ex. PROLEGOMENA. 



by the confusion of their milhons of lights to- 

 g^ether, composed the lucid phenomena of the 

 milky way. By these calculations it ajjpears that 

 the majority of the visible fixed stars, though 

 beyond the reach of parallax, and consequently 

 at incalculable distances, can nevertheless be 

 shown to be so far off, that, according to the 

 proved velocities of light, their rays would be 

 above thirty six thousand years in arriving at 

 our earth, so as to become an available source of 

 our knowledge of their actual existence ; and 

 therefore that though we may see thena in the 

 sky every night, we have yet no positive proof 

 that they have not ceased to exist many thousand 

 years before the creation of our world. While 

 on the other hand many stars may be now shining, 

 whose light hps not reached us. I do not mean 

 to say that, according to the doctrine of chances, 

 most of the stars have probably ceased to exist ; 

 for the contrary can be shown to be much more 

 probable ; but that there is no positive proof of 

 it derived from our viewing them : and further, 

 considering that the reflected rays from every 

 object require some time to travel to the eye, 

 it may be a question for a calculation, compounded 

 effluxions and probabilities, how far, admitting the 

 external and continuous existence of all sensible 

 objects to be fully proved, the appearance of any 

 distant object constitutes a proof of its existing 



