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Three Phyfico-Theologtcal
DISC OURSES,
CONCERNING
I. The Primitive CHAOS, and Cre- ation of the World.
II. The General DELUGE, its Caufes and Effeds.
III. The Diffolution of the W O R LD, and Future Conflagration.
Wherein are largely difculTed,
The Production i^d Ufe of Mountains ,• the Original of FouiS^ins, of Formed Stones, and Sea-Fifhes Bones |hd Shells found in the E:irth \ the EfFeds of particular Floods, and Inundations of the Sea ^ the Eruptions olVukanos-^ the Na- ture and Caufes of Earthquakes.
Alfo an Hiftorical Account of thofe Two late remarkable Ones in "Jamaica and England.
With Practical Inferences.
By JOHN RAT, late Fel low of the Royal Society.
The Third Edition^ Illuflrated with Coffer- Plates^ and much mere Enlarged than the former Editions^ ffom the Author^ i own AfSS.
London : Printed for William Innys, at the Princess Arms in S-FanCs Chureh yard, 1 7 1 3.
TO THE Moft Reverend Father in GOD^
JO H N,
Lord Arch-Bifhop of Cafu terbury, Primate of all England, and Metropoli tan.
My L o r d>
T was no tntefejl
or ExpeBation of
mine, that induced
me to Dedicate this
Difcourfe to Tour Grace. /
am not fo "well conceited of
K % my
iv DEDICATION.
my o^von Performances, as to think it merits to he inferi- hed to fo Great a Name^ much lejs that I Jbould Ob- lige Tour Lordjhipy or indeed a far meaner Perfon, by fuch Infcription. My principal Motive was, that it would give me Opportunity of Con- gratulating mth the Sober Part of this Nation, Tour Advancement to the Archie episcopal Dignity ; and of acknowledging His Majeflys Wifdom in making Choice of fo fit a P erf on to fill that Chair, endued mth all Qua- lifications requifite for fo high a Calling) Jo able and skil- ful a Pilot to govern the
Church,
DE DICATION.
Church, and [o prudent and faithful a Counfellor to ferve Himfelf But I mil not en- large in juji PraifeSj left I jhould incurr the unjuji Cen- fare or Sufpicion of Flatte- ry. Gi'ue me lea^ve only to addy "what I may mthout In- jury of Truth, and I think mthout Violation of Mode- fly , that Tour GraceV Ele- Bion hath the concurrent Ap- probation and Applaufe of all good Men that knov) ToUy or ha'ue had a true CharaBer of Ton ; which may ferve to firengthen Tour Hands in the Management andAdminiftra- tion of fo difficult a Province, thoTouneednofuch Support,
A3 as
vi DEDICATION.
as being fufficiently in'vohed and armed by Tour V^ertueSy and proteEied by the Almigh- ty Power and Providenee. Thofe that are Good and Wije are pleafed and fatif- fled "vohen Great Men are preferred to Great Places ; and think it Pity that Per- sons of large and publick Spi- rits Jhould be confined to nar- row Spheres of ABion^ and want Field to exercife and employ thofe rich Talents and Abilities wherewith they are endowed, in doing all the Good they are thereby qualified and inclined to do\
My
DEDICATION. vii
My Lord,
/ am fenfible that the Pre- fent / make Ton, is neither for Bulk 7ior Worth fuitable to Tour Perfon and Great- nefs ; Tet I hope Ton mil fa'vourably accept it, being the befl I have to offer: /Incl my Boldnefs may pre- tend fome Excufe from an- cient Acquaintance, and from my Forvoardnefs to embrace this Opportunity of profejjing my Name among thofe that Honour ToUy and of publifi- ing my f elf
My Lord, Your Grace's moft devoted Servant^' and humble^ Orator,
JOHN RAT.
A 4 THE
THE
PREFACE,
Shewing what Alterations were made in the Second Edition.
Aving altered the Method oF this Treatife, and made con- fiderable Additions to it, it may juftly be expedled that I fhould give fome Account thereof to the Reader. In the Preface to the former Edition, I acquainted him, that I had taken notice of five Matters of An- cient Tradition, i. That the World was formed out of a Chaos^ by the Divine Wif- dom and Power. 2. That there was ati univerfal Flood of Watery, in which all Mankind perlflied, excepting fome few, which were faved in an Ark or Ship. 3. That the World lliall one day be de- ftroyed by Fire. 4. That there is a Hea- ven
X The Preface.
ven and a Hell, an Ebfium and a Thrtaruf, the one to reward good Men, and the other to puni:Ti wicked ; and both eternal. 5. That bloody Sacrifices were to be offered for the Expiation of Sin. And that of four of them I had occafion to treat in rhis Book ; of two, that is to Ly, of the Dilfolution of the World by Fire, and the Eternal State that was to lucceed (in reference to Man) ei- ther in Heaven or Hdl, more dirediy : Of the other two, viz. The Primitive Chaof and Creation, and the General Deluge, oc- cafionally and by way of digrelfion, at the Requeft qF fome Friends. But now this Trea- |:ifeicoming toa fecond Impreflfion, I thought it more convenient to make thefe feveral Difcourfes upon thefe Particulars, fubftan- tial Parts of my Work, and to difpofe them according to the Priority and Pofteriority of their Subjed:s, in Order of Time, beginning with the Primitive Chaos.
Concerning thefe Traditions, it may be enquired what the Original of them was i Whether they were of Divine Revela- tion, or Humane Invention? In anfwer whereto,
A s to the Second, That there was once a General Deluge, whereby this whole fub^ iunary World was drown'd, and all Ani- mals, both Man and Beaft, deftroyed, ex- cepting only fuch as were preferved in an
Ark;
The Preface.
Ark ; it being Matter of Fadt, and feen and felt by Noah^ and his Sons, there can be no Doubt of the Original of that.
The Firft, concerning the Chaos and Creation of the World, if it were not an- cienter than the Scripture, it is likely it had its Original from the firft Chapter of Gene^ fis^ and the Chaos from the fecond Verfe; And the Earth was without Forin^ and Void^ and Varknefs was upon the Face of the Deep. But if it were more ancient, it muft ftill, in all likelihood, be Divinely revealed, be- caufe Man being created laft, and brought into a World already filled and furniflied : And God being an Omnipotent, and alfo a Free Agent, who could as well have cre- ated the World in a Moment, or all together, as fucceflively, it was impoflible for Man by Reafon to determine, which way He made choice of.
The Third, concerning the future Dif- folution and Deftru(5tion of the World by a General Conflagration^ there being nothing in Nature that can demonftrate the Necclli- ty of it : And a fecond Inundation and Sub- merfion by Water, being in the Courfe of Nature a hundred times more probable, as I have fliewn in the enfuing Difcourfes. And, therefore, we fee God Almighty, to fecure Man againft the Apprchenlion and Dread of a fecond Deluge, made a Cove- nant
xii The Preface.
nant with him, to give him a vifible Sign in Confirmation of it, never to deftroy the World fo again. And the Ancients, who relate this Tradition, delivering it as an Oracle or Decree of Fate, O'vid Meta- morph, I. EJJe quoque in fatis reminifcitur aff'ore tefnpuf^ &c* was likewife probable of Divine Revelation.
The Fourth, That there fhall be a fu- ture State, wherein Men fhall be punifhed or rewarded accordingly, as they have done ill or well in this Life, and that State Eter- nal : Tho' the Firft Part may be demon- ftrated from the Juftice and Goodnefs of God,' becaufe there being an unequal Diftribution of Good and Evil in this Life, there muft be a Time to fet things ftreight in another World j yet it being (b difficult to Humane Reafon, to reconcile the Eternity of Puniih- ments with the Juftice and Goodnefs of God, this Second Part of the Tradition had need be well back'd by Divine Authority, to make it credible and current among Men.
A s for the Laft, tho' I meddle not with it in this Treatife, yet I will take Leave to fay To much concerning it. That, I think, thofe who held Sacrificing to have been a politive Command of God, and to have had its Original from Divine Inftitutipn, have the better Reafon on their fide. For
that
The Preface. xiii
that k is no eternal and indifpen fable Law q1 Nature, is clear, in that our Saviour abo- lifhed it. And many of the ancient Fathers look upon Sacrificing as fo unreafonable a Service, that therefore they thought God commanded it not to the Primitive Pa-^ triarchs i and though He did command it to the Jews^ yet He did it only in condefcen- (ion to their Weaknefs, becaufe they had been ufed to fuch Services, and alfo the Na- tions round about them, to reftrain them from Idolatry, and Sacrificing to ftrange Gods. Origen, Ho?niL ij. in Numer. Dem ficutfer alium Frophetam dicit^ non manducat carries taurorum^ nee fanguinetn hircorum po- tat, Et etiam^ ut alibi fcriptu?n eft^ Quia non inanda'vi tibi de Sacrificiis "Vel vicfijms in die qua deduxi te de terra jEg^pti, Sed Moyfes h^c ad duritiem cordis eorum^ fro confuetu- dine fejjinia qua imbuti fuerant in ^gypto^ ??mndavit eis^ ut qui abftinere fe non poffent ab ijn?nolando^ Deo [altem & non Diemoniis immolarent. Other Quotations to this pur- pofe may be feen in Dr. Outram De Sacri^ ficiis. Indeed^ it feems abliird to think or believe, that God ihould take any Pleafure in the Slaughter of innocent Beafts, or in the Fume and Nidor of burnt Flefli or Fat. Nor doth the Rcafon thefe Fathers alledg€, of the Inftitution of Sacrifices, or Enjoining them to the Jews^ fatisty, vvliatever Trutti
there
xiv The Preface.
there may be in it : For it is clear, that the main End and Defign of Go d in inftituting of them, was for Types and Adumbra- tions of the great Sacrifice of Christ to be offered upon the Crofs for the Expiation of Sin : And, confequently, it is probable, that thofe alfo that were offered by the Ancient Patriarchs before the Law, had their Origi- nal from fome Divine Command or Revela-i tion, and the like Reafon of their Inftitution, in reference to Christ.
B u T to leave that, I have in this 'Edition removed one Subjed of Apology, and ad- ded another ^ fo that there ftill remain as many things to be excufed or pleaded for. ,They are.
First, Writing fo much; for which fome perchance may cenfure me* I am not ignorant, that Men as they are mutable, fo they love Change, and affed Variety of Au- thors as well as Books* Satiety even of the beft things is apt to creep upon us. He that writes much, let him write never (o well, fliall experience, that his laft Books, though nothing inferiour to his firft, will not find equal Acceptance. But for mine own part, tho' in general I may be thought to have written too much, yet is it but little that I have written relating to Divinity. It were a good Rule to be obferved both by Writer and Reader, Not how miich^ but how t welU
The Preface. XV
well. He that cannot write well, had bet- ter fpare his Pains, and not write at all. Neither is he to be thought to write well, who though he hath fome good things thin fet and difperfed, yet encumbers and accloys the Reader with a deal of ufelefs and im- pertinent Stuff. On the contrary, he that writes well, cannot write too much. For^ as Fliny the Younger faith weil, Ut alls hon£ res^ ita bonus Liber eb mellor efi quifque^ mo mapr : As other good Thingf^ fo a good, jBooh ', the bigger it /x, the better is it : Which holds as well of the Number as Magnitude of Books.
Secondly, Being too hafty in huddling up^ and tumbling out of Booh ^ wherein, I con- fefs, I cannot wholly acquit myfelf of Blame, I know well, that the longer a Book lies by me, the perfe(5ter it becomes* Something occurrs every Day in Reading or Thinking, either to add, or to corred and alter for the better. But lliould I deferr the Edition till the Work were abfolutely perfed, I might wait all my Life-time, and leave it to be publiftied by my Executors. Now my Age minding me of the Approach of Death i and pofthumous Pieces generally proving infe- riour to thofe put out by the Authors in their Life-time, I need no other Excufe for my Hafte in publifhing what I write. Yet I fhaii farther add^ in Extenuation of the Fault,
if
The Preface.
if it be one, that however hafty and precipi- tate I am in writing, my Books are but fmall^ fo that if they be worthlefs, the Purchafe is not great, nor the Expence of Time, wafted in the Perufal of them, very confiderable. Yet, is not the Worth of a Book always an- fwerable to its Bulk. But on the contrary, Me'y^ i3//3A/bv is ufually efteemed hov tw [uifyi;tXw jc^Kw j for, b'jt iv to! |afy(XAw to f u, ^AA' h Tw fu TO ixeycL*
Thirdly, The laft thing for which I had need to apologize, is the Rendring the former Edition of this Treatife worthlels, by making large Additions to this latter : In Excufe whereof I have no more to fay, than 1 have, already written in an Jdverufe?ftent to the Reader^ premifed to my Difcourfe con- cerning the JVifdom of God ; to which, therefore, I referr thofe who defire Satisfaf 6tion in this Particular.
T O
T 0 T H E
reader:
EST the Additions made to this Third Edition ofthefe Difiourfes Jhould lie under any Sufpicion of being fpu^ rious^ by reajon they have lain above fiven Tears unpublijhed after their jujily celebrated Author s Death ; I think it necejfary to affure the Reader^ that they were written in Mr. RayV own Hand^ and {as I find by his Papers) towards the latter End of the Tear 170^^ or Begin* ning of ijo^: And in April^ '7^4i they were tranfmitted to his Bookfellers^ who had been very importunate for them^ and hafiy for a Third Edition ; the for ^ mer Imprejfion being fold of^ and the Book
b nmch
xviii To the Reader.
much called for^ as they fay in their Let- ters, But ammgfi other Hindrances^ that which chiefly retarded the intended Impref- Jicn of the Book^ was an ill State of Health befalling the principal Bookfeller^ which ne- cejfitated him to retire often into the Coun^ tr\ from his Bujinep^ which was fucceeded hy his Death^ and fome time after by the J)eath of the other Partner afo. By which means the Afairs of the Bookfelkrs^ who had the Right of the Copy^ being in fome Confujion^ this rhird Edition could not he attended unto till of late^ when the Right of this and other of Mr, RayV Co- ties came into another s Hands.
As for the Reafons inducing our excel- lent Author to make Additions to this,^ and other of his jufily admired Pieces,, he had {hejides the Solicitations of the BookfeUers) the earnefi Requefls of fome of his moji ju^ dicious and beji Friends, And conjidering that his Additions tended to the greater PerfeBion of his Books,, there is no great Reafon for the Purchafers of the former Editions to complain of Injury,^ efpecially
where
To the Reader.
where the Tur chafe was hut fmalL But for a farther Anfxver^ I fhall referr the Reader (as our Author in his Preface doth) to the Advertifement in his Wiidom of God. jpid that I might do what lies in me to obviate Complaints^ and be fer^ njiceable^ as far as I could^ to the Purcha^ fers Profit^ I have noted the Additions made to this Third Impreffion, that they that bought the former Edition may tran^ fcribe them^ ij they think it worth their while,
William Derham.
XIX
b 1
THE
Qpqpqpqpqpqpiqpiqpiqpiqpiqpqpqpqpqp
THE ^
ADDITIONS
IN THIS
Ufird Imprejfion.
PAG, lo. From In this manner, f<> illuftrate it,
Pag. 1 2. From When I fay, ro Mountain that way, /). 13.
P<2^. 41. As for the Wells, to iriiprobable.
Tag, 58. But notwithftanding, to infift upon it, p. 59.
Pag, 59. I think I have, to I am Icfs inclinable.
Pag, 62, The firfl: in, to in the 5th Chap.
Pag. 6^, Confonant to the preceding Words of [/ihyiienus,
Pag, 67. Plifiy faith of the City oijoppay that it was built before the Flood.
Pag. 'JO* To this may be replied, to the light- eft, f • 7 1 .
Pag. 73. Natural j and that no ordinary, to Hea- vens were opened.
Pag, 74. After no inconfiderablc thirg, feven Lines oftkt former Editim are left out*
f
Ibtd.
Addittom, &c. xxi
Ibid. Fro»» Cloud, who knows? the flowing Tart efthe Paragraph is left oHt^ and in its room is fet^ That the Ocean, to Scriptures, f. 75.
Pag, 79. Madidis Notm atis. Ovid. Metam.
Pag. 84. But to put, to p. 1 01, 102.
Pag. 89. Dr. Hook\ to believe there are not.'
Pag. 1 1 4. That Rains, to the Bottom of the Page,
Pag. 115. The Fruitfulnefs, to of Nile.
Q. Whether this Paragraph he not mifplaced ?
Pag. 116. But becaufe (as I faid before) to touch the Ground, ^fter which^ three Paragraphs in p. 117, 118, 119, 120. of the former Edition.^ are left out'
Pag. 118. / ^all leofve the Header to compete the AU teration made^ from This Hypothefis, to highelt Mountains, with p. 122. of the former Edition^ If any objed.
Jhid. (as credibly Authors, to thofe oi Mexico) f. 119.
Pag. 120. But becaufe, to former Account.
Pag. 126, Dr. Woodward^ to Deluge.
Pag. 129. Another the like Bed, to fo far Mr.' Brewery p. 132.
Pag. 138. This Argument is> to living Shark,
p. 139.
Pag. 1 40. as Signor Agofiino^ to from them both.'
Pag. 143. Two farther Arguments, to out of jigofiino ScilUy p. 145.
Pag. 145. and 1 3 days, to the Bottom of the Page.
Pag, 1 49. This to me, I confefs, is at prefent unaccountable.
Pag, 155. Upon farther Confideration, to Spe- cies under it.
Pag, 155. To this may be anfwered, to Iflands
of Scotland^ p. 157.
Pag. 1^5. Dr. IVoodwardy to Bed or Stratum^ f. 167.
b 3 P^X*
xxii Additions y &;c.
Pag' 111.. This Conjedure, to thence might.
Tag. 174- According to ray Hope, to with their Fellows, p. 204.
Pag. 208. To which may be added, to Work- ing of the Sea, p. 209.
Pap. 211. Notwithftanding thefe, to felves be- holding it, p. 211.
Pag. 215. Moreover, to thereabout.
Pag. 218. Notwithftanding all thefe, to the End of the Page 126.
Pag. 228. Here 1 might take, to I have digref- fed, p. 241 .
Pag 276. For, I . It could, to a Flame.
Pag. 291. In this Conjedure, to difcourfed at large, p 294.
Pag. 443. Now that it is unjuft, to enforce Obe- dience to his Laws, p. 446.
And in the fame Place^ in the former Edition^ p. 395. from How can it be juft, to the End of the Paragraph^ ii left out.
Pag. 450. hfiead of punilhing an Offender, it is having an Offender puniflied by the Magiftrate, or by G o D.
Jbid. He hath not permitted, to 1 will repay.
Jbid. After Veracity ? compare the Alterations^ viz. what is left out tn the former^ and added in this Edition^ from Veracity, fo digrelfed, p. 452.
P^^.452. I ftiall add farther, to groundleHy ima- gine, f- 453. Compare alfo the f^ariation from the former Edition.
Pag. 453. After go on in Sin, fee what is left 9Ht of what is in the former Edition'^ p. 402, 403.
-9^IP"
THE
THE
CONTENTS.
Discourse I.
Of the Primitive CHAOS, and Creation of the W O R LP.
CH A P. I. Teftimonies of the Ancient Heathen Writers, Hefiod, Ovid, Ariftophanes, Lucan, Euripides, concerning the Chaos, and ffhat they meant by it, pag. 2,
3,4.
Chap. II. That the Creation of the World out of a Chaos, is not repugnant to the Holy Scripture, if Joherly under- ftood, p. 5, 6, 7, 8.
Chap. III. Of the feparating the Land and Water, and rai- fing up the Mountains, p. 8, &c. By nhat Means the Waters rver'e gathered together into one Place, and the dry Land )nade to appear, p. 9. That fuhterraneous Fires and Flatus V, might be of Power fufjicient to produce juch an EjfeU, proved from the Force and Eff'e^s of Gunpowder, and the Rai/ing up of new Mountains,,-^. lO, il, 12, 13. The Shaking of the nhole known World by an Earthquake, p. 13, 14. That the Mountains, IJlands, and whole Con- tinents were probably at jirfi raijed up by fubterraneous
b 4 Fires,
xxiv The Contents,
FireSy proved by the Authority of Lydiate and Strabo^ p. 15', 1 6, 17. Of ffibterraneous Caverns puffing under the Bottom of the Sea, p. 19, 20, 21, &c. A Commtini" cation hetmtn jEtna,Stromboli, &c. p. 22, &c. ABif- courfe concerning the Equality of the Sea and Land, both as to the Extent of each, and the Height of one, to the Depth of the Other, talen from the Shores, p. 25, 26, 27, 31, 32, 33. That the Motion of the Waters levels the Bottom of the Sea, p. 28, 29, 30. A Difcourje concerning fhe Ufe of the Mountains, p. 34, 35,' 36, 37, &c. Tne Way of digging Wells in the Lower Auftria, &c\ p. 35, 40, 41. The Sum ofvfhat hath been /aid of the Divi/ion and Difpo/ition of the Water and Earth, p. 43, 44. Chap, IV, Of the Creation of Animals : Some Quefiions concerning them refolved, p. 45. 7 hat God Almighty did at fir/i- create either the Seeds of all Animate Bodies, and difpcrfed them all the Earth over : Or elfe, the firfi Sett of Animals themfelves, in their full State and Perfection, giving each Species a Power by Generation to propagate fheir Like, p. 45, 46. Whether God at firfi created agreap JMunsber of each Species, or only trvo, a Male and a Fe- male, p. 46, 47, Whether all individual Animals vphich already have been, and hereafter /hall be, were at firfi a^ually created by God, or only the firfi Setts of each Spe- cies, the refi proceeding from them by may of Generation, and being anew produced, p. 48) 49, &c. ObjeElions a^
faii^fi the Firfi Part anjwered. I. That it feems impoffl^ le, that the Ovaries of the firfi Animals fhould aUuallj include the innumerable Myriads of thofe that may pro- ceed from them in Jo many Generations as have been, and ppallbe to the End of the World. This fhevon not to be fo incredible from the A/ultitude of Parts, into rohich Mat- ter may be, and is divided, in many Experiments, p. ^o, 51, 52, 53, 54. 2. // all the Members of Animals al- ready formed, do pre-exifi in the Egg, hop. can the Imagination of the Mother change the Shape, and that fo notftrioufiy fometimes, as to produce a Calf's Heady 0*- Dog's Face, or the like monfirons Adembers i Several ^pjivers to this ObjeUion offered, p. 55, 56, 57, &:c.
Dis.
The Contents. xxv
Discourse II,
Of the Geiferal DELUGE, in the Days pf
Noah ,• its Caufes and Effci^s. Pag,6i.
CHAP. I. Teftimonies of Ancient Heathen Writers^ and fome ancient Coins or Medals, verifying the Scri" pture-Hifiory of the Deluge, p. 6%, 62, 64, 65. That the ancient Poets and Mythologifis, by Deucalion under- ftood Noah, and by DeucalionV Flood the General De- luge, proved, p. 65, 66, 67, 68. Chap. II. Of the Caufes of the General Deluge, p. 6p^ ■ \. A miraculous Tranf mutation of Air into Vi^ater re- jeSled, p. 6p, 70, 71, 72. That Noah'j Flood was not Topical, p. 72,73, 2, and 3. The Emotion of the Cen- ter of the Earth, or a violent Deprejfion of the Surface of the Ocean, the mofi probable partial Caufes of the De- luge ; But the immediate Caufes afjjgned by the Scripture^ are the Breaking up of the Fountains of the Great Deep, and the Opening of the Windows of Hea- ven, p. 73. That thofe Caufes are Efficient to produce 4 Deluge, granting a Change of the Center of the Earth, to prevent the Waters running off, p. 73, 74, 75. That all the Vapours fufpended in the Air, might contribute much towards a Flood, ibid, Concerning the Expence of the Sea by Vapour, p. 76, 77, 78, &c. Of the Waters heping its Level. An ObjeSlion concerning an Under- current at the Propontis, the Streights of Gibraltar, and the Ealtick Sound, propofed and replied to, p. 81, 82, 83, 84. Con- cerning the Breaking up of the Fountains of the Great Deep, and how the Waters might be made to afcend, p. 84, 85. The inferiour Circulation, and perpetual Mo- tion of the Water difapproved, p. 86, &c. That the Conti- nents • and Iflands are fo equally difpcrfed all the World over, as to counterbalance one another, jo that the Ccnterf of Motion^ Gravity and Magnitude, cweurr in one 3 p. 86,
Atf
xxviii The Contents.
lar Account oj the late rentarhihle and jar- extended Earth' qnahe which happened here with us in England, and in other Parts of Europe, ftpon Sept. 8. i6p2. p. 272, &c. to 281. Of Vulcanos, p. 282.
Of extraordinary Floods catifed hy long- continuing Showers, or violent Storms and Shots of Rain, p. 283 to
287.
Of hoijieroHs and violent Winds and Hurricanes, -what Intereji they have in the Changes wrought in the Earthy p. 287, 288, 28p.
That the Earth doth not proceed fo faji towards a gene- ral Inundation and Suhmerfion hy iVater, as the Force and Agemy of all thefe Caufesfeem to require, p. 2pi. The Earthquakes in Sicily and Naples, p. 2pi, 2p2, 2^3, 2p4.
Discourse III.
Of the Future Dififolution of the World, and the General Conflagration.
'T^HE JntroduSlion, being a Difcourfe concerning Pro^ *- phecy, p. Z96, &c.
Chap. I. The Divifion of the Words [2 Pet. iii. i.l and the DoElrine contained in them^ with the Heads of the fol- lowing Dijcourfe, viz. I. Tefiimonies concerning the Dif- folution. I. Of the Holy Scriptures. 2. Of ancient Chri- ftian Writers. 3. Of Heathen Philofophcrs and Sages^ II. Seven Que fi ions concerning the DiJJolution of the World y propojed, p. 300, &c.
Chap. II. The Tefiimonies of Scripture concerning the Dijfo- lution of the World. And Dr. Hamraond'j Expofitions, referring the mofi of them to the Definition of the City and Temple of jerufalem, and the Period of the Jewifh State And Polity conjtdercdj, and pleaded fer, p. 303 to 320.
Chap.
The Contents. xxix
Chap. in. Teftimonies of the j4ncient Fathers and Dolors of the Church, cencerning the Dijfolution of the World^
. p. 320 to 335.
Chap. IV. The Te^intonies of fome Heathen Philofophers, and other Writers, concerning the Dijfoltition ; the Epi- cureans, p. 326. the Stoicks, p. 327, &c. nho held cer- tain Periods of Inundations And Conflaprations. p. 328, &c.' That this Opinion of a Future Conjiagration Teas of far greater Antiquity than that Seti, proved, p. 333, &:c.
Chap. V. The firfi Quefiion concerning the World's Dijfolu-- tion ; Whether there be any thing in Nature that may pro- hahly caufe or argue a Future Dijfolution i Four probable Means propounded and difcujfed, p. 338.
Se£l. I. The frfi is the Probability of the Waters natU' rally returning to overflow and cover the Earthy ibid.
The old Argument from the World's Diffolution, taken from its daily Confenefcency and Decay, rejetted, p. 3 3 p.
The Neceffity of fuch a Prevailing of the Waters daily npon the dry Land, till at lafi it proceed to a total Sub" merfton of it, in the Courfe of Nature, as things mvp fiand, finlefsfome Stop be put, proved, from the continual Jlreiiht- ning of the Sea, and lomring the Mountains and high Grounds by Rains, Floods and Rivers majhing array, and carrying down the Earth, and from the Seas ericroaching upon the Shores, p. :^^ to ^^6.
The Reafon vphy there are no Rains nor Springs in
Egypt, P' 34P-
A large Quotation out of Jofephus Blancanus, de- vtonjlrating J owe of the former Matters, p. 356 (p 365.
Of the Sinking of ancient Buildings, p. 368.
Seft. 2. The fecond probable Means or Caufe of the \%rld's DrfiruUion in a Natural way, viz. the Extinfiion of the Sunj p. 373.
Sea. 3. The third pcjjible Caufe of the World's Define ^jon, the Eruption of the Central Fire, p. 375. That the Being of fuch a Ftre is no way repugnant either to Scri- pture.or Reafon, p. 377. Mines rm gcneral'y Eaji and Wcjl^ p. 378, &c.
XXX The Contents.
SeCt. 4. The fourth poffihle Caufe of the World's Difo-^ littion, the Earth's Drynefs and Inftammahility in the Torrid Zone^ and the concurrent Eruptions of Volcano's, p. 381, &c. ' " '
That the Inclination of the Ecliptick to the ^qua- - tor doth not diminify^ p. 381. That tho' there vpere fuch a Drying and Parching of the Earth in theTorrid Zone, it vrotild not probably inferr a Conflagration, p. 382, 383. That there hath not yet been, nor in the ordinary Courje of Nature can be, any fnch Drying or Parching of the Earth in the Torrid Zone, p. 384. The Pojfthility of the Defe- cation of the Sea by Natural Means, denied, p. 385, &c. The Fixednejs and Jntranfmutabiliiy of Principles Jecures the Univerfe from Dijfolution, DefirnUion of any prefent . Species, or Produl^ion of any new, p. 387. Chap. VI. Containing an Anfiver to the fccond Ouefiion, Whether (hall this Dijfolution he effected by Natural or Extraordinary Means f and mhat they fh all he i p. 388. Chap. VII. The third Ouefiion anfwered, fVhether /hall the Dijfolution he gradual and fmceffive, or montentanous andfuddeni p. 391. Chap. VIII. The fourth Oueftion refolved. Whether /hall there be any Signs or Fore-runners of the Dijfolution of the Worlds p. 393. Chap. IX. The fifth Ouejlion debated. At rvhat Period of Time fhall the World be diffolved i and particularly, Whe- ther at the End of Six tboufand Tears i p. 397. Chap. X. How far fhall this Dijfolution or Conflagration extend ^ Whether to the zy^therial Heavens, and all the Hoji of them, Sun, Moon, and Stars, or to the Aerial only i p. 403, Chap. XI. The fcventh and lafl Oue/^ion, Whether fhall the whole World be confamed and dejiroyed, or annihilated^ er only refined and purified, p, 406.
The Refiiiution and Continuance of the World, proved hy the Tejiimmiics of Scripture and Antiquity, and alfo hy Reafon, p. 41 1, &:c.
The Arguments for the Abolition and Anmhilation,
anfwerd, p. 41 2, &c.
Chap,
The Contents. xxxi
Chap. XII. 7ije Inference the Jpofik males from the pre- cedent DeUrine : Of fnture Rewards and Pmijhments, The Eternity of fmnre Pmijlments proved ' from tU Amhority of Scripture and Antiquity. Hoa the Eterni- niiy of Vunifhments can confijt with the Jpfflice ani Cooodnefs of God, from p. 416. to the fcnd of the Book.
The great Ufefdnefs of Shame, p. 42^. The Blot- ting out of Sins^ p. 430, &c.
A C AT A-LOGVt of the Author's WorkSj [old by William Innys.
Hlftoria Plancarum, Species hadenus editas aliafque infu- per multas noviter inveritas & defcriptas comple(^ens. Tomi duo. Fol. i6'i6.
Ejufd. Tomus tertius,.qui eft ^upplemcncum duorum pra:- cedentium •, cum icceSwnihws Camelli 8c Toumef or tiiy 1704,
Catalogus Plantarum circa Cantabrigiam nafcentium. On^itve, Cantub. i66o. cum Appendice.
Catalogus Plantarutn Angliae, tS^*^. 8vo. 1670. Sc 1677^
Fafciculus Stirp. Britann. poft editum Catal. prsed. i(583.
Catalogus Stirpium in ext. region, obfervat. \6t^.
Methodus Plantarum nova cum Tabulis, i($825 1703.
Synopfis Methodica Stirp. Britann. in qua turn Not« Gene- rum Cnaracterifticae traduntur, turn Species fingulx brcviteit defcribitur, &c. 1690.
Ead. Synop. multis Stirpibus & Obfervationibus Curiofis paflim infcrtis, cum Mufcorum Methodo & Hiftoria pleniore, &:c, \6y6.
Epiftola ad D. RiVt«»>»» de Methodo Plantaruin in (Ju* E^e- tnenta Botanica D. Tournefort tanguntur, 1696.
Difl'ertatio de variis Plantarum Method is, 1^91^.
Stirp. Europ. extra Britannias nafcentium Sylloge, 169^
Synopfis Methodica Avium & Pifcium, 8vo. 171 3,
Synopf. Methodica Animalium Quadrupedum & Serpentinl Generis, 1(^93.
Francifci Willughbeii Hiftoria Pifcium cum "Pig. Recognd- vit, digeflit, fupjplevit Jo. Raiuj, Oxon. foU 16^6.
Ejufd. Ornithologia cum Tig. edente eod. i67^>
"the fame much enlarged^ in Englifli. 167S,
Obfervations Topograpbicul^ Moral, and Fhyfiological, made in a your-- ney thro' fevei at Parts of Eutopi-, 8vb. i(<73.
CoUe^ion of uitufuA or local Englifh Woris^ with an oiccount of freparing Engiifli Metals, &C. I(<74, and 1691.
Colle^ion of En^Viih. and other FroVcrhs. Camb. I<<78. , Methodus Infe<ftorum : feu tnfeAa in Methodum aliqualem Digefta. 1705.
Hiftoria Infe(florum. Lond. 1710. ^to. Optjs Pdfthumum.
^ Ferfuaftve to a Holy -Life, 1700.
The Wifdom of God manifefted in the Worths of the Creation, In Two Parts. To which are addedy tAnfwers to fame Objeftions. Svo* Sixth Edition. 1713.
Three Phylico-Theological Difcourfes^ Sec, W.th FraBical Infe- rences. 1713.
Didionariolum Trilingue, fee. Locos Commun. 1672^
i^^i 1696.
bis-
^£^'^i2^ '^2^^j#' ^^v^3^ \;^'^2^%S:i^''^l^^i^^^2d
DISCOURSE I.
Of the Primitive Chaos and Creation of the World.
N the Firft Edition of this Treatife, this Difcourfe con- cerning the Pri?mtive Chaos and Creation of the World, and that other concerning the Veftru^fion thereof by the Waters of the Ge- neral Deluge ^ in the Days of Noah^ were brought in by way of Digreflfion ; becaufe I defigned not at firil to treat of them, but only of the Conflagration or DiJJolution of the World by Fire; but was afterwards, when I had made a confiderable Progrefs in the Diffoluy tion^ at the Inftance of iome Friends, becaufe of their Relation to my Subje(5t, prevailed upon to fay fomething of them. But now that I am at Liberty fo to do, I iliall not handle them any more by the by, but make
B them
Of the Chaos '
them fubftantial Parts of my Book, and dif- pofe them, as is mod natural, according to their Priority and Pofleriority in Order of Time, beginning with the Chaos and Creation,
HAP.
I.
Tefitmonks of the Ancient Heathen Wru ters concerning the Chaos, and what they meant by it,
T was an ancient Tradition a- mong the Heathen , that the World was created out of a Chaos,
First of all the ancient Gree'k Poet Hefiod^ who may contend for Antiquity with Homer himfelf, makes mention of it in his T'heo- gonia^ not far from the Beginning, in thefe Words :
Firft of all there was a Chaos. And a few Verfes after, fpeaking of the immediate Pro- du(ftionor Offspring of tlie Chaos^ he faith.
From Chaos proceeded Hell, and Night, [or Darknefs]. which feems to have its Founda- tion or Occafion from the fecond Verfe of
the
and Creation, 3
the firft Chapter of Genefu \ And the Earth zmy without Forin^and void i and Darkneff was upon the Face of the Deep, Of this Teftimo- ny of Hefiod^ La^tantius takes notice, and cenfures it, in the firft Book of his Inftitu- tiom^ cap. 5 . Hefiodm non a Deo conditore fu- mem exordium^ fed a Chao^ quod efi rudis inor- di?iataque materi^e confuf^e congeries* Hefiod not taking his Beginning frojn God the Crea- tor of all Things^ but from the Chaos, -which is a rude and inordinate Heap of confufed Matter, And fo Ovid defcribes it in the Be- ginning of his Metamorphofis ;
£uem dixere Chaos, rudis indigefta'que moles^ Nee quicquam nifi pondus iners congeftdque ■ eodem Non bene jun^farum difcordia femina rerum.
' That is.
One Face had Nature ^which they Chaos narnd^ An undigefied Lump^ a barren T^oad^ Where jarring Seeds of things ill-join d abode,
Oth-ers of the Ancients have alfo made men- tion of the ChaoSy as Arijiophanes in Avibus^
And Lucian in the Beginning of his firft: Book,
Antiquum repetent iterum Chaos omnia^ &c.
Of the Formation of all the Parts of the
World out of thisCtor, Ovid^ in the place
B 2 fore-
Of the Chaos
fore-quoted, gives us a full and particular Defcription ; and 'Eurifides before him a brief one,
T^he Heaven and Earth were at firfi of one Fowl; but after they were feparated ^ the Earth brought forth Trees^ Birds^ Beaftx^ Fifljes^ and Mankind.
The like Account alfo the ancient Philofo- pher Anaxagoras gives of the Creation of the World, beginning his Philofophy thus j IlcLvra. ^p'/jiiccTCi v^'j hp.Q' sitol N^^c f'AOwv olvtx ^isaofffxviaE ' that is. All things (at firft) were together^ or mingled and confufed, then Mind fuperveni?tg difpofed them in a beautiful Order,
That v^hich I chiefly diflike in this Opi- nion of theirs, is, that they make no men- tion of the Creation of this Chaos ^ but feem to look upon it as felf-exillent and impro- duced.
Chap.
Chap. II.
That the Creation of the World out of a Chaos, is not repugnant to the Holy Scripture,
HIS Opinion o^ 2l Chaos ^ if (o- berly iinderftood, not as felF- exiftent and improduced, but in the flrft place created by God, and preceding other Beings, which were made out of it, is not, fo far as I can difcern, any way repugnant to the Holy Scripture, but on the contrary rather confo- nant and agreeable thereto. For Mofer^ in theHiftory and Defcription of the Creation, in the firft Chapter of Genefis^ faith, not that God created all things in an inftant in their full State and Perfedion, but that He pro- ceeded gradually and in Order, from more imperfed to more perfect Beings, firft be- ginning with the Earth, that is, the Terra- queous Globe, which was made tohu vabohu^ without Form, and void, the Waters cover- ing the Face of the Land, which were after- wards feparated from the Land, and gather- ed together into one place. Then He crea- ted out of the Land and Water, firft Plants, and then Animals, Fifties, Birds, Beafts, in Order, and laft of all formed the Body of Man of the Duft of theEarth.
B 3 / And
Of the Chaos
And whereas there is no particular men- tion made of the Creation of Metals, Mine- rals, and other Follils, they muft be compre- hended in the Word Earthy as the Water it- felf alfo is in the fecond Verfe of this firft Chapter.
It feems,therefore,tome confonantto the Scripture, That God Almighty did at firft create the Earth or Terraqueous Giobe, con- taining in itfelf the Principles of all fimple inanimate Bodies, or the minute and natu- rally indivifible Particles of which they were compounded, of various but a determinate Number of Figures, and perchance of diffe- rent Magnitudes, and thefe varioufly and confufedly commixed, as though they had been carelefly fliaken and fhufflcd together ; yet not fo, but that there was Order obfer- ved by the moft Wife Creator in the Difpofi- tion of them. And not only fo, but that the fame Omnipotent Deity did create alfo the Seeds or Seminal Principles of all Animate Bodies, both Vegetative and Senfitive j and difpers'd them, at leaft the Vegetative, all o- ver the fuperficial Part of the Earth and Wa- ter. And the Notion of fuch an Earth as this is, the Primitive Patriarchs • of the Worl,d delivered to their Pofterity, who, by Degrees annexing fomething of Fabulous to it, im- pofed upon it the Name ofChaof,
The next Work of the Divine Power and Wifdom, was the Separation of the Water
from
and Creation.
from the dry Land, and Raifing up of the Mountains, of which I fhall treat more par- ticularly in the next Chapter.
To which follows the Giving to both Ele- ments a Power of hatching, as I may fo fay, or quickening and bringing to Perfection the Seeds they contained \ firft the more imper- fe(5t, as Herbs and Trees ^ then the more perfe(5t, Fifh, Fowl, Four-footed Beafts, and creeping Things or Infeds. Which may be the Meaning of thofe Commands of God, which were operative and effe(5tual, com- municating to the Earth and Water a Power to produce what He commanded them. Gen, i. II. Ijet the Earth bring forth Grafy^ &c. and 'U. 2 0. Let the Waters bring forth abun- dantly the ?noving Creature that hath Life^ and Fowl that may fly above the Earthy &c. And V. 24. Let the Earth bring forth the living Creature after his Kind^ Cattle and creeping things andBeaftofthe Earth after his Kind,
S o the Earth was at firft cloathed with all Sorts of Herbs and Trees i and both Earth and Water furniflied with Inhabitants. And this the Ancients underftood by their ^/ixjtoa"-
But whether out of prse-exifting Seeds, as 1 fuppofe, or not, certain it is, that G o d at that time did give an extraordinary and mi- raculous Power to the Land and Water, of producing Vegetables and Animals i and af- ter there were as many of every kind brought
B 4 forth.
8 Of the Chaos
forth, as there were Seeds created at firft j or as many as it feemed good to the Divine Creator to produce without Seed ,• there re- mained no farther Ability in thofe Elements to bring forth anymore; but all thefucceed- ing owe their Original to Seed j Go d having given to every %c/>x a Power to generate or propagate its Like.
Chap. III.
0/ the Separating the Land and Water^
and Raijing up the Mountains.
|Upposing that God Almighty did at firft create the Terreftrial Globe, part- ly of foiid and more ponderous, part- ly of fluid and lighter Parts i the (olid and ponderous muft needs naturally fubfide, the fluid and lighter get above. Now, that there were fuch different Parts created, is clear, and therefore it is reafonable to think, that the Waters at firft fliould ftand above and co- ver the Earth : And that they did fo, feems evident to me from the Teftimeny of the Scripture. For, in the Hiftory of the Crea- tion, in the firft Chapter of Genefu^ ver. 2. it is faid. That the Spirit of God ?noved upon the Face of the Watery^ intimating that the Wa- ters were uppermoft. And God faid^ ver. 9. let the Waters under the Heaven be gathered
together
and Creation.
together into one flace^ and let the dry hand appear. Whence, I think, it is manifeft to any unprejudiced Reader, That before that time the Land was covered with Water r Efpecially, if we add the Teftimony of the Holy Pfalmift, Pfalm civ. ver. 6, and 9. which is as it were a Comment upon this Place of Genefif, where, fpeaking of the Earth at the Creation, he faith, Thou cover- edft it with the Deep as with a Garment -, the Waters flood above the Mountains .... and, ver. 9. T^hat they turn not again to cover the Earth. And that this Gathering together of Waters was not into any fubterraneous Abyfs, feems likewife clear from the Text : For it is faid. That God called this Col- ledion of Waters Seas^ as if it had been on purpofe to prevent fuch a Miftake.
Whether this Separation of the Land and Water, and Gathering the Waters together into one Place, were done by the immediate Application and Agency of God's Almighty Power, or by the Intervention and Inftru- mentalityof Second Caufes, I cannot deter- mine. It might poiTibly be effected by the fame Caufes that Earthquakes are, viz. fub- terraneous Fires and Flatus's, We fee what incredible Effcds the Accenfion of Gunpow- der hath: It rends Rocks, and blows up the moft- ponderous and folid Walls, Towers, and Edifices, fo that its Force is almoft irrefifti- ble. Why then might not fuch a propor- tionable
lO Of the Chaos
tionable Qiiantity of fuch Materials fet on fire together, raife up the Mountains them- felves, how great and ponderous foever they be, yea the whole Superficies of the dry Land (for it muft all be elevated) above the Wa- ters ? And truly to me the Pfalmift feems to intimate this Caufe, f^ahn civ, 7. For, after he had faid. The Waters flood above the Moun- tains ; he adds, At Thy Rebuke they fled^ at , the Voice of Thy Thunder they hafted away. Now, we know that an Earthquake is but a fubterraneous Thunder, and then immedi- ately follows. The Mountains afcend, the Val- leys defcend, &c. In this Manner of railing up the dry Land at firft, and calling off the Waters, I was well pleafed to find the Right Reverend Father in God, Simon^ Lord Biiliop of £fy, to agree with me in his excellent Commentary upon Genefis^ cap. i. ver. 9. ' This, faith he, we may conceive to have ' been done by fuch Particles of Fire as were ' left in the Bowels of the Earth, whereby fuch ' Nitrofulphureous Vapours were kindled, as ' made an Earthquake, which both lifted up ^ the Earth, and made Receptacles for the Wa- ' ters to run into ; as the Pfalmift (otherwife * I fliould not venture to mention this) feems ' in the forementioned Place to illuftrate it. If there might be a high Hill raifed up near the City Troczen^ out of a plain Field, by the Force of a fubterraneous Fire or Flatus^ as Ovid tells us :
and Creation. 1 1
E/i^ pYofe ?itth(£ain tumulus Troezenafine ulUs Ov. Me- • Arduus arboribm^ quondam planijjtma campi ^^^^l^^' Area^ nunc tumulus ; nam {res horrenda relatu) Vis fera ^entorum^ c£cis imlufa cavernis^ Expirare aliqua cupiens^ lu6tatdque fniftra Liieriore jnii coclo^ cum carcere rima • Nulla fuit toto^ nee pervia flatibus effet^ *Extentam tumefecit humum^ ceu fpiritus oris Tender e vefica?n folet^ aut derepta bicornis Terga capri ; tumor ilk loci permanfit^ & alti ,
Collis habet fpeciem^ longoque induruit d-vo :
A Hill by Pitthc^an Troezen mounts ^ uncrowned With Sylvan Shades^ which once was level
Ground^ For furious Winds (a Story to admire) Pent in blind Caverns^ ft^^^EJ^^g ^o expire ; And vainly feeling to enjoy th' Extent Of freer Air^ the Frifon wanting Vent^ Puff's up the hollow Earth extended fo^ As when with fwelling Breath we Bladders
blow : The Tumour of the Place re?nained ftill^ In time grown folid^ like a lofty Hill ;
A parallel Inftance hereto we have of later Date, of a Hill not far from Puzzuolo \_Puteoli~\ befide the Gulf of Bai^e^ which I myfelf have view'd and been upon. It is by the Natives call'd Monte di cenere^ and was raifed by an, Earthquake, Sept, 29. 1538. of about one hundred Foot perpendicular Altitude,
though
12 Of the Chaos
though fome make it much higher : Accor- ding to Stephanus Pighim^ it is a Mile Afcent to the Top, and four Miles round at the Foot : We indeed judged it not near fo great. The People fay it bears nothing ; nothing of a- ny Ufeor Profit, I fuppofe, they mean : Elfe I am fure, there grows Heathy Myrtle^ Maftick- TreCy and other Shrubs upon it. It is a" fpungy kind of Earth, and makes a great Sound under a Man's Feet that (lamps upon it. The fame Earthquake threw up fo much Earth, Stones and Aflies, as quite filled up the lacm hucrinm^ fo that there is nothing left of it now, but a fenny Meadow. When I fay, that this Mountain was raifed by an Earthquake, I do not mean, that the meer SuccuUion, or Shaking of the Earth, raifed up the Mountain ^ but that the fame Caufe which fhookthe Earth, that is, fubterrane- ous Fire, call: up the Materials which raifed the Mountain, and of which it doth confift, that is. Scones, Cinders, Earth, and Alhes. Indeed, under the Word Earthquake^ in this Work, I comprehend the Concomitants and Confequents of an Earthquake, and the effi- cient Caufe of it 5 which is a fubterraneous Fire, as I have expreffed myfelf, fag, 10. line 8. of the Firft Edition.
Neither, by the Elevation of Mountains, do I mean, that they were all heaved up, as it were by a Flatus^ but only fuch, where the enclofed Fire was not of Force fufficient
to
and Creation. 13
to make its way out, or found not Spiracula to vent itfelf. Otherwhere, where it was ftrong enough to rend the fuperincumbent Mafs of Earth, or found fome Rifts or Sft- racula to break out by, there it iffued out with great Force, and threw up abundance of Stones, Allies, and Earth, and fo raifed up a Mountain that way.
I F fuch Hills, I fay, as thefe, may be, and have been elevated by fubterraneousWild-fire, Flatus^ or Earthquakes, Ji pawls' liceat compo- nere magna^ if we may compare great things with fmall, why might not the greateft and higheft Mountains in the World be raifed up in like manner by a fubterraneous Flatus or Wild-fire, of Quantity and Force fufficient to work fuch an Effe(5V ; that is, that bears as great a Proportion to the fuperincumbent Weight and Bulk to be elevated, as thofe under thefe fmaller Hills did to theirs ?
But we cannot doubt this may be done, when we are well alfured that the like hath been done. For the greateft and higheft Ridge of Mountains in the World, x\\q Andes o£ PerUy have been, for fome hundreds of Leagues in Length, violently fhaken, and ma- ny Alterations made therein by an Earth- quake that happened in the Year 16^6, men- tioned by Kircher in his Area No^e^ from the Letters of the Jefuites. And ?liny tells us, of his own knowledge, that the Alps and Ap- pennine have often been iliaken with Earth- quakes :
Of the Chaos
quakes : Exfloratum efl niihi Alpes Appenni^ numqiie fd^pim tremuiffe^ lib. 2. cap. 80. Nay^ more than all this, we read, that in the time of the Emperor Valentinian the Firft, there was an Earthquake that lliook all the known World. Whilft this Inno'vator [that is, Pro- copius'] was yet alive^ (faith A?nfn, Marcelli- nus^ lib. 26. cap. 14.) norrendi trejnores per omnem orhis ambitum graffati [unt fubito^ qua- les nee fabuU^ 7iec "veridide nobis antiquitates exponunt. Faulo enim pofi lucis exortum^ denfitate previa fulgurum acrius vibrator urn trerftefa^ia conciititur omnis terreni ftabilitas ponderis^ viareque difpulftan retro fluHibiis e-vo^ lutis abfcejjitj tit reteda voragine profundo- rum [pedes nata?itimn midtiforines limo cer- nerentiir hdrentes^ valUumqtie 'vajiitates & vtontiu7n^ iit opi?tari dabatur^ fufpicere?it ra- dios folis quos primigenia rerum fub immenfis gurgitibus atnandavit^ &c. That is, Horrid Earthquakes fuddenly raged all the World over ; the like whereto^ neither Fables nor true Antiquities ever (Acquaint us with^ or vtake inc?ition of. For Joon after Break of Day^ redoubled^ fmart^ and violent Flafies of Lightning preceding^ the ftable and ponde- rous Mafs of the whole Earth was jhaken^ and made to tremble \ and the Sea^ with revolved Waves^ was driven backwards^ and forced fo far to recede^ that the Bottom of the great Deeps and Gulfs being difcovered^ multiform Species of Fifies^ forfaken by the JVater^ were
feen
and Creation. 1 5;
{em lying on the Mud ; and thofe vafi VaU Up and Mountains^ which the primigenial Nature had fun\ deep^ and concealed under immenfe Waters^ {as we had reafon to think) faw the Sun-beams. Wherefore^ many Ships refting upon the dry Ground^ the Mariners wandring- carelejly up and down through the finall Reliques of the Waters , that they might gather up Fifljes^ and other things^ with their Hands-, the Sea-Waves beings as it were^ grieved with their Repulfe^ rife up again , and mahng their way backward through the fervid Shallows^ violently daflj- ing againft the Jflands and extended Shores of the Continents^ threw down^ and levelled in?imnerable Edifices in Cities^ and where elfe they were found. Where, fee more of the Effeds of it. Of this Earthquake we find mention alfo in Zofimus and Orofius.
I F this Story be true, as certainly it is, we have no reafon to doubt of the Pofifibiiity of the dry Land being thus raifed at firft by fubterraneous Fire. And with us agrees the learned Tho?nas Lydyat^ in his Fhilofo" phical Difquifition concerning the Origine of Fountains^ &c. being of Opinion not only that it might be fo, but that it was fo. I ftiall give you his own Words, Ubi aliud quoque fwnmie admirationis plenum TerramO" tus atque Ignis fubterranei effe^ium notandujn venity inontium fci. generatio. And then ha-, ving mentioned the railing up Ilknds in the
Sea
t6 Of the Chaos
Sea by fubterraneous Fires, he proceeds thus, Quomodo etiam omnes rnontes qui ufpi- am funtj una cum ipfis- terris Continentibm (^qu^ nihil aliud funt qudfti fparfi in Oceano inajores inontes [we infula) in mundi pwiwr- diif^ (quando nimiYum Ignis de quo loquimur^ in terra vifceribus d fotentijjimo mundi Con^ ditore accenfus eft) extitiffe mamne fit veri^ fimile i mari in cava loca recedente^ & terre^ ftribus Animalibus {ejufdem Di'vini numinis fapientijjimo confilio) habitandi locum relin- quente. That is. After which Manner alfo all the Mountains in the Worlds together with the Continents themfehes^ (which are nothing elfe but great Mountains or IJlands fcattered in the Ocean) in the beginning of the Wdrld^ when the Fire of which we fpeak was firft kin- dled in the Bowels of the Earth by the Ahnighty Creator^ were (as it is moft highly probable) ori- ginally raifed up ; the Sea receding into the Cavities and depreffed Places^ and by the moft wife Counfelofthe Supreme Deity ^ leaving Room for Terreftrial Anitnals to inhabit. Than which nothing can be faid more confonant to what we have written ; And I was highly pleafed and fatisfied to find fuch Philofophy in fo learned and judicious a Writer.
And in Confirmation of this Doctrine, Strabo himfelf, though he had not, nor could have any Knowledge at all of the prodigious Effects of Gunpowder, yet makes no Diffi- culty to affirm the Pombility of raifing up
as
and Creation. ly
as well the Continents and Mountains, as the Iflands, by Earthquakes and fubterraneous Fires j toward the latter end of the firft Book of his Geography, difcourling thus :
Ov yxp iiv^(yi (jlsv dvsvEx^^vxi ^vVai/Tdi^ aOLt fxiKpO,} vi](TOi^ fisydKcLi ^' «• «^f viicroi (jlev^ vittsi-^ CSi J' a. And a little after, }Lou tvjv EihsKiolv «§fV Ti ixcOkKov dyroppodyoc t^q 'Irci'hicf.Q ehcLtfit
T/V, iXV, ^ OLVX^7\Vik7(TCLV VTTO TS AlTVXia -TTV^C
f.K (iv^a (Tv^fxelvai. That is. For 'Earthquakes andEruftiom 0/ Flatus \Blafti\ or fudden Tic* 7norsofthe Submarine Earthy or Bottom of the Sea J ?nay [well andek'vate the Sea i fo that not only fmall Lumps or Maffes of Matter^ but even I [lands ?nay be raifed up in the midji of it. Neither if fmall Iflands can he raifed^ may not great ones too \ neither may Iflands be hea^ved up^ and not Continents as well. And Sicily ?nayaswell be thought to have been thrown up out of the Deep by the Force of the ^tnsean Fire^ and ftich?tg together to have continued above Water ^ as to have been a Piece brohn off from Italy. And the like may be faid of the Iflands of Lipara and Fithecuftc.
Of the Poffibility of doing it we need not doubt, when we have fufficient Proof of the thing done in lelTer Iflands thus heaved up in the midft of the Sea^ by.fubmarine Fires. Strabo^ lib. i. 'Kvk (xeaov ycip (dvipcig kcH Qvipci'
C f5tf
1 8 Of the Chaos
wc ciLv Ofydvmodg ncii (rvvTS^eifxevviv in fjiu^pwv vviaoVy dt^^s^ici g^^/cvv Tviv TrEpi'fxsTpov. That is. Be- tween Thera and Therafia Flames iffuing out of the Sea for four Days^ (fo that the whole Sea boiled and burned ) blew up by little and little^ as if it had been raifed by Machines^ and cotnpofed of great humps or Maffes^ an IJland of Tzvehe Furlongs Circumference.
And Fliny tells us, that the Ifland Hiera^ near Italy ^ in the Time of the Social War, together with the Sea itfelf, did burn for feveral Days. His Words are. In medio Mari Hiera infida juxta Italian! cu?n ipfo Mari ar- fit per aliquot dies,
AiiT>Strabo^ lib. i. reports. That about Methane^ in the Bay of Hermione^ there was Earth raifed, and as it were blown up to the Height of feven Furlongs by a fiery Breath or Exhalation, which by Day-time was unac- ceflfible by reafon of Heat and fulphureous Stench, but fmelling fweet by Night, and ihining fo as to be feen afar off, likewife cart- ing fuch a Heat, as to caufe the Sea to boil for five Furlongs, and to render it troubled for the Space of twenty i raifing up therein a Baich or Bank of Stones as big as Towers.
These Inftances I alledge, principally be- caufe they fecm to demon ftrate a Poffibility of the Accenfion of Fire in the Earth when it was wholly covered with Water, and had
no
and Creation.
no Entercourft or Communion with the fu- periour or external Air j which is the main and mod material Objedion againft the Ele- vation of the dry Land at the beginning by fubterraneous Fires.
You will fay. If the Mountains be thus heaved, or elfe caft up, by fubterraneous Fires, the Earth muft needs be hollow all underneath them, and there muft be vaftDens and Caverns difpersM throughout them.
I ANSWER, 'Tis true indeed, fo there are; as may undeniably be proved by Inftances. For the new Mountain we mentioned at fu- teoli^ that was thus raifed, being of a Mile fteep Afcent,and four Miles round at the Foot, a proportionable Cavity muft be left in the Earth underneath : And the Mountain jEtna^ at the laft Erudation alone, having difgorged out of its Bowels fo great a Flood of melted Materials, as if fpread at the Depth and Breadth of three Foot, might reach four times round the whole Circuit of the Terraqueous Globe^ there muft likewife an anfwerable Vault be left within. You will demand. How then comes it to pafs, that they ftand fo firm, and do not founder and fall in, after fo many Ages? I anfwer, that they may ftand, appears by the forefaid new -raifed Mountain. For notwithftanding the Cavity under it, it hath ftood firm and ftaunch, without the leaft Sinking or Subfidency, for above an hundred and fifty Years -, neither is
C 2 there
20 Of the Chaos
there any great Sinking or Falling in at Mtna itfelf j at leaft in no degree anfwerable to its ejected Matter. This AflTertion is confirmed by the unanimous Vote and Teftimony of all Writers, Ancient and Modern, who have handled this Subjei5t. But Alfhonfus Borellus fuppofes them not to have duly confidered the Matter, and calculated the Quantity of the ejedted Materials, and the Bulk of the Mountain, and compared them together ; but to have been carried away by the Prejudices and Perfuafions of the People, who looking upon the Top of the Mountain at a Diftance, think it but a fmall thing in Comparifon of the ejededSand and Aflies that cover'd whole Countries ; and thofe vaft Rivers of liquid Stones, and other Ingredients, that ran down fo many Miles, whereas he, by a moderate Computation, found out that the Total of what the Mountain difgorged at the la|t Eruption, amounted not (as I remember) to the fourteen thoufandth Part of the Solidity of the whole Mountain. The reafon is the Strength and Firmnefs of their Vaulture and Pillars, fufficient to fupport the fuperincum- bent Weight. And yet in fome Places there are Sinkings and Fallings in, which have af- terwards become Valleys, or Pools of Water. But as for the Cavities that are lower than the Superficies of the Ocean, the Water, where it could iniinuate and make its Way, hath filled them up to that Height. I fay, where it
could
and Creation.
could make its Way, for that there are many empty Cavities even under the Sea itfelf, ap- pears by the fhaking and heating too of the very Water of the Sea in fome Places in Earth- quakes, and raifing up the Borders or Skirts of ix^ fo as to drive the Water a great way back, and the raifing up new Iflands in the middle of the Sea ; as D^/oj-and Khodes^ and Anaphe^ and Nea^ and Alone, and Hiera, and Thera, mentioned by Pliny, Hift. lib. 2. c.87. and Thia in his own time ,• and T'herafia in the JEgean in Seneca's time, which was heaved up in the Sight of many Mariners then pre- fent and looking on.
I AM not ignorant, that the learned Man I lately quoted, I mean Alfh. Borellm, in his Book De Incendiis jEtn^, is of Opinion, that ^he middle Part, or, as he calls it,the Kernel of that Mountain, is firm and folid, without any great Caverns or Vacuities, and that all thofe Vaults and Cavities in which the Fire rages, are near the Superficial or Cortical Part : And derides thofe who fancy that jEtna, the jEo- lian Iflands^ Lipara, Strongyle, &c. and Ve- fwvim, do communicate by fubterraneous Channels and PalTages running under the. Bottom of the Sea, But faving the Refpe(3: due to him for his Learning and Ingenuity, there is good Authority on their Side ; and our Ratiocinations againft the Poflfibility of fuch a thing muft give place to the clear Proof of Matter of Fa6t. Julii^s Ethnicur,
C 3 an
Of the Chaos
an ancient Writer^ quoted by Ludo-vicus Vi- wx, in his Annotations upon S. Augujlin^ Be Civitate Dei^ gives us this Relation ; Marco jE?niliOj Lucio AureUo Confulibuy ^ JEtna mons terY<£inotu Ignes fuper uertkein late dif-* fudit^ & ad Infulam JLifaram mare efferbuit^ & quibufdam aduftis na^vibus vapore plerofque navaleis exanima^vit: Fifciwn vim 7?iagnam exanimem differfit^ quos Liparenfes avidiks epulis adpetenteis contaminatione ventris con^ fumpti funty ita ut novd peftilentid vaflaren- tur infuU, That is, Marcus iEmilius, and Lucius Aurelius, being Confuls^ Mount ^tna being jhalen by an Earthquake^ caft forth and fcattered Fire from its Top far and wide. At which time^ the Sea, at the IJland of Lipara, was boiling hot^ and fome Ships being burnt ^ viofi of the Seamen were flifled with the Va- pour : Befides^ it difperfed abroad a power of deadFiflj^ which theLiparenCnns greedily ga- thering up and eatings were confmied with a contagious Difeafe in their Bellies ,• fo that the JJlands were wafted with a new fort of Fefti^ lence. And Father Kircher the Jefuite, in the Preface to hisMundus Subterraneus^ giving a Relation of an Earthquake wliich Ihook a great Part of Calabria^ and made notable Devaftations there, which himfelf faw, and was, in Anno 163 8. clearly demonftrates, that ^tna^ Stro?nbolt^ and the Mountains of Ca- labria^ do communicate by Vaults and Ca- verns paffing under the Bottom of the Sea.
LfliaU
and Creation.
I lliall infert but one Paflage out of him, re- ferring the Reader to the fore-quoted Pre^ face for the reft. Wi^ce calamitatlbus (faith he) duvi ja^famur ^ ego curiofm intuitus Strongylum, 60 fere inilliarimt intenaped'me dijjitujn^ ilium infolito modo furere notavi, &c. u e. TThile we were toft with thefe Calami- ties^ I beholding curioujly the IJland Strom- boli, about 60 Miles diftant^ obfiwed it to rage after an unufual manner^ for it appeared all filled with Fire infuch Plenty^ that it feem- ed to caft forth Mountains of Flame i a Speiiacle horrid to behold^ and formidable to the moft undamited Spirit. In the mean time^ there was a certain Sound percei'ved as it were of Thunder^ but by reafon of the great Diftance from whence it catne^fo?newhat obfcure^ which by degrees proceeding forward in the fubterra- neous Conduits^ grew greater and greater^ till it came to the Place juft underneath us^ [they were at Lopez by the Sea] where it Jhooli the Earth with fuch a Roaring^ or Mur- mur and Fury^ that being not able to ftand a- ny longer upon our Legs^ we were forced.^ to fupport ourfeheSj to catch hold upon any Shrub or Twig that was near m^ left our Li?nbf fhould be put out of Joint by too much Shahng and Concuffion, At which time happened a thing worthy of i?mnortal and eternal Memo- ry^ viz. the Subverfion of the famous Town of S, Eufemia i which he goes about to relate. As for Vefunjius^ if that be not hollow down to
C 4 the
Of the Chaos
the very Roots and Foundations of ^t, how comes it to pafs, that at the Times of its De- flagrations it fhould vomit out fuch Floods of boiling Waters ? as, if we had not read of them in Hiftories, and been told fo by our Guide when w^ afcended that Mountain, we muft needs have perceived ourfelves, by the mighty Gulls and Channels in the Sides thereof, it being of itfelf near the Top fo fpungy and dry, that it is more likely to im- bibe than to caft off much Rain in the Win- ter-time. And again, what caufes the Sea to recede at thofe Times, and that to fo great a Diftance, that the Galleys have been laid dry in the very Haven of Naples ?
H o w B E I T, I cannot pofitively affert the Mountains thus to have been raifed. But yet, whether without Means, or by whatfo- ever Means it were, a Receptacle for the Wa- ters was prepared, and the dry Land and Mountains elevated, fo as to caft off the Waters, on the third Day, and which is won- derful, the Cavities made to receive the Waters, and the whole terra firma^ or dry Land, with its Mountains, were fo propor- tioned one to the other, as that the one was as much depreffed below the Shores, as the other was elevated above them. And, as if the one had been taken out of the other, the Sea, with all its Creeks, and Bays, and Inlets, and other Appendants, was made, and is very near equal to the whole dry Land,
with
and Creation. Z^
with its Promontories and Mountains, if not in Superficies ^ yet in Bulk or Dimenfions, though lome think in both. Which Equali- ty is ftill conftantly maintained, notwith- ftanding all Inundations of Land, and Atte- rations of Sea j hecaufe one of thefe doth al- ways nearly balance the other, according to the vulgar Proverb we have before-men- tion'd. What the Sea lofes in one PJace^ it gaim in another. If anyfhall demand, How the Sea comes to be gradually deprelTed, and deepeft about the Middle Part j whereas the Bottom of it was in all likelihood equal while the Waters covered the whole Earth ? I anfwer, the fame Caufe that raifed up the Earth, whether a fubterraneous Fire or FlatUf^ raifed up alfo the Skirts of the Sea, the Afcent gradually decreafing to the Middle Part, where, by reafon of the Solidity of the Earth, or Gravity of the incumbent Water, the Bot- tom was not elevated at all. For the en- clofed Fire in thofe Parts where its firft Ac- cenfion or greateft Strength was, raifed up the Earth firft, and caft otf the Waters, and thence fpreading by degrees, ftill elevated the Land, and drove the Waters farther and farther i till at length the Weight of them was too great to be raifed, and then the Fire brake forth at the Tops of the Mountains, where it found leaft Refiftance, and difpers'd itfelf in the open Air. The Waters alfo, where they found the Bottom fandy, or yield-
l6 Of the Chaos
ing, made their way into all thofe Cavities the Fire had made and left, filling them up as high as the Level of the Ocean. Neither let any Man imagine, that the Earth under the Water was too foft and muddy to be in this manner raifed by fubterraneous Fire i for I have fliewn before^ that the Bottom of the Sea is fo faddened and hardened by the Weight of the incumbent Water, that the High-ways, beaten continually by Horfes and Carriages, are not more firm and folid. But omitting this (which is only a Conjedure) I fhall difcourfe a little more concerning the Equality of Sea and Land.
It hath been obferved by fome, that where there are high Cliffs or Downs along the Shore, there the Sea adjoining is deep j and where there are low and level Grounds, it is Ihallowj the Depth of the Sea anfwering to the Elevation of the Earth above it : And as the Earth from the Shores '\s gradually higher and higher, to the Middle and Parts mofl re- mote from the Sea, as is evident by the De- fcents of the Rivers, they requiring a con- ftant Declivity to carry them down ; fo the Sea likewife is proportionably deeper and deeper from the Shores to the Middle. So that the Rifing of the Earth from the Shores to the Mid-Land, is anfwerable totheDefcent or Declivity of the Bottom of the Sea from the fame Shores to the Mid-Sea. This Rifing of the Earth from the Shores gradually to the
Mid-
and Creation. 27
Mid-land, is fo conjliderable, that it is very likely the Altitiid(6 • of the Earth in thofe Mid-land Parts above the Superficies- of the Sea, is greater than that of .the Mountains above the Level of the adjacent Lands. To the Height of the Hills, above the common Superficies of the Earth, do anfwer, in Brere- wood's Opinion, the extraordinary Depths or Whirl-pools that are found in the Sea, de- fcending beneath the ordinary Bottom of the Sea, as the Hills afcend above the ordinary Face of the Land. But this is but a Conje- ^ure of his -, and to me it feems not very probable, becaufe it is not likely there lliould be, in the Sea, extraordinary Depths of that vaft Length and Extenfion, as thofe huge Ridges of Mountains that run almoft quite through the Continents ; And becaufe I have obferved the Waters of Rivers that flow gent- ly, but efpecially of the Sea, to level the Bottoms of their Channels and Receptacles, as may be feen in thofe Parts of the Sea whofe Bottoms are uncovered at Low-water ; and in dry Lands that have been dcferted by the Sea, as the Fens in the Ifle of £/y, and the Craux in Provence in France^ &c. which ap- pear to be a perfect Level, as far as one can ken. Though poflibly the Motion of the Sea may not defcend down fo low as thofe Depths, and fo may not level the Bottoms of them.
But
28 Of the Chaos
But againft what I have faid concernmg the Leveling of the Bottom of the Sea, it may be obje<5teclj That Mariners and Divers find no fuch thing, but the quite contrary, *Diz, That the Bottom of the Sea. is as une- qual as the Land, fometimes ten or twelve Fathoms on one Side of the Ship, and one hundred on the other, as Mr. Boyle tells us in his Relationf about the Bottom of the Sea^ confonant whereto are the Accounts of Di- vers. And I have (faith my worthy Friend Dr.Tanc. Robinfon^ in one of his Letters to me) read in Voyages^ of vaft Roch of Salt obferv'd in fome Places under the Sea.
T o which I anfwer, That I fliould indeed have excepted fuch Places as are rocky, which bear a very little Proportion to the Latitude and Extent of the Sea, and are for the moft part not far off the Land. I niyfelf have feen lo much of the Bottom of the Sea, round a- bout the Coafts of England^ and a good Part of the Low-Countreys, of Italy and Sicily, that, I think, I may boldly pronounce in ge- neral. That where the Bottom of the Sea is not rocky, but Earth, Owze, or Sand, (and that is incomparably the greateft Part of it) it is by the Motion of the Waters, fo far as the Reciprocration of the Sea extends to the Bottom, brought to a Level ,• and if it ftiould be now unequal, would in time be lev^l'd again. By Level, I do not mean fo as to have no Declivity, (for the Reciprocration preferves
that.
and Creation. 2p
tliat, the Flood hindring, in good meafurCj the conftant Carrying down of the Bottom) but only to have an equal, uniform, and eafie De- fcent from the Shores to the Deeps. Now, all thofe Reports of Divers and Navigators referr, for the moft part to rocky Places. For Mariners feldom found but in fuch Places, and in Shallows ; and Urinators have no rea- fon to dive where the Bottom is level and fandy. And that the Motion of the Waters defcends to a good Depth, I prove frofti thofe Plants that grow deepeft in the Sea, becaufe they all generally grow flat in manner of a Fan, and not with Branches on all (ides, like Trees j which is fo contrived by the Provi- dence of Nature, becaufe the Edges of them do, in that Pofture, with moft eafe, cut the. Water flowing to and fro: And fliould the fiat Side be objeiSted to the Stream, it would be turned Edgewife by the Force of it j be- caufe, in that Site it doth leaft refift the Mo- tion of the Water : Whereas, did the Branches of thofe Plants grow round, as in Trees, they would be thrown down backward and forward every Tide. Nay, not only the her- baceous and woody fubmarine Plants, but even the Lithophyta themfelves afl^ed this manner of Growing, if they be any thing Ramofe, and rife to a confiderable Height, as I have obferved in various Kinds of Corak and Fori. Hence I fufped: thofe Relations of Trees growing at the Bottom of the Sea,
and
30 Of the Chaos
and bringing forth Fruit there. As for the Maldiva Nut^ till better Information, I ad- here to Garcias his Opinfon, That the Trees that bare thofe Nuts were, of old time, toge- ther with the Land on which they grew, over- whelmed by the Inundations of the Sea, and there hardned in the Earth, and afterwards caft up by the Working of the Sea again. Which thing is very probable ; for to this day, fome of thofe Maldha Iflands are now and then drowned, and fwallowed up by the Sea. Farther, I do believe, that in the great Depths of the Sea there grow no Plants at all, the Bottom being too remote from the external Air ; which, though it may pierce the Water fo low, yet I doubt, whether in Quantity fufficient for the Vegetation of Plants. Nay, we are told, that in thofe deep and bottomlefs Seas, there are no Fifli neither : Yet, not becaufe there are no Plants or Infers to feed them -, for that they can live upon Water alone, Rondeletim his Expe- riment about keeping them in a Glafs, doth undeniably prove ^ but becaufe their Spawn would be loft in thofe Seas, the Bottom be- ing too cold for it to quicken there. This Anfwer and Difcourfe, though it be inferted into another Treatife, yet properly belongs to this place, to which I have, therefore, re- ftored it ; begging the Reader's Excufe for this Repetition. I now proceed.
That
and Creation. 3 1
Th AT it is confonant to the beft Obferva- tions of the Height of the Earth and its Mountains above the Superficies of the Sea ; and of the Depth of the Sea -, that the one is anfwerable to the other. Varenim^ in his Geogr, witnelfeth, p, 152. Cxtemm ex obfer^ 'vata haHenus in plerifque locis profunditate Oceania manifefltim efi^ earn fere aqualem Alti^ tudi?ii fi've Elevationi montiurn & locormnMe^ diterraneorum fupra littora^ nimirum quantum htec elevantur & extant fupra littorum hori- zontein^ tantum ahei maris infra eum depri- muntur j fiiie quantum affurgit terra d littori" bus "versus mediterranea toca^ tantundem pau- latim magis magifque deprimitur ufque ad me- da Oceani loca^ ubi flerumque maxima efl profunditas. That is, Fro?n the Depth of the Ocean ^ as far as. hath been hitherto ohferved in ?noft Places^ it is manifejl^ that that [Pro- fundity'^ is near equal to the Altitude or Ele- vation of the MediterraneoHs Places above the Shores ; that is to fay^ as much as thefe are elevated^ and fland up above the Horizon of the Shores^ fo much are the Channels of the Seas depreffed below it : Or^ as much as the Earth rifeth from the Shores towards the Me- diterraneous Places ^ fo much it is by little atid little^ more and more^ depreffed to the middle Parts of the Ocean^ where the greateft Depth for the moji part is.
And Brerewood^ in his Enquiries, perti- nently to our Purpofe, fuppofeth the Depth
of
^2 Of the Chaos
of the Sea to be a great deal more than the Height of the Hills above the common Sur- face of the Earth. -—For that in making Efti^ mation of the Depth of the Sea^ we are not to rjechn and confider only the Height of the Hills abo-ve the cojn7non Sup^vRcks of the Earthy but the Advantage or Height of all the dry hand above the Superficies of the Sea : Becaufe the whole Ma[s of the Earthy that now appeareth above the Waters^ being taken^ as it were^ out of the Place which the Waters now poffefs^ mufi be equal to the Place out of which it was taken ; and confequently it feemeth^ that the Height or Elevation of the one Jhould anfwer to the Depth or Defcending of the other. And, therefore, as I faid, in eftimating the Deep- nefs of the Sea, we are not to confider only the Eredion of the Hills above the ordinary Land, but the Advantage of all the dry Land above the Sea. Which latter, I mean the Height of the ordinary Main Land, is in my Opinion more in large Continents above the Sea, than that of the Hills is above the Land. For, that the plain and common Face of the dry Land, is not level or equally diftant from the Center, but hath great Declivity and Defcent towards the Sea, and Acclivity or Rifing toward the Mid-Land Part, al- though it appear not fo to the common View of the Eye, is to Reafon notwithftandiog ma- nifeft. Becaufe, as it is found in that Part of the Earth which the Sea covereth, that it
defcendeth
2.tMO.
and Creation. 53
defcendeth lower and lower toward the midft of the Sea j (for the Sea which touching the upj^er Face of it is known to be level by Na- ture, and evenly diilant from the Center, is withall obferved to wax deeper and deeper the farther one faileth from the Shore to- wards the Main) even fo, in that Part which is uncovered, the Courfings and Streamings of Rivers on all Sides, from the Mid-Land Parts towards the Sea, (whofe Property we know is to Hide from the higher to the low- er) evidently declare fo much. "^ This Au- * vefiia thor^ with Datnafcen^ fuppofes, thatthe Un-^''^^^^^;^'- evennefs and Irregularity, which is now feen in the Superficies of the Earth, was caufed either by taking fome Parts out of the upper Face of the Earth in fundry Places to make it more Hollow, and laying them in other Places to make it more Convex: Or elfe (which in effe^ft is equivalent to that) by railing up fome, and deprefling others, to make Room and Receipt for the Sea , that Mutation being wrought by the Power of that Word, het the Waters be gathered into one Place J that the dry hand may appear. This Proportioning of the Cavities appointed to receive the Seas, to the Protuberancy of the dry Land above the common Superficies of the Ocean, is to me a fufficient Argument, to prove, that the Gathering together of the Waters into one Place, was a Work of Coun- fel and Defign j and if not effe(^ed by the im-
D mediate
34 Of the Chaos
mediate Finger of G o d, yet at leaft govern'd and direded by Him. So the Scripture af- firms the Place to receive the Sea, to have been prepared by G o d, PfaL civ. 8. Now in things of this Nature, to the giving an Ac- count whereof whatever Hypothefis we can poflibly invent, can be but meerly conjeftu- ral i thofe are to be moft approved that come neareft to the Letter of Scripture, and thofe that clafli with it to be rejeded, how trim or confiftent foever with themfelves they may feem to be : This being as much, as when God tells us how He did make the World, for us to tell Him how He Ihould have made it.
