To weet that long ago these Earths have been Peopled with men and beasts before this Earth, And after this shall others be again And other beasts and other humane birth. Which once admit, no strength that reason bear’th Of this worlds Date and Adams efformation, Another Adam once received breath And still another in endlesse repedation, And this must perish once by finall conflagration. 77 Witnesse ye Heavens if what I say’s not true, Ye flaming Comets wandering on high, And new fixt starres found in that Circle blue, The one espide in glittering _Cassiopie_, The other near to _Ophiuchus_ thigh. Both bigger then the biggest starres that are, And yet as farre remov’d from mortall eye As are the furthest, so those Arts declare Unto whose reaching sight Heavens mysteries lie bare. 78 Wherefore these new-seen lights were greater once By many thousand times then this our sphear Wherein we live, ’twixt good and evil chance. Which to my musing mind doth strange appear If those large bodies then first shaped were. For should so goodly things so soon decay? Neither did last the full space of two year. Wherefore I cannot deem that their first day Of being, when to us they sent out shining ray. 79 But that they were created both of old, And each in his due time did fair display Themselves in radiant locks more bright then gold, Or silver sheen purg’d from all drossie clay. But how they could themselves in this array Expose to humane sight, who did before Lie hid, is that which well amazen may The wisest man and puzzle evermore: Yet my unwearied thoughts this search could not give o’re. 80 Which when I’d exercis’d in long pursuit To finden out what might the best agree With warie reason, at last I did conclude That there’s no better probabilitie Can be produc’d of that strange prodigie, But that some mighty Planet that doth run About some fixed starre in _Cassiopie_ As _Saturn_ paceth round about our Sun, Unusuall light and bignesse by strange fate had wonne. 81 Which I conceive no gainer way is done Then by the siezing of devouring fire On that dark Orb, which ’fore but dimly shone With borrowed light, not lightened entire, But halfed like the Moon. And while the busie flame did sieze throughout, And search the bowels of the lowest mire Of that _Saturnian_ Earth; a mist broke out, And immense mounting smoke arose all round about. 82