ROUNDNESS OE THE HEAVENS. 



CHAP. in. How the holy Scripture teachcth vs that the 

 earth is in middest of the world. 



LIB. i. Although it seemes to Procopius Gaza/ and to some others 



of his opinion, that it is repugnant to the holy Scripture to 



Sjfuijvii, pl ace the earth in the middest of the world, and to say that 



SaLxdivii, ^ ne heaven is round, yet in truth this doctrine is not re- 



xcvii. xs x pugnaut, but conformable to that which it doth teach vs. 



lob xxxyii. . 



Eccies. i. For laying aside the tearmes which the Scripture it selfe 

 doth vse in many places, &quot; The roundnesse of the earth&quot;; 

 and that which it sayeth in an other place, that whatsoever 

 is corporeal! is invironed and compassed in by the heavens 

 and conteyned within the roundnes thereof, at the least they 

 cannot deny but that place of Ecclesiastes is very plaine 

 where it is said, &quot; The Sunne riseth and sets, and returnes 

 to the same place, and so begins to rise againe ; he takes 

 his course by the South, turning towards the North ; this 

 spirit niarcheth compassing about all thinges, and then 

 returnes to the same place.&quot; In this place the paraphrase 

 and exposition of Gregorie Neocesarien, or Nazianzeiie, 

 sayeth, &quot; The Sunne hauing runne about the whole earth, 

 returnes as it were, turning to the same point.&quot; That which 

 Solomon sayeth (being interpreted by Gregorie) could not 

 be trve if any part of the earth were not invironed with the 



g 6 ^ 11 cap&amp;lt; heaven. And so S. Jerome doth vnderstand it, writing 



Ephes. vpon the Epistle to the Ephesians in this sort, &quot; The most 

 common opinion affirines (agreeing with Ecclesiastes) that 

 the heaven is round, mooving circularly like vnto a bowle.&quot; 

 And it is most certaine that no round figure conteyneth in 

 it eyther longitude, latitude, heigth, or depth, for that all 



Basil., hom. parts are equall. Whereby it appeares, according to S. 



Hexam. Jerome, * That those which hold the heaven to be round are 



prope fincrn 



not repugnant to the holy Scripture, but conformable to the 

 same.&quot; And although that S. Easile especially, and S. 

 Ambrose (who doth vsually imitate him in his bookes called 



1 Gozes. 