But here it may be objeded. That the prefent Earth looks like a Heap of Rubbilh and Ruins i And that there are no greater Examples of Confufion in Nature, than Moun- tains fingly or jointly conlidered ; and that there appear not the leaft Footfteps of anyArt or Counfel, either in the Figure and Shape, or Order and Difpofition of Mountains and Rocks. Wherefore it is not likely they came fo out of G o d's Hands ; who by the Ancient Philofophers is faid ahi ysoiixsTpnTv^ and to make all things in Number, Weight, and Meafure.
T o which I anfwer. That the prefent Face of the Earth, with all its Mountains and Hills, its Promontories and Rocks, as rude and deformed as they appear, fcems to me a ve- ry
and Creation. 3 ^
ry beautiful and pleafant Objed, and with all that Variety of Hiils^ and Valleys, and Ine- qualitieSj far more grateful to behold, than a perfe(5tly level Country, without any Riling or Protuberancy, to terminate the Sight : As any one, that hath on the one hand feen the Ifle of £/y, or any the like Country exadi- ly level, and extending on all Sides farther than one can ken, or that hath been far out at Sea, where nothing is to be feen but Sky and Water : And on the other, from the Downs of Suffev^ enjoyed that fpacious and ravifhing Profped: of the Country on one handj and the Sea on the other, comparing both Obje«5ls, muft necelfarily confefs.
2. T H E Y are ufeful to Mankind in afford- ing them convenient Places for Habitation, and Situations of Houfes and Villages ; fer- ving as Skreens to keep off the cold and nip- ping Blafts of the Northern and Eafterly Winds, and refleding the benign and che- rifliing Sun-Beams, and fo rendring their Ha- bitations both more comfortable and chear- iy in Winter; and promoting the Growth of Herbs and Fruit-Trees, and the Maturation of their Fruits in Summer. Beiides, calling off the Waters, they lay the Gardens, Yards and Avenues to the Houfes dry and clean, and fo as well more falutary as more elegant. Where- as Houfes built in Plains, unlefs lliaded with Trees, ftand bleak and expofed to Wind and D 2 Weather j
5^ Of the Chaos
Weather ; and all Winter are apt to be grie- voufly annoyed with Mire and Dirt.
3 . A Land fo diftinguifhed into Moun- tains, Valleys and Plains, is alfo moft conve- nient for the Entertainment of the various Sorts of Animals, which God hath created, fome whereof delight in cold, fome in hot, fome moift and watery, fome in dry and upland Places, and fome of them could nei- ther find nor gather their proper Food in dif- ferent Regions. Some Beafts and Birds we find live upon the higheft Tops of the Alps^ and that all the Winter too, while they arc conftantly covered with Snow, as the Ibe:c and Rupicapra^ or Chamois among Quadru- peds, and Lagopus among Birds.
4. The Mountains are moft proper for the putting forth of Plants j yielding the greateft Variety, and the moft luxuriant Sorts of Ve- getables, for the Maintenance of the Ani- mals proper to thofe Places, and for medi- cinal Ufes, partly alfo for the Exercife and Delight of fuch ingenious Perfons as are ad- di(5ted to fearch out and colled: thofe Rari- ties, to contemplate and confider their Forms and Natures, and to admire and celebrate the Wifdom of their Creator.
5. All manner of Metals, Minerals and Foflfils, if they could be generated in a level Earth, of which there is fomeQueftion, yet iliould they be dug or mined for, the Delfs muft niccffarily be fo flown with Water,
(which
and Creation.
(which to derive and rid away, no Adits or Soughs could be made, and I much doubt whether Gins would fuffice) that it would be extremely difficult and chargeable, if pof-r fible to work them at all.
6. N E I T H E R are the very Tops of the higheft Mountains barren of Grafs for the feeding and fattening of Beafts. For on the Ridges of the high Mountains of Jura and Saleve near Geneva^ and thofe of Rhxtia^ or the Grifons Country, which are the higheft of all the Alps^ excepting the Vallefian and Sabaudian^ there are Multitudes of Kine fed in Summer-time, as I myfelf can witnefs, having in my Simpling Voyages on thofe of Jura and Saleve obferved Herds of Cattle there, and many Dairy-Houfes built, where I have been more than once refreflied by their Milk^ and Milk-Meats. Nay, there are but very few, and thofe of the higheft Summits of the AlpSj that keep Snow all Summer : And I was told by the Inhabitants, that one time or other, in fevenor eight Years Space, for the moft part there came a Summer that melted all the Snow that lay on them too.
7. Another great Ufe and Necellity of the Mountains and Hills,is for the Generation and Maintenance of Rivers and Fountains, which (in our Hypothefis^ that all proceed from Rain-water) could not be without them, or but rarely. So we ftioyld have only
D 3 Tor-
37
38 Of the Chaos
Torrents, which would fail in Summer-time, or any dry Seafon, and nothing to truft to, but ftagnating Water referved in Pools and Cifterns. Which how great an Inconveni- ence it would be, I need not take Pains to Ihew. I fay, that Fountains and Rivers would be but rare, were there no Moun- tains : For, upon ferious Confideration, I find * ohfer^ that I was too hafty in "^ concluding, becaufe "^^I'^yfi- I had obferved no Fountains fpringing up in ' * Plains, therefore there were, or could be, ab- folutely none,- and do now grant, that there is Reafon to believe the Relations made of fuch. For the whole dry Land being but one continued Mountain , and afcending all along from the Sea to the Mid-Land, as is undeniably proved by the Defcent of Ri- vers even in plain Countries ; the Water finking into the Earth, may run under Ground, and according as the Vein leads it, break out in the Side of this Mountain, tho' the Place, as to outward Appearance, be a Plain.
I SHALL now add. That tho' it be pofifi- ble that without Mountains there may be Springs, if there fiiould be Rains, (which it is fomething queftionable were there no Mountains, whether there could be or no, at leaft in hot Countries) yet it is probable, that moft of thofe Springs we find in Plains, or depreffcd Places diftant from Mountains, may come along in fubterraneous Channels
from
and Creatmt. 3p
from the next Mountains, and there break out. Monfieur Blundel related to the P^r/- fian Academy, what Device the Inhabitants of the Lower Aujina^ which is encompaf- fed with the Mountains oF St'ma^ are wont to ufe to fill their Wells with Water : They dig in the Earth to the Depth of twenty or five and twenty Foot, -till they come to an Argilla [clammy Earth] then they bore a Hole in the midft of a Stone about five or fix In- ches broad, and through it bore the Argilla {o deep, till the Water breaks forcibly out ; which Water, it's probable, comes from the neighbouring Mountains in fubterraneous Channels. And Cafflnuf obferved. That in many Places of the Territory of Modena and Bologna in Itah}^ they make themfelves Weils of fpringing Water by the like Artifice. They dig in the Earth till they come to the Water (which ftagnates in common Wells) which they draw quite out. Then within this nevv' digged Well they make two cylindrical Walls, concentrical one to another ; the Space or Interftice between them they fill and ram clofe with well-wrought Argilla^ or Clay, to keep out the ambient Water ; which done, they fink the Well deeper into the Ground, and continue the inner Wall fo low, till the Earth underneath feems to fwell by the Force of the Water rifing up : And laftly, they- bore this Earth or Soil with a long Wimble ; whereupon the Water breaks
D 4 forth
40 Of the Chaos
forth through the Hole with a great Force, fo that it doth not only fill the Well, but o- verfiows and waters the neighbouring Fields with a conftant Stream : By this means the fame Signor CaJJini made a Fountain at the Caftle of Urbin^ that caft up the Water five Foot high above the Level of the Ground. It is very probable that thefe Waters defcend by fubterraneous Paffages from the Appen^ ^//^^ Mountains, which are about ten Miles diftant. If fuch things may be done by Art, why may they not alfo by Nature ? Nay, that the like are done, we find by Experi- ence, in the Lacm Lugeus^ or Zirchnitzer^ Sea in Camiola^ which after it is empty of Water running out at Holes or Pits in the Bottom, (which it doth yearly in the Sum- mer-time, in the Months of May^ June^ and ^uly) in the Autumn, when it rains mode-r rately, the Water fpouts out of fome of the forementioned Pits two or three Fathoms perpendicularly ; but when it rains very hard and long together, efpecially with Thunder, then the Water breaks forth with great Force, not only from the forefaid Pits, but likewife at a thoufand other Caves and Holes, fpirt- ing feveral Fathoms high, from fome perpen- dicularly^ from others obliquely, fo that there is not a pleafanter Sight than this, and in a fhort time fills the Lake. A full Defcri- ption, and an Account of all the Fhicmmena of this admirable Lake^ fee in Philofoph.Tt'anfad,
Numb.
^Lkm^m
and Creation, 41
Numb. 191. p. 41 1, &c. So we fee. Water may be brought down from the Mountains, and raifed up naturally in ftrait Channels, with that Force, and to that Height, as to exceed all the artificial Jets in the World, if not in the Altitude of the Spout, yet in the Bignefs of the Stream abundantly.
A s for the Wells about Modena^ becaufe wherefoeyer you dig about that City for fome Miles, ?it the Depth of 63 Foot you meet with Water under fuch a Bed of Ar- gilla^ which fpouts up, and riles as high, and higher than the adjacent Country j I guefs there \s a fubterraneous Lake, whofe Waters are comprelfed between, perhaps, the Sea or frelli Water on one hand, which forces them upward, and the Bed of Ar^ gilla on the other, which keeps them down ; which Bed, when it is bored through, they rufti upwards, qua data porta^ with great Force, and fill the new digged Well. This I propofe as Conjedlure not altogether im- probable.
This End and Ufe of Mountains, I find aflfigned by Mr. Halley^ in his Difcourfe con- cerning the Original of Springs and Rivers, in thefe Words : This^ if we may allow final Caufe^ (and why may we not ? what needs this Heiitancy and Dubitation in a thing that is clear ? ) fee??ts to be the Defign of the Hilh^ that their Ridges being placed through the midft of the Continents^ might feriie^ as it were A-
leinbich^
42 Of the Chaos
leffibidf, to difiill freffj Water for the Ufe of Man and Beaft^ and their Heights to give a Defcent to thofe Streams to run gently^ Me fo many Veins of the Macrocofm^ to be the more beneficial to the Creation,
But fome may fay. Granting there be fome Ufe and Benefit of moderate Hills and Ri- fings ; what neceffity is there of fuch ex- tended Ridges of vaft and tow'ring Moun- tains, hiding their Heads among the Clouds, and feeming for Altitude to contend with the Skies ? I anfwer. There is very great Ufe of them, for repelling the Vapours exhaled by the Sun-beams in the hot Regions, and hin- dring their Evagations Northward, as we have already fhewn, and iliall not repeat. I might add hereto,
8. Those long Series and Chains of Mountains arc of great Ufe for Boundaries and Limits to the Territories of Princes or Commonwealths, to fecure them on thofe Parts from fudden Incurfions of Enemies. As for the Rudenefs and Confufion of Mountains, their cragged and broken Rocks and Cliffs, and whatever other Diforder there may be among them, it may be accounted for, from the Manner of their firft Generation, and thofe other Mutations they have bea^ fince obnoxious to, by Earthquakes, Eruptions of Vulcano's^ foundering and falling in of their Props and Foundations, and by Time and Weather too, by which not only the Earth
is
and Creation. . 43
is waffled away, or blown off from the Stones, but the very Stones and Rocks them- felves corroded and diflfolved, as might ea- fily be proved by Inftances, could I fpare time to do it.
T o fum up all, relating to the Divifion and Difpoiition of the Water and Earth, in brief.
1. I s A Y, the Water being the lighter Ele- ment, doth naturally occupy the upper Place, and ftand above the Earth, and fo at firft it did. But now, we fee, it doth not fo ; the Earth being, contrary to its Nature, forcibly elevated above it ,• being (as the Pfahniji phrafeth it) founded above the Seas, and e- ftabliihed above the Floods ; and this, becaufe it was beft it fhould be fo, as I fliall clearly prove and deduce in Particulars in another Difcourfe.
2. The dry Land is not elevated only upon one Side of the Globe ^ for then, had it had high Mountains in the middle of it, with fuch vaft empty Cavities within, as muft be equal to the whole Bulk raifed up, the Center of Magnitude muft needs have been confiderably diftant from the Center of Gravity ; which would have caufed a very great and inconvenient Inequality in the Motion of the Parts of the Earth : But the Continents and Iflands are fo equally difpers'd all the Globe over, as to counterb. 1 mce one
another ;
44 Of the Chaos
another j fo that the Centers of Magnitude and Gravity concurr in one.
3. T HE Continents are not of exactly e- qual and level Supoficief or Convexity. For then, the Parts lubje6t to the Courfe of the Sun, called the Torrid Zone^ would have been, as the Ancients fancied them, unha- bitable for Heat and Drought. But there are huge Ridges and extended Chains of lofty Mountains dire(5ted, for the moft part, to run Eaft and Weft ; by which means, they give free Admittance and Pa0age to the Va- pours, brought in by the Winds from the Atkntki and Pactfich Oceans ; but flop and inhibit their Excurfions to the North and South, either condenfing them upon their Sides into Water, by a kind of external De- ftillation ; or by ftreightning and conftipa- ting of them, compelling them to gather into Drops, and defcend down in Rain.
These are great things, and worthy the Care, Diredion, and Difpofal of the Great and Wife Creator, and Governor of all things : And, we fee, they are accordingly excellently ordered and provided by Him.
Chap.
Ch
A P.
IV.
Of the Creation of Animals ; fome Queflions refohed.
S to the firft Creation of Ani- mals, I have already propofed two Opinions, both confonant or reconcileable to the Scri- ptures.
I. That God Almighty did at firft create the Seeds of all Animals, (that is, the Ani- mals themfelves in little) and difpers'd them over the fuperficial Part of the Land and Power to thofe Elements to
Water,
givmg
hatch and bring them forth , which when they had done, and all the Animals of thefe created Seeds were produced and perfected, there remained no more Ability in them to bring forth any more ,• but all the fucceeding owe their Original to Generation.
3. Because fome will not admit that G o D at firft created any thing imperfed, we did propofe that He might, by His Almighty Power, out of the Water and Earth, make the firft Sett of Animals in their full State and Perfection, (as it is generally believed He did Adam) and give to each Species a Power by Generation to propagate their Like. For, His commanding the Waters aqd Earth to pro- duce
4^ Of the Chaos
ducc fuch and fuch living Creatures, (igni- fies that He did Himfelf efficacioufly form them out of the Earth and Water , as when He faith, Let there be Light^ &c. the Mean- ing is not, that He did permit or command fomething elfe befides Himfelf, to produce Light ; but that He did, by His own Almigh- ty Power, effedually create it. Indeed, the Scripture doth in this manner interpret it- felf : For, whereas it is faid, verfes 2 o, and 24* Let the Waters bring forth^ &c. and. Let the Earth bring forth the living Creature^ Sec, In the next Verfes it follows. And God created great Whales^ and every living Creature that 7ftovethy3cc, And God made the Beafl of the Earthy &c. But now there may a farther Queftion or two be moved, concerning the Creation of Animals.
I. Whether God created, at firft, a great Number of every Kind of Animal all the Earth over, in their proper Places and Climates ^ or only of two of each Species^ a . Male and a Female, from which all the reft proceeded by Generation ? This latter Opi- nion I find embraced by fome modern Phi- lofophers, and it may be made probable by feveral Arguments.
Firfiy From the Analogy to Mankind. There beings at firft, only one Man and one Woman created ; it is very likely, there were no more of any other Creatures, two
being
and Creation. 4^
being fufficient, in a Ihort time, to (lock the World.
Secondly^ Becaufe, at the time of the Ge- neral Deluge, there were only two of each Kind (of unclean Beafts) preferved in the Ark : And if two might thence fuffice, why not as well at the firft Creation ? And if there were no need of creating more, what likelihood that there were more created ?
But the firft Opinion, That there were many at firft created, feems more confonant to Scripture ; which, in the Mention of the Creation of Aquatic Creatures, ufeth the Word Abundantly^ Gen. i. 20. AndGovtfaidy Let the Waters bring forth abundantly the mo- ving Creature that hath Life^ and Fowl that mayfly above the Earth Jn the of en Firmament of Heaven. And, in the next Verfc it is faid. That the Waters did bring them forth abun- dantly. So that, at leaft, of Birds and Fiflies, there were many Individuals at firft created. As for Plants, certain it is, that they were created difperfedly all the World over ; they having no locomotive Power, but being fix'd to a place, and the Seeds of many of them being ponderous, and not portable by Wihds, or any other Means, and yet thofe of the fame Species to be found in far diftant Places, and on the Tops of high Mountains, as re- mote from each other, as the Hehetick and Auftrian Alps,
2. Con-
48 Of the Chaos
i. Concerning the Creation of Ani- mals, there may yet a farther Queftion be moved, 'viz. Whether all Animals that alrea- dy have been, or hereafter (hall be, were ^t firft actually created by G o d ? or, Whether hath He given to each Kind of Animal fuch a Power of Generation, as to prepare Matter, and produce new Individuals in their own Bodies ? Some are of Opinion, that God did Hinifelf, at firft, actually create all the in- dividual Animals that ever werc^ or ever Ihali be ; and that there is no fuch thing as any Produdions of new ones. For, fay they. What were that, but a Creation of fuch Indi- viduals ? Atid, what did G o d at the firft Creation, more than, if this be true, we fee every day done, that is, produce a new Ani- mal out of Matter, which itfelf prepares ? All the Difference is, the doing that in an In- ftant which the Creature muft take Time to do. For, as for the Preparation of Matter, that muft be made fit, be the Agent never fo Omnipotent.
B E s I D Es, the Animal-Parent cannot be the Agent or Efficient in the Generation, or Forming and Nouriihing of the FoctUf. Be- caufe that is a Work of Art and Reafon, which brute Creatures are not endued with^ all ; nor, indeed, doth Man himfelf under- ftand any thing of the Procefs of Genera- tion in himfelf, neither is confcious of what
is
and Creation.
is done in the Womb j fo far is he from be- ing the Doer of it.
Again, it is moft probable, if not cer- tain, that jnoft Animals have in them, from the Beginning, the Seeds or Eggs of all the Young they mail afterward bring forth, which when they are fpent and exhauft, the Crea- ture becomes barren, or effete. So we fee all the Female Tortus of viviparous Quadru- peds are brought forth with their Teftes^ or O'Varia in them, which are efteemed Parts of their Bodies ; and all Birds have in them, from their firft Formation, their Ovary or Egg-clufter, containing the Seeds of all the Eggs they fliall ever lay. Now, had the Creature a Power of producing new ones, what need was there that there fkould be fo many at firft formed in them ? And, why might they not breed them as well after- wards, as at the beginning ?
Hereupon thefe Philofophers argue thus : Suppofe we, that God did at firft create two Animals, a Male and a Female : The Female muft be created with its OvarieF or Teftes, which ( as we faid ) contained fo many Seeds or Eggs as the Creature lliould ever bring forth Young. So it is clear, that not only the firft Pair, but the firft Generation of Animals, were a(5tually created. Again, this firft Generation, from their firft Appearance, had each of them (the Females I mean) its OvariUy or Qtifters of Eggs, every one where- r £ of
49
^o Of the Chaos
of hadj in like manner, its Animalcule in it j fo that this fecond Generation was alfo crea- ted in the firft. The fame may be demon- ftrated of the third and fourth ; and fo on, of all the Generations that lliall be as long as the World lafts.
Against this Dodrine it may be obje- i^ted, Firji^ That it feems impoffible that the Ovaries of one Female ihould actually include and contain the innumerable Myriads of Ani- mals that may proceed from it in fo many Generations, as have been and Ihall be du- ring the Continuance of the World. Who can conceive fuch a fmall Portion of Matter to be capable of fuch Divifion, and to con- tain fuch an Infinity of Parts ?
But to this it may be anfwered. That our Sight doth not give us the juft Magnitude of Things, tut only their Proportion ^ and what appears tq. the Eye as a Point, may be magnified fo, even by GlafTes, as to difco- ver an incredible Multitude of Parts i nay, fome Animals there are, fo fmall, that if a Grain of Sand were broken into 80.00000 of equal Parts, one of thefe would not ex- ceed the bisnefs of one of thofe Creatures, as Mr. Lewenhoek affirms. And Dr. Hook proceeds farther, and fays, that he had dif- . covered fome fo exceeding fmall, that Mil- lions of Millions might be contained in one Drop of Water. If thefe whole Creatures be fo incredibly little, what fhall we think
of
and Creation. ^i
of their Parts containing and contained, their Entrails and Mulcies, their Ovaries and Eggs ? But for a fenfible Demonftration of the Un- conceivable, I had almoft faid Infinite, Divi- fibility of Matter, I might referr the Reader to the Honourable Mr. B(rjle^ of famous Me- mory, his Difcourfe concerning the ftrange Subtilty of Effuviutm. I Ihall mention one or two Experiments. ' He dilTolved one Grain of filed Copper in Spirit of SaluAr^ moniack^ and, upon this Solution, he poured fo much diftilled Water by degrees, as till the fair and deep blue Colour grew fome- what pale, without being too dilute to be manifeft : And then careFuUy weighing the VelTel and the Water, and fubduding the Weight of that out of this, he found the Weight of the Liquor alone, when reduced to Grains, to amount to 28534 j fo that a Gxun of Copper communicated a Tindture to 28534 times its Weight. Now,confider- ing that the Weight of Copper to the Weight of Water of the fame Bulk, is pro- xime as 9 to i, a Grain-weight of Copper is in bignefs but the ninth part of as much Water as weighs a Grain ,• and fo the for- merly mentioned Number of Grains of Wa- ter muft be multiplied by 9, to give us the Proportion between the tinging Body and tinged Liquor ; whence it will follow, that a fingle Grain of Copper gave a Bluenefs to above 256806 Parts of limpid Water, E 2 ! each
^Z Of the Chaos
' each of them as big as it. And to profe- ' cute this Experiment farther, he mixt to- ' gether equal Parts of diftilled colourlefs ' Water, and of the faid tinded Liquor, and ' found, that though the Colour was very ' £iint and dilute, yet an attentive Eye could ' eafily difcern it to be bluifh j whereby it ^ appears, that one Grain of Copper was able * to impart a Colour to double the Quanti- ' ty of Water above-mentioned, that is, to ' 5 13 612 Grains of Water.
Other Experiments there are, in the fame Difcourfe, made in odorate Bodies : Having, faith he^ for Curiofity-fake, fu- fpended in a Pair of exa<5t Scales, that would turn with a very fmall Part of of a Grain, a Piece of Ambergreece bigger than a Walnut, and weighing betwixt a hundred and (ixfcore Grains, I could not in three days and a half, that I had Oppor- tunity to make the Trial, difcover, even up- on that Balance, any Decrement of Weight in the Ambergreece^ though fo rich a Per- fume lying in the open Air was like, in that time, to have parted with good ftore of odoriferous Steams : And, a while after, fufpending a Lump of Afafatida five days and a half, I found it not to have fuftained any difcerniblc Lofs of Weight, though, in fpight of the unfavourable cold Weather, ii had about it a neighbouring Atmofphere, ' repienillied with foetid Exhalations, &c.
But
and Creation. ^^
But what can be imagined more fmali and fubtiJ, than the minute Parts of the Steams of Animals ? The fame Author, in the fame Trad, tells us, '' That a good Set- ting Dog, by his way of Ranging the Fields, and his other Motions, efpecially of his Head, would not only intimate the Kinds of Game, whofe Scent he chanced to light upon, but would difcover where Partridges had been (though, perhaps, without (laying in that Place) feveral hours before. " He farther tells us, * That a very fober Gentle- ' man of his Acquaintance, who had often oc- cafion to employ Blood-hounds, affured him, that if a Man had but palfed over the Field, the Scent would lie, fo as to be per- ceptible enough to a good Dog of that fort, for feveral hours after. " And an ingenious Hunter likewife alTured him, ' That he had obferved, that the Scent of a flying and hunted Deer, will fometimes continue up- on the Ground from one Day to the next following." He proceeds farther ; ' And now we may coniider thefe three things j Ytr^^ That the Subftance left upon the Ground Ly the tranlient Tread of a Par- . tridge. Hare, or other Animal, that doth but pafs along his Way, does probably com- municate to the Grafs or Ground but fome of thofe Effluxions that tranfpire out of his Feet, which being fmall enough to efcape \ the Eye, may probably not amount to one E 3 ' Grain
Of the Chaos
^ Grain in Weight, or perhaps not to the
* Tenth Part of it. Next^ That the Parts I of fluid Bodies, as fuch, are perpetually in ' Motion, and fo are the invifible Particles
* that fwim in them, as may appear by the ' Diffolution of Salt or Sugar in AJ^ater, and ' the Wandring of aqueous Vapours through ^ the Air, even when the Eye perceives them ^ not. And, Thirdly^ That though the At-
* mofphere of one of thefe fmall Parcels of ^ the exhaling Matter we are fpeaking of, ^ may oftentimes be exceeding vaft in com-^ ' parifon of the emittent Body, as may be ^ guefTed by the Diftance, at which fome Set^ ^ ters or Bloodhounds will find the Scent of
* a Partridge or Deer ; yet, in Places expofed ' to the free Air or Wind, 'tis very likely
* that thefe Steams are afliduoufly carried a- ^ way from their Fountain, to maintain the
* forementioned Atmofphere, for fix, eight,
* or more hours -, that is, as long as the Scent
* hath been obferved to lie, there will be re- ^ quifite a continual Recruit of Steams fuc- ' ceeding one another. And that fo very fmall
* aPv/rtion of Matter, as that which, we were
* faying, the Tomes <^ thefe Steams may be ' judged to be, being fenfibly to impregnate ' an Atmofphere incomparably greater than
* itfelf, and fupply it with almofl continual
* Recruits, we cannot but think, that the
* Steams it parts with, muft be of extreme ' and fcarce conceivable Minutenefs. " So far
and Creation, ^^
the Author. To which I fhall add. That by the Steams, I fuppofe, he means the minute Particles of which the Steams are compoun- ded. Now thefe minute Particles themfelves muft be compound Bodies, becaufe they af- fe(5t the Senfe in a particular manner, fo that a fagacious Creature can diftinguifh by them, not only Species but Individuals ; as a good Dog, by the Foot, will find out his Mafter, though not only feveral other Creatures, but feveral Men have paffed that way : Unlefs we will groundlefly affirm, that thofe Par- ticles are the jninima Naturalia^ and that the Creature difcerns them by their Figure, or their different manner of Motion.
A SECOND Obje(5tion of Brunnerus (as I find him quoted in Peyerus his Mei-ycologia) is this ; Si cun6ia Animaliuin inembra jam formata exiftant in ovo^ &c, ' If all the ' Members of Animals, already formed, do
* exift in the Egg, though for their Smalnefs
* they efcape our fight ; I cannot conceive,
* how by the Force of Imagination alone, in
* a pregnant Woman, can be produced
* fometimes Calves-heads, or Feet, fome-
* times a Dog's Face, or other monftrous ' Members j thefe Productions being a cer-
* tain and experimental Proof, that the Parts ^ and Members of Animals are formed and ^ delineated originally in the Womb, or
E A To
Of the Chaos
T o this, Peyerus replies : ^ Who then forms ? who delineates fuch Monfters ? Shall we accufe God the Creator ? But He is juft, and doth not make enormous things : Or, Will you blame Nature ? that is, the conftant Order and Will of God, which never is deficient ? Will you lay the fault upon the plaftick Vertue or Power refidin^ in the Womb or Seed, and ading thole things ? But that is a Chitna^ ra ; it is nothing, it is an Idol. There re^ main Two Things to which the Caufe may juftly be imputed , the Imagination of the Mother^ which may and doth often- times effedt wonderful things in the Body oHhc tender Einbry on i 2ind the Devil. If you refufe to admit the former, you are obliged to accept the latter. And, truly, the Devil may, God fo permitting, many ways abufe Men, and transfigure the Young in the Womb, to punilh the wicked and nefarious Adions of degenerate Mankind, indulging themfelves in obfcene Imagina- tions, or prepofterous and unnatural Im- purities and Pollutions. But do thefe Er- rors and Enormities take away the Order of Nature? By no means: For, from what is rare and extraordinary, and fel- dom happens, there is no Confequence to be drawn. For though Monfters are fome- times born, nothing hinders but that we may ftill think, that the Ideas of the feve-
5ral
and Creation. ^7
^ ral Tortus may be prseexiftent and latent ^ in the Eggs j and the Event may teach us, ^ that thofe Ideas or Efnbryor may, by a vio- ^ lent Caufe, be marred and deformed in ^ the Womb , as Wax, though it be alrea- ' dy figured, while it is foft, is eafily aj- ^ tered, and capable of receiving new Im- ^ preflions.
But againft this.Anfwer we mays thus plead in Defence of Brunnerm : As to what is faid of the Devil, it feems to be but a Shift or Refuge to have recourfe to, when we are at a Lofs, and pinch'd with an Argument ; as in the ancient Stage-plays, when they were put to a plunge, they were forced to bring in fome Ofo? ^ttq fxvixoivviQ to help them out. And as for the Imagination of the Mother, ftrange it is, that that fliould have any Influence at all upon the Formation of the Fcetuf ; the Mother not knowing a- ^ny thing that's done in the Womb ,• nor be- ing confcious to herfelf of any Power to form or ad any thing there: The Fof^^x be- ing an external thing to her, and no more a Part of her, than an Egg is of the Hen that fits upon it, affording nothing to it but Warmth and Nourifhment. And we fee. Eggs may be hatched by the artificial Heat of an Oven, without the Incubation of a Hen. But granting, that the Imagination of the Mother may transform the Foetus^ why may it not as well originally form it out of pre- pared
Of the Chaos
pared Matter ? and then, what need of an Idea or minute Aniinalcu Je in the Seed ? But whatever may be faid of Men, how come Monfters in Brutes, which, according to Peyeruf^ are meer Machines, and have no Imagination or Perception at all ?
But not to lead the Reader into a Maze or Labyrinth, and leave him there ; for my own part, I muft confefs, that the Argument for the Prseexiftence of the Fcctm's^ or their Creation from the Beginning, taken from the due Number of Eggs that are in every Female from her firft Formation, and her being effete after they are fpent, weighs ve- ry much with me, as I know not how to quit myfelf of it. And on the other hand, if thofe Stories concerning Dogs and Ser- pents, &c, found in the Wombs of Women be true (which are well attefled) I acknow- ledge it very difficult to give an Account, how thofe Animals came to be bred or form- ed there. But I had rather confefs my Ig- norance of the Manner of the Produdion of fuch praeternatural and extraordinary things, than to permit it to have fuch Influence up- on me, as to remove me from fo well- grounded an Opinion concerning the ordi- nary Production of Animals in a natural Way.
But notwithftanding all I have faid, in Defence of the Creation of the Individuals of all Animals at firft, becaufe the inconcei- vable
and Creation. ^p
vable Smalnefs of the laft Races of Animals make it incredible, I fhall be content to let it pafs for a Conjedure, and not iniift far- ther upon it.
The Being of a Plaftick Nature, fubordi- nate to G o D, notwithftanding Peyeruf makes an Idol of it, and charges thofe with Idola- try who do believe it, I am not afraid to admit : My Reafons for which, I have given in another "^ Difcourfe, and mall not here *if^ifdom
The new Opmion or Mr. Lewenhoek\ that tion. all Animals proceed from an Infcd: or Ani- malcule in the Male-fperm, I think I have fufficiently confuted in my Book, Entituled, Synopfis methodica Anmalium Qmdrupedu?ny pag. 37. &feqq, to which Ireferr the Reader : Only I fliall repeat, that I am lefs inclinable to it, becaufe of the necelTary Lofs of an in- credible Multitude of them, which feems not agreeable to the Wifdom and Provi- dence of Nature. For, fuppofing every Male hath in him all the Animalcules that he fhall or may eje<5t ; they may, for ought I know, amount to Millions of Millions, and fo the greateft part of them muft needs be loft. Nay, if we take but one Coi't^ there muft, in uniparous Creatures at leaft, abundance be loft. But if we fuppofe the Foetus to be originally in the Egg, it is not fo. For the Eggs of all forts of Creatures are fo propor- tioned to the Nature of the Animals, the
Time
6o Of the Chaos, &c.
Time that they live, the Time and Number of their Geftations, and the Number they bring forth at all times, that they will much about fuffice for the Time the Creatures are fit to breed and nourifh their Young : So that they may, if need be, be all brought forth, and come to Perfection.
The End of the Firfi Difcotirfe,
DISr
DISCOURSE 11.
•^•ft$.%'%^'KiK7:;^v$$i:<;{.:iK-K>fc\%-«K-K,^-:-»f;e;-K%^^
Of the general Deluge in the Days of Noah y its Caufes and EffeBs.
Proceed now to fay fome- thing concerning the General Deluge in the Days o£ Noah; which was alfo a Matter of an- J cient Tradition. I fliall not enlarge much upon it, fo as to take in all that might be faid, but confine myfelf to Three Heads, i. I fliall confirm the Truth of the Hiftory of the Deluge recorded in the Scripture, by the Teftimonies of fome an- cient Heathen Writers. 2. I fliall confider the Natural Caufes or Means whereby it was cffei^ed. 3. I fliall enquire concerning the Confequences of it, what confiderable Ef- fei^ts it had upon the Earth.
Chap.
Chap. I.
Tejiimonies of Ancient Heathen Writers concerning the Deluge,
I R S T theiij I Ihall produce fome Teftimonies of Ancient Hea- then Writers concerning the De- luge.
The firft fhall be thofe of Berofm^ record- ed by Jofephus, The firft, in his firft Book againft Appion^ where he tells us, ^ That Berofm^ following the moft ancient Wri- tings, relates the fame things with Mofes concerning the great Deluge, and the De- ftrudion of Men by it i and of the Ark, in which Nochm^ the Author of our Stock, was preferved, after it refted on the Tops of the Armenian Mountains. " And the fe- cond, in the fifth Chapter of his firft Book o( Jewifi Antiquities; Bvjpwo-o-oi- b XoLy^'^oLioQ
d/1fyfcfXfJ/0? 7X TTSpl TOV KOLTXnT^VO-flOVy 8T00 TTH
5/f^/5/(j-/, &c. That is, ^ Berofm thzChald^an^
* relating the Story of the Deluge, writes thus :
* It is reported, that there is fome part of *^ the Veffel [the Ark] ftill remaining at the
* Mountain of the Gordydam; and thatcer-
* tain Perfons fcraping off the Bitumen^ or ! Pitch, carry it away i and that Men make
' ufe
Of the Deluge. 6^
^ ufe of it for Amulets, to drive away Dif- .' cafes.
. A SECOND Teftimony the hmc^ofephus affords us in the fame Place, and that is, of Nkolaus Vamafcenm ,• ^ who, faith he^ gives
* us the Hiftory [of the Ark and Deluge] in ^ thefe Words : About Mi?tyaf in Armenia^ ' there is a great Mountain called Barh^ to
* which it is reported, that many flying, in
* the time of the Deluge, were faved ,• and ^ that a certain Perfon was carried thither in
* an Ark, which refted on the Top of it; the ^ Reliques of the Timber whereof were pre-
* ferved there a long time. " Befides thefe, Jofephm tells us in the fame Place, that H/>- ronymus the Egyptian^ who wrote the Phoeni- cian Antiquities, and Mnafeas^ and many o- tbers, whofe Words he aliedges not, make mention of the Flood.
EusEBius fuperadds two Teftimonies morei the one of Melon ^ to this Effe<^: There departed from Armenia^ at the time of the Deluge, a certain Man, who together with his Sons had been faved > who being caft out of his Houfe and Poffeflions^ was driven away by the Natives. This Man pafling over the intermediate ilegion, came into the mountainous Part of Syria^ that was then defolate." This Teftimony makes the Deluge Topical^ and not to have reached Armenia*
The
64 Confequences of
The other is of Abydenus an ancient Wri-i ter, fet down by Eufebiuf^ Pr^par, Evangel, lib, 9. cap. 4. MfO^ h ^kKoi ts v\pi,(iv^ nai ^si'di'^
CjUl/JpCCV Affl-/« TTEIXTTTU} fV/ ^SKOLy &C. ^ AftCt
* whom others reigned, and then Sifithrm^ (fo
* he calls Noah,) To whom Saturn foretold,
* that there fliould be a great Flood of Waters ' upon the fifteenth Day of the Month Defius ; ^ and commanded him to hide all Writings ^ [or whatever was committed to writing] in ' Heliopolif of the Syparians : Which fo foon as ^ Sifithrm had performed, he prefently failed ' away to Armenia^ where what God had pre-
* dided to him, immediately came to plafs, [or
* came upon him.] The third Day after the ' Waters ceafed, he fent forth Birds, that he ' might try whether they could efpy any Laild
* uncovered of Water : But they finding no* ' thing but Sea, and not knowing whither to
* betake themfelves, returned back to Sifithruf,
* In like manner, after fome Days, he fent out
* others, with like Succefs. But being fent ' out the third time, they returned with their ' Feet fouled with Mud. Then the Gods ' caught up Sifithrm from among Men ; but ' the Ship remained in Armenia^ and its Wood ' afforded the Inhabitants Amulets to chafe a- ^ way many Difeafes." Thefe Hiftories accord with the Scripture as to the main, of the Be- ing of a Flood, and Noah efcaping out of it;
only
^
the Deluge. . 6^
only they adulterate the Truth, by the Ad- ^ mixture of a deal of fabulous Stuff.
Cyril, in his firft Book againft Julian^ to prove the Deluge, alledges a Paffage out of Alexander Polyhiftor^ confonant to the pre- ceding Words o( Abydenuf, ' P/^f^ himfelf ' (faith he) gives us an obfcure Intimation of ' the Deluge, in his Timdm^ bringing in a ' certain Egyptian Prieft, who related to Solon
* out of the Sacred Books of the Egyftiam^ ^ that before the particular Deluges known ^ and celebrated by the Grecians^ there was
* of old an exceeding great Inundation of
* Waters , and Devaftation of the Earth,
* which feems to be no other than NoaFs ' Flood.
Plutarch, in his Book De Solertia Animal lium^ tells us, 'That thofe who have written of Deucalion's flood, report, that there was a Dove fent out of the Ark by Deucalion^ which returning again into the Ark, was a Sign of the Continuance of the Flood, but flying quite away, and not returning any more, was a Sign of Serenity, and that the Earth was drained. Indeed, OW, and other Mythologifts,' make Deucalion s Flood to have been univer- fal: And it's clear, by the Defcription Ow'i gives of it, that he meant the general De- luge in the Days of Noah^ And that by Deu- calion^ the Ancients, together with Ovid^ un- derftood Noah^ Kircher^ in his * Area Noa^ *l.2.(.6.
F doth
6^ , Confequences of
w doth well make out. Firft, For that the Votx. Afollonius makes him the Son of Fro^ mcthem^ in his third Book,
where Frojnetheus^ the Son of JapetUf^ begat the renowned Deucalion, 2. Berofus affirms Noah to have been a Scythian : And Lucian^ in his Book De Dca Syria^ tells us, that ma- py make Deucalion to have been fo too. 3 . The Scripture teftifies, that Men were ge- nerally very corrupt and wicked in the Days of Noah And Andvo Teius^ a very ancient Writer, teftifies, that in Deucalion's time there was a gjeat abundance of wicked Men, which made it neceffary for God to de- ftroy Mankind. 4. The Scripture faith. That Noah was a juft Man and perfe^f in his Gemration. And Ovid faith of Deucalion^ that,
Non illo meiior quifquam^ nee ajnantior dqui Virfuit^ autilld [^Pyrrhd uxorc Qjus] reve- rentior ulla Deorum,
And a little after,
Innocuos ambos^ cultores nwninis ambos.
■ > Y < It " 5. Afollonius faith of Deucalion^ IlpuTc;
ivOpwxocv ifjciL(j/?^6V(TSj He firft ruled over Men,
Which may very well be attributed to Noah^
the Father and Reflorer of Mankind; whofe
Right
the Deluge. 6"]
Right the Kingdom was. 6. The fending out of a Dove, to try whether the Waters were abated, and the Flood gone off, is (we have feen) by Plutarch attributed to Deucalion. 7. Lucian^ in his Timon^ and in his Book De T)ea Syria^ fets forth the Particulars of Deu- calion's^ after the Example of Noah's Flood. AfUKtftA/cov Q [xk^^og avO/3WCTcol/ eX-Ittsto eh yevsviv
^SUTs'pCCV iv)>}^X/viC TS KClI tQ iV(T6(ieOC SVEKCL , &c.
Deucalion was the only Man that was left for a fecond Generation^ for his Prudence and Pitty fake -, and he was faved in this manner : He made a great Arh^ and got aboard it^ with his Wife and Children: And to him came Swine J and Horfes^ and Lions^ and Serpents^ and all other living Creatures^ which the Earth fnaintains^ ^cording to their Kinds ^ by Pairs 'y and he received them all^ and they hurt him not i for there was^ by Divine Infiin6t^ a great Friendjhip among them -, and they failed together in the Ark^ fo long as the Waters prevailed. And, in his Timon^ he faith. That Noah laid up in the Arl Plenty of all Provi- ' fions for their Suftenance,
Pliny faith of the City of Jopfa^ that it was built before the Flood.
B Y all this it appears, that the Notion of a general Flood was every where current a- mong the People, efpecially in thofe Coun- tries where the Ark refted, and where Noah afterwards lived. And hence it was, that the ApameanSy v^h^rhzx oi Mefopotamia^ 01 Syria^
F 2 or
68 Confequences ofy &c.
or Bythinia^ (for there were three Cities of that Name) coined Moneys in Honour of the Emperors Septimius Severn f^ and Phi- lippHf Arabs ^ having on the Reverfe the Fi- gure of an Ark, with a Man and a Woman {landing before itj and two Doves above it, *pne flying with a Branch of a Tree in its Mouth, another refting upon it. The Figures whereof, and a learned Difcourfe thereupon out of Falconerim^ may be feen in Kirchers *L,2.c.6. "^ Area Noie, Which Moneys, though they were coined long after our Saviour's Time, and the Divulgation of the Scriptures j yet being done by Ethnicks, do fhew that the Story of the Deluge was known, and famous, and generally credited among them, as being near the Place where Noah lived and con- verfed after the Flood.
HoWBEixIdo not deny, that there was fuch a particular Flood in Thejfaly^ as they call DeucalioriSj which happened feven hun- dred and feventy Years, or thereabouts, after - the general Deluge. I acknowledge alfo a more ancient Flood in Attica^ in the Time of Ogyges^ about two hundred and thirty Years before Deucalion's^ by which the Country was fo marred, that it lay wafte and uncul- tivated, without Inhabitants, for almoft two hundred Years.
Chap.
TAB I
pajid
-.68
I Jlic twv ancUnt^ipa^mian C^nfns taken cnit of Octuv- Talumievl it nurtxmoiApcunt^fuilieuUL-
Bif tht Grttk infcrt^tiaTis t/u^t/ rve^^ fhunp
C H A P. II.
Of the Caufes of the Deluge^
HAT were the inftrumental Caufes or Means of the Flood ? Whether was it effeded by na- tural or fupernatural Means only ? Whether was Gx> d no farther concerned in it, than in- fo ordering Second Caufes at firft, as of themfelves neceffarily to bring it in atfuch a tinie ?
First, Thofe that hold this Deluge was altogether miraculous, and that God Al- mighty created Waters on purpofe to ferve this Occafion, and, when they had done their Work, deftroy'd them again, difpatch'd the Bufinefs, and loofe or cut the Knot in a few Words. And yet this Hypothejif is not fo abfurd and precarious, as at firft Sight it may feem to be : For the World being akeady full, there needed not, nor indeed could be any Creation of Water out of nothing, but only a Tranfmutation of fome other Body into Water. Now, if we grant all Natural Bodies, even the Elements themfelves, to be mutually tranfmutable, as few Men doubt, and fome think they can demonftrate , why might not the Divine Power and Providence F 3 bring
Confequenc.es df
bring together at that time fuch nasnral A- gents, as might change the Air, or Mther\ or both together, into Water -, and fo fupply what was wanting in Rains, and extraordi- nary Eruptions of Springs. To them that argue the Improbability of fuch a Change, from the great Quantity of Air requifite to the making of a little Water i it may be an- fwered. That if Air' and all Bodies commixt with it, were together changed into Water, they muft needs make a Bulk of Water of equal Quantity with themfelves, unlefs we will grant a Peripatetical Condenfation and Rarefaaion ; and hold that the fame Matter may have fometimes a greater, fometimcS a leffer Quantity or Extenfion.
T o this may be replied ; If, indeed, th^ whole World were foil of Body or, Matter^ a Deluge might eafily be effeded this way : It were but converting the Air and other Bo- dies mixt with it round the Terraqueous Globe, to the Height of 1 5 Cubits above the higheft Mountains into Water, and the Bufl- nefs were difpatch'd.
But there is another Being in Nature be- fides Matter or Body, ^iz. a Vacuum^ or empty Space, which is intermix'd with the minute Parts of all Bodies. Thofe that have •more of it interfpers'd among their Parts, are more rare or thin ; and thofe that have lefs, more denfe or thick j the rarer Bodies are alfo lighter, the more denfe heavier^ accor- ding
the Deluge, 71
according to the Proportion of Matter they contain. Hence perchance a cubical Foot of Air may not be equal in Weight to the hun- dredth Part of a cubical Foot of Water ; and confequently, an hundred cubical Feet of Air will be requifite to make, by Converfion, one cubicd Foot of Water. I take it for granted here, that the different Weight of Bodies depends upon the Difference of Mat- ter they contain, -fo that thofe which have feweft empty Pores are the heavieft, thofe that have moft, the iighteft.
This Caufe [the Converfion of Air into Water] the Learned Jefuite Athanafius Kir- cher^ in his Book De Area Nc<£^ alledges as the undoubted inftrumental Cauie or Means of the Deluge, in thefe Words ; Dico totmtt /7- lud ae'reu?n Jpathim ufque ad fupre?natn regio- nem aerfs^ pncfotentis Dei virtutCj in aquay^ per inexplicabile?fi nubium coacervatarum mul- titudinem^ qua replebatur ^ converfaf?i ^Jf^jjf cujus ubertas tanta fuit^ ut Aer fuprejr^s cum infenori in Oceanum comniutatus 'videri potueritj ?ion naturae viribus^ fed illius. cujus voluntati & imperio cun^ta fubfunt. That is, I affir?n^that all that Aereal Space that reaches up to the fupreme Region of the Air^ Was^ by the Power of the Omnipotefit God, and In- ftrwnentality of an inexplicable Multitude of Clouds amaffed together ^ wherewith it was filled^ changed into Water ^ fo that the upper and lower Air might f&em to be tranfmuted .. F 4 into
•yZ Confequences of
into a?t Ocean^ not by the Strength of Nature,
but of Bhn to whofe Will and Power all things
* Ana, are fubje^f. And he is fo confident * that
isTo^, 1. 2. this Deluge^ in which the Water was raifed
^' ** fifteen Cubits above the htgheft Mountains,
was not, nor could be effeded by natural
Caufes, but by the Right Hand of the moft
High God only j that he faith, ' No Man can
' deny it, but he who doth not penetrate .
* how far the Power of Nature can extend,
* and where it is limited." To conclude, this tiypothejis hath the Suffrages of moft learned Men. But, becaufe the Scripture, aifigning theCaufes or Means of the Inundation, makes no Mention of any Converfion of Air into Water, but only of the Breaking up the Fountains of the Great Deep, and the Open- ing of the Windows of Heaven, I fuppofe thofe Caufes may be fufficient to work the Effect, and that we need not have recourfe to fuch an Afliftance.
A s for thofe that make the Deluge Topi- cal, and reftrain it to a narrow Conipafs of Land, their Opinion is, I think, fufficiently *z?r.Bur- confuted by a late ingenious "*" Author, to net. whom, therefore, I referr the Reader.
I SHALL not undertake the Defence or Confutation of thofe, or any other Hypothefis ; only tell you which, at prefent, feems to me moft probable j and that is theirs, who for a Partial Caufe of the Deluge, alTign either a Change of the Center of theJEarth, or a yio-
lent
the Deluge. 73
lent DepreiHon pf the Surface of the Ocean, and a Fo^iftg-tlie Waters up from the fubter- raneous Abyfs through the Channels of the Fountains that were then broken up and o- pened.
First then, let us confider what Caufes the Scripture ailigns of the Flood i and they are two. i. The Breaking up the Fountains of the great Deep. 2. The Opening of the Windows of Heaven. I Ihall firft treat of this laft. By the Opening of the Windows of Heaven, is (I fuppofe) to be underftood the Caufing of all the Water that was fu- fpended in the Air to defcend down in Rain upon the Earth ^ the Effect hereof here men- tioned being a long continuing Rain of for%y Natural Days ; and that no ordinary one nei- ther, but Catarrads or Spouts of Water ; for fo the Septiiagint interpret the Windows of Heaven were opened, Kai olI nciTappoLiiTOLi tQ BpoLvs vivs(hx^m<^v, The Catarra^ts or Spouts of Heaven were opened. And that thefe Trea- furies of the Air will afford no fmall Quan- tity of Water, may be made appear, both by Scripture and Reafon. i. By Scripture, which oppofes the Waters that are above the Heavens or Firmament, to thofethat are un- der them ; which if they were not I'crop'poToCy and in fome Meafure equal, it would never do. Gen, i. 6, God // [aid to make a Fir- mament in the midft of the Wate^-s^ and to di- vide the Waters which were und.r the Firma- ment^
74 Confequences of
mentj frotn the Waters which were abcyve the Firmament. And this was the Work of a whole Day, and confequcntly no inconfide- rable thing. 2. The fame may be made ap- pear, by Reafon grounded upon Experience. I myfelf have obferved a Thunder-Cloud in Paffage, to have in lefs than two Hours Space poured down fo much Water upon the. Earth, as, befides what funk into the parch- ed and thirfty Ground, and filled all Ditches and Ponds, caufed a confiderable Flood in the Rivers, fetting all the Meadows on £oat. [And Dr. Wittie^ in his Scarborough Spaw, tells us of great Spouts of Rain that ordina- rily fall every Year, fome time or other, in S«mmer, that fet the whole Country in a Flood.] Now had this Cloud, which might, for ought I know, have moved forty Miles forward, flood ftill and emptied all its Wa- ter upon the fame Spot of Ground it firft hung over, what a fudden and incredible Deluge would it have made there ? and yet what Depth or Thicknefs of Vapours might remain uncondenfed in the Air above this Cloud, who knows? That the Ocean af- forded but little, appears in that the Vapours raifed out of it, and brought up in Clouds, and poured down upon the Earth in Rain, are fliortly carried off by the Ffivers, and re- affumed into the Sea: But if the Waters of the Flood encompaffed the whole Terraque- ous Globe, (as is moft probable) then the
Ocean
the Deluge. 75"
Ocean contributed nothing ; for the Water muft be railed higher above the Superficies of the Ocean, than that of the dry Land ,• upon which yet, at the end of the forty Days Rain, the Waters were (o high as to bear up the Ark, that it touched not the Ground.
Moreover, after this forty Days vio- lent and impetuous Rain, it is probable, that it rained, though more gently and inter- ruptedly, till the 150th Day, becaufc till that time the Waters prevailed and encreafed upon the Earth. All this Water that fell in Rain, muft be contained in the vaft Treafu- ries of the Middle and Superior Air, or elfe immediately created by G o d.
Ip the whole Ocean indeed \yere railed up in Vapour, and that Vapour condenfed into Rain, and poured forth upon the dry Land, and there fufpended and miraculoufly flop-* ped from going off by the Almighty Power of God, then might it, together with an equal Quantity of Water raifed up from the great Deep, have a confiderable Intereft in the Deluge. But of this there cannot be any Proof gathered from the Scriptures.
I RETURN now to the firft Caufe or Means of the Deluge afifigned by the Scripture,, and that is, the Breahng up of all the Fountains of the great Deep. By the great Deep^ in this Place, I fuppofe, is to be under ftood the fub^ terraneous Waters, which do and muft ne-^ celTarily communicate with the Sea. For we
fee.
7^ Confequences of
fee, that the Cafpian^ and fome other Seas, receive into themfelves many great Rivers, and yet have no vifibie Outlets j and there- fore, by fubterraneous PafTages, muft needs difcharge their Waters into the Abyfs of Wa-» ters under the Earth, and by its Intervention into the Ocean again.
That the Mediterranean Sea doth not (as I fometimes thought) comriiunicate with the Ocean by any fubterraneous PalTages, nor thereby impart any Water to it, or receive any from it, may be demonftrated, from that the Superficies of it is lower than the Superficies of the Ocean, as appears from the Waters running in at the Streights of Gibrattar , for if there were any fuch Com- munications, the Water keeping its Level, the Mediterranean^ being the loweft, muft by thofe PafTages receive Waters from the Ocean i and not the Ocean^ which is (as we have proved) the higheft from the Medi- terranean, But that it doth not receive any by fubterraneous PafTages, is moft likely, becaufie it receives fo much above Ground. Hence it neceffarily follows, that the Medi^ terranean fpends more in Vapour than it re- ceives from the Rivers, which is Mr. Hal- ley's Conclulion ; though in fome of his Pre- mifes, or Hypothefes^ he is, I think, miftaken : As, I. In that he numbers the Tiber amongft his nine great Rivers, each of which may yield ten times as much Water as the Thames^
whereas
the Deluge. 77
whereas I queftion whether that yields once fo much : And whereas he paffes by all the reft of the Rivers as fmaller than it, there are two that I have feen in Italy itfelf, where- of the one, 'u/2. the Arnus^ on which Flo^ rence and Pifa ftand, feemed to me not in- ferior in Bignefs to the Tiber ; and the o- ther, i)iz, the Athefu ^ on which Verona ftands, I could not guefs to be lefs than twice as big. 2. In that he thinks himfelf too li- beral in allowing thefe nine Rivers to carry down each of them ten times fo much Wa- ter as the Thames doth. Whereas one of thofe'nindj-.and that none of the biggeft nei- ther, 'viz, the River Po^ if Ricciolm his Hy^ fothefes and Calculations be good, affords more Water in an Hour, than Mr. Halley fup- pofes th&Tha7nes to do in aDay ,* the hour- ly Effufions of the Po being rated at eigh- teen Millions of Cubical Paces, by Ricciolm ; whereas the daily ones of the Thames are computed to be no more than twenty five Millions, three hundred forty four thoufand Cubical Yards of Water, by Mr. Plalley j but a Geometrical Pace contains five Feet, /. e, 1 1 of a Yard. Now if the Po pours fo much Water hourly into the Sea, what then muft the Danow and the Nile do ? each of which cannot (I guefs) be lefs than treble of the Po, Tanais^ Boryfthenes^ and Rhodanus^ may equal, if not exceed it. Howbeit, I cannot approve Ricciolus his Hypothefes^ judging
them
^^8 Confequences 'of
them to be too exceffive, but do believe that as to the whole, Mr. Halley comes nearer the Truth. Sure enough it is, that in the Me- diterranean^ the Receipts from the Rivers fall fhort of the Expence in Vapour j though in Part of it, that is, the Euxine^ the Receipts exceed, as appears from that there is a con- ftant Current fets outward from thence through the Thracian Bofphorus^ and Helle- fpont.
But though the Mediterranean doth in- deed evaporate more than it receives from the Rivers", yet, I believe, the Cafe is npt the fame with the Cafpian Sea^ the Superficies whereof feems to me not to bear any great* er Proportion to the Waters of the Rivers that run into it, than that of the Euxine doth to its ; which we have obferved not to fpend the whole Receipt in Vapour.
You will fay. Why then do not great Floods raife the Seas ? I anfwer, as to the Cafpian^ if it communicates with the Ocean, whether the Rivers bring down more or lefs, it's all one ; if more, then the Water keeping its Level, the Cafpian raifeth the Ocean ; if lefs, then the Ocean communicates to the Cafpian^ and raifes that. But as to the Mediterra- nean^ we may fay, that wt\en it receives more on the one Side, it receives lefs on the other, the Floods and Ebbs of the Nilus^ and the other Rivers, counterbalancing one ano- ther: Befides, by reafon of the Snows lying
upon
the Deluge. 7p
upon.the Mountains all Winter, the greateft Floods of thofe great Rivers in Europe do not happen when the Mediterranean evapo- rates leaft in the Winter-time, but in the Spring.
You will demand farther, if the Meditev" ranean evaporates fo much, what becomes of all this Vapour ? I anfwer. It is caft off upoa the Mountains, and on their Sides and Tops is condenfed into Water, and fo returned a- gain by the Rivers unto the Sea.
I F you proceed to ask what becomes of the Surplufage of the Water, which the Me^ diterranean receives from the Ocean^ and fpends in Vapour 5 I anfwer. It feems tome that it mufl: be caft farther off over the Tops of the Mountains, and fupply in part Rain to thefe Northern Countries ,• for we know that the South Wind brings Rain with us, and all Europe over.
Madidis Notus C'volat allr, Ovid. Metam.
A s to the great Ocean, I do not believe that it evaporates fo much as the Mediterra- nean : Both, I . Becaufe the \vhole Mediter- ranean^ excepting the Euxine^ lies in a hot Climate, and a great Part of it as it were in a Valley, Ridges of high Mountains, Atlas on one Side, and the Alp and Afpennme^ &c. on the other running along it. And, 2. Be- caufe the Surface of the whole Ocean bears a greater Proportion to the Waters it receives
from
8d Confequences of
from the Rivers of at leaft this Continent, • than that of the Mediterranean doth to its. And therefore I think alfo that Mr.Halley exceeds in his Eftimate of the Heat of the Sti^ perficies of the Sea Water. I cannot perfuade niyfelf, that were it all commixt, I mean the hotter Part with the cooler, all the Surface over to fuch a Thicknefs, it would equal the Heat of our Air in the hotteft time of Sum- mer. But I leave that to farther Tryal and Enquiry.
Here give me leave to fuggeft, that wc ar€ not to think, that all the Vapours that fupply our Rains and Dews proceed from the Sea i no, a great Part of them, 'viz. all that, when condenfed, waters the Earth, and ferves for the Nutrition of Plants and Animals, (if not the fame individual Water, at leaft lb much) was exhaled out of the Earth before, and returned again in Showers and Dews upp- on it: So that we receive no more from the Sea, than what the Rivers carry back, and pour into it again. But fuppoiing Mr. Hal^ lefs Hypothefes to be good, and that the Ocean doth evaporate, and caft oif to the dry Land ^^ of an Inch Thicknefs daily, and this fuffices for the Supply of all the Rivers ; how intolerably extravagant muft their Hypothec fcf be, who fuppofe the Rivers of all the World together to yield half an Ocean of Water daily ? Though I muft confefs myfelf to be at a Lofs, as to thofe vaft Rivers of America
of
the Deluge. 8 1
of ninety Miles broad ; for if they Ihould run with any thing a fwift Current, it is in- deed ineftimable what a Quantity of Water they may pour forth. All, therefore, that I have to f:iy to them, is, That we want a true Hiftory and Account of their Fhtenomenafvovci their Fountains to their Outlets.
But in contradiction to what I have faid, concerning the Water keeping its Level, and flowing in only at the Straits -Mouthy I un- derhand, that it is the concurrent and unani- mous Vote and Suffrage of Mariners, Voya- gers, and Philofophers,that there is an Under- Current at the Straits of Gibraltar^ the Thra-^ clan Bofphoruf^ and the Balticl Sound, Par- ticularly, M, Marjilly affirms. That the low- er Water in the Channel of the Thracian Bofphorus is driven Northward into the E«- xine Sea, whiift the upper flows conftant- ly from the Euxine Southward : And, That that which flows from the South is falter and heavier i which he found by letting down a Veffel clofe fhut up, fitted with a Valve to open at pleafure, and let in the low- eft Water, which being brought up and weigh- ed, was obferved to be ten Grains heavier than the upper. That the upper and lower flows contrary ways, he found by the Filher- mens Nets, which being let down deep from Veflels that were fixed, were always, by the Obfervation of the Filliermen, by the Force of the Current driven towards the Blacl Sea^
G and
82 Confeqiiences of
and by the letting down of a Plummet , for if it were ftopp'd and detained at about five or fix Foot depth, it did always decline to- wards the Marmora or PropoJitif ; but if it defcended lower, it was driven to the con- trary part, that is, the Euxine. But, I think, thefe Experiments are not fufficient to efta- blilh and demonftrate fuch anUnder-Currenr, becaufe, poflfibly there might be feme Miftake in them : And Mr. Smith mentions no fuch thing as any Under-Current tliere. But yet the fame Mr. Smith endeavours to prove an Under- Current, by two Experiments: The firft is, the Running-Tide and Half-Tide ici the Offing^ between the North-Foreland and South-Foreland, Now where it flows Tide and Half-Tide, though the Tide of Flood runs aloft, yet the Tide of Ebb runs under^ foot, that is, clofe by the Ground. SeQ Philofophical Tranfatiiom ^ Numb. 158. p. 564.
The fecond is, an Experiment made in the Baltic^ Sound: In one of the King's Fregats they went with their Pinnace into the middle Stream, and were carried vio- lently by the Current : Soon after, they funk a Bucket with a large Cannon Bullet, to a certain Depth of Water, which gave check to the Boat's Motion , and finking it ftill lower and lower, the Boat was driven a- head to Windward againft the Upper-Cur- rent, the Current aloft being not above four
or
the Deluge. 83
or five Fathom deep j and the lower the Buc- ket was let fall, they found the Under-Cur- rent the ftronger.
To all this I reply ; That I do not under- ftand how Waters can run backward and for- ward in the fame Channel, at the fame time. For there being but one Declivity ,• this is as much to affirm, as that a heavy Body lliould afcend. It is a CrofTmg of Proverbs, ''Avw TTorcifjMv^ making Rivers afcend to their Fountains, affirming that to be done, which all the World hitherto hath lookM upon as abfurd and impoffible. And, therefore, the Matter of Fad had need be well attefted : Which, when to me it (hall be, I rauft then, 7nanus dare^ yield up the Bucklers, and ftu- dy fome Means to folve the Ph^no?nena,
Suppose we, that the Mediterranean em- pties itfelf into the Ocean by an Under-Cur- rent ,• there muft be a Declivity to carry it down, and, confequently, the upper Super- ficies of this Under-Current muft have its De- clivity too, and like wife the contiguous Su- perficies of the Upper-Current ; and fo, the Upper-Current muft needs afcend in its Courfe inwards. If you fay, it's forc'd in by the Motion of the Ocean, that feems unlike- ly, becaufe it runs in conftantly, as well Ebb as Flood. And, therefore, there feems to be no better Account of it than the Superficies of the Ocean being higher than that of the Mediterranean*
G z But
84 Confequences of
B u T to put this Matter out of all doubt, that learned and curious Obferver of all Na- tural and Artificial Rarities that came in his way, Mr. '/j-ohn Greu'ves^ in whofe time there was no talk of anUnder-Current at th^Straits- Mouthy but of contrary-lide ones, affirms of his own Knowledge and Obfervation, T'hat it was a great Miftah^ and that there was no fuch thing as a contrary Current^ but that the Water flowed equally inward^ as well on the one fide of the Channel as on the other. Pyra- midograph. f. 10I5I02.
By the Breaking up of the Fountains of the Great Veep^ is, I conceive, meant, the making great Kfues and Apertures for thefe fubterraneous Waters to rufh out. You will fay, how could that be, fith the Water keeps its Level, and cannot afcend to a greater Height above the common Center, than the Superficies of the Sea is, much lefs force its Way, remove Obftacles, and break open Paf- fages ?
I AN sw E R, According to them that hold that all Rivers come from the Sea by fub- terraneous PafTages, it is no more than daily happens. For they muft needs grant, that the Water in fubterraneous Channels, is rai- fed as far above the Level of the Ocean, as are the Heads and Fountains of great Ri- vers. Which, confidering the Height of their firft Springs up the Mountains, the Length of their Courfcs, and the Swiftnefs of their
Streams
the Deluge. 8^
Streams for a great part of the Way, \s very confiderablc, a conftant Declivity being ne- ceffary to their Defcent. And, therefore, I can by no means affent to the Learned Do- dor Flot^ (if I underftand him aright) "" T^hat * Hiji. the Valleys are as- much below the Surface of ^-it-stj/- the Sea^ as Mountains are abo've it. For, ■|,^'^^' . how then could Rivers defccnd down to the Sea through thofe Valleys ? The Sea would rather run into them, and make Sinus's ; or elfe, if they were enclofed, the Water would ftagnate there, and make Pools.
I F this be done by way of Filtration (which feems to be the moft likely Means of raifing the Water) I do not fee, but thefe Filters may fuck up the whole Ocean ; and if Apertures and Outlets large enough were made, pour it out upon the Earth in no long time. But I cannot be fully reconciled to this Opinion, though it hath great Advocates, efpecially the fore-mentioned very learned and inge- nious Perfon, Dr. Robert Plot, I acknow- ledge fubterraneous Waters : I grant a Con- fluence and Communication of Seas by Un- der-ground Channels and Paffages : I believe, that wherever one Ihall dig as deep as the Level of the Sea, he ihall feldom fail of Wa- ter j the Water making its wuy through Sand, and Gravel, and Stones. In like manner, as it is obferved of the River Seine^ that in Flood- times all the neighbouring Wells and Cellars are filled with Water, and when the River
G 3 decreases
S6 Confequences of
decreafes and finks again, thofe Waters alfo of the Wells and Cellars diminilli, and by de- grees fall back into the River, fo that there are fcarce any Wells or Fountains in the Plains near the River, but their Waters keep the Level of the Rivers, rifing and falling with it.
But this inferior conftant Circulation and perpetual Motion of Water^ feems to me not yet fufficiently proved and made out. I think that the Patrons and Abettors of this Opi- nion,' have not fatisfai^torily demonftrated, how it is, or can be performed. To what is offered concerning the Center of Gravity being nearer to our Continent, by reafon of the Preponderancy of the Earth, and the Waters lying, as it were, on an Heap in the other Hemiiphere, I anfwer, i. That in the prefent terraqueous Globe, the New Wbrld^ which lies between the two great Seas, and almoft oppolite to our Continent, doth in* fome meafure counterpoife the 0/^, and take off a great part of the Advantage, which, by reafon of its Preponderancy, it might other- wife have. Moreover, 1 am of Mr. Brier- wood's Opinion, that there may be, and is a vaft Continent toward the Southern Pole, oppofite to Europe and Afia^ to counterpoife them on that fide , nay, I do verily believe, that the Continents and Iflands are fo pro- portionabJy fcattered and difpofed all the World over,. as if not perfedly and exadly,
yet
the Deluge^ 87
yet very nearly to counter-balance one ano- ther; fo that the Globe cannot waiter or reel towards any Side : And that the Center of the Convex Superficies of the 5 zi^ is the true Center of the whole Terre{<:r:al Sphere, both of Motion, and of Gravity. I add alfo of Magnitude, which is exceedingly con- venient, as well for the Facility as the Equa- bility of the Earth's Diurnal Motion. This Hypothefis of the Continent's being difpers'cl equally on all Sides of the Globe, makes thefe Centers concurr in one Point, whatever Caufe we aflign of the railing up the dry Land at firft. Whereas if we Hiould fuppofe the dry Land to have been raifed up by Earthquakes only on one Side of the Globe, and to have caft off the Water to. the other, and alfo that the Waters could find no Way into the Ca- verns that were left within j then the watery Side muft needs preponderate the Land Side, and bring the Center of Gravity nearer to its own Superficies^ and fo raife the Land ftill a great deal higher, and make a confide- rable Diftance between the Centers of Mag- nitude, and of Gravity. In our Hypothefis of the equal Difperfion of the Continents and Iflands, no fuch thing would happen, but each Continent, taking it with all its internal Caverns, whether lighter or heavier than its Bulk in Water, that is, whether the Water did make its way into the Caverns thereof, or did not, ffor in the firft Cafe it would be
G 4 heavier.
5 \
88 Conjequences of
heavier, in the fecond lighter) would have its Counterpoife on the oppofite Side, fo that the Centers would ftill concurr. The Cafe would be the fame, if the dry Land were difcovered, and the Mountains raifed by the immediate Application of the Divine Power. 2. The Sea being no where above a Gerrnan Mile deep, (for which we have good Au- thority) in mod Places not half fo much, taking then, as a Middle Term, half a Mile. Suppofe it every where half a Mile deep, (the Earth below the Sea, we have no rea- lon to fuppofe of different Gravity) what Proportion hath this half Mile's Thicknefs of Water to the whole Terraqueous Globe, whofe Semidiameter is, by the Account of Ma- thematicians, Three thoufand four hundred and forty ItalianMilts^ What little Advan- tage then can it have of the Earth oppoEte to it, in Point of Preponderancy ? 3 . Granting the Center of Gravity Ihould be nearer our Continent: The Center being the loweft Place, and the Water a fluid Body, unlefs flopped, (which it might indeed be, if it were encompalTcd round with high Shores, as high as the Mountains, without any Breaks or Outlets in them) where it found Declivity, it would defcend as near as it could to it, without any Regard of the Earth's Preponde- rani:y. And though we fhould grant, that the Drynefs of the Shores might ftop it, and caufe it to lie on a Heap, yet would it run up
the
the Deluge. 89
the Channels of Rivers, till it come as near as poflible to tW Center of Gravity. Indeed the Rivers themfelves could not dcfcend, but muft run towards the Middle of the Conti- nent! All this, 1 think, will follow from this Hypothefif by as good Confequence, as the Waters being forced through the Subterra- neous Channels out at the Springs. Dr.HooFs Opinion, That the Preponderancy of the fait Water above the frelh, raifes up the frefli Water above the Level of the fait, as high as the Springs and Fountain-Heads, and forces it out there, would have a great Probability in it, were there continued ftrait Channels or Conduits from the Bottom of the Sea to the Eruption of Springs, which I believe there are not. I do not peremptorily affirm, that all Fountains do proceed from Rain; only I contend, that Rain may fuffice to feed them, and that probably it doth feed ordi- nary Springs. This the ingenious French Author doth well demonftrate in the River Seine^ and I believe it is demonftrable in moft other Rivers.
The little Brook that runs near my Dwel- ling, and hath its Head or Source not above four or five Miles off, where there is no ex- traordinary Eruption of Water, all along its Courfe receives fmall Rivulets on both Sides ; which though they make a confiderable Stream at five Miles Diftance from the Foun- tain-FIead, yet fingly are fo fmall, that they
may
po , Confequences of
may very well be conceived to drain down from the higher Grounds that lie about them. And taking the whole together, it is a very confiderable Length and Breadth of Land, that contributes to the Maintenance of this little River : So that it may eafily be believed, that all its Water owes its Original to Rain : Efpecially, if it be confidered far- ther, that in Winter-time, after the Rains are fallen, the Ground fated, and the Ditches full, the Stream of this River, during the whole Winter following, is for the moft part, unlefs in Frofts, double of what it was in Summer. Which Excefs can proceed from nothing but Rain and Mifts ; at leaft it would be Rafhnefs to affign any other Caufe, when there is fo obvious and mani- feft an one. Moreover, that Rain affords no fhiall Quantity of Water, is clear alfo from great Floods, wherein it might be proved, that in few Days there defcends more Wa- ter than would fupply the ordinary Stream for a good part of Summer. Now, to com- pare great Things with fmallj I have fcen many of the biggeft Rivers in Europe^ the DanoWj Rhine, Rhofne^ and Po; and when I confider the Length of their Courfes, the Multitude of confiderable Rivers and Brooks they receive ,• and all thefe from their firft Rife, made up by Degrees of little Rivulets and Gills, like my neighbouring Brook ; the huge Mountains and vaft Extent of higher
Grounds
the Deluge. 91
Grounds they drain : Tome it feems (and I have feen all dicir Streams near their Out- lets, except the Vanow'Sy and its after four hundred Miles Dcfcent) that they do not bear any greater Proportion to the Rivers and Rivulets they receive, and the immenfe Tra<5t5 of Land that feed them, than my Brook doth to its^mall Rills and Compafs of Ground.
But in this, I confefs, I do not defcend to the Nicenefs of Meafuring and Calculation, but fatisfy myfelf with rude Conjedures^ taking my Meafures, as the Ceftriam fiiy, by the Scale of the Eye.
It will here be objedcd, That the Rain never finh above ten Toot deep at ?noft into the Earthy and therefore cannot fupply the Spings,
Anfw, This indeed, i^ it were true, would much enervate, nay, quite overthrow our Opinion : And therefore we muft forti- fy this Point, and effedually demonftrate, beyond all PoiTibiiity of Denial or Contra- didion. That Rain-water doth fink down, and make its Way into the Earth; I do not lay, ten, or twenty, nor forty, but an hun- dred, nay, two or three hundred Foot, or more.
First then, in Pool-Hole^ in the Peal of Derbyjhire^ there are in fome Places conftant Droppings and Deftillations of Water from the Roof: Under each of which (to note that
by
5)2 Confequences of
by the by) rifes up a Stone Pillar, the Water precipitating fonie of thofe ftony Particles, which it had waflicd off the Rocks in paflfing through their Chinks. Thefe Droppings continue all the Summer long. Now it feems clear to me, that the Rain-water ma- king its Way through the Veins and Chinks of the Rocks above it, and yet but (lowly, by reafon of the Thicknefs of the Mountain, and Straitnefs of the PafTages, fupplies that Dropping all the Year round i at leaft, this is much more rational than any different H}'- potbefis. If the Water diftills down fafter in Winter-time and wet Weather, than it doth in Summer (which I forgot to ask) the Ex- periment would infallibly prove our Alfer- tion. In Confirmation of this Argument, Alkrtuf Magnus (as I find him quoted in Dr. Wittie's Scarborough Spaw) tells us, That at the Bottom of a [olid Rock one hundred and thirty Fathoms deep^ he [aw Drops of Water dijiilling from it in a rainy Seafon,
Secondly, It is well known, and attefted to me by the People at Buxton when I was there. That out of the Mouth of the fame Fool-Hole^ after great and long continuing Rains, a great Stream of Water did ufually iffue forth : And I am fure it muft make its Way through a good Thicknefs of Earth, or Rocks, before it could come in there.
Thirdly, What becomes of all the Water that falls on Newmarket-Heath^znd Gog?nagog
Hills,
the Deluge. p^
Hills., I prefume alfo Salisbm-^-Plain^ and the like fpungy Grounds all Winter long, wh:rc we fee very little run off any way ? It niuft needs fink into the Ground more tlian ten Foot deep.
Fourthly^ Many Wells, w^hofe Springs lie at leaft twenty Foot deep, we find by Experience, do often fail in great Droughts in Summer-time.
F I F T H L Y, In Coal Delfs, and other Mines, in wet Weather the Miners are many times drown'd out, (as they phrafe it) though no Water runs down into the Mouths of their Pits or Shafts. Nay, Dr. Wittie tells us, in his Defcription of the Vertues of the Scarbo- row Spaw^ pag. 105. That after great Imin- dations of Rain^ the Minerr find the Water freque?itly diftlllmg through the folid Earth upon their Heads j whereas in Summer^ or dry SeafonSj they find no Interruption fro?n thence at all.
