For who did ever the Earths Centre pierce, And felt or sand or gravell with his spade At such a depth? what Histories rehearse That ever wight did dare for to invade Her bowels but one mile in dampish shade? Yet I’ll be bold to say that few or none But deem this globe even to the bottome made Of solid earth, and that her nature’s one Throughout, though plain experience hath it never shown. 63 But sith sad earth so farre as they have gone They still descrie, eas’ly they do inferre Without all check of reason, were they down Never so deep, like substance would appear, Ne dream of any hollow horrour there. My mind with like uncurb’d facilitie Concludes from what by sight is seen so clear That ther’s no barren wast vacuitie Above the worlds we see, but still new worlds there lie, 64 And still and still even to infinitie. Which point since I so fitly have propos’d, Abating well the inconsistencie Of harsh infinitude therein supposd And prov’d by reasons never to be loos’d That infinite space and infinite worlds there be; This load laid down, I’m freely now dispos’d Awhile to sing of times infinitie, May infinite Time afford me but his smallest fee. 65 For smallest fee of time will serve my turn This part for to dispatch, sith endlesse space (Whose perplext nature well mans brains might turn, And weary wits disorder and misplace) I have already passed: for like case Is in them both. He that can well untie The knots that in those infinite worlds found place, May easily answer each perplexitie Of these worlds infinite matters endlesse durancie. 66 The _Cuspis_ and the _Basis_ of the _Cone_ Were both at once dispersed every where; But the pure _Basis_ that is God alone: Else would remotest sights as bigge appear Unto our eyes as if we stood them near. And if an Harper harped in the Moon, His silver sound would touch our tickled eare: Or if one hollowed from highest Heaven aboven, In sweet still Evening-tide, his voice would hither roam. 67 This all would be if the _Cuspe_ of the _Cone_ Were very God. Wherefore I rightly ’t deem Onely a Creaturall projection, Which flowing yet from God hath ever been, Fill’d the vast empty space with its large streem. But yet it is not totall every where As was even now by reason rightly seen: Wherefore not God, whose nature doth appear Entirely omnipresent, weigh’d with judgement clear, 68 A reall infinite matter, distinct And yet proceeding from the Deitie Although with different form as then untinct Has ever been from all Eternitie. Now what delay can we suppose to be, Since matter alway was at hand prepar’d Before the filling of the boundlesse skie With framed Worlds; for nought at all debar’d, Nor was His strength ungrown, nor was His strength empair’d.