole, of 100 or more feet, to raise my long Glass to fuch an height as to fee the Heavenly Bodies above the thick Vapours; which much obfcure all Objects near the Horizon, especially when viewed with long and good Glaffes. But as I have been at confiderable expences already about thefe matters, and this I am informed would amount to 80 or 90l. I thought it much too great a burthen for the yearly Income of my Living.

AND therefore if I have not fufficiently answered the expectations of A 4

fome

fome of my learned and ingenious Friends, I hope they will excufe me, and believe it to be more my Calamity than Fault that I have done no more; especially among such Planets as have advantageously presented themselves,as Saturn particularly hath, whose 5 or more Satellites it may be expected I have feen; but I could never reach but three of them, and they only when there were but few Vapours. And as for the Spots in Mars and Venus, and their Motion round their own Axes, I confefs I have not yet had good Views of thofe Planets, fince I have had my furniture of Glaffes, by reafon of the too great diftance of Mars from the Earth, and the proximity of Venus to the Sun, and of late the cloudy weather, and the fmall altitude which Venus hath above the Horizon. But if I can obtain a fufficient Apparatus, and God is pleafed to grant me Life, Health,

and

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