Farther, to confirm this Particular, I wrote to my Honoured Friend Sir Thomas Williighby^ Bar. deliring him to examine his Colliers concerning it, and fend me Word what Report they make i and from him re- ceived this Account : If there be Springs lie before you come at the Coal^ they carry the Water away i but if there be none^ it falls in- to the Works in greater or lefs Quantity^ ac- cording as the Rains fall. Which Anfwer is fo much the ijiore confiderable, in that it
gives
^4 Confequences of
gives me a farther clear Proof, that Springs are fed by Rain-water, and not by any Com- munications from the Sea i their Original be- ing above the Beds of Coal, they receiving the Rain-water into their Veins, and deriving it all along to their Fountains or Eruptions, above the Coals.
1 MIGHT add out of him, [Dr. Wittie] Fifth- ly, p. 85. T^hat the Scarborough Spaw, not- withftanding it breah out of Ground within three or four Tards off the Foot of the Cliffy which is near forty Tardy high^ arid within a Quarter of a Mile there /; another Hill^ that is ifiore than as high again as the Cliffy arid a Defcent all the way to the Cliffy fo as the Rain- water ca?mot lie long upon the Ground ; yet it is obfervable^ that after a long Rain^ the Wa- ter of the Spaw is altered in its T'afte^ and leffened in its Operation j whereas a rainy Day or two will not fenfibly hurt it. And now I am tranfcribing out of this Author, give me Leave to add an Obfervation or two in Con- firmation of Rains being the Original of Springs. Thefirftis (pag.^j,) this:
In England, in theTears 1654, 55, and 5^. when our Climate was drier than ever it had been inentioned to be in any Stories^ fo as we had very little Rain in Summer^ or Snow in Winter^ mofl of our Springs were dried up^ fitch as in the Memory of the eldeft Men li- ving had never wanted Water ^ but were of thofe Springs we call Fonces Perennes, or at
leaft
:M:-
the Deluge. ^^
leafl were ejleevied fo. He inftances alfo a parallel Story out of Heylin's Geography^ in the Defcription of Cyprm^ where the Au- thor relates ; 'that in the Days o/Conftantine the Great ^ there was an exceeding long Drought there^ fo as ir} thirty fix Tears they had w Rain^ infoiniich as all the Springs and Tor- rents^ or Ri'vers^ were dried up ; fo that the Inhabitants were forced to forfake the Ifland^ and to feek for 7iew Habitations for want of freJJj Water,
The fecond is, p, 84. That in the Wolds or Downs 0/ Yorkfhire they have?nany Springs break out after great Rains , which they call Gypiies, which jet a?id fpout up a great Height.
Neither is this Eruption of Springs after long Rains, proper and peculiar only to the Wolds of Torkfljire^ but common to other Countries alfo, as Dr.'^CMJr^^witnelfeth, in *Briun- thefe Words : Sometimes there breaks out nU ba- Water in the manner of a fudden Land Floods ^^^^^^ out of certain Stones^ that are like Rocks ftanding aloft in open Fields^ near the Rifing of the River Kynet [/« Kent] which is repu- ted by the common People a Fore-runner of Dearth. That the fudden Eruption of Springs in Places where they ufe not always to run^ JJjould be a Sign of Dearth ^ is no Wonder. For thefe unufual Eruptions^ {which in Kent we call Nailbourns) are caufed by extreme Gluts of Rain^ or lajting wet Weather^ and never hap- pen
^6 Confequences of
pen but in wet Tears -^ witnefs the Tear 154S.
when there were many of them ; and to our
Purpofe "Very remarkable it was^ that in the Tear 165 4. fe-veral Springs and Rivulets were quite dried up^ by reafon of the precedent Droughty which raged moji in 1651, 16^2^ and 1653. As the Head oj the Stour, that rifes ^f^rEltham in Kent^ and runs through Canterbury, was dry jor fome Miles Space '': And the like happened to the Stream that crof- feth the Road-way between Sittingburn a?id Canterbury, at Ofpring near Feverfliam, which at other times ran with a plentiful Cur- rent^ but then wholly failed. So we fee that it is not infrequent for new Springs to break out in wet Years -, and for old ones to fail in great D roughts. And Strabo^ in his firft Book out of Xanthus the Lydian^ tells us, 'That in the Time 0/ Artaxerxes, there was fo great a Droughty that Rivers^ and Lahs^ and Wells of Witter failed^ and were dried up,
I CANNOT here alfo forbear to add, the pro- bable Account he [Dr. Wittie'] gives of the Supply of the Spring-Well on the Caftle-Hili at Scarborough i at which, I confefs, I was fomewhat puzzled. This Well^ faith he, though it be upon the Top of the Rocky ?iot many Tards deep^ and alfo upon the Edge of the Cliffy is^ doubtlefsy fupplied by fecret Channels within the Ground^ that convey the Rain and Showers into it^ being placed on a dependent Fart of the Rock ; near unto which^ there are alfo CeU
lars
the Deluge. py
lars under an old ruinated Cbappel^ which^ after a great Rain^ are full of Water ^ but are dried up in a long Drought,
A s for what is faid concerning the River IVogla's pouring out fo much Water into the Cafpian Sea^ as in a Year's time would make lip a Mafs of Water equal to the Globe of the Earth ; and of the hourly Effufions of the River Po in Italy^ which Ricciolus hath computed to amount to 18000000 cubical Paces of Water ,• whence a late learned Wri- ter hath probably inferred, that all the Ri- vers in the World together, do daily dif- charge half an Ocean of Waters into the Sea ; I muft confefs myfelf to be unfatisfied there- with. I will not queftion their Calculations, but I fufped they are out in their Hypothe^ fey.
The Opinion of Mr. Edmund Halley^ that Springs and Rivers owe their Original to Vapours condenfed on the Sides of Moun- tains, rather than unto Rains, I acknowledge to be very ingenious, grounded upon good Obfervations, and worthy of its Author ; and I will not deny it to be in part true, in thofe hot Countreys in the Torrid Zone, and near it ; where, by reafon of the great Heats, the Vapours are more copioufly exhaled out of the Earth, and, it's likely, carried up high in the Form of Vapours. The inferiour Air, at leaft, is fo charged with them, and by that means fo very moift, that, in fome Places,
H their
^8 Confeqiiences of
their Knives ruft even in their Pockets ; and in the Night, fo very freih and cold, partly alfo by reafon of the Length of the Nights ; that expofing the Body to it, caufes Colds and Catarrhs, and is very dangerous : Whence alfo their Dews are fo great, as in good mea- fure to recompenfe the Want of Rain, and ferve for the Nourilhment of Plants i as they do even in Spain itfelf.
I SHALL firft of all propofe this Opinion in the Words of the Author, and then difcourfe a little upon it. After he had enumerated many of the high Ridges and Tracts of Mountains in the four Quarters of the World, he thus proceeds : Each of which far furpafs the ufual Height to which the aqueous Vapours of the??ifehes afcend^ and on the Tops of which the Air is fo cold and rarified^ as to retain but a fmall Fart of thofe Vapours that fljall be brought thither by the Winds, Thofe Vapours^ therefore^ that are raifed copioufly in the Sea^ and by the Winds^ are carried o^er the low Land's to thofe Ridges of Mountains^ and are there compelled Jjy the Stream of the Air^to mount up with it to the Tops of the Mountains^ where the Water prefently precipitates gleeting down by the Crannies of the Stone ; and part of the Vapour entring into the Ca'vities of the Hills^ the Water thereof gathers ^ as in an Ale?nbicJi, into the Bafons of Stone it finds y which be- ing o?ice filled^ all the O'verplus of Water that comes thither^ runs over by the lowefi Place^
and
the Deluge. pp
and brealing out by the Sides of the HilU^ forms fingle Springs. Many of thefe running down by the Valleys^ or Guts ^between the Ridges of the Hills ^ and coming to unite ^ form little Ri'vulets or Brooh. Many of thefe^ again^ meeting in one common Valley ^ and gaining the plain Ground^ being grown lefs rapid^ be- come a River : And many of thefe being united in one common Channel^ juake fuch Streams^ as the Rhine, and RhofnCj and the Danube j which latter one would hardly think the Col- Mtion of Water condenfed out of Vapour^ un- lefs we confider how vaji a Tra^f of Ground that River dMns^ and that it is the Sum of all thofe Springs^ which break out on the South-- Jide of the Carpathian Mountains ^ and on the North-fide of the i?n?ftenfe Ridge of the Alps^ which is one contained Chain of Mountains from Switzerland to the Black Sea. And it may almofl pafs for a Rule^ that the Magni- tude of a River ^ or the ^lantity of Water it evacuates^ is proportionable to the Length and Height of the Ridges^ from whence its Foun- tains arife. Now this Theory of Springs is not a bare Hypothefis, but founded on Expe- rience^ which it was my Luck to gain in my Abode at S, Helena i where ^ in the Night-time^ on the Tops of the Hills ^ about Eight hundred Tards above the Sea^ there was fo firange a Condenfation^ or rather Precipitation of the Vapours^ that it was a great Impediment to my Celeftial Obfervations i for^ in the clear H 2 Sky^
lOO Confequences of
Sk% the Dew would fall fo faft^ as to conjetr each half-quarter of an 'Hour ;//y Glaffes with little Drops ^ fo that I was necejjitated to wife them off fo often j a7td my Paper ^ on which I wrote ?ny OSfervationSj would immediately be fo wet with the Dew^ that it would not bear hiTi : By which it may be fuppofed^ how faft the Witter gathers in thofe mighty high Ridges
I but now named. At laft he concludes :
And I doubt not but this Hypothefis is more reafonable^ than that of thofe who derive all Springs from the Rain-waters^ which yet are perpetual^ and without Diminution^ even when no Rain falls for a long fpace of Time,
This may, for ought I as yet fee or know,' be a good Account of the Original of Springs in thofe fervid Regions, though even there, I doubt, but partial i but in Europe^ and the more temperate Countries, I believe the Vapours in this manner condenfed, have but little Intercft in the Produ(5tion of them, though I will not wholly exclude them. For,
• Firfl^ The Tops of the Alps above the Fountains of four of the greateft Rivers in Europe^ the Rhine^ the Rhofne^ the Danow^ and the Fo^ arCj for about fix Months in the Year, conftantly covered with Snow, to a great thicknefs ^ fo that there are no Va- pours all that while that can touch thofe Mountains, and be by them condenfed into Water i there falls nothing there but Snow,
and
the "Deluge . loi
and that continuing all that while on the Ground without Diifolution, hinders all Ac- cefs of Vapours to the Earth j if any rofe, or were by Winds carried fo high in that Form, as I am confident there are not. And yet, for all that, do not thofe Springs fail, but con- tinue to run all Winter ^ and it is likely too, without Diminution i which is a longer time than Droughts ufually laft j efpecially, if we confider that this Want of Supply is con- ftant and annual -, whereas. Droughts are but rare and accidental. So that we need not wonder any more, that Springs Ihould con- tinue to run, and without Diminution too, in times of Drought. True it is, that thofe Rivers run low all Winter, fo far as the Snow extends, and to a good diftance from their Heads j but that is for want of their acciden- tal Supplies from Showers. Nay, I believe, that even in Summer, the Vapours are but rarely raifed fo high in a liquid Form in the free Air, remote from the Mountains, but are frozen into Snow, before they arrive at the Height. For the Middle Region of the Ai}\ where the Walk of the Clouds is^ at leaft thefuperiour part of it, isfo cold, as to freeze the Vapours that afcend fo high, even in Summer-time. For we fee, that in the Height and Heat of Summer, in great Thun- der-ftorms, for the moft part it hails : Nay, in fuch Tempefts I have feen mighty Show- ers of great Hail-ftones fall, fome as bi^ as
H 3 Nut-
I02 Confequences of
Nutmegs or Pigeons Eggs j and in fome pla- ces, fuch Heaps of them, as would load Dung- Carts, and have not been difTolved in a day or two. At the fame Seafons, I have obfer- ved, in fome Showers, Hail-ftones fall of ir- regular Figures, and throughout pellucid, like great Pieces of Ice, with feveral Snags or Fangs iffued out of them : Which, how they could be fupportedin the Air till tbey a- mounted to that Bulk and Weight, is a thing worthy to be more curioufly confidered. For either they muft fall from an incredible Height, the Vapours they encountred by the Way, condenfing, and, as it were, cryftallizing upon them into Ice, and in time augmenting them to that Bulk ; or elfe, there muft be fome ftrange and unknown Faculty in the Air to fuftain them. That the fuperiour Air doth fupport heavy Bodies better than the inferiour, the Flight of Birds feems to be a clear Demonftration. For, when they are mounted up on High, they fly with lets Fa- tigue, and move forward, with greater Faci- lity, and are able to continue longer upon the Wing without DelafTation, than in the lower Air they could polTibly do. And^there- fore, when they are to make great Flights, they foar aloft in the Air, at a great Height above the Earth. So have I often feen a a Flock of Wild-geefe mounted fo high, that though their Flight be fwift, they feemed to make but little Way in a long time, and to
pro-
the Deluge. lo
proceed on their Journey with eafe, and very leifurely, by reafon of their Diftance. And yet one would think, this were contrary to Reafon, that the lighter Air, fuch as is the fuperiour, fhould better fupport a weighty Body than the heavier, that is, the inferiour. Some imagine, that this comes to pafs by reafon of the Wind, which is conftantly mo- ving in the upper Air, which fupports any Body that moves contrary to it. So we fee that thofe Paper-kites which Boys make, are raifed in the Air, by running with them con- trary to the Wind : And when they are ad- vanced to a great Height, do but flick down the nether End of the Line, to which they are faftned, into the Ground, they will be conti- nued by the Wind at the fame Height they were, fo long as it lafts and abides in the fame Quarter. In like manner, the Birds fly- ing contrary to the Wind, it fupports and keeps them up. But if this were the only Reafon, methinks it lliould not be fo ealie, but rather very laborious for Birds to fly againft the Wind, fo as to make any confide- rable Progrefs in the fuperiour Air, as we fee they do. And, therefore, poiTibly they may be nearer the Right, who fuppofe, that the Gravity of Bodies decreafes proportion- ably to their Diftance from the Earth ; and that a Body may be advanced fo high, as quite to lofe its Gravity and Inclination, or Tendency to the Center : Of which I do not
H 4 fee
I04 Confequences of
fee how it is poflible to make Experiment; For, to what is faid by fome, to have been tried, that a Bullet fhot perpendicularly up- ward out of a great Gun, never defcended again, I give no credit at all.
But to leave that, it is certain, that the Vapours, after they are mounted up to a confiderable Height in the Air, are congeal- ed and turned into the immediate component Principles of Snow, in which Form I con- ceive they acquire a Lightnefs, and are apt to afcend higher than they could do, Ihould they retain the Form of a humid Vapour j as, we fee. Ice is lighter than Water, out of which it is frozen. But whether this be the reafon of their Afcent, or not^ I am fure of the Matter of Fadt, that thefe Snow-Clouds do afcend far above the higheft Tops of the Alps i For, palling over a Mountain in the Grifons Country, on the very Ridge of them, in the beginning of the Spring, it fnowed very faft during my whole Paffage for fix hours ; and yet the Clouds feemed to be as far above my Head, as they do here in England ; and a great Height they muft be, for the Snow to gather into fo great Flakes, and to continue fo long falling ; nay, it may be three times fo long. Moreover, we fee, that the higheft Pil^|^nd Summits of thofe Mountains are covered with Snow. And I am affured, that all the Winter long, at inter- valSj it inows upon the Tops of the Alps,
. " 2. In
the Deluge. lo^
2. In the Spring-time, when the Snow dif-^ {blves, fome of thefe Rivers that flow down from the Alpine Mountains, run with a full Stream, and overflow their Banks, in clear Sun-lliine Weather, though no Rain falls, as I myfelf can witnefs ,• and, therefore, I pre- fume, that all the reft do fo too, as the Inha- bitants affirmed. But, in the Summer-time, after the Snow hath been fome time melted, their Streams decay again, notwithftanding any Vapours condenfed upon them, propor- tionable to the Droughts ^ neither are there any Floods, but upon Falls of Rain.
3 . T H A T the Snow diffolved, and foaking into the Earth, is the Original of the Alpine Springs ; a probable Argument may be taken from the Colour of the Water of thofe Ri- vers which defcend from the Alp^^ at leaft on this Northern-fide, which I obferved to be of of a Sea-green, even to a great diftance from their Heads j which, whence can it proceed, unlefs from the nitrous Particles of the Snow- water, of which they confift ? Another alfo from the Bronchocele^ or "^ guttitrine Tumour^ * Swoin an Endemial Difeafe of the Natives of thofe Throats. Parts, which Phyficians and Naturalifts at- tribute to the Water they drink, not without good Reafon ^ becaufe, fay they, it confifts
of melted Snow, whi^i^ives it that malig- nant Quality, f Scaliger fpeaking of this \DeSuh. Difeafe, faith, Jd ab aqua fit e jiivibus lique- t'^'«- ^'^• fastis ^ qUi£ multum terreflris & cmdi continent, sei. 2.*
But
Io6 Confeqtiences of
But becaufe Julius Palmarms may poffibly be in the right, who imputes this Difeafe to the Steams of the Minerals, efpecially Mer- curial, wherewith thefe Mountains abound, which infed the Waters, and render them noxious to the nervous Parts , I fliall not in- (ift upon this Particular.
In confirmation of what I have faid con- cerning the Original of the Alpine Springs, I fhall add the Opinion of the Learned Al- phonfus Borellus^ concerning the Fountains fpringing up, or iffuing out of the Sides of Mount j/Etna in Sicily.. They are probably (faith he) either generated^ or at leaft en~ creafed^ frotn the melting of the Snow^ which doth perpetually occupy the Top of the Moun- tain, And this is ?nanifeft^ in that they are not diminijhed, nor decreafe in Summer^ as elfe- where it happens^ but often flow more plenti- fully. Lib. De incendiis JEtnx,
What Mr. Halley faith of Springs, That they are perpetual, and without Diminution, even when no Rain falls, for a long Space of Time. If he underftands it generally of all Springs, I add, that are accounted quick ones too, I deny his Affertion : That fome there may be of that Nature, I grant. A Rea- fon whereof may be given, "viz, that the Outlet is too fmall 10 empty the Water of all the Veins and Earth that lie above it in a long time. In our Native Country of Eng- land^ there are living and lafting Springs ri-
fmg
the Deluge. 107
fing at the Feet of our fmall Hills and Hil- locks, to which, I am fure, the Vapours con- tribute very little \ which is fo obvious to every Man, that, I think, I need not fpend time to prove it.
Yet muft I not diflemble or deny, that in the Summer-time the Vapours do afcend, or are carried up in that Form, by the Sides of the Mountains to their higheft Tops, and a- bove them ^ for there falls no Snow there, in the Heat of Summer ,• and that which lies there, is, for the moft part, diffolved. But that Rain falls, plentifully there, I myfelf can witnefs ; having been on the two higheft Tops of the Mount Juva^ (which keeps the Snow all Winter) on the one called Thuiri in a Thunder-fliower ; and on the other, cal- led la DolaZj in a fmart and continuing Rain : So that I will not deny, but in Summer-time the Vapours may contribute fomewhat to the Springs ; as I have elfewhere intimated : Clouds almoft continually hanging upon the Tops of the Mountains, and the Sun having there but little Power.
And now that I am difcourfing of thefc things, give me leave to fet down an Obfer- vation I made in the lalt great Froft, the lliarpeft that was ever known in the Memo- ry of Man, which I had before met with in Books, but did not give firm credit to, that is, that notwithftanding the Violence of the Froft, all the Springs about us brake out, and
ran
lo8 Confequences of
ran more plentifully than ufually they did at any other time : Which I knew not what to impute to, unlefs perchance the clofe Stop- ping the Pores of the Earth, and keeping in that Part, which, at other times, was wont to vapour away \ which Account I neither then could, nor can yet fully acquiefce in.
To this I will here add an Abftrad of a Letter, written by my honoured Friend Dr.
Tancred Robinfon,
c V O U may, peradventure, meet with fome ■*■ ^ Oppofition againft your Hypothefis of Fountains, though, indeed, I am more and more confirm'd in your Opinion of them, and the Ufe of the Mountains. Father Tachart^ in his fecond Voyage to Siam^ fays, When he went up to the Top of the Table Moun- tain at the Cafe of Good Hope^ the Rocks and Shrubs were perpetually dropping, and feed- ing the Springs and Rills below, there be- ing generally Clouds hanging on the Sides, near the Top, This conftant Diftillation of Vapours from the Ocean, on many high Ridges of that great Promontory, may, per- adventure, be one Caufe of the wonderful Fertility and Luxury of the Soil, which pro- duces more rare Plants andAnimals than any known Spot of Ground in the World i the Difcovery whereof is owing to the Curiofity and Wifdom of the Dutch, The fame Ob- fcrvation hath been frequently made by our
[ Englijh
the Deluge. 109
* EngliJIj Merchants in the Madera and Cana^
* r) Iflands, (the firft of which is near in the ' fame Latitude on the. North of the jEquator^ ' that the aforementioned Cape is in the South)
* e{pecially,in their Journeys up to thcPike of
* leneriff^ in which, at fuch and fuch Heights, ' they were always wet to the Skin, by the
* Droppings of the great Stones, yet no Rain ' over-head ; the fame I have felt in paflfmg ^ over fome of the Alpf, The Trees, which in
* the Iflandsof FerrOj St. T'hofnas^ and in Gut- ^ nea^ are faid to furnilli the Inhabitants with ^ mod of their Water, ftand on the Sides of ' vaft Mountains : Voffim^ in his Notes on
* Fomponim Mela^ affirms them to be Arbore- ' [cent Ferula's ; though indeed, according to ' Paludamis his dry'd Sample fent to the Duke ' of Wirtenberg^ they feem rather to be of the ' Laurel Kind j perhaps there are many dif- ' ferent Sorts of them. I believe there is iome- ' thing in the many Relations of Travellers
* and Voyagers concerning thefe Trees ; but ' then I fancy they are all miftaken, when they
* fay, the Water ilfues out of the Trees : The ' Vapours ftop'd by the Mountains, condenfe
* and diftill down by the Boughs. There be- ' ing no Mountains in Egjpt^ may be one Rea- ^ fon why there is little or no Rain in that ' Country, and confequently no frefh Springs i
* therefore in their Cara^vans they carry all their
* Water with them in greatBorr/^c/oV^and they ! owe the Inundation of their River Nile to the
[ ftationary
no Confequences of
ftationary or periodical Rains on the high V'lvts o^ jEthiopia, This may be theCaufe that the vaft Ridge and Chain of Mountains in Peru are continually watered, when the great Plains in that Country are all dry'd up and parch'd. This Hypothefis concerning the Original of Springs from Vapours, may hold better in thofe hot Regions, within and near theTropicks(where the Exhalations from the Sea are moft plentiful, moft rarify'd,and Rain fcarce) than in the temperate and frigid ones (where it rains and fnows generally on the Vertices of the Mountains) yet even in our European Climates I have often obferv'd the Firs, Pines, and other Vegetables near the Summits of the Alps and Appennines^ to drop and run with Water, when it did not rain a- bove ; fome Trees more than others, accor- ding to theDenfity and Smoothnefs of their Leaves and Superficies, whereby they ftop and condenfe Vapours more or lefs. The Beams of the Sun having little Force on the high Parts of Mountains, the interrupted Va- pours muft continually moiftenthem, and (as in the Head of an Alembick) condenfe and trickle down ; fo that we owe part of our Rain, Springs, Rivers, and GonveniencieS of Life, to the Operation of Diftillation and Cir- culation by the Sun, the Sea, and the Hills, without even the laft of which, the Earth would fcarce be habitable. This prefent Year, in Ke?n^ they have had no Rain fince March
Maft,
the Deluge. Ill
* laft, therefore moft of their Springs are dry ^ at this very Day, as I am aflured from good ' Hands. The high Spouting of Water, even ' to three Fathoms perpendicular out of innu- ' merable Holes, on the Lake Zirknitz in Car- ' niola, after Rains on the adjacent Hills, ex-
* ceeds the Spirting Gips, or Natural Jet ' d'Eaus we have in England,
Nov. 12. 1 69 1. Tancred Kobinfml
Since the Receipt of this Letter, an Expe- riment (give me leave fo to call it) occur- red to me, which much confirmed me in the Belief and Perfuafion of the Truth of thofe Hiftories and Relations which Writers and Travellers have delivered to us concerning droppingTrees in FerroJSfTho7nefiiiinea^&<:* of which before I was fomewhat diffident ; and likewife in the Approbation of the Hypo- thefu of my Learned Friend Dr. Tancred Ro- binfon^ for the folving of that Ph^nojnenon. The fame alfo induces me to believe, that Va- pours may have a greater Intereft in the Production of Springs, even in temperate and cold Regions, than I had before thought. The Experiment or Obfervation is this :
A.B o u T the Beginning of December^ 1 5p i, there happened to be a Mift, and that no very thick one, which continued all Day ; the Vapour whereof, notwithftanding the Trees were wholly devefted of Leaves, con- denfed fo faft upon their naked Branches and
Twigs,
/-J5k
1 12 Confequences of
Twigs, that they dropped all Day at fuch a rate, that I believe the Water diftilling from a large Tree in twenty four Hours, had it been all received and referved in a Velfel, might have amounted to a Hogfhead. What then may we rationally conjed:ure, would have dropped from fuch a Tree j had it been covered with Leaves of a denfe Texture, and fmooth Supeijicies^ apt to collect the Parti- cles of the Vapour, and unite them into Drops ?
It is clear by this Effed, that Trees do diftill Water apace, when Clouds or Mifts hang about them ,• which they are reported by Bcnzo conilantly to do about the Foun- tain-Tree in Ferro^ except when the Sun fliines hot upon it. And others tell us, that that Tree grows upon a Mountain too : So that it is no wonder, that it ihould drop a- bundance of Water. What do I fpeak of that Tree? all the Trees of that Kind grow on the Sides of vaft Mountains, as Dr. Robin- fon hath noted, yet he thinks that now and then many Trees may run and diftill in Plains and Valleys, when the Weather has been fair, but then this Phenomenon happens very rarely, whereas in the other 'tis regu- lar and conftant. Befides, that in hot Regi- ons Trees may in the Night-time diftill Wa- ter, though the Air be clear, and there be no Mift about them, feems neceftarily to fol- low, from Mr. Hallefs Experiment.
Now,
the Deluge. II5
N o w, if there be in Mifts thus much Va- pour condenfed upon Trees, doubtlefs alfo there is in Proportion as much upon the Sur- face of the Earth and the Grafs ^ an4 confe- quently, upon the Tops and Ridges of high Mountains, which are frequently covered with Clouds, or Mifts, much more ; fo much as muft needs have a great Intereft in the Produdion and Supply of Springs, even in temperate Countries.
But that invifible Vapours, when the Sky is clear, do at any time condenfe fo faft up- on the Trees, as to make them drop, I never obferved in England^ or elfewhere, no not in the Night Seafon, though I do not deny, but upon the Appennine and Southern Side of the Alpfj and elfewhere in the hotter Parts of Europe^ in Summer Nights, they may. However, confidering the Penetrancy of fuch Vapours, that in moift Weather they will infinuate themfelves deeply into the Pores of dry Wood, fo that Doors will then hardly Hiut, and Chinks and Crannies in Boards and Floors be clofed up, I know not but that they may likewife ftrike deep into the Ground, and together with Mifts contribute tO'the Feeding and Maintenance of Springs, in Winter-time, when the Sun exhales but little ; it being an Obfervation of the learn- ed * Froinon^m^ £udd hyeme nee n'roali^ nee * Meteor, imhrifera^ fontes tamen aquam largius qudm ^^'V^'^- dftate (jnfi njalde pluvia fit) vojnant : That ^ '^' ^'
I in
I -.ML.. I
1 14 Confequences of
in Winters neither fnowy nor rainy ^ yet Foun^ tains pour forth more Water than in Simmer^ unlefs it happendo be a 'very wet Seafon, Yet are their Contributions inconfiderable ^ if compared with the Supplies that are afforded by Rains. And one Reafon why in Winter Fountains flow more plentifully, may be, be- caufe then the Sun defrauds them not, nor exhales any thing out of the Earth, as in Sum- mer-time he doth.
Therefore, whenever in this Work I have affigned Rain to be a fufficient or only Caufe of Springs and Rivers, I would not be under- flood to exclude, but to comprehend there- in Mifts and Vapours, which I grant to have fome Intereft in the Production of them, even in temperate and cold Regions, and a very confiderable one in hot. Though I cannot be perfuaded, that even there they are the principal Caufe of Springs, for that there fall fucn plentiful and long continuing Rains, both in the Eaft and Weft-Indies^ in the Summer Months : That Rains are the on- ly Caufe of the Fertility of the Earth, I am convinced by what was lately fuggefted to me by my honoured Friend Dr. Tancred Ro- binfon^ that all Dearths proceed from Droughts as well in hot Countries as in temperate and cold, be the Vapours what they will. The Scripture confirms this, by joining Rain and fruitful Seafons together.
But
the Deluge. ii^
But to return from whence we digrefTed,
that iSj to the Confideration of that Hypothec
fiy, or Opinion, That all the Rivers of the
Earth difcharge into the Sea half an Ocean
of Waters daily.
The Fruitfulnefs of the Earth is alfo in a great Meafure owing to Floods, which pro- ceed from Rain falling upon the Mountains, aiid wafliing down thence a great deal of Earth , and fpreading it upon the lower Grounds and Meadows, which renders thefe fo fruitful, that they bear plentiful Crops of Grafs yearly, without any Culture or Ma- nuring. An eminent Inflance of this is the Land of Egypt^ which owes its great Luxu- riancy to the annual Overflowings of the Ri- ver of Nile,
I H A V E read of fome Philofophers, who Imagined the Earth to be a great Animal, and that the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea was the Refpiration of it. And now, methinks, if this Dodrine be true, we have a farther Ar- gument to confirm their Opinion : For this perpetual Motion of the Water anfwers ve- ry well to the Circulation or the Blood, the Water moving fafter, in Proportion to its Bulk, through the Veins of this round Animal, than the Blood doth through thofe of other living Creatures. To which we may add farther, that to maintain this conftant Cii-- culation, there is alfo, probably, abq^t the Center of the Earth a perpetual Fire, an-
I 2 fwering
11^ Confequences of
fwering to the Biohjchnium in the Heart; but if not about the Center, yet certainly in pro- found Caverns, and even under the very Bot- toms of the Seas; to which fome, and no mean Philofophers, have attributed the Eb- bing and Flowing of its Waters.
But becaufe (as I faid before) this Opi- nion feems to me intolerably extravagant, I Ihall let it pafs without any ferious Confide- ration ; and alfo omit the Inferences I made from it in the former Edition of this Work.
For (as I have noted before) this forty Days Rain, at the Time of the Deluge, was no ordinary one, fuch as thofe that ufually diftill down leifurely and gently in Winter- time, but like our Thunder-Storms and vio/- lent Showers, Catarra(5i:s, and Spouts, which pour forth more Water in an Hour than they do in four and twenty : So that in forty Na- tural Days the Clouds might well empty out more than eight Oceans of Water upon the Earth. And ib we need not be to feek for Water for a Flood ; for the Rain faUing at that rate we have mentioned, would, with the Addition of as much Water from the fubterraneous Abyfs, or great Deep, in the Space of forty natural Days, afford Water enough to cover the Earth, lb far as to fet the Ark afloat, or raife it up fo high, as that its Bottom IKould not touch the Ground.
I H A V E but one thing more to add upon this Subject ; that is, that I do not fee how
their
the Deluge. 117
their Opinion can be true, who hold that fome Seas are lower than others; as for Ex- ample, the Red-Sea than the Mediterranean. For it being true that the Water keeps its Level, that is, holds its Superficies every where equidiftant from the Center of Gra- vity,- or if by Accident one Part be lower, the reft, by reafon of their Fluidity, will fpee- dily reduce the Superficies again to an E- quality ; the Waters of all Seas communi- cating either above, or under Ground, or both ways, one Sea cannot be higher or lower than another: But fuppofing any Accident fliould elevate or dcprefs any, by reafon of this Con- fluence or Communication it would foon be reduced to a Level again, as might demon- ftratively be proved.
But I return, to tell the Reader what I think the moft probable of all the Caufes I have heard alligned of the Deluge, which is, the Center of the Earth being at that time changed, and fet nearer to the Center or Middle of our Continent, whereupon the Atlantic^ and Pacifick Oceans muft needs prefs upon the fubterraneous Abyfs, and fo by Mediation thereof, force the Water up- ward, and at laft compell it to run out at thofe wide Mouths and Apertures made by the Divine Power breaking up the Foun- tains of the great Deep. And we may fup- pofe this to have been only a gentle and gradual Emotion, no fafter than that the
I 3 Waters
1 1 8 Consequences of
Waters running out at the Bottom of the Sea, might accordingly lower the Superfi- cies thereof fufficiently, fo that none needed run over the Shores. Thefe Waters thus poured out from the Orifices of the Foun- tains upon the Earth, the Declivity being changed by the Removal of the Center, could not flow down to the Sea again, but muft needs ftagnate upon the Earth, and overflow it^ "and afterwards the Earth re- turning to its old Center, return alfo to their former Receptacles.
This Hypothejif gives us a fair and eafy Solution of all the Phdnoinena of the Deluge, fave only the Generality of it, (making it to- pical^ and confining it to our Continent) "and delivers us from that great and infupera- ble Difficulty of finding eight, nay, twenty two Oceans of Water to effect it : For no Ids is requifite to cover the whole Terraque- ous Globe with Water, to the Height of fif- teen Cubits above the Tops of the higheft Mountains. But becaufe the Scripture ufeth general Expreflions concerning the Extent of the Flood, faying. Gen. i. 19. And all the high Hills that were under the whole Hea'ven were co- 'vered; and again, "ver. 12. All in whofe Noflrils was the Breath of Life ^ of all that was in the dry Land^ died. And, becaufe the Ainericans aifo are faid to have fome ancient Memorial Tradition of a Deluge, (as credible Authors, Acofia^ Herrera^ and others inform us) which
faith.
the Deluge. 1 1^
faith, That the whole Race of Manhnd was- dejiroyed h) the Deluge^ except fojne few that efcaped: (They are the Words of Auguftine Corata^ concerning the Penroian Tradition j and Lupuf Gomara faith the fanie^ from thofe of Mexico) And the ingenious Author of the T'heory of the Earthy hath, by a mo- derate Computation, demonftrated. That there muft be then more People upon the Earth than now : I will propofe another- way of folving this Ph^eno?nenon^ and that is, by fuppofing that the Divine Power might at that time, by the Inftrumentality of fome natural Agent, to us at prefent unknown, fo deprefs the Surface of the Ocean, as to force the Waters of the Abyfs through the fore- mentioned Channels and Apertures, and fo make them a partial and concurrent Caufe of the Deluge.
That there are, at fome times, in the Courfe of Nature, extraordinary PrefTures up- on the Surface of the Sea, which force the Water outwards upon the Shores to a great Height, is evident. We had upon our Coafts, few Years ago, an extraordinary Tide, where- in the Water rofe fo high, as to overflow all the Sea-Banks, drown Multitudes of Cattle, and fill the lower Rooms of the Houfes of many Villages that flood near the Sea, fo that the Inhabitants, to (live themfelves, were forced to get up into the upper Rooms and Garrets of their Houfes. Now, how this
1 4 could
I ZO Confequences, 6cc.
could be effeded, but by an unufual Pref- fure upon the Superficies of the Ocean, lean- not well conceive. In like manner. That the Divine Providence might, at the time of the Deluge, fo order and difpofe fecond Cau- fes, as to make fo ftrong a Preffure upon the Face of the Waters, as to force them up to a Height fufficient to overflow the Earth, is no way unreafonable to beUeve. But becaufe there muft be another Miracle required, to fufpend the Waters upon the Land, and to hinder them from running off again into the Sea 5 this is far more unlikely than the for- mer Account.
These Hypotbefe^ I propofe, as feeming to me, at prefent, moft facile and confonant to Scripture, without any Concern for either of them 5 and, therefore, am not felicitous to gather together, and heap up Arguments to confirm them, or to anfwer Objedions that may be made againft them, being as ready to relinquifh them upon better Information, as I was to admit and entertain them.
G H A p.
Chap. III. Of the Effe&s of the Deluge.
Come now to the Third Par- ticular propofed ; that is. To Enquire concerning the Con- lequents of the Deluge ; What confiderable Effects it had up- on the Earth, and its Inhabitants.
I T had, doubtlefs, very great, in changing the Superficies of the dry Land. In fome Places, adding to the Sea, in fome, taking from it ; making Iflands of PeninfuU^ and joining others to the Continent ; altering the Beds of Rivers, throwing up lelTcr Hills, and walking away others, (jc. The moft re- markable Effc(5ts, it's likely, were in the Skirts of the Continents ; becaufe the Motion of the Water was there moft j^iolent. "^ Athana^ *De Ar- fitly Kircher gives us a Map and Defcrip- '^'^ ^^^ tion of the World after the Flood, {hewing vx^hat Changes were made therein by it, or upon occalion of it afterward, as he fanlies or conjedures. But becaufe I do not love to trouble the Reader with uncertain Conje- ctures, I Ihall content myfelf to have faid in genera], that it may rationally be fuppoicd, there were then great Mutations and Altera- tions made in the fuperficiai Part of the
Earth :
p. 192.
122 Confequences, &c.
Earth ; but what they were, though we may guefs, yet can we have no certain Know- ledge of : And for Particulars, referr the Cu- rious to him.
One mah'gnant Efifed it had upon Man- kind, and probably upon other Animals too, in fliortning their Age, or the Duration of their Lives ; which I have touched before, and (hewn, that this Diminution of Age is to be attributed either to the Change of the Temperature of the Air, as to Salubrity, or Equality, (fudden aftd frequent Changes of Weather having a very bad Influence upon the Age of Man in ai3breviating of it, as I could eafily prove) or elfe to the Deteriority of the Diet ,• or to both thefe Caufes. But , how the Flood fliould induce or occafion fuch a Change in the Air, and Productions of the Earth, I do not comprehend.
Chap.
i'i iM ;ji iji iji ;;. ij. ;;; iji i%i ij; ij; .j; w ijj ij- jji ij- ij; rli rK •}• -I- •;• •!• •;• •;• <• -Ir f> •!• -I- ■£• •;• S- •> •{•
Chap. IV.
Of formed Stones^ Sea-Jhelh^ and other Marine-like Bodies found at great Di^ fiances from the Shores^ Jiippofed to have been brought in by the Deluge,
Not HER fuppofed Effed of the Flood, was a bringing up out of the Sea, and fcattering all the Earth over, an innumerable Mul- titude of Shells and Shell-fifh ,• there being of thefe Shell-like Bodies, not only on lower Grounds and Hillocks, but upon the higheft Mountains, the Appennine and Alpf themfelves. A fuppofed Effed, I fay, becaufe it is not yet agreed among the Learned, whether thefe Bodies, formerly cal- led petrified Shelby but now-a-days paflfmg by the Name of formed Stones^ be original Pro- dudions of Nature, formed in Imitation of the Shells of Fiihes j or the real Shells them- felves, either remaining ftill entire and un- corrupt, or petrified and turned into Stone, or, at leaft. Stones call in fome Animal Mold. Both Parts have ftrong Arguments and Pa- trons. I fhall not balance Authorities, but only confider and weigh Arguments.
Those for the latter Part, wherewith I fiiall be^in are.
124 Confequences of
Firjl^ Becaufe it feems contrary to that great Wifdom of Nature, which is obferva- ble, in all its Works and Productions, to de- fign every thing to a determinate End, and, for the attaining that End, make ufe of fuch Ways, as are moft agreeable to Man's Reafon, that thefe prettily fhaped Bodies Ihould have all thofe curious Figures and Contrivances (which many of them are formed and a- domed with) generated or wrought by a Plajiick Vertue^ for no higher End, than only to exhibite fuch a Form. This is Dr. HoolCs Argumentation. To which Dr. Plot an- fwers, T^hat the End of fuch Produdiom />, to beautify the World with thofe Varieties; and that this is no more repugnant to the Fru- dence 0/ Nature, than is the Production ofmofi Flowers, Tulips, Anemones, &C, of which we know as little ufe of as of formed Stones^ But hereto we may reply, That Flowers are for the Ornament of a Body, that hath fome Degree of Life in it:, A Vegetative Soul, whereby it performs the Adions of Nutri- tion, Audion and Generation j which it i§ reafonable lliould be fo beautified. And, Secondly y Flowers ferve to embrace and che- rilh the Fruit, while it is yet tender i and ^ to defend it from the Injuries of Sun and
Weather ; efpecially, for the Protedion and Security of the Apices^ which are no idle or ufelefs Part, but contain the Mafculine Sperm, and ferve to give Fecundity to the
Seed,
the Deluge. 12^
Seed. Thirdly^ Though formed Stones may be ufeful to Man in Medicine, yet Flowers afford us abundantly more Ufes, both in Meat and Medicine.
Y E T I muft not dilfemble^ that there is a Fhtenomenon in Nature, which doth fome- what puzzle me to reconcile with the Pru- dence obfervable in all its Works, and feems ftrongly to prove, that Nature doth fome- times ludere^ and delineate Figures, for no other End, but for the Ornament of fome Stones, and to entertain and gratify our Cu- riofity, or exercife our Wits : That is^ thofe elegant ImprefTions of the Leaves of Plants upon Cole-jlate^ the Knowledge whereof^ I muft confefs myfelf to owe to my learned and ingenious Friend, Mr. Edward Lhwyd of Oxford^ who obferved of it in fome Cole- pits in the Way from Wychefter in Glocefler- Jhire, to Briftoli and afterwards communi- cated to me a Sample of it. That which he found, was marked with the Leaves of two or three Kinds of Perm and of Harts-tongue^ He told me alfo, that Mr. Woodward^ a Lon- doner J ftiewed him very good Draughts of the common Female Fern^ naturally formed in Cole,which himfelf found inMendip Hills i and added. That he had found in the fame Pits, Draughts of the common Cmquefoil^ Clover-graf^ and Strawberries. But thefe Fi- gures are more diligently to be obferved and confidered.
Dr.
iz6 Confequences of
Dr. Woodward will have thefe to be the Imprellions of the Leaves of Plants^ which were there lodged at the Time of the gene- ral Deluge.
Secondly^ There are found in the Earth at great Diftance from the Sea, real Shells unpetrified and uncorrupted, of the exad Figure and Confiftency of the prefent natu- ral Sea-fhells, and in all their Parts like them, and that not only in the lower Grounds and Hillocks near the Sea, but in Mountains of a confiderable Height, and diftant from the Sea. Chrifiianus mentzelm^ in his Difcourfe concerning the Bononian Phofphorus^ gives us a Relation of many Beds of them found mingled with Sand in the upper Part of a high Mountain not far from Bologna in Italy. His Words are thefe, Non procul monte Pater- no di^to^ lapidis Bonomenfis patria^ unico forte ?nilliari Italico dtftanti ( loci nomen excidit me?norid) ingem mens i?ft?ninet prteruptuf a "vhkntia torrent hwi aqitarum^ quay imbres fre- qiientcs ex "vicinis montibus confluentes effici- urit^ atque infignes terrarum jnoles ab ifto monte froftermmt ac dcjiciunt. In hac niontis ruina^ fuperiore in parte vifuntur midtts ftrages fe- riefve^ ex teftis conchylionim omnis generis^ plurimd arena interje^d^ inftar ftrati fuper ftratum (tit chymkorum 'vulgm loquitur,) Et enim inter hafce tejlarum conchyliorum ftrages ferief've arena ad crajjitiem id?u & ultra in- terpofita. Erant autein tefta ^variorum conchy-
liorumy
the Deluge. IZ7
liorum^ omnes ah invicem dijiintia^ nee cui^ qua?n lapidi impact <e^ adeb ut feparatim omnia manibus tra^iari & dignofci potuerint. Effe^ cerat hoc arena pura^ nullo Ihno lutdve inter- viixta^ qute conchyliorwn teftas confer-vaverat per multa fecula integral, Interea Dero diu- turnitate temporis omnes ifta tefla erant in aU bijjimam calcein facile refoliibiles. Not far from the Mountain called Paterno, where the Bono- nian Stone is gotten^ about an Itaihrv Mile di- ft ant ^ (the Name ofth^ Place is jlipt out of my Memory) is a huge hanging Mountain^ broken by the Violence of the Torrents^ caufea by the Confluence of Waters defcending from the neighbouring Mountains after frequent Show- ers^ throwing down great Heaps of Earth from it. In this upper Fart of this broken Moun- tain J are feen many Beds or Floors of all kind of Sea-JJjellsj much Sand interpofing between Bed and Bed^ after the manner of ftratum fu- per ftratum, or Layer upon hayer^ as the Chymifts phrafe it. l^he Beds of Sand inter- ceding between thefe Rows of Shells , were a Tard thick^ or inore. 'Thefe Shells were all 'difiin6i orfeparate one from another^ and not fiuck in any Stone^ or cemented together^ fo that they might be fingly and feparatebj -viewed and handled with one's Hands. The Caufe whereof was their being lodged in a pure Sand^ not intermiat wiifj any Mud or Clay^ ^ which kept the Shells entire for many Ages. Tet were all thefe Shells^ by rcafon of the
Length
128 Consequences of
Length of Time they had lahi there^ eafibj refoluble into a purely white Calx or AJh. Tabius Columna alfo obferves, That in the tophaceous Hills and Cliffs about Aniria in Apulia^ there are found various forts of Sea- fiieils, both broken and whole, uncorrupt, and that have undergone no Change. And O'vid inMetam. lib, 1^,
Etproaul a pelago Concha jacuere inarincc.
I am alfo informed, bynny learned and wor- thy Friend, Dr. Tancred Robinfon^ That Si- gnor Settali fhewed him, in his Miifeum at Milan ^ many Turbem^ Echini^ Fearl-Jloelb^ (one with a Pearl in it) Fe6iunculi^ and fc- '' veral other perfcd Shells, which he himfclf found in the Mountains near Genoa , and af- terwards, my faid Friend took notice alfo of feveral Beds of them himfclf, as he paffed over Mount Cenu^ above fifcy Leagues di- ftant from the Sea -, he affures me, That many of the great Stones about the Build- ings of London^ are full of Shells, and Pie- ces of them. Moreover, my forementioned . Friend, Mr. Lhwyd^ lent me perfect Efcallop and Sea-Urchin Shells, exadly refembling the like Sea-fneils, both for Figure, Colour, Weight, and Coniiftency ; which he himfelf gathered up near Oxford: And hath lately lent me word. That he found at a Place cal- led Rungew ell-Hill in Surrey^ at a Village called Hcdley^ three Miles South of Et^?am^
at
the Deluge. 12^
at leaft twenty Miles diftant from the Sea, fome FoflTil Oyfters, which, by the Confeflion of Dr. "Li^er himfelf, were indeed true Oy- fter-fliells, not petrified, nor much decayed : Nay, fo like they were to Oyfters newly taken out of the Sea, that a certain Perfon feeing them, miftook them for fuch, and opened one of them, expe(5ting to find a liv- ing Filli therein.
Another the like Bed of Oyfter-lhells found in his own Ground, my worthy and ingenious Friend Mr. FeteY Burrell, Merchant in London^ gave me an Account of: Which take in his own Words.
' I HAVE a Pit, wherein is a Bed or Ye'm of Oyfter-lhells : About two Foot under the Surface of the Earth they begin ; and are from about a Yard to one Half-yard deep ,• and then fucceeds a harlli Sand, that goes down two or three Yards deep, or more. In a Rivulet that runs through my Garden, half a Furlong from the forefaid Pit, there are of the fame Shells great and. fmall, not lying fingly, but in great Clu- fters of great and fmall together, with the upper and lower Valves entire. When you open them, thofe that have not been ex- pofed to the Air, or impair'd by the Wa- ter, have a Concavity within, and a hard Moilinefs flicking to the Inlide of each Shell. Thofe of the Pit are amafled as hard as a Rock; and where there are
K ' not
1 30 Confeqtiences of
not little Veins of Sand mixt with them, they break into Pieces as big as a Half- Peck : But, when expos'd to the Weather, crumble like Murle, and are good to ma- ;iure Land, efpecially, thofe which have leift Sand mixed with them. It's excel- lent to bind Walls j only, upon Thaws in the Winter-time, it rj^laxes a little. ' I FIND, by digging, in feveral Places, that there is a Layer or Bed of thefe Shells, which runs from -North-Weft to South- Eaft, two or three Furlongs in mine and. my Neighbour's Grounds, We are 60 Miles diftant from the Sea, though but 5 Miles, from the River of Thames^ on the Edgfe oTSurrey^ and lie high ot» the fame Level with Croyden, " So far Mr, BmrelL The Place where this Gentleman lives, is at Bechnham^ near Bro?n-ey ii^~ Kent^ ten Miles diftant from London, He fent me Samples of the Oyfter-fhells, exadly agree- ing with the Account he gives of them. They feem to have been the Shells of real and living Oyfters, and to have ftiffvied no greater Change than they muft needs do from the Nature of the Earth and Sand they were lodged in, and from the Water com- mixt therewith. And the Lying of them in iuch a Bed, is a ftrong Argument to prove, that this Place was fome time the Bottom of the Sea, which is a thing hard to be be- lieved.
Another
the Deluge. 131
Another Inftance of fuch a Bed of Foffil Oyfter-lliells, I find in the Philofophical ^anfa^lions^ N. 261. p. 485*- communica- ted by Mr. 'Raines Brewer,
' These Oyfter-fhells were found and digged up near Reading^ in Berkfhire, The Circumference of the Place wher6 they have been digged up, contains (as is judged) between five and fix Acres of Land. The Foundation of thefe Shells is a hardj-rocky Chalk. The Shells lie in a Bed of green Sand, upon a Level through the whole Circumference, as nigh as can poflibly be judged. This Stm^^w of greeii Sand and Oyfter-fliells, is (as I meaiured it) nigh a Foot deep. Now, immediately above this Layer or Stratum of green Sand and Shells, is,a Bed of bluifh fort of Clay, very hard, brittle and rugged ; They call it a pinny Clay, and is of no Ufe : This Bed or Layer of Clay, I found to be nigh a Yard deep ,• and immediately above it, is a Stratum of Fullers-Earth, which is nigh two Foot and a half deep. This Earth is often made ufe of by our Clothiers. And above this Earth, is a Bed or Layer of a clear, fine, white Sand, without the leaft Mixture of any Ea>th, Clay, &€, which is nigh feven Foot deep. Then, im- - mediately above this, is a ftiff red Clay, ( which is the uppermoft Stratum ) of which we make our Tiles. The Depth K 2 'of
132. Confequences of
of this cannot conveniently be taken, it be- ing fo high a Hill j upon the Top of which, is, and hath been dug, a little common Earth, about two Foot deep ^ and imme- diately under, appears this red Clay that they make Tiles withal. I dug {faith he) feveral whole Oyfters, with both their Valves or Shells lying together, as Oyfters before opened ; in their Cavity was got in fome of the forementioned green Sand. Thefe Shells are fo very brittle, that in digging them up, one of the Valves will frequently drop from its Fellow ,• but 'tis plainly to be feen, that they were united together, by placing the Shell that drops off to his Fellow Valve, which exadly cor- refponds ; but I dug up feveral that were entire, nay, fome double Oyfters, with all their Valves united. " So far Mr. Brewer. For, that Nature Ihould form real Shells, without any Defign of covering an Animal, is indeed fo contrary to that innate Proiepji; we have of the Prudence of Nature, (that is, the Author of Nature) that without doing fome Violence to our Faculties, we can hard- ly prevail with ourfeives to believe it ^ and gives great Countenance to the Atheifts Af- fertion, That Things were made or did exift by Chance, without Counfel or Direction to any end.
Ac>D hereto,*T'^/Vi/y, That there are other Bodies befides Shells found in the Earth, re-
fembling
the Deluge. I55
fembling the Teeth and Bones of fome Fiflies, which are fo manifeftly the very Things they are thought only to refemble, that it might be efteemed Obftinacy in any Man that hath viewed and confidered them^ to de- ny it. Such are the Glojfopetra dug up in Malta in fuch abundance, that you may buy, them by Meafure, and not by Tale : And alfo the Vertebres of Thornbacks, and other car- tilagineous Fifhes there found, and fold for Stones among the GloJJopetr^^ which have no greater Diflimiiitiide to the Teeth of a living Shar^j and Vertebres of a Thornbac'k^ than lying fo long in the Earth, as they muft needs have done, will neceifarily induce. Mr. Doody has in his Cuftody a petrify'd Lump of Fillies, on fome of which the Scales themfelves ftill remain. And if the very In- fpedion of thefe Bodies is not enough to convince any Man that they are no Stones, but real Teeth and Bones, Fabius Colutnna proves it by feveral ftrong Arguments. I. Thofe Things w^hich have a woody, bony, or flefhy Nature, by burning are changed firft into a Coal, before they go into a Calx or Afhes : But thofe v^'hich are of a topha- ceous or ftony Subftance, go not firft into a Coal, but burn immediately into a Calx or Lime, unlefs by fome Vitreous or Metallick Mixture they be melted. Now thefe Teeth being burnt, pafs prefently into a Coal, but thetophousSubl^ance adhering to them, doth
K 3 not
134 Confequences of
not fo j whence it is dear, that they are of an olTeous, and no ftony Nature.
Next he fliews. That they do not fiioot into this Form after the Manner of Salts or Cryftal, which 1 fhall have Occafion farther to treat of by and by. Then he proves it from the Axiom, Natura nihil facit fruftra ; Nature makes nothing in vain. But thefe Teeth, were they thus formed in the Earth, would be in vain ; for they could not have any Ufe of Teeth ; as neither the Bones of fupporting any Animal. Nature never made Teeth without a Jaw, nor Shells without an Animal Inhabitant, nor fingle Bones, no not in their own proper Element, much lefs in a ftrange one. Farther he argues, from the Difficulty Or Impoffibility of the Generation of Gloffopetr^e in fuch Places ,• becaufe, among Tophi and Stones in thofe dry Places, there could not be found Matter fit to make them of. But granting that , he queries whether they were generated at firft all of a fudden, or grew by little and little from fmall to great, as Animals Teeth, whofeForm they imitate, do. If the firft be faid, he de- mands, Whether the Tophus^ out of which they were extracted, were generated before, or after the Teeth were perfected ? If it be faid before, he asks, Whether there were a Place in it of the Figure and Magnitude of the Tooth, or did the Tooth make itfelf aPlace ? If the Tophus were concrete before, and with- out
the Dehige, 13^
Qut a Cavity, the vegetative Power of the Stone now in Birth, could not by Force make itfelf a Place in the hard and iolid Tophus ; or if it could, and did, the Tophus muft needs be rent. Againft the Produd:ion of thefe Bodies in a conipad: Earth or Stone, Nic. Stcno argues thus : Things that grow, ex- panding themfelvcs ieiiurely or (lowly, may indeed lilt up great Weights, and dilate the Chinks and Veins of Stones, as we fee the Roots of Trees lometimes do ,• but yet while they do thus make room for them- felves, they cannot but be often hindred by the Refiftance of fome hard Obftacle they meet with, as it happens to the Roots 'of Plants, which in hard Earth, being a thou- fand ways writhen and comprelTed, recede from the Figure, which otherwife in foftLand they are wont to retain ; whereas thefe Bo- dies, whereof we are now difcourfing, are all like one another, whether they be dug out of foft Earth, oc cut out of Stones, or pluck'd off Animals. Wherefore they feem not to be at this Day produced in thofe Pla- ces where they are found, becaufe (as we have faid) thole things which grow in com- pad Places are found ftrangely milhapen and irregular, which thefe are not : Nor was the Earrh compacted when they were there pro- duced for the fame reafon. Columna pro- ceeds. If there were a Place before ready made in the Tophus^ then was not that Fi-
K 4 gure
13^ Confequences of
gure excavated in the Tophus by the vegeta- tive Nature of the Tooth itfelf; but the To- phu;^ by its own Nature and precedent Cavity, gave the Form to the Tooth. If the latter Part be chofen, and it be faid, that the Stone by its vegetative Power grew by Degrees ^ it may be anfwered as before, that could not be, becaufe the Hardncfs of the Tophus could not have yielded to the vegetative Force of the Tooth, but would rather have been rent or divided by it ; or rather the Tophus it- felf muft have vegetated, containing a Cavi- ty or Uterus of the Shape of the Tooth, into which an offeous Humour , penetrating through the Pores, and filling the Cavity of the Uterus^ muft there have coagulated, and taken the Form thereof, as is obferved in Stones that have their Original from a Fluor, That both Tooth and Cafe might vegetate together, he denies, becaufe in ali the Teeth which he had feen, the Bafis or Root was found broken, and that smi with an uniform Fracture, but different in every one. Which Argument is not to be flighted, for that it ihews or proves, that there was no Vegeta- tion in the cafe ; becaufe in all other figured Foflils it is obferved, that they are never found mutilous, broken, or imperfed^. Nei- ther can it reafonably be faid or believed, that thefe Roots or Teeth were by fome chance broken within the Tophi ^ but rather, that when they were cafually overwhelmed
and
the Deluge. 137
and buried in that tophous Earthy they were broken otf from the Jaws of the Animal in thofe Volutations, and fo in that manner mu- tilated. Againft the Generation of thefe and the 'like Bodies in any hard Earth or Stone, N, Stem argues thus. That they are not at prefent produced in hard Earth, one may thence conjcdure, that in all the Parts of fuch Earth or Stone throughout, they are all found of the fame Confiftence, and encom- paffed round on all Sides with that hard Mat- ter ; For if there were fome of them pro- duced anew at this prefent Day, the con- taining or ambient Bodies ought to give way to them while they are growing, which they cannot ^ and the Bodies themfelves that are now produced, would, without doubt, difco- ver fomething wherein they differed from thofe that were generated of old. Another Argument to prove them to be true Teeth, and no Stones, he brings from their various Parts and Figures, jwhich muO: elfe have been fo wrought and formed in vain. The Tooth being not one homogeneous Body, but com- pounded of Parts of a different Conftitution, there muft in the Formation of it be made a various Election of Humours, one for the Root, one for the inner Parr, one for the Superficies of it. Then for the Figures, Mag- nitude, Situation or Pofture, and Fitting of them 5 fome are great, and broad, and al- moft triangular i others narrower and Imal-
ler.
138 Consequences of
ler, others very fmall and narrow, of a py- ramidal Figure j fome ftreight, fome crook- ed, bending downwards, or toward the ne- ther Side ; fome inclining: toward the Left, others toward the Right Side ; fome ferrate with fmall Teeth, others with great Inden- tures, (which is obferved in the lelTcr trian- gular ones) fome fmooth without any Teeth, as the narrow pyramidal ones. All which Things are obferved in Sharks Teeth, not only by the learned Naturalifts, but alfo by Fifhermen and Mariners. The firft Row of Teeth in thefe Animals hanging out of the Mouth, bend forward and downward ; the fecond Row are ftreight, efpecially toward the Sides of the Mouth, where they are tri- angular and broad, the other Rows bend downward toward the inner Part of the *Dijfert. Mouth. Thus fsiv "^ Columna. Vt Ghf- This Argument is alfo made ufe of by fopetr^' jgoftino Scilla : ' The Apopbyfes alfo, ( faith ' he) or Proceffes, in the Gloffopetra^ de- ' monftrate their Original, were there no- ' thing elfe ; fince they exadly anfwer to
* thofe in Sharks Teeth, whereby every ' Tooth is inferted into its Neighbour in the ' living Animal, with thofe Parts porous,
* and thofe fpongious, that are fo in the Tooth
* of the Filli. Nay, whereas Sharks Teeth
* are mortiffed into one another, in fuch a
* mann r, that a Man may eafiiy tell, which [ belongs to which Side, which lie near the
! TlM-oat,
the Deluge. i^p
* Throat, which near the Snout, which lie
* to the Right, which to the Left. And ' whereas, in a Shark's Jaw, the Teeth on the
* Left Side will »ot fit on the Right, nor thofe
* above fcrve below ; fo that upon feeing a ^ Tooth, one may know which Side and
* what Jaw it belongs to. " He hath obfer- ved every one of thefe things, in his GloJJc^ fetra^ which pundually anfwer in every Pare to the feveral Ranks of the Teeth in a living Shark.
Fourthly^ If thefe formed Stones be in- deed original Produdions of Nature, in Imi- tation of Shells and Bones, how comes it to pafs, that there fiiould be none found that refemble any other natural Body, but the Shells and Bones of Fillies only ? Why fiiould not Nature as well imitate the Horns, Kocfs, Teeth, or Bones of Land Animals, or the Fruits, Nuts, and Seed of Plants? Now, my learned Friend, Mr. Edward Lhwyd^ above mentioned, who hath been moft diligent in colle(5ting, and curious in obferving thefe Bo- dies, of any Man I know, or ever heard of, tells me. That he never found himfelf, or had feen in any Cabinet, or Colledion, any one Stone that he could compare to any part of a Land Animal. As for iuch that do not refemble aTny part of a Fifh, they are either Rock Plants, as the Aftroites^ Ajlerite tro- chites^ &c, or do llioot into that Form, after
the
140 Confequeuces of
the manner of Salts and Fluorf^ as the Ee- levinites and Selenites,
Fifthly^ Thofe that deny thefe Bodies to have been the Shells and Bones of Fiihes, have given us no fatisfadory Account of the manner of their Produdion. For that they do not flioot into that Form after the man- ner of Salts, may be proved by many Ar- guments. Firft^ All Salts that fhoot, their Cryftais or Concretions are of one uniform Subftanccj as Signor Agoftino .S'ci//^ clearly demonftrates. ' Salt {faith he) is Salt as well ' within as without ^ A Granate and a To- ' paz is a Granate and a Topaz throughout ; ' Diamonds and Rubies are Diamonds and
* Rubies all over j they are Agregates of fi- ' milar Particles which compofe the whole ^ Mafs, be it greater, or be it lefs : Where- ' as, Glojfopetr^^ for Example, like all other ' vegetating Subflances, are made up of va-
* rious and diflimilar Corpufcles, put toge- ' ther in fuch a manner, as is peculiarly fub- ^ fervient to the End for which they were ' made : Accordingly, the Cortex is of one ' Subftance, the Medulla of another, and ' that lodged in proper Cells, the Root di- ' ftind from them both. " In other Bodies that Ihoot, as the Pyrites and Belemnites^ one may obferve ftreight Radii or Fibres pro- ceeding from one Center. Semtdly-^ Did thofe Bodies flioot into thefe Figures, after the manner of Salts^ it feems flrange to
me.
the Deluge. 14 1
me that two Shells fliould be fo adapted together at the Heel, as to (hoot out to the fame Exteniion round, and the upper and ne- ther Valve be of different Figure, as in natu- ral Shells. Thirdly^ Were thefe Bodies pro- duced in the manner of faline Concretions, it's ftrange there fhould be fuch Varieties of them, and their Shapes fo regular, and ex- adlly circumfcribcd : So great a Diverfity of Figures, arguing a greater Variety of Salts, or of their Modifications and Mixtures, than are likely to be found in Nature i and the Concretions of Salts never, that I have yet feen, appearing in that Regularity of Figure, and due Circumfcription, as in thefe Bodies. This Argument, Steno^ in his Difcourfe con- cerning thefe Bodies, improves and urges thus ; ' Who can deny, that the hexaedrical ' Figure of Cryftal, the Cubes of Marcalites, ' and the Cryftals of Salts in Chymical Opc- ' rations, and infinite other Bodies coagu- ^ lating and cryftallizing in a Fluid, have ' Figures much more ordinate than are ' thole of Scallops ^CocUes^ and other Bivalves, ' and alfo Periwi?icMef and Turbens ? Yet * we fee, in thefe iimple Bodies, fometimcs '■ the Top of a folid Angle cut off j fome- ' times many of them, without any Order, ' flicking one to another j fometimes their ^ Planes differing among themfelvcs, in Mag- ' nitude and Situation ^ and . many other f Ways receding from their ufual Figure :
' Which
142 Consequences of
Which being fo, how much greater and more notable Defe(5ts muft there needs have been in Bodies that have a far more compound Figure, fuch as are thofe which imitate the Forms of Animals, if they were in like manner generated ? Seeing, there- fore^ in thefe Bodies, which are very much compounded, thefe Defeds do feldom oc- curr, which in thofe other moft fimple Bo- dies, are very frequent ; feeing there are no Defe6ts obferved in thefe compound Bo- dies, the like whereto are not in like man- ner feen in the Bodies of Animals : And feeing that wherefoever th-y are found, they are exceeding like both among them- felves, and to the Parts of Animals^ it is very unlikely they Ihould fhoot into thofe Figures after the manner of Salts i but on the contrary, highly probable that they were originally the Parts of Animals \ the Similitude of Conformation in their Pores, i'friif 3 Hinges, Teeth, Prominences,Threds, &c, almoft neceffarily inferring a Simili- tude of Original ; which is an Argument of the Government of fome Principle, fu- periour to Matter figured and moved, in their Formations. "
Fourthly^ Were thefe Bodies nothing but Concretions of Salts, or faline Mixtures, it feems no lefs ftrange, that fo many Liquors impregnated with all forts of Salts and Mi- neral Juices, in all Proportions, having been
at
the Deluge. 147
at one time or other induftrioufly or acci- dentally expofed to cryftallize, and let ftand long in VefTels, there fhould never have been found in them any fuch Concretions. For if any had happened, we fhould, doubt- lefs, have heard of them, and the Obfervers would have improved fuch an Experiment to the Produdion of the like Bodies, at their Pleafure.
Two farther Arguments, to prove that thefe Bodies were not primary Produ<^ions of Nature, the forementioned Signor Scilla affords us. ' Nature {fays he) fometimes produced monftrous and defedive Things. An Animal "ibmetimes wants a Limb i A Tree is without fomc principal Branches ; A Fruit may want fome of its chiefeft Parts. Yet ftill we may obferve, that Na- ture covers that Defe(5i: with a Skin, or Bark, or Rind, fo that it never appears torn off, or rent, to the naked Eye, as it would, if it were torn off by a Hand, oi* cut off with a Knife. This is Nature's con- flant Courfe -, which evidently fhews, that lufm Nature (as thefe are erroneoufly called) were never produced in the Earth ; fince all the Bruifes and Erasures which they have met with, are apparent, without any Difguife to hide them j fuch as Na- ture always employs to hide the De- feds of her own irregular Produ*5li'- ons. "
But
144 Consequences of
But this may be folved, by faying, that thefe Fractures and Bruifes happened to them, after they were perfedly formed, and, as I may fo fay, out of Nature's Hands ^ and fo. Nature not concerned to cover their De- feds.
Secondly^ All the Echini^ or other Land- Shells, which he found upon the Calabrian or Mejjineze Hills, or had been brought him from Malta^ were bruifed by a perpendicu- lar Preffure, which he explains thus : ^ The Cruft of all Echini has two Centers, one directly oppofite to the other j fo that if they happened to lie in the liquid Mud, in fuch a manner as that the loweft Center was perpendicular to the Horizon^ they were bruifed fo as not to lofe their circu- lar Figure, only they were much compref- fed. If they lay on one Side, they were fqueezed out of that Shape, and the Mem- branes of the Ligatures parted from each other varioufly, according to the Situation of thefe Shells in the Mud, at that Time, All which plainly fhews, that as the Mud dried, the fuperincumbent Weight preffed perpendicularly upon the enclofed Bodies, which were then compreffed together in that Pofture they happened to be in ; and were more or lefs comprelTed, according as the Mud got into their Cavities, in greater or leffer Quantities^ and, as it dried, prop- ped them up on the Infide, againft the
' Pref-
the Deiuge. 14^
' PiefTurc of the Matter in which they lay^ '* So far Scilla. By all which it appears. That thefe Shells were not formed in the Mud where they lay, but precedently in the Sea; and were, by extraordinary Tides or Inun- dations of the Sea, thrown up together with the Mud ; which elfe would noc have had thofe Effe<5ts upon them.
A s for what may be objcded out of Sir '^ohn Narborough' sY oy ^%Q ; ' That the Hills ' round about Port S. Julian^ are full of ' Beds of great Oyfter-lliells, which could ^ not come {^faith he) from the Sea or Flood, ' becaufe there is no fuch ShelUFifli in * thofe Seas or Shores. " I anfwer^ That there might be fuch in the Seas thereabout^ although it was not Sir Johri's Hap to meet with them, or elfe they might be brought^ by tempeftuous Wind, from a great way off, as were thofe Shells brought into Calabria^ which we have before mentioned out of Ago-^ ft'mo Scilla.
Sol have finiihed what I have to ailed ge, in Defence of the latter Part, That thefe for- med Stones were fometimes the real Shells or Bones of Filhes, I mean the figured Part of them.
I PROCEED now to fet down^ what may be objected againft this Opinion^ of offered in Affcrtion. of the contrary, -d/s. That thefe Bodies are Pirimitive Produ<?iions of Na-
L ture.
146 Confeqtiences of
tiire, in Imitation of the Shells and Bones of Fiihes.
Against the former Opinion we have been pleading for, it may be obie6:ed. That there follow fuch flrange and feemingly ab- furd Confequences froni it, as are hardly re- concilcable to Scripture, ov indeed to fober Reafon* As,
Firft^ That the Waters muft have covered the whole Earth, even the higheft Moun- tains, and that for a long time, there being found of thefe Shells, not only in the molt mountainous Parts of our Country, but in the higheft Mountains in Europe^ the Affen- nine and Alfs thcmfelves, and that not only fcattered, but amafled in great Lumps, and lying thick in Beds of Sand, as we have be- fore Ihcwn. Now, this could hardly be the Effcd of a fliort Deluge, which if it had carried any Shell-Filli fo high, would in all Likehhood have fcattered them very thin. Thefe Beds and Lumps of them neceffarily inferring, that they muft have bred there, which is a Work of Time. Whereas the general Deluge, from the Beginning to the End, lafted but ten Months and thirteen Days : That is, from the fevcnteenth Day of the fecond Month of the fix hundredth Year of Noah's Life, when the forty Days Rain began, till the firft Day of the h'rft Month of the iix hundred and firft Year thereof, when the Waters were dried up from oif the Earth.
Neither
the Deluge. 147
l^cithcr is it Icfs repugnant to Rcafon than Scripture ; for if the Waters ftood fo high ai)ove the Earth, for fo long a time, they muft, by reafon of their Confluence, be raifed' as high above the Sea too. But what is now ' become of this huge Mafs of Waters, equal to fix or feven Oceans ,• nay, to twenty or more ? May not the Stoicks here fct in, and help us out at a dead Lift ? The Sun and Moon, fay they, might pofifibly fup it all up. Yea, but we cannot allow Time enough for that \ for according to the modcra^te Draughts they take now-a- days, one Ocean would fuf- fice to water them many Ages, unlefs per- chance, when they were young and hot, they might need more Drink. But to be ferious, I have no Way to anfwer this Obje(^ion, but by denying that there are any Beds or great Lumps and MalTes of thefe formed Stones to be found near the Tops of the y^/j?/, or other high Mountains ; but yet there might be fome particular Shells fcattered there by the general Deluge. Unlefs we Ihould fay, that thofe Mountains, where fuch Shells are found, were anciently depreffed Places, and after- ward raifed up by Earthquakes, or fubterra-r- neous Fires. Another thing there is as diffi- cult to give an Account of, as of the Shells getting up to the Tops of Mountains ,• that is, of thofe feveral Beds or Floors of Earth and Sand, frc, one above another, which are obferved in broken Mountains : For one ' L % can-
148 Confequences of
cannot cafily imagine, whence thefe Floors or Beds, in the Manner o^ firata fiiper Jlrata (as the Chymifts fpeak) fliould come, but from the Sediments of great Floods, which how or whence they could bring fo great a Quantity of Earth down, when there was but little Land above the Sea, I cannot fee. And one would likewife be apt to think, that fuch a Bed of Sands, with plenty of Cockle- Shells intermixt, as we mentioned before in the Mountain near Bononia in Ital% muft have been fometimes the Bottom of the Sea. But before 6ne can give a right Judgment of thefe Things, one muft view the Mountains where fuch Layers and Beds of Earth and Shells are found -, for perchance they may not be elevated fo high above the prefent Surface of the Sea, as one would judge by the Defoi-iptions of them. '7~/> true (fays my worthy Friend Dr. Tancrsd Robinfon) that fo?ne Shells might have been fcatter'd up and down the Earth by Incajnpjfients of Ar- mies^ by the Inhabitants of Cities and Towns^ whereof there are now no Reinaifis. Monfie'ur Loubere, the late French Envoy to Siam, af- firjns^ That the Monleys and Afes^ at the Cape of Good Hope, are almoji continually carrying Shells and other Marine Bodies from the Sea-Side up to the Mountains j yet this will mtfohe the Matter^ nor give a?iy fat is factory Account^ why thefe perfect Shells ^are difpers d !tp and down the Earthy in nil Climates and
Regions^
*^ the Deluge, 145^
Region^^ in the deep Bowels of vajl Moun- tains^ where they lie as regularly in Beds^ as they do at the Bottom of the Sea, This to me, I confcfs, is at prefent unaccountable.
Secondly^ It would hence follow. That many Species of Shell-Fiih are loft out of the World, which Philofophers hitherto have been unwilling to admit, efteeming the De- ftru(ftion of any one Species a difmembring of the Univerfe, and rendring it imperfc<St i whereas they think the Divine Providence is efpecially concerned to fecure and preferve the Works of the Creation : And that it is fo, appears, in that it was fo careful to lodge all Land-Animals in the Ark at thje Time of the general Deluge. The Confequence is proved, in that,among thefe petrified Shells, there are many Sorts obferved, which are not at this Day, that we know of, any where to be found. Such are a whole Genus o^Cornua Ammonis^ which fome have fuppofed to be Nautili (to which indeed they are nearly a- kin, bur yet differ from them fo much^ that they ought to be accounted a diftind fubal- tern Genus^ as I Ihall fhew out of Dr. ?lot by and by) which there have not any been feen either caft afhore, or raked out of the Sea, at any time, that ever I heard of. Nay, my very learned and honoured Friend Dr. Lijier proceeds farther, and faith. That when he particularly .examined lomc of our EngliJJj Shores for Shells, and aifo the frelh
L 3 ' Waters
1 5*0 Confequences of
Waters and the Fields, that he did never meet with any one of thofe Species of SheMs found at Addcrton in Torljldre^ Wamford-B ridge in NorthamptonflAre^ and about Gtmthorp and Beavoir-Caftle^ &c. any where elfe, but in. their refpe(^ive Quarries. What can we fay •to this ? Why, it is pofTible that many Sorts of Shell-Fiih may be lodged fo deep in the Seas^ or on Rocks fo remote from the Shores, that they may never come to our Sight.
