Sentence:  But, mused Parker, this theory of one's perplexities being diminished by the vastly superior height of these Gothic arches cannot have any foundation in fact, for the same inverted telescope that <WSD>minifies</WSD> my burdens also <WSD>minifies</WSD> my capacity to carry them, leaving me exactly of the same stature as before. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To reduce in apparent size, as for example objects viewed through a lens or mirror shaped so as to increase the field of view, such as a convex or aspheric mirror or a Fresnel lens