This I had here further explain'd, but that
it does more properly belong to another place.
I shall therefore onely add some few Queries, which the consideration of
these particulars hinted, and so finish this Section.
And the first I shall propound is, Whether there may not be made an
artificial transparent body of an exact Globular Figure that shall so
inflect or refract all the Rays, that, coming from one point, fall upon any
_Hemisphere_ of it; that every one of them may meet on the opposite side,
and cross one another exactly in a point; and that it may do the like also
with all the Rays that, coming from a _lateral_ point, fall upon any other
_Hemisphere_; for if so, there were to be hoped a perfection of
_Dioptricks_, and a transmigration into heaven, even whil'st we remain here
upon earth in the flesh, and a descending or penetrating into the center
and innermost recesses of the earth, and all earthly bodies; nay, it would
open not onely a cranney, but a large window (as I may so speak) into the
Shop of Nature, whereby we might be enabled to see both the tools and
operators, and the very manner of the operation it self of Nature; this,
could it be effected, would as farr surpass all other kind of perspectives
as the vast extent of Heaven does the small point of the Earth, which
distance it would immediately remove, and unite them, as 'twere, into one,
at least, that there should appear no more distance between them then the
length of the Tube, into the ends of which these Glasses should be
inserted: Now, whether this may not be effected with parcels of Glass of
several densities, I have sometimes proceeded so farr as to doubt (though
in truth, as to the general, I have wholly despair'd of it) for I have
often observ'd in Optical Glasses a very great variety of the parts, which
are commonly called Veins; nay, some of them round enough (for they are for
the most part, drawn out into firings) to constitute a kind of _lens_.
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