Thirdly^ It follows alfo, that there have been Shell-Filli in thefe cold Northern Seas, of greater Bulk and Dimenfions than any .ndw^ living ^ I do not fay in thefe, but in the moft Southernly and Indian ^ viz. Cornua Avt^ inonis^ of two Foot Diameter, and oi. Thick- nefs anfwerable. ^ - ■'* r.-\ J
To this I anfwer. That there are no pe- trified Shells that do in Bignefs much exceed thofe of the natural Shell-Fiili found in our Seas, fave the Cornua Aminonis only, which I fufpe6t to have never been, nor had any Relation to any Shells of Fiflies ; or to imi- tate or refemble them, at leaft fome of them. Againft this Alfertion it may be objeded. That there are found in England many Pe5(i^ nius bigger than any Shell-Fifli of that Kind which our Seas now afford. And that there are no Nautili^ or other teftaceous Fiflies with us, comparable in Bignefs to that NaU' tflus Stone of twenty eight Pound found by Mr. Waller at KeinJJoajn. To which I an- fwer.
the Deluge, 1 91
Tvvcr, That there may be Siiell-Fiili in our Seas, that do not at all, or very feldom ap- pear, greater than we are aware of. I my- fclf, in Company with Mr. Wilhighby^ in the Strciglit between the Ifle and Calf of Man^ took up among the tall Fuel growing thick upon the Rocks there, two or tjiree of thofe large Echini Marifii^ or Sea-Urchins^ as big as a Man's twoFifts, the Shells whereof we ne- ver found caft up upon the Shores of England^ nor ever heard that any Man clfe did. So that I queflion not, but there are lodged a- mong the Rocks, and in the deeper Places of the Sea, remote from the Shores, many different Sorts of Shell-Fifh, and excelling in Magnitude thofe that arc commonly found or known. And like enough it is, that af- ter the Flood there were many Places de- ferted, and thrown up by the Sea, and be- come dry Land, which had been Sea before ; which muft needs be replete with thcfe Bo- dies. As for the Nautili^ diey are much different from thefe Cornua Anwionis : For the Nautili^ at leaft all the Species of them known to us, are (as Dr. Flot well obfcrves) extravagantly broad at the Mouth, and have not more than two other fmall Turns at the moft, whereas the Turns of the Ophiomor- phites are proportionable one to another ; and in Number many times four or five, and fometimes4ix, if we may hQlicvc Aldro'vand, And there arc Nautili Lnpidci^ which do as
L 4 nearly-
1^2, Confequences of
nearly refcmble the Nautilus Shells, as any other Cochlites do their refpedive Proto- types, as Mr. Lhzvyd affures me he had ob- ferved many in Mufeu?ns, And the learned and ingenious Mr. Richard Waller^ then Se- cretary to the Royal Society^ in a Letter to me dated Febr, 4. — 87. writes, That he had been lately at Keinjha?n in Somerfetjloire^ and making a Search after the Cornua Avtmonis^ found one of the true Nautilus Shape, cover- ed in fome Places with a flielly Incruftation, with the Diaphragms to be feen to the Cen- ter of the Volut(£^ and in each Diaphragm, the Hole by which they communicate one with another, by a String or Gut in the Filh. This was of a very hard Stone and large Size, weighing at leaft twenty eight Pound, though fome part was broken off. Another Argument that they have no Relation to the common Nautili^ is, that they break into Pieces fomewhat refembling Vertebres, as 1 was fir ft advifed by the fore-remembred Mr. Lhzvyd^ and have fince noted myfelf. I aifo received from that very ingenious and in- quifitive Gentleman, happy in making natu- ^ ral Difcoveries, Mr. William CM of Bnftol^ fuch an Account of a Sort or two of thefe Ophiomorphous Bodies, as is enough to ftagger ' any Man's Belief, if not utterly to overthrow his Opinion of their owing their Original to any Sea Shell, which take in his AVords : A- incng others of this Kind of Bodies which I
ha'Ve
the Deluge. 1^3
haiie obfernjed^ I jJoall inftance in onc^ Mich can be reduced to none but the Ophiomor- phites, which I found growing between the thin Platey of a ki?2d of brittle blue Slate in large Rocks^ fome a Furlong within the full Sea-Mark J and in fame where the Water comes not at higheft Tides^ only in great Stor?nr^ when the JVa'ves break ^ it is dafjo'd fo??tetimes againfi them^ being forced up by the Winds ; which being broken with a convenmn Tool^ will flji'ver all into 'very thin Plates ; between which I have found in abundance ofthofe Stones ^ but as brittle as the Slate in which they- grew^ and of the fame Confiftence i but fo rhin^ that the broadefl^ being about four Inches^ a^-e riot fo thick as a Half-Crown Piece^ fovie not half an Inch broad^ were as thin as a Groat ^ and fo froportionably up to the largeft^ covered with a Superficies as thin^ and exactly of the Colour of Silver-pil : And where the Sea-water waJJj^ eth them^ and they are expofed to the Sun and Wind when the Tide is gone^ they are tarniflj- edj and appear of a Gold^ Purple^ Blue and Red', as any thing on which Silver-foil islaid^ being expofed a confiderable time to the Sun^ Wind^ and Weather^ will do, Thefe have the fame Spiral Figures^ and as regular as the o- ther Serpent-Stones^ and being taken off with a Knife ^ leave the fame ImpreJJions on both Sides of the Slate,
In fome fuch Rocks of Slate ^ but ?nuch har- der^ I found fome of thofe Stones of another
Kind^
I ^ 4 Confequences of
Kind^ thid in Proportion to their Breadth^ from an Inch to twenty eight Inches broad ^ the broadeft one war at the great End {on which foine Authors have fabuloufly reported the Head to grow) fix Inches thick ; all of them covered over with a white Scale ^ which will be taken off^ one Coat under another^ as Pearls^ or the Shells of fome Fifloes. I faw fome Imprejflons as big as the Fore-Wheel of a Chariot^ &c. What fliall we fay to this ? Were there ever any Shell-Fifh in ours, or other SeaSj as broad as a Coach-Wheel ? o- thers as thin as a Groat ? What is become of all this kind of Ophioinorphite Shell-Fifli ? And yet (which is ftrange) both thefe Kinds, by Mr. Cole's Defcription, feem to have been covered with Shells.
By what I have faid concerning thefe 0- phiofnorphous Stones not to have been Nau- tili^ I would not be thought to reflcd upon, or detradt from the Veracity or Exadnefs of the Obfervations of Dr. Robert Hook^ whom for his Learning and deep Infight into the Myfteries of Nature, I defervedly honour. I queftion not, but he found in the KeinJJjam Ophiomorphites^ perfe6: Diaphragms of a ve- ry diftind Subftance from that which filled the Cavities, and exadly of that kind which covered the Outfide, being for the moft part whitilh, or Mother of Pearl coloured. Mr. Waller fore-mentioned, attefts the fame, writing in his Letter to Qie of Ff^r. 4. 1687.
that
the Deluge. l^^
that in the ordinary Snake-Stones tliere, the •flieliy Diaphragms were very viiiilDle. In tliis refpctfl they do rcfemble Nautili i though for their Figure they are much ditferenr, and of a diftind Genm. I never broke any of the Keinfiam Stones, but of thofe found about JVhitby in Torljhire manyj but could not obfcrve in them any Shell-like Diaphragms, only they broke into fuch Pieces as I men- tioned before. And my dear and much ho- noured Friend, Dr. Tancred Robinfon^ writes me, That he had broken feveral Cornua Am- rnonif^ but could never find any Diaphragms or Valves in them, though he confelfeth Mr. Woodward fliew'd him one with fuch, in bis curious Colle(ftion of Petrifadions. So that thefe Diaphragms are not to be found in all the Sorts of them. But if they be found in fome, it is a ftrong Prefumption, that they were at firft in all, however they came to difappear.
Upon farther Confideration, I find Rea- fon to agree with Dr. Hoo'k^ and other Natu- ralifts, That thefe Cornua Ammonis are of the fame Genm with Nautili^ and differ only in Species. But yet thefe Species are fubaltern Genera^ each having divers Species under it.
In fine, thefq Ophiomorphom Stones do more puzzle and confound me, than any other of the formed Stones whatfoever, be- caufe, by Dr. Hook's Defcription of thofe of Keinjham, they feem to have been, or to
owe
1^6 Confequences of
owe their Original to Shells ^ and yet there is nothing like them appears at this Day in our or any other Seas^ as far as I have Teen, heard, or read.
T o this may be anfwered, as Scilla doth to the like Objedion againft the Maltefe Shells, &c. ' And whereas it is objeded, ,' (faith he) that great Quantities of Shells ^ are found in Malta which are foreign to ^ thofe Seas, that is of no Force, fince it is ^ well known, that every Eafterly arid South- ^ Eafterly Wind throws whole Beds of beau- ^ tiful Shells upon the Calabrian Coaft, none ^ of which Kind of Shell-Fifh are taken by * Fifliermen in thofe Seas. " The fameAn- fwer he returns to the Objedion of the Echini Spatagi^ being very rarely feen about Malta^ and yet that great Numbers of the Shells of that Species of Echinita have been found there, 'viz. That he himfelf, in lefs than an Hour's time, hath taken them up by hun- dreds in the Port of MeJJina^ where that fort -of Shell-Filh is as rarely to be found as at Malta,
In like manner, thefe Cornm Avitnonis^ though altogether Strangers to our Seas, might as well be brought higher by Force of Winds or Strefs of Weat^fier, much more than by the general Deluge, in which the Fountains of the great Deep were broken up. Efpecially if we confider, that feveral Eaji-India Fruits have been brought over the
vaft
the Deluge, 1^7
vaft Ocean, and caft upon the Weftern Illands o^ Scotland,
Thirdly, A fecond Argument to prove thefe formed Stones never to have been- Shells, Dr.* Plot affords us, ' Becaufe that e- * Bifi.- ' venthofe Shells, which fo exactly reprefent ^'^^' ^^f' ' fome forts of Shell- Fifh, that there can be no * ' Exception upon the account of Figure, but
* that they might formerly have been Shells ' indeed, at fome Places are found only with
* one Shell and not the other. Thus in'Cowky ' Conimofi [in OxfordJJoire] we meet only with ' the gibbous^ nofthe flat Shell of the petri- ' fied Oyfier, and fo of the Efcallop-Stones in
* the Quarries near Shotaver^ which if they
* had once been the Shells oiOyfters and Efcal- ' lops, had fcarce been thus parted." To this I anfwer. That this Argument is not necef- farily conclufxve, becaufe there may poCS- bly be fome reafon of it, though we know it not, nor can ealiiy imagine any. The like Anfwer may be returned to his next Argument.
Thirdly, ^ Becaufe (faith the Doctor) I
* can by no means fatisfy myfelf, how it ' fhouid conie to pafs, that in cafe thefe Bo- ' dies had once been moulded in Shells,
* fome of the fame Kind Ihouid be found in ' Beds, as the Conchites at Langley, Charl-
* ton, Adderbury^ and others fcattered, as at ' Glypton^ and Teynton, and fo the Oftra- ' cites at Shotover and Cowhy. Nor how it
' ihouid
1^8 Consequences of
* ffiould ^^ out, ' that fome of thefe B'l* ' 'vahes ihould always be found with their ^ Shells feparate, as the Oftracites and Pe-f
* ^fines : And others always clofed toge- ^ ther, as the Comhites in all Places I have ^ yet feen.
Fourthly^ ^ Becaufe many of thefe formed
* Stones feem now to be in ficri^ (which
* is the Doctor's next Argument) as the
* Selenites at Shoto-ver and Hampton-gay ^ the
* Conchites of Gly?npton and Cornwall^ ma-
* ny of which were of a perfect Clay, and
* others of Stone, 6'c." ' As for the Sele- nitef^ I grant them to have been in fieri ^ becaufe they are formed after the manner of Salts by Shooting or Cryftallization i but concerning the Clay Cockles, I fay with the Civilians, ampUandim. Since the pub- lifliing of this Treatife, happening to read Dr. Nicol. Steno's Difcourfe concerning thefc Bodies, in his Defcription of a Shark's Heady I met with a very plaufible Solution of this Argument or Objection. Firfl^ he gives ustheHiftoryof thefe Bodies, or his Obfer- vations concerning them,- of which thefe following are two : i.That in Argilla^ which fome Englijh^ F otters Earthy and we may ren- der a fat Clay, he had taken Notice that there were Plenty of them on the Superficies of the Earth, but within the Earth but a few. 2. That in the (dme Argilla^ the deeper you defcend downward, the more tender thofe
Bodies
the Deluge. i^p
Bodies arc, fo that fomc of them at any the leaft Touch fall into Powder : And they alfo that were on the Supcrficier^ almoft all of them were without much ado reduced into a white Powder. Now (faith he) feeing in fuch kind of Earth, by how much deeper thofe Bodies lie, by fo much the fofter they are, and do lefs bear the Touch, the Earth is fo far from producing them, that it doth ra- ther dellroy them. Neither is there any reafon to think, that they are therefore foft- er, becaufe they are not yet arrived at their Perfedion, or come to Maturity : For thofe Things that are foft upon that account, while they are in generating, have their Parts uni- ted to one another, as it were by akindof Glue (as is feen in the tender Shells of Pine-Nuts or Almonds) but thefe Bodies, being depri- ved and deftitute of all Glue, eafily moulder toDuft. Nor is it any Objection againft our Opinion, that on the Surface of the Earth their Number feems to increafe,for that is ow- ing to Rains walhing away the intermediate Earth i but rather their Confidence when they are on the ^wj)^r^c/>j-, being tender and eafily crumbled into Duft, doth demonflrate, that their Deftrudtion, begun in the Earth, was in- terrupted by the Intervention of the Rain. But to give thefe Arguments their Due, tho' they be not demonftrative Proofs, yet they inferr a great Degree of Probability, and Ihrcwdly urge and ihakc the contrary Opinion.
The
l6o Confeqtiences of
The other Arguments the Dodor al- ledgcs, admit a plaulible Solution, excepting fuch as we have already touched, and given as ' good an Anfwer to, as either the Matter v^^ill admit, or we were able to give. --To the firft, That there are found Stones rcfcmbling Shell-Fiili that flick to Rocks : I anfwer, That many of them might, by Acci- dent, be rubb'd off the Rocks they ftick to, or thruft off by Birds inlinuating their Bills between the Shell and Rock, to feed upon their Meat j but by what means foever it be, that they are fometimes broken off, the Mat- ter of Fad is certain j for we find many Pa^ telU call upon the Shores by the working of the Sea ; Why then might they not be brought up by the Flood ?
T o the fecond. Why might not the Bones of Whales, Sea-Horles, all fquamofe Fifhes, the great Shells of the Buccina^ Mimces^ Con^ ch^ Vener'n^ and Solenes^ and almoft all the cruftaccous kind, as Crabf and Lobftery^ &c* as well have been brought up and left be- hind by the Flood, and afterward petrified^ as any of the teflaceous kind? 1 anfwer^ Of the great B//cdM, Mur ices and Concha Vene-^' riSj there are very few or none found in our Seas : It may be there are of them in the Mountains and Quarries of the Indies^ were any Man fo curious as'to fearch them out : Though it's likely but few, becaufe being great Things^ eafy to be i'ctn^ and that Part
of
the Deluge. i6l
of the World having been fully peopled foon after the Flood, their Beauty might invite the Inhabitants to fearch them out, and ga- ther them up. But, Secondly^ Thofe other Kinds may poffibly be lefs durable, and more apt to be wrought upon, to moulder, decay, and be dilTolvcd in time by the Weather, Rains and Moifture of the Earth, or were not fo fufceptive of petrifying Juices.
The Third Argument is already anfwered in the precedent Difcourfe.
T o the Fourth Argument, as to what con- cerns the Selemter^ Aftrohes and Belemnitef^ we have anfwered already. That the Spe- cies of BrontU cannot be the petrified Shells of Echini Spatagi^ the Arguments the Dodor alledges out of Ariftotle and Rondeletim do not evince. For though in fome Seas they may be Trsxiyoi kcu ffTxmi, yet in others are they plentiful enough. In our own Seas, at Llandwyn in the Ijle of Anglefey^ we may reafonably conje(5ture, they are more plen- tiful than the common Echini any where with us J becaufe we found more of their Shells caft up there on the Shore, than of the Echini in any Shore about England: Nay, fo common are they there, tfaat even the Vul- gar have taken Notice of them, and impofed a Name upon them, calling them Mermaids Headf. And tho' their Briftles or Prickles were but fmall, yet were they not few or thin fet, as Rondeletim faith.
M How
l6z Cojtfequences of
Ho w the Snake-Stones about Huntly^Nab in Whitlrj in Torljhire came to be included in Globular or Lenticular Stones, is not dif- ficult to make out j for the Cliffs thereabout being Allom-Stone or Mine, wherein thefe Snake-Stones lie, the Sea in Spring-Tides and tempeftuous Weather undermines and throws down Part of the Shore or Cliffs, which by the Fall break in Pieces, and the Ophiomorfhoiis Ston^e being harder than the reft of the Cliff, is broken off from it by the Fall, or its Volutation in the Sea afterward, with Tome Part of the Cliff or Allom-Stone flicking to each Side of it where it is concave, and by reafon of its Figure and Stritc^ cannot eafily part from it.
Laftl% To diffemble nothing, I have my- felf obferved fome Cockle-Stones to have feemingly different Impreflions or StrU up- on the fame Superficies i which Phenomenon it is very hard to give an Account of. I have alfo obferved a large Stone almoft as hard as Marble, that was fo marked every where throughout with the Impreilions of Cockles and their Stri^e^ fo crolling one another in every Part of it, that if it were nothing but Shells amaifed together by a ftony Cement, thofe Shells muftnave, before their Concre- tion, been broken into infinite fmall Pieces or Fragments, fcarce any remaining entire ; which I do not fee how any Floods, or Work- ing of the Sea, could poffibly ^&^,
So
the Deluge. \S^
Sol have finilhcd what I had to fay con- cerning this fuppofed Effed: of the Deluge^ the Bringing in of Shells, and Scattering them all over the dry Land. But yet I muft not difmifs this Particular, till I have faid fome- thing to an Objection that prefently occurrs to any one who confiders this Matter. The Waters of the Flood having been fupplied, partly by Rains, partly by the Breaking up of the Fountains of the great Deep, and not by an Irruption or Inundation of the Sea, how could any Sea-Shells at all be brought in by it ?
To this I anfwer. That the great Deep communicates with the Sea ; and the Waters rifing up out of the fubterraneous Abyfs, the Sea muft needs fucceed, elfe would there have been an empty Space left in the Middle of the Earth, fo that the Shell-Fiili might as well come in this Way from the Bottom of the Sea, as by an Inundation; In like manner, as the Fifli in the Lake of Carniola^ called the Zirchnitzer Sea^ do defcend annually under Ground through many great Holes in the Bot- tom, and return again by the fame Holes. To all this I might add, that into the Lands near the Skirts of the Sea, and lower .Hills, thefe Shells might in part be brought by particular Floods, of which many we read of, and more . poflibly than are recorded in any Hiftory, may have happened fince the general Deluge. Hence the chief Champions of the Opinion
Ma of
1 64 Confeqiiences of
of Mocl'Shelh are not difficult to grant, that in fome Countries, and particularly along the Shore of the Mediterranean-Sea^ there may all manner of Shells be found promifcuoufly included in the Rocks or Earth, and at good Diftances too from the Sea. Which are the Words of Dr. Lifter^ repeated and approved by Dr. Plot, But this will not ferve their Turn ', for we have before proved, that in the middle Part, and near the Center of our own Country, at a great Diftance from the Sea^ 'VIZ, in Oxfordjloire^ there are found not only Shell-like Stones, but real Shells, or Mock- Shells, (as fome efteem them) for figure. Co- lour, Weight, Confiftency, or any other Ac- cident, not to be diftinguillied from true Shells ; and that not fuch as have been acci- dentally Scattered there, but digg'd out of the Ground in Plenty, and of Fimes that are rarely found in our Seas : Patterns whereof were fent me by my ingenious Friend Mr. Lhzvyd^ who, I hope, will, e'er long, gratify the Curious, by publiihing a general Cata- logue of all the formed Stones found in Eng" landy and his Remarks upon them.
A N D I have likewife proved by good Au- thority, that beyond the Seas, in high Moun- tains, and many Leagues diftant from the Sea too, there have been Beds of real Shells. I might have added Sharh Teeth, or Glojfo^ petr^^ as both Goropius Becanus^ and Geor^ gius Agricola^ teftify i if not in Beds^ yet plen- tifully
the Dehige. i6^
tifully difpersM in the Earth. There are fe- veral Medical Hiftories extant (as Dr. Tancred Robi?2fon informs me) of perfect Shells found in Animal Bodies, in whofe Glands they were originally formed, which is a coniiderable Objection, not cafily to be removed.
Dk, Woodward^ and others, fuppofe thefe Shells, and other Bodies, to be difpofed and ranged in the Earth according to their fpeci- fick Gravity ; and for the folving or giving an Account of this fhdnovienon^ hath advan- ced a ftrange and bold Hypothefis,
'During the Time of the Deluge, (faith he) whilft the Water was out upon, and covered the terreftrial Globe, all the Stone and Marble of the Antediluvian Earth, all the Metals of it, all Mineral Con- cretions, and, in a word, all FofiTils what- foever, that had obtained any Solidity, were totally diflblved, and their conftiruent Corpufcles all disjoined, their Cohsefion perfedly ceafing. That the faid Corpufcles of thefe folid FoiTiIs, together with the Cor- pufcles of thofe which were not before fo- lid, fuch as Sand, Earth, and the like ,• as alio Animal Bodies, and Parts of Animal Bones, Teeth, Shells j Vegetables, and Parts of Vegetables, Trees, Shrubs, Herbs; and to be lliort, all Bodies whatfoever, that were either upon the Earth, or that confti- tuted the Mafs of it, if not quite down to the Abyfs, yet, at leaft, to the great'eft M 3 ! Depth
Confeqiiences of
Depth we ever dig : I fay, all thefe were alTumed up promifcuoully into the Water, and fuftained in it in fuch manner, that the Water and Bodies in it together, made up one common confufed Mafs. '' That, at length, all the Mafs that was thus borne up in the Water, was again pre- cipitated, and fubfided towards the Bot- tom : That this Subfidence happened ge- nerally, and as near as poflibly could be expeded in fo great a Confufion, according to the Laws of Gravity : That Matter, Bo- dy, or Bodies, which had the greateft Quan- tity, or Degree of Gravity, fubfiding firft in Order, and falling loweft : That which had the next, or a ftill leffer Degree of Gravity, fubfiding next after, and iettling upon the precedent, and fo on in their fe- veral Courfes : That which had the leaft Gravity not finking down till lall of all, fettling at the Surface of the Sediment, and covering all the reft : That the Matter fubfiding thus, formed the Strata of Stone, of Marble, of Cole, and the reft; of which Strata lying one upon another, the terre- ftrial Globe, or at leaft as much of it as is ever difplayed to View, doth mainly con- fift : The Strata being arranged in this Order, meerly by the Difparity of the Mat- ter of which they confifted, as to Gravity, and there being Bodies of quite dif- ferent Kinds^ Natures and Conftitutions,
' that
the Deluge. 16^-7
^ that are nearly of the fame fpecifick Gra-
* vity, it thence happened, that Bodies of ' quite different Kinds fubfided at the fame
* inftant, and fell together into, and compo-
* fed the fame Stratum : That, for this Rea-
* fon, the Shells of Cockles, Efcallops, Peri- ' winkles, and the reft, which have a greater ^ Degree of Gravity, were enclofed and
* lodged in the Strata of Stone, Marble, and ^ the heavier Kinds of terreftrial Matter ; the
* lighter Shells not finking down till after- ' wards, and fo falling among the lighter
* Matter, as Chalk, and the like, &c, " This being the Main of his Hypothejis; for the reft I referr to the Book.
I SHALL not at prefent examine it, but re- fpite that Task till the Publication of his lar- ger Work, wherein we exped it will be cbrl- firmed, and all Difficulties cleared up. I ihall only add, that we have fufficient Autho- rities to prove. That that Phanomenon^ for the folving whereof, I fufped he invented this Hypothefis^ ^iz. That thefe Bodies are arranged and lodged in the Beds, according to their fpecifick Gravity, is not generally true ; but that they are often mingled heavy with Light in the lame Bed or Stratum.
Reflecting upon the Length of this
Difcourfe concerning the Original of thefe
»^dies, I am fufpicious that the vulgar and
inconfiderate Reader will be ready to de-
M 4 mand.
1 68 Confequences of
mand, What needs all this ado ? To what purpofe fo many Words about fo trivial a Sub- je^i ? What Reference hath the Confideration of Shells and Bones ofFiJhes petrified to Divi' nity ? Wherefore I fliall, in a few Word^, fhew the great Importance of this Difquifi- tion, concerning formed Stones^ and the De- termination of their Original.
For, F/V/?, If we adhere to their Opinion, who hold them to have been original Pro- dudions of Nature, in imitation only of the Shells and Bones of Fillies -, we put a Wea- pon into the Atheijls Hands, affording Jiim a ftrong Argument, to prove, that even Ani- mals themfelves are cafual Produ(^ions, and not the Fffeds of Counfel or Defign. For, ? to what End are thefe Bodies curioufly figu-
red and adorned ? If for no other, but to exhibit fuch a Form, for the Ornament of the Univerfe, 'or to gratify the Curiofity of Man i thefe are biit general Ends : Whereas the Parts of every Species of Body are formed and fitted to the particular Ufes and Conve- niences of that Body. And if Nature would delineate or imprint Figures upon Bodies, only to be Spe^^lacles to Man, one would think it fhould not have made choice of thofe of the Shells and Bones of Fillies, but rather of fuch as were abfolutely new and different from any frequently feen, or belonging to Animals ; which ferve rather to amufe than delight him* Butj Secondly^ W^ find in tlie
the Deluge. l6p
Earth, not only Stones formed in Imitation of Shells, but real Shells, Teeth and Bones of Filhes, or Bodies fo like them, that they are not to be diftinguifhed by Figure, Tex- ture, Colour, Weight, or any other Acci- dent. Now, what greater Argument can the Atheift defire, to prove, that the Shells of Filhes were never defigned by any provident Efficient for their Defence, or their Bones for the fuftaining of their Bodies, but that the Fifli and Shell containing it, and the Bones fuftaining it, did cafually concurr j than that there, fhould be real Shells produced without any Fifli in them, and that in dry Places, where no Fifli evsr did or could breed, or indeed live, and real Filh-Bones, where there never was nor could be any Filh ?
D o T H it not then concern a Divine to be acquainted with this Objc(5tion againft the Bodies of Animals being the Hffe<5ts of Counfel and Defign, and provided with an Anfwer to it. For my part, 1 muft needs confefs, that this Argument weighs fo with me, whether from that innate Prolepfis my- felf, and I think moft other Men, have of the Prudence of Nature in all its Operations, or from mine own obferving that in all other things, it ads for Ends, that it is alone fuffi- cient to preponderate all the Arguments for the contrary Opinions, tho' 1 acknowledge them to be of great Force, and hard to be gijfwered i and to incline, or rather conftrain
me
I '70 Confequences of
me to allow, that thefe Bodies were either real Bones and Shells of Fiflies, or owe their Figure to them. I cannot (to ufe the Words of F. Columnd) prevail with myfelf to be- lieve, that Nature ever made Teeth without a Jaw, or Shells without an Animal Inhabi- tant, or {ingle Bones, no not in their own proper Element, much lefs in a ftrange one. "Who even of the Vulgar, beholding any confiderable Part of an Animal which he fees not the Ufe of, is not apt prefently to ask what it ferves for, as by that innate FrO' kpfis I mentioned before, prefuming it was not made in vain, but for fome End and Ufe. Suppofe any of us fliould find in the Earth the complete Skeleton of a Man, he muft be as credulous as the Atheift, if he could believe that it grew there of itfeif, and never had Relation to any Man's Body. Why then Ihould we think that the entire Shletons of Fifties, found fometimes in the Earth, had no other Original ? nor ever were any Part of living Fiflies.
Secondly^ If we choofe and embrace the contrary Opinion, 'viz. That thefe Bodies were the real Shells and Bones of Fifhes, or owe their Figures to them, we ftiall find that this alfo is urged with many and almoft in- fuperable Difficulties, the Principal of which I have already produced, and Ihall here omit, repeating only two that refcrr to Divinity.
I. These
the 'Deluge. 171
I". These Bodies being found difperfcd all over the Earth, they of the contrary Opi- nion demand how they come there ? If it be anfwered. That they were brought in by the general Deluge, in Contradiction there- to they argue thus : If thefe Stones were found fcattcred fmgly and indiflPerently all the Earth over, there might be indeed lome reafon to imagine that they were brought in by the Flood ; but being found in fome par- ticular Places only, either lying thick in great Beds of Sand and Gravel, or amaflfed toge- ther in huge Lumps, by a ftony Cement, fuch Beds muft in all Likelihood have been the Effect of thofe Animals breeding there • for a confiderable time j whereas the Flood continued upon the Earth but ten Months and thirteen Days, as I have before Ihewn j and yet there are found of thefe Bodies upon ve- ry high Mountains, not excepting the Af^ Pennine and Alps themfelves. Whence they conclude, that they were neither brought in by the Flood, nor bred during the Flood, but fome other way produced. For if they were the Shells of Fillies, or their Bones, the Water muft needs have covered the whole Earth, even the Mountains themfelves, for a much longer Time than is confiftent with the Scripture Hiftory of the Flood, and therefore we muft feek fome other Original of thefe Bodies.
If
172. Consequences of
If wc ftick to the Letter of the Scripture Hiftory of the Creation, that the Creation of Filhes fucceeded the Separation of Land and Sea, and that the fix Days wherein the World was created, were fix Natural Days, and no more ; it is very difficult to return a fatisfadory Anfwer to this Objedion : I fliali therefore only add a Conje(5ture of my own, and that is. That poflibly, at the firft Crea- tion, the whole Earth was not all at once uncovered, but only thofe Parts whereabout Aiam and the other Animals were created, and the reft gradually afterwards, perchance not in many Years ; during which time th:fe Shell-Filh might breed abundantly all the ^ ^ Sea over, the Bottom whereof being eleva- \ ted and made dry Land, the Beds of Shell-
Filh muft neceffarily be raifed together with it. This Conjetore hath no fufficient Ground ^ to fupport it, and therefore 1 do not infift
! upon it. But, truly, if it had, I fee not any
better Account could be given of all the ?hiC~ nomna of them, than from thence might.
2. It will hence follow, that many Spe- cies of Animals have been loft out of the World, which Philofophers and Divines are unwilling to admit, efteeming the Deftru- ftion of any one Specie! a Difmembring of the Univerfe, and rendring the World im- perfed -, whereas they think the Divine Pro- vidence is efpecially concerned, and folici- tous to fecure and preferve the Works of
the Deluge. 175
the Creation. And truly fo it is, as appears^ in that it was fo caretul to lodge all Land Animals in the Ark at the Time of the ge- neral Deluge j and in that, of all Animals re- corded in Natural Hiftories, we cannot fay that there hath been any one Species loft, no not of the moft infirm, and moft expofed to Injury and Ravine. Moreover, it is likely, that as there neither is nor can be any new Species of Animals produced, all proceeding from Seeds at firft created j fo Providence, without which one individual Sparrow falls not to the Ground, doth in that manner watch over all that are created, that an en- tire Species fhall not be loft gr deftroyed by any Accident. Now, I fay, if thefe Bodies were fometimes the Shells and Bones of Fiih, it will thence follow, that many Specief have been loft out of the World : As for Example, thofe Ophiomorfhom ones, whofe Shells are now called Corniia A/mnonif^ of which there are many Species, none where- of, at this Day, appear in our or other Seas, fo far as I have hitherto feen, heard or read. To which I have nothing to reply, but that there may be fome of them remaining fome where or other in the Seas, though as yet they have not come to my Knowledge. For though they may have periihed, or by fome Accident been deftroyed out of our Seas, yet the Race of them may be prcferved and con- tinued ftill in others. So though Wolves
and
174 Confequences of
and Bevers, which we are well afTured were fometimes native of England ^ have been here utterly deftroyed and extirpated out of this Eland, yet there remain Plenty of them ftill in other Countries.
By what hath been faid concerning the Nature and Original of Stones, I 'hope it may appear, that this is no idle and unnecef- fary Difcourfe, but very momentous and im- portant: And this Subje(5t, as mean as it feems, worthy the moft ferious Confidera- tion of Chriftian Philofophers and Divines > concerning which, though I have fpent ma- ny Thoughts, yet can I not fully fatisfy my- felf, much kls then am I likely to fatisfy o- thers.
But I promife myfelf and them more full Satisfaction fliortly, from the Labours of thofe who are more converfant and better acquainted with thefe Bodies than I, who have been more induftriousin fearching them out, and happy in difcovering them^ who have been more curious and diligent in con- (idering and comparing them, more critical and exad in obferving and noting their Na- ture, Texture, Figure, Parts, Places, Dif- ferences, and other Accidents, than myfelf, and particularly that learned and ingenious Perfon before remembred.
According to my Hope and Expedlation^' fince the Publifhing of this Work, my learned and ingenious Friend, Mr. Edward Lhwyd^
hath
the Deluge. 179
hath gratified the curious and inquifitive Na- turalifts, with the Edition of his excellent Lithophilacium Britannicmn^ or Claffical Di- ftribution of Stones and other Britijh Foflils, remarkable for their Angular Figure^ as ma- ny as either himfelf hath hitherto found out^ or received from Friends. To which he hath fubjoined feveral Epiftles relating to this Subjed ,• the laft of which, concerning the Original and Produ(5tion of thefe Bodies^ he hatli done me the Honour to infcribe to me ; which at my Requeft he hath tranflated into BngliJIj^ and enlarged with many Additions, which I fliall here give the Reader.
The Sixth LETTER:
Of the Origine of Marine Fojjils^ Shelby and Mineral Leaves^ &c.
To Mr. Ray.
Honoured Sir^
^ XT' O U are pleafed to ask, whether, af- ' jL ^^^ ^^^^ Years Obfervations, I have
* been at length able to fatisfy myfelf, as to ' the Origine of what we call Marine Fojjils^
* and thofe other Bodies no lefs furprizing, ' which (to diftinguilh them from other ' Plants) I have taken the Liberty to call ^ Mineral Leavesy viz. Whether I conclude,
' with
I'j6 Confequences of
with the general Opinion, that they have been repofited in the Places we find them^ at the univerfal Deluge, and fo prefervM to our Time ,• or that they are original Pro- du6:ions of Nature, there form'd from fome Plaftick Power of Salts, or other Minerals, which was the Conjedure of the late Dr. Flot "*", and other experienced Natura- lifts. To this I muft needs anfwer. That the frequent Obfervations I have made on fuch Bodies, have hitherto afforded little better Satisfadion, than repeated Occafions of Wonder and Amazement ; for as much as I have often (I may almoft fay continu- ally) experienc'd, that what one Day's Obfervations fuggefted, was the next cal- led in Queftion, if not totally contradi^- ed and overthrown. Ncverthelefs, fo in- defatigable is the Curioiity, and indeed fo fuccefsful have been the Difcoveries of this prefent Age, that we are daily encouraged to hope, this fo important a Queftion will not much longer want its final Determi- nation, to the great Advancement of that Kind of real Knowledge which relates to Minerals : A Part of Natural Hiftory which, you well know, hath been hitherto much more negkded, than that of Plants and Animals i only, as I prefume, becaufe thefc Bodies are h(s obvious to our View, '* and much moreabftrufe and unaccountable as to their Origine. I therefore, at fpare ^ I Hours,
the Deiuge. t
Hours, continue to improve my Collediion, in regard it may be hoped, that from an accurate Infped:ion of it, fome others here- after may frame feveral , ufeful Inductions,' which I myfelf never had the leaft Thoughts of. And in the mean time, becaufe the Communicating to our Friends^ what car- ries but fome Shadow of Probability, does often contribute fomewhat towards the fpeedier Difcovery of the Truth, I fliali here fubmit to your Examination, a Con- jed:ure relating to the Origine of thefe Bo- dies, which I know not whether any other have as yet thought of:- But in regard it is neceffary, that before any new Opinion be propofed, Reafons be otfer'd againft thofe already received, give me leave here to lay before you fome Objedions againft both the above-mentioned Accounts of the Ori--' gine of thefe Bodies. To begin, thereforCj' with that which referrs all thefe Marine Foflfils and Mineral Leaves, Stalks, and Branches^ &c, to the Deluge, I have fe- vepal Reafons to offer againft it, whereof (becaufe I w"ould not prefume too much on your Tinle and Patience) I Ihall at pre- fent only propofe thefe few : *^ Firji^ Therefore, as to the Marine Fof- fils, had thefe Bodies been Spoils of the Sea, brought on the dry Land by art Inun- dation, they would (for the Generality of them at Icaft) either have been left on the
N ■ ^ Sur-^
•178
Confequences of
Surface of the Earth, or have been lodg'd at no very great Depth under it ; but I have found them buried (or inclosM) with- in folid Marble on the Tace of broken Sea Cliffs, of the Heidit of 200 Fathoms and more, from the Tops thereof to the Bot- tom, and obferv'd them to be fo continu'd under the Sea - Water ; nor was that only upon the Face of thefe Rocks, but even, more Or lefs, throughout the whole Mafs of them. And this is manifeft from divers Rocks hewn down by Workmen for making of Lime, and other Pieces cafually fallen from the Cliffs in the Ifle of Caldey^ and elfe where about Tenby in Pembrole^ jhire j as alio in feveral other Rocks and Mountains that coniift of fuch Baftard Mar- ble, or Lime-ftone, throughout Walea^ Ire- land^ and Other Countries. Now, altho' we fliould grant, that at the Time of the Deluge thefe Rocks were no other than Clay or Earth -, and that, therefore, Sea- Shells, Corals, and other Marine Bodies, might by the Violence of the Inundation have been lodg'd therein ,• and that in Tra«5t of Time, this fuppos'd Clay or Earth con- folidated into Lime-ftone : I fay, though we Hiould grant all this, yet I cannot per- ceive by what Force fuch Bodies could be funk into Clay or Earth to fo great a Depth. If indeed thefe Bodies conftituted one con- l tinued Mafs, fo as that one iliould bear
' hard
the Deluge. 17^?
hard on the other, fomcthing perhaps might be rcply*d ; but the Matter is clear- ly othcrwiie, for they are fcnrid. fo con- hifedly difpcrs'd throughout the Mai's of Lime-ftone, fometimes at the Diftance (for Example) of three Foot from each others j fometimes two, fometimes within half an Inch, and not feldom two or three or more of them contiguous.
' ,Secondly^ Such Marine FoJJib have been obferv'd on the Sides or Walls within our Lime-ftone Caves, and are even fometimes found fticking to the Roofs of them ^ for I have gather'd Cuthbert-Beadsj or Entrochi^ which arc Vertebrae of Sea-Stars, from the Roof .of a Cave call'd Lhygad Lhychwr^ near KerrigKennen Caftle, in the County oi Ca'^rmarthen ; and on the Sides (as well as Bottom) of a noted Cave, calfd Porth- Gogo at Tflrad-Velhte in Erecbiockfiire^ I have obferv'd feveral Remains of Cockles^ half worn by the Swift Current of the Ri- ver Melhte which runs through this Cave, and poliOies its Lime-ftone. Now, al- though I can readily grant, that the Deluge might have caft Marine Bodies into thefe and any other Caves, yet can I not allow that it could ever fallen them to their po- lite Roofs and Sides j and that they fhould be funk fo deep from the Top, is the Dif- ficulty of the former Obje(^ion. To this I m^^ be added, that fuch Lime-ftone Caves
N 2 ■ ' are
i8o
Confeqiiences of
are for the moft part (as it were) wain- footed with a ftony Cruft of Stalagmites, which is of no very old Date, but owing to the continued Dropping or Diftillation of the Caves, in which if any Marine-like Bodies are found, as I can affure you the Entrochi "^ are, I leave it to yourfelf, and o- ther unprejudiced Obfervers, to confider of their Origine.
^ Thirdly, The third Reafon for my que- ftionifig whether all thefe Things be the Effe^s of the Deluge, is, for that the Bones, Horns and Hoofs of Land-Animals, arc very feldom, i^ at all, found inclos'd in fo- lid Marble, or other Stone -, whereas fee- ing all periilied in the Deluge, the Spoils of the Land might be expe«^ed (in Propor- tion) as well as thofe of the Sea. Fourthly, ' Some Foflil-Shells are entirely compos'd of a Spar or Cryftal, infomuch that there is no l3iftin«5lion of a containing and contain'd Matter, but only a Cryftal- line Body, of the Figure of a Shell, as is by Stem himfelf acknowledg'd j and as may be feen in mine, and other Cabinets of Form'd Stones. How fo great a Change fliould happen to Sea-Shells, and yet their Shape or outward Form not violated, feems to me too difficult to explain. The like may be faid of the FoiTil Fiih-Teeth, for thefe are not always of the fame Matter, " ^ ^ ' # ' as
the Deluge . l8i
as may be obferv'd froQi divers Specimens in my Collccftion.
Fifthly^ ' Living Animals arc fometimcs found in thefe Foflfil-Shells -, for in M/p fo7is Travels to Italy ^ we read of a Lobfter found alive in the midft of a Marble near Tivoli "^ ; and the late Defcription of Orlney^ &c. gives us the like Account of Cockles f. Moreover, as I am' credibly informed, fome Workmen very lately dig- ging for the Foundation of a Building, near the Town of Mold in FlmtJIoire^ met with feveral Mufcles at about three Foot Depth in the Gravel, which had living Filli in them. Now as it would be abfurd to imagine thefe Animals could live fmce the Flood, fo neither can we fuppofe that fuch Creatures being left there by the Deluge, fliould propagate their Kind ever fmce ; for in this cafe, there muft have been left in that Place a Heap of their Shells. ' Sixthly^ Had thefe Marine Bodies been repofited in the Earth at the univerfal De^ luge, fuch of them as adhere to each others, nay all of the fmie Pits or Quarries, un^ ^ lefs their Beds be of a different Matter,
* MiffonV Nero Voyage to Italy, Vol 2. />. 44. Engl. Edit.
'\- A Gemlirnan in the ra'rijb t»/ Dunrefnefs ;w Zetland, told cne of the Miniflen of this Coumry^ that about five 7eArs f.nce, a Plough in this Parijh did cafi up frejl) Cockles, though the Place Tchere the Plough was going was three quarters of a Mils from the Sea, rvbich Cockles the Gemleman faw made ready a'dd eaten* BrandVi?<f/fr//)M?/' Orkney, Zetland, ^c, p. 115.
N 3 I mull
l8i' Confeqiwnccs of
' muft ncceflarily have undergone the fame
^ Change i whereas^'^^/zo acknowledges, that
' he has found Teft^ceous Shells, adhering
A^sun. ' to one perfectly Cryftallincf : And I have
p;o^.;. c j;i-jyfe[f often gathcrM fome Cryflalline Spe-
* cimens, and others Teftaceoiis of the fame ' Sort of Shell, in the fame Quarry, and in ' the fame Stratum or Layer.
' Seventhly , The immenfe Quantity we ^ have of Marine Foffils, feerns no ways to • ^ plead for the Origine from the Deluge : ' For we may obfcrve many thoufands of ^ great Stones, and even broken Pieces of ' Lime-ftonc Rocks throughout Wales^ and
* the North of England^ almoft wholly com- ' pos'd of thofe Vcrtebr^e^ or broken Pieces ' of the Radii of Sea-Stars, which are com-
* monly calfd Fairy-Stoney, and Cuthbert- ' Beadsj whereas 'tis very rare to find on
* our Shores, three broken Radii^ or Frag- ' ments of any Sort of Sea-Stars clofe toge-
* ther. Likewife one Ihall rarely find in the ' fame Place, two ^lingle Teeth of any FiHl '^ on all our Goafts j whereas thoufands of '■ thcfe Foifil Teeth, exadly anfwering thofe ' of divers Sorts of Sca-FiHi, have been of '' late Years found in Quarries and Gravel- ' Pits about Oxford ; nor is their Quantity at ^ all diminillied upon breaking new Ground.
^ Eighthly^ Some of thefe Marine Foilils ^ are \io other than as it were Shadovi^s or ,: fuDcrficial Reprefcntations of Sea Bodies :
' Nor
the Deluge. 1 83
Nor do they feem to have much more of the Matter or Confiftence of thofe Bodies they moftly refemblc, than a Picture hath of the Perfon or Thing it rcprefents. And of this Kind is Dr. Lifter's Pe^finites Mevi* branaceus out of Cole-pits ; "^ The Mod- * yipper^d. plaice^ or Buglojja curta ftrigofa oi Caer^t^^im. marthenjlme^ and f the I/lebian Fiili -Stones ^wg/.^ in Gennany^ of which Olaus Wormhis gives ^""'p^f/ us this following Account. In the Illebian ai'u Slat (faith he) are f ecu fometmes a fmall,^.^ T>uft of the Golden Pyrites, which reprefents Brh!p. variouy Figures of Ani?nals, I ha-ve a large 9^- T^^- Piece of, this Stone ^ which fo lively expreffes ^^* ^' ^' all the Lineatnentr of a Barbel /;; golden Colour^ that the Scales^ the Fim^ the Tail^ the Head^ dec, could not pojffibly^ by any Ar^ tifty be ever better painted. "The Bodies of thefe FiJJj are not converted into Pyrites ; fo that we have but juji the outward Linea^ inents of the?n, and not the leaft hnprejfian left of any Bones ^ or other Parts. We find ourfelves therefore obliged to confefs^ tha\ , Nature referves many things from our Know-'' ledge y the true Reajons whereof no Man will ever fo far di [cover ^ as to be enabled to ren- der us a due Account of them. Now as thefe Reprefentations are neither Animals them- feives, nor the Exuviae of Animals, fo nei- ther can they be their Imprefifions, foraf- much as thefe Lineaments aix prominent, not imprefs'd ; And as for the Imprefifioqi N 4 ^they
J 84 Consequences of
* they make on one Side in the incumbent ^ Stone, or other Matter, it feems not fatif- ^ fadory, becaufe I cannot well conceive ^ hovv all the Vertebra of a Fifh, whereof ^ many are frequently found in our Midland f Quarries and Gravel-pits, lliould here be
* totally confum'd, and the Surface only of
* one Side be converted into this Pyritey^ or i Marchafite,
' Ninthly J Another Obftacle of my AlTent ^ to their being all of Diluvian Origine, is ^ the vaft Number of unknown Marine Fof- ^ fils, fo commonly met with throughout ^ moft Counties of England; fuch as we
* have nothing like, neither in our Sea
* Shores, nor rak'd by Dredges out of the
* Bottom of the Sea, by the Oyfter Fifhermcn, ^ and others who have been employed by cu-
* rious Perfons on fet Purpofe. I have in my
* Colle(5tion above forty different Species of
* the Foffil Nautili^ or thofe Shell-Stones, a
* great many Sorts whereof are commonly iv. Ink « caird Cor?2im Ammonis "^ -, and have obferv'd ^r.n.K,. c pieni;y of mpft of thefe Species (broken or
' whole) in the Fields, Quarries, and Clay-
* Pits of the Midland Counties of Engla?id :
* Nor do I queftion, but in that excellent , * Collei5tion of Dr. Woodward' s^ and in thofe
* of fome others of our curious Naturalifts, ^ feveral Species may be found that are no; ^ in mine : And yet I cannot underftand I that all our BritiJJj Seas afford one Sort of
' this
►< ,."
the Deluge. 1 85
this Shell. The like may be faid as to fe- veral other Kinds ; particularly the Sea- Stars^ of the broken Radii whereof we find no lefs a Variety : "^ And the Echhii^ as ^ih.cuf^ to the Prickles or Radioli of which, as ^- ^' '^^■ weH as to thofe of Sea-Stars, all Sorts of Lapides Judaici (as many Years fince I hinted to you) muft be referred j notwith- ftanding the exceflive Thicknefs of fome of them, and that they have that very rough or Grafer-like Superficiesf, fo as to be no- \'^'^f
^ thing like the Spines of any of the Echini^ mfl.Mau I or Star-Fiili of our Seas. ox. ^
*^ Tenthly^ I add only one other Argument, ^^^\^2?
* which though many have already objeded, n. 1002,
* yet hath not^ that I know of, been hitherto ^oo^0c.
* anfwer'd toSatisfadtion : And that is, that
* fuch Marine Subftances are fometimes ge- ^ Derated in Humane Bodies : For to me it
^ appears a far lefs Wonder, that Shells and ■ ' other Marine Bodies Ihould be produc'd in
* the Bowels of the Earth, than their Pro-
* du(5tion in the Bodies of Men or Animals
* at Land. And that they have been fo ' found, is fufficiently attefted, both by An- ' cient and Modern Authors, of a Credit ' and Charader beyond all Exception. You
* know many Inftances of this Kind are pro- ' duced by Dr. Lifler^ in the Second Part of ^ his Anatomy of Shells ; amongft which I ' remember very well to have feenthat fmall I Turben ^ or Periwinkle , difcovered by
'Dr.
/J
Confequences of
^ Dr. Vkrce of Bath^ and fent to Dr. Mii^- ^ gra've^ then Secretary to the Oxford Philo-
* Ibphical Society ; and it was fuch, as I be-
* lieve none could have poflibly diftinguilliM ' from a Sea-Shell. Thcfe, Sir, are the Ob-
* jedions I had to offer againft their Opinion, ^ who attribute the Origine of all thefe Ma- ^ rine FolTils to the univerfal Deluge : For
* whatever their true Origine is, Mar'me Tof-
* fib they ought to be tern^'d, in order to
* their better DiftinCtion from all others.. ^ 'Tis alfo for the like Conveniency of Di- ' ftindion, that I ufe the Term of Mineral ^ Plants for thofe FofTil Leaves and Branches
* we find fo commonly inclos'd in Stone and *- blue Marble at our Cole-pits, and fom^ ^ Iron Mines. And now to proceed to thefe, ^ wc iliall find much the like Difficulties with ^ what occurred when we confider'd the Ma- f rineFoJJlb,
' Firfi^ For in the firft place, thefe fubter- ^ raneyus Leaves frequently (indeed moft ^ commonly) are found at the Depth of at ^ leaft twenty or thirty Foot. And how they ^ fhould be laid fo deep by an Inundation, ^ feems to me not fo eafily accountable ; it ^ being natural to fuppofe, that all Plants ^ were left, by the Deluge, on the Surface of ^ the Earth, in the manner we daily find fe- ^ veral America Seeds of Leguminous Trees ' caft up on the Shores of Ireland^ Scotland^ I and Wales -y and that confequently, in a
' ihort
the Deluge. 187
lliort Space, there would-be no irrore Re- mains of them, than we find of thofe Sea Plants we commonly dung our Land with- all.
/ Secondly^ Allowing they might be, by fome Accident we cannot think of, buri- ed fo deep, I can difcovcr no Reafon for their being thus lodgM lo plentifully in Cole-Slat, and Iron-Stone ,' and never, that I know of, in the Mafs of our Flint, Linie- ftone, and common Rock, though. there be infinitely tlie greater Quantity of thefe lat- ter. And this Note feems to deferve our Confideration, unlefs it can be made out^ that though the Matter of Flint and Limc- ftone h^s very entirely preferv'd the Ante- diluvian Shells, yet it could not Leaves, or other Parts of Vegetables. ' Thirdly^ Had they been owing to the Deluge, we fliould find the Leaves and Branches of fuch Plants as are Natives of our own Ifland, much more plentifully than fuch unknown Plants as we cannot paral- lel: Whereas on the contrary, as far as Dr. R/c^^r ^ow'sObfervations, and my own, have been able to diftinguilh, the Genera- lity of thefe Mineral Leaves, arc clearly diftind from thofe of our Britijh Plants. ' Fourthly ^\{x6. they been thus . repofited ' at the Deluge, fome Specimens of moft, if I not of each Clafs of Plants, would be found
' amonglt
1 8 8 Confequences of
^ amongft them ^ and efpecially of Trees, ^ in regard fuch Leaves are not only the ' moft numerous, but alfo commonly the ^ dryeft and moft durable. But we have not ^ hitherto difcover'd, that any of thefe Mi-
* ncral Leaves anfwcr to thofe of Trees or
* Shrubs i nor are we alTur'd that any have ^ been yet found, but what may be reduced I to three or tour ClalTes.
' Fifthly The fame curious and ingenious ^ Gentleman hath obferved, that thefe Mi- ' neral Leaves are, generally fpeaking, lefs ^ than thofe they feem moft to refemble; ' which is what, in divers Specimens, I have t "fince taken Notice qf myfelf.
* Sixthly^ Although fometimes meer flexi-
* ble Leaves are found amongft thefe Mine- ' ral Plants, yet the Generality of them (as
* I have before obferved of fome of the Ma- ^ rine Foffils) are but meer Delineations, or ' fuperficial Refemblances: Nor yet could
* fuch Reprefentations be owing to the Im-
* preifions of Plants, fince confum'd ; be-
* caufe, as I have faid before of the Mock- ^ FiJIo^ they are a little raifed above the Sur- f face of the Stone, and not imprefs'd.
^ Seventhly^ It feems nothing more ftrange ^ or unaccountable, that Delineations of ' Leaves ftiould be naturally produced in
* this Coal-Slat, &c. than that Reprcfenta-
* tions of Gnats fkould be fometimes found
the Deluge. 189
in the Foflfil Amber of Prujfm'^j and of Spl- * Hartm. ders in the Coal-Slat in England f. But ^f p"J"? if any affert, that thefe were once living ^'/sV' Animals, they are to explain how they came + f «^- fo deep under Ground ; and afterwards, f^l\ ^' how they got into thefe entirely clofe Pri- fons of Stone and Amber. I meet with feveral more Difficulties, but perha'ps of lefs Moment, which I fhall not therefore trouble you withali, till fome other Occa- (ion.
* A s to the other Opinion, which main- tains, that all thefe Bodies are form'd in the Earth ,• the greateft Difficulty it labours un- der, is, that we find ourfelves incapable of giving any fatisfadory Account oftheCau- fes and Manner of fuch a Production. For if any have Recourfe, with Dr. Plot^ to the Plaftick Power of Salts, 1 fee not (to go no farther) what they can anfwer to that Ob- jedion propos'd by yourfelf long fince, in your Phy/ico-Theological Vifcourfes, For who can reafonably imagine, that any Mi- neral Salts ihould fo conlpire, as that fome of them fliould fo exadly frame the Points of jhe GloJJopetrie *^ , which are Fiih-Teeth, *^ lith. of one Matter, and fome their Roots (ad- -^''''*- ding now and then a Piece of a Jaw) which ^J. 1270. are of another : That fome ihould form the polite Convex Side of a Sihqmftnim^ and others its Appendix fj: That io\nt\\ibid. Ihould make the Sccket or Calix of the t^'^-^^-
1^)0
* Ibid
Tab. 21.
N. 167^, & 1740. &Scheuch. Lith. h'd- vet. tab, I .Fig. n.
Confequences of
Belemnites^ and others its "^ Aheolm^ &c. I therefore humbly offer to your Confide- ration, fome Conjedures I have of late Years entertain'd cpncerning the-Caufes, Origine, and Ufe of thefe furprizing Ph^enojitena. I have, inihort, imaginMthcy might be part- ly owing to Fiih-Spawn received into the Chinks and other Meatus' f of the Earth in the Water of the Deluge, and fo be derived (as the Water could make way) amonsft the Shelves or Layers of Stone, Earth, (jc. and have farther thought it worth our En- quiry, whether the Exhalations which are raifed out of the Sea, and fiilling down in Rains, Fogs, &c. do water the Earth to the Depth here required, may not from the Seminium., or Spawn of Marine Animals, be fo far impregnated with, as to the naked Eye invifible, animalcula^ (and alfo with feparate or diftindt Parts of them) as to produce thefe Marine Bodies, which have fo much excited our Admiration, and in- deed baffled our Reafoning, throughout the Globe of the Earth f. I imagind farther, that the like Origine might be afcribed to
.'the
^ In thofe accurate Microfcopical Obfervations commu- nicated to the Royal Society by Sir C. H. we find this Note :
Some of them alfo may probably be on^irjally iVater Infeils^ or
Fijh, fui generis, and arejmll enough to be ruis'd in Subjiance or in Spawn with the Vapours, and again to fall with the i^in^ and waj groT9 and bred again in Water when Upt: And this wjUfeem
ie/s
the Deluge. ipi
the Mineral Leaves and Branches, feeing we find that they arc for the moft part the Leaves of Ferns, and other Capillaries j and of Moffes and fuch like Plants, as are called Icfs perfect , whole Seeds may be eafily al- * low'd to be waiVd down by the Rain into the Depth here required, feeing they arc fo minute, as not at all to be diftinguifli'd b^ the naked Eye. And as to fuch of them as are not reducible to thefe ClalTes of Minute Seeds, they are fuch as I know not at all whither to referr.
' I A M not fo fond of this Hypothefif^ as not to be fenfible myfelf, that it lies open to a great many Objedionsi and, in all probability, you will foon dilcover more Difficulties than I fliall be able to remove : However, thofe Arguments that firft led me to it, Ihall be here laid before you. ' Firfi^ Becaufe I obferv'd, that of all thefe extraneous Figures or Reprefenta- tions dug out of the Earth, there is fcarce one in a thoufand but is reducible to fucb natural Bodies as expofe their Seeds either to the open Air or the Water : Name- ly, Plants, Infers, or Fiili, For (as I have
iefsflrange to you, -when 1 ajfureyou that I havefeen^ and roksn J amfo happy as to wait on you ner.t, willjherv Fijhes^ form as pmall 4LsChcefe- Nines ofdiffaem Sorts, very roGnderfuHy made, which are oj the cruftaceous i^tnd, fieU'd with rnxny ^oims^ with very Uytg Horns, fringed Tmis, and have many Legs like Shrimps^ &c. Vh'ii. J nn. ib: Nlanh aad JprH, ijoo. ^, 1-^6^. *
! before-
Ijpl Consequences of
before hinted) had the Spoils of the De^ luge been entirely (or, for the moft part) preferv'd to our Time, we might reafon- ably expedl Plenty of the Skeletons, and of the Horns iwA Hoofs of Quadrupeds i And, why ihould not either entire or bro-* ken Skeletons of Birds, be found preferv'd likewife in the fame manner and in the fame places we find the Leaves of Plants ? How happens it, at leaft,that \vt find none at all of their Pen-feathers, which lliould feem of a Conftitution more durable, if once inclos'd in fine Stone, than that of Plants ? I am not ignorant, that fome ve^ ry learned Writers, and thofe even emi- nent Naturalifls, have inform'd us,^ that not only Bones of Land- Animals, have been frequently found inclos'd on all Sides in folid Stone, but likewife the Reprefen- tations or Lineaments of Birds and Beafts, and of Men and their Parts : Nay, even that Monhj Hermits^ and Saints^ have been exactly pourtray'd in the midft of folid Marble. To thefe I muft take leave to reply -, Firfi^ That fome of thefe Infor- mations are manifeftly erroneous ; for that they tell us, that thefe Delineations ap- peared upon polilHing the Marbles ^ where- as all^Figures naturally delineated within Stones, muft, upon polifliing thefe Stones, be defac'd. Secondly^ When we difcover any unknown Foflfils^ we are very fubjedt
' to
the Deluge. - 1^5
to make wrong Comparifons ; aflimila- ting many of them to the Parts of Land- Animals, which, indeed, ought to be re- duc'd to Sea-Shells, or other Marine Bo- dies j as may be obferv'd in thofe Stones, caird Hippocepaloidef^ Otitef^ Bucardites^ and divers others. Thirdly^ Although it be granted, that fometimes the Bones, Horns, and Hoofs of viviparous Animals, are dug out of the Earth ; yet, feeing they are fo very few, it feems much like- lier that they might have been bury'd by fome other Accidents, than that they have been there preferv'd ever fince the Deluge. For in the Deluge, all Land-Creatures whatever perifh'd ; nor fhould we fo much exped to find their iingle Bones as whole Skeletons, thus interred. Fourthly ^ When- ever I find any Confirmation, by competent and credible Authors, of fuch Delineations of any fort of viviparous Animals, or Birds, as the Iflebian Stones exhibit of Filh, I fliall then readily grant, thefe Things may be alfo as well produc'd without previous Seeds ^ and offer no farther Ar- guments for this Hypothefif. Secondly J ^ I am, as to my own part, a- bundantly fatisfy'd ; and others will, I prefume, upon Sight, and accurate Obfer- vation of fome Folfils I have collected, be no lefs, that thefe Bodies do^ in Trad of Time, quite lofe their Forms and become ^ O ' fuch
Ip4 Confequences of
fuch ihapekfs Lumps, as to be diftin-i guilliM for Marine, by none but fuch as are very converfant in Obfervations of this Kind, nor even, at laft, by them neither. I fay, I am fully fatisfy'd thereof j becaufe I have colleded fparry or cryftalline Bo- dies, whofe Surface do only partly re- femble Entrochi j likewife Shells, Gloffo- fetra and SUiqiiaftra^ confiding of a flinty fort of Pebble,and receding from their pro- per or common Figures. And, Lajily^ Ichthyofpondylli^ or Vi^-Vertebr^ ; fome- times more, fometimes lefs, deform'd y exhibiting on their Surface, fuch fmall ftel- lated Figures as. we find on a fort of the "^ Aftroites, Now feeing that, in Trad of Time, fome of them lofe their Subftance and Form, degenerating into other Bo* dies, may we not fufped that others (confidering the Intirenefs of many of them, and their vafl: Plenty) might be, in the interim, produc'd ? Thirdly J ' If this Hypothejis may be ad- mitted, fome Account might probably be given of the FoiTil Nautili^ and other ftrange Shells, by fuppofing, Firft^ That? many of thofe Clouds, which fall here in Rains, &c, have been exhal'd in very re- mote Parts : And, Secondly ^ That fuch a Generation, as is here fuppos'd, muft be much more liable to monftrous Produ- dions than the common. For, as Agri^
I cola
» r.piot'j
Oxon. p. 87. & Litb.Brit. lab. 20. Num. 1658.
the Deluge. Ip^
* cola fays, appofitely to this Purpofe, ^txn- ^ to crajjior eft terra qua?n aqua^ tanto i?nper''
* fe^iioref gignit formas^ & ^qiu animalibui ^ careant.
Fourthly^ ^ I have often, in one and the
* fame Quarry, gather'd 20 or 30 different
* Magnitudes of the fame Species of Shell- ' Stones j whence I began to fufped:, that
* they might have a certain vegetative
' Growth t j and that they had, therefore^ ^seeths ' their Generation and Corruption inthe ve- ^'orks of
* ry Place we find them : And that hence it ^ll^^^^x ^ is, that we find fome Nautili^ Lafider for the
' Judaici^ Gloffofetra, and Afiropodia, of ^'^'^ 'f ^ inch monftrous Largenefs, that no Seas, as 1703.
* far as our curious Naturalifts have difco- ^ ver'd, afford any thing comparable to ^^ them.
Fifthly^ ^ To comprize the reft in few
* Words: The burying of thefe Leaves of ' Plants fo deepi the vaft Quantity of
* thefe Marine Bodies ; the incredible Va- ' riety of exotick or unknown Shells, Sea^ ' Stars, &c. in fo narrow a Compafs as this" Vlflandj their fo frequently diftorted and ' uneven Surfaces j that they fliould be found ' at all Depths, from the Top of the higheft ' Rocks to the Bottom ,• that they fliould be ^ not rarely found adhering to the Roofs, ' and to the Walls, or Sides of Caves, as
* well as perpendicular Clefts of Rocks j ' and be alfo fometimes difcover'd in Ani-
O z " ' mal
I ^6 Confeqiiences of
^ mal Bodies at Land ; and that there fliould ' be Sea-Shells dug at Land containing living ' Animals. I fay, all thefe confidered toge- ' ther, feem inconfiftcnt with the Effeds of ' a Deluge ^ and if this Hypothefis may be ' admitted, not very difficult.
' But before it be, I ought not to doubt,
' but that yourfelf and others will find many
^ more Objcdions than I can forefee. In the
- f mean time,fuch as occurr to my Thoughts,
* I lliall here, however deftrudive they may ' prove to it, fairly lay down ,• for they who ' have no other Aim than the Search of ' Truth, are no ways concern' d for the Ho- *^^ nour of their Opinions : And for my part, ' I have been always, being led thereunto ' by your Example, fo much the lefs Admi-
* rer of Hypothefes^ as I have been a Lover of ^ Natural Hiftory.
'The main Difficulties that I can at pre- l fent think of, are thefe :
Firft^ ' It will be queftionM, whether the ^ fuppos'd Semmum can penetrate the Pores ' of Stones.
Secondly^ ^ It will fcarce feem credible,
* that fuch Bodies, having no Life, fliould
* grow, efpecially when confined in fo feem- l ingly unnatural a Place as the Earth, &c.
Thirdly^ ' According to this Uypothefu^ ^ thefe Bodies fliould be found in much the '^ fame manner, lodg'd in all kind of Stone, [ &c, and throughout all Countries, r - -^ Fourth'
the Deluge. 1^7
Fourthly J ^ We fliould not find Plenty of ^ Shells, &c. adhering to each others, in the ^ fame manner as they are found at Sea.
Fifthly^ ' Some Folfil Shells Ihould then be ' found fo minute, as to be fcarce vilible, and ' others of the fame Kind in their complete ^ Magnitude.
Sixthly^ ^ It may be well queftion'd, whe- ^ ther the elTential Parts of this fuppos'd ^ Spawn of any FiOi, iliould, being fepara- ' ted, (as muft be here often fuppos'd) ever ' effed the End by Nature defigned them, e- ' fpecially when brought out of their proper
* Element.
Seventhly^ ^ It will be faid, that the re- ^ maining Tracks of Shells that once adhc- ' red on the Surface of fome of thefe Foffils, ' and the Pearls, which (as has been related)
* have been found (ticking to others, are a ' plain Proof that they are the Spoils of once ' living Animals ; alfo the Change of die ' Colour near the Roots of fome Foffd Filh ^ Teeth, as namely of fome Fle^tronit^^ (hew ' how far they were faften'd in the Jaws of ^ once living Filh ; and that the worn Extre- ' mities of fome others, do plainly diicover I that they have been once employ'd.
Eighthly^ ^ Many of thefe fubterraneous 'Filh, as particularly feveral of the Glojjo- ^ petra^ are taken for the Teeth of Viviparous [ f ifh ; which being granted, it is impofTible
P 3 they
1^8 Confequences of
^ they fliould be produced in the Manner ' here propofed.
Ninthly^ and Laftly^ ^ Such a Produ(Stion ' feems clearly belide the ordinary Courfe
* of Nature ; nor can we perceive any End 5 or Ufe of fo preternatural a Generation.
' To the Firft I anfwer. That it's mani-
* feft from Experience, upon which all folid ^ Philofophy muft be grounded, that the ' Spawn of Animals may infinuate itfelf in- ' to the Mafs of Stone.
^And this plainly appears from Live ' Toads, found fometimes in the midft of
* Stones at Land, and thofe Shell-Fiili called
* Pholades at Sea. If it be replied. That the 'Stones, wherein the Pholades are lodgM,
* are full of large Holes, &c, I anfwer. That
* tho' they generally are fo, yet, upon break- ' ing and examining a great many of thefe
* Stones, I have fometimes found of their ' Shells (though without Animals) fo lodg'd, ^ as that there were not any viiible Meatuses ^ from their Holes, neither diredly to the ^ Surface of the Stones, nor to thofe other ' Holes in them. *
^ T o the Second, That that's not fo great f a Wonder, as that Shells Ihould be fome-
* Mijfum efl ad. me alio ex litore Saxum^ in quo nulla rmiSy fiuUa cavert?^^ fed foramina tantum apparebam tarn exigua, ut vix dciera admitterem : Eo ighur jdibus multis confraSOy cavitates interna nultix eranty vario fitu ^ diver fx magnitttiinis in quibus tombai ijtas re^eri, Rondel, de A^uatilib.
J times
the De/iige. ipp
times generated, and even grow, tho' they contain no Animals within humane Bo- dies ', and within the Mafs of thofe thick Shells of our large Tenb-j Oyfters, which I formerly mentioned to you, as firft fliewn me by Mr. William Cole of Briftol^ and have fince obferv'd myfelf. For we muft grant, that the Earth, even in any Part of the In- land Country, is much fitter for their Re- ception and Augmentation than humane Bodies ; efpecially, if we reflect, that when the Spat or Setniniimi here fuppos'd, meets with faline Moifture in the Earth, living Animals are fometimes produced, as is before attefted.
'The Third is likewife anfwer'd from Experience : For we know, that Sea-Shells, and fome Stones, yield to the Growth of Plants : Alfo, that the hardeft Stones are imprefs'd by the Li?npetf^ tho' they do but adhere to their Surface, and that our Lime- ftone yields to the Growth of fome Echini^ or Sea-Urchins, as well as the Fholades : For, we find fome of their Cells much lefs than others -, and that 'tis certain, that all the Holes wherein they lurk, in what Stones foever they are found, are owing to their Growth.
' T o the Fourth I anfwer. That this Hy- pothefis does not require, that thefe Marine Bodies ftiould be produced in all Coun- tries alike. For^ as in Vegetables, we find, ' . O 4 * that
200 Consequences of
that all Seeds will not be received by all Soils i fo neither can we expe(5t5 that all Earths and Minerals fhould be equally proper for fuch Produdlions. And, truly, I thought it well worth Obfervation, that, as in all thefe Countries, fcarce any Stones at Land, ex- cepting the Lime-ftone, afford Marine Fof- fils J fo I never found the Pholades at Sea in any other, tho' in that very common j and in divers Counties of Wales, *^ A s to the Fifth, I pretend not to deter- mine, how long fuch Bodies may continue before their Diffolution^ but doubt not^ but that, according to the Nature of the Mi- nerals wherein they are bedded, they may laft much longer in fome Places than o- thers ; and, therefore, we are not to won- der
Plenty of them than elfewhere. *^ T o the Sixth, I anfwer. That at the Ba- fy's Leigh Quarry, near Oxford^ large Spe- cimens of the Tiirbinites Major^ figured Table the yth. Numb, 341. may be often met with ; and, likewife, in the fame Place, concreted Lumps of others of the fame Species, very minute. I have alfo, in my Colk(ftion, divers other Examples of the fame Kind : And Steno informs us. That he has difcover'd amongft FoflTils, fome fo ^ fmall, as to be fcarce dilcernible without a ^ Microfcope, and even minute Eggs of f Shells.
.^Thb
if in fuch Places we find a far greater
the Deluge. 201
*^ Th E Seventh may be, in a great meafure, anfwer'd from the numerous Hiftories we have of monftrous Produ(5lions : And , as to the Impropriety of the Place, the fame may be anfwer'd here, in reference to Parts of Animals, as was to the Second Objection, in refpei^ of Whole ones. ^ Eighth, As to the Adhcfion of one Shell to another, that may altogether as well happen by this Way of Generation as at Sea: And, for the Signs or Impreflions made by fome, that formerly adher'd to them, thofe might have been disjoined by the Workmen in digging, or by the Sink- ing of the Ground where they are found, or fome other Accident. But, as to the Change of the Colour of the Fle^honites towards the Root, and fome of them being fharpen'd at the Point, I muft conFefs I have little to fay ; but that we do not yet know, the Teeth of what Fiih thefe Pk^ ^tronitiC are ; and, confequently, cannot tell^ but they may be naturally fo colotir'd, and pointed : Or elfe, that thefe and many more have been thus prefervM in the Place we find them, ever fince the Deluge, which was formerly my Opinion of all thefe Ma- rine "^ FofTils j though, for the Reafon I have * phii. ' here given, I cannot now maintain it. P^J^*
' Ninth, To the Ninth may be anfwer'd, ■'X„*j^ ^ That we have as yet but an imperfect of May, i Knowledge of the Generation of particular ^^^^*
[ Species
202
» Plot's Hift. Oxm, p. 85. CS^ Litb. Brit.
P-57, 112.
Confequences of
Species of Fifli. For whereas you have obfervM, that fomc of the Cartilagineous are viviparous, I have noted others to be oviparous i having obferv'd Embryo's in the Eggs of a fort of Dog-Fifli, (which were open at the one End) caft aftiore in Anglefey^ Carnarvonjhire^ and other Coun- tries.
' Tenth, As. to the laft, tho' we acknow- ledge that there is an End in all the Pro- dudions of Nature ; yet it is no lefs cer- tain, that we are often but very improper Judges of fuch Final Caufes. Who, there- fore, can be alfur'd, but that the Fertility of the Earth may, in a great meafure, be ow- ing to thefe Marine Fofifils ? Thus much, at leaft, I have obferv'd, that in Wales they are found, for the moft part, in the beft Countries, and that in vaft Quantities: And on the other hand, in thofe Hun- dreds which are moft barren, as the moun- tainous Parts of Cardigan^ Montgomery^ Meirionydhj and Caernarvon^ I could never find one of them. There is, -at Cleydon^ Field^ near Banbury in Oxfordfhire^ a Place caird Hore^Furlo?ig^ which is noted for Plenty of the Affleri^^ or (as there call'd) "^ Hore-fiones i and no lefs, as the Farmers alfur'd me, for its Fertility. Moreover, we cannot be fo pofitive, but that fome Minerals may from hence derive their Origine, to lay nothing of their Phyfical
' Ufe ,•
the Deluge. 20 3
* Ufe ; the Ldfii Judaicm and Lyncurius ^ having been long lince well known in our ^ Shops, as perhaps fome others are elfe-
* where, and more may be hereafter. And ^ thefe. Sir, are the Notions I had to offer to ' your Confideration, concerning the Ori- ' gine of Marine Foflils and Mineral Leaves. ^ You will foon judge how frivolous they
* may be, or how probable : And as you ' find them, pafs your free Cenfure ; for^
* 'tis the Truth of fo important a Queftion ' that's the only Aim of,
SIR, Raiadar G.vy, Tour Humble Servant^
Mar. 10. i6c?8. £^ £^
For my part, (if my Opinion be confi- derable) I think that my learned Friend hath fuflficiently proved, that thefe FoiTil-Shells were not brought in by the univerial Deluge. He hath made it alfo highly probable, that they might be originally formed in the Places where they are now found by a fpermatick Principle, in like Manner as he fuppofes. Why do I fay probable ? It is neceffary that at leaft thofc which are found in the Vifcera and Glands of Animals, be thus formed ; and if thefe, why not thofe found in the Earth c* I ihall fiy no more, but that thofe who are not fatisfied with his Proofs, I wiOi they would but anfwer them. One thing, I confefs, there is, which chiefly brought me
over
204 Confequences, &cc.
over to the contrary Opinion, uiz. That thefe Bodies owe their Original to the Sea^ and were fometimes the Shelh or Bones of Fijhes : That is, the Beds of Oyfter-Shells found in feveral Parts of this Kingdom , fome of which I have before-mention'd and defcrib'd; which Shells, all Circumftanees confidered, one can hardly be induced to believe to have been any other originally than the Covers of living Oyflers, and the Places where they lie, than the Bottom of the Sea. But becaufe this feems to inferr the like Original of thofc Beds of Cornua Ammonis^ or Nautili^ found at Keinflmn in SomerfetJIoire^ and elfewhere, of which Sort of Shell-Filh (as I have before noted) there were never any found in our own Seas, nor indeed in any other, fo far as I have heard of, I fliall allow them to have been the Effe^^ts of the like Principle with their Fellows,
The following Tables, containing fome Species of the moft ditferent Genera of thefe Bodies, 'U/jS. Shares Teeth^ Wolf-Fiflif Teeth^ Cockles or Concha^ Feriwinlles or Tiirhem^ Cornua Ammonis or Serpent-Stones^ Sea-Ur^ chins and their Prickles^ Vertebres and other Bones of Fijloes^ entire Fifloes petrify' d^ and of thofe fome fingly, fome reprefented as they lie in Beds and Quarries under Ground, for the Information of thofe who are lefs ac- quainted with fuch Bodies, were thought fit to be added to this Edition.
Tab.
Tab. II. Pag. 204^
pfG. I, z. Several Fragments and Lumps of petrify'd Sheik, ''^ as they lie in Quarries and Beds under Ground ; on many of theie Petrifaftions there fiill remain Ibme Laminae, or Plates of the Original Shells, which prove them not to be Stones primarily lo figured.
Fi^. 5. The Cornua Aniraonls lying in Rocks with other petrify'd Bodies.
Tab. III. Pag. 204.
T7/G. ij i- Two petrify'd Fifhes lying in Stone, with their "* Scales and Bones.
Fig. 5. A Sea-Urchin petrify'd with its Prickles broken off, which are a Sort of Lapis fudaicMS, or J-ewStones ', their In- fertions on the Studs or Protuberances of the Shell are here ihewn. See their Hiftory and Manner of Lying in Stone and Beds, in Agojimo Scilla, 4*0. Nafvli.
Tab. IV. Pag. 204.
■pIG' I, 2, 3, 4, 5, (?, 7s, 8, 9, 10, II, iz, 1 3, 14. Seve- ■* ral petrify'd Teeth of Dog-Fillies, Sharks, and other Fifhes.
Fig. I $5 i^. The fame lying in a Tophaceous Bed, and al- fo in a Jaw-Bone.
Fig, 17. The petrify'd Teeth of a Wolf-Fifh, in a Piece of the Jaw j the round ones, or Grinders, are fold in Mal- tha for petrify'd Eyes of Serpents ; and by our Jewellers and Goldfmiths for Toad-ftones, commonly put in Rings.
Fig. 18, 19, zo. Other petrify'd Bones of FiSies, efpe- cially Jouits, or Vertebra's of Back-Bones, one with two llony Spines iffuing out, f. 20. See them more at large in the Draughts of that cunous Sicilian Painter, Agofiim Scilla.
Chap.
