Page:The Discovery of a World in the Moone, 1638.djvu/213

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196
The discovery

the Sun, and as being victorious as crowned with garlands made with the wings of Eustathia or Constancie.

It hath beene the opinion amongst some of the Ancients, that their Heavens and Elysian fields were in the Moone where the aire is most quiet and pure. Thus Socrates[1], thus Plato with his followers, did esteeme this to bee the place where those purer soules inhabit, who are freed from the Sepulchre, and contagion of the body. And by the Fable of Ceres, continually wandring in search of her daughter Proserpina, is meant nothing else but the longing desire of men, who live upon Ceres earth, to attaine a place in Proserpina the Moone or Heaven.

Plutarch also seemes to assent unto this, but hee thinkes moreover, that there are two places of happinesse answerable to those two parts which hee fancies to

  1. Nat Com. lib. 3. c. 19.
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