I have conversed with many excellent European
gentlemen, and their great fault appears to me to be in the implicit
faith they put in these _telescopes_--they hold their evidence above
that of the prophets, Moses, Abraham, and Elijah. It is dreadful to
think how much mischief these telescopes may do. No, sir, let us hold
fast by the prophets; what they tell us is the truth, and the only
truth that we can entirely rely upon in this life. I would not hold
the evidence of all the telescopes in the world as anything against
one word uttered by the humblest of the prophets named in the Old or
New Testament, or the holy Koran. The prophets, sir, keep to the
prophets, and throw aside your telescopes--there is no truth in them;
some of them turn people upside down, and make them walk upon their
heads; and yet you put their evidence against that of the
prophets.'[68]
Nothing that I could say would, after this, convince the Nawab that
there was any virtue in telescopes; his religions feeling had been
greatly excited against them; and had Galileo, Tycho Brahe, Kepler,
Newton, Laplace, and the Herschels, all been present to defend them,
they would not have altered his opinion of their demerits.
Pages:
1121
1122
1123
1124
1125
1126
1127
1128
1129
1130
1131
1132
1133
1134
1135
1136
1137
1138
1139
1140
1141
1142
1143
1144
1145