Chap. V. That there have been great Changes made in the Superficial Part of the Earth Jince the General Delugeyand by what Means,
Shall now difcourfe a lit- tle concerning fuch Changes as have been made in the Su- perficial Part of the Earth fince the univerfal Deluge, and of their Caufes. That there have been fuch, I think no fo- ber and intelligent Perfon can deny^ there be- ing fo good Authority and Reafon to prove it. FlatOj in his Thfi^us^ tells us. That the Egyptian Priefts related to Solon the Atheni- an Law-giver, who lived about 600 Years before our Saviour,that there was of old Time, without the Streights of Gibfaltaryi vaft Ifland,, bigger than Africa and Afia together, called Atlantis^ which was afterward by a violent Earthquake and mighty Flood, and Inunda- tion of Water, in one Day and Night wholly overwhelmed and drown'd in the Sea. Whence it may be conjed:ured, that the Old and New World were at firft continuous, or by the Intervention of that Ifland, not very far remote from each other.
T H A T the Ifland of Sicily was of old bro- ken off from Italy by the Irruption or Infinu-
ation
Of the Deluge. 207
ation of the Sea, is generally believed, and there is fome Memorial thereof retained in the very Name of the City Rhegium^ ftand- \n^ upon the Fretwn that feparates Italy and Sicily^ which fignifies breaking off.
"^ Zancle quoqiie ]un6la fuiJTe* o-m.
Vicitur Italidy donee confinia pontus j^'^^'^'f*
Abftulit^ & media tellurem reppuUt undd. ' * ^^*
In like manner, the Ifland call'd Eiiboea^ now Negroponte^ was of old joined to Greece^ and broken off by the Working of the Sea.
Moreover, the Inhabitants of Ceylon re- port, that their Ulan d was anciently joined to the Main-Land of India^ and feparated from it by the Force of the Sea.
It is alfo thought, and there is good Ground for it, that the Ifland of Sumatra was anciently continuous with Malacca^ and called the Golden Cherfonefe ; for being be- held from afar, it feems to be united to Ma- lacca.
A N D to come nearer Home, Verflegan af- firms, and not without good Reafon, that our Ifland of Great Britain^was anciently Conti- nent to Gaule^ and fo no Ifland but a Fenin^ fula^ and to have been broken off from the Continent, but by what Means, it is in his Judgment altogether uncertain : Whether by fome great Earthquake, whereby the Sea firft breaking through, might afterward by little and little enlarge her Paffage i or whe- ther
Zo8 Confequences of
ther it were cut by the Labour of Man in re- gard of Commodity by that PalTage ; or whe- ther the Inhabitants of one Side, or the other, byOccauonof War, did cut it, thereby to be fequellred and freed from their Enemies.
H I s Arguments to prove that it was for- merly united to France^ are, i . The Cliffs on either Side the Sea, lying juft oppofite the one to the other; that is, thofe of Dover to thofe lying between Callais and Boulogne^ (for from Dover to Callais is not the neareft Land) being both of one Subftance, that is, of Chalk and Flint. 2. The Sides of both to- wards the Sea plainly appearing to have been broken off from fome more of the fame Stuff or Matter, that it hath fometime by Nature been faftned to. 3 . The Length of the faid Cliffs along the Sea-Shore being on one Side anfwerable in effed to the Length of the very like on the other Side, that is^ about fix Miles. And, 4. The Nearnefs of Land between England and France in that Place j the Diftance between both, as fome skilful Sailors report, not exceeding i^EngliJh Miles. To which may be added, 5. The Shallow- nefs of the Channel all along the Streight, in refpe^t of the Sea at both Ends of it, which is much deeper. And, 6. The Being of Wolves and Foxes, yea, and Bears too, an- ciently in this Ifland ,• for it is not likely that they of themfelves Ihould venture to fwim over a Channel 24 Miles broad 5 or if they
were
the Deluge. lop
were fo hardy as to venture in, fliould be able to hold out till they had paffed it quite over : Neither is it probable that Men fliould tranfport fuch noifome and mifchievous Crea- tures by Shipping. To fpeak in general, the Being of thefe wild Beafts on many Iflands near the Continent, and not upon thofe that are far remote from it, though of fufficient Bignefs to receive and maintain them^ as the Spaniards found when they firft failed to America^ is to me little iefs than a demonftrative Proof, that thofe lilands were -anciently joined to the Continent by fome Neck of Land which fcrved as a Bridge for thefe Creatures to pafs over, and was after- ward worn through and walke€ away by the conftant Working of the Sea.
Some of the Ancients, as Strata^ quoted by Strabo in the Firft Book of his Geography ^ fay, That the Fretu?n Gaditanmn^ orStreight of Gibraltar^ was forcibly broken open by the Sea. The fame they affirm of the T^hracian Bofphorus and Hellefpont^ That the Rivers filling up the Euxine Sea, forced a Paffage that way, where there was none before. And in Confirmation hereof, D/(?- dwm Siculus^ in his Fifth Book, gives us an ancient Story current among the Samo^ thracianSj 'viz. ^ That before any other
* Floods recorded in Hiftories, there was a
* very great Deluge that overflowed a good t Part of the Coaft of Afia^ and the lower
P ' Grounds
ZIO Confequencesof,
'Grounds of their Ifland, when the Euxine * Sea firft brake open the nracian Bofpho^ ^ rus and Hellefpont^ and drowned all the *l adjacent Countries.
This Traditional Story I look upon as very confiderable for its Antiquity and Pro- bability, it feeming to contain fomething of Truth : For it's not unlikely that the Euyine Sea, being over-charged with Waters by ex- traordinary Floods, or driven with violent Storms of Wind, might make itsW«y through the Bofphoruy and Hellefpont. But it will be obje^ed, that the Euxine Sea doth emp- ty itfelf continually by the Bofphoruy zni Hellefpont into the Mediterranean^ and that if it had no* this Way of Difcharge (the Ri- vers bringing in more than is fpent by Va- pour) it would foon overflow all its Shores, and drown the circumjacent Countries ,• and fo it muft have done foon after the Flood ,• and therefore it is not probable that Sajno- thrace fliould have been inhabited before that Irruption, if any fuch there were.
To which I anfwer, i. That Monfieur Marfilly thinks he hath demonftrated an Un- der-Current, in the Thracian Bofphoruy^ by means of which the Euxine may receive as much Water from the Mediterranean as it pours forth into it. But becaufe I have al- ready declared myfelf not to be fatisfied of the Being and Poifibility of thefe Under- currents, I anfwer, 2. The Annual Receipts
from
the Deluge. 211
from the Rivers running into the Euxine^ not very much exceeding what is fpent in Vapour, who knows but that from the Time of the general Deluge, till the Irruption whereof we are difcourfing , the Euxine might yearly enlarge its Bafon, and encroach upon the Neighbouring Countries ?
Natural Hiftorians give us an Account of new Iflands raifed up in the Sea : Plin, Hift, Nat, lib, 2. cap, 87. enumerates Delos and Rhodes^ Iflands of Note; and of lefs Account and later Emerfion, Anaphe beyond Melos^ ^ndNea between Le7nms and the Hdlefpont: Alone between Lebedos and Teos^ and among the CycladeSj Thera and Therafia, Olyt?tp, 135. An, 4. Among the fame, after 130 Years, Hiera^ and two Furlongs diftant, in his own Time, when Junius Syllanuf^ and L. Balbus were Confuls, Thia. Notwithftanding thefe Authorities of Seneca^ PH^y^ and Strabo^ be- fore-mentioned. Dr. Woodward^ in his Na- tural Hiftory of the Earthy confidently affirms. That there is no authentick Inftance of any confiderable Trad of Land that was thrown up from the Bottom of the Sea by an Earthquake, or other fubterraneous Ex- plofion, fo as to become an Iflahd, and be render'd habitable. That Rhodm^ Thera^ Therafia^ and feveral other Iflands, which were fuppefed by the Ancients, and upon their Authority by later Authors, to have been thus raifed, had really no fuch Ori- P 2 ^ginal.
Z12 Confequences of
* ginal, but have ftood out above Water as ' long as their Fellow-Iflands , and {land ^ now juft as the univerfal Deluge left them. I CANNOT but v/onder at the Confidence of this Author, in affirming this of all Iflands, not excepting any, whenas Seneca^ a grave and fober Writer, and of undoubted Fide- lity, tells us, Natural, pudsjl, lib. 6. cap. 2 1 . Theram & Therafiam^ & banc noftra dtatis infula?n [fe^iantibm ftobis in JEgteo ?nari ena- tarn : And this IJland of our own Age^ which way raifed up in the iEgasan Sea^ ourfehes beholding it. But the moft confiderable and remarkable Mutations that have been made in the Earth have been on the Sea-Coafts, either by carrying on the Land into the Sea, and atterrating the Bottom of the Sea ; or by drowning the Lands near the Sea, by Ir- ruptions and Inundations thereof, or under- mining or waftiing away the Shores.
O F the fir ft Sort of Change by Atterration, or making the Sea dry Land, we have an eminent Inftance in the Dutch Netherlands^ which, I eafiiy cohfent with Verftegan^ fo far as they .are eaven and plain without any Hills, havp undoubtedly heretofore, in Time long paft, been Sea ,• as appears, i . From the Lownefs of their Situation, fome of the more Maritime Parts of them, as Zealand and Holland^ and Part of Flanders^ being fo low, that by Breach or Cutting of the Sand Banks or Downs, which the Sea by little and little
hath
the Deluge. 21 5
hath caft up, and the Labour of Man here and there fupplicd, might eafily be drown- ed and converted into Sea again; and of the great Harms that thefe Parts have hereto- fore, by the Irruption of the Sea, fuftained. But now not only tliofe low Places that ad- join upon the Sea, as Holland and Zealand^ but the greater Part of Flanderf and Bra- bant ^ though they lie not fo low as th^ey, but of fuch Height as no Inundation of the Sea can any whit annoy them, though the Sand-Banks and Downs on the Sea-Side were never fo much broken or cut through, yet are they as eaven and level as even Holland and Zealand themfelves, which is a fuffi- cientDemonftration, that they were once co- vered with Water : For that Water will thus level Ground it often runs over, is clear from Meadows, and from the Bottom of the Sea difcovered at low Water j and we have Experience of no other Caufe that doth or can eiTed it. And therefore Z^iy/xGw/ccmr- ///«^ erronepufly argues Hubert Thomas^ Se- cretary to Count Frederid^ Palatine of the Rhine^ of a Millake, for faying,* in his De- fcription of the Country of Liege^ that the Sea hath come up even to "Tongres Walls, now well nigh a hundred Englijh Miles from the Sea : Among other good Reafons^ alledging for tiie Proof thereof, that the great Iron Rings are there yet remaining, un- to which the Ships that there fometimes arri-
P 3 ved
214 Confeqiiences of
ved were faftned. I fay erroneoufly, feeing all the Countries between that and the Sea are level^ and of an equal Superficies^ with- out any Hills or Rifings. 2. This appears, not only from the great Plainnefs andEaven- nefs of the Ground, but in that the Soil ge- nerally, both in Flanders and Brabant^ is fan- dy; whence it feems naturally to' follow, that thofe Countries were anciently the Flats, Sands, or Shores of the Sea. 3 . In that digging about two Fathom more or lefs deep in the Earth, innumerable Shells of Sea-Filh are found, and that commonly in all Places, both of Field and Town ; and in many Pla- ces the great Bones of Fiihes.
Farther (faith Verfiegan) it is to be no- ted, that albeit digging deep in the Earth in Brabant and F/^;/(i^r/,! great Abundance of Shells and Bones of Fiilies are to be founds yet digging in the Earth in Holland and Zea- land^ none at all are perceived, howbeit on the Sands on the Sea-Shore there are very many. The Reafon whereof may be, becaule thofe Parts have been in Time long paft part of the De{)th of the Sea j and the Parts a- forefaid of Brabant and Flanders^ the Flats or Shore; and on the Flats, and not in the Depths, fuch kind of Shell-Filh are naturally nouriihed. This is a very plaufible Account. But yet it hath been by Experience found, that if you dig deep enough, even in thU land itfclfj after many Floors of feveral Sorts
of
the I) e luge. 2 1 5*
of Earth, you will at laft come to Beds of Shells. For Varenius tells us, that Sinking a Well in Amfterda??i^ after many Beds ol: Lay- ers of Earth, Sand, Turf, &c, at a hun- dred Foot Depth they came to a Bed of Sea- Sand mix'd with Cockle-Shells of four Foot Thicknefs, which doubtlefs was of old Time the Bottom of the Sea, and all the other Beds above it were brought down partly by Floods fubfiding and fettling there, partly by the Working of the Sea fprCviding Beds of Sand upon the Layers of the Earth, and fo interchangeably. But from this Experiment it doth appear, that however deep the Sea were thereabouts, yet it was nor too deep to breed or harbour Shell-Fiih. Moreover, from this Inftance it appears, that altho' now the Bottom of the Sea about Holland be not much below the Surface of the Land, yet anciently it <^vas fuppofed fifty Foot ; whence it will follow, that the Sea did then cover all the Land above Holland^ which was not more than fifty Foot higher than it. This to me is a demonftrative Proof of the Atter- ration of the Sea thereabout.
A N o T H E R great Inftance of Change made in the Superficies of the Earth by Atterration is in our own Country, the great Level of the Fens running through HrAland in Lin- colnfljire^ the Ijle of Ely in CambridgeJIoire^ and Marjhland in Norfolk, Which that it was fometime part of the Sea, and atterra-
P4 ted
Zi6 Confequences of
ted by Land brought down by Floods from the upper Grounds, feems to me evident, in that it is near the Sea, and in that there is thereabout a Concurrence of many great Ri- vers,\vhich in Flood-times, by the Abundance of Mud and Silt they ^ring down, there fub- Tiding, have by Degrees-Traifed it up. And thirdly, in that the whole Country is exa(ftly level, like the Bottom of the Sea j it being (as I havjs already faid) the Nature of the Wa- ter flowing over the Earth in time to level and bring to a Plain all Places that are foft and yielding, and not rocky, as is feen in .Meadows, and in the Bottom of the Sea difcovered at low Water. . A T H I R D Inftance is the Craux in Provence in France^ anciently called Ca?npus Lapideufy of which Pliny faith it was Herculis prdio- rum memoYta ; and Strabo^ out of Mfchylus^ gives us a Poetical Fable, ' That the Stones ' were rained down by Jupiter in Favour of * Hercules when he wanted Darts, that he ^ might caft them at the Ligurian Army, and ^ thereby break and fcatter it.'* PoJJidoniu! thinks it was once a Lake, which by Fluctu- ation dried up, and fo the Stones came to be equally difperfed over the Bottom of it. That it was a very ancient thing, is clear, having its Original in the fabulous Times be- fore any Memoirs of true Hiftory -, it con- tinues to this Day fuch a kind of Place as it W^s in Str^k's Time, It appears fo evident-
the Deluge. 217
ly to any one who hath viewed and confi- dercd it, to have been once Part of the Sea, from its being exactly level, and ftrowed all over with Stones, as I have obferved the Bot- tom of the Sea in many Places to be, that there is not the lead Reafon to doubt of it.
The River Arnus^ in Thfca?iy^ now fal- leth into the Sea, fix Miles below Pifa : Whereby it appeareth, (faith Dr. Hakewil) that the Land hath gained much upon the Sea in that Coaft j for that Strabo^ in his Time, reporteth, it was but twenty Fur- longs (that is, but two Miles and an half) diftant from the Sea.
I MIGHT, to thefe, add many other In- ftan ces of Atterrations out of Strabo^ in his firft Book i as about the Outlets of Ifter^ the Places called Stethe^ and the Deferts oLScy- thia : About thofe of Phafif^ the /Sea-coaft of Colchis^ which is fandy, and low, and (oft : About Thermodon and /v/V, all Themifcyra^ the Plain of the Amazons^ and the moft part of Sidene,
T o omit the whole Land of Egypt ^ which probably was covered originally with the Sea, and raifed up by the Mud and Silt, brought down by the Nile in its annual Floods, fubfiding there, as I fhall have occa- sion to Ihew afterwards.
Moreover, Varenim rationally conje- ctures, that all China^ or a great Part of it, was originally thus raifed- up and at'terrated,
having
2l8 Conjequences of
having been anckntly covered with the Sea : For that, that great and impetuous River, cal- led the Yellow or Saffron River, coming out of T^artary^ and very often, though not at anniverfary Seafons, overflowing the Coun- try of China^ is faid to contain in it fo much Earth and Sand, as make up a third Part of its Waters. TheEavennefs, and htvt\ Super- ficies of this whole Country of China render this Conjedure the more probable.
In fine, the like Atterrations appear to have been made about the Mouths of Indus and Ganges in the Eafl-Indies^ and the River de la Plata m America^ and tht ■ Rhodanus in France^ and, doubtlefs, moft other great Rivers throughout the whole World.
T o all which, if we add the fpacious Plains that are on each fide moft great Rivers, from their Mouths, many Miles up their Channels, as may be obferved in the Thames and T^rent in England^ which, probably, were at firft Si- ' nus^s of the Sea, landed up by Earth brought down from the Mountains and upper Grounds in Times of Floods ; it will appear, that in this refped there hath been a very great Change made in the terraqueous Globe, the dry Land much enlarged, and the Sea ftrait- ned and cut ftiort.
Notwithstanding all thefe Authorities •and Arguments, Dr. Woodward, in his Natu- ral Hiftory of the Earthy confidently affirms, I That there were never any Iflands, or other
' con-
the Delude, 2ip
confiderablc Parcels of Land amalfed or heaped up, nor any Enlargement or Addi- tion of Earth made to the Continent, by the Mud that is carried down into the Sea by Rivers. Thar although the Ancients were almoft unanimoufly of Opinion, that thofe Parts, where Eg^pt now is, were formerly Sea, and that a very confiderable Portion of the Country was recent, and formed out of the Mud difcharged into the neighbouring Sea by tl^e Nile^ that yet this Tradt of Land had no fuch Rife, but is as old, and of as long Handing, as any upon the w^hole Continent of Africa^ and hath been much in the fame natural Condition that it is at this day, ever lince the Time of the Deluge : Its Shores being not advan- ced one jot farther into the Sea for this Three or Four thoufand Years, nor its Sur- face raifed by additional Mud, depofed up- on it by the yearly Inundations of the Nile, That neither the Falus Micotir^ nor the Euxine^ nor any other Seas, fill up, or by degrees grow Ihallower. That Salmy- deffus^ T^hemifcyra^ Sidene^ and the adja- cent Countries upon the Coafts of the Eu- xine Sea, were not formed out of the Mud brought down by the Jfter^ T^hermodon^ Irif^ and the other Rivers, which difcharge them- felves into that Sea. That T'hejfaly was not raifed by the Mud, borne down by the I River Feneus j the Illands Echinades or Cur-
' zolari^
220 Confequences of
' zolaYi^ out of that brought by the Rivfr ^ Achehaf ; Celicia by the River Pyra?mts' ; A^- ' y?^, Lydiajonia^ and other Countries of y^w^-
* ?<?//^5 by the Caycm^ Herfnef^ Cayfter^ and the ' other Rivers which pafs through them. To
* be fliort, thar no Country or liland in the ' whole World, was ever raifed by this
* means." Thus far Dr. Woodward,
All thefe Particulars he ought not only to have confidently alTerted, but alfo fuffi- ciently proved ; which till he can do, I muft crave Leave to fufpend my Aflfent.
For my part, I am of Opinion, that tho' the Ancients might be miftaken in the full Latitude of what they have delivered, con- cerning the Atterration of the Skirts of the Sea in the Places forementioned, about the Outlets of great Rivers ; yet, that they had very good Reafon far what they wrote :
Firft^ The Nature of thofe great Levels being apt to fuggeft fuch a Thought to any confiderate and unprejudiced Perfon.
Secondly^ There being- undeniable Inftan- ces of fuch Atterrations, though in lefs Quan- tities; as, I. Thatof R^T;^«7irtin7r^/;y, which City anciently flood upon the Brink of the Sea-Shore, when it was the Head of an Emr- chate ; whereas now, by the landing up of the Shallows, it is far diftant from it. 2. That at the Mouth of the River Arnus in Tufcany^ juft now mentioned. 3. That in the Cajnarg or Ifland which the River Rhodanus near
Aries
the Deluge. 22 1
Arks inProvence makes,where there hath been fo much lately gained from the Sea, that the Watch-Tower had been, in the Memory of fome Men living, when I was there [1665] removed forward three times, as I was there credibly informed.
Moreover, fome Confirmation it is of this Opinion, that the Earth in the Levels, about the Mouths of great Rivers, is continually raifed up higher and higher, which is done by the Mud and Silt brought down by the Rivers, efpecially in Times of Floods, and partly alfo by Sand and Ouze thrown up by the Sea ; which, by this means, contributes tQ its own ftraitening.
A RELATION of this Kind of Atterration, I find in the Philofophkal Tra?ifa^fions. Numb. 277. pag. 1256. communicated by an inno- minate Perfon to the learned and ingenious Mr. Ralph Thoresby^ and by him to the Royal Society^ in thefe Words :
' Near the River Welland^ which runs ^ through the Town of Spalding in Lincoln- ' fljire^ at the depth of about 8 or i o Foot,
* there were found Jettys (as they call them)
* to keep up the old River-Bank, and the ' Head of a Tunnel that emptied the Land- ' Water into the old River : And, at a con- ' fiderable Diftance from the prefent River, ' Iguefs, about 20 or 30 Yards, there were ^ dug up, about the like Depth, ieveral old ' Boats ; Which things fhew, that anciently
• ' the
222 Confequences of
* the River was much wider than now it
* is, or ran in another Place. On the o-
* ther, 'VIZ. the North-Weft fide of the River,
* and more upward, in the Town, were dig- ^ ged up (at about the forementioned Depth) ^ the Remains of old Tan-Vats, or Pits, a
* great Quantity of Ox-horns, Sliooe-Soles, ^ and, I think, the very Tanners Knebs, &c. " Which things Ihew, that the Surface of the Country lay anciently much lower than now it does.
One thing farther I will add, that lately, at the laying of the prefent new Sluice or Goat (as they call it) at the End of Hamore^ Beck, as it falls into Bofton-H^xvcn ; taking up the Foundation of the old Goat, they met with the Roots of Trees, many of them ilTuing from their feveral Boles or Trunks fpread in the Ground ; which, when they had Liken up, (Roots and Earih they grew in) they met with a folid, gravely, and ftrong Soil, of the high Country kind, which was certainly the Surface of the old Country ; the certain Depth whereof I can- not tell you, but that it was much deeper than that at Spalding, What elfe could raife up this Ten Foot Thidnefs of Earthy but the Mud and Silt brought down by great Rivers^ fubjiding here? and partly^ alfo^ Sand and Ouze thrown up by the Sea^ and depofited here in Spring-Tides ?
■ ' ' A
Of the Deluge. 223
W A PARALLEL Inftancc of the raifing up of the Earth, the learned Signor Ramazzini affords us in and about Modena in Italy.
' I N the whole City ofModena^ and round ^ about for fome Miles diftance, in whatever ' Place they dig, when they come to the
* Depth of about 63 Foot, they pierce the ' Ground with a T^r^^m^about 5 Foot deeper, ' and then Water fprings up with fo great ' Force, that, in a moment, xhe Well is filled ^ up to the Brim. This Water is perpetual, ^ doth not increafe by Rain, nor decreafe by
* Draught. " Of this Springing up of the Water about Modena^ we have already made mention, and given an Account out of Si- gnor CaJJini, ' And what is yet more remar- ' kable, from the Surface of the Ground to ' the Depth of 14 Foot, they meet with no- ' thing but Rubbilli and Ruins of an ancient
* City. Being come to that Depth,they find ^ paved Streets, Artificers Shops, Floors of ' Houfes, and feveral Pieces of Inlaid-Work. ' It's very hard to conceive, how the Ground ' of this City was raifed thus 5 we can attri- ' bute it to nothing elfe, but that it hath ' been ruined, and then rebuilt upon its ' Ruins , fince it's not higher , but rather
* lower ftill than all the adjacent Country.
'After thefe Ruins, they find a very ^ folid Earth, which, one would think, had ' never been removed i but a little lower, J they find it black, mariby,and full of Briars.
! Signor
224 Confequencef of
Signer Ramazzini went down one of tllefc Wells, and J at the Depth of 24 Foot, he found a Heap of Wheat entire : In another^ of 26 Foot, he found Filberd-Trees with their Nuts. They find, likewife, every fix Foot alternatively, a Change of Earth, fome- times white, fometimes black, with Branches and Leaves of Trees of different Sorts. At the Depth of 28 Foot, or thereabout, they find a Chalk th^t cuts very eafy. It is mixt with Shells of feveral forts, and makes a Bed of about 1 1 Foot. After this, they find a Bed of marlhy Earth, of about two Foot, mixt with Ruines, Leaves and Branches. After this Bed, comes another Chalk-Bed, of near the fame Thicknefs with the for- mer, which ends at the Depth of 42 Foot. That is followed by another Bed of marlhy Earth like the former. After which comes a new Chalk-Bed, but thinner, which hath alfo another marfliy Bed underneath it. This ends at the Place which the Workmen pierce with their Terebra, The Bottom is fandy, mingled with a fmall Gravel, in which they find feveral Shells, fuch as are on the Sea-Shores. Thefe fuccefifive Beds of marlhy Earth and Chalk, are to be found in the fame Order, in whatever Part of the Earth you dig. The Terebra fometimes finds great Trees, which give the Work- men much Trouble. They fee alfo, at fome times, at the Bottom of the Wells,
! great
the Delude. 22^
* great Bones, Coal, Flints, and Pieces of ' Iron.
Ra?nazzini thinks that before the De- lug^, the Gulph of Venice reach'd as far as Modena^ and beyond it ^ but that the Waters decreafing, the Earth was raifed by the Slime and Sand which they left behind them, and that the Rivers and Brooks did, in pro- cefs of Time, make the abovementioned Beds. Indeed , / cannot imagine what could ?nale thofe Beds we find in Maritime Places^ ( as thofe we mentioned^ which were found in finhng a Well at Amfterdam) and thofe we fee in broken Mountains j but the Sediments of the Inundations of the Sea^ or of Land-Floods.
TTo fay^ that the Earth about Modena /x «o higher now than when the Flood left it^ fie?ns to me a very unreafonable Affertion. For though we floould grant ^ that the Earth was dijfolved at the general Deluge^ and that the different Parts thereof did fub- fide^ according to their dijferent Gravities and Form^ feveral Strata, or Beds ; yet^ how comes it^ to pafs^ that there fhould be fo ma^ ny alternate Beds of Chalky and moorifb Ground^ one above another^ in the Earth about Modena? 'And^ how co?nes the Coun- try round about to be as high as the frefent City^ which is 14 Foot higher than the Streets of the City^ upon whofe Ruins it feems to have been built ?
zz6 Confeqiiences of
N. B, This Relation I tranfcribcd out of the Hiftory of the Works of the Learned,
That the Rivers do bring down a great deal of Earth from the Mountains, upon Shots of Rain, is demonftratively proved by the lowering of the Mountains, becaufe it can proceed from no other Caufe imaginable. But that the Mountains are continually lower- ed or depreffed, I Ihall hereafter, by two In- ftanccs, undeniably prove. And, the learned Jefuite Jofephus Blancenm mentions the Lowering of Mountains, as a thing well known to the Mountaineers : For that, for- merly, fome intermediate Mountain inter- cepted the Sight of a Caftle, or Tower, (i- tuate in a more remote Mountain, which, af- ter many Years, the intermediate Mountain being deprelTed, came clearly into View.
I SHALL add hereto the Judgment of the moft curious Obferver of thefe things, Ni- colam Steno^ in his Frodromm^&c. p. io5, 107, of the EngUJh Tranflation; T'^/x iscer- tairij ( faith he ) that a great Parcel of the Earth is e'very Tear carried into the Sea^ (as is obvious to him thatfljall confider the Largenefs of the Rivers^ and the long PaJJage through the Mid-land Countries^ and the iiinmnerabk Number of Torrents ; in a Word^ all the De- clivities of the Earth : ) And^ confequently^ that the Earthy carried away by the Rivers^ and joined to the Sea-Shores^ does every day leave new Lands fit for mw Inhabitants,
But
the Deluge.
But you will fay, Hath there been no Compenfation made for all this ? Hath not the Sea otherwhere gained as much as it hath loft about the Mouths of the Rivers? If not, then the Sea will in time be fo far landed up, or ftraitned, till it be compelled to re- turn again, and overflow the whole Earth.
T o which I anfwer. That where the Shores are earthy, or argillaceous, or gravely, or made of any crumbling and friable Matter, the Sea doth undermine and fubvert them, and gain upon the Land j which I could prove by many Inftances, fome of which I ihall afterward touch. But whether the Sea doth, in thefe Places, gain proportionably to what it lofes in the forementioned, accord- ing to the vulgar Proverb, is to me fome- what queftionable.
To proceed now to difcourfe a little con- cerning the Changes that have been made by the Irruptions and Inundations of the Sea, or by its undermining and waftiing away the Shores.
That there have been of old great Floods, and much Land laid under Water by Inun- dations of the Sea, is clear, many fuch be- ing recorded in Hiftory.
The moft ancient of all, next to the ge- neral Deluge in the Days of Noah^ viz, that of Ogjges King of Bosotia^ or rather Attica^ feems to have been of this Nature : So doth that of a great Part of Achaia in Feloponnefus^ 0^2 whereia
228 Confequences of
wherein the Cities of Bura and Helke were overwhelmed and laid under Water. , Cambden out o[ Gyraldus reports, ^ That ' anciently a great Part of Pembrolejljire ran ' out, in the Form of a Promontory, towards ' Ireland j as appears by that Speech of King ' William Rufus^ That he could eafily, with ' his Ships, make a Bridge over, the Sea, fo \ that he might pafs on foot from thence to ' Ireland. " This Trad of Ground being all buried in deep Sands, during the Reign of Kmg Henry the Second, was, by the violence of a mighty Storm, fo far uncovered, that ma- ny Stumps of great Trees appeared faftned in tlie Earth ; Mufyue fecurium tanquam he^ fierni, (faith Gyraldus) and the Strokes of the Asces in them^ as if they had been cut but ye^ fterday ,• ut non littus jam^ fed lucus effe vide- retur^ mirandis rerum mutationibus ! So that now it made Shew of a Wood rather than of a Strand -, fuch is the wonderful Change of all things/
Here I might take occafion to difcourfe of fubterraneous Woods and Foflil Trees, and RQ| impertinently j becaufe fome have fuppo- kd them to have been thrown down by the univerfal Deluge, and to have lain buried in the Earth ever iince, tho' erroneoufly. I fliall, therefore,give a twofold Account of their Ori- ginal: The Firfl, From Inundations of the Seay or the Force of violent and tempeftu- ous Winds : The Seco?id^ By the Labour of
Men,
the Deluge. zip
Men, who felled them down in the Places where they now lie.
P/Vy^, By Inundations of the Sea. ' Near ^ Bruges^ in Flanders^ (ay Boetius de Boor, ' who wra Nat he of that City^ relates) dig- ging lo or 2 0 Ells deep ill the Earth, they find whole Woods of Trees, in which the Trunks, Boughs, and Leaves, do fo exaifl- iy appear, that one may eafily diftinguifh the fcveral Kinds of them, and very plainly difcern the Series of Leaves which have fallen yearly. Thefe fubterraneous Woods are found in thole Places, which, 500 Years ago, were Sea, and afterwards either left or thrown up by the Sea, or gained from it ; the Tides being kept off by Walls and Fences. But before the forementioned Term of 500 Years, there is no Memory that thefe Places were Part of the Conti- nent. And yet, feeing the Tops of thefe Trees do, for the moft part, lie Eaftward, becaufe, as it is probable, they were thrown down by the Eafterly Winds, (which, on this Coaft, are moft boifterous and vio- lent) it will neceffarily follow, that in the moft ancient Times, and before all Memo- ry of Man, thefe Places were firm Land, and without the Limits of the Sea. " So far he. Afterwards, this Land, with the Trees upon it, being undermined and over- whelmed by the Violence of the Sea, the Land and Trees continued fo long under CL3 Water,
Z30 Confequences of
Water, till the Sea, either by its own Work- ing, bringing up Sand and Stones, ^c, or by Earth brought down by the Land-Floods, ftillfubfiding to the Bottom, or by the Tide's being kept off by Walls and Fences, was fil- led up, and the Tops of the Trees covered j and fo this Space again added to the firm Land.
On the Coaft of Stiffolk^ about Dunewich^ the Sea hath, for many Years paft, very much encroached upon the Land, undermining ^nd overwhelming, by degrees, a great deal of high Ground, infomuch that ancient Wri- tings make mention of a Wood a Mile and a half to the Eaft of Dmewich j which is, at prefent, fo far within the Sea. Now, if in lucceeding Ages (as likely enough it is) the Sea fliall, by degrees, be filled up by the Means beforementioned, and this Space be added again to the firm Land, thefe Trees will be found under Ground, in like man- ner as thofe about Bruges were.
I FiNDj in a Letter from that learned and ingenious Naturalifl, Dr. Richardfon^ regiftred in the Philofophical Tranfatiiom^ Numb. 228. 'An Account of fome fubter-
* raneous Trees, dug up at Toule in Tori-
* Jhire^ about 1 2 Miles below Tork^ upon the
* River Humber : Some are fo large, that
* they are ufed for Timber in building Hou- ^ (es ; which are faid to be more durable J than Oak itfelf : Others are cut into long
! Chips,
the Deluge. 23 r
Chips, and tied up in Bundles, and fent to the Market Towns fcveral Miles off, to light Tobacco. Thofe that I have viewed, were all broken off from the Roots, I fup- pofc, by Violence of Storm, or Water, or bothi and, upon Enquiry, do find, that they are all after the fame manner. They affirmed to me, that their Tops lay all one way, viz, with the Current of Wa- ter. So it feems, that thefe are of this firft Kind, that were thrown down by Floods, and the Force of Water, and not cut down by the Hand of Man. * Upon the firft Sight of thefe {faith the Doctor) 1 was induced to believe, that they are really Fir-Trees. The Bate or Texture of the Wood is the fame with Fir, eafily fplitting. If burnt, it fends out the fame refinous Smell j and it af- fords the fame Coal. The Branches gene- rally grow in Circles, as the Knots do yet teftify. The Knots do eafily part from the Wood , as is ufual in Fir-Wood. The Straitnefs and Length of thefe Trees, are alfo a Prefumption that they muft be fuch. " I N the Ijle of Man are alfo found of thefe fubterraneous Trees, whereof we have an Account in a late Description of that Ifland. In a Bog of 6 Miles long, and 3 Miles over, called the Curragh in Kirl-Chrifl Lezayre^ are Fir-Trees frequently found, which
0^4 tho*
232 Confequences of
tho' they lie 18 or 20 Foot deep, yet their Roots are ftill growing upright in the Ground, and all firm and entire, but the Bodies broken off, with their Heads lying to the N. E.
These Trees (as it feems tome) were broken down, and proftrated by the Force of violent and tempeftuous Winds, and the boggy Earth raifed above them, in the man- ner we have before fliewn. Hence the Head of them lie to the N. E. becaufe the moft violent Winds blow froai the Atlantick Ocean which Ues to the S. W. of this Ifland. The Manner of the Difcovery of thefe Trees is very remarkable, lince there are no Dews ever feen upon thofe Parts of the Surface of the Bog where they are found, though they lie 20 Foot interred.
Secondly^ Some,, and that the greatefl Num* ber of rhofe fubterraneous Trees, were burnt or cut down by the Labour of Man^ in the Places where they now lie.
Ijn Englaizd^ there are found of them in mofl of the great Moraffes, MolTes, Fens, and Bogs, in Somerfetfloire^ Chepire, Lanca- jloire^ Weflmorland^ Torlfiire^ StaifordjJoire^ LincolnJIjire, and other Counties. The Wood of them is ufually called Mofs-Wood, and is black as Ebony.
These Trees, I fay, were anciently burnt or cut down by the Labour of Man, as Mr. Ve la Prjme does clearly make out, in a
Letter
the Deluge. 233
Letter to Dr. Sloane^ regiftred in the Fhilo^ fophical Tranfa^flons^ Numb. 275. 'In that many of thefe Trees have been burnt, fome quite through, fome all on one fide ; fome have been tound chopt and fquared, fome bored through, others half riven with great wooden Wedges and Stones in them,
and broken Ax-Heads And it is
very obfervable, that upon the Confines of the Low Country, between Btirnhigham and Brumley in Lincolnfloire^ are feveral great Hills of loofe Sand, which, as they are yearly worn, and blown away with the Wind, there are difcovered under them many Roots of great Firs, with the Im- prelTes of the Ax, as freih upon them as if they had been cut down but a few Weeks ; which I have feveral times, with Pleafure, taken notice of, as I rode that way. " You will ask. Who felled thefe Trees? and for what Reafon did they fell them ? Mr. De la Pryme tells us, and proves it by fufficient Authorities, ' That the Roviam did it, to take away thefe Sheltcis from the Britamj and to fecure their Conquefts. For {faith he) the ancient Roman Wri- ters and Hiftorians firequently tell us, That when their Armies and Generals purfued the wild Britaris^ they always fled into the FaftnelTes of miry Woods, and low watry Forefts. Cefar himfelf confefTes the fame, and fays, ' That CaJJlbelane and his
' Britans^
234 Confequences of
Britanf^ after their Defeat, pafTed the Tha?nes^ and fled into fuch low MorafTes and Woods, that there was no poiTibility of following them. We find alfo, that the flout Nation of the Siluref did the fame, when they were fet upon by Ofiorim and Agricola, The like did Venutiur^ King of the Brigantes. And Herodian plainly tells us, That it was the Cuftom of the wild Britam^ to keep in the fenny Bogs, and thick marfhy Woods j and when Oppor- tunity offered, to iffue out, and fall upon the Romans ; who were at length fo plagued with them, that they were forced to iffue out Orders for the deflroying and cutting down all the Woods and Forefts in Britain^ efpecially all thofe that grew on low Grounds and Moraifes. This Order was executed, and they were ac- cordingly cut down, as is evident in ma- ny Writers, who tell us, That when te- tofiiuf PauUnuf conquered Anglefey^ he cut down all the Woods there. Galen the Phyficiaii cells us. That the Romans kept their Soldiers continually employed in cutting down of Woods, draining Mar- fiies and Fens, and in paving of Bogs. It is manifeft alfo, they did not only do this themfelves, but impofed the fame heavy Task upon the Captive Britans. For Galgi£CuSy in his Speech to his Soldiers, tells them. That the Roifiam made Slaves
' of
the Deluge. 235'
of them, and wore out their Bodies in cutting down of Woods, and in cleanfing of Bogs, amidft a thoufand Stripes and Indignities. But that which is moft ob- fervable, is, what Dion CaJJtus tells us, n)iz. That the "Em^tvor SevermXo^ 50000 of his Men, in a few Years time, in cut- ting down the Woods, and cleanfing the Fens and MoralTcs of this Nation. " Thus far Mr. De la Pry?ne ; who adds much more of the famous Levels of Hatfield Chace, and the adjoining Countries, which may be feen in the Letter quoted be- fore. Moreover, not only the Romans have taken this Courfe of cutting down theWoods, for the Reafons alledged, but other great Ge- nerals and Conquerors of Countries. So our Henry IL when he conquered Ireland^ cut down all the Woods that grew upon the low Countries thereof, the better to fecure his Conqueft and Poffellion of the fame, to keep the Country in a fettled Peace, and to difarm the Enemy, who commonly trufting to fuch Advantages, are apt to rebell. For, fafe Retreats are often obferved not to make more Thieves than they do Rebels i as Mr. De la Pryrne well writes. The like did Ed^ ward L (as Hollinjhed and other Hiftorians tell us) when he conquered Wales ,- for be- ing not able to get near the Weljh to fight them, by reafon of their Skulking and Con- tinuance in boggy Woods, he commanded
them
236^: Confequences of
them all to be deftroyed^ and cut down by the Fire and Ax.
The like Original, no doubt, had thofe great Numbers of fubterraneousTrees, which the Defcriber ofAmfterdam tells us, are found and digged up in MofTes and Fenny Grounds, where they dig for Turves in Friejland and Grofiingland,
If it be demanded, how thefe Trees came to be funk fo deep in the Mofles, 1 anfwer^ partly by the Rotting of their fmaller Branches and Leaves, partly by the Earth and Silt brought down by Rivers, efpecially in Times of Floods, fubfiding and fpreading itfelf over thefe Trees ,- partly by Rain-water pre- cipitating a copious Sediment, for the Nou- riftiment of Mofs growing abundantly, with other Plants on the Morafs, and fliooting down innumerable Roots, and thofe amaf- fed together to a great Depth ; as we fee in Turf-Pits, that which is the moft firm Part of the Turfs, and holds them together, be- ing thefe Roots. Indeed it feems to me, that the lower Part of the Superficies of the Mofs is changed continually into Roots, and raifes up the Moor.
I T may be objeded, that the greateft Part of the Mofs-Wood feems to have been Fir ; but Fir-Trees are not Native of England. To which I anfwer. That this is a great Miftake. For that anciently there were a- bundance of Firs growing, even in the great
Level
the Deluge. 237
Level about Hatfield-Chace^ or in other the like Places, Mr. De la Fryme hath fufficiently proved,, in a Letter to Dr. Sloane^ regifter'd Philofoph. Tranfaci, Numb. 277. And I my- felf have feen a Remnant of thefe Fir-Trees growing on a Hill near Wareton^ a Village in Staffordjhire^ about 2 Miles diftant from Newport in Shropjloire.
S o, I think, I have given a fufficient and fatisfadory Account of all the Phenomena of thefe fubterraneous or FofTil Trees, or on Mofs-Wood.
SiNC E the Writing of this, happening to read Part of the Learned Dr. Leigh's Natu- ral Hiftory of CheJJoire^ Lancaflme^ and the Peak of Derby ^ I find that the Dodtor adheres to the ancient Opinion concerning the Ori- ginal of thefe Foflil-Trees, 'viz. That they were brought in by the general Deluge, and depofited in the Places where they now lie, and rejeds that of Dr. P/ot, which we em- brace j -That thefe Moralfes were the Pro- dud of the Woods that grew upon them, which by Putrefadion of the Leaves, Rains and Dews, may (as we daily fee) be con- verted into Bogs and Moralfes j and that the Firs found there, were not brought thither by any Deluge, but were the Produds of the Soil, and in Probability ruined by the Britans in Revenge to the Dancfy the Pine being their Darling Tree.
That
238 Confequences of
That thefe- Trees grew originally in the Places where they are now found, I am of Accord with Dr. Plot^ but cannot agree with him that they were thrown down by the Britam for the Reafon he alledges. I ra- ther think them to have been proftrated and overwhelmed by the Force of the Waters in fome Inundation of the Sea, (not in the uni- verfal Deluge in the Days of Noah) and af- terwards the Sea by Degrees receding, to have been covered with the Sediment of the Waters, and their own Branches and Leaves, with Mofs and other Plants rotting upon them. This Hypothefis anfwers Dr. Leigh's fecond and third Arguments againft Dr.Plofs Opinion, viz. 2. That he had feen feven or eight Fir-Trees of a vaft Thicknefs conti- guous to each other, fo that whofoever con- iiders the Circumference of them, muft ne- cefTarily conclude, they could not grow there in that Order, it being impoflible there Ihould be a Diftance between each Tree for their afcending Boughs. 3 . Under thefe arc frequently found the Exwvia of Animals, as Shells and Bones of Fiflies, &c, which could not come from any other Caufe but a De- luge. If he had faid, fome particular Inun- dation of the Sea, I could eafily have agreed with him. For that there have been fuch particular Inundations of the Sea is manifeft from feveral Hiftories, and particularly that tranfcribed out of Cambden a little before, to
which
the Deluge. 235;
which I rcferr the Reader. As to his Opi- nion, that Firs are not, nor ever were. Na- tive of England^ I have already faid, that I think it a great Miftake j Mr. De la Pryms producing many Teftimonies that they were, particularly in the great Levels about Hat- field-Chace^ and in Lincolnfiire^ &c. For the Readers Satisfadtion, I fliall here relate his Words.
'Being the other Day at Hatfield, I was told by feveral Gentlemen, that about 20 Years ago died one Sanderfon of that Town, aged near 80 Years^ whofe Father, much of the fame Age, did frequently afTure him, and other Gentlemen that were curi- ous in the Matter, that he could very well remember many hundreds of great Fir- Trees, ftanding one here and another there, in a languilhing decaying Condition, half as high as Houfes, and fome higher, whofe Tops were all dead, yet their Boughs and Branches always green and flourilhing^ growing all of them in thefe Levels. And John Hatfield, of Hatfield, Efqj Counfellor at Law, who is not above 40 Years of Age, has by him a large Twig that his Fa- ther plucked off from the Sprout of a green and flourilhing Shrub of Fir, that grew at the Root of one of the fame Kind in thefe Commons. And an old Man o^Croul tells me, that he has heard his Father fay, that he could remember Multitudes of
^ Shrubs
240 Confequences of
Shrubs and fmall Fir-Trees growing hcre^ while this Country was a Chace, and while the Vert was preferved before the Drainage. And laftly, in many old Char- ters that I have feen of the pious Roger de Mowbray^ Lord of Axholm^ who lived in the Year 11 00, relating to Hz^r/?, BeU wood^ Roffj Santoftj &c. that then all thefe Places were covered with a great old de- caying Foreft or Wood, and not them on- ly, but alfo all that low Common between Croul'CauJJey ^ and Authrop upon Trent, And tho' there be not one Stick of any fuch thing now to be found, yet it is not only plainly manifeft, that the fame was true from the Roots there found, but alfo from the faid Roots that moft of the Trees that then grew there were Firs." Thus far Mr. De la Pry?ne. To which, if we add what Dr. Richardfon obferved of the fubter- raneous Trees found at Toule in Torlfiire^ together with the Remnant of thefe Trees at this Day growing near Wareton^ which we before-mentioned, all together make up a de- monftrative Proof that Fir-Trees were not only Native of England^ but grew abun- dantly in the great Levels in many Coun- ties thereof.
A s for the Authority of Julius C<efar to the contrary, I make little Account there- of.
f OR,
the Deluge. 241
For, I. It's likely he never march'd fo far up the Country, as to come to the Le- vels in which thcfe Fir-Woods grew.
2.. He denies the Fagm to this Ifland, whereas the Beech-Tree, which is moft cer- tainly by the Authority of all Botanifts the true Fagui of the Lcitim^ grows plentifully here in many Places ; and not a diftind Sort of Faguf^ as Dr. Leigh fancies, from no bet- ter Proof than the Epithet Patula^ or Spread- ing, (which Virgil attributes to the Fagtts^ which our Beech is not. But by his Leave, I myfelf have feen Beech-Trees with Heads fufficiently fpread, to denominate them P^- tula.
To conclude: It's a vain thing to difpute by Argument againft clear Matter of Fact ,• or to go about to prove, that all thefe Fofifil- Trees were brought in by the univerfal De- luge, when we have fufficient Teftimony, that the greateft Part of them that are found with us were cut or burnt down by the Hand of Man ; the very Stroaks of the Axes appearing in them, as if they had been fell'd but Yefterday. So I lliall leave this Sub- jed, and return from whence I have digref- fed.
In the Time of King Henry the firft of England^ there happen'3 a mighty Inunda- tion in Flanderf^ whereby a great Part of the Country was irrecoverably loft, and many of the poor diftreffed People, being bereft of
R their
242 Confequences of
$ their Habitation, came into England^ where the King, in Compaflion of their Condition, and alfo confidering that they might be be- neficial to his Subje(5ts, by inftruiSii^ig them in the Art of Cloathing, firft placed them a- bout Carlifle in the North, and after removed them into South-Wales^ where their Poftert- ty hath ever (ince remained.
In the Year 144^, there periihed loooo People by the Breaking in of the Sea at Dof- drecbt in Holland^ and thereabouts ; and about Vullart in Friejland^ and in Zealand^ above 1 00000 were loft, and two or three hundred Villages drowned, fome of their Steeples and Towers, when the Tide is out, ftill ap- pearing above Water.
Mr. Carew of Antony , in his Suwey of Cornwall, affirmeth, That the Sea hath ra- vened from that Shire the whole County of Lionefi. And that fuch a County there was, ,he very fifficiently proves by many ftrong 'Reafons. Cambden^ in his Britannia^ reports out of ancientRecords, ' That upon the Ken- ^ tiflj Coaft, not far from T^hanet^ is a fandy
* dangerous Place (which the Inhabitants call
* Gooawym Sands) where an Ifland ("being the
* Patrimony of Earl Goodwyn) was fwallow-
* ed up in the Year 1097.
But the greateft Change of this Kind that ever was made (if it be true) was the Sub- merfion of the vaft Ifland of ^^to^/V^ wliere^ of we have already fpoken.
As
the Deluge. 245
As for the Changes that have been made by undermining and wafliing away the Shores, they have been partly the diminiih- ing of the Land, and partly the raifing up of feveral Iflands not far from the Shores. So the Baltic^ Sea hath invaded the Shores of Pomerania^ and deftroyed a famous Mart- Town, called Vineta. So the ancient Borough of Donewlchj in Suffolk^ is almoft quite eaten away and ruined by the Encroachments of the Sea. And it is faid, that the Ocean hath cut off twenty Miles from the North Part of the Ifland of Ceylan in India^ fo that it is much' lefs at this Day than formerly it was. And many the like Examples there are. And for the Raifing up of Iflands near the Shore, very likely it is, that the Sea continually preying upon the Shore, and wafliing away abundance of Earth from thence, cannot car- ry it far to any great Diflance from the Shores, but lets it fall by little and little m their Neighbourhood ,• which fubfiding or fettling continually for fome Ages, at lafl the Heaps afcend up to the very Superficies of the Water, and become Iflands. Hence, in the Middle of the OceaUj there are no Iflands, or but a very few, becaufe thof^ Parts are too remote from the Shores for any Earth wafhed from thence to be carried thi- ther j and if it were, yet the Sea thereabout is too deep to have any Heap raifed in it fo high : Befides, the Motions of the Water in
K 2 thofe
244 Conft'quences of
thofe Depths, vver- z there Earth enough, would overthrow any H; ;ap before it could be ad- vanced any thing near the Top. But all I- flands in general, a very few excepted, are about the Shores, or not far from the Shores of the great Continents. Which Thing is efpecialiy to be remarked in all the great Heaps or Swarms of numerous Iflands, they being all near to the Continents ; thofe of the yEgean Sea to Europe and Afia-, the He- fperides to Africa; and the Maldi-v^^ (which are thought to amcuint to eleven thoufand) to India j only the '.Flandric^ or Azores feeni to be fituate in the Middle of the Ocean, be- tween the Old and New World.
Besides thefe Changes about the Sea- Coafts, by the prevailing of the Land upon the Sea, in fome Places, and the Sea upon the Land in others, the whole Continents feem to futfer a confiderable Mutation by the Diminution, and Deprellion or Sinking of the Mountains, as I fhall have Occafion to fhew afterward in the Third Difcourfe.
jElian^ in his eighth Book, cap, 1 1. telleth us. That not only the Mountain JEtna^ but FarnajJ/is and Olyfnpus^ did appear to be lefs and lefs to fuch as failed at Sea, the Height thereof finking. Of this Lowering and Dimi- nution of the Mountains, I Hiall not fay much in this Place, but taking it for granted at prcfent, only in brief intimate the Caufes of it, alfigned by that learned Mathematician "' ' Jo[ephus
the Deluge. 245*
^ofephus Blancanufj whichs are partly Rain- Water, and partly Rivers, which by conti- nual Fretting by little and little, wafli away and eat out both the T'ops and Sides and Feet of Mountains, and fill up the low.cr Places of the Valleys, making the one to encreafe, and the other to decreafc j whereby it appears (faith Dr. Hahwil) that wliat the Mountain lofeth, the Valley ^^ains; and confequently, that in the whole G lobe of the Earth noihing is loft, but only removed from one Place to another ,• fo that in Procefs of Time the high- eft Mountains may be humbled into Val- leys : And again (which yet I will not al- low him) the loweft Valleys exalted into Mountains. He proceeds, Anaxagoras (as Diogenes Laertius reports in his Life) being demanded what he thought. Whether the Mountains called LapjQicenl would in time be covered with Sea ? anfwered, Tes^ unlefs 'Time itfelffaili which Anfwer of his fecms to confirm the Opinion oiBlajicanm De Mmir- di Fabrica^ cap. 4. where he maintains, That if the World fhould laft long enough, by reafon of this continual Decreafe of the Moun- tains, and the Levelling of the Valleys, the Earth would again be overflown with Wa- ters, as at firft it was.
Beside thefe more eminent and remark- able Changes, which in Procefs of time, after a long SuccelTion of many Ages, threat<.ni: fome great Eifed i indeed, no lefs than a Re-
R 3 du«ftion
Z^6 Consequences of
dudion of the World to its primitive State before the Separation of the Land and Water ; there have been many other leffer Mutations made either by Earthquakes and Eructa- tions of Burning Mountains, or by great Floods and Shots of Rain, or by violent or tempeftuous Winds and Hurricanes, fome whereof are mentioned by Naturalifts and Hiftorians, Straho^ Flinj^ Seneca^ O'vid^ and others.
For Earthquakes, Pojftdonm^ quoted by StrabOj in his firft Book, writes, ' That there ,* was a City in Phocnida^ (ituate above Si-
* don, fwallowed up by an Earthquake, and ^ that almoft two Thirds of Sidon itfelf fell ' therein, though not fuddenly, and all at ' once, fo that there was no great Deftru-
* (Stion or Slaughter of Men happened. The
* fame extended almoft over all Syria^ tho'
* not violently, and reached as far as fome ' of the Cydades Iflands, and Euhm^ where ^ the Fountains of Arethufa in Chalcis were
* flopped up by it, and after many Days
* broke forth again at another Source ; neir ^ ther did it ceafe to fhake the Ifland by Parts,
* till the Earth opening in the Field Lelantus t vomited out of a River of fiery Clay.
The fame Strabo tells us, ' That Beviocles
* mentions huge Earthquakes of old in Ly- dia and lonia^ extending as far as Troas^
t by which many Villages were fwallowed
the Deluge. 247
; Up, and Sifylm overthrown when Tantalus ^ reigned, and great Lakes made of Fens.
And that Dwm faith, ' That the Rhagadey ^ Iflands by Media were fo called from the ' Lands about the Cafpi^e Fort(e being torn ^ and broken by Earthquakes, fo that many ^ Cities and Villages were overthrown, and t feveral Rivers received Alterations.
And Demetrim Calatiamis ^ relating the Earthquakes that happen'd throughoutGrf fc^, writes, ' That a great Part of the Lichades ^ Iflands and CenMis had been drowned ^ thereby j and that the hot Baths at jEdep-
* fus^ and in ThermcphyU^ having been ftopt ' for three Days, flowed again, and thofeof
* Mdepfm from new Sources. That the ^ Wall of Oreus on the Sea-Side, and feven ^ hundred Houfes, were thrown down; and ^ a great part of Echinus and Heraclea Tra- ' chinia; but the whole Building of Fhalar- ^ ?ms was overturned from the very Soil or ^ Plain of it ; the like happened to the La- ' riam and Lariffatans ; and that Scarphia ' was utterly demolifhed and fubverted from ' the very Foundations, and not fewer than ' 1700 Perfons overwhelmed and buried j
* and more than half that Number of the I Thronii.
Pliny J in his firfl Book, cap. 84. tells us, ^ That in the Reign of Tiberius C<sfar^ there ^ happened an Earthquake (the greateft that t ever was in the Memory 01 Man) wherein
R 4 I twelve
248 Confequences of
^ twelve Cities of Afia were proftrated in I one Night.
But what is that to what S. Augufline writes, \JLib» 2. De Miraculis SS. cap,'^.'] if that Book be his, ^ In famofo qiiodavi terr^- tnotu centum Liby^c Urbes corruifje : T'hat in a famous Earthquale a hundred Cities of Li- bya were demoUJhed,
The City of Antiocl\ where the Difciples of Christ were firft called Chriftians^ with a great part of Afia bordering upon it, was almoft wholly fubverted and fwallowed up by an Earthquake in %'a]an's time, as Dion CaJJius writes ; Trajan himfelf then winter- ing there.
The (amc Ciiy o( Ant iochj in the Time of ^uftinian^ in the Year of our Lord 528, was again Ihaken with a terrible Earthquake, wherein were overwhelmed and buried in the Ruins of the Houfes above 40000 of the Citizens.
And laftly, in the 5i ft Year after the laft mentioned Earthquake, 'being again iliaken by a new one, it loft 60000 of its Inhabi- tants : Gregory^ the then Bifhop, being by the Divine Favour, and in a manner miraculouf- ly preferved, the Houfe wherein he abode fcUling down prefcntly after his going out of it.
Eufeblus and Spartanus make Mention of an Earthquake in the Emperor Adrian's TimCj wherein Nicomedia and Nict£a of Bi-
thynia^
the Deluge. 24^
thynia^ and Nicopoli^ and dcfarea^ Cities of PaUflina^ were thrown down and ruined.
In the Year 1182, when Saladin fet him- fclf to overthrow the Kingdom of Jerufa- lem^ there happened an Earthquake, in which Antiochia^ Laodicea^ Alapia^ dcfarea^ Emif- fa^ Tripolis^ and other famous Cities, were almoft wholly thrown down and dcftroyed. ^To omit many that are recorded in an- cient Hiftories, and to come near to our Times ;
JEnca^ Syl'vm^ afterwards Pope by the
Name of Pius the Second, in a Letter of his
to the Emperor Frederick ^ thus pitifully
defcribes an Earthquake that fell out in his
time ; Audies ex latore prj:fentimn qudm mi-
rahilia & ijicredibilia damna fecertt Terra^
?fiotus in Regno Apulia:, nam ?nulta oppida
funditiis corruerunt^ alia magna ex parte col-
lapfa [lint, Neapoli omnes fere Ecclefi^ &
maxima Palatia ceciderunt^ plufquam trigin-
ta millia corpora opprejjd minis traduntur ^
populus omnis habitat in Tentoriis^ i.e. Tou
jhall imderftand by the Bearer of theje Prefents^
what wonderful and incredible Loffes an
Earthquake hath Wrought in the Kingdom of
Apulia i for many Towns are utterly ruined^
others for the greateft part fallen. In Naples^
almoft all their Churches and fair Palaces are
overthrown ; more than 30000 Perfojts are faid
to have been flain j all the Inhabitants dwell in
Te?its,
This
lit
2,^0 Confequences of
This Kingdom of Naples^ efpecially Apu^ lia and Calabria^ hath, I think, been oftner ihaken, and fuffered more by Earthquakes • than any other Part of Europe. For Cluve^ rim tells us. That in the Year i52p, there were dreadful Earthquakes in Apulia, by which 17000 Men are faid to have periihed|.
And Athanafius Kircher the Jefuite, in the Preface to his Mundtis Subterraneus, gi^s us a fad Narrative of 'i difmal Earthquake% Calabria^ in the Year 1638, wherein him- felf was, and out of which he hardly efcaped with his Life : Nothing to be feen in the whole Country he palTed by for two hun^ dred Miles in Length, but the Carcaffes of Cities, and the horrible Ruins of Villages, the Inhabitants wandring about in the open Fields, being half dead with Fear and Expe- dation of what might follow. But moft re- markable was the Subverfion of the noted Town of S. Eufamia, which was quite loft out of their Sight, and abforpt, and inftead thereof, nothing left but a ftinking Lake. ]But for a full Account thereof, I referr the Reader to the faid Preface.
Not many Years ago, the famous City of Ragufa was almoft wholly fubverted and de- ftroyed by a terrible Earthquake i and Sfiiyr^ pa has lately been demolilhed by one. From |he JVefi'Indies we hear frequently of great ^Damages done in our Plantations by Earthr quakes. The printed Tranfadions and Jour- nals
the Deluge. z^l
nals are full of thefe great ConculTions and Subverfions.
In the Year 1^92, on the Seventh Day of ^une^ there happened a dreadful Earths quake in the Ifland of Jamaica^ which made great Ruins and Devaftations throughout the whole Country, but efpecially in the Capital Town of Port-Royal^ which was al- moft fwallow'd up and overflowed by the Sinking of the Earth, and Irruption of the Sea : A fuU Account whereof contained in two Letters fent from the Minifter of the Place, the one dated 5^«^ the 2 2d, the other the 28th of the fame Month, 1692, from A-^ board the Granada in PoruRoyal Harbour, to a Friend of his in England^ and publifhed by Authority, I fliall give the Reader, with fome Remarks.
1. He tells us in general. That this Earth- quake threw down almoft all the Houfes, Churches, Sugar-Works, Mills and Bridges throughout the whole Ifland : That it tore the Rocks and Mountains [others tell us, that it leveled fome Mountains, and reduced them to Plains] that it deftroy'd fome whole Plantations, and threw them into the Sea ; but that Port-Royal had much the greateft Share in this terrible Judgment.
2. Then he acquaints us, what for to fave the Reputation of the People, and to avoid the laying a perpetual Blot upon them, I iliould rather lupprefs and conceal^ but for
the
Z^*! CoJtfequences of
the Vindication of the Divine Providence and Juftice, and to deterr others from the like Enormities, I think ncceffary to publifh. That the Inhabitants of that Place were a mod ungodly and debauched People, and fo defperately wicked, that he was even afraid to continue among them ; for that very Day this terrible Earthquake was, as foon as Nighi. came on, a Company of lewd Rogues, whom they call Privateers, fell to Breaking open Warehoufes and Houfes deferted, to rob and rifle their Neighbours, whilft the Earth trem- bled under thgm, and fome of the Houfes fell upon them in the Ad:. [The like Rob- bers and Plunderers we were told wander'd up and down the Country, even in the very Smoke, during the laft great Burnnig and Eruption of Mtna in Sicily^ And thofe au- dacious Whores that remained ftili upon the Place, were as impudent and drunken as ever -, and that fmce the Earthquake, when he was on Shore to pray with the bruiled and dying People, and to Chriften Children, he met with too many Drunk and Swearing. And in his fecond Letter, he faith pofitively, That there was not a more ungodly People on the Face of the Earth. - 3. The Account he gives of the Motions and Etfedts of the Earthquake is as follow- eth : The Day when this Calamity befell, the Town and liland was very clear, affording not any Sufpicion of the leaft Evil. [This
is
the lye luge. 2^3
is obferved of moft Earthquakes, and parti- cularly of our laft here 'mE?igla?idj the Morn- ing before it, being clear and calm.] But in the Space of three Minutes, about half an Hour after Eleven in the Morning, Port- Royal^ the fairefl Town in all the EngliJJj Plantations, [and well might he call it fo, if, as he writes in another Place of his Letter, moft of the Houfes upon the Wharf were built of Brick, and as tair as thofe in Cheap- fide J London'] the bcft Emporium and Mart of this Part of the World, exceeding in Riches and abounding in all good Things, was Iha- ken and fhattered to Pieces, and covered for the greateft part by the Sea. The Wharf was entirely fwallowed by the Sea, and two whole Streets beyond it. Himfelf, with the Prefident of the Council, being in a Houfe near where the Merchants meet, hearing the Church and Tower fall, ran to fave them- felves : He having loft the Prefident, made toward Morgans Fort, becaufe being a wide open Place, he thought to be there fecureft from the falling Houfes, but as he was go- ing he faw the Earth open, and fwallow up. a Multitude of People, and the Sea mount- ing in upon them over the Fortifications « Moreover he tells us. That their large and famous Burying-Place, called the Palifado'y^ was dcftroyed by the Earthquake, and that the Sea waftied away the Carcalfes of thoie that were buried out of thv::ir Graves, ihdr
lonibs
1^4 Confeqtiences of
Tombs being daihed to Pieces by the Mo- tion and Concuflion. That the whole Har- bour, one of the faireft and goodlieft that ever he faw, was covered with the dead Bo- dies of People of all Conditions floating up and down without Burial. That in the O- peningof the Earth, the Houfes and Inhabi- tants linking down together, fome of thefe were driven up again by the Sea which a- rofe in thofe Breaches, and wonderfully efca- ped : Some were fwallowed up to the Neck, and then the Earth {hut upon them, and fqueezed them to Death ; and in that Man- lier feveral were left buried with their Heads above Ground, only fome Heads the Dogs have eaten, others are covered with Duft and Earth by the People which yet remain in the Place, to avoid the Stench. So that they con- jed:ure, that by the Falling of the Houfes, the Opening of the Earth, and the Inundation of the Waters, there are loft Fifteen hundred Perfons, and many of good Note, as Attor- ney General Mufgrove , Provoft Marlhal Ree-ves^ Lord Secretary Reevef^ &c.
Farther he tells us. That after he was e- fcaped into a Ship, he could not fleep all Night for the Returns of the Earthquake al- moft every Hour, which made all the Guns in the Ship to jar and rattle. And he fuppo- fes that the whole Town of Port-Royal will in a Ihort time be wholly fwallowed by the Sea i for few of thofe Houfes that yet ftand
arq
the Deluge. i^*^
are left whole, and that they heard them fall every Day, and that the Sea daily en- croached upon them. That they had Ac- counts from feveral Parts of thofe Iflands of Mifchiefs done by the Earthquake. From St. Anne's they heard of above looo Acres of Wood-Land changed into Sea, carrying with it whole Plantations. And, laftly. That he was told by fome, that they ftill heard Bel- lowings and Noifes in the Mountains, which made them very apprehenfive of an Eruption «f Fire ,• which if fo, he feared might be •more deftru<Slive than the Earthquake. [But i think cauflefly, for I never heard or read 'of any great Deftrudtion of Men made by -any Eruptions of Fire, even out of burning Mountains.]
4. T H E Account he gives of his own uri- 'expe(5ted and ftrange Prefervation, take in 'his own Words : After I had been at Church reading Prayer ^^ (which I did every day fi?tce I was Redor of the Place^ to hep up fo?ne Shew of Religion) and was gone to a Place -hard by the Churchy where the Merchants 7ndet^ and where the Prefident of the Council waSy who came into my Company^ and en- gaged me to take a Glafs of Wormwood Wine, as a Whet before Dinners he being my very great Friend^ Iftaid with him : Upon which he lighted a Pipe of Tobacco^ which he wa£ pretty long in tahng i and not being willing to leave him before it was out^ this detained
me
Z^6 Confequences of
me from going to Dinner to one Captain Ru- denV, whither I way invited : JVhofe Houfe^ upon the firft ConcuJJion^ funk firji into the Earthy and then into the Sea^ with his Wife and Fajnily^ a?id fome that were come to dine with him. Had I hem there^ I had been loji. But to return to the Prefident^ and his Fife of Tobacco : Before that was out^ I found the Ground rolling and moving un- der ?ny Feet ; upon which^ I faid to him^ Lord ! Sir, what is this ? He replied ve- ry compofedly^ being a very grave Man^ It is an Earthquake ; be not afraid, it will foon be over : But it increafed^ &c. Then he re- lates, how he went to his own Lodging, and found all thinss in Order there, nothing; ftir- red out of its place ; and, going into his Bal- cony to view the Street, he faw never a Houfe down there, nor the Ground fo much as crack' d : And that, after he had prayed with the People, at their earned Requeft, and given them fome ferious Exhortations to Re- pentance, in which Exercifes he fpent near an hour and half, there came fome Mer- chants of the Place to him, defiring him to go aboard fome Ship in the Harbour, and re- frelh himfelf, telling him, that they had got- ten a Boat to carry him off; whom he ac- companied : And palfing over the Tops of fome Houfes, which lay leveled with the Surface of the Water, got firft into a Canoe,
and
the 'Deluge. 25*7
and then into a Long-Boat, which put him on board a Ship*
5. The laftthingl fhall take notice of in thefe Letters^ (hall be the Influence and Effect this Judgment had upon the Remainder of the People, to bring them to a Senfe of their Sins, and Repentance for them, and to re- folve upon, and begin a Reformation and A- mendment of their Lives. It is a true Say- ing, Vexatio dat intelle5fuin : In their Affii^ 6Uon they will feek me early. The pious In- clination of the People appeared, in that they were fo glad to. fee their Minifter in the midft of this Difafter, and fo earneft with him to come down and pray with them, when they faw him in the Balcony before- mentioned y and that when he came down into the Street, every one laid hold on his Cloaths, and embraced him, fo that with their Fear and Kindnefs he was almoft ftifled. And that not only at the inftant of the Di- ftrefs, but afterwards when he went afhore to bury the Dead, and pray with the Sick, and baptize the Children, and preach among them, the People were overjoy'd to fee him, and wept bitterly when he preached to them. Fear is a more powerful PafTion than Love : And whatever creates Terror, is a more effcdual Curb to reftrain and rule Men as well as Children, than any Favours or Benefits, the mod powerful Motives of Love and Affe(5tion : For though the Bonds
l^S Confequences of
of Love are called the Cords of a Man^ and are indeed Very ftrong ones tu rational and ingenuous Perfons, yet the'greateft part of Mankind are fo far degenerated, that they have broken thefe Bonds ^ and cafl thefe Cords from them ; and upon Trial, one fhall find little of Gratitude or Ingenuity among them.
I Shall add one or two Remarks upon the precedent Paper.
tirft^ It is very remarkable, that the Day, when all this hddlPort^Royal and the whole Ifland of Jamaica^ was very clear, not af- fording the lead Sufpicion" of any Evil j fo that the Inhabitants had no Warning at all of it, but were furprized of a fudden, without time fufficient to efcape and fave themfelves. For, in the fliort Space of three Minutes, the Town was Ihaken and fliattered to pieces, and funk into, and covered, for the greateft part, by the Sea. In which refpcd, this Judg- ment refemblcd thofe on the Old World and on Sodo?n^ which, the Scripture tells us, were, to the People involved in them, fudden and unexpected i as alfo the Second Coming of Christ, and future DiiTolution of the World by Fire, is predided to be.
That the Caufe of Earthquakes is the fame with that of Thunder, I doubt not, and moft learned Men are agreed ^ that is. Exha- lations or Steams fet on fire, the one in the Clouds, the other in the Caverns of the Earth ;
which
the Deluge. l^p
which is fufficiently proved from the great Deflagrations and Eruptions of Vulcano's or burning Mountains , they being always ei- ther preceded or attended by Earthquakes : And Earthquakes, even here in England^ be- ing, as far as 1 can underftand, for the moft part, accompanied with a Noife. But now of what Nature this Steam is, that is thus in- flamed, and what caufes the Accenfion, I jnuft confefs niyfelf not to be yet fully fa- tisfied. That it is at leaft partly Sulphure- ous is certain, and well proved by Dr. "*- Li- * mioj. fier^ from the Sulphureous Stink of Waters. ]J'^^''^' fmelt before, and of the very Air itfelf after ' *^^* them : That it conceives Fire of itfelf, and is not kindled after the Manner of Gun-pow- der by the Touch of Fire, is as clear, there being no Fire prxexifting in the Clouds ; but how it Ihould kindle, unlefs by a Col- ludation of Parts after the manner of Fermen- tations, I cannot conceive. And if fo, then the Steam muft be a diffimilar Body com- pofed of Parts of different Natures j elfe would there be no Colludlation, and confe- quently no Accenfion, the Parts friendly con- fpiring and agreeing in the fame Motion.
I A M not ignorant, that Water, either in the grofs Body, or in Vapour, may and doth fo far work upon fome lolid Bodies, as for Example, Quick-Lime, Hay in a Mow, the Pyrites or Fire-ftone, &c, as . to caufe an In- calefcency, and even an Accenfion ; but ftill
S 2 this
l6o Confeqtiences of
this is by the Difcord or Contrariety of the Parrs of Water or Vapour, and thofe of the forementioned Bodies meeting and ftruggling together. So in Tempefts of Thunder and Lightning, the Fume contain'd in the Clouds^ which my honoured Friend Dr. Martin Zi- fter fuppofcs and proves to be no other than the Breath of the Pyrites encountring with the Vapour of Water, there may very likely, by the Concourfe and Conflid of thefe two, ' be produced firft a great Heat, and after- wards an adual Fire.
A s for Thunder, after the Steams inclofed in the Cloud are once inflamed, I conceive the Fire goes not out till the End of the Tem- ped,- but when the inflamed Matter is fo much dilated, that the Cavity of the Cloud cannot contain it, it rends the Cloud, and forces its Way through where it is moft yielding, fo much of the Fire efcaping at the Breach, till the Cloud overcomes the Refi- flance of the Remainder, and clofes itfelf a- gainj and continues fhut, till there be fo much of the fulphureous Steam anew infla- med, as to have Strength enough to tear it, and break out the fecond time, which Pro- cefs is repeated, till the whole Steam be burnt ^: and coniumed, and the Fire go out; or till
f; the Cloud be quite condenfed and fallen
down in Rain. That this Vapour, or Steani in the Clouds,heats gradually before it comes to Accenfion^ I ihSfk probable, becaufe before
the Deluge. l6l
iany confiderable Tempeft the Air beneath is fultry, (as we call it) that is, futfocatingly hot.
S o likevvife in the Caverns of the Earth, it is not unlikely that the Steams or Damps that camfe Earthquakes before Ignition, may be gradually heated by a Colluftation of Parts ^ but their Accenfion feems to be very fudden, and in manner of ^plofion, like that of Gun-powder ,• the Succuflion coming unexpe^edly without any Notice-giving, and being alfo very tranfient, and of lliort Conti- nuance, I mean Earthquakes where there are no Eructations of Fire, fuch as 6urs in England are.
T H B R E is a Sort of Damp which fome call a Fire-Damp or Fulminating-Damp, of which I had die firft Notice horn my ho- noured Friend Francis JeJJop Efq; An.i66S» whereof I find a Relation fince communica- ted by him in a Letter to Dr. Lifter^ pub- liHied in the Philofophical Tranfa6Uom^ Num. 1 17. and a farther Account from him in An- fwer to fome Queries propofed by the Ho- nourable Mr. Boyle ^ in the Philofophicanranf- tf(^/o«i",Numb. 119. wherein he writes. That this Sort of Damp prefently takes Fire at the Touch of a lighted Candle, or pther flaming Matter, and flies out of the Mouth of the Bink or Shaft,with a Crack like a Gun. He inftances in three Perfons that had been hurt by it j pne ijn the Coal-Mines in Hajleberg Hills, S3 who
z6z Confequences of
who had his Arms and Legs broken, and his Body ftrangely diftorted by it: A fecond in thofe at Wingerfworth^ who going into a Bink, where this Kind of Damp was, to fetch fome of his Tools with a Candle in his Hand, found himfelf on a fudden environ'd with Flames, fo that his Face,Hands, Hair, and a great part of his Cloaths were very much burnt. He heard very little Noife, but one who was woncing at the fame time in ano- ther Bink, and thofe that were above Ground, heard a very great one, like a Clap of Thun- der, wherewith the Earth fhook i which hear- ing, they ran in a great Amazement to fee w^hat the Matter was, with their Candles in their Hands, which were twice extinguilliM, but held upon the third Lighting. They faw nothing, but met with an intolerable Stench of Brimftone, and a Heat as fcald- ing as an Oven half heated, which made them ^lad fpeedily to quit the Place. A third at the fame Place met with the fame Accident : 'And the fore-mentioned Perfon happening then to ftand at the Mouth of the fired Bink, was fliot forth about two or three Yards,- and had his Head broken and Body bruifed againft the farther Side ,- the fame alfo a third time incurred the like Difafter. That it fhot off the Turn at the Mouth of the Pit to a confi- derable Heiglit : That they could perceiv'e no Smell before the Fire, but afterv^ards a very {Iron g one of Brimftone. That the
Danip
the Deluge. 25 J
t)amp hung about the Top of the Bink, and therefore they were forc'd to go with their Candles very low, elfe it would have taken Fire. That the Flame would continue in the Vault two or three Minutes, fometimes more after the Crack. That he could never hear of any Damps that kindled of themfelves. That from the Breaking of thefe Fulmina- ting-Damps proceeded a black Smoak of the Smell and Colour of that from Gun-powder fired.
