CHAP. XXII.
BVt (saith he) let them stand still, and leaue to moue if they can. It is as much as if thou saidst, that these stars which are separated by so great distances the one from the other, that are ranged in so goodly an order; to conserue and intertaine the whole world in his intire, should abandon their places, that the Planets being troubled with a sudden confusion, should interchecke and come one against an other, and hauing broken the repose and concord of all things: that the heauen it selfe should fall into an irreparable ruine, that the course of so violent a swift∣nesse, which had promised to be neuer interrupted, should stay in the midst of his way: that the heauen and starres, that moued themselues of late, the one af∣ter the other, in so iust a measure, that equally and by agreeable seasons tempe∣red the whole world; should be burned and consumed in a sudden flame: that so great a variety of all things should be dissolued & abolished, that they should returne into one, that the fire should seaze all, that afterwards a darksome and heauie night should obscure this world, and that finally a bottomlesse gulfe should deuoure and swallow this great n••mber of the goddes. Wee must not admit an euill so pernicious; it must not cost so deere to proue thee a liar. The starres haue power to giue thee all this in d••spite of thy selfe: they finish their courses and ordinary reuolutions for thy great profite, although there be ano∣ther more great and originall cause that moueth them.