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pafs- Who then would have thought, that this 
prophecy was fo near being fulfilled, and that, by 
means of combining a convex and a concave glafs, 
the common ufes of which had been known for 
near 300 years before, the fight of man was to be 
extended almoft to the remoteft parts of theuniverfe? 
This inftrument, which nothing but its being fo 
common hinders us from regarding with the greatefl 
wonder, was invented, about 170 years ago, by one 
of thofe happy accidents, to which we owe many 
of the fineft difcoveries. 
At that time flouriflaed the famous galileo, who 
was the firft that conftruCted a telefcope from fome 
knowledge of the refraction of the rays of light. 
Having finifhed one in 1610, he directed it to the 
heavens, and thus entered upon the rnoft pleating 
and moft ftriking field of obfervation, which any 
philofopher ever enjoyed. The name of g alileo 
will always be familiar to us, fo long as there re- 
mains any remembrance of thofe celebrated dif- 
coveries, which he then made by the help of his 
gfafles. 
One of the molt remarkable of them was that of 
the solar spots. So ftrange a difcovery, relating 
to the fun, commanded a great deal of attention. At 
that time the authority of Ariflotle, by controlling 
<he reafon of men, governed their opinions in all 
parts of philofophy; and one of the abfurd doClrines, 
then taught in the fchools, was, that the matter of 
the heavens was ungenerated, incorruptible, and 
iubjed to no alteration. But the arguments, which 
g alileo now produced againft that notion, were 
founded upon the evidence of fenfe, and it was 
impof- 