This Sort of Fire-Damp, Mr. Beamnont tells us, they havealfo in fome Coal-Works bordering on Mendip Hills. See Philofoph, Colled, I . And Mr. George Sinclair ^ in a Land called Werd% Weft of JLeith^ which even in the Day-time is fometimes feen inCoal-works in little Holes, fliining like kindled Sulphur. But the moft ftrange Fire-Damp was that which happenM at Moftyn in Flintfljire^ at the fame time with that sx Winger [w§rth [1675.] which as foon as the Colliers were fcanted of Air, appeared in the Crevilfes or Slits of the Coal, where Water had been before, in a fmall b]uifh Flame, flaftiing and darting like Sword-Blades from Side to Side of the Pit ,• and being kindled, had the fame and more violent Effeds than thofe of Hadeberg or JVin^ gerfmiorth^ leaving a foul ill-fcented Smoak behind it. In the laft there mention'd (Phi^ lofoph. Tianfad, Numb. 136.) firing of it by one who ran indifcrcetly with his Candle
S /.I. over
2^4 Confequences of
over the Eye of the damp Pit, it flew to and fro over all the Hollows of the Work with a great Wind and mighty Roaring, tore the Mens Cloaths from their Backs, fmdging and burning them, as alfo their Hair and Skins, carrying fome of them 15 or 16 Yards fronn their firft Station, beating them againft the Roof of the Coal and thePofts. As it drevv up to the Day-Pit, it caught one that wa§ next the Eye along with it, and up it comes and was difcharged out of the Mouth of the Shaft with a terrible Crack, not unlike, but more fhrill than a Cannon, fo that it was heard fifteen Miles off. The Man's Body, and other things from the Pit, were feen in the Air above the Tops of the higheft Trees that grew on the Brow of the Hill (eigh- teen Yards above the Pit) more than 100 Yards. The Barrel of an Horfe Engine for winding up the Rope of above 1000 Pound Weight, though faften'd to the Frame with Locks and Bolts of Iron, together with the Buckets and Rope were thrown up, and car- ried a good way from the Pit, and Pieces torn off from it fcattered about the Woods. And laflly, the whole Frame of the Engine moved out of its Place. The whole Rela^ tion deferves well to be read.
That which fecms to me mofl flrange and Romantick, is the Motion of the Damp, that as if it had been a living thing, it fhould fly up with a long fliarp Flame to lighted Can-.
dies
the DQluge. z6^
dies fet over the Eye of the Pit, and put tJiem out. And yet Mr. '^effof alfo mentions a J ike Motion in that o^ Win'gerfworth y For if^ fays he, in the Bink where it was^ they held their Candles any higher than ordinary^ they could fee the Damp^ which lay near the Roof^ to defcend like a black Mift^ and catch hold of the Flame J lengthening it to two or three nandfuh,
B Y thefe Defcriptions, this Damp fliould feem to be but Gun-powder in a Vapour, and to partake the Sulphur, Nitre, and Bitumen^ as the learned Dr,Plot well proves in his Natural Hiftory of Staffordjloire^ c. 3 . fed. 47, to which I referr the Reader. But for the Accenfion of it, whether it ever takes Fire of itfelf, I am in fome Doubt. Mr. Jeffop de- nies it of thofe of Hafleberg and Wingerp worth 5 and how far thofe Relators that af- firm it are to be credited, I know not.
I F in this Particular I were fatisfied,! fliould readily accord with the Do(^or, That our Earthquakes in Ffigland^ and any others that have but one fingle Pulfe, owe there Original to the Kindling and Explofion of Fire-Damps,
You will fay^ That Fire is the Caufe of Thunder we readily grant, becaufe we fee it plentifully difcharged out of the Clouds ; but what Reafon have we to think fo of this Sort of Earthquakes, where we fee no Lightning or Eruption of Fire at all? What becomes 0/ the inclofed Flame ?
In
z66 Confequences of
In Anfwer hereto, I demand. What be- comes of it in the open Air ? It dififufes it- felf through the Caverns of the Earth, till the Deflagration be made, and is there dillipated and diffolved into Fume and Aflies. It breaks not forth, I conceive, becaufe by rcafon of the Depth of the Caverns wherein it is lodg- ed, it is not able to overcome the Refiftance of the incumbent Earth, but is forced qua data porta ruere^ to make its Way where it finds cafieft Paltage through the ftrait Cum-- cull of the Earth : As in a Gun the inflamed Powder, though if it were at Liberty^ and found equal Refiftance on every Side, it would fpread equally every Way ; yet by reafon of the Strength and Firmnefs of the Metal, it cannot tear the Barrel in Pieces, and fo break out j but is compelled to fly out at the Muz- zle, where it finds an open, tho' ftrait Paf- fage. For the Force of Flame, though very great, is not infinite.
It may be farther obje(5i:ed. We hear not of any Eruption of Fire at Port-Royal^ or elfe- where in this Ifland, and yet the Earth open- ed^ and the Roofs of the Caverns fell in, therefore Fire could not be the Caufe of this Earthquake ; for if it had, at thofe Aperture^ and Rifts of the Ground, it mull needs have iffu'd forth and appear'd abroad.
To which I anfwer, that .the Vaults and Cavities wherein the inflamed Matter was imprifon'd, and the Explofion made, lay deep
in
the Deluge. 2^7
in the Earth, and were cover'd with a thick and impenetrable Coat of hard Stone, or o- ther folid Matter which the Fire could not tear i but that above this Coat there were o- ther fuperficial Hollows in a more loofe and crumbling Earth, which being not able to fuftain the Shock, and hold out againft the impetuous Agitations of the Earthquake, the Roofs might yield, open, and fublide, as we hear they did, and give Way to the Sea to rulli in and furmount them.
You will reply. This may be a tolerable Account of our EngliJJo Earthquakes; which are finifhed at one Explofion, but what fhall we fay to thofe oi "^amaka^ which like a Tempeft of Thunder and Lightning in the Clouds, have (as we learn by this Relation) feveral Paroxyfms or Explofions, and yet no Difcharging of Fire ?
T o which I anfwerj That I conceive the Caverns of the Earth wherein the inflamed Damps are contained, are much larger there than ours in England i and the Force of the Fire, joined with the Elatery of the Air, be- ing exceeding great, may of a fudden heave up the Earth, yet not fo far as to rend it in funder, and make its Way out, but is forced to feck Paflage w^here it finds leaft ReGftance through the lateral CunicuU. So the main Cavern beftig in a great Meafure emptied, and the Exterior Parts of the extended Matter within cooling and fhrinking, the Earth
may
2^8 Consequences of
may fubfide again, and reduce the Cavern jto its former Dimenfions. Yet poflibly there may not be a perfeft Deflagration and Extin.- idion of the Fire, and fo new Damps afcend^ ing out of the Earth, and by Degrees filling the Cavern, there may fucceed a fecond In* fiamation and Explofion, and fo a third and fourth till the. Steams be quite burnt up and confumed. But in this, I confefs, I do ncjt fatisfy myfelf. They who have a more com^ prehenfive Knowledge of all the Fhtsnovienay may give a better Account.
But as for thofe Earthquakes that areoc- cafion'd by the Burning oi Fulcano'f^ they are, I conceive, of a different Nature. For in them the Fire burns continually, and is never totally extinct, only after the great E^ ruptions, in which, befides Smoak and Fire, there is an Ejection of abundance of Allies, Sand, Earthy Stones, and in fome Floods of melted Materials, the Raging is for a time qualified; but the Fire (till continuing, and by Degrees increafing in the combuftible Matter it finds in the Hollows of the Moun^ tains, at laft f\yeils to that Excefs, that it pielts down Metals and Minerals where ic meets with them, caufing them to boil with great Fury, and extending itfelf beyond the Dimenfions of the Cavities wherein it is con- tained, caufes great Succuifions and Trem- blings of the Earth, and huge Eruptions of Smoak, and cafts out fuch Quantities of
Allies,
the Deluge. z6^
Aflf cs, Sand, and Stones, as we jiift now men- tion'd j and after much Thunder and Roar- ing by the Allilion and E^^ercufiTion of the Flame againft and from the Sides of the Ca- verns, and the Ebullition and Volutation oF the melted Materials, it forces out that boil- ing Matter either at the old Mouths, or at new ones, which it opens where the incum- bent Earth is more thin and yielding. And if any Water enters thofe Caverns, it mighti- ly encreafeth the Raging of the Mountain. For the Fire fuddenly diflfolving the Water in- to Vapour, expands it to a vaft Dimenfion,' and by the Help thereof throws up Earth, Sand, Stones, and whatever it meets with4 How great the Force of Water converted in- to Vapour is, I have fometimes experiment- ed by inadvertently,cafting a Bullet in a wee Mold, the melted Lead being no fooner poured in, but it was caft out again with Violence by the Particles of Water adhering to the Mold, fuddenly converted into Va-i pour by the Heat of the Metal.
Secondly^ The People of this Plantation being generally fo ungodly and debauched in their Lives, this Earthquake may well be efteemed by this Gentleman, the Minifter of Port'Royalj a Judgment of God upon them.
For tho' it may be a fenile Complaint, and popular Miftake, that the; former Times were better than thefe, and that the World
doth
270 Confeqtlences of
doth daily degenerate, and grow worfe and worfe. jEtas fcf^entum pejor avis tulit hos nequiores^ innxdaturos Frogeniem liitiofiorenu For had this been true, Vice would long be- fore this Time have come to the Height and greateft poflfible Excefs j and this Complaint hath been made as well in the beft as worfl: of Times. Though, I fay, this be partly an Error, yet I do verily believe, that there are certainTimes when Iniquity doth abound,and Wickednefs overflow in a Nation or City j and that long Peace and Profjperity, and great Riches, are apt to create Pride and Luxury, and introduce a general Corruption of Manners : And that at fuch Times God u- fually fends fome fweeping Judgment, either utterly deftroying fuch a People who have filled up the Meafure of their Iniquity, or at leaft grievoufly afflids and dimiailhes them. So when in the old World the Wicledfiefs of Man was great upon the Earthy and every I- magination of the Thoughts of his Heart was only Evil continually Gen. vi. 5. And the Earth was corrupt before God^ and filled rvith ' Violence J all Elejh having corrupted their Ways^ verf. II, and 12. God brought in the Flood, and drowned them all. The like Ven- geance we find executed on the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrha^ after fuch a monftrous Height of Wickednefs as the Inhabitants were generally arrived at. And we fhall find it noted by Hiftorians, That before any great
pubjick
the Deluge. 271
publick Calamity, or utter Excifion of a Na- tion, the People were become univerfally vi- cious and corrupt in their Manners, and with- out all Fear of G o d, or Senfe of Goodnefs. For God doth not ftand by as an idleaftd unconcerned Spectator, and fuffer Things to run at Random, but his Providence many times interpofes, and flops the ufual Courfe and Current of Natural Caufes : Nay, I be- lieve and^iffirm. That in all great and nota- ble Revolutions and Mutations, He hath the greateft Hand and Intereft j Himfelf ordering and governing them by His fpecial Super- intendence and Influence. So, though the Inftruments and Materials wherewith this De- vaftation in Jamaica was made, as a fubier- raneous Fire and inflamable Materials, were before in the Earth, yet that they fhould at this time break forth and work, when there was fuch an Inundation of Wickednefs there^ and particularly and efpecially at Fort-Royal^ this we may confidently fay, was the Finger of G o D, and effected perchance by the Mi-r niftery of an Angel.
Moreover, this Relator's being called a- fide, and (lopped from going to a Place, whi- ther if he had then gone he had certainly perillied, we have good Reafon to think an Effcd. of Providence, defigning thereby his Prefervation i as Gregory the Bifhop of An- tioch his going out of the Houfe wherein he abode immediately before it fell down,
was
272 Confequences of
was rationally' thought to be in refped of him.
But to proceed j I fliould now have done concerning Earthquakes, it being my defign only to take notice of fuch as have made confiderable Mutations in the fuperficial Part of the Earth, pafTing by thofe, which after a fliort Trembling and Succuffion, have left the Earth as they found it, making no Altera- tion at all therein. But at the very time this Sheet of Earthquakes was Compofing, there happening a notable one, though of this lat- ter Kind, in our own Country j I was, part- ly by the Coincidence of it with theCompo- fure before-mentioned, partly at the Requeft of. the Bookfeller, induced to make iome Mention of it, and add what I knew or could learn of its Hiftory -, which is, indeed, very little and inconfiderable, we having as yet but a very lame and imperfe(5t Account of the Accidents of it, ^
A s for the Time when it happened, it was the 8th o^ September^ 1691, about 4 Minutes paft Two of the Clock in the Afternoon, as was obferved at London : Hereabouts I can hear of no body that was fo critical in no- ting the Time, only they agree that it was a- bout Two of the Clock. Had we a pund^u- al and exad Notice of the very Minute that it happened in far diftant Places, we might thence gather fomething concerning the Mo- tion and Progrefs of it. However, it is re- 2- ~ ciarkable.
the Deluge. 273
ftiarkable, that it happened, in the Autumn^ one of the Seafons, in which, Ariftotle tells us, fuch Effects are moft frequent, the .other being the Spring ,• and likewifein the Month o£ Septefnber ; in the which, that about Ox- ford in the. Year 1683. fell out ; and, more- over, in a wet Seafon, as that alfo did: Though the Forenoon of the Day was clear and fair, yet, in the Afternoon, when the Earthquake was paft, it rained hard till Night ; the whole precedent Summer (to this I mean) having beert . cold and wet : Which, what Influence it can have toward the Produd:ion of an Earthquake, unlefs by flopping the Pores of the Earth, and hindring the Eva- poration of thofe fulphureous Steams, which are the Efficients of it, I know not. The fame • Night fucceeded fome Strokes of Thunder and Flalhes of Lightning, both here and at London ; and fince then, we have had great Storms of Wind. I might have taken No- tice, that, for fome Mornings before, we had fmart Frofts for the time of the Year.
Since this was written, and fent away in order to printing, I am advis'd,by Letter from my honoured Friend Dr. Tancred Robinfon^ that this Earthquake was not confin'd to fome Counties of England^ as Middlefex^ Effex^ Kent, Suffex^ HatnpJIme^ &c. but fpread far -into Foreign Parts ,• an Account whereof I .'(hall give you in the Dolor's own Words. The Comujjion or Vibration of our late Earths
T quake
Z74 Confeqiiences of
quake was felt in jncfi Farts of the Dutch and Spaniih Netherlands, as alfo in Germany and France : Jt affected Places moft upon the Sea^ Coaftsj and near the great Rivers^ as Zealand, Gologn, Mentz, and the Bridge of London. It went not beyond $2 Degrees and 40 M/- ntites of Northern Latitude ; how far it reached to the South and Eafl, is not yet cer- tainly hiown^for Want of good Intelligence -, we ha've already traced it beyond Paris, to the 48 Degree of N, Latitude^ and beyond the Rhine^ . en the Eajl to Francfort ,• fo that welnow^ at prefent^ of i6o Miles fquarefljaken by it»
' The Motions of fome Machinerwere ^eryfen- fibly ftop'd or retarded by the Ciioc, efpecially Pendulums : And there were fome Alterations in the Air^ (as to its Smelly ^p^if^gy ci^^d Gra- vity) both before and after. The 'Time of its happening here in England, and beyond the Seas^ feems to 'vary fome Minutes j but that way eafily be accounted for by the Difference c/ Meridians. Thus far the Doctor. Dat. Septemb, 22.
The Duration or Continuance of it (as I am informed by fome curious and attentive Obfervers) about London^ was about two Minutes ; here not fo long.
The Manner of the Motion, as J am af- fured by my learned and ingenious Friend and Neighbour Mr. Allen^ Phyfician in Brain-
'tree, who had it from feveral intelligent and oblervant Perfons hereabouts, and that lived
in
the Deluge. 27^
in diftant Places^ was firft a manifeft Hea- ving upwards^ and after that a Trembling, of Vibration, or Agitation to and fro. So tiiac in the firft refpeCt, its Motion feemcd to re- femble that of the Blood in an Artery, ftretching the Channel as it paifed.
The Motion of it was moft confiderable upon the Hills, and in Valleys.
Th£ Effect it had upon thofe who werefen- fible of it, was a Swimming or Dizzinefs in their Heads j and this was general upon all. In fome it affeded their Stomachs, and crea- ted' a Loathing,' and Inclination to Vomit : Some of the tenderer Sex found in them- felves fuch a Difpofition as they have had be- fore a fwooning Fitt. All which muft be the Effects, either of the Heaving, or tremulous Motion, or both -, and yet, no Motion of Boat *•
br Coach doth fo fuddenly affe(5l and difturb the Head or Stomach.
fjiftly^ It was attended with a Noife, as our Earthquakes generally in England are, 'as is obferved by Mr. Tigot in that of Oxford iii the Year 1^83. and by myfelf when I lived in Sutton^Cofieldy in one that happen'd there in the Winter-time, as I remember, in the Year 1577. and extended at leaft 40 Miles in Length, into Worcefterjhire. The Noife I heard, feem'd to be in the Air. This Noife, hereabouts, was heard but in few Places, and by few Pcrlbns j but yet I am well affured by foqie, and thofe of the Vulgar and l2;norant ' T $ " fort.
Z'^6 . Confequences of
fort, who reported it of themfelves, having no reafon to feign it, and who had never heard that any fuch thing accompanied Earthquakes:
From many of the afore-mentioned Par- tirulars, it may be colled :d, That the Ca- verns, in which the inflamed Damp, caufing this Earthquake, was contained, lie deep in the Earth.
For, I . It could not elfe have fiiook fuqh a vaft Extent of Ground, both Hills an4 Valleys in England^ and beyond Seas, (the Motion not being ftopt by the Channels of great Rivers or even Greeks of the Sea) un- lefs, I fay, the containing CunicuU or Con- duits had paffed under the very Bottom of the narrow Seas : Which is a great Con- firmation of what we have before delivered concerning the Mountains of jEtna^ Strom- boU^ and Vefuviiis^ communicating by fubf marine Vaults.
2. I F the Caverns had not Iain deep, the ehclofed Damp would, in all likelihood, fomewhere or other, have rent the fuper- incumbent Earth, and broken forth in the Form of a Flame.
And yet, notwithftanding the Depth, it fliould feem, it found fo much Vent as to affed the external Air, and create' a Sound : For if the Caverns,' wherein the Damp was, had been ciofe Ihut up with fuch a thick Coat of Earth, I doubt whether the Trem- bling
the Delude. 277
l>ling ^nd Vibration of the foft Earth 5 lone, would have produced fuch a Noife abroad in the Air j and the Vapour of it alio made a fhift to ftruggle through the Pores of the Earth into the open Air, in fuch Quantity as to affedl the Senfe, a fulphurous Scent hav- ing been obferved in the Air, both before and after the Concuflfion.
It \s^ moreover, very remarkable. That there were fome particular Spots which were not at all flirted in thofe Countries where the Places, not far diftant round about, were Ihaken; as Sturbridge-Fair bcfore-remem- bred, and that where my Dwelling is,- nei- ther myfelf, nor any of my Family, though they were Above-ftairs, nor any of our near Neighbours, being fenfible of the leaft Mo- tion or Impreffion of it, and yet thofe living within lefs than half a Mile, had their Houfes cohfiderably fliaken by it.
It is alio worth the noting, That both this, and all other Earthquakes I have heard or read of in England^ have been very Ihort, and finifhed at one Exploiion ^ which is an Argumejnt that the Cavities and Cuniculi^ wherein the inflamed Matter is contained and moves, are yery ftrait, and of fmall Di- menfions. Exploiion I call it, becaufe by the Quicknefs of the Motion, it feems rather to refemble that of Powder in a Gun, than that of a Squib running in a Train of Powder. Though others I have read of, wliofe Motion
T 3 was
Z78 Confequences of
was very (low ; as that obferved by the Ho- nourable Mr. J5(5y/^,and defcribed in the Fhi- lofophicalTranfacfionSy Numb. 11. Had we certain Knowledge where the greateft Force of this Earthquake was, we might thence * learn where its firfl Accenfion was, and which way it fpread itfelf. But I have not time to enlarge farther ccpxerning it, or to give an Account of all its Fh^nomena^ left I injure the Printer by flopping the Prefs ; Neither, indeed, would it be Prudence to at- tempt it, till we have a more particular and perfcd Hiftory of it.
» - Since this was written and fent away to the Printer, Intelligence is come from be- yond the Seas, that Flanders^ arid all HoU land^ Part of France and Germany^ were fliaken by this Earthquake, and, confequent- iy, the interjacent- Provinces j which is a clear Demonftration of our Opinion, l^at the inflamed Damp, which caufed it, was lodged deep in the Earth, the CunicuU or Caverns, which contained it, pafiSng under the Very Bottom of the Sea. . It is alfo a great Confirmation of what we have delivered con- cerning the Mountains of JEtna^ Stromboll^ and Vejuroius^ communicating by fubmarine PaiTages. Add hereto, that Gaffendm^ in the Life of Feireslm^ reports, That at the Moun-» tain Semo in jEthwpiaj there happened a Burning at the fame time with that of Vefuvius in Campania^ 'viz. ia the Year
the Deluge,
1^33. So that not only Vefuvim commw' nicates with Mtna by fubterraneous Vaults, but alfo (as he rationally inferrs) j^tna with the Mountains of Syrici^ the Tunnels run- ning under the Depths of the Mediterranean Sea, and thofe with the Arabian i and, h^- ly, the Arabian with Mount Seino in j^tlm-t- pia. -,• -: i>
That an inflamed Damp or fubterraneous Fire is the Caufe of all Earthquakes in gene- ral, and not only fuch as precede the Erup- tions of Vukand's^ may be proved by an e- fHiinent Inftance of .an Earthquake happen- ing May 1 2. .1682. which fliook the greatdl Part of France and Switzerland^ and reach*d as far as Collen in Germany : An Account whereof we have in i\it Journal des Scavam^ fet forth June i. i68i. inferted in the Week- ly Memorials printed for Mr. Faithor^e^ Numb. 23. In which they write. That it was perceived in Lionnois^ (which was wont to pafs for a Place exempt from fuch Acci- dents) in Dauphiny and Beaujolois^ though very little, and without any ill Confequence. That at Mets in Lorrain^ the Watch-place of a Bulwark was thrown down into the Ditch, with the Soldier that flood Centiael there. ^
That at Tonnerre^ihc Houfes and Churches were fo terribly fhaken, as if feveral Coaches with fix Horfes had driven along full fpeed through the Streets j and that it threw
T 4 down
z8o Confequences of
down feveral Rocks on the fide of Bourbi- rant. They tell alfo, that it ftopt a Foun- tain at Karoiere^ hard by, (which at fifty Pa- ces from its Head, turns a Mill) for half an Hour.
That it was perceived in Provence^ by the Shaking of Windows and Beds, and Opening of Doors i and that it had two feveral Moti- ons or Pulfes, as ours alfo was, by fome, ob- served to have : And that the Domefl:ick A- nimals, as Sheep, Cows, Horfes, and Poul- try,^ did difcover their Fear by unufual Mo- tions and Cries. And the Sheep at Dijon in Burgundy y could not be fi:op'd from getting into their Stalls at Four of the Clock in the Afternoon, which were not then wont to betake themfelves thither till Sun-fet.
That the Cities of Orleans^ Troyef^ Sens^ Chalons^ Joinvilky Reims^ SoiJJons^ Laon^ Mafcon^ Dok^ Strasbourg^ &c\ felt the Ef- fe(^s of it.
But at Kemiremont upon the Mojelle^ where it exerted its greateft Force, throw- ing down feveral Houfes, infomuch that the Inhabitants were forced to betake them- felves into the Fields for fix Weeks time j there was a Noife heard like Thunder, and Flames frequently broke Qut of the Earth of a noifome Scent, but not fulphureous, and which burnt nothing,- yet was there no Rift or Chap in tne Ground, fave only in one Place i the Depth whereof w;is in vain
fearch'dj
the Deluge: 281
fearch'd, and which afterwards clofcd up. And before this Earthquake alfo, Flames ap- peared for four Days upon a Mountain near Geneva,
It is very ftrange and remarkable, that the Flames that ilfued out, were of the Nature of an Jgnis fatuus^ and burnt nothing i and that the Earthquake raged every Night, and never in the Day-time.
Concerning Earthquakes, I fhall only add two Obfervations.
1. That it is not likely that they fpend all their Strength upon Cities, but do indilferent- ly ihake, break in funder, and throw down Mountains and Rocks j and feeing few Ci- ties there are but have been fhaken, and many ruined and fubverted by them, and leveled with the Ground ; there is good Reafpn to think, that few Rocks or Moun- tains have efcaped their Fury, but have fuf- fered the like Concufifions and Alterations.
2. That the Changes that have hitherto happened in the Earth by Earthquakes, have not been fo confiderable as to threaten a Dif- folution of the prefent Syftem of the Ter- raqueous Globe, fhould there be a like Suc- ceflion of them to Eternity. Unlcfs we will except that unparallel'd univerfal One, which happened inth^ D^ys of Valentini an the Firft, (which we have already mentioned) by which the whole known World, both Land and Sca^ and it's like the then unknown too, were
violently
28x Confequences of
violently lliaken ,• which might feem to be a Prelude to the future Conflagration, or Deftrudion of the whole, by fuch a Confu- fion and Dafliing in Pieces of all the Parts of it, one againft another, as the Stoicks fpeak of.
Of the Effe(5ts of burning Mountains or Vulcano's^ I have already faid fomething, and Ihall, afterwards, have occafion to fay more. In brief, i. They caft forth out of their Mouths, and fcatter all over the Country, fometimes to a very great Diftance, .abun- dance of Sand and Alhes. . Dio7i Caffius re- ports, That in the noted Deflagration of Ve- ftivim^ in the Time of TvYwx the Emperor, there was fo much Cinders and Aflies vomi- ted out of its flaming Tunnel, and with that Fury and Violence, that they werq tranf- ported over Sea, into Africa^ Syria^ andE^j^ti and, on the other fide, were carried as far as Rome^ where they darknedthe very Air, and
. intercepted the Sun-beams. At which time, by the Fury of this Burning and Tempeft,
. the whole Mountain and Earth thereabouts was fo lliaken, that two adjoining Cities, Herculanium and Pompeii^ were deftroyed with the People fitting in the Theater, And the famous Natural Hiftorian Pliny the Elder, then Admiral of the Roman Navy, out of a Curiofity of fearching out the Caufes and Nature of the Deflagration, approaching too near the Mountain, and flaying too long
there.
the Deluge. -i^S^
there, was fuffocated with the fulphnreous Smoke and Stench thereof.
Of another Eruption of the {imtVeftwiuf^ we read, in the Time of heo the Emperor; wherein the Aflies thereof, tranfportcd m the Air, obfcured all Europe^ being carried as far as Co7ifinntinofle ,• and that the Cojtfiantim^ politans being wonderfully affrighted there- with, (infomuch as the Emperor forfook the City) in memory of the fame did yearly, ce- lebrate the Twelfth of Non)ember,
2, THEYalfo pour out huge Floods of melted Minerals, Stones, and other Materials, running down like Rivers for many Miles together , as did the Mountain jEtna in that laft and moft famous Erudion, difgorging fuch mighty Streams of fiery running Matter, as flowed down to Catana^ above twenty Miles diftant, and advanced a confiderablc way into the very Sea itfelf.
2. The next thing I fhall mention, is .the extraordinary Floods caufed by ion^ continuing Showers, or violent and tempe^ ftuous Storms and Shots of Rain. >
The moft ancient and memorable of this Kind is that of Deucalion^ of which we have -already difcourfed fufficiently. S. Hierome^ in the Life of Hilarion^ (as I find him quo* ted by Dr. Hakewill) fpeaks of a Flood and Inundation after the Death of Julian^ in which Naues ad pr^rupta montium delatdi fependerunt^ the Ships being landed upon
the
Confequences of
the Tops of the Mountains^ there fluckl Which, whether it proceeded from Rain, or from an Irruption of the Sea, or from both Caufes together, he doth not fay : But if it were literally true, and not hyperbolically exaggerated, then may fome Credit be given to what Sahin^ in his Commentaries upon O'vid's Metamorphofi!:^ reports. Ex Annalium mommejitis conftat Anno 1460. in Alfibus in- *ventavi effe Na'vim cmn anchor is in cuniculo per quern metalla effodiuntur : It appears bj by the Monuments of Hiftory^ that in the Tear 1460. in a Mine of the Alps, was found a Ship With its Anchors; in Confirmation of what that Poet writes :
Et 'vetus inventa eji in montibus anchora fujnmis.
In the Year of our Redemption 590. in the Month of O^ober^ Gregory being then Bilhop of Rome^ there happened a marvel- lous Overflowing in Italy ^ and efpecially in the Venetian Territory, and in Liguria, ac- companied with a moft fearful Storm of Thunder and Lightning ; after which fol- lowed the great Plague at Ro?fte^ by reafon of many dead Serpents caft up, and left up- on the Land, after the Waters decreafed and returned.
S T R o z I u s S I G o G, in his Magia omni^ faria^ telleth of an Inundation in Italy ^ in the Time of Pope Vamafus^ in which alifo many
Cities
the Deluge. z8<)
Cities of Sicily were fwallovved : Another in tjie Time oiAlexajider the Sixth. Alfo, in the Year 15 1 5. Maxiinilian being Emperor, he alfo remembers a perilous Overflowing in Polonia about Cracovia^ by which many People perilled. \ /j
Likewise Vignier^ a French Hiftorian^' fpeaketh of a great Flood in the South Part e( Languedoc^ which fell in the Year of our Lord 1557. with fo dreadful aTempeft^that all the People attended therein the very End of the World and Judgment-Day, faying, 'That by the violent Delcent of the Waters about Nifines, there were removed divers old Heaps and Mountures of Ground, and many ;other Places, torn up and rent; by which Accident, there was found both Coin of Sil- ver and Gold, anddiversPieces of Plate, and Veifels of other Metal, fuppofed to be hid- den at fuch time as tht Goths invaded that Province. Thefe Stories related in the three laft Paragraphs, I have borrowed of Sir Wal- ter Raleigh his Hiftcry of the World.
To which I Ihall add one of late Date happening in Sicily ^ a 'Narrative whereof communicated in a Letter from Falermo^ dated June the 25 th, 1682. I met with in the London Gazette^ Numb. 1742. in the following Words : JVe hwve an Account from the Town of Tortorica, That on the Sixth Jnflant^ about Se-ven a Clod in the Evening^ after fo great a Darlnefs that no Object could
he
lS6 Confequences of
he dijl'mguijhed at the Diftance of four Pa^ tes^ there arofe fuch a great Stonn of Rain^ JJghtn'mg^ and Thunder^ which lafted Six and thirty HourSj that about One a Clod the next Mornings great Torrents' of Water], caufed by thefe Rains ^ fell down from the neighbouring Mount aim with fo great Rapi- dity-^ that they carried with them Trees of an €xtraordi?iary Bignefs^ which threw down the Walls and Houjes of the Town they hap- femd to beat againft. The Waters were fo fvi&lent that they overthrew the Church of S, Nicholas ; and the Arch-Deacon of the Town^ who retired thither ^ perijhed there with vtany other Perfons : There remaining -only one Abby^ and about fifty Houfes, and ■thofe fo Jhattered^ that they fell one aper another. There were about Six hundred of the Inhabitants drown'd^ the reft being a- broad in the Field gathering their Silk^ fled 'to the Mountains^ where they fuffsred 'very much for Want of Provifions. 'The Goods ^ - Trees^ Stone^ Sand^ and other Rubbijh^ which 'the Waterr carried away^ were in fo great 'Abundance^ that they ?nade a Banh above the Water ^ two Miles in Lengthy near the Mouth of the River ^ where ^ before^ the Sea was very deep. This Town is fituate in that Part of Sicily called the Valley of Demona, on the fide of the River Tortorica, about Five and twenty Miles fro?n the Tufcan Sea* The Towns of Randazzo and Francavilk-^
and
the Deluge. 287
and fever at others, have likezvlfe been de- Jkoyed by this great Flood. It is added, that Mount Mtm cafis out fuch abundance of Water, that all the neighbouring Country is drowned. Which if it be true, .(as I fee no Reafon to doubt it) this is a farther Proof againft Borellius, that the Caverns of jEt- na are more than fuperficial, and reach down to the very Roots and Foundations of that Mountain, communicating with the fub- terraneous Abyfs, and the Sea itfelf, from whence, in all likelihood, thefe Waters were derived, as is evident in thofe poured out by; Vefuvius,
• Many other Floods we read of in Hifto- .ries, whether caufed by Rains or Inundati- ons of the Sea, is uncertain ,• and, therefore, I fhall not fpend time in fetting them down* The Eflfcd: of all which, relatingto the Earth in general, is, the Wafting and Wafhing a- way of Mountains and high Grounds, the Railing of the Valleys and Bottoms, and, con- fequently, Leveling of the Earthy and Land- ing up of the Sea.
3. The laft thing I fiiall mention, which hath effected coniiderable Changes in the Earth, is boifterous and outrageous Winds and Hurricanes, of which I need not give Inftanccs, they every Year «ihnoft happening. Thefe, I conceive, have a great Intercft in the Inundations of the Sea we have before men- tioned. Thefe raife up thofe great Hills or
Downs
z88 CoJtfeqtienc^s of
Downs of Sand we fee all along the Coafts of the Low-Countreyf^ and the Weftern-Shores o( England J and the like Places. Thefe fome- times blow up fo much Sand, and drive it fo far as to cover the adjacent Countrys, and to mar whole Fields, yea, to bury Towns and Villages. They are alfo a concurrent Caufe of thofe huge Banks and Shelves of Sand, that are fo dangerous to Mariners, and bar up Havens, and ruin Port-Towns ^ qf which many Inftances might be given.
I F I N D in Dr. HakewiWs Apology, a Story or two, lliewing the great Force and Strcngtb of Winds ,• the one taken out of Bellarntine's Book, De afcenfu mentis in Demn per fed, creat. grad, 2. Vidi ego (faith the Cardinal) (juod nifi 'vidiffem non crederem^ a "vehementif- fimo vento ejfojjain ingentevi terrte molem^ earn" que ddatam fuper pagmn quendam ut fovea altiffima confviceretiir^ unde terra enita fuerat^ &fagm totus coopertus^& quafi fepidtus ?nan- ferit^ ad quern terra ilia de-venerat : 1. e. / inyfelf have feen, which if I had not fcen^ I fhould not have believed^ a very great J^antity of Earthy digged out and tahn up by the Force of a ftrong Wind^ and carried up a Village thereby^ fo that there remain- ed to be feen a great empty Hollowncfs in the Place from whence it was lifted^ and the Village upon which it lighted was in a man- ner all covered over and buried in it.
The
the Deluge. zSp
5 T H E Other out of Stow^ who reports^ That in the Year 1095. during the Reign of King WilUfim Rufus^ there happened in. London an outrageous Wind,which iDoredovvn in that City alone Six hundred Houfes, and blew off the Kooi of EGW-Churchj with which the Beams were borne into the Air a great Height, fix whereof being 27 Foot long, with their Fall were driven 23 Foot deep into the Ground, the Streets of the City lying then unpaved.
Now then to fum up what we have faid i The Changes and Alterations that have been made in the fuperficial Part of the terra- .queous Globe, have been effeded chiefly by ]Vate}\ Fire^ and Wind* Thofe by Water have been either by the Motions of the Sea^ Of by Rains ; and both either ordinary or ex- . traordinary : The ordinary Tides and Spring- Tides of the Sea do walh away the Shores, and change Sand-Banks, and the like. The extraordinary and tempeftuous Motions of the Sea, raifed by raging and impetuous Winds, fubterraneous Fires, or fome other hidden Caufes, overwhelm Iflands, open Fre- tu??ts^ throw up huge Beds and Banks of Sand, nay, vaft Baiches of Stone, extending lome Miles, and drown whole Countrys. The ordinary Rai?ts contribute fomething to the daily Diminution of the Mountains, fil- ling up of the Valleys, and atterrating ths Skirts of the Seas. The extraordinary Raim
y cauling
i^O Confequences of
camfing great Floods and Deluges, have more vifible and remarkable Influences upon fuch Mutations, doing that in a few Days which the ordinary Weather could not effe^, it may be, in a hundred Years.
In all thefe Changes the Winds have a great Intereft ; the Motion of the Clouds being wholly owing to them, and, in a great mealure alfo, the Overflowings and Inunda- tions of the Sea.
Whatever Changes have been wrought by Earthquakes, Thunders, and Eruptions of Vulcand's^ are the Effects of Fire.
All thefe Caufes co-operate toward the lowering of the Mountains, leveling of the Earth, ftraitnir^ and landing up of the StdL^ and, in fine, compelling the Waters to return upon the dry Land, and cover the whole Surface of it, as at the firft. How to ob- viate this in a natural way, I know not, un- lefs by a Tranfmutation of the two Elements of Water and Earth one into another, which I can by no means grant. 'Tis true indeed, the rocky Parts of the Mountains may be fo hard and impenetrable, as to refill and hold out againft all the Affaults of the W ater, and utmoft Rage of the Sea j but then all the Earth and Sand being walked from them, nothi ig, but as it were their Skeletom^ will re- main extant above the Waters, and the Earth be in effe(^ drowned.
But
the Deluge. 2^1
But tho' I cannot imagine or think up- on any natural Means to prevent and put a Stop to this Effei^t, yet I do not deny that there may be fome^ and I am the rather in- clinable fo to think, becatife the World doth not in any Degree proceed fo fift towards this Period, as the Force and Agency of all thefeCaufcs together feem to require. For, as I faid before, the Oracle prediding the Carrying on the Shore oiC'dicia as far as Q- />m/, by the Earth and Mud that the turbid River P^ramm fhould bring down, and let fall in the interjacent Strait, is fo far from being filled up, that there hath not ^nyconfi- derable Progrefs been made towards it, fo far as I have heard or read, in thefe 2000 Years. And we find by Experience, that the longer the World lafts, the fewer Concuffi- ons and Mutations are made in the upper or fuperficial Region of the Earthy the Parts thereof feeming to tend to a greater Quiet and Settlement. 1
In this Conjedure I find myfelf miflaken* For fince the Writing hereof there have hap- pened as terrible and deftruftive Earthquakes as any we read of in Hiftory, particularly thofe of Sicilj in the Year 169^-3 . ^^^^ ^^^ ^" 5^^«. 9. about four Hours and a half after Sun-feti the fecond on the nth of the fame Month, about the 2 ift Hour of the Day, ac- cording to the Italian Reckoning, that is, three Howrs before Sun-fet. In both which
U % there
2^)2 Consequences of
there .periHied 93000 Souls i Were deftroyed and much damnified 2 Bilhopricks , 700 Churches, of which 2 2 Collegiate ones, 250 Monafteries, 49 Cities and Villages, where- of the moft remarkable was the City of Ca- tania^ one of the faireft and largeft in the Ifland, which was wholly overthrown and buried in its Ruins, fcarce any Footftep of it remaining, wherein perilhed above 15000 Souls : Of which the learned and ingenious Signor faulo Bonone gives a particular Ac- count, in his Book entituled, Mufduin Phy^ fictim & Experimentale -y and befides affords us many curious Remarks and Obfervations^ concerning the Signs, Concomitants and Ef- feds of thefe Earthquakes, which being too long to tranfcribe, it not being my Detign to write a complete Treatife of Earthquakes, but only to difcourfe a little of them occa- iionally, as they, or rather the Caufe of them, might poftibly have been the Means or Inftruments the Almighty made ufe of at firft to raife up the dry Land, and caft off the Waters ; I referr the Reader to the Book it- felf.
2. Those of Naples^ or Terra di La^ 'VorOj anciently called Campania Felix^ hap- pening on tlie fifth of June 1688. of which Mr. Miffon gives us an Account at the End of his New Voyage to Italy, Vol, i. fent in a Letter from an EngUJJj Merchant then living
in
the Deluge. zp^
in Naples to his Friend, in thefe Words ; Sh\
About eight Dap a;^o zve all believed the World was at a7i End. tVe felt amoft terrible Earth- quale in this 'Town of Naples : It'lafted but three Minutes^ but in that little time fiich Things hafpened^ as without all Doubt were done by the Ha?id of the Almighty. About a quarter of a?t Hour after four in the After- noon^ a terrible Earthquake pook the whole City all of a fudden^ and pit the People into fuch a Confufion as cannot be exprejfed. Mount Vefuviiis being quiet ^ no Body miftrufled any fuch Thing : And though they perceived the Houfes to floop^ and to recover again^ to part from cne another^ to move every where^ and in fome Places to fall^ their Aflonifmnent wof fo greaty and their Eyes fo dazzled^ that (oine cried out Fire^ others fancied to themfelves fome popular Sedition^ and very few guef- fed what it really was. But another more violent Earthquake fucceeding the firfi ^ a fubtcrraneous Noife^ furpajfing that of Thun- der^ was heard and accompanied by a Dome- flick Noife of all the HouJJjold Goods ^ which were overturned^ and a good Part of them ei- ther broken or bruifed, The Bells rang in all the Steeples^ the Cifierns vomited up their Wa- ters^ feveral Houfes parted from each other^ fome rejoined^ others fell^ and fome flood as if they were ftooping and ready to fall. Then every one was fenjible that it was an Earth-^
U 3 quake ^
2p4 Consequences of
quake ^ &c. T^ this fucceeded a third Trem^ lling^ which the Writer only mentions. Not many People were loft in this Earthquake at Naples ; hut the Damage [uftained by it was reckoned by knowing Perfons to amount to Ten Millions of Crowns. At the Town of Bene- vento there were 1567 Perfons crufhed to Pieces^ and buried under Ruins ; fo that that Town is nothing now but a Heap of Stones. We have here a Lift 0/800 Perfons more kil- led in twelve or thirteen Villages about the faid City of Benevent. The Town of Ceret- to, belonging to the Duke of Mattalone, was entirely overturned^ and 4000 Perfons perijh- ed therein, five Hundred were alfo loft at Mira- bella, 1000 at S. Lupo, 300 <it S. Lawrence Major^ 400 at Pierra Roya, and every Soul^ without any ones efcaping^ at the Boroughs of CiviteUa, S. Lawrence Minor, and Guardia S. Framondi.
3. To thefe may be added the terrible Earthquake in the Ifland of Jamaica^ where- of we have already difcourfed at large.
Besides, the Superficies of the Sea, not- withftanding the Overwhelming and Sub- merfion of Iflands, and the Straitning of it about the Outlets of Rivers, and the Earth it waflies from the Shores fubfi- ding, and elevating the Bottom, feems not to be raifcd higher, nor fpread farther, or bear any greater Proportion to that of
the
the Deluge. 299
the Land than it did a Thoufand Years
So have I finiftied my fecond Difcourfe concerning the Deluge. and its Effects j and the Mutations that have been fince made in tlie Eartii, and their Caufes*
U 4
D I S-
DISCOURSE III.
O F T H E
DISSOLUTION
O F T H E
WORLD.
THE
INTRODUCTION
T O T H E
Third Difcourfe.
HERE is implanted in the Nature of Man a great Defire and Curiolity of fore-know- ing future Events, and what
ihall beflill themfelves, their
Relations and Dependents in time to come ; the Fates of Kingdoms and Commonwealths,^
efpccially
|
m |
^M |
m |
|
m |
• T |
^ |
|
m |
m |
Of the Dijfolution. 25)7
Specially the Periodical Mutations, and final 'Catajlrophe of the World. Hence, in ancient • Times, Divination was made a Science or Myftery, and many Nations had their Col- leges or Societies of Wife-Men, Magicians, Aitrologcrs and Sooth-fayers ; as for Exam- pie, the Egyptians^ Babyloniam and Romans. Hence the Vulgar are very prone to confult Diviners andFortune-Teflers.
To gratify in fome Meafure this Curiofi- ty, and that his People might not in any. Privilege be inferiour to the Nations about them, it pleafed God, belides the Handing Oracle of Urim^ not only upon fpecial Oc- cafions to raife up among the Jews extraordi- nary Prophets, by immediate Million i but alfo to fettle a conftant Order and Succef- fion of them, for the Maintenance and Up- holding whereof, there were Colleges and Seminaries inftituted for the educating and fitting young Men for the Prophetick Fun- ction. Thefe were the Sons of the Pro- phets, of whom we find fo frequent Men- tion in Scripture.
Moreover, it pleafed God fo far to conde- fcend to the Weaknefs of the Jews^ that in the Infancy of their State, He permitted them to confult His Prophets concerning ordinary Accidents of Life, and Affairs of fmall Mo- ment : As we fee Saul did Samuel about the Lofs of his Father's Affes, which it's not like- ly he would have done, had ic not been u-
fual
Z5>8 Of the Dijfolution
fual and cuftomary fo to do. In the latter Times of that State, we read of no Confulting of Prophets upon fuch Occafions. At laft alfo by their own Confeflion, the Spirit of Prophecy was quite taken away, and nothing left them but a Vocal Oracle, which they called Bath col^ u e. the Daughter of a Voice, or the Daughter of Thunder, a Voice out of * Hora a Voice. This Dr. "^ Light foot thinks to have iJebr. in \)qqii a meer Fancy or Impofture. Q^^e de e^, 3! V. Bath Kol referunt Judai^ ignofcant illi tnihi i7« fi ego partitn pro Fabulis habeam ^udaicis^ par- tim pro prafligiis Diabolk'u* What the Jews report concerning Bath Kol, I beg their Par- don^ if I efteem them no ether than either Jewijh Fable f^ or Diabolical Illufions. It is a Tradition among them, that after the Death of the laft Prophets, Haggai^ Zachary^ and Malachiy the Holy Spirit departed from If- rael. But why, I befeech you, was Prophecy withdrawn, if Celeftial Oracles were to be continued ? Why was Urifn and nummim taken away, or rather not rcftored, by their own Confeflion, after the Babylonilh Capti- vity ? It were ftrange indeed, that G o d ta- king away His ordinary Oracles from a People, lliould beftow upon them one more or eqiially noble ; and that, after they were extremely degenerated and fallen into all manner of Impiety, Superftition and Here- fy, &c. And a little after, if I may free- fy fpeak what I think, thofe innumerable
Stories,
of the World. Ipp
Stories, which every where occurr [in the Jewifli Writings] concerning Bath Kol^ are to be reduced to two Heads, "viz, i. The nioft of them are meer Fables, invented in Honour of this or that Rabbin, or to gain Credit to fome Hiftory. 2. The reft meer Magical and Diabolical Illufions, &c.
In the Primitive Churches of Chriftians planted by the Apoftles, there was alfo an Order of Prophets, i Cor, xii. 28. God hath fet fome in the Church , jirft Apoftles^ fecondarily Prophets^ &c. This Spirit of Pro- phecy was an extraordinary and temporary Gift, as were the Gifts of Healing and Speak- ing with Tongues, continuing not long after the Death of the Apoftles, and Confignation of the Canon of Scripture. So that now wc have no Means left us of Coming to the Knowledge of future Events, but the Pro- phecies contained in the Writings of the Ho- ly Penmen of Scripture, which we muft fearch diligently, confider attentively, and compare together, if we defire to underftand any thing of what fhall befall the Chriftian Church or State in Time to come.
This Text which I have made Choice of for my Subjed, is Part of a Prophecy con- cerning the greatcft of all Events, the Diffo- lution of the World.
f'
2 PiTCK
mmmmm^
Z Peter iii. II.
Seeing then all thefe Things jhall he di[fohed/ujhat man- ner of Per fons\ ought ive to he in all holy Converfation and Godlinefs ?
Chap. I.
The "Drnjion of the Words and Do&rine contained in them^ with the Heads oj the following Dijcourje,
«^^^HESE Words contain in them
J^ T^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ * ^* ^" Antecedent, ^^P^^ or Doctrine, All thefe thinis flmll ^SM^M he diffohed. 2. A Confequent, or Inference thereupon, JVhat manner of Perfom ought we to be?
Tnt Doctrine, here only briefly hinted, or fummariiy propofed, is laid down more fully in the precedent Verfe , But the Day of the Lord zvill come as a Thief in the Nighty in which the Heavens pall pafs away with a
great
Of the Di(folutton. 301
great Noife, and the Elements Jhall fnelt with ferve?it Ueat^ the' Earth alfo^ and theJVorh that are therein JJjall be burnt up.
These Words are, by the Generality of Interpreters, Ancient and Modern, under- ftood of the final Deftrudion or Diffolution of Heaven and Earth ; in which Senfe I IhaU choofe rather to accept them at prefent, than with the Reverend and Learned Dr. Hcz;//-, 7?wndj and fonie few others, to ftem the Tide ofExpofitors, and apply them to the Deftru- dtion of Jerusalem and the Jewifh Polity. I fay then,
IThat this IVorld,. and all things therein Doar. contained^ JJjall one Day be dijfolved and deftroyed by Fire.
B Y Wbrld^ in this Propofition, We^ and by Heaven and Earth in this Place, the moft rational Interpreters of Scripture, do under- ftand only the whole Co?npages of this Sub- lunary World, and all the Creatures that are in it ; all that was deftroyed by the Flood in the Days of Noah^ and is now fecured from perifhing fo again ^ that I may borrow Dr. Hammond's Words, in his Annotations on this Place. ' And again, the Word Heavem
* ( faith he ) being an Equivocal Word, is ufed
* either for the fupcriour Heavens, whether ' Empyreal or Ethereal, -or for the fublunary ' Heavens, the Air, (as the Word World is ei- ' ther the whole Compass of the fuperiour
'and
302 Of the Dijfolution
* and inferiour World, as the Author of the
* Book De MundOy afcribed falfly to Ariflotle^
* defines Koflrfjiof, (Tvgvjfxx e^ dvpavs vloa yvi<;
* y?^w or Compages of Heaven and Earthy and
* the Beings therein contained : Or elfe only of
* the fublunary Lower World) we may here
* refolve, that the 'Ovpavol and goix^Ta^ Hea- .' ven and Hoft, or Elements thereof, are li-
' terally the fublunary Aereal Heavens, and all
* that is therein, Clouds and Meteors, &c.
* Fowls and flying Creatures, and fo, fit to
* join with the Earth and Works that are
* therein.
In Profecution of this Propofition, and in Order to the Proof and Confirmation, and likewife the Clearing and lUuftration of it, I fliall, (i .) Give you what I find concerning the Diflolution of the World : i . In the Ho- ly Scripture. 2. In ancient Chriftian Wri- ters. 3. In the Heathen Philofophers and Sages. (2.) I fhall endeavour to give fome Anfwer to thefe feven Queftions, which are obvious and ufually made concerning it.
1. Whether there be any thing in Na* ture, which might prove and demonftrate, or argue and inferr a future DifTolution of the World ?
2. Whether fhall this DifTolution be brought about and effe(Sted by Natural, or by extraordinary Means and Inftruments ,*
and
of the World. 503
and what thofe Means and Inftruments fiiall be?
3. Whether fhall the DilTolution be gradual or fudden ?
4. Whether fliall there be any Signs and Fore-Runners of it ?
5. At what Period of Time fhall the World be diffolved ?
6. H o w far Ihall this Conflagration ex- tend ? Whether to the Ethereal Heavens, and all the Hoft of them. Sun, Moon, and Stars, or to the Aereal only.
7. Whether fhall the Heavens and Earth be wholly diffipated and deftroyed, or only refined and purified ?
Chap. II.
The Tefiimonies of Scripture concerning the Dijfolution of the World,
HEN, let us confider what wc find delivered in the Holy Scri- ptures, concerning the Diflb- lution of the World. And firft of all. This Place, which I have made Choice of for my Text, is in my Opinion the moft clear and full, as to this Particu- lar, in the whole Scripture j and will give Light for the. Solution of moft of the pro-
poied
304 Of the hljfotution
pofed Qiieftions. Verf. i o. The Dayofth^ Lord jjjall come as a T^hief^ Sec. This' ah- fwers the third Queftion^ Whether the Dif- folution lliall be gradual or fuddt:n ? W^here- in the Hcai)en.f (hall pafs azvay with a great Noife^ and the Ehnenty Jloall visit zmh fer- vent Heat^ the Earth alfo^ and all the JVorh that are therein^ (hall be burnt tip. And a^ gain, Ver. 12. tFherein the Heavem being on Fire /hall be dijfohed^ and the Ehnentf JJoall melt with fervent Heat, This anfwers the fecond Queftion, What the Means and Inftruments of this Diffolution ihall be ? Ver. 13. Neverthelefi we^ ai:cording to his Pro?nife^ look for a new Heaven and a new Earthy wherein dwelleth Right eoufnefs. This gives fome Light toward the anfwering of the laft Queftion, Whether fliall the Heavens and the Earth be wholly burnt up and de- ftroyed , or only renewed and purified ? ThefeWords, as clearly as they feem to re- ferr to the DilTolution of the World, yet Dr. Hamjnond doubts not to be understood of the remarkable Deftrudtion of Jerujale?n^ and the Jewiili State, he thus paraphrafing them.
Verfe i o. But the Day of the Lord will
come as a Thief in the Nighty in which
the Heavens (Izall pafs away with a great
Noife^ and the Eleinents fjjall melt with
■ fervent Heat^ and the Earth alfo^ and
thi
■y,df the World. 505*
the Worh that are therein JJjall be burnt up.
But this Judgmcni of Christ, fo remark- able on the Jewf^ lliall now fliortly come, and that very difcernably ; and the Temple fliall fuddenly be deftroyed, the greater Part of it burnt, and the City and People utterly confumed.
Verfe ii. Seeing then all thefe Things JJoall be dijjclvedj what Manner of Ferfons ought ye to be in all holy Converfation and Godlinefs ^
Seeing then thiis Deftrudlion fliall thus involve all, and now approacheth fo near^ what ^n Engagement doth this lay upon us to live the moft pure ftri(^ Lives that evet Men lived ?
Verfe 12. ILooling for and haflning tmti) the Comi?ig of the Day of G o d, wherein the Heavens^ being. on Fire^ Jhall be dif^ fohed^ and the Elements JJjall melt with fervent Heat*
Looking for theConiingof Christ ?ox our Deliverance,' and by our Chriftian Lives quickning and haftning God to delay it no longer; that Coming of His, I fay, which as it fignifics great Mercy to us, fo it figni- fies very fliarp Dcftru.dipn to the whole jf^(/'7^ State* '■^'".'■^. ':'"'■
X Vd-f^
306 Of the Dijfolution
Verfe 13 . Meverthetefs we^ according to His Protnifej look for new Heavens and a new Earthy wherein dwelleth Right eouf-^ nefs,
!n STEAD of whidi \irc look for anew Chriftiah State, wherein all Proviiion is made by Christ tot Righteoufaefs to inhabit, according to the Promife of C h r i s t con- cerning the Purity that He fliould plant in the Evangelical State.
How he makes out and confirms thisPa^ raphrafc, fee in hiis Annotations upon this Place. So confident is he of the Truth of this his Interpretation, that he cenfures the ufual one as a great Miftake, in his Annotd:- tion on ver, i o. where he thus writes i ' What ' is here thus expreffed by S. Feter^ is ordina-
* rily conceived to belong to the End of the
* World, and by others applied to the End of ^ this World, and the Beginning of the Millen"
* niurn^ or Thoufand* Years. And fo, as S. Feter *here faith, wr. 16. many other Places in
* S. Paul's Epiftles, and in the Gofpel, efpeci-
* aWy Matth. xxiv. are miftakcn and wrefted..
* That it doth not belong to either of thofc,
* but to this fatal Day o( the Jews ^ fufficiently ' appears by the Purport of this whole Epiftle,
* which is^ to arm them with Conftancy and
* Perfeverance till that Day come ; and par-
* ticularly in this Chapter, to confute them t who objeft againft the Truth of C h r i s t's
of the World. 307
^ Prcdidions, and refolve it lliould not come ' at all ; Againft whom he here oppofes the ' Certainty^ the Spcedinefs, and the Terrible-
* nefsof its Coming. That which hath given
* Occafion to thofe other common Miftakes, h ' efpecially the Hideoufncfs of thofe Jiidg- ^ ments which fell upon the People of the ' Jews^ beyond all that ever before are rela-
* ted to have fallen upon them, or indeed a-
* ny other People, which made it necelfary ' for the ProphetSj which were to defcribe it,
* (and who ufe Tropes and Figures, and not
* plain Expreflions, to fet down their Predi-
* Ctions) to expr^fs it by thefe high Phrafes, of ' the pafmg away and diffohing o^ Heaven and ' Earthy and Ekfnents:^ &c, which founding ' very tragically, are miftaken for the great ' and final DifTolution of the World.'* So far the Doftor. Two Things there are in this Chapter, which feem to contradid this In- terpretation : Firft , That the Deftruif^ion here fpoken of, is compared with Noah's Flood ,• and the Heaven and Earth to be dif- folved by this, made parallel, and of equal Extent to the World deftroyed by that. Of this the Dodor was well aware, and there- fore grants, that the feventh Verfe, But the Heaven f and the Earth which are now^ by the fame Word are kept in Store ^ referved unto Fire againft the Day of Judgment^ and Perdition of ungodly Men^ is to be underftood of the gene- ral and final Deftrudion of the World by
X 2 / Fire,
T
308 Of the Di[fohitwn
Fil'Cji but the following Verfes to be an An- fw-cr to the firft Part of the Atheifts Obje- aiohjViz. J f here is the Fromife of Hts Coming? To me it feems, that all referr to the fame •Matter. The fecond Thing which feems to contradi(5t the Doctors Interpretation, is, the Apoftle's citing for the Inftruaioh and Con- firmation of the Believers, and in Anfwer to the Atheifts Obje6lion^(/T4^r^ ifthePromife of H/j Coming?) that Place of the Pfahnifi^ Pfal. xc. 4. That one Day is with the Lord as a thoufand Tears, and a thoufand Tears as one Day, For the Apoftle feems to fuppofe, that the Time of Christ's Coming might pofTibly be a thoufand Years oif s and that they were not to think much, or diftruft the Promife, if it were fo : For though it were predided as a thing fhortly to. come, yet they were to confider, that a thoufand Years in God's Sight is but a very iliort Time i fo that it 'might be foretold as Ihortly to come, tho' it were a thoufand Years otf. Whereas it might feem improper to mention a thou- fand Years to fupport them in Expectation of an Event that was hot twenty Years to come.
Another Place, where Mention is made of Christ's coming to Judgment, and the Diffo- lution of the World, is Matth, xxiv. to which may be addedas Parallel, MirHiii. 2.i\dl,uh xxi. In wliich Places you have conlidcrable, 1. The Suddcnnefs of Christ's Coming, T^r.
^7-
of the World. ^op
If, Ai the Lightning comes out of the Eaft^ and Jloineth even unto the Weft^ fo fiall the Coming of the Son of Man be. 2. The Signs of His Coming, v, 29. Immediately after the Tiibulation of thofe Days (J: all the Sim bs darkned^ and the Moon Jhall not give her Light ^ and the Stars Jhall fall from Heaven^ and the Powers of Heaven flmll be Jhaken, 5. The Manner of His Coming, 1?. 30. And then jJo all appear the Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven i and then JJmII all the Tribes of the Earth ?noiirn^ when they Jhall fee the Son of Man coming in the. Clouds of Heaven with Power and great Glory, And He Jhall fend His Angels with a great S.und of a Trumpet ^ and they floall gather together His Eled from the four Winds ^ from one End of Heaven to the other, 4. The Uncertainty of the Time of His Coming, and this DilTolution as to us. But of that Day and Hour knoweth no Man^ no not {he Angels in Heaven : And Mark adds, neither the Son^ but the Father only, ^; All this Vvo'phQ.cy T>v, Hammond under- ftan^s of the Deftrudion of the City and Temple of ^erufalejn, and whole Nation of the Jews ; as may be feen in his Paraphrafe and Anmtations upon this Place. And in- deed, our Saviour Himfeif feems to limit it to this, flying, "verfe 24. Verily I fay un^ to you^ this Generation Jhall not pais away^ till all thefe things be fulfilled. For if thefe Pro- phecies look farther than the Dcftrudtion of
^ 3 Joii^^
5 10 Of the Dijfolution
Jerufalem^ even to Christ's coming to Judg- ment, how could it be true, that that Genera- tion Ihould not pafs away till all thofe Things were fulfilled? Whereas we fee that that Ge- neration is long (ince paffed away, and yet the End is not come. And indeed, Expofi- tors that underftand them of the End of the "yVorld, and Chri3T*s fecond coming to Judg- ment, are hard put to it to anfwer this Ob- jection. S. Chryfoftom will have this Word 'ysvEOL to be underftood not of the Genera- tion of Men then living, but of the Genera- tion of the Faithful, which Ihould not fail till the End of the World. Ol^s yoLp (faith he)
d'^o TpoTTH ^p'/iay.sia? mclI Tro'KiTSiciCy c^i/oTciv Ke-* yv\j Amvi h y^vsci ^vit^vtccv o-f, Sec." lie d^ nominates a Generation not only -from Having together in the fa?ne ti?ne^ but frofn halving the fame Form and Mariner of religious JVhr^ fljip and Polity ; as in that Flace^ T^his is the Generation of them that feek thee^ that feek thy Face^ 0 Jacob. Beza underftands ysvex of the prefent Age, and will have it to be of the fame Valour with "in in Hebrew^ and TTXvTci TcLvTciy to rcfcrr not to all Particulars mentioned in this Chapter, but only to thofe which are fpoken of the Deftru<^ion of the City and Nation of the Jews : But (faith he) if any one urgeth the univerfal Particle, Vertere licebit^ Fiant omnia^ 'viz, qiu ultimam illam diem paceffma dixit. Nam ab illo
tempore
■^;
of the World. 31 1
tern fore eccfcrunt fieri ^ & adhuc per fever ant iila figna^ fuo demum tempore F'tlio hofnims ve?ituro.
But on the other Side, i. Some Paflagcs there are in this Chapter, which are hardly •applicable to the Deftriidlion of Jerufalem^ and the Diirolution of the JewiJJj Common- wealth ; as the Appearing of the Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven^ and the Tribes feeing the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Hea- ven^withPower and great Glory. And His fend- ing His Angels with a great Sound of a Ti-H?n^ pet. 2. The Coming of C h r i s t is in like manner defcribed in Places which undoubt- edly fpeakof His coming to Judgment at the End of the World. As in i Cor, XV..5 2. Men-r tion is made of the Trumpets founding at the Time of CwRist's Coming : And r Theff. iv* 1 6. it is faid, The Lord Himfelf fhall defcend from Heaven with the Voice of the Archangel^ and with the Trump of God ^ and. v. 17. We that are alive Jloall be caught up together with them [that are rifen] in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air. All which Places are perfcdly parallel, and feem manifeftly to air lude to the fore-mentioned Words, Matth. xxiv. 30, 31. I am apt to think that thefe Prophecies may have a double Refpe(3: ; one to the City, Temple, and Nation of the Jews ; another to the whole World at the great Day of Doom : And that the former is in- deed typical of the latter : And fo they have
X 4 a dou-
3 12 Of the Dijfohition
a double Completion ; the firft in the Deftruri ^ion of Jemfcdem and the Jewi/Jo Polity : In Reference to which it is truly i'did^ This Ge- neration fhall not fafs away till all thefe things be fulfilled. -The fecond in the final Diilblution of the World, which is yet to • come. :
B u T to proceed ; Another Place which is ufually underftood of the DifTolution of the World by Fire, is 2 Theff, i. 7, S, When the Lord Jesus fiall be revealed frojn Heaven with His mighty Angels in flaming Fire^ &c. Other parallel Places may be feen^ R^u vi. 12, 13, 14. Rev.x, 6. Rev, xxiv r; And I faw a new Heaven and a new Earthy for the firft Heaven and the firji Earth were faffed away^ and there was 720 more Sea^ Hebr. xii. 26^1-], Thefe Places fpeak more direaiy of the DifTolution of the World, and the Co- ming of Christ to Judgment. Others there are, that fpeak' only concerning the Time of it, i Pet. iv. 7. But the End of all Things if at hand. James v. 9. Behold the Judge Jiandeth before the Door, i John iu 18. Little Chil- dren^ it is the laji time-, or as fome tranflate It, the laft Hour, fVj;t;^lT>j w/:^.^ Hebr. x. 37. Tela -little while^ and He that jMl come- will cmi&^ and will not tarry ^■'p.i'k.fcy qgov'c(tcv. Luke xviii. ij. I tell you hewill avenge the?n fpeedily. AH thefe Places the for ementioned Dr. Hammond frill applies to that famous Pe- riod of the Deftruclion of the City, Temple
and
of the World. ' 313
and Polity of the Jews ; only in his Note upon oXe^poQ ocK^vio^y that everlafting Dcftru- . dion mentioned 2 Thejf. i. 9. he hath fomc Qualification , faying thus : Mean while^ not excluding the eternal Torments of HelU fire^ which expect all impenitent Sinners that thus fall, but loohng particularly on the vi- fihle t>eftru6Hon and Vengeance which feizeth on whole Nations or Multitudes at once in this Life, And in Conclufion hath left us but one Place in the New Teftament, to prove the general Conflagration of the World, t/^. 2 Pet, vii. 7. • •
Now, bccaufe fome have been offended at thefe Interpretations of his, others have fpo- ken very flightingly of them : I Hiall briefly funi up what hath been alledged in Defence of them by this great Man.
I . That the Prophets ufe to fet down their Predictions in Tropes and Figures, and not in plain Expreflions, (their Style being Poetical.) And therefore, in defcribing thofe hideous Judgments which fell upon that People of the Jews^ beyond all that ever before fell upon them, or indeed any other People, they found it necelfary to employ thofe High and Tragical Phrafes of the palling away and diffolving Heaven, and Earth, and Elements. And that this was the Manner of the Pro- phets, may be proved ; becaufe we find the Dcftrudion of other Places dcfcribed in as high Strains, as lofty and tragical Expref-
ftons
3 14 Of the Dijfolution
fioiis as this of Jemfale?n. For Example/ • that o{ Idumica^ Ifa. xxxiv. 9. The Streams thereof (hall be turjied into Pitchy and the Duft thereof into Brimjtone^ and the Land thereof jball become burning Pitch. It Jhall not be quenched Night nor Day^ the Snwh thereof fijall go up for ever. And la the 4th Verfc he feems but to prefate to this Deftru- dlion, in thefe Words ; And all the Hoji of Heaven floall be diffolved^ and the Heavens JJ.iall be rolled together as a Scroll ; and all their Hojis Jhall fall down as the Leaf falleth off from the Vine^ and as a falling Fig from the Fig-Tree ; for inj Sword Jhall be bathed in Heaven : Behold it Jloall come down upon I- dumaea. 'And in the Burden of Babylon^ cap. xiii. 8,9. we have thefe Words, Behold' the Day of the Lord cometh^ cruel both with Wrath and fierce Anger to lay the Land defo- laie : For the Stars of Heaven^ and the Con- ffellations thereof Jloall not give their Light ; "The Sun JImU be darkened in his going forth ^ and the Moon JJmU not caufe her Light to ftfine,
-, 2. All the Predidions in that famous Place, ^atth, xxiv. to which all other Places in the New Teftament relating to this Matter are |)arallel, are by our Saviour Himfclf reftrain- -ed to the Deftrudion of Jerufalem^ and the full Completion of them limited to the Dura- tion of that' Age ; Verfe 34. Verily I fay * unto you^ This Generation Jhall not pafs till
all
of the World. 31^^
(til thefe Things be fnljilled. What Rcafon * then can wc hav^ to extend them flirthcr?
3. In moft of the. Places where this Co- ming of Christ is 'mentioned, it is fpokcn of as near, and at hand ; as in the Places laft cited. Now, (faith the learned Doctor) in his Note upon Luh xviii. 7. / tell )ou he will {t-vengethe?n fpeedily, ' All which, if (when
* it is faid to approach and to be at the door) 'it belonged to the Day of Judgment (now
* after fo many hundred Years not yet come)
* what a (j.ci-/.pck'ixicc were this ? What a Delay-
* ing of His Coming ? And confeqxiently^
* What anObjedion againft the Truth of the
* Chriftian Religion ? As Mahomet^ having- *promifed after his Death he would prcfciitly^
* return to Life, and having not performed his
* Promifc in a thoufand Years, is by us jiiftly .'•condemned as an Impoflor.
4. That this Place o^S, Peter ^ out of which I have taken my Text, doth not be- long to the Endof the World, fufificiently ap- pears (faith he) by the Purport of this whole Epiftic, which is to arm them with Conftancy and Perfevcrance till that Day come, and particularly in this Chapter to confute them who objc<5t againft the Truth ol Christ's Predictions, and rcfolvc itihculd not come at all i againft whom he here op- pofes the Certainty, the Speedinefs, and the Terriblenefs of its Coming. And for that other famous Place^ ^ Thejf. i. S, 9- that it *
belongs
3 16 Of the Dijfoliition
belongs to the fame Period. See how he makes it out in his Annotations.
I SHALL now fuperadd fome Places out of the Old Teftament, which feem to fpeak of the Diffolution of the World, 'Job xiv. 12. Man lieth down and rifeth not till the Heavens be no more, Pfal. cii. 5, 6. quoted Hebr. i. 10, II. Of old haft thou laid the Foundations, of the Earthy and the Heavens are the Works of Thy Hands. TheyJIoall perijjj^ but Thou re^ mainejii and they all Jhall wax old as doth a Garment^ and as a Vefture Jhalt Thou change tjjcfn^ and they jhall be changed^ Ifai. xxxiv.'4. And all the Hoft of Heaven fhall be diffohed^- and the Heavens JJjall be rolled together as a Scroll^ and all their Hoft f}:all faH down as <t Leaffalleth from the Vme^^c, Ifai. li. 6. The Heavens Jhall vanifh away like Smoke^ and tke Earth Jhall wax old like a Garment Aotl ii.3 1, The Sun fhall be turndinto Darknefs^ and the Moon into Bloody before that great and terri- ble Day of the LoKD comes, Malachi iv. i. Be- hold the Day cometh that JIj all burn like an Oven^ &c. Deut. xxxii. 22. For a Fire is kindr- kd in my Anger ^ and fhall burn to the lowcft Hell^ and fiall confume the Earth with her Increafe^ and fet on Fire the Foundations of the Mountains. I muft confefs, that the Pro- phetick Books are full of Figurative Ex- prefifions, being written in a Poetick Style, and according to the Strain of the Oriental • Rhetor ick 5 which is much different from
the
of the World. 317
tlie European^ affe(5ting lofty and tumid Me- taphors, and exceflfivc Hyperbola's and Ag- gravations, which would either found harm to our Ears, or import a great deal more to us than they did to them. This is obvi- ous to any one that reads their Books j and may clearly be demonftrated from the Ti- tles that their Kings afllimed to themfelves, as well anciently as lately, viz. Sons of the Stm^ Brethren of the Sun and Moon^ Part* ners of the Stars^ Lions crowned in the Throne of the Worldy endued with the Strength of the whole Heaven^ and Virtue of the Fir?na?nent. Now, we cannot pofifibly imagine them fo vain, as to think themfelves literally to be fuch : No fure, all they meant by thcfe Ex- preflions, was, that they were great, and ho- nourable, and powerful. Now, the Prophe- tick Books of the Old Teftament being writ- ten in a Style fomewhat conformable to the Oratory of thofe Countries, are not (I hum- bly conceive) in every Tittle to be fo exadly fcanned and literally expounded j but fo to be interpreted, as a Jew or an Afiatick would then have underftood them. And this 1, ra- ther think, becaufe there be divers Paffages in the Prophets, which cannot be verified in aftric^ literal Senfe; as in the Place before quoted, //ij. xxxiv. 9. it is faid of the Streams of lduma:a, that they JJjould be turned into Pitchl and the Dtifi thereof into Brunjione ; and the Land thereof JJmdd become burning Pitchy
and
5l8 Of the Difolution
and jloould not be quenched Night nor Day ? but the Smoh thereof fl:ould go up for ever. And of the City oF Tyre it is faid, Ezeh xxvi. 14. It fiall be built no ?nore» Andver.ig. When I JJjall make thee a de folate City, iike the Cities that are not inhabited^ when I fljall bring up the Deep upon thee^ and great Waters Jhall cover thee. And Verfe 2 1 . which is thrice repeated, I will make thee a Terror^ and thou Jloalt be no more j though thou be fought for, thou fialt never be found again, faith the Lord God. And yet we fee that the City of Tyre , tho' it was indeed wholly dilp copied at that T'ime, the Inhabi- tants transferring themfelves into Africa, when it was beiieged by Nebuchadnezzar ; yet was it afterward peopled again, and continues a City inhabited to this Day. And oi Babylon, it is faid, ihu there fhould none remain in it, neither Man nor Beafl, but that it jJjould be defolate for ever, Jer. ii. 62. Ifai. xiii. 20. and of the Land of Babylon, v. 29. that it JJjould be a Defolation without an In- habita?it. And though indeed this Prophecy . • was, I think, as to the City, ^t laft verified in the Letter; yet did Babylon \on^ continue a great City after this Prophecy : And the Land of Babylon is now inhabited, there be^ ing at this Day a great City not far from the Place where Babylon ftood. So that thefe Places import no more, than that there fhould be a very great Dcftruwiion and Devaftation
^ of
of the World. ^ip
of thofc Cities and Countries. As for thofe Places in the Old and New Teftament^where- in Mention is made of the laft Days and the laft Times, it is clear that they are to be underftood of the Age of the MefTiah, all the time from the Exhibition of the Meifiali to the End of the AVorld. Ifaiah ii. i. And it JJjall come to pafs i?i the laft Dayi\ that the Mountain of the Lord's Hotife Jhall be efta- blijhed in the Top of th<^ Mountain fy andpMll be exalted above the Hilh^ and all Nation^ fiall flow to it ; which very Words we have repeated Micah iv. i . So in that Prophe- cy ofjoel ii. 28. quoted ^^(fif J- ii. 17. And it fljall come to fafs in the la'fi Day:^ faith G o d, - / will pour out of my Spirit upon all flejh^ &c, it is clear the laft Days are to be underftood* The Apoftle Peter interpreting the Prophe- cy^ (jver. 16,) of the Gift of Tongues beftow- ed upon the Difciplcs at that time. Hence the laft Days have among the '[}ews plover-.. bially fignified the Days of the Mcfliah, -as Dodor Hammond in his Annotations upon this Place tells us; who alfo notes, that in that Place of Joel^ the laft Days do literally lignify the laft Days of the Jews^ immedi- ately preceding their Deftrudion, called there the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Sq Hebr, i. 2. by fV fV^^.roov jCiv vjiuf^wv TfcTwv, in thefe laft Days^ is meant the Days of the Meilias. So i Pet. i. 20. 2 Pet, iii. 3. X Tim, iv, I. 2 Tim, iii. i. Mention is made
of
320 Of the hiffolutton
<)£the laft Days in thisSenfe. In likemanncr^ the End of the World, (rvvTsXeia, tQ a<wi/o<r, Hcb. ix. 2 5. But now once in the End of the World hath He appeared to put away Sin by the Sacrifice oflrlimfelf. And ra. tsM t(^v a/ai>wv, the Ends of the Worlds in i Cor, x. ii. upoti whojn the- Ends of the World are come^ fig- nify the Age of the MefTias, though indeed the former feems more peculiarly to denote the Shutting up of the Jewifi Age or OEco- noniy.
HAP.
III.
The Teflimonies of the Ancient Fathers and Doctors of the Churchy concern* ing the Dijfolution of the World,
iM §|^^|^ PROCEED now to what the g,^r -.- .^-g Ancient Fathers of the Church
ri «^a ^^^ Chriftian Writers have ^*«*|2g delivered concerning the Dif- folution of the World. That there fliould be a Diffolution of this World, and that it Ihall be by Fire^ is fo cer- tain and clear among them, that it would be fuperfluous to cite Particulars to prove it : Nay, fo general and unanimous is the Confent of ail Chriftians in this Pointy that, as Qr/-
gen
of the World. 32 1
gen obferves in his third itsp) '-^PZ^^i ^nd the learned Doctor Hahwill after him, whereas there can hardly be named any Ar- ticle of our Faith, which fome Hereticks have not prefumed to impugn or call in Queftion, yet not any to be met with who queftion this; but herein all agree, being compelled (faith Origen) by the Authority of the Scriptures. As for the Time of this Dif- folution, the ancient Chriftians held it to be at hand, as might eafily be proved by many, Teftimonies, were it not granted on all Hands. And here it may be worth the ob-^ ferving, that the longer the World flood, the farther oif generally have Chriftians fet the Day of Judgment, and End of it. Many of the Ancients did conceive, that the Diflfolu- tion lliould be at the End of fix thoufand Years. As for Example, 'Juftin Martyr^ m ^idft, & Reff, ad Orthodoxos^ if he be the Author of that Piece, where this Queftion (JVhen the End of the World fljould he ? ) be- ing put, the Anfwer is, "Evsgi ^lol ttoK^^c^'j yp:tcf)r/63v fxocpTvpiCiv^ &c. JVe may rationally conjecture and conclude from many Scripture Exprejfjiom^ that they are in the right ^ who fay that the World will laft fix thoufand Tearr. For in one Place it faith ^ In thefe laft Days ; and in another^ Upon whom the Ends of the World are come -, and in a third^ When the Fulnefs of Time was come. Now it is e^vi^
Y denty
321 Of the Dijfolution
dent that thefe things werefpohn in the fixth Millenary.
