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PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. i$ 



cd ftars to the human eye ; for inftance," 

 from the fmall one called the Rider in the 

 tail of the Great Bear: The particles by 

 which we fee that ftar, have, in the firfli 

 place, paffed thro' the fpace furrounding it, 

 in which there are probably feveral planets 

 revolving, and which muft be therefore fo 

 filled with a fphere of rays from each of 

 them that they may be vifible to an eye any 

 where fituated in thofe fpaces ; after that, they 

 have paiTed laterally thro' the whole torrent 

 of light flowing from the ftar of the fecond 

 magnitude which we fee belide it j and laft- 

 ly, they have palTed likeways atcrofs the 

 whole ocean of the folar light, and all that 

 light with which the fpace furroundirrg the 

 fun is filled from all the comets, planets, and 

 fatellites; and befides, in every phyfical point 

 of their numerous journey from the Rider 

 to our eye, they have pafied thro' rays of 

 light flowing in all directions from every fix- 

 ed ftar in the vifible univerfe : and yet, du- 

 ring the whole, they have never juftied a- 

 gainft one particle of light ; otherways they 

 could not have arrived in their true diredion 

 to our eye. This reflection cannot fail to 

 fuggeft a general notion of the rarity and te- 

 nuity 



