1116 TILE IMPRO4EMENT ör TIIE ¡CND. planet twenty-one thousand miles, and twenty-one thousand miles broad, they look upon these things as tales and fancies, and will tell you that the glasses do but delude your eyes with vain images; and even when they themselves consult their own eye- sight in the use of these tubes, the narrowness of their mind is such, that theywill scarcely believe their senses when they dictate ideas so new and strange. And if you proceed further, and attempt to lead them into a belief that all these planetary worlds are habitable, and it is . probable they are replenished with intellectual beings dwelling in bodies, theywill deride the folly of him that informs them ; for they resolve to believe there are no habitable worlds but this earth, and no spirits dwelling in bodies besides mankind; and it is well if they do not fix the brand of heresy on the man who is leading them out of their long imprisonment, and loosing the fet- ters of their souls. There are many other things relating to mechanical ex- periments, and tó the properties of the air, water, fire, iron, the loadstone, and other minerals and metals as well as the doctrine of the sensible qualities, viz. colours, sounds, tastes, &c. which this rank of men cannot believe for want of a greater amplitude of mind. The best way to convince them, is by giving them some aé- quaintance with the various experiments in philosophy, and proving by ocular demonstration the multiform and amazing operations of the air pump, the loadstone, the chemicalfur-. nace, optical glasses, and mechanical engines. By this means the understanding will stretch itself by degrees, and when they have found there are so many new and strange things that are most evidently true, they willnot be so forward to condemn every new proposition in any of the other sciences, or in the affairs of religion or civil life. III. The capacity of the understanding includes yet another qualification in it, and that is an ability to receive many ideas at once without confusion. The ample mind takes a surveyof seve- ral objects with one glance, keeps them all within sight and pre- sent to the soul, that they may be compared together in their mutual respects; it forms just judgments, and it draws proper inferences from this comparison even to a great length of argu- ment, and a chain of demonstration. The narrowness that belongs to human souls in general, is a great imperfection and impediment to wisdom and happiness. There are but few persons who can contemplate, or practise several things at once; our fatuities are very limited, andwhile we are intent upon one part or property of a subject, we have but a slight glimpse of the rest, or we lose it out of sight. But it is a sign of a large and capacious mind, if we can with one
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