Ir E N ^ us ad'V, haref, lit. 5. cap. ttlto who gathers fo much from the Similitude of the fix Days Creation, after whieh fix Days was the Sabbath, that is, the Day of Reft ; Hoc autein (faith he) eft & frateritorum nana- tio^ & futuroru?n prophetia. Dies eni?n unus jnille annos fignificabat^ ficut Siriptura tefta^ *2Pet:i\ltur; * Mille anni ante Doininum ficut Vies unus : ergo ficut confmnmatus fuit mundus in fui creatione intra fex dierum (patium^ & po^ ftea quies ; fie in fui fine confuminabitur intra fpatium fex millium annorum^ deinde 'vera & perpetua quies fubfequetur. This is both a Narration or Hiftory of what is paft^ and a Prophecy of Things to cojne. For one Day fignified a thoufand Tears^ as the Scriptures teftify^ A thoufand Years in the Sight of God are but as one Day. Therefore^ as the World at the firft Creation was confummated in the Space of fix Days^ and afterwards followed the Sabbath or Reft; fo^ in the end^ its Duration flmll he confummated within the Space of Six thoufand Tears ; and then JJodl follow the true and perpetual Reft.
To thefe I might add La^lantius^ in his Seventh Book of Inftitut. cap. 14. who ufeth the fame Argument with Iren^us^ Ergo quo^ niam fex diebus cun^ia Dei opera perfet'ta funt : per fecula fex^ id eft^ fex annorum mil- lia manere in hoc ftatu inunditm neceffe eft.
Dies
of the World. 523
D/Vr enim viagnus Vet jnille dnnorujn circtild terininattir^ ficut indicat Propheta, qui dicit^ Ante oculof tuos, Domine^ mille anni tanquaitt dies iinm^ &c. "Therefore^ becdufe all the Works of God were perfected {or finijjjed) in fix Days^ it is necejfary (or necejfanly follows) that the World JImU continue in this State fix Agcs^ that is J Six thoufand Tears, For^ the great Day of G OD is terminated in a Circle of Six thou-- /and Tears; as the Prophet intimates^ who faith J A thoujand Tears in Thy Sight ^ 0 Lordj are but as one Day. S. Auguftin^ l.io.de Ci- 'vitate Dei, S, Hieronyntus Conunent. in Mich cap, 4. Moft clear and full to this purpofe is Euftath, in his Comment, in Hexaeniernn^ AoyiZ^oixE^cL yxp ^lOLfxemi tvjv XwTwv, See, We reclon (faith he) thdt the Creation fiall con-- tinue till the End of the fiixth Chiliad^ becaufe God alfo confimmnated the Univerfe in fix Days ; and^ I fuppofe^ that the Deity doth ac- count Days of a thoufand Tears long ; for that it isfaidj A thoufand Years are in the Sight of the Lord as one Day. Hdwbeit, the moft of them did not propofe this Opinion as an undoubted Truth, but only as a modeft Con- jedure* Arid S. Auftin is very angry with them, who would peremptorily conclude from fo flight an Argumentation.
This Conceit is already confuted, and the World hath long outlafted this Term, accor- ding to their Comfjutation who followed the SeptuUgint or Greek Account, and reekoricd
3^
Of the Dijfolution
that Phaleg lived about the Three thovr^ fandth Year of the World, and had his Name from his living in the Divifion of Time, there being to come after him Three thoufand Years, that is, juft fo many as were pail be- fore him.
As concerning the future Condition of the World after the Conflagration, I find it the general and received Opinion of the ancient Chriftians, that this World ftiall not be an- nihilated or deftroyed, but only renewed and purified. So Eufebiiis^ Ov xecvTfAcof Trpoc CP^opciv b KO(TixoQ x^P'^^^^y d,7\Xci Trpog OLva." KOf^ivKTixov, The World jhall not be wholly de- Jiroyedy but renewed. Divers other Pafiages I might produce out of him to the fame purpofe :^ Cyril of Jerufalem^ Catech. 15.
otToC i'vcL v.dCh'kiovciQ iy£ip^» He folds- up the Heu'venfy not that he might deftray them^ but that he might rear them up again more beautiful Again, Cyril upon this Place,
GlkvCLTOV ^f TWV qOlX^l^V £VC()VC^C 6v.Q[J.(k'C^Sl TVJV
eIq ik dfxei'm ixsra.lio'hviv^ &c. He acutely or in^ genioujly calU the Death of the Elements their Change i?ito better. So that this Renovation in refped of the Creation, lliall be fuch a kind of thing as the Refurredion in reference to Man's Body. OEamieni us ^upon this Place, He faith, new Heavens^ and a new Earthy 8k aTspoLv ^e Tyj C'avj, yet not different in Matter, And again, b'jt fi; ^$tftw(r/JLov olKk' sk nd^otpaiv.
They
of the World. 325*
Tide) fljall not be deftroyed or annihilated^ but only renewed and purified. And upon Rev. xx,i. 2 . TsTO « Tvjv dvvTrap^iciv ^vjAwv Ti^c y.Ti(T£(ji^y tftAA^i Tov dva.Kxivi(T(x6v, This he faith, «o^ denoting the Non-exiftence of the Creation^ but the Renewing, In this manner he ex- pounds Pfabn cii. 5, 6. and proceeding, faith. We ?nay here take Notice^ that the Apoftle doth not ufe the Word ccTfjAOfi/, as if the Hea- ven and Earth were annihilated and brought to nothing ; but (me Tf/3vj, they fajfed away^ or removed^ or changed State, S. Hierojne upon the Pfalms, Ffabn cii. faith. Ex quo ofien- ditur perditioneni ccclorum non interitwn fa- nare^ ' fed ?HUtatione?n in ??teUus, Fro?n which Words [as a Vefture Ihalt thou change them] may be fhewn and made out^ that the Diffolution of the Heavens doth not fignify their utter Deftru&ion or Annihilation^ but on- ly their Change into a better State, I might add abundance more Teftimonies^ but thefe, I tbinjc, may fuffice.
Y 31 Chap
HAP.
IV.
The Opinions of the Ancient Heathen Phi^ lofephers^ and other Writers concerning the Dijfolution,
3 . ^5^^ T follows now that I give you p^x T '^^' an Account what the ancient ^^P^.^ Philofophers and Sages among ^5^5^ the Heathens thought and deli- vered concerning this Point. Two of the four principal Se6ls of Philofophers held a fliture DilTolution of the World, 'viz. The Epicuream and Stokh,
A s for the Epicureans^ they held, that as the World was at firft compofed by the for-^ tuitous Concourfe of Atoms, fo it fliould at laft fall in Pieces again by their fortuitous Separation, as Lucretius hath it, lib, 5.
Principio maria ac terras coelumqtie tuere] Tlorujujjaturam triplicem^ tria corpora^ Memmiy jTres [pedes tain dijjimiles^ tria talia texta Una dies dabit cxitio^ 7nultdfque per annos Suftentaxci met ?noles & machina vmndi.
But now to prove all this j firft caft an Eye^ And look on all below^ on all on high^ The folid Earthy the Seas^ and arched Sky : One fatal hour at laft miift ruin all^ T his glorious Fr^me^ that flood fo long^ niuftfall.
This
Of the Dijfolution. 327
This Opinion of theirs is confonant enough to their wild Principles, fave only in that Point of its Suddennefs, Una dies dabtt exi~ tiOy &c. One day pall deftroy or male an end of it.
The Stoich were alfo of Opinion, that the World muft be dilfolved, as we may learn from the Seventh Book of Laertius^ in the Life of ZI?«^, 'Apfo-Kei §' avm^^&c. They hold, that the World is corruptible for thefe Reafons i i. Becaufe it was generated, and had a Beginning. 2. Becaufe That is cor- ruptible in the whole, whofe Parts are cor- ruptible : But the Parts of the World are corruptible, being daily tranfmuted one in- to another. 3. That which is capable of Mutation, from better to worfe, is corrup- tible. But fuch is the World ; fometimes being afflided with long Heats and Droughts, fometimes with continued Showers and In- undations. To thefe we may add, 4. ac- cording to fonie of their Opinions, Becaufe the Sun and Stars being fed with Vapours ex- haled from the Earthy all the Moifture will at . length be drawn out, and the World fly on fire. They were afraid, "^ Ne hinnore omni* Minute confmnpto totm mundm ignefceret* The poet^^^'^* Tjucan^ who feems to be of the Stoick Secft, in the Beginning of his Firft Book, defcribing the Diflblution of the World, makes it no be a falling in Pieces of the whole frame of
Y ^ Heaven
3 Z8 Of the Dijfolution
Heaven and Earth, and a Jumbling and Con* founding of all their Parts together.
-— — ^ Sic cum cofnpage folutd Secula tot mundi fuprema coegerit hora ; Antiquutnrepetent iteruin Chaos omnia imiftis Sydera fyderibuf concurrent; igneaPontu?it Aftra petent^ tellus extendere littora nolet, Bxcutietquefretum ; fratri contraria Phoebe Jbit^ & obliquum higas agitare per orbem Indignata diem pofcet fibi ; totdque difcors Machina divulfi turbabit fccdera mundi,
,. So when the laft Hour Jhall
So many Ages end^ and this disjointed^ All To Chaos bad return i then all the Stars Jhall be Blended together j then thofe burning Lights
on high Jn Sea jJoall drench; Earth then her Shores
fijall not extend^ But to the Waives gi^e Way i the Moon her
Courfe Jhall bend Crofs ^ to her Brothers^ and dijdaining Jlill to
drive Her Chariot Wheel athwart the heavenly Orb^
JJoall Jirive To rule the Day ; this Frame to Difcord bent'^ The World's Peace Jhall dijiurb^ and all in
fimder rent, ,
This DilTolution of the World, they held, fliould be by Water and by Fire alternately at certain Periods^ but efpecially by Fire,
wfeich
of the World, ^2p
which they call f ;tTupcc<r/v. Thilo^ O/ ^l Stw/-
XO^^v ixc(,y.pciT^' TEpio^oig dvciKv^^cciv ra ttclv- TOL sh kcf.-jTov, The Stoicks fay^ that the Caufe of the Dcjlnittion of the World /> the irrejiftible Force of Fire that is in things ^ which^ in long Periods of Tifne^ confumes and dif- fohes alljhings into itfelf Eureb.Prirp.l.15.
'Ap£(TKSl i) TOTC Tp6(TpyjT(i'T0l? TWV CCTTO TV^C gLipe" (7£0C;^ El,0LE^'6G^Cil TCLVTCi KCLTCL TTEpli^HQ TlVCig fXEyi-
<;oLQ^ eU TTvp ai^Epu^Ec civa'KvoijJv'^v jukviu^v. The 7noft ancient of that Se6t held^ That at certain "vaft Periods of Time all things zvere rarified into Air^ being refohed into an Ethereal Fire, This 'E/.Tupcocr/? of the Stoich we find men- tioned by many, both Chriftian and Heathen Writers, as befides the fore-quoted Minutius FeliXy Jtijiin Martyr^ Clemens Alexandiinus in 5 . Strom. Plutarch^ Seneca^ and others. The Time of this Conflagration Seneca determines not, but faith only, it fhall be when God pleafes. 3 £ic^ft. Nat, cap, 20. 8. Qm Deo 'vifmn^ Vetera finire^ ordiri ??ieliora ; When it floall feem good to God to put an End to old things^ and to begin better. Some there be who tell us of the Annus Platonicus or Mag- nus^ by which they underfland fuch a Period of Time, as in which all the heavenly Bo- dies Ihall be reftored to the fame Site and Di- ftance they were once in, in refpedt of one another ; As fuppofing that all the Seven Pla- ■ ' " . nets
330 Of the Dijfolutlon
nets were at the Moment of Creation in the firft Degree of Aries ^ till they come all to be m the fame Degree again ,• all that Space of Time IS called the Great Year, Annus Ma^r nus. In this Year they tell us, that the Height of Summer is the Conflagration, and the Pepth of Winter the Inundation ^ and fome Aftrologers have been fo vain as to aflign the Time both of the Inundation and Confla- gration. Seneca^ 3 Qu^ft. Nat, cap. 2 o. Bero^ ft^J.m Belmn interfretatus efl^ dicit^ curfu tfiafydemm fieri ^ & aded quidem affirmat^ ut conflagrationi atque dilwvio temfus afignet. Arfura enim terrena conte?tdit^ quando omnia fy- dera in Cancro convener int: inundationem fu- turam^ quando eadem fyderum tmba in Capri^ corno conveneriu Berofus, who interpreted Belus faith. That thofe things come to pafs according to the Courfe of the Stars : and he Jo confidently affirms it, that he ajjigns the Time both for the Conflagration and Inundation. For that all earthly Bodies will be burnt up, when all the Stars Jloall meet /'//Cancer ; and\he In^ undation will fall out, when the fame fiall be m Conjundion in Capricorn, Concerning the Manner of thi§ Conflagration, they held it fhould be fudden. Se?tec. Natura fubito ad minam, & toto impetu ruit ; licet ad origine?n. farce utatur viribus, difpenfetque fe increment Us fallactbuf, Momento fit cinis, diu fyha,Scc. Nature doth fuddenly, and with all its Force rujlo on to Ruin ; though, to the Rife and Fori
mation
's
of the World. 331
mation of Thing!, it ufeth its Strength fpa- ringly, difpenfing its Influence, and caufing them to grow by infenfible Degrees; a Wood is long in growing up, but reduced to Afljes ahnofl in a Moment, And fome of them were fo abfurd as to think, that the Stars iliould juftle and be dallied one againft another. Senec. lib, de confolatione ad Marciam : Ciim tempus ad'venerit, quo fe mundus revocaturus extinguat, ^viribus ifiafe fuis credent ; &fyde^ ra fyderibus incurrent ; & oinni flagrante ma~ teria, uno igne, micquid nunc ex difpojito lu- cet, ardebit. When the Timejhall come, that the World, again to reftore and renew itfelf, JJjall perijh, thefe things fiall batter and mall themjeHes by their own Strength, the Stars Jljall run or fall foul upon one another, and all the Matter flaming, whatfoever now, according to its fettled Order and Difpofition,fiines, Jhall then burn in one Fire, Here, by the way, wc may, with t)r. More, \Sou?s Immortality, lib, 3 , cap, 18.] take notice, how coarfly, not to fay ridiculoufly, the Stoich philofophize,
* when they are turned out of their Road- ' way of Moral Sentences, and pretend to
* give an Account of the Nature of Things, ' For, what Errors can be more grofs than
* they entertain of God, of the Soul, and of
* the Stars? they making the two former ^ corporeal Subftances, and feeding the lat- ' ter with the Vapours of the Earth i affirm- l ing that the Sun fups the Water of the
• ' " I grea?
352- , Of the mjfolution
' great Ocean to quench his Thirft, but that ^ the Moon drinks off the lelTer Rivers and ^ Brooks i which \s as true as that the ACt ^' drank up the Moon. Such Conceits are ^ more fit for Anacreon in a drunken Fitt to ^ ftumble upon, who, to invite his Compa- w nions to tipple, compofed that Catch,
The Sea drinh up the Vapour si • And the Sun the Sea.
* than to be either found out or owned by a ' • ferious Philofopher. And yet Seneca migh-
^ tily triumphs in this Notion, of foddering ^ the Stars with the thick Fogs of the Earth,
* and declares his Opinion with no mean t Strains of Eloquence, (^c
As for the Extent of this Conflagration^ they held, that- not only the Heavens fhould be burnt, but that the Gods themfelves fhould not efcape Scot-free. So Seneca, Re^ foluto ?nundo^ & Diis in unum confufu. When the World fhall be dijjhhed, and the Godt confounded and blended together into one. And again, ^r^^^ ojnnes par iter Deos perdet nox aliqua & Chaos. And^ in like manner^ a certain Night and Chaos Jhall deftroy all the Gods. Is not this wife Philofophy ? If their Morali- ty were no better than their Phyficks, their Wtje Man they boaft of, might be fo deno- minated, mr oivTi(ppoi<nv^ as they of Gotham.
But
of the World.
333
But let us look a little farther, and we fhall find, that the Stokh were not the firft Authors of this Opinion of the Conflagra- tion ,' but that it was of far greater Antiquity^ than that Sed, Others of the more ancient Philofophers having entertained it, ^viz. Eni^ pedockf, as Clemens Alexandrinm teftifies in his 5 Strom* '12? fVofjifVj^f ttote sk tvjv th Trvpot; i(sicLv fjif T^/ioAvjc • That there JJoall [orne tme be a Change of the World into the Nature or Sub- fiance of Fire, 2. Heraclitus^ as tlie fame Clemens fhews at^ large out of him in the fame place, oVcoc 3 wxhiv civcf.'Kci[xfi<kv£JOii kolI ea- TTvp^ToLiy &c. And Laertiuf^ in the Life of HeraclituSy he taught, "Eva eivai tov Koa-fxov^ yfv-
TidTOL TivciQ TTspio^a; evcLk'Kcd, rev (rvfJiTravTCi a/c3- vcL' That there is but one Worlds and that it was generated out of Fir e^ and again burnt up or tur7ied into Fire^ at certain Periods alter-* nately throughout all Ages. I might add to thefe the Ancient Greek Poets, Sophocles and DiphiluSy as we find them quoted by Juftin Martyr^ and Clemens Alexandrinus, Neither yet were thefe the firft Inventers and Broach- ers of this Opinion, but they received it by Tradition from their Forefathers, and look'd upon it as an Oracle and Decree of Fate. O^'oid fpeaks of it as fuch, in the Firft of his Meta?nofphofis :
334 Of the hiffotmion
Ejfe quoque in fath reminifcitur, dffore tempur ' Puo mare quo tdlm, correptdq^rem cT' ■drdeat, & mundi moles operofa labor et
/>,/• . ^ Befides liyDoom
When ha. Earth, raviJh'dHeav\ the curi. ous rrame '
^^BamT'"'^^' ^'^y>>o«Wji&r/«y& in purging * tih. 7. And Lucan*i
Hot Csfar, populoffi nunc non ulferit isnii Uret cum term, uret cum gmgite tonti '
^Xru!""""'^"^"^^''"^ "''^"^ "^'''"^ "^fi'"
If now thefe Bodies want their Fire and Urn
4-uV',f ^^'^^ol'^^iobethefllfurely burn; Ihefhrld expels one general Fire: And thou
now' ^ ^ ^^^ ^""^ ^""^^ "^^ wandring
Now though fome are of Opinion^ that by rata here are to be underftood the Sibylline Oracles, and to thatPurpofe do alledee fome Verfes out of thofe extant under that Title as Laaantms, in his Book De ira Dei, cap. 23 /
Kk/ttoti Thv dpyiiv Qih ixhi Tpuvmra AAA eisiJ.[if!iUTX, m', iicAvovTxrs yivvM mtairw cyrMm vtt' enTfv,<sij.g Trspkyrx.
And
of the World. ^^^^
'And It JJjali fome time he^ that God not any inore mitigating Hir Anger^ but aggravating it^ fljall deftroy the whole Race of Mankind, conpming it by a Conflagration.
And in another Place there is Mention made' of a River of Fire that fliall defcend froni Heaven, and burn up both Earth and Sea.
Tunc ardem fluvius cdo ?nanabitab alto Igneuf^ atque locos confumet funditm omne^l Terramque^ Oceanumque ingentem^ & carula
pontiy Stagndque^ tumfluvios^ fontes^ Vitemque fe^
verum^ Cdeftmque polmn^ cccli quoque lumina in u-^
num Fluxa ruenty for?nd deletd prorfus eorum^ Aftra cade?ity eteni?n de calo cun^ia revulfa^
Then Jhall a burning Flood flow from the
Heavens on high^ And with its fiery Streams all Places utterly Deftroy^ Earthy Ocean^ Lakes^ Rivers^ Foun^
tainsy Hell^ And heav'nly Poles^ the Lights in Firmament
that dwel\ Lofing their beauteous Form Jljall be obfcur''d,
and all Raughtfro?n their Places^ down from Heav*A
to Earth fflmll fall.
Now
33^ Of the Dijfolution
Now becaufe the Verfes now extant undei' the Name of Sibylline Oracles are all fufpeft- ed to be falfe and Pfeudepigrapha ; and many of them may be demonftrated to be of no greater Antiquity than the Emperor Anto- ninus Pius his Reign j and becaufe it cannot be proved, that there was any fuch thing in the Ancient genuine Sibylline Oracles ; 1 ra- ther think, (as 1 faid before) that it was a Dodrine of ancient Tradition, handed down from the firft Fathers and Patriarchs of the World, ^ofephus^ in his Antiquities^ runs it up as high as Adatn^ from whom Seth his Son received itj his Father, faith he, foretelling him, ii(^OLVL(j[x.(jv v2v oAocv e(js(j^cfj^ tov (jJv vLdT
That there JJjould be a Deftru^iion of the (7- ni'verfe^ cnce by the Violence of FirCy and a- gain by the Force and Abundance of Water j in Confequ^nce whereof he ereded two Pil- lars, one of Brick, which might endure the Fire, and another of Stone, which would refift the Watery and upon them engraved his Aftronomical Obfervations, that fo they might remain to Pofterity : And one of thefe Pillars, he faith, continued in Syria until his Days. Whether this Relation be true or nor^ it may be thence colleded, that this was an univerfal Opinion, received by Tradition, both among Jews and Gentiles, That the World fiiouid one Day be confumed by Fire. It may be proved by good Authority, that
the
of the World.
the ancient Gauls^ Chald^anf^ and Indians-^ had this Tradition among them ; which they could not receive from the Greel Phi- loibphers or Poets, with whom they had no Intercourfe j but it muft, in all Probability, be derived down to both from the fame Fountain and Original ; that is, from the firft Reftorers of Mankind, Noah^ and his Sons.
I N o w proceed to the Third Particular propofed in the Beginning ,• that is, to give Anfwcr to the fcveral Qucftions concerning the Dilfolution of the World.
337
Ch
A P.
Chap, V.
The fir ft Quejiion concerning the World s Diffolution^ Whether there he any thing in Nature that way probably cauje or argue a future Diffolution ? Three probable M^ans propounded and dif- cuffed,
S E C T» I.
The Waters again naturally o'verfloWing and covering the Earth*
^^mUE firft Queflion is. Whether ^& rp PSS? ^here be any thing in Nature, ^^^j^^ which may prove and demon* §^^5^ (Irate, or probably argue and in- ferr a future Diffolution ? To which I an- fwer. That I think there is nothing in Na- ture which doth necelfarily demonftrate a fu- ture Diffolution : But that Pofition of the Peripatetick Schools may, for ought I know^ be true Philofophyj Pofito ordinario Dei con^ curfu mundm pojjet durare in teternmn, Sup^ pofing the ordinary Concourfe of God [with fe- cond Caufes] the World might endure for e- yer. But though a future Diffolution by 'Natural Caufes, be not demgnftrablcj yet
£ame
of the World. 55^^
fome polTible, \^ iiot probable. Accidents there are, which, if they fhould happen, might inferr fuch a Diflblution. Thofe are Four : The Pofifibility of
1 . T H E Waters again overflowing and co-' yering the Earth.
2. The Extin(5tion of the Sun.
3 . T H E Eruption of the Central Fire en- clofed in the Earth.
4. The Drinefs and Inflammability of the Earth under the Torrid Zone, and the Eruption of all the Vulcand's at once.
But before I treat of thefe, it will not be amifs, a little to confider the old Argument for the World's Diffolution, and that is, its . daily Gonfenefcence and Decay ; which, if it can be proved, will in Procefs of time riecef- (arily inferr a DifTolution. For as the Apbftle, faith in another Cafe, That which decayeth and waxeih old is riady to 'vanijh away^ Heb; viii; 13. That which continually waftes, will at laft be quite confumed j that which daily grows weaker and weaker, will in time lofe all its ForcCi . So the Age, and Stature, and Strength of Man^ and all other Animals, every Gene« ration decreafing^ they will in the End come to nothingi And that all thefe and all other things do fucceflively diminifh and decay iri all Natural Perfedions and Qualities, as well as Moral, hatfa been the received Opitliori^ not only of the Vulgar.^ but even of Philofo- phers themfelves from Aiitiquity down to duf
1; t Timesi
340 Of the Diffolution
Times. Plht, Nat. Hift, L 7. c, 16, In plenum autem cun6to mortalmm gcneri minorevi indies inenfuram ftatu rd p ropemoduin obfervatur : ra- rofque patrihus proceriores conftimente uher^ tatem [ejninum exujlione ; in cujm ^ices nunc vergat ^e'^um. In jum i It is obferved^ that the Meafure of the Stature of all Manlind de^ creafes and grows lefs daily : And ihat there are few taller than their Parents j the Burning (to which the Age inclines) confiming the Luxury of the Seeds,
Terra inalos hoitiines nunc educat atquefufillos.
Juvenal Sat.
• The Earth now breeds Men bad and [mail.
And GelliuSy No&,Att. lib, 3. c. 10. Et nunc quafi jam mundo fenefcente rerum atque ho7ni~ num decrementa funt. And noWj as if the World Waxed old^ there is a Decrement or De- cay both of Things and Men, I might accu- mulate Places out of the Ancients and Mo- derns to this Purpofe, but that hath been al- ready done by others.
But this Opinion, how general focver it was formerly, was inconfiderately, and with- out fufficient Ground, taken up at tirft ; and afterwards without due Examination embra- ced and followed, as appears by Dr. Hah- will's Apology^ wherein it is fo fundamentally confuted, that it hath fince been rejed:ed by all confiderate Perfons. For that Author hath
at
of the V/orld. 341
at large demonftrated, that neither the pre- tended Decay of the Heavenly Bodies in re- gard of Motion, Light, Heat, or Influence, or of any of the Elements ,- neither the pre- tended Decay of Animals, and particularly and efpecially of Mankind, in regard of Age and Duration, of Strength and Stature, of Arts and Wits, of Manners and Converfa- tion, do necerfarily inferr any Decay in the World, or any Tendency to a Diilolution. For tho' there be at Times great Changes of Weather, as long continuing Droughts, and no lefs lading Rains,- excelfive Floods and Inundations of the Sea ; prodigious Tempefts and Storms of Thunder, Lightning and Hail y which feem to threaten the Ruin oFthe World, violent and raging Winds, Spouts and Hurri- canes, which turn up the Sea to the very Bottom, and fpread it over the Land -, formida- ble and deftrudive Earthquakes, and furious Eruptions oiViikano^s or Burning Mountains, which wafte the Country fir and wide, over- whelming or fubverting great Cities, and burying their Inhabitants in their Ruins, or as the Scripture fpeaks, Making cfa City a Heap^ ofadefenced City a Ruin, Though thefe and many other Changes do frequently happen, at uncertain Seafons as to us, yet are they fo ordered by the wife Providence of the Al- mighty Creator and Governour of the World, as nearly to balance one another,
Z 3 and
34^ Of the Dijfolution
and to keep all things in an jEquilibrium ; To" riiat as It IS faid of the Sea, that what it gams in one Place, it lofes in another^ it may be faid proportioaably of the other Elements ^d Meteors J That, for Example, a long Drought in one Place is compenfated proba- bly at the fame time by as long a Rain in another ,• and at another time, the Sctr;^^ bemg changed, by as durable a Drought in this, as lafting a Rain in that. The fame may be faid of violent and continuing Heats and Colds in feveral Places, that they have the like Viciifitudes and Changes, whereby in the whole they fo balance and counterpoife one another, that neither prevails over other but continue and carry on the World as furely and fteddily, as if there were no fuch Con- trarieties and Fights, no fuch Tumults and Commotions among them. The only Ob- jedion againft this Opinion, is the Longevity of iht Antedilwvian Patriarchs, and of fome alfo (I mean the firft) of the Poftdilwvian. For immediately after the Flood, the Age of Man did gradually decreafe every Genera- tion in great Proportions j fothat had it con- tinued lo to do at that Rate, the Life of Man' had foon come to nothing. Why it Ihould at ufk f ttle atThreefcore and ten Years, as ameanT^rmi and there continue fo many Ages, without any farther Ciiange and Di- minution, is, I confefs, a Myftery too hard tor me to reveal : However, there muft be
a great
of the World. 343
>
a great and extraordinary Change at the Time of the Flood, either in the Tempera- ture of the Air, or Quality of the Flood, or in the Temper and Conftitution of the Bo- dy of Man, which induced this Decrement of Age. That the Temper and Conftitution of the Bodies of the Antediluvianf was more firm and durable than that of their Pofterity after the Flood : And that this Change of Term of Life was not wholly to be attri- buted to Miracle, may both be demonftra- ted from the gradual Decreafe of the Age of the Pofldiluvians, For had it been miracu- lous, why Ihould not the Age of the very firft Generation after the Flood have been reduced to that Term ? And what Account can we give of their holding out for fome Generations againft the Inconveniencies of the Air, or Deteriority of Diet, but the Strength and Firmnefs of their Conftitutions ? which yet was originally owing to the Tem- perature of the Air, or Quality of their Di- et, or both ; feeing a Change in thefe (for there was no other vifible Caufe) did by Degrees prevail againft, and impair it. What Influence the lying fo long of the Wa- ter upon the Earth might have upon the Air and Earth, in changing them for the worfe, and rendring them more unfit for the Maintenance and Continuance of Humane Life, I will not now difputc. But whatever might be tht Caufe of the Longxvity of the .
Z 4 AnU' '
3 44 ^f ^^^ Dijfohition
Antediltmam-^ and the Contraaing of the Age of the Poftdiltmam^ it is manifeft, that the Age of thefe did at the laft fettle, as I (Iiid, at or about the Term of Threefcore and ten, and hath there continued for Three thoufand Years without any Diminution.
I PROCEED now to the Accidents which might poflfibly, in Procefs of Time, inferr a Diflblution of the World.
I. T H E PoiTibility of the Water, in Procefs of Time, again overflowing and covering of the Earth.
For, firft of all, the Rains continually wafhing down and carrying away Earth from the Mountains, it is neceifary, that as well the Height as the Bulk of them that are not wholly rocky, ihould anfwerably decreafe ; and that they do fo, is evident in Experience. For, as I have elfewhere noted, I have been ihformed by a Gentleman of good Credit, that whereas the Steeple of Craich^ in the Peai of DerbyJJoire^ in the Memory of fome old Men then living [1672.] could not have been feen from a certain Hill lying between Hoptonmd.JVirkfworthj now not only the Steeple, but a great Part of the Body of the Church may from thence be feen^ which comes to pafs by the Sinking of a Hill be- tween the Church and the Place of View : A parallel Example .whereto the learned Dr. Plot gives us, in a Hill between Sibbertoft • and Halleby in Northamptonfiire^ Uift- Nat.
Stafford^
of the TVorld. 54^5;
Stafford, p, 113. And thus will they conti- nue to do (o long as there falls any Rains, and as they retain any Declivity, that is, till they be leveled with the Plains.
I N Confirmation of this Particular, I have received from my ingenious Friend Mr, Ed^ ward Lhuyd^ fome notable Obfervations of his own making concerning the Mountains of JVakf ; which do demonftrate that no^ only the loofer and the lighter Parts of the Mountains, as Earth, Sand, Gravel, and fmall Stones, may be wallied down by the Rains: But the moft folid and bulky Rocks themfelves, by the violent Dcfccnt of the Waters down tlieir Chinks and Precipices, be in time undermined and fubvertcd. Take them in his own Words :
'Upon the reading of your Difcourfeof the Rains continually waJliing away, and carrying down Earth from the Mountains, I was put in mind of fomething pertinent thereto, which I haveoblerved in the Moun- tains of CaernarvonJJjire^ viz. I . First, ' That generally the higher the Hills are, the more fleep are their Preci- pices and Declivities, ( I except the Sea Rocks) thusMoely Wydhrha^ y Grtb gStch^ and twenty others that might be named, reputed the higheft Hills in Wales^ have the fteepeft Rocks of any Mountains I have feen ^ and that not only in their higheft Cliffs but alfo ia moft of their other Crags,
' till
'54^ Of the Dijfolution
till you defcend to the lower Valleys : This I can afcribe to nothing clfe but the Rains and Snow which fall on thofe high Moun- tains, I think, in ten times the Quantity they do on the lower Hills and Valleys. 2. ^ I HAVE obferved a confiderable Quan- tity of the Chips or Parings (if I may fo call them) of thefe Cliffs to lie in vaft Heaps at the Roots of them j . and thefe are of feveral Sorts and Materials ^ being in fome Places covered with Grafs, and in others as bare as the Sea Shore : And thofe bare Places do confift fometimes of Gra- vel, and an innumerable Number of Rock Fragments, from a Pound Weight to twen- ty, dye, and are fometimes compofed of huge Stones, from an hundred Pound Weight to feveral Tuns. 3. ' In the Valleys o^Lhanberys and Nant-^ fhrancon^ the People find it neceffary to rid their Grounds often of the Stones which the Mountain Floods bring down ,- and yet notwithftanding this Care, they of- ten lofe confiderable Parcels of Land. 4. * I AFFIRM, That by this means not only fuch Mountains as conCfl of much Earth and fmall Stones, or of fofter Rocks, and fuch as are more eafily diffoluble, are thus wafled, but alfo the hardefl Rocks in Wales J and they feem to be as weighty,. and of as firm and clofe a Texture as Mar- ble itfelf. It happen d in the Valley of
I Nant^
of the World. 347
Nant-Phrancon^ Anno 1685. that Part of a Rock of one of the impendent Cliffs, caird yr Hyfvae^ became fo undermined, (doubtlefs by the continual Rains and fub- terraneous Veins of Water occafioned by them) that lofing its Hold it fell down in feveral Pieces, and in its PafTage down a fteep and craggy Cliff, diflodged thoufands of other Stones, whereof many were in- tercepted e'er they came down to the Val- ley, but as much came down as ruin'd a fmall Piece of Ground j and feveral Stones were fcatter'd at leaft 200 Yards afunder. In this Accident one great Stone, the big- geft remaining Piece of the broken Rock,' made fuch a Trench in its Defcent, as the fmall Mountain Rills commonly run in 5 and when it came down to the plain Ground, it continued its PafTage through a fmall Meadow, and a confiderable Brook, and lodged itfelf on the other fide it. From hence I gather, that all the other vaft Stones that lie in our mountanous Val- leys, have by fuch Accidents as this fallen down. Unlets perhaps we may do better to referr the greateft Part of them to the univerfal Deluge. For confidering there are feme thoufands of them in thefe two Valleys [of Lhanherys and Nant-Phran- con~\ whereof (for what I can learn) there are but two or three that have fallen in the Memory of any Man now living ; in the
' ordina-
348 Of the Dijfohition
^ ordinary Courfe of Nature we fhall be' ^ compelled to allow the reft many thou- ' fands of Years more than the Age of the ' World." So far Mr. Lhuyd,
T o this laft Particular, and for a fartner Account of it, may be added, That fometimes there happen ftrange and violent Storms and Hurricanes, wherein the Rain is driven with that Force upon the Tops and Sides of the Mountains by furious and tempeftuousWinds, as to do more Execution upon them by break- ing in Pieces, tearing and throwing down Rocks and Stones, in a few Days, than in the ordinary Courle of Naturc,by the ufual Wea- ther is efiPcded in many hundred Years.
2. By reafon of the Abundance of Earth thus walhed off the Mountains by Shots of Rain, and carried down with the Floods to the Sea ; about the Out-lets of the Rivers, where the violent Motion of the Water cea- fes, fettling to the Bottom, and raifing it up by Degrees above the Surface of the Water, the Land continually gains upon, and drives back the Sea : The Egyptian Pharof^ or Light- Houfe, of old Time flood m an Ifland a good Diftance from Land, which is now joined to the Continent, the interjacent Fretwn having been filled up by the Silt brought down by the River Nilus in the Time of the Flood fubfiding there. Indeed, the ancient Hifto- ' rians do truly make the whole Land of £- gypt to have been ^wpov ttotoliih^ the Gift of
the
of the World. 54^
the Rher^ and by this means gained from the Sea. Seneca^ in the Sixth 13ook of his Nat. Qiieft. chap. 26. gives this Account, yEgyptns ex limo tota concrevit. Tantum enhti (fi Homero fide!:) aberat a contine?iti Pharor^ quantum navh diurno curfu vietiri flenis lata velis poteft. Sed continenti admota eft. Tiir^ bidus enim defluem Nilm^ multumque fe- cum limum trahem^ & eum fubinde apponcm prioribus terrify JEgyptu?n annuo increjnento femper ultra tulit. Inde pinguh Q; I'unofi foli eft^ nee ulla intewnlla in fe habet ; fed cre- "vit in folidum arefcente limo^ quo preffa erat & cedens ftrudura^ &c. tliat is, all Egypt is hut a Concretion of Mud. For (if Homer jnay be believed) the Pharos was as far di- ftajit fro?n the Continent^ as a Ship with full Sail could run in a Day's time : but now it is joined to it. For Niius flowing with troubled Waters brings down a great deal of Mud and Silt^ and adding it to the old Land ^ carries on Egypt farther and farther ftill by an annu- al Increafe. Hence it /V of a fat and muddy Soil^ and hath no Fores or Cavities in it. And this Reafon he gives why it is not troubled with Earthquakes. Which alfo may be the Rea- fon why it hath no frelli Springs and Foun- tains : For though indeed Dr. Kobinfon doth very probably impute its Want of Rain and Springs to the Want of Mountains ; yet be- caufe (as we fhall afterwards prove) Springs may he derived from Mountains at a good
Diftance.
3 5*0 Of the Dijfolution
Diftance, I know not whether all Mountains are fo far remote from Egypt^ as that there may be no fubterraneous Channels of that Length, as to derive the Water even thither from them ; and, therefore, probably one Reafon of their Wanting of Springs may be the Denfity and Thicknefs of the Soil, where- by it becomes impenetrable to the Water ; and it may be, mould they ufe the fame Artifices there, which the Inhabitants of the Lower Auftria^ and of the Territory of Modena and Bologna in Italy do, that is, dig and bore quite through this Coat of Mud till they come to a Sand, or loofer Earth j they might, in like manner^ procure thcm- felves Fountains of fpringing Water. Thus, by Reafon of the great RiverSj ?<?, Athefis^ Brenta^ and others, which empty themfelves into the Lagune^ or Shallows about Ve^ -nice in Italy^ and in Times of Floods bring down thither great (lore of Earth -, thofe La- gum are in danger to be in time atterrated* and with the City fituate in the midft of them, added to the firm Land, they being already bare at every Ebb, only Channels maintain'd from all the neighbouring Pla- ces to the City, not without confiderable Charge to the State in Engines and Labour* crs in fome Places to clear them of the Mud, wherewith otherwife they would indanger to be obftru^ed and choaked up ,• which Engines they call Cava-fango's. Thus in the
Camarg^
of the World. 5 5* I
Camarg^ or Ifle that the River Rhofne makes near Aries in Pro'vence^ there hath been fo much lately gained from the Sea, that the Watch-Tower had, in the Memory of fomc Men living 1665, been removed forward three times, as we were there informed; which I have already entred in this Work*' And it feems to me probable, that the whole LoW'Countryf were thus gained firom the Sea : For, Varenim in his Geography tells us, * That finking a Well at Amfterdajny at
* near a hundred Foot depth, they met witb
* a Bed or Floor of Sand and Cockle-Shells ; ' whence it is evident, one would think, that
* of Old Time the Bottom of the Sea lay fo
* deep, and that that hundred Foot Thicknef*
* of Earth above the Sand arofe from the Se- ' diments of the Waters of thofe great Rivers,
* the Rhine^ Scheldt Maef^ &c. which there*
* abouts emptied themfelves into the Sea, and,
* in Times of Floods, brought down with
* them abundance of Earth from the upper
* Grounds. " The fame Original, doubtiefs, had that great Level of the Fens, running through the Ifle of E/y, Holland in Lincoln- Jhire^ and Marjhland in Norfolk That there hath been no fmall Quantity of Earth thus brought down, appears alfo in that along the Channels of moft great Rivers,- as for Ex- ample, the Thames and Trent in England^ efpecially near their Mouths or Out-lets, between the Mountains and higher Grounds
on
3S'2. Of the Dijfolution
on each Side, there are large Levels and Plains, which ieem to have been originally Part of the Sea, raifed up, and atterrated by Earth and Silt brovight down by thofe Ri- vers in great Floods.
Straho^ in the Firft Book of his Geography, hath much to this purpofe : 'H yci^ Ter'^%^0"'^
TTsfl (XUm (TVvlqOLTCLl TCi i^O^OlTCL TWV TTOT^f^WV ' Oiov TTSpl IXEV 1CL T8 ''l?'/;^ TCL 'hSyi[J.eVCL SrvJOi^, JtiJC/
v\ SjtuO/oov spViiiicL ' Trepi 'J tcl ih <I)i(r;^oc v\ KoA-
, JtV] H(TCL • TTsfl 3 TCV QeplXO^OVTCi KCil TOV 'IpiV OAl^
>) Geixi(TKvpcij.To Twv 'AiJ-oi^ov'jCV Trehcv^ kcu tj^c S/^uvi^c TO ttAeov. Outgo i;) koCi stti twv f^AAwv,
CtTT^VTf ^ 7'^p IXllxSyTdl TOV Nf/AOV, £^V)Xf /p^l/'Tf^' TCV TT^ CXUTWV X0C5'V, 0/ jUlfV (J.GLKXOV^ ot ^' ^TTOV * ^TTOV |V.£V 0/ fXV)^ TTCAA'^V TS HO.} ^cihoLiioyeiov x^" pav sTriovTes tcli x^'l^-^Ph^ ^f;^cV^£Vo/ ttgKK^; ' cov igi KCil b Hvpdfxo?^ b t/\ KiXmici ttoXv {jJpo^
TT^ahi; • f 4*' 8 V^Cl} 'hOyiOV BKTTETTTijivJ Ti TOlbTOVy 'E(T(TSTCil iaCTOlklvDlQ 0T6 HvfOillCC EV pVc'^ i'vVlC
'Hi ova 'TtQ^xi^v isp^v fV Kv7r(^y h'/frc/ii*
And after a while, he adds, Outw y.b h iv^ex^Tdi 7r(^(TX^(T^vivcii to TsMycs 7ra.v dTO twv tt;y^(XAwv ap^^Xjuifvov, i^v (twex^^^ ^'%y "^^^ f'jt twv TTOTC-iJMv iyrippvasig. That is. For this Landing Up and Alteration of the Skirts of the Sea^ isjcr the mojl part^ about the Mouths of Ri'vers^ as about the Out-lets of Ifter, the Places 'called 2T;iO>), and the Deferts of Scythia, ; about thofe of Phafis^ the Sea-coaji of Colchis, which is
fandy^
of the World. 55*5
fcindy^and loW;^andfofti about Thermodon and Iris, all Thcmifcyra, the Plain of the Amazons, and the moft Part c>/Sidene. And the like ?nay be [aid of other Rivers. For all of thejn i?nitate the Nile, adding to the_ Continent or Main Land the Part lying before their Mouths^ fojne 7?torejfo??ie lef j thofe lefy^ that bring not down jnuch Mud ^ and thofe more^ that run a great way over Joft and loofe Ground^ and receive many Torrents : Of which Kind is the River Py ramus, which hath ad^ ded a great Part of its Land to Cilicia. Con- cerning which there is an Oracle come abroad^ ijnporting^ That there will a Tiine come in future Ages^ when the River Pyramus JJjall carry on the Shore and Land up the Sea as far as Cyprus. .....*. So it might in Time
happen^ that the whole Sea JJjould gradually be landed up^ beginning from the Shores^ if the Effufions of the River s^ that is, the Earth and Mud they bring down^ did fpread fo wide as to be continuous. Thus far Strabo, But the Oracle he mentions, prediding the Car- rying on and Continuation of Cilicia as far as Cyprus^ and the joining that Kland to the Continent, proves falle i there having not been as yet, that we hear or read of, any coniiderable Advance made towards it, in almoft 2000 Years.
N o w, the Rain thus continually wafhing away, and carrying down Earth from the Mountains and higher Grounds, and raifing
A a up
3 5*4 Of the Diffolution
up the Valleys near the Sea, as long as there is any Defcent for the Rivers, fo long will they continue to run, carry forward the low Ground, and ftreighten the Sea ; which al- fo by its Working, by reafon of the Decli- vity, eafily carries down the Earth towards the lower and middle Part of its Channel \_AheusJ] and by Degrees may fill it up, Monfieur Loubere^ in his late Voyage to Si^ am^ takes Notice of the Increafe of the Banks and Sands in and near the Mouths of the great Rivers of the Oriental Kingdoms, occafion'd by the Sediments brought down from the Countries by the feveral Streams ; fo that, fays he^ the Navigation into and up thofe Rivers grows more and more difficult, and may in Procefs of Time be quite inter- rupted. The fame Obfervation, I believe, may be made in moft of our great Euro^ fean Rivers, wherein new Beds are raisM, and old ones enlarged. Moreover, the Clouds ftili pouring down Rain upon the Earth, it will defcend as far as there is any Declivity / and where that fails, it will ftagnate, and, joining with the Sea, cover firft the Skirts of the Earth, and fo, by Degrees, higher and higher, till the whole be covered.
To this we may add, that fome Affiftancc toward the leveling of the Mountains, may be contributed by the Courfes and Catar- rads of fubterrancous Rivers wafliing away the Earth continually, and weakning their
foun-
of the World. '^^^
pDundatlons, fo by Degrees caufing them to founder, fublide, and fall in. That the Moun- tains do daily diminiih, and many of them fink ; that the Valleys are raifed ; that the Skirts of the Sea are atterrated, no Man can deny. That thefe things miift needs^ in Pro- cefs of Time, have a very confidcrable and great Effect, is as evident,* which what elfe can it be, than that we have mentioned ?
Moreover, towards this levelling of the Mountains, and filling up of the Sea, the Fire alfo contributes its Mite. For the burning Mountains or Vukanos^ as for Example, J^t- Ha and P^efuvius^ vomit at Times out of their Bowels, fuch prodigious Quantities of San<i and Afhes, and with that Force, that they are by the Winds carried and difperfed all over the Country, nay, tranfported over Seas into foreign and remote Regions ; but let fall fo copioufly in the circumjacent Pla- ces, as to cover the Earth to a confiderable *rhicknefs -, and not only fo, but they alfo pour forth Floods of melted Stones, Minerals^ and other Materials, that run down as low as the Sea, and fill up the Heavens, as of old one hear Catana j and make Moles, and Promon- tories, or Points, as in the laft Eruptions both of jEtna and Vefimus ; the Tops of thefe Mountains falling in, and fubfiding propor- tionably to the Quantity of the ejected Mat-* ter^ as Borellm proves* Meeting with a C^otation in Dr* HahvDiirs Apology out of
Aa a ^0-
3 ^6 Of the Dijfoliition
Jofephm Blancanus his Book T)e Mundi Fa^ hicd^ I earneftly deiired to get a Sight of that Book, but could not procure k till the Copy of this Difcourfe was out of my Hands, and lent up to London^ in order to its Printing. But then obtaining it, I found it fo exactly confonant to my own Thoughts, and ta what 1 have here written concerning that Subjedj and ibme Particulars occurring therein by me omitted, that I could not forbear tranlla- ting the whole Difcourfe into EngUjh^ and annexing it to this Chapter, efpecially becaufe the Book is not commonly to be met with. The Difcourfe is firft fet down in his Book Ve locis Mathematicis Ariftoteliy more at large, and afterward repeated in his Book De Mun- di Fabricd more briefly.
Pergratum Le^fori fore e^ifti?na'vi] fi rem fcitu dignijjimam expojuero^ &c. I thought it might be very acceptable to the Reader, if I lliould drfcover to him a thing moft wor- thy to be known ^ which 1 have long ago^ and for a long time obferved, and am daily more confirmed in ; efpecially, feeing no for- mer Writer that I know of hath publiihed any thing concerning it. It is this, That the Superficies of the whole Earth, which is now rough and uneaven by reafon of Mountains and Valleys, and fo only rudely Spherical, is daily from the very Beginning of the World reducing tp a perfed Roundnefs, infomuch that it will neceflarily come to
pafs
of the World. ^^'y
pafs in a Natural way, that it be one Day overflown by the Sea, and rendred unhabi- table.
First then, that we may clearly appre- hend theCaufes of this Thing, we muft lay down as a Foundation from Holy Writ, That the Terraqueous Globe was, in the Be- ginning, endued with a more perfc<ft fphe- rical Figure, that is, without any Inequali- ties of Mountains and Valleys j and that it •was wholly covered with the Sea, and fp altogether unfit for terreftrial Animals to inhabit : But it was then rendred habitable, when by the Beck or Command of its Crea- tor, the greatell Part of the Land was tranf- lated from one Place to another ; whereupon here appeared the Hollows of the Seas, there the Heights of the Mountains : And all the Waters, which before covered the Face of the whole Earth, receded, and flowing down, filled thofe deprelfed and hollow Places , and this Congregation of Waters was called the Sta, Hence fome grave Authors doubt not to affert. That the Mountains were made up of that very Earth which before filled the Cavities of the Sea, Whence it follows, that the Earth, as now it is, is mountainous and elevated above the Waters, hath not its natural Figure, but is in a violent State : but Nullum 'violentum eft perpetumn. Befides, the Earth being heavier than the Water, none of its Darts ought to be extant, and ap- A a 3 pear
3 S'S Of the Diffolution
pear above its Superficies ; and yet we fee that the Earth is really higher than the Sea, efpecially the mountainous Parts of it : In which refped alfo, both Land and Water are in a violent State. Wherefore, it is very convenient to the Nature of both, that they Ihould daily return towards their ancient and primigenial State and Figure j and, ac- cordingly, we affirm that they do fo.
Moreover, we fay, that the Waters, both of Rains and Rivers, are the Caufe of thi-s Rcftitution, as will appear by the following Obfervations.
I. W E fee that Rivers do daily fret, and undermine the Roots of the Mountains j fo that here and there, from moft Mountains, they caufe great Ruins and Precipices, whence the Mountains appear broken j and the Earth, fo fallen from the Mountains, the Rivers car- ry down to the lower Places.
From thefe Corrofions of the Rivers,' proceed thofe flow, but great Ruins, cal- led, hahind^ a lahendo ; in which fome Streets and whole Villages are precipitated into the Rivers.
2. We daily fee, that the Rain-Waters waih away the Superficies of the Mountains, and carry them down to the lower Places. Hence ic comes to pafs, that the higher Mountains are alfo harder and more ftony than the reft, by means whereof they better fefift the Water. Hence alfo it comes to pafs,
that
of the World. ^^^
that ancient Buildings in Mountains, their Foundations being by Degrees difcovered, prove not very durable. For which Reafon, the Foundations of the Roman Capitol are now wholly extant above-ground, which of old, at its firft Erection, were funk very deep into it. This fame thing all the Inhabitants of the Mountains do confirm i all faying, that this Lowering of Mountains was long fince known to them ; for that, formerly, fome intermediate Mountains intercepted the Sight of a Caftle, or Tower, (ituate in a more re- mote Mountain ,* which, after many Years, the intervenient Mountain being dcpreffed, came clearly into View. And George Agrkola is of Opinion (which I very much approve of) that the Rivers produced the Mountains and Hills in this manner. In the Beginning of the World, there were not fo many parti- cular divided Mountains, but only perpetual eminent Ridges of Land, not dilfe^led into fo many Valleys as we now fee. So, for Ex- ample, our Apfennine was at firft one conti- nued, eaven, eminent Ridge of Land, not divir» ded into any particular Mountains and Hills by intervening Valleys, as now it is ; but that after the Rivers began to flow down froni the Top of it, by little and little fretting and corroding the Ground, they made Valley s^ and daily more and more ,• and by this means the whole Apfennine came to be divided into, many Hills and Mountains.
A a 4 3. In
3^o Of the Di[fohition
3." In Plains we fee the diredly Contrary happens ; for the Plains arc daily more and more elevated, becaufe the Waters do let fall, ' in the plain and hollow Places, the Earth they brought down with them from the Moun- tains. Hence we fee that ancient Buildings in fuch Places, are almoft wholly buried in the Ground. So in Ro??ie, at the Foot of the Capitoline Mountain, we fee -the Ti'iu?nphal Arch of Septhnim almoft wholly overwhelm- ed in the Earth; and every where in ancient Cities, many Gates and Doors of Houfes al- moft landed up, little thereof being extant above Ground.
From which it appears, that this Sinking and Demerfion of Buildings into the Earth is a manifeft Sign of their Antiquity, which is fo much the greater, by how much the deep- er they are funk. So, for Example, at Bono- nia in Italy ^ many of the ancient Gates of the City, which the Bolognefe call Tbrrefotti^ are very deeply funk:, which is a certain Ar- gument of their Antiquity ; and thence it ap- pears to be true that Hiftories relate, that they were built in the Time of S. Petroniur^ about 1200 Years ago. But here it is to be noted- that other things agreeing, thofe are deeper depreflfed that are built in lower Pla- ces, than thofe in higher, for the Reafon a- bovefaid. So at Bononia^ that old Port, cal- led II Torrefotto di S. Georgio^ is deeplier buried, or landed up, than that which is cal- : • • - led
of the World, 3(^1
led 11 Torrefotto di Stra Caftilione^ becaufe that is fituated in a lower Place, and there- fore the Earth is more eafily raifed up about it.
4. The (lime is affirmed by Architects, who, when they dig their Foundations, do everywhere, in plain Places,firft of all remove the Earth, which they call Co7mnota^ [loofe or fhaken] which is mixt with Fragments of Wood, Iron, Rubbifli, Coins, ancient Urns, and other things ^ which when it is thrown out, they come to another fort of Earth that hath never been ftirred, but is {olid^ com- paft, and not mixt with any heterogeneous thing, efpecially artificial. That moved \Commota\ and impure Earth, is it which the Waters have by little and little brought down from the higher to the more depreffed Places, which is not every where of equal Depth. But now, becaufe in the Mountains there is no where found fuch moved or new Earth, as is plain from the Experience of Architects, it is manifeft that the Mountains do by no means grow or increafe, as fome dream.
5. Our Obfcrvation is proved from that Art, which is now much pravlilifed, of eleva- ting and landing up depreircd Places by the Waters of Rivers, and- depreifing the higher by running the Water over them.
The fame things happen about the Sea ; for, whereas the Bottom of the Sea is more
de-
^6z Of the Dijfolution
depreffed than the Superficies of the Earth ; and all the great Rivers empty themfelves into the Sea, and bring in with them a great Quantity of Earth and Sand^ there muft needs be great Banks or Floors of Earth raifed up about the Sea Shores, near the Mouths of Ri- vers ^ whereby the Shores muft neceffarily be much promoted and carried forward in- to the Sea, and fo gain upon it, and compell it to recede.
This may be proved, firft by the Authority o£ AriftotleyliLi. Meteor, cap, De perviuta- tione terr^e ac maris ; and that of the ancient Geographers a*nd Hiftorians. To omit that Proof from Egypt ; Ariftotle's fecond Exam- ple of this Landmg up of the Sea, is the Re- gion of Ammonia^ whofe Lower and Mari- time Places (faith he) it's clear, were by this Landing up firft made Pools and Fens, and in Procefs of time thefe Pools were dry- ed up, and raifed to be firm Land, by Earth brought down. A third Example is that of the Mceotis Palus^ whofe Skirts are fo grown up by what the Rivers bring down, that the Waters will not carry any thing fo great as Ships, as they would have done lixty Years ago. A fourth is the Thracian BojphorHSj^ which for Brevity 's-fake may -be feen in him, Add hereto, in the fifth Place, theTeftimony of Pliny ^ who tells us, that much new Land hath been added to the Earthy not only
brought
of the JVorld. 3^3
brought in by the Rivers, but deferted by the Sea.
S o the Sea hath receded ten Miles from the Port of Arnhracia^ and five from that of Athens J and in fcveral other Places more or lefs. What he adds out of Strabo^ concern- ing the River Pyramm^ is already enterM.
(5. N E IT H E R are later and nearer Experi- ments wanting. Of old time Ravenna ftood upon the Brink of the Sea Shore, which is now by reafon of the Landing up the Shallows far diftant from it. The Sea walhed the Walls of Padua^ which is now Twenty five Miles remote therefrom. In fine, our RheneoiBo^ logna^ though it be but a fmall Torrent, yet in a few Years, fince it hath been by an ar- tificial Cut let into the Po, it hath fo filled it up, and obftrudted its Channel with Sand and Mud, that it hath much endamaged the neighbouring Fields. Seeing then by thefe various Aggerations of Sand and Silt, the Sea is daily cut fliort, and driven back, and its Bafin or Receptacle ftraitned, and the Bot- tom thereof raifed, it will neceffarily come to pafs in time, that it will begin to over- flow j as now it happens in many Places, for Example, in the Baltick^ Vanich^ and Holland Shores, in which Places they arc forced to ered and maintain long and liigh Banks and Fences againft the Inundations of the Sea.
Therefore, after this manner, that Earth which now makes up the Mountains, being
by
^6 4 Of the Dijfolution
by the Water little by little brought down into the Cavities of the Sea, is the Caufe why the Sea gradually here and there overflows tht Superficies oi thcEd.v\.h; and fo the Globe of the Earth, by the Affufion of the Waters, will be again render'd unhabitable, as at firft ! it was in the Beginning of the World i and
the Earth and Water will return to their primitive State and Figure, in which they ought naturally to reft.
Hence we may deduce fome Confectaries worthy to be known, n:iz. That the World, or at leaft the Earth, was not endued with that Figure which we now fee ; neither can the World endure for ever. For if this mountainous Figure had been in it from E- ternity , all thofe Protuberancies of the Mountains had been long (ince eaten away and wafted, or confumed by the Waters, Nor can this World be Eternal ,■ becaufe, as we have proved, in Procefs of time it will be reduced to a perfect Rotundity, and be overflown by the Sea i whereupon it will become unhabitable, and Mankind muft necelfarily perifh. Wherefore, unlefs that Deluge were prevented by the Fire which the Holy Scriptures mention , the Worl4 would neverthelefs be deftroyed by Water. Long after I had committed thefe things to writing, I met with Philo Jud^ur his Book De Mtindo^ wherein he touches this Matter but obfcurely, and in a very few Words.
Thus
of the World, 3^^
Thus far Blancanm^ whofe Sentiments iand Obfervations concerning this Matter thus pun<5tually concurring, and according i with mine, to my great Wonder and Satif- fa(Stion, I could not but think that the Con- clufion hath a high Degree of Probability. Only he takes no Notice, that in Compenfa* tion of what the Rivers gain from the Sea about their Outlets, the Sea may gain from the Land by undermining and wafliing a- way the Shores that are not rocky, (as we fee it doth in our own Country) perhaps as much as it lofes, according to the vulgar Proverb before remember'd. However, all contributes towards the filling up of the Stz^ and bringing on an Inundation^ as I fliall afterwards fliew.
But it may beobjeded. That if the Wa- ters will thus naturally and necelTarily in Procefs of time again overflow and cover the Earth, how can G o d's Promife and Cove- nant be made good. Gen, ix. ii. That there JJjould ?2ot any more be a Flood to deftroy the Earth,
To which I anfwer, i. That though this would follow in a natural way, yetthe Pow- er of G o d may interpofe to prevent it, and fo make good His Promife. 2, Though it might come to pafs in the Courfe of Nature, yet would it be after fo many Ages, that ic is not at all likely the World lliould laft fo long i but the Conflagration or Deftru<^ion
of
^66 Of the Dijfolutlon
of it by Fire, predided by the Scriptures^ will certainly prevent it. 3. Poffibly there may be fomething in Nature which may ob- viate this Event, though to us at prefent* Unknown, which I am the more inclinable to believe, becaufe the Earth doth not haften fo faft towards it, as fome of the Ancients imagined, and as the Activity of fuch Cau- fes might feem to require, as I have already intimated.
Varenim^ in his Geography, putting the Queftion^ Whether the Ocean may again come to cover all the Earth, and make an univerfal Deluge? anfwers. That we may conceive a way how this may naturally come to pafs. The Manner thus; Suppofing that the Sea by its continual Working doth un- dermine and wafh away the Shores and Cliffs that are not rocky, and carry the Earth thereof down towards the Middle, or deepeft Parts of its Channel^ and fo by De- grees fill it up. By doing this perpetually^ it may, in a long Succefifion of Time^ carry all away, and itfelf cover the whole Earths That it doth thus fubvert and wafti away the Shores in many Places, is in Experience true. About Dort in Holland^ and Dullart in Frlejland^ and in Zealand many Villages^ j fome fay Three hundred, have been drown'd by the Encroachments of the Sea, as fome of their Towers and Steeples ftill extant above the Waters do teftify. On the Tu[can Shore^
of the World. -^6^
ICircher tells us. That not far from Ligom^ hfe himfelf had obferved a whole City under Water, that had been in former Times drown'd by the Inundation of the Sea. And overagainft Futeoli^ in the Sinus of Baia^ he tells us. That in the Bottom of the Sea, there are not only Houfes but the Traces and Footfteps of the Streets of fome City ma- nifeftly difcernible. And in the County of Suffolk^ almoft the whole Town of Done^ wich^ with the adjacent Lands, hath been undermined and devoured by the Sea.
This Wafliing away of the Shores is, X conceive, in great Meafure to be attributed to the forementioned ftreightning and cut- ting lliort of the Sea, by the Earth and Silc that in the Times of Floods are brought down into it by the Rivers. For the Vulgar have a Proverbial Tradition, IThat what the Sea lofes in one Place^ it gains in another* And both together do very handfomly make out and explain, how the Earth in a Natural way, may be reduced to its primitive State in the Creation, when the Waters covered the Land. But this^ according to the lei- furely Proceedings of Nature , would noc come to pafs in many Ages, 1 might fay, ia Ages of Ages : Nay, fome think, that thofe vail Ridges and Chains of Mountains, which run through the Middle of the Continents, are by reaibn of their great Height, Weight and Solidity, too great a Morfei ever to be
5(^8 Of the Diffohitmt
devoured by the Jaws of the Sea. But whe- ther they be or not, I need not diipute, thoueh I incline to the Nc2:ative. becaufe this is not the Diflolution the Apoftle here fpeaks of, which muft be by Fire.
But I muft not here diffemble an Obje- €lion I fee may be made, and that is. That the Superficies of the Earth is fo far from be- ing deprelTed, that it is continually elevated. For in ancient Buildings, we fee the Earth raifed high above the Foot of them. So the Pantheon at Ro?fie^ which was at firft afcen- ded up to by many [eight] Steps, is now defcended down to by as many. The Bafis and whole Pedeftal of T^rajan's Pillar there was buried in the Earth.
Dr. Tancred Kobinfon^ in the Year k^Sj,' obferved in fome Places the Walls of old Kojne to lie Thirty and Forty Foot under Ground -, fo that he thinks the greater Part of the Remains of that famous ancient Ci- ty is ftill buried, and undifcovered ,• the prodigious Heaps of Ruins and Rubbiih in- clofed within the Vineyards and Gardens, being not half digged up or fearched, as they might be, the Tops of Pillars peep- ing up and down. And in our own Coun- try we find many ancient Roman Pave- ments at fome Depth under Ground. My learned and ingenious Friend Mr. Edward JLhwjd^ not long fince inform'd of one, that himfelf had feen buried deep in the Church-
* " yard
of the World. ^6$
yard at Wychejler in Glocefterjhire, Nay, the Earth in time will grow over and bury the Bodies of great Timber Trees, that have been fallen, and lie long upon it -, which is made one great Reafon, that fuch great Num- bers (even whole Woods) of fubterraneous Trees are frequently met with, and dug up at vaft Depths in th^ Spaniflo 2ind Dutch Ne- therlands^ as well as in many Places of this Illand of Gredt Britain,
T o which I anfwer,as to Buildings, i . The Ruins and Rubbiili of the- Cities wherein they flood, might be conceived to bury them as deep as they now lie under Ground. And by this means it's likely the Ro?nan Pavements we find, might come to be co- vered to that; Height we mentioned. For that the Places where they occurr, were an- ciently Rd?nan Towns fubverted and ruined, may eaiily be proved 5 as particularly in this we mentioned, from the Termination Chefier ,• whatever Town or Village hath that Addition to its Name, having been an- ciently a RomaH Town or Camp, Chefter feeming to be nothing but Caflra,
2. It is to be confider'd. That weighty Buildings do in time overcome the Refiftance of the Foundation, unlefs it be a folid Rock i and fink into the Ground.
Nay, the very foft Water, lying long up« On the Bottoms of the Sea or Pools, doth fo - coniprefs and fadden them by its: Weight,
B b ' that
370 Of the Dijfoiution
that the very Roads that are continually beaten with Horfes and Carriages, are not fo firm and fad : And in the Sea, the nearer you dig to the low Water-Mark5 ftilt the ladder and firmer it is : And it's probable, ftill the farther the fadder ; which fcems to be confirmed by the ftrong fixing of Anchors. [This Firmnefs of the Sand, by the Weight of the incumbent Water, the People inliabi- ting near the Sea are fo fenfible of, that I have feen them boldly ride through the Water crofs a Channel three Miles broad, before the Tide was out, when in fome Places it reach'd to the Horfes Belly.] A Refemblance whereof we have in Ponds, which being newly digg'd, the Water that runs into them, finks foon into the Earth, and they become dry again ; till after fome time, by often filling, the Earth becomes fo folid, through the Weight of the Wa- ter, that they leak no more^ but hold Water up to the Brink. Wittie Scarborough Sfaw^ p. 85.
What Force a gentle, if continual Pref- fure hath, we may underftand alfo by the Roots of Trees, which we fee will fometimes pierce through the Chinks of Stone Walls, and in time make great Cracks and Rifts in them ; nay, will get under their very Foun- dations. The tender Roots of Herbs over- come the Refinance of the Ground, and make their .way through Clay or Gravej. By the
by.
of the World. 57!
by, we may here take Notice, that one i*e^- fon why PlowingjHarrowing, Sifting, or any Comminution of the Earth, renders it vaovt fruitful, is, becaufe the Roots bf Grafs, Corn, and other Hetbs can, with more Facility, creep abroad, and multiply their Fibres iii the light and loofe Earth*
Th A T the Rotting of the Grafs, and othet" Herbs upon the Ground, may in fome Places raife the Superficies of it, t will not deny ; that is, in Gardens and Enclofures, where the Cround is l-ank, and no Cattel are admitted , to eat oflf the Fog oi: long Grafs j but elfe- where, the Railing ()f the Superficies of the Earth is Vety Itttk and inconfiderable ; and none at all, unlefs in level Grounds, which have but little Declivity : For otherwlfe the Soil would by this time have come to be of a very great Depth, which we find to be but ihallow. Nor do I think, that fo much as the Trunks of fallen Trees are by this means cover'd ; but rather, that they fink by their own Weight, in time overcoming the Refi- nance of the Earth, which without much Dif- ficulty yields, being ibakcd and foftned by the Rains Infinuating into it, and keeping it continually moift in Winter-time. But if thefe Buildings be fituate in Valleys, it is clear, that the Earth brought down from the Mountains by Rain, may ferve to land them up. Again, the Superficies of the Earth may be raifed near the Sea Coaft, by the
B b a con-
372^ Of the Diffolution
continual Blowing up of Sand by the Winds^ This happens often in Norfolk, and in Corn- zya/l, where I obferved a fair Church, ^iz, that of the Parifli called Lalant, which is the Mother Church to S.Ives, and above two Miles diftant from the Sea, almoft covered with the Sandj little being extant above it, but the Steeple and Ridge of the Roof. Nay, a great Part of S. Ives itfelf lies buried in the Sand : And I was told there, that in one Night there had been a whole Street of Hou- fes fo covered with Sand, that in the Morn- ing they were fain to dig their way out, of their Houfes through it. All along the We- ft ern Shore of Wales, there are great Hills of Sand thus blown up by the Wind. We ob- ferved alfo upon the Coaft of Flanders, find Holland, the like fandy Hills, or Downs, from which Wefterly Winds drive the Sand a great way into the Country. But there are, not many Places liable to this Accident, *viz, where the Bottom of the Sea is fandy^ and where the Wind moft frequently blows from off the Sea i where the Wind fets from the Land toward the Sea this happens not ; where it is indifferent, it muft in rea- fon carry off as much as it brings on, unlefs other Ciiufes hinder.
Sic TV
of the World.
37?
Sect. II.
The Second pfjihle Caufe of the World' ^ De^ ftnSion in a Natural Waj^ the Extinction of the Sun,
"•^
?^ H E PofiTibility of the Sun's Ex- %o^ tindioii : Of which Accident
I fhail give an Account of Dr.
M?r^'s Words^in the laft Chap- ter of his Treatife of the hnmortality of the SouL ' This (^faith he) though it may feem ' a Panicl Fear at firft Sight , yet if the Mat- ^ ter be throughly examined, there will ap- ^ pear no contemptible Reafons that may in- *■ duce Men to fufped, that it may at laft £ill ^ out, there having been at certain Times ^ fuch near Offers in Nature towards this ^ fad Accident already. " Fliny fpeaks of it as a thing not unfrequent, that there (hould be Prodigiofi & longiores Solis defeCiuA^ qua^ lis occifo Diiiatore Caefare, & Anton iano ki- lo^ totius ajtni pallore continuo.^ Hift. Nat. lib. 2. cap. 3 o,' Prodigious and lafting Defeats of the Sun^ fuch as happened when C^far the Didator was jlain^ and in the War with Anthony, when it was continually pale a?id gloomy for a whole Tear. The like happened in Juftinian's Time, as Cedrenus writes ^ when for a whole Year together, the Sun was of a very dim and duskilh Hue, as if B b 3 he
374 ^/ ^^^ Dijfolution i
he had been in a perpetual Eclipfe : And, 1 in the Time of Irene the Emprefs, it was fo dark for Seventeen Days together, that the Ships loft their Way in the Sea, and were ready to run one againft another, as Theo- fhanes reports. But the late accurate Dif- covery of the Spots of the Sun by Scheiner^ and the Appearing and EHfappearing ofFixt Stars and Comets, and the Exeuriions of thefe Jaft, do argue it more than poflible, that after fonie vaft Periods of Time, the Sun may be fo inextricably inveloped by the MamU^ that he may quite lofe his Light ; and then you may eafily guefs what would become of the Inhabitants of the Earth : For without his vivifick Heat, neither could the Earth put forth any Vegetables for their Suftenance; neither if it could, would they be able to bear the Extremity of the Cold, which muft needs be more rigorous, and that perpetually, than it is now under the Poles in Winter-time, But this Accident, tho' it would indeed cxtiur guifli all Life, yet being quite contrary to a Diffolution by Fire, ot which the Apoftlc fpeaks, I fhall pafs it over without farthcf jConfideratipn, and proceed to ^ Third,
;iii
of the World. 575"
Sect. III.
The Third pofible Caiife of the World'i Deftrudion^ the Kmftion of the Central Fire,
H E PofTibility oF the Erup-.^ tion of the Central Fire, if any fuch there be, inclofed ia the Earth. It is the Hypother* fis of Monlieur des Carte f^ that the Earth was originally a Star, or Globe of Fire, like the Sun, or one of the Fixt Stars, (ituate in the Center of a Vortex continually whirling round with it. That by Degrees it was co- vered QW^x^ or incruftatcd with MacuU^ arifing on its Surface like the Scum on a boil- ing Pojt, which ftill increafing and growing thicker and thicker, the Star lofing its Light and Activity, and, confequently, tlie Motion of the celeftial Vortex about it growing more weak, languid, and unable to refift the vi- gorous Incroachments of the neighbouring Vortex of the Sun j it was at laft drawn in, and wholly abforpt by it, and forced to com- ply with its Motion, and make one in the Quire of the Sun's Satellites This v^U^Iq Jiypothefu I do utterly difallpw * and reje^. Neithei^id the Author himfelf (if we may believe nim) think it true, that the Earth was thus generated. For he faith, J^ninimo
B b 4 ad
■ML
57^ Of the Dijfolution
ad' res naturales melius explicandas^ earmn caufas altius hie repeta?n qudjtt if fas unquam extitiffe exiftimem, Non enijti 'dubium eft^ quin inimdus ab initio fuerit creatus cum omni Jua ferfetHone^ itd ut in eo & SqI^ & Terra, & Luna, & StelU extiterint, ,,!.,. Hoc fides Chriftiana nos docet ; hdcque etiam ratio natiiralis plane perfuadet. Attendendo enim ad immenfam Dei potentiam, non poffu- mus exiftitnare illmn unquam quidquam fecijje^ quod non omnibus fuis ' numeris fuerit abfolu- Um : That is. Moreover, for the better expli- cating of Natural Things, IJhall bring them from higher or more remote Caufes than I think they ever had. For there is no doubt, but the World was criginally created in -its full Per- fe5iion, fo that in it were contained both Sun, and Moon, and Earth, and Stars, &c. For this the Chriftian Faith teacheth us, and this alfo Natural Reafon doth plainly perfunde ^ for at~ te?tding to the immenfe Power of GoT^,we can- nm think that He ever made any thing that was not complete in all Points. But tho' he did not believe that the Earth was generated, or formed according to his Hypothefis, yet furely he was of Opinion, that it is at'pre- fent fiich a Body as he reprefentcd it after its perfed Formation, viz. with a Fire in the •middle,'and fo many feveral Crpfts or Coats incloiing'it ,• elfe would he have g^en us a meer Figment or Romance inftead of aBo^y of Philoiopliy.
But
of the World. 577
B u T tho* I do rcjcd the Hypothefis ; yet the Being of a Central Fire in the Earth is not^ ib far as I underftand, any way repugnant to Reafon or Scripture. For firft of all, the Scriftur£ reprefents Hell as a Lake of Fire,' Mark ix. 43, 44, drc. Rev. xx. 10, 14, 15. and, likewife, as a low Place beneath the Earth. So Pfal. Ixxxvi. 13. and Df^^^.xxxii. 22. it is called the nethcnnoft Hell^ Prov. xv, 24. T'he Way of Life is above to the Wife^ that he may depart from Hell beneath. 1. Many of the Ancients underftand that Article of the Creed, He defcended into Hell^ of our Sa- viour's Defcent into that local Hell beneath the Earth, where He triumphed over the De- vil, and all the Powers of Darknefs. And, particularly, Iren^eus interprets that Saying of our Saviour, That the Son of Man fljould be three Days in the Heart of the Earthy of his being three Days in the Middle of the Earth, which could not be meant (^ faith he ) of the Sepulchre, becaufe that was hewn out of a Rock in its Superficief. 3. It is a received Opinion among the Divines of the Church of Rome^ that Hell is about the Center of the Earth J infomuch as fome of them have been folicitous to demonftrate, that there is room enough to receive all the Damned, by giving us the Dimenfions thereof.
