'The Universe* 31 



mal life ; that its climates, its seasons, 

 and the length of its days, totally differ 

 from ours ; that without dense clouds 

 (which the moon has not) there can be 

 no rain ; perhaps no rivers, no lakes. In 

 short, that r notwithstanding the similarity 

 which has been pointed out, there seems 

 to be a decided difference in the two pla- 

 nets we have compared. My answer to 

 this will be, that that very difference 

 which is now objected will rather strength- 

 en the force of my argument than lessen 

 its value ; we find, even upon our globe, 

 that there is the most striking difference 

 in the situation of the creatures that live 

 upon it. While man walks upon the 

 ground, the birds fly in the air, and fishes 

 .swim in water ; we can certainly not ob- 

 ject to the conveniences afforded by the 

 moon, if those that are to inhabit its re- 

 gions are fitted to their conditions as well 

 as we on this globe are to ours. An ab- 

 solute or total sameness seerns rather to 

 denote imperfections, such as nature ne- 

 ver exposes to our view ; and, on this ac- 

 count, I believe the analogies that have 

 been mentioned fully sufficient to estab- 

 lish the high probability of the moon's 

 being inhabited like the earth." 



