A week's conversation on the plurality of worlds. To which is prefixed, a memoir of the author's life and writings / by M. de Voltaire.

  • Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle
Date:
1807
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A week's conversation on the plurality of worlds. To which is prefixed, a memoir of the author's life and writings / by M. de Voltaire. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    29/166 (page 17)
    kind, who had taken up the bert place in the univerfe ; and it pleafes me to Tee the earth in the crowds of planets. Sure, anfw-ered Ihe, you do not think their vanity extends iifelf fo far as aftronomy ! Do you believe you have humbled me, in telling me the earth goes round the fun ? For my part, I do not think royfelf the w-orfe for it. I con- fefs, Madam, faid I, it is my belief that a fair lady would be much more concerned for her place at a ball, than for her rank in the univerfe-, and the precedence of two planets will not make half fuch a noife in the world as that of two ambafladors j however, the fame inclination which reigns at a cere- mony governs in a fyftem ; and if you love theupptrmoft place in the one, the pbilofo- pher defires the centre in the other-, he flatters himfelf that all things were made for him, and infenfibly believes a matter of pure fpeculation to be a point of interert. This is a calumny, faid (he, you have in- vented againft mankind^ why did they re- ceive this fyflem if it was fo erroneous ? I know not, anfwered I, but I am fure Coper- nicus himfelf diflributed the fuccefs of his opinion ; it was a long time before he would venture to pub]ifh it-, nor had he done it then without the importunity of his friends. Rut do you know what became of him ? the