Neither is it repugnant to the Hiftory of
the Creation in Genefif. For tho' indeed Mo-
yjej doth mention only Water and Earth, as
V the
378 Of the Dijfolution
the Gomponcnt Parts of this Body ^ yet doth he not affert^ that the Earth is a iimple, uni- form, homogeneous Body ,- as neither do we, when we fay, Up07i the Face of the Earthy or the like. For the Earth, we fee, is a Mafs made up of a Multitude of different Species of Bodies, Metab^ Minerals^ Stones^ and other Foflils, Sand^ Clay^ Marl^ Chalky &c. which do all agree^ in that they are confident and folid more or lefs, and are in that refped coBtradiftinguilhed to Water ; and together compound one Mafs, which we call Earth- Whether the interior Parts of the Earth be made up of fo great a Variety of different Bodies, is to us altogether unknown. For tho' it be obferved by Colliers, that the Beds of Coals lie one way, and do always dip towards the Eaft, let them go never fo deep ; fo that, would it quit Coft, and were it not for the Water, they fay, they might purfue the Bed of Coals to the very Center of the Earth, the Coals never failing or coming , to an End that way ; yet that is but a ralii and ungrounded Conjedure, For, what is the Depth of the profoundeft Mines, were they a Mile deep, to the Semidiameter of the Earth ? not as One to Four thoufand. Com- paring this Obfervation of Dipping with my Notes about other Mines, I find that the Veins or Beds of all generally run Eaft and Weft, and dip towards the Eaft. Of which, what Account or tleafon can we give, but^
the
of the World. 37^
the Motion of the Earth from Weft to Eaft ? I know fome fay, that the Veins, for Exam- ple, of Tin and Silver, dip to the North, rho' they confcfs they run Eaft and Weft, which is a thing I cannot underftand, the Veins of thofe Metals being narrow things. Sir Tho. Willoughby^ in his forementioned
J-etter, writes thus ; ' I have talked
with fome of my Colliers about the Lying of the Coal, and find, that generally the Baf- fet-End (as they call it) lies Weft, and runs deeper toward the Eaft, allowing about twenty Yards in Length to gain one in Depth i but fometimes they decline a little from this Pofture j for mine lie almoft South- Weft, and North-Eaft. They always (ink to the Eaft more or lefs. There may, therefore, for ought we know, be Fire about the Cen- ter of the Earth, as well as any other Body, if it can find a Pabulum^ or Few el there to maintain it. And why may it not ? fince the Fires in thofe fubtcrraneous Caverns of ^r- na^ Vefuvim^ Strojnboli^ Hecla^ and other burning Mountains or Vulcanoi^ have found wherewith to feed them for Thoufands of Years, And as there are at fome, tho* un- certain Periods of Time, violent Eruptions of Fire from the Craters of thofe Mountains, and mighty Streams of melted Materials poured forth from thence : So, why may not this Central Fire in the Earth, (if any fush there be) receiving accidentally extra-
I ordinary
380 Of the Dijfolution
^ ordinary Supplies of convenient Fuel, eithei^
* from fome inflamable Matter within or from ' without, rend the thick exterior Corte:^ ^ which imprifons it, or finding fome Vents
* and Iffues, break forth and overflow the ^ whole Superficies of the Earth, and burn up
* all Things." This is not impoffiblei and we have Teen fome Phtcnomena in Nature which bid fair towards a Probability of it. For, what Ihould be the Reafon of new Stars appearing and difappearing again ? as that no- ted one in CaJJtopeia^ which atfirft flione with as great a Luftre as Venm^ and then by De- grees diminifhing, after fome two Years va- nifli'd quite away ? But that by great Sup- plies of combuftible Matter, the internal Fire fuddenly increafing in Quantity and Force, either found, or made its Way through the Cracks or Vents of the MacuU which in- clofed it, and in an inftant, as it were, over-, flowed the whole Surface of the Star, whence proceeded that illuftrious Light j which af- terwards again gradually decayed, its Supply failing. Whereas other newly appearing Stars, which either have a conftant Supply of Mat-
. ter, or where the Fire hath quite diifolved the MacuU^ and made them comply with its Motion, have endured for a long time, as that which now lliines in the Neck of Cygnm^ which appears and difappears at cef- tain Intervals.
But
of the World. 581
But bccaiife it is not demonftrable that there is any fuch Central Fire in the Earth, I propofe the Eruption thereof rather as a poflible than probable Means of a Conflagra- tion : And proceed to the laft Means whereby^ it may naturally be effeded j and that is :
Sect. IV.
'The fourth Natural Caufeofthe World's Dif* [olution^ the Earths Drynefs and Inflarri-^ mability*
IV. ^^^ H E Drynefs and Inflammabi- ^' rp 3X lity of the Earth under the ^^P^jP,^^^ Torrid Zone, with the Erup- , ^S^S^^ tion of the Vulcano's to fet it on fire. Thofe that hold the Inclination of the Equator to the Ecliptich daily to diminilh, fo "that after the Revolutions of fome Ages they \vill jump and confent, tell us, that the Sun- Beams lying perpendicularly and conftantly on the Parts under the Equator^ the Ground thereabout muft needs be extremely parch'd and rendred apt for Inflammation. But for my part, I own no fuch Decrement of Incli- nation. And the beft Mathematicians of our Age deny, that there hath been any fince the eldefl Obfervations that are come down to us. For tho', indeed, Ptolenrf and Hipparchus do make it^ more than we find it by above twenty Minuter, yet that Difference is not
fa
382 Of the hiffolutkn
fo confiderable, but that it may well be im-^ puted to the Difference of Inftruments, or Obfervatiotis in Point of Exadtnefs. So that not having decreafed for Eighteen hundfed Years paft, there 1% not the leaft ground for Conje&ure, that it will alter in Eighteen hundred Years to come, ftiould the World laft fo long. And yet if there were fuch a Diminution, it would not conduce much (Co far as I can fee) to the bringing on of a Con- flagration. For tho' the Earth would be ex- tremely dried, and perchance thereby ren- <lred more inflammable j yet the Air being by the fame Heat as much rarified, would contain but few nitrous Particles, and fo be inept to maintain the Fire, which, we fee, cannot live without them: It being much deadcd by the Stm^lhining upon it ; and burn- ing very remifly in Summer-time, and hot Weather. For this ReafoHjiri Southern Coun- tries, in extraordinary hot Seafons, the Air fcarce fufficcth for Refpiration. To the clear- ing up of this, let us a little confider what Fire is. It feems to confift of three different Sorts of Parts, i. An extremely thin and fubtil Body, whofe Particles are in a veiy vehement and rapid Motion. 2. A (fuppo- fed) Nitrous Pabulum, or Fewel, which it receives from the Air. 3. A fulphureous or unduous Pabulum, which it a^s and preys upon, pafling generally by the Name of FeweL This forementioned fobtil Body
* agita-
of the World. 383
agitating the (fuppofed) Nitrous Particles it receives from the Air, doth by their Help, as by Wedges, to ufe that rude Similitude, penetrate the undtuous Bodies, upon which it aifts, and divide them into their immediate component Particles, and at length, perchance into their firft Principles ; which Operation is called the Chymical Anatomy of mix'd Bodies. So we lee Wood, for Example, di- vided by Fire into Spirit, Oil, Water, Salt, and Earth.
That Fire cannot live without thofe Par- | tides it receives from the Air, is manifeft, in that, if you preclude the Accefs of all Air, it is extinguillied immediately : And in that, where and when the Air is more charged with them, as in cold Countries, and cold Weather, the Fire rages moft : That likewife it cannot be continued without an unctuous Fabulum^ or Few el, I appeal to the Expe- rience of all Men.
Now then, in the rarified Air in the Tor- rid Zone, the nitrous Particles being propor- tionably fcattcred and thin fet, the Fire that might be kindled there would burn but very languidly and rcmifly, as we faid juft now : And fo the Eruptions of F«/c^«<?V,if any fuch happened, would not be like to do half the Execution there that they would do in cold Countries. And yet 1 never read of any fpreading Conflagration caufed by the Eru- ptions of any Vukanos^ cither in hot Coun- tries.
384 Of the Dijfolution
tries, or in cold. They ufually caft out a* I bundance of thick Smoak, like Clouds dark- 1 hing the Air j and likewife Afhes and Stones, fometimes of a vaff Bignefs j and fome of them, as Vefuvius^ Floods of Water , others^ (as Atna) Rivers of melted Materials, run- ning down many Miles : As for the Flames that iifue out of their Mouths at fuch Times, they are but tranfient, and mounting up- wards, feldom fet any thing on fire.
But not to infift upon this, I do affirm,^ that there hath not as yet been, nor for the future can be, any fuch Drying or Parching of the Earth under the Torrid Zone^ as fome may imagine. That there hath not yet been, I appear to Experience, the Countries lying under the Courfc of the Sun, being at this Day as fertile as ever they were, and wanting ho more Moifture now than of old they did ^ having as conflant and plentiful Rains in their Seafons as they then had. That they fhall for the future fuffer any more Drought than they have heretofore done, there is no Rea- fon to believe or imagine j the Face of the Earth being not altered, nor naturally alter- able, as to the main, more at prefent than it was heretofore. I Ihall now add the Rea- fon, why, I think, there can be no fuch Ex- (iccation of the Earth in thofe Parts; It's: true indeed, were there nothing to hinder them, the Vapours exhaled by the Sun- Beams in tliofe hot Regions^ would be
of the World. 585*
ca{^ off to the North, and to the Solith^ a great way, and not fall down in Rain there, but towards the Poles : But the long and con- tinued Ridges or Chains of exceeding high Mountains are (o difpofed by the great and wife Creator of the World, as, at leaft in our Continent, to run Eaft and Weft, as Gajferi- dm in the Life of Feireshm well obferves, fjjch are Atlas^ Taurus^ and the Alps^ to name no more : They are, Ifay^ thusdifpcK- fed, as if it were on purpofe to obviate and ftop the Evagation of the Vapours North- ward, and reflect them back again, fo that they muft needs be condenfed, and fall uport the Countries out of which they were eleva- ted. And on the South Side, being near the Sea, it is likely that the Wind, blowing fot the moft part from thence, hinders their Exi curfion that way* This I fpeak by Prefuni- ption, becaiife in our Country, tor at leaft three Quarters of the Year, the Wind blows from the great Atlantick Ocean j which was taken Notice of by Julius Ctcfar in the Fifth of his Commentaries, De Bello Gallico. Co- rut ventuf^ qui magndin partem ojnnis teinpO"^ rif in his locis flare confuevit.
A s for any Deficcation of the Sea, I hold that by meer natural Caufes to be impofifible^ unlefs we could fuppofe a Tranfmutation of Principles or Simple Bodies^ which for Rea- fons ailedged in a former Difcourfe I cannot allow* I was then, and am ftill of Opinion^
G € ihai
38(^ Oj the Dijfolution
that God Almighty did at firft create a cer-' tain and determinate Number of Principles, or varioufly figured Corpufcles, intranlmu- table by the Force of any natural Agent, even Eire itfelf, (which can only feparate the Parts of heterogeneous Bodies) yet not an equal Number of each Kind of theie Prm- ciples, but of fome abundantly more,, as of Water ^ Earthy Air^ jEther j and of others fewer, as of Oy/, Salt^ Metah,, Minerah^ &c. Now, that there may be fome Bodies indi- .vifible by Fire, is^ I think, demonftrable. For how doth or can Fire be conceived to di- vide, one can hardly imagine any other way than by its fmall Parts, by reafon of their violent Agitation infinuating themfeives in- to Compound Bodies, and feparating their Parts i which allowing, yet ftill there is a Term of Magnitude, below v^-hich it cannot divide, 'viz, it cannot divide a Body into fmaller Parts than thofe whereof itielf is compounded. For taking, fuppofe, one leaft Part of Fire, 'tis clear that it cannot infmuate itfelf into a Body as little or lefs than itfelf i and what is true oFone, is true of all ; I fay, we can imagine no other way than this,unlefs perchance, by a violent Stroke or Shock, the Parts of the Body to be divided, may be put into fo impetuous a Motion, as to fall in fun- der of themfeives into lelTer Particles than ^hofeof the impellent Body are, which I will not fuppofe at prefent. Now, it h poifible,
that
of the World. 387
that the Principles of fome other Simple Bo- dies may be as i'mali as the Particles oF Fire. But however that be, it is enough, if the Prin- ciples ot Simple Bodies be, by reafon of their perfect Solidity, naturally indivifible. Such a limple Body, I fuppofe, Water feparated from all heterogeneous Mixtures to be t And con- fequently the fame Quantity thereof that was at firft created, doth ftill remain, and will continue always in Defpight of all natural A- gents, unlefs it pleafes the Omnipotent Crea- tor to diifolve it. And therefore there can be no Deficcation of the Seas, unlefs by turn- ing all its Water into Vapour, and fufpending it in the Air, which to do, what an immenfe and long-continuing Fire would be requiiite? to the Maintenance whereof all the inflam- mable Materials near the Superficies of the Earth would not afford Fewel enough. The Sun, we fee, is fo far from doing it, that it: hath not made one Step towards it thefe four thoufand Years, there being in all Likelihood as great a Quantity of Water in the Ocean now,as was immediately after the Flood : And confequently there would probably remain as much in it, fhould the World laft four thoufand Years longer.
This Fixednefs and Intranfmutability'of Principles fecures the Univerfe from Dilfolu- tion by the prevailing of one Element over another, and turning it into its own Nature j which otherwife it would be in continual
C c 2 Danger .
388 Of the Dijfolution
Danger of. It fecures likewife tbcPerpetuN ty oi all the Species in the Worlds many of which, if their Principles were tranfmutable, might by fuch a Change be quite loft : And laftly, bars the Produdiori or Creation of any new Species, as in the formentioned Trea- tife I have fliewn.
at*«»*ffi*««**«««3-«S-3'«ffia««'KJ««ft«!K«!K«««**«3?
HAP.
VI.
Containing an Anfwer to %e Second Que- Jiion^ Whether Jhall this Dijfolution be effected by natural or by extraordinary Msans^ and what they Jhall be ?
S to the Second Queftion, Whether fliall this Diffolu- tion be brought about and effected by natural or by extraordinary Means and Inftruments, and what thofe Means and In- ftruments Jliall be ? I anfwer in brief, That the Inftrumental Efficient of tliis DilTolution liiall be natural. For it is clear, bx)th by Scripture and Tradition, and agreed on all hands, that it fhall be that Catholick DilToU vent, Fire. Now, to the Being and Mainte- nance of Fire, there are four Things requi- fite. I. The a(^ive Principle of ^rkr. 2.4/^,
or
of the World. 385
or a Nitrous Fabulum received from it : Thefe two being commixt together, are eve- ry where at hand. 3 . Fewel^ which, confi- dering the Abundance of combuftible Mate- rials, which are to be found in all Places up- on or under the Surface of the Earth, can lio where be wanting. 4. The Accenfion, and the fuddcn and equal Diffufion of this Fire all the World over. And this muft be the Work of God, extraordinary and miracu- lous. «
Such a DifTolution of the World might indeed be effected by that natural Accident mentioned in the Anfwer to the precedent Queftion, foiz. The Eruption of the Central Fire. But becaufe it is doubtful, whether there be any fuch Fire in the Middle of the Earth or no ; and if there ever were, it is hard to givf an Account, how it could be maintained in that infernal Dungeon for want of Air and Fewel. And, becaufe, if it fhould break forth into the Gonfiftency of a thin Flame, it would in all Likelihood fpeedily like Lightning mount up to Heaven, and quite vanifh. away i unlefs we could fuppofe Floods, nay Seas of melted Materials, or liquijd Fire, enough to overflow the w^hole Earth, to be poured forth of thofe Gaverns. For thefe Reafons I rejed that Opinion, and do rather think that tfie Gonflagration ihall be effeded by a fuperficial Fire. Tho' I muft confefsvve read in Tacitus^ AnnaL 13. at the
C c 3 * End,
3po Of the Dijfolution.
End, of a Sort of Fire that was not fo apt to
difperfe and vanifli. ' The City of
the Jnhonia'fis in Ger?nany (faith he) confe- derate with us was'affliile^ with a fudden Difafter ; for Fires iffuing out of the Earth, burned Towns, Fields, Villages every where, arid fpread even to the Walls of a Colony newly built, and could not be ex- tinguilhed, neither by Rain nor River-Wa- ter, nor any other Liquor that couid be employed, until for \\^nt of Remedy, of Anger of fuch a Diftradion, certain Pea- fants caft Stones afar off into it^ then the Flame fomewhat flackning, drawing near, they put it out with Blows of C^lubs, and other like, as if it had been a wild Beaft : Laft of all, they threw in Cloaths from their Backs, which the more worn and fouler they were, the better they quenched
« the Fire " I ufe Dr. Hahwitl's Tranfla-
tion.
C W A P,
C H A P. VII.
The Third Queftion anfwered^ Whether Jhdll this Dijfolut'wn be gradual and faccejjive^ or momentamous andfiidden ?
3.^^^^HEThirdQLieftion is, TThether M tM fi(ill this Diffolution he gradual ^^"^^ ^«i fucceffive^ or mojnentaneous
and fudden ? I ANSWER, The Scripture refolves for the latter, The Day of theLoKDjJjall come as a Thief in the Night: A Similitude we have often repeated in Scripture, as in the tenth Verfe of this Chapter, in i Thejf, xv. 2. Rev. iii. 3. and xvi. 15. And the Refur- redion and Change of Things, it is faid, Ihall be in a Motnent^ in the Twinkling of an Eye^ I Cor. xv. 52. Confonant whereto both the Epicureans and Stoich held their DifToIu- tions of the World Ihould be fudden and brief, as Lucretius and Seneca, in the Place forementioned, tell us. And it is fuita- ble to the Nature of Fire to make a quick Difpatch of Things, fuddenly to confume and deftroy.
A N D as it lliall be fudden, fo alfo fiiall it be unexpe(fted, being compared to the Co- ming of the Flood in the Days of Noah, Mat. xxiv. 3 7,3 8,3 9. But as the Days of N^ah were^
C c 4 fo
3^2 Of the Diffolution
fo Jhall alfo the Coming of the Son of Man he. For at in the Dap that were before the Flood^ they were eating and drinhng, 7narrying and giving in Marriage^ until the Dcfi/ that Noah entred into the Ark ; And hnew not until the Flood came and took them all away ; fofljall aU fo the Coming of the Son of Man be. And the raining of Fire and Brimftone upon Sodom, I-uke xyii. ThefTal. v. 3 . For when they Jhall fay Peace and Safety^ then fudden Deftru6iion (^ometh upon them as Tmvail ufon a Woman with Child, Now, if it toll be thus fudden and unexpeded, it is not likely there fhould \>t in Nature any manifeft Tendency to it, ojp remarkable Signs and Fore-runners of it : For fuch muft needs ftartle and awaken the World into an Expectation and Dread of it. That there i's at prefen^ no fuch Tendency to Corruption, but that the World conti-r nues flill in as good State and Condition as it was two thoufand Years ago, without the leaft Impairment of Decay, hath been, as we before noted, without any Pofifibility of Contradidion, clearly made out and demon- ftrated, by Dr. Hakemll in his Apology : • And therefore, arguing from the paft to the future, it will in all Likelihood fo continue ^wo tiioufand Years more, if it be fo long tQ the Day of Doom ^ and confequently that Day (as the Scripture predids) wiltfudden- ly and unexpectedly come upon the World. But if all thefe Propiiecies (^s Dr. Hammnd
affirn^)
of the World. 35>3
affirms) be to be reftrained only to the De- ftmaion o^ Jerufale?n, and the Je.wij}j PolU ty, without any farther Refpe(5t to the End of the World, then indeed from thence we can make no Inferences or Dedu^ions in refe- rence to that final Period.
HAP.
VIII.
The Fourth Queftion Refohed^ Whether Jhall there be any Signs or Fore-runners of the Dijfolutwn of the World ?
4.^^^ HE Fourth Queftion is, Whe- ^^^ ther fhall there be any Signs ^P^^ or Fore-runners of the Diflb-^ &!3S^^ lution of the World ? In order to the Anfwering of this Que^ {lion, we fhall diftinguifh Signs into Natural and Arbitrarious.
I. Natural Signs ^ fo the Aurora^ or Dawning of the Day, is a Sign of the Sun- Rifing. ^ Now, if the Diffolution be effeaed in the Courfe of Nature, and by Natural Means, there will be fome previous natural Signs of it. An old Houfe will threaten Ruin before it falls. The natural Death of Men, and all Animals, hath its Harbingers, and old Mep before their Djffolution feel the
Impref-
5P4 ^f f^^ T>ijfolution
Imprefifions of Age,- and proclaim to the World their approaching Fate, by Wrinkles, Gray Hairs, and Dimnefs of Sight. But we have formerly fliewn, That there is no Con- fenefcency or Declenfion in Nature j but that the World continues ftill as firm and ftaunch as it was three thoufand Years ago ,• and why hereafter it fliould founder and decay more than it hath done for fo many Ages heretofore, what Reafon can be given ? It is not therefore likely there filouid be any natural Signs of the DilTolution of the World^" and confequently that it fhail be effeded by natural Means.
2. There are Arbitrafj Sigm^ as a Gar- land hung out is a Sign of Wine to be fold. Now, if the DilTolution of the • World be dfeded by Supernatural and Extraordma- ry Means, (as is moft likely) the Signs of it muft be arbitrarious. For though they may be natural Effe(5ts and Productions, yet would they not fignify the Deftrudion of the World, if they were not ordered by Providence to happen at that time, and preditSted ^s Fore- runners of it ; with which otherwife they have no natural Connexion. Such Signs are Matth, xxiv. the Sun being darkcn'd, and the Moon not giving her Light, and the Stars falling from Heaven, and the Shaking of the Powers of Heaven. Thefe, and many other Signs of His Coming, we find mentioned in Scripture j but what the Meaning of thefe
Ex-
of the World. 39^
Expreflions may be, is not fo clear. For though feme ot them may be taken in a li- teral Scnfe, yet it is manifeft that -others can- not. The Sun may indeed be fo covered- with a Macula^ as to be quite obfcured; and thereupon the Moon neceffariiy lofe her Light, which Ihe borrows only from the Sun-Beams : But how the Stars fhould in a literal Senfe fall down from Heaven, is in- conceivable ; it being almoft demonftratively certain, that moft of them are bigger than the whole Earth. We may therefore, keep- ing as near as we can to the Letter, thus in- terpret them. There fiiall be great Signs hx Heaven, difmal Eclipfes and Obfcurations of the Sun and Moon i new Stars and Comets fliall appear, and others difappear, and ma- ny fiery Meteors be fufpended in the Air. The very Foundations of the Earth Ihall be fhaken, and the Sea fliall roar and make a Noife. But I muft not here dilTenible a great Difficulty: Hqw can fuch illuftrious Signs and Fore-runners be reconciled to the Sud- dennefs and Unexpe«5tednefs of Christ's Coming, and the End of the World? huke xxi. 25. After the Evangelift had told us, That there fljall be Signs in the Sun^ and in the Moon^ and in the Stars^ — - the Sea and the Waves roaring j he adds, as a Confe- quent thereof, Ver. 26. Mens Hearts failing them for Fear^ and for looking after thoje Things that are coming on the EartL And,
indeed,
39^ 0//^^ Dijfolution
indeed, how could any Man poflibly be bu- ried in fo profound a Lethargy of Senflefs* nefs and Security, as by fuch ftupendous Prodigies not to be rowzed. and awakened to an Expedation of fome difmal and tre- mendous Event ? How could he fmg a Re- quiem to his Soul, and fay Peace and Safe- ty, when the World fo manifeftly threa- tens Ruin about his Ears ? For the recon- ciling of thefe E"xpre(fions to this fudden Coming of our Saviour to Judgment, it were moft convenient to accept them in the Figurative and Metaphorical Senfe. For if we underftand them of the Ruin and De- vaftations of Cities and Countries , and Changes of Governments, the Subverfions of Kingdoms and Commonwealths, the Falls and Depolings of Princes, Nobles, and gre*at Men J thefe happening more or lefs in every Age, tho' the ferious and inquifitive Chri- ftian, who fe^rches and underftands the Scri- ptures, niay drfcern tbem to bf the Signs of the World's Cataftrophe ; yet the carelefs and inconfiderate, the vicious and voluptuous are not like to be a&all ftartled or moved at them, but may notwithftanding, looking upoixthem' as ordinary and infignificant Accidents, dvr^' mire in utramque mrem^ deep fecurely till the laft Trump awaken them. Or it may be an- fwered. That thefe Prophecies do belong to the Deftrudipn of J emfajem only j^ and
fo
of the JVorld.
391
fo we are not concerned to anfwi^r that Ob* je(5tion.
HAP.
IX.
The Fifth Queftion anftpered; At what Period of Time Jhall the World he dif" fohed ?
H E Fifth Queftiort is. At what Period of Time ihall the World be diifolved ? I anfwer. This is abfolutely uncertain and undetermina- ble. For, fince this Diffolution Ihall be ef- fe^ed by the extraordinary Interpofition of Providence, it cannot be to any Man known, unlefs extraordinarily revealed. And our Sa- viour telb us. That of that Day and Hour knoweth no Man^ no not the Angels of Hea^ T;e«, &c. Matth, xxiv. 3 6. • And again, A^f i, 17. It if not for us to Inow the Times and the SeafonSy which the Father hath placed in his own Powe^', And this Dr. Hahwill brings as an Argument, that the World decays nor, neither tends to Corruption j becaufe, if it did, the Time of its a(5tual Dilfolution might be colki^ed and foretold ; which, faith he^ the Scripture d.cnips. Wc may invert this
Ar§u-
5p§ Of the Dijfolution
Argumentation,and inferr,Becaufe the World doth not decay, therefore the Time of itis DifTolution cannot be known.
But yet, not withftanding this, many have ventured to foretell the Time of the End of the World, of whom fome are already con- futed, the Term prefixt being paft, and the World ftill {landing. La^tantm^'m his Time, faid, Inftit. lib, 7. cap. 25. 0?nnh expe5ia- tio non amplius qudm ducentorum videtur an^ novum y T^he longefl Expectation extends not farther than Two hundred Tearr, . The Con- tinuance of the World more than a Thou- fand Years fince, convinces him of a grofs Miftake. Paulm Grebnerm^ a high Preten- der to a Spirit of Prophecy, fets it in the Year 1613, induced thereto by a fond Conceit of the Numeral Letters in the hatin Word 'judicium. Other Enthufiaftical Perfons of our own Country have placed if in the Years 1645, and 1656. The Event lhev\^s how ungrounded ly and erroneoufly. Others there are, whofe Term is not yet expired, and fo they remain ftill to be confuted. As Du Mou' thofe who conceit, that the End of the World i'f' Ihall be when the Pole-Star Ihall come to touch the Pole of the Equator ^ which ( fay they ) ever fmce the Time of HipparchUf^ hath approached nearer and nearer to it. That it doth fo, I am not fatisfied ,• but if it doth, ic is meerly Accidental, and hath no Connexion with the End of the World. But
the
of the World. 39p
the moft famous Opinion, and which hath found moft Patrons and Followers, even a- niongft the Learned and Pious, is that of the World's Duration for Six thoufand Years. For the ftrengthening of which Conceit, they tell us. That as the World was created in fix Days, and then followed the Sabbath, fo ihall it remain Six thoufand Years, and then fliail fuccecd the Eternal Sabbath, Heb, iv. 9, !'Apa oLTTQ'kd'Ki'Tu.i 2a/3/3^T/o-fAcc, &c. Inhere re- inains^ therefore^ a Reft or Sabbath to the Feo* fie of Go D. Here we fee, that the Apoftle inftitutes a Comparifon between the heaven- ly Reft and the Sabbath. Therefore, as God refted upon the Seventh Day, fo ihall all the World of the Godly reft after the Six Thou- fandth Year. For he that hath entred into his Reft^ ceafeth from all his Worh^ as Go i> did from His* Of this Opinion were many of the Ancient Fathers, as 1 Ihewed before^ grounding themfelvesupon this Analogy be* tween the Six Days of the Creation and the Sabbath j and the Six Thoufand Years of the World's Duration, and the Eternal Reft : For, faith Iren^us in the Place before quo- ted. Hoc aiitem^ (that is, the Hiftory of the Six Days Creation, and fucceeding Sabbath) eft & frdteritorum narratio^ & fulUYorumpro^ \ phetia. Dies enim tmiis milk anno s fignijic at ^ ficut Scriptura teftatur : 2 Pet. /lii. S. PfaL xc. 4. The Scriptures reckoning Days of One thoufand Years long, as in Verfe 8. of
I
400 Of the Diffolution
this Chapter, and in T^al xc. 4. This is likewife a received Tradition of the Jewijh Rrt^^mr,regiftred in the Tahntd, in the Trea- tife Sanhedrim, delivered (as they pretend) by the Prophet Elias the TijloUte to the SOn of the Woman of Sarepa^ whom he railed from the Dead, and by him handed down to Pofterity. I rather thmk with Reuterm, that the Authot of it was fome Rabbi of that Name* The Tradition is. Sex millia anno^ mn Brit inmdus : & una inillenano 'vaftatw^ I 'e, SabbathU?ft Dei : Duo millia inane : Dm ' jfiillia Lex: Duo viillia dies MeJJla. Two thoufand Tears Vacuity : Two thouland Tears of the Law ; Two thoufand Tears the Days of theMeffiah. ■ But they ihoot fat wide : For according to the lead Account, there pafled a far greater Number of Years before the > Law was given, 2513, faith R^?/tem; and^ on die contrary, lefs Time from the Law to ^ the Exhibition of the Meftah. All thefe • . Proofs laid together, do fearer fuffice to make ' - up a Probability. Neither do thofe Rabbmical Colleaions from the fix Letters m n>©«-i3 the firft Word of Genefis, or from the fix Alephs in the firft Vcrfe of that Book, each , fignifying a Thouflmd Years j or from the Six firft Patriarchs in the Order of the Ge- nealogy to E?ioch, who was caught up to Heaven, ami found no more, add much Weight'to this Opiniot). S. Auftin very mo- deftly concludes, after a Difcuflfion of thi^ ' Point
of the World. 40 1
l?oint concerning the World's Duration ;
l£.go tempora dinumerare non audeo : Nee all- quern Prophetam de hac re numemm annarum txiftimo fYiCJini-vilfe, Nof ergo^ quod fcire not Dominus noluit^ libenier nefciairius, I dare not calculate and deter jnine T'ijner : Neither do I thinly that concerning this Matter^ any Fro- phet hath predicted and defined the Number of Tears* What therefore the Lord would not have us to hnoz0^ let us willingly be ignorant
of-
But though none but prefumptuous Per-
fons have undertaken peremptorily to deter- mine that Time, yet was it the common and received Opinion and Perfuafioh of the An- cient Ghriftians, that that Day was not far off : And had they been to limit it, they would hardly have been induced to fet the Term fo forward atid remote from their own Age, as by Experience we find it proves to be, but in their oWn Times, or fliortly af- ter : And many Places of Scripture feem to favour that Opinion ; fo that fome have pre- fumed to fay, That the Apoftles themfelves were at firft miftaken in this Particular, till after farther Illumination they were better informed. But though this be too bold a Conceit^ yet that the Churches, at leaft fome of them, did at firft miftake the Apoftles Meaning, in their Sermons and Epiftles con- cerning this Point, and fo underftand them, as to think that the End of the World and D d Final
402 Of the htjfolution.
Final Judgment was at hand, appears from 2 T^hejJ. ii. 2. I befeech you^ Brethren^ that ye be not foon Jhaken in Mtndy or be troubled^ nei-^ ther by Spiritj nor by Word^ nor by Letter^ as from tis^ as that the Day 0/ C h r i s x is at hand. We fee the Apoftle labours to re(^i-. fy, and for the future to prevent this Mi- ftake i So, likevvife, the Apoftle Peter^ in the 8th and 9th Verfes of this Chapter. And yet this Opinion had taken fuch deep Root in them, that it was not eafy to be extirpated j but continued for fome Ages in the Church. Indeed, there are fo manyPla-* ces in the New Teftament which fpeak of the Coming of C h r i s t as very near, that if we fliould have lived in their Time, and underftood them all as they did, of His Co- ming to judge the World, we could hardly have avoided being of the fame Opinion. But if we apply them ( as Dr. Hajnmond doth) to His Coming to take Vengeance on His Enemies^ then they do not hinder, but that the Day of Judgment, I mean the Gene- ral Judgment, may be far enough off. So I leave this Queftion unrefolved, concluding,, that when that Day will come God onljj knows.
Chap*
Chap, X. How fat this Conflagration Jhall extend.
6. ^J^^ Sixth Queftion is^ How far
iliall this Conflagration ex-
^:$A
P^P^^.^ tend ? Whether to the Ethereal
o?*Scxfe^ Heavens, and all the Hoft of them. Sun, Moon, and Stars^ or to the Aereal bnly ?
I ANSWER, If we follow* ancient Traditioil^' hot only the Earth, but alfo the Heavens and heavenly Bodies will be involved in one Common Fate, as appears by thofe Verfes quoted out of L?^cm/«j, O'vid^ hncdn^ &c.
Of Chriftians fome exempt the Ethereal Region from this Deftru^ionj for the twd following Rcafons^ which I jQiall fet down irl Reuterm's Words : i . ^ Becaufe in this Chap*
* ter the Conflagration is compared to thd ^ Deluge in the Time of Noah. But the De-
* luge extended not to the upper Regions of
* the Air, much lefs to the Heavens, the Wa-
* ters arifing only fifteen Cubits above the
* Tops of the Mountains, if fo much. There-
* fore neither fhall the Conflagration tran-
* fcend that Term.'* So Beza^ upon 2 Fet^ liu 6, Taritu?nafcendet ilk ignis quantum aqua altior fupra otnnes montes. That Fire fiall afcend as high as the Waters flood dboiie the
D d a Mourn
404 Of the Diffolution
Mountains. This PafTage I do not find in the laft Edition of his Notes. The ordinary Giofs alfo upon thefe Words, 2 Theff. i. 2. In jiaming Fire rendring Vengeance^ faith, Chriftum venturum prdcedet ignis in inundo^ qui tantum afcendet quantum aqua in dilunjio, There Jhall a Fire go before Christ when He comes ^ which fiall reach as high as did the Water in the Deluge. And S. Augufiin De Ci^it. Dei lib, 20. cap, 18. Petrus etiam covi^ mejnorans fattuin ante diluvium^ videtur ad^ vtonuiffe quodammodo^ quatenus in fine hujus feculi iftum mundum feriturum effe credamus, Peter alfo ?nentioning the ancient Deluge^ feems in a ?nanner to have advifed us how far^ at the Confuimnation of Time ^ we are to believe this World JJjall perijh.
But this Argument is of no Force, be- caufe it is not the Apoftle's Defign in that Place to defcribe the Limits of the Confla- gration, but only againft Scoffers, to ftiew, that the World lliould one Day psriili by Fire, as it had of old been deftroyed by Water.
2. The fecond Reafon is, ' Becaufe the
* heavenly Bodies are not fubjed to Palfion,
* Alteration, or Corruption. They can con- ' trad: no Filth, and fo need no Expurgation ! by Fire.
To this we anfwer, not in the Words of Reuter^ but our own ; That it is an idle and ill-grounded Conceit of the Peripateticks^ That the Heavenly Bodies are of their own
■ ^ Nature
of the World. 405*
Nat-ure incorruptible and unalterable : For on the contrary it is demonftrable, that many of them are of the fame Nature with the Earth we live upon, and the moft pure, as the Sun, and probably too the fix'd Stars, fuffer Alterations -, jnacuU^ or opaque Con- cretions being commonly generated and dif- folved in them. And Comets frequently, and fometimes New Stars^ appear in the E- thereal Regions. So that thefe Arguments are infufficient to exempt the Heavens from Diffolution 5 and on the other (ide, many Places there are in Scripture which feem to fubjed: them thereto: As Pfal. cii. 25, 26^ recited Hebr. i. 10. which hath already often been quoted. The Heavem are the Worh of Thy Hands ; They jhall ferifi, Matth. xxiv. 3 5. Heaven and Earth ftjall pafs away, Ifa. Ixv. 17. and li. 6. The Heavens fiall va-^ nijh away like S?noke, Yet am I not of Opi- nion, that the laft Fire lliali reach tlic Hea- vens 5 they are too far diftant from us to fuffer by it : Nor indeed doth the Scripture affirm it^ but where it mentions the Diffolu- tion of the Heavens, it expreffeth it by fuch Phrafes as feem rather to intirnate, that it fliall come to pafs by a Confenefcency and Decay, than be effe<&ed by any fudden and violent Means. P/^/. cii. 25, 26. They all fhall wax old as doth a Garment^ dec. Though I confefs nothing of Certainty can be gather- ed from fuch Expreifions : For we find the D d 3 (ame
4o6 Of the Difolution
fame ufed concerning the Earth, Ifa. li. 6^ The Heavens Jhc^ll 'vanijh away lih S?noh^ and the Earth jhall wax old as doth a Gar-, ment. The Heavenly Bodies are none of them uncorruptible and eternal; but may in like manner as the Earth be confumed and deftroyed, at what Times, and by what Means, whether Fire, or fome other Element^, the Almighty hath decreed and ordered.
C H A P, XI.
Whether Jhall the whole World he con- fumed and annihilated^ or only refined and purified ?
|Slg|HERE remains now only the Se- SS T S ^^"^f^ Queftion to be refolved, |««««|« Whether ihall the World be whol- V. .. ;rj.,..».,v jy confumed, burnt up and de-
flroyed, or annihilated j or only refined, pu- rified, or renewed ? To this I anfwer. That the latter Part feems to me more probable^ 'viz. That it fliall not be deftroyed and an- nihilated, but only refined and purified. I linow "wk^t potent Adverfaries I have in this Cafe. I need name no more than Ge^ Yard in his Common Places, and Dr. Hale" ill in bis Apology^ apd the Defence of it, ■ ' ' who
\
of the World. 407
wl)0 contend carneftly for the Abolition or Annihilation. But yet upon the whole Mat- ter, the Renovation or Reftitution feems to me moft probable, as being moft confonant to Scripture^ Reafon^ and Antiquity. The Scripture fpeaks.of an aTOK^CTtx^^co-zc, or Refti- tution^ Atis iii. 21. Whom the Heavens mufl contain until the Time of the Reftitution of all Things ; fpeaking of our Saviour : and ttol- hiyysvvEffioL^ or Regeneration of the World, the very Word the Stoich and Pythagoreans ufc in this Cafe, M^rr. xix. 28, 29. Verily^ I fay unto you^ That ye which ha-ve followed me^ in the Regeneration^ when the Son ofManfhall fit on the Throne of His Glory ^ ye afojhallfit upon twelve Thrones^ &c. Pfal. cii. 26, As c Vefiure fialt thou change them^ and they Jhall be changed. Which Words are again ta- fccn up and repeated, HeL i. 12. Now it is one thing to be changed, another to be annihilated and deftroyed. i Cor. vii. 3 i. toi;- poiysi TO axw-'^' "^^ ko(J"|U.« rsTa , The Fafldion vf this World paffeth away. As if he had faid. It fhall be transfigured, or its outward Form changed, not its Matter or Subftance deftroyed. Ifa.lxv. 17. Behold I create new Heavens and a ?tew Earthy and the former jhall not be remembred^ nor come into Mind. Ifa. Ixvi. 22. As the new Heavens and new Earthy which I fljall mah'^ floall remain be- fore jne. To which Places the Apoftle Peter feems to rcferr in thofe Words^ 2* Pet. iii. 13. r- ' ' D d 4 ' Ncver-^
4o8 1 Of the Dijfohition
Ne^erthelefs we^ according to His Pro?mfe^ loo'k for new Hewvens^ and a new Earthy wherein dwelleth Right eoufneff. This new Heaven and new Earth we have alfo mentioned, Rev. xii. I. And I Jaw a new Heaven and a new 'Earth J for the fir ft Heaven and the fir ft Earth werepafjed away, and there was no more Sea. Thefe Places, I confefs, may admit of an Anfwer or Solution by thole who are of a contrary Opinion, and are anfwered byDo^ dor Hakewill: yet all together, efpecially being back'd by ancient Tradition, amount to a high Degree of Probability. 1 omit that Place, Ro?ft,\m. 21, 22. The Creature itfelf alfo JJpall be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption^ into the glorious Liberty of the Sons cf God: Tho' it be accounted the ftrongeft Proof of our Opinion, becaufe of the Obicu- rity and Ambiguity thereof.
2. For Antiquity, I have already given many Teftimonies of the ancient Fathers and Do(5tors of the Church, and could, if Need were, produce many more, the whole Stream of them running this way. And tho* Dr.Hahwill faith. That if we look back to higher Times before S. Hierotn^ we fhall not eafily find any one who maintained the World's Renovation j yet he hath but two Teftimonies to allcdge for its Abolition ; the one out of Hihi)^ upon the Pfalms, and the other out of Cle??iens his Recognitions. To this Reftitution of theWorld^ "after the Con?
flagration,
of the World. 409
fiagration, many alfo of the Heathen Phf- lofophers bear Witnefs, whofe Teftimonies Mr. Burnet hath exhibited in his Theory of the Earthy lib. 4. cap. 5. Of the Stoicks, ^Chryfippiif de Pro'videntid^ fpeaking of the Renovation of the World, faith, 'H/xaf, ixstol ^P^^
TO TEASVTVllTCil^ TTOtXlV TTSfHObijiV TlVij^V ^^^J^^-^M-^^^l^ /.7, ^.j-
We^ after Death^ certain Periods of Time be- ing come about ^ JJjall be reftored to the Form we now have. To Chryjippus Stobdus adds Zeno and Cleanthes^ and comprehends toge- ther with Men all natural Things, Zvjvuvi^kxi
/5<JtAAf;v, oiov ek (TTTEpixa^ to Trvp acii TrcCkiv ek
T8T8 TOlOiVTVlV OLTTOTE'ksJa^CLi T/^V ^iCiKG(Ttiyj(TlV oiot,
TT^TE^v viv. Zeno, and Cleanthes, and Chry- (ippus, were of Opinion^ That the Nature or Subftance of Things changes into Fire^ as it were into a Seed ; and out of this again^ fiich a World or Frame of Things is effected as was before. This Revolution of Nature, Antoninus^ in his Meditations, often calls Tv]V 7rEpio^iKv,v TTOLKiyyEVVEdicLv Twv oAcov, The PeriO" dical Regeneration of all Things. And "^ Origen^ * Lib., y. againft Celfus^ faith of the Stoicks in general, O^xcr/ i) ol d-JTO Tv^Q 'EToa.g koltoc Trspiclov EUTrvpxaiU
T8 TTCLVTQQ y/vEd^Xl^ li<X,l E%V[i (ivTUJ ^lOLiiO(SfXVl(TiV WOLVT dTXpXKKCiHTX EXii(SCLV WC TT^yf TVjV ETEpOLV
^ixyLoaixviaiv. The Stoicks fay^ That at certain Periods of Ti?ne there is a Conflagration of the Unlverfe j and after that a Refiitution thereof
hd-iiin^
4Ip^ Of the Dtjfolution
having exafily the fame Difpofition and Furnif ture the former World had. More to the like Purpofe concerning the Stoich^ we have ii> * vrxp. * Eufebius out of Numenim. Nature^ faith iis!^* he, returns sk tviv dvx<;oL(Tiv sKslvvfj tv^v ttoiht crav ivioLVTov rov fxeyigov^ hcl^' ov ^t' aiiTvjc julovvj^ eh dvTViV TOiXiv yi'vsTXi v\ XTroKcx^TocgGia-iQ' ettccvsK^Q"
vipldTo^ MC/LTCL Koyov TTOLXiv TVjv dvTyjV ^/f^(?cywyv)V
TOietTaiy TWV TOl^TOdV TTSplQ^OiV £^ dth's yfVCjULfVCOV
dKCLTOLTTCivgc^^^ to- the Refuvre^fion which males \ the great Tear^ wherein there is again a Refti- tution made frotn itfelf alone to itfelf. For re- turning according to the Order wherein it be- \ gdn firfl to frame and difpofe IThings^ {as Rea- fon would) it again obferves the fame OEcono?ny or Adminifiration ; the like Periods returning eternally without ceafing. He that deiires more Authorities of the Heathen Philofophers and Poets, in Confirmation of the World's Refti- tution after the Conflagration, may confult the fame Hr.Bur?iet in the Place forequoted ; where he alfo fhews, that this Do(5trine of the Mundane Periods was received by the Grecians from the Nations they call Barba- rous. Pythagoras J faith Porphyry ^ brought it firft into Greece: And Origen witneffeth of the Egyptian Wife Men, that it was delivered by them. Laertius out of iTheopompus re- lates. That the Perfian Magi had the fame Tradition j and Berofus faith, that the Chal- deans alfo. In fine^ among all the barbarous
"^ ^"^ Na-
of the World. 41I
Nations, who had among them any Perfon or Sea,' and Order of Men, noted for Wif- dom or Philofophy, this Tradition was cur- rent. The Reader may confult the Book we referr to, where is a notable Palfage taken out of Plutarch'' s Tradate, De Ifede & Ofiride^ concerning a War between Oromazes and Ar'manius^ fomewhat parallel to that men- tioned in the Revelation between Michael and the Dragon,
3 . T H E Reftitution of the World feems jnore confonant to Reafon than its Abolition. For if the World were to be annihilated, what needed a Conflagration ? Fire doth not de- ftroy or bring things to nothing, but only fe- parate their Parts, The World cannot be a- bolillied by it, and therefore had better been annihilated without it. Wherefore the Scri- pture mentioning no other DifTolution than {s to be effe(^ed by the Inftrumentality of Fire, it's clear, we are not to underftand anjr Utter Abolition or Annihilation of the World, but only a Mutation and Renovation, by thofe Phrafes ofperifhing^ puffing away^ diffohing^' being no viore^ &c. They are to be no more in that State and Condition they are now in.
2. There muft be a material Heaven, and a material Hell left. A Place for the glorified Bodies of the BlefTed to inhabit and converfe in i and a Place for the Bodies of the Damned, a KoXa^vipwv, or Prifon for them to be Ihut up in. Now, if the Place of the
412 Of the Diffolution
Bleffed be an Empyreal Heaven far above thefe vifible Heavens, as Divines generally hold ; and the Place of the Damned be be- neath, about the Middle of the Earth 5 as is the Opinion of the School-Men, and the Church of Rom"., and as the Name Inferi im- ports, and as the ancient Heathen defcribed their Tartarus^
Horn. II. " f^'^ TXpTXpXV VjS^SVTSL
Tocrcov svspQ' 'Ai^fw cxrov npcLvoQ ig' dyro yai'vi;*
Then when all the intermediate Bodies fhall be annihilated, what a ftrange Univerfe fhall we have ? confifting of an immenfe Ring of Matter, having in the Middle a vaft Vacuity, or Space void of all Body, fave only one fmall Point for an infernal Dungeon. Thofe that are of this Opinion have too narrow and mean Thoughts of the Greatnefs, I had almofl faid Immenfity of the Univerfe, the glorious and magnifick Produ(^s of the Crea- tor's Almighty Power j and are too partial to themfelves, to think the whole World was created for no other End but to be ferviceable to Mankind : But of this I have faid fome- what in a former Difcourfe, and therefore fliall not at prefent enlarge upon it.
But let us hear what they have to fay for the Abolition, mhmFs Their firft and moft weighty Argunient is ffif.j'.^l taken from the End of the World's Creation^
whiQh
of the World. 413
which was partly and chiefly the Glory of the Creator^ and partly the Ufe oF Man, the Lord Deputy, as it were, or Viceroy thereof. Now for the Glory of the Creator^ it being by the admirable Frame of the World manifeft- ed unto Man, Man being removed out of the World, and no Creature being capable of fiich a Manifeftation be(ide$ him, we ciannot imagine to what Purpofe the Frame itfelf Ihould be left, and reftored to a more per- fect Eftate. The other End^ being for Man^s UJe^ either to fupply his NeceiTity in Matter of Diet, of Phylick, of Building, of Appa- rel,- or for his Inftru6tion, Dire(^ion, Re- creation, Comfort and Delight ; or laftly, that therein, as in a Looking-glafs, he might contemplate the Wifdoni, the Goodnefs and Power of G o D i when he fhall attain that bleffed Eftate, as he fhall have no farther Ufe of any of thefe, enjoying perfed Happi- nefs, and feeing G o d as He is. Face to Face, the fecond or fubordinate End of the World's Being muft needs be likewife fruftrate. And what other End can be given or conceived for the remaining or rcftoring thereof? dye.
T o this I anfwer, there may be an End of the reftoring of the World, tho' we are not able to find out or determine what. We are too Ihort-fighted to penetrate the Ends of God. There may be a new Race of rational Animals brought forth to a6t their Parts upon this Stage, which may give the Crea- tor
414 Of the hijfotution
tor as much Glory as Man ever did or couldi- And yet if there ihould be no material and vifible rational Creature made to inhabit the Earth, there are fpiritual and intellectual Be- ings, which may be as bufy, and as mucli delighted in fearching out, and Gontempla- ting the Works of God in this new Earthy and rendring Him the Praife of His Wifdoni and Power as Man could be. Thefe Things vve may conje«5turej but we muii leave it to the only wife G od to determine what Ufe fliall be made of it. It feems to me to be too great Prefumptiori, and over-valuing our- ielves, to think that all this World was fo Hiade for us, as to have no other End of its Creation, or thiit God could not be glorified but by us.
This firft and principal Argument being anfweredj the fecond admits of an eafy So- lution. They enquire whether the Vegeta- bles, and Creatures etidued with Senfe, Ihall all be reftored, or fome only ? namely fuch as fhall be found in Being at the Day of Judgment* If all, where ' fliall we find Stowage for them ? Surely we may in this cafe properly apply that which the Evangelift in another ufeth figuratively^ if they fhould all be reftored, even the World itfelf could not contain the Things which fliould be re- ftored. If fome only, then would I gladly know, why thofe fome fhould be vouchfafect ihis great Honour, and not all, or how thofe
Creatures
of the World. 415'
Creatures without a Miracle lliall be re- ftrain'd from propagating and multiplying, and that infinitely in their Kinds by a perpe- tual Generation. Or laflly, How the feve* ral Individuals of thefe Kinds, Ihall, contrary to their Primitive Natures^ live and dure immortally ?
T o all this I anfwer, That not only all Animals^ but all Vegetables too, yea, and their Seeds alfo^ will doubtlefs be mortified and dcftroyed by the Violence of the Confla- gration ; but that the fame Ihould be refto- red, and endued with eternal Life^ I know no Reafon we have to believe ; but rather that there fhould be new ones produced, ei- ther of the fame with the former, or of diffe- rent Kinds, at the W ill, and by the Power of the Almighty Creator, and for thofe Ends and Ufes for which He fhall defign them. This Queftion being anfwered in this Man- ner, all that follows concerning the Earth remaining without any Furniture or Inhabi- tants, &c, falls to the Ground. So I have difpatch'd thefe Seven Queftions concerning the Diflblution of the World, there remains now only the Inference or Ufe of the prece- dent Do&rine.
C H A P«
Chap. XII.
The A^ofllis Inference from the prece^ dent Do&rine.
^'??^.?^ Come now to the Inference the gI *(^ Apollle makes rrom the prece^ ri ^ ^^"^ Dodrine^ What manner of
Converfation and Godlinefs ? One Word here needs a little Explication, and that is Hobj, What is meant by a holy Gon* verfation ?
Holiness is an Equivocal Term. It is attributed either to G o d, or to the Crea- ture. When it is attributed to God, it fig- nifies either^
1 . T H E unfpottecl Purity of Hts Nature, and the conftant and immutable Rectitude of His Will. So it is taken, i John iii. 3. And e'very Man that hath this Hope in him^ furifieth hi?nfelf as He is pure : And, i Pet* i, 15. As He J which called you ^ is Holy^ fd be ye Holy in all manner of Con'verfation ; becaufe it is Written^ Be ye Holy^ for I a?n Holy. Pfal. cxlv. 17. fhe LoKD is Righteous in all His Ways J and Holy in all His Jvorh,
2. His Sovereign Majefty and Greatnefs appearing in His tranfcendent Wifdom and Power, in His Supreme and Abfoiute Domi*
nioq
of the World. 417
nion over all things : In refpe^t whereof. He is called the Holy One of Ifrael^ and His Na?ne is faid to be Holy : That is^ to be invoked with the greateft Reverence. Holy and Re^ 'Verend if His Name* Becaufe of this His Greatnefs and Excellency, He is to be wor- Ihipped, and adored with the moft fubmiffive Humility and Veneration, with a tranfcendent dnd incommunicable Worfhip and Devo^ tion.
When Holinefs Is attributed to Crea^^ tures, it fignifies either an Inherent and Ini ward, or a Relative or Outward, Holinefs.
1* Inherent or Inward Holinefs is a Con- formity of Heart and Life to the Will of God: Or, as '^ others define it, An habitual * nijkep Frame of Mind : Whereby we are fitted for wukins'i Vertuous Adions, but more efpecially for^^^S^ the Duties of Religion. Indeed, Holinefs doth always include a Reference to G o d.
2. Relative or Outward Holinefs refults from a Separation and Setting apart any thing from a prophane and common, and applying it to a. facred or religious Uk. For^ the Majefty of God, who at firft created, and continually fuftains and governs all things,) Deing fo great and inviolable, all Perfons^ Things, and Times,and Places, and Ceremo- nies, feparated and appropriated to His Ser- vice and Worfhip, are by all Nations efteem- cd Sacred, and to have a Chara^er of Holi» 9cfs iniprintcd on them^
E e 3i
4 1 8 Of the Dijfolution
B Y Holinefs, in this Place, is to be undcr-
ftoodan inherent Holincfs, which is well de-
X)e sx- fined by^ Dr. Outrain^ A Conformity of Heart
'^"/-i- 1' and Life to the Will of God. I iliall not
^' *' difcourk at large concerning a holy Conver-
fation, nor inftance Particulars wherein it
confifts. That would be to write a Body of
Pradical Divinity. I iliall, therefore, at pre-
fent, fuppofe the Reader fufficiently inftru-
fted in that. My Bufinefs ihall be to lliew
the Strength of the Apoftle's Inference.
It may be faid. How doth this DilToIutioa Concern us, who may, perchance, be dead and rotten a Thoufand Years before it comes ? ^What have we to do with it ?
I ANSWER, It concerns us, i. Becaufe, it's poflible, it may happen in our Times i it may liirprizc us before we are aware. The pre- cife Time thereof is uncertain. And it ihall be fudden and unexpected, coining as a 'Thief in the Nighty as we have before fhewn ; Therefore, we ought always to be upon our Guard, to have our Loins girt about^ and our Lights burning. This Ule the Scripture, in many Places, makes of the Uncertainty of the Time of Christ's Coming, Luke xii.. 40. Be ye therefore ready : For the Son of Man cofneth at an Hour when ye think not* Luke xxi. 34, 35. And tale heed to your^" fehes^ kjl at any time your Hearts be over- charged with Surfeiting and Drunlennefs^ and Cares of this Life, and fo that Day coine upon
yon
of the World. 4ip
)'</« unawares. For as a Snare fiall it come oji all them that dwell on the whole Earth, Parallel whereto are Matth. xxiv. 42. and Mark xiii. 3 3 , 3 5 . That it fhall come is cer- tain, when it ihall come is uncertain, and it every day draws nearer and nearer; therefore, it is not Wifdom to remove the Evil Day far from us : And as in reference to the Day of Death, it is an ufual and prudent Advice, fo to live every Day, as if it were our laft Day ; or at lead, as we would not be afraid to do lliould it be fo : Becaufe, we are fure, that one Day will be our laft, and, for ought we ^ know, the prefent may be it. So, likewife,* it is rational Counfel, in refpedt of the End of the World, fo to prepare ourfelves for it by a holy Converfation, that we may get a- bove the Terror and Dread, which will o- therwife attend the Appreheniion of the Ap- proach of it j and that we may be provided againft the Vs^orft that may follow, and be fe- cure come what can come.
Secondly^ It concerns us, ' Ihould it be a Thoufand Years to cdme. Becaufe then is the general Refurredion both of the Juft and Unjuft, A^fyKKiv, 15. and the general Judg- ment, When we inufi all appear before the dreadful Tribunal c/Ch r i st, that every one may receive the Things done in his Body^ ac- cordifig to that he hath done^ whether it be good or bad^ 2 Cor. v. ic. which, Kom, ii. 5. is called the Revelation of the righteous Judg- E e 2 ment
420 Of the Dijfohition
ment of God. Who will render to everf Man according to his Deeds ^ &c. Upon this ' Account, I fay, it concerns us much how we have our Converfation here.
L Firft^ As^ we hope to be acquitted at that Day, and to enter into thofe new Heavens, in which dwells Righteoufnefs. Holinefs is a neceffary Condition, and antecedent to Happinefsi Neceflfary, I fay,
I. By God's Appointment, H^^. xii. 14." Follow Peace with all Men^ and Holinefs^ without which no Man JJjall fee the Lord. .Rom. vi. 22. Have your Fruit unto Holinefs^ and the F.nd Eternal Life. Pfal. 50. ult. To him that ordereth his Con'verfatlon aright^ will I pew the Sahation of God* Eternal Life is the Gift of God. He is not obliged to beftow it upon any Man. He may make what Condition he pleafes for the obtaining of it. No Man hath any Right to it : No Man can lay any Claim to it, but from this Donation, and from the Performance of thefe Conditions. Rev. xxii. 14. Blejfed are they that do His Cotnmandments^ that they may ha^ve Right to the Tree of Life^ and may enter in through the Gates into the City. For without are Dogs^ and Whoremongers^ and Sorce^ rers^ &c. All the Right they have depends Upon G o d's Promife, which is Conditionate-, and accrues to them by the Perforrpance of
she
t
of the World. 421
the Condition, which is the Doing of His Commandments.
2. Necessary, not only by G o d's Ap- pointment, but in the very Nature of the Thing. Holinefs is the very Quality and Complexion of Heaven. *No Man without it is qualified to be a Subjed of that King- dom; For, thereinto nothing that is im- pure or unclean can enter. Rev. xxi. 27. And there jhall in no wife enter into it [the New Jertifalem'] any thing that defileth^ ?iei^ ther whatjoever worleth Abomination, In this new Hea'ven dwelleth Righteoufnefs^ 2 Pet. iii. 15. Therefore, i John iii. 3. Every Man that hath this Hope in Him^ purifieth himfelf as He is pure. Heaven would natu- rally fpue out and qcOi a wicked Perfon, as one heterogeneous to it. Heaven and Hell are not more diftant in Place, than they are in Nature. There is not more Antipar thy between Fire and Water, between Light and Darknefs, between Streight and Crook* ed, neither are they more incompatible, or do more naturally refift and expell one ano- ther, than Holinefs, which is the Quality of Heaven, or Wickedncfs, which is the Difpo- (ition and Temper of Hell. Some do think Heaven to be rather a State than a Place j and that he that is Partaker of the Divine Nature hath Heaven within him. This is true, but this is not all. The whole Notion of Heaven comprehends both a State and a
E e 3 Place,
422 Of the Difohition
Place. A Man muft be in a heavenly State, before the local Heaven can receive him, or lie brook it. Heaven without him would be no Heaven, to the Man who hath not Heaven within him. A wicked Perfon could find no Bufinefs or Employment in Heaven ; nothing to fatisfy his corrupt and depraved Affedions, Inclinations, and Appetit-^s. He would there meet with no fuicabi.c Compa- ny ; no Perfons, whofe Converration he could take any Delight and Complacency in, but rather hate and abhor. For^ zvhat Fellowjlnp hath Righteoiifneff zvith Unrigbteoufnep f' Or^ what Co?n??ni?uon.hcith Light with Varbiefy? 2 Cor.vi. 14. Like naturally loves Like, and unites with it, and doth refufe, rcfift, and hate that which is Unlike it. For every thing is made to love itfelf, and, coniequently, whatfoever refcmbles and comes near it, and is as it were a Replication of it , and to hate the contrary. As, therefore, we would be glad to be Partakers of the Bleffednefs of the local Heaven, fo let us endeavour to get into our Minds and Spirits the Qualities and Con- ditions of Heaven,- that fo we may be fit 5ubjed:s for that Kingdom, fit Companions for that Society. This is the Time allotted us to purify oitrfehes from all Filthinefs both of Fleflj and Spirit^ and to perfet't Hdinefs i?i the Fear of Gob. There is no Invention in the Grave, whither we are going, EccL ix. 10. Upon this Moment depends Eternity, As the
Tree
of the V/orkl 42 j
T^Yce fallf^ fo it Uei\ Ec.clef. And as Death leaves, fp will Judgment find us. ^lando ifthinc exceffwn fuerit^ nHllus jam locus focni* tentid; eft. Hie "uita ant amittitiir^ ant tenet ur : Hie faluti atema cultu Dei & . fri0u fij.ei frovidetUY, 'Cyprian. $erm. de Immortal. Af- ter we ffjall depart henes^ there rem aim no more Piace for Repenta?ice, Eternal Life is here, either loft or won. Here Provifion is made for everlafting Salvation^ by the Worffjip of G0D3 and Fruit of Faith. We mnft work while it is Da^^ the Night [of Death] cometh wherein no Man can worl^]ohn ix. 4. And, therefore, the Time our Bodies lliall reft in the Grave, Ihould it be a Thoufand Years, will little avail us : For, if the Soul be mean while awake, the certain and dreadful Expe- <5tation of the Sentence of Condemnation to an eternal Hell at the Day of Judgment, will be little lefs afflid;ive than the Torments thereof themfelvcs. I might add, by way of DigrefTion^ that Sin and Wickednefs is natu- rally productive of Hell in . the Soul. A wicked Man carries Hell in his Breaft. Sin neceffarily inferrs Mifery ; It is contrary to the Nature of the Soul j and whatfoever is fo, muft needs be grievous. Diverlion and Non-Attention to his Condition, is the wick- ed Man's only Security : I have heard it often from a "^ great Divine in his Sermons, * poaor. *That there is but a Thought's Diftance between ^^^^'^'^°^' a wicled Man and Hell. For, do but fix and E e 4 bind
424 ^r ^^^ Dijfolufwn
bind his Thoughts to the Confideration of his Life and Actions, and he will anticipate Hell himfelfj he iliall need no infernal Furies to lafli him, he will be his own Tormeptor : Such a Man's Prelfures will be heavy enough, fliould the Divine Ne?nejis fuperadd no mor4 The Reafon of this I have given in a former Difcourfe, and therefore fliall now omit what elfe might hayebeen added oq xhis Particular,
II. Secondly^ It much concerns us, upon ac*^ count of the future Judgment which Ihall be at the Diflfolution of the World^ to have our Converfation in all Holinefs, as we defire to ^void that Shame and Mifery which will then ptherwife certainly befall us.
I. As we defire to avoid that Shame which will cover our Faces at that Day, If J^ere Shame and Difgrace be more grievous and infupportable than Death icfelf, what will It be then, when the Soul fliall be ren- dred more quick, and apprehenfive, and fen- lible of fuch ImprelTions ? There is nothing ihameful but Sin, nothing elfe hath any na- tural Turpitude in it. Shame follows Sin as the Shadow doth the Body. He that will commit the one, cannot avoid the other. Therefore, fuch wicked Perfons as have no? quite renounced Modefty, and loft all Senfe of Shame, efpeciaily, if guilty of fecret Crmies, the Confideration of a future Judg« nient would be a powerful Curb to rcftrain
them
of the World. 425;
them from Sin for the future : Becaufe then God will produce and bring to light the hidden Thingi ojDarknefs^ anddifclofe and vtakerna^ nifefi the Counfeb of all Hearts^ i Cor. iv. 5; Then He will judge the Secrets of Men hyj^'i svs Christ, Ro?n,iui6, Then will He bring e'very Work into Judgment^ with e^i ^ery fecret things EccleC xii. 14. For,' would they but eonfider and ponder, what Confuiton will overwhelm them when this Ihall be done in the Face of the whole World, and before all that knew them, and they not able to make any Denial, or Excufe : This, I fay, if any thing, would be a power- ful Curb to withhold them from thofe Enor^' mities to which this Shame is appendent. It may be thou madeft a great Figure in the World for Piety and Religion, wouldft feem to be Some-body in the Eyes of Men, when thou wert falfe and unfound, didft harbour and nourilh fome Viper in thyBofom;
Introrfum turpis^ fpeciosd felle decorm:
When thy fecret Faults fiiali be expofed be- fore thy Neighbours, and Friends, and Chil- dren y And the Shame of thy Nakednefs fiall be made appsar^ Rev. iii. i8r. How wilt thou then be confounded and aftoniflied, and un- able to Hft up thy Head? What Horror will then feize thee, when thy Confufion (hall be continually before thee^ and the Shame of thy Face Jfjall cover thee ? pfal. xiiv. 15. It con- cerns
4l6 Of the Dijfolution
.cerns thee, therefore, to look about thee in time, and fearch thy Confcience to the Bot^ torn, to remove whatever grates, to caft out whatever offends, though never fo cuftomary, never fo pleaiing to Flelh and Blood : To apply thyfelf to the Merits and Satisfaftion of Christ Jesus, for the Expiation of ,what is pad -, and, for the future, to refolve and endeavour the Amendment of whatfo- ever.hath heretofore been amifs in theej and to beg the Afliftance of the Bivine Grace to flrengthen in thee every good Purpofe and Refolution of Heart, and to enable thee to bring it to Iffue and Effeft. And for thy Security, I think it good Advice, to refolve fo to behave thyfelf in thy Retire- ments, fo to live in the Secret of thy Cham- ber and Clofet, as though the Doors were thrown open upon thee, and all the Eyes of the World beheld thee j as though thou were't in the Arena of a Publick Theatre, expofed to the View of Men and Angels. I remember the ingenious Writer of Politick Difcourfes, BoccaUni^ doth often divert him- felf and his Reader, with facetious Refleai- Qns upon the Contrivance of a Window into the Breaft ; which, if I miftake not, he fa- thers upon Lipfitif. However he may deride it, I think it would be prudent Counfel to give and take, for every Chriftian, fo to live and carry it in the Secret of his Heart, as if there were a Window into his Breaft, that
every
of the World. 427
every one that pafTed by, might look in thereat, and fee all the Thoughts and imagi- nations that palled there, that found any Hn- tertainment or Acceotance with him. For though, indeed, Gowfeaychey the Hearts and Reins ^ and underftandeih our Thoughts afar ojf\^ Pfal.cxxxix. 2. Yet fuch is the Hypocrify of Mankind, that they do, for the moft part, more reverence the Eyes of Men than of Go D ; and will venture to do that in His Pre- fence, which they would be afhamed the Eyes of Man fiiould fee them doing. You will fay, Is it not better to be modeft, than to be impudent ? Is it not better to conceal, than to publiili one's Shame ? Is it not better to reverence Man, than neither God nor Man? Doth not the Scripture condemn a Whore's Fore-head ? Is it not a true Proverb, Faft Shame^ paft Gracey Was it not good Advice of a Cardinal (as I remember) Si non cafte^ tamen caute ? He that hath devoured Shame, what Bridle is there left to reftrain him from the worft of Evils ? 1 anfwer. That it feems indeed to me, that publick Sins of the fame Nature, are more heinous than fecret j and that Impudence in fmning, is an Aggravation of Sin. For open Sins dare God, and bid De- fiance to Heaven, and leave the Sinner unre- claimable, and are of more pernicious In- fluence. I do not now fpeak of the Hypocri- fy of feigning Holinefs to ferve our own Ends, which is rightly efteemed dif^lex miquitas^
buc
42.8 Of the Dijfolution .
but that of concealing and hiding vicious A<Stions, to avoid the Shame of Men. And yet, there is a great Obliquity in this too. Becaufe, even this is a flighting and underva- luing of GoD,a preferri% of Man before Him, fetting a greater Price and Efteem upon the Praife and Commendation of Men, than the Praife and Approbation of God, Johnxiu/^}. God fees the jfecreteft Anions, yea, the mod retired Thoughts, They that believe this, ind yet make bold to do in His Prefence' what the Fear of Man's Eye would reftrain them from, it is clear that they reverence Man more than God; a poor, frail, impotent Creature like themfelves, more than the moft Pure and ever BlefTed Creator. Nay, let the Temptation to any Sin be never fo ftrong, and the natural Inclination never fo vehement, if the Knowledge and Confcience of Men be a' Motive and Conlideration power- ful enough to enable us to refift and repell them, had we but as firm a Belief of the Prefence andlnfpeiftionof God, and as great a Reverence and Dread of Him, why ihould not thefe have the fame Influence and Effed: upon us ? Let us then avoid the Hypocrify of defiring to be thought better than we are, by endeavouring, to our utmoft, to be as goo J ^s we would be thought to be, and, if poffi- ble, better. So Ihall we fatisfy ourfelves that we feck the Praife of God, more than the Praife of Men,
H E R E^
of the World. 42p
H £ Rb, before I proceed, I cannot but ad^ mire theWifdomandGoodnefs of Almighty G o D5 in implanting fuch a Pallion in the Na- ture of Man, as Shame, to no other Ufe or Purpofc, that I can imagine, than to reftrain him from vicious and 4hameful Adions, A Paflion I call it, becaufe the Body, as in other Paflions, fuffers from it, and that in a pecu- liar manner ,- it caufing a fudden Motion of the Blood to the outward Parts, efpecially to the Face, which is called Blulliing, and a Dejedion of the Eyes. If you ask me what Shame is, I anfwer, It is an ungrateful and afflidive Senfe of Soul, proceeding from Dif- honour. Now Difhonour is nothing elfe but Mens ill Opinion of me, or Diflike and Condemnation of my A(^ions,fomeway de- clared and manifefted to me ,- which, why I fliould have fuch an Abhorrence of, and why it fhould be fo grievous and tormenting to me, there feems not to be a fufficient Ground and Foundation in the Nature of the Thing, fuppofing fuch as have this Opinion have nei- ther Power nor Will to hurt my Body, but only in the Ordination of God, who hath fo made our Natures, to fecure our Innocen- cy, and withhold us from the CommilTion of what is difgraceful and ignominious, as all finful Actions, and none elfe, are.
And as for fecret Sins, I think Shame may take Place there too. It was a Precept of the Fphagoreans^ IlijlvTwv 5 yA'hi:; dhx'^i^o ff^vTcv •
0/
430 Of the Dijfolution
of all Men reverence pUrfelf jfioft : Be aflia- med to do that before yourfelf, which before others you would abhorr or blulh to do y o- therwile you muft fuffer Dillionour from yourfelf^ and condemn your own Adions, which will, in all reaft)n, be more grievous and afflidive than the ill Opinion and Word of other Men. Hence, Confcience of Sin is efteemed a mod painful and tormenting riling, by the generahty of all Mankind, tho* no other Man be privy to it. . But to return from whence we digrefled, *paniei though"^ Shame and e'VerlaflingContempt fiiall, ^"•^' at the general Refurredion, be the Portion of them who perfift and die in their Sinsj yet a ferious and unfeigned Repentance, attcfted by a holy Converfation for the future, is an eftedual Means to deliver us from this Shame, whatever our forepaft Sins have been. For, they fliall not be produced againft us, they fliall not be objeded to us at that Day; they fliall be buried in eternal Silence and Oblivion, and be as tho' they had not been. And this Opinion I hold, i. More agreeable to the Scripture, w^hich in this Matter makes ufe of the Terms of liiding, and covering, and blotting out, and forgetting. FfaL xxxji. i. Bleffed if the Man whofe Tranfgrejjion is for* ghen^ and whofe Sin is covered, Ifa. xliii. 25. ly even I am H^, that blotteth out thy Trajy- greffiom^ and will not remember thy Sim, So Pfal, ii. ^■. Hide Thy Face from my Sim^ and
M. blot
of the World, 431
Iht out all m'nie Iniquities Jerem. xlviii. 34. 1 will forgive their hriqiiity^ and remember their Sin 710 more. Ezek.xxviii. 22. All hif TranfgreJJioiis that he hath committed^ they jJoallnot be mentioned imto him, Mic. vii. 19. Thou wilt caft all their Sins into the Depths of the Sea» And as it is more confonant to the Scripture, fo is it, 2. More grateful and confolatory to the Penitents. For, the meer Mentioning and Reciting of their Sins before fuch an A&mbly, muft needs refrelh their- Shame and Sorrow, and fo diminiih their Happinefs and Joy. To which I might add, that it is written, our Saviour at the laftjudg^ ment, in pronouncing the Sentence, fhall e- numerate the Good Works of the Godly to their Praife -, but not a Word faid of produ- cing their Sins. I fay, I hold this Opinion more probable upon thefe Accounts, thart theirs, who affirm they fhall then be publifhed, for the magnifying and and advancing, the de- claring and illuftrating the Mercy and Grace of God, in pardoning fo great and heinous Offences.
And truly, I do not know, but that the Sins of the Bleffed may be blotted out, even of their own Memories. Some Phiioiophers,who were of Opinion, that Souls prae-exift before their Bodies, thought they were dipt in Lethe^ which is a Fountain cauiing Oblivion, by means whereof they forgot whatever they had done before. This I look upon as a Dream,
Of
Of the Dijfolution
or Fancy : But, truly, I am inclinable fome-i times to imagine, that the Soul of Man can hardly be entirely happy, unlefs it be as it were thus dipt in Lethe: For every finful A<aion having a natural Turpitude in it, and being diHionourable, how can the Memo- ry and Thought of it but beget fuch an un- grateful Pafifion as Shame, even to Eternity ? And, what do Divines mean by faying, That the Adion [of finning] fuddenly paffesaway^ but the Stain and Blot of it remains j but that a vicious Action, even by them to whom it is pardoned, can never be thought of with- out Grief and Difturbance , it leaves an inde- lible Scar in the Soul, which can never be perfeded, healed, and obliterated. . 2. It concerns us much to live in all holy Converfation in this World, as we defire to avoid that Pain and Mifery, which we fliall otherwife moft certainly be adjudged to at that Day : That Indignation and Wrath^ Tri- bulation and Anguifi^ which God fliall render to them that do not obey the Truths but obey Unrighteaufneff^ Rom. ii. 8. That JVorm that dieth noty and that Fire that is not quenched^ Mark ix. 44. and 45, and 48. That outer Darlnefsy where is Weeping and Wailing^ and Gnafmng ofTeeth^ Matt. viii. 12, and xxii. 1 3 ^ and XXV. 30. Thn Furnace 0/ F/>'£^Matt.xiii* 42, 50. That Lake of Fire anaBrimftone^ Rev. XX. I o. or oiFire burning with Bri?nftone^ Rfu.xix. 20. Which Pkces, tho' they b*
• not
of the World. 4^5
riot literally to be expounded, yet do they import at leaft a very fad and deplorable Eftate, a high Degree of Torment and An- guiih : And all this Eternal, and without In- termiflfion, Night and Day. Thefe fioall go into everldfting PuniJJjjnent^ Matth. xxv. ^6. The State of the Damned is fuppofed to be a State of abfolute and complete Mifery, made up of the Lofs of the greateft Good, and a conftant, freih, and lively Apprehen- fion of it, which Divines call Pcena Da?nnL And, 2. Excefs of bodily Pain and Suffer-* ings, and fad Diftrefs and Trouble of Mind, occafioned by all manner of frightful Ap- prehenfions, and vexatious Perturbations and ReHeftions, which they call Pcsna Semus ; and this without any Intermiilion or Hope of Deliverance eternally. Jude vii. it is called the Vengeance of eternal Fire. Rev. xiv. 1 1. The Smoke of their Torment is faid to afcend up for e-ver and ever. And Rev, xx. i o. it is laid of the Beaft and falfe Prophet, that theyfhall be tormented Night and Day for ever and ever. If this be fo, is it not our great- eft Wifdom to ufe our utmoft Diligence and Endeavour to avoid fo deplorable a Condi- tion, and to fecure to ourfelves an Intereft in a future Eftate of everlafting Bliis and Happinefsj when this Life lliall be ended?
But here the Epicureans and fenfual Per- jfons will be ready to object and argue, Here are Pleafures and Delights in this World,
F f which
Of the Dijfolution
which are very inviting and taking, and do highly gratify my Senfes and Appetites. I hear Hkewife of future Rewards and Punifli- nients for thofe that deny or fulfill their Car- nal Lufts and Defires. Thefe fenfual Pleafures I fee and tafte, and feel, and am fure of, the other I do but only hear of, and therefore they do not, they cannot fo ftrongly affed me : Were Heaven, and the Happinefs there- of, fet before my Eyes, and did I fee it as plainly and clearly as I do thefe Things be- low, then indeed I fliould not need many Motives to provoke me to endeavour the Ob- taining of it. But, alas 1 that is far above out of our Sight, the Joys of Heaven are by the Apoftle termed Things not feen, Agair^, thefe outward and temporal Enjoyments are prefent and eafily obtainable ; the other at a great Diftance, future^ and befides, very hard to come by ; and I love my Eafe, Ut efl ingenium hominum a labore prodive ad //- hidinem. Should I deny myfelf Good in this Life, and then perchance ceafe to be, and fo have no Reward for my Pains ; nay^ on the contrary, expofe myfelf to the Ha- zard of many Afflictions and Sufferings, which are the Portion of the Godly in this. Life, how unneceffariiy fliall I make my- felf miferable ? Miferable I fay, becaufe by the Apoftle's own ConfelTion, Chriftians, if in this Life only they had Hcpe^ would beofdtl Men the moft fniferaUe^ i Gor. xv. i^. Had I
not
of the World. 43 ^
hot better make fnre of what is before me ? Why have I thefe Appetites within me, and fuch Objects about me, the one being fo fuit- able to the other, is it not more natural and reafonable to fulfill, than deny them ? Surely it cannot be Wifdom to lofe a certain Good,' for an uncertain Hope ; and for an unground- ed Fear of Hell hereafter, to undergo a Pur- gatory here.
To this Argumentation upon the falfe Foundation of the Uncertainty of a future Eftate of endlefs Happinefs or Mifery, accor- dingly as we have behaved ourfelves in this Life, I anfwer,
T H A T for the Futurity of fuch an Eftate, we have the beft Authority in the World, to wit, the Holy Scriptures, and univcrfal Tra- dition.
I . T H E Holy Scriptures, whofe Authority to be more than humane, hath been by ma- ny fo clearly and convincingly demonftrated, hat I fhall take it for granted, and not wafte Time to prove it. The Teftimonies herein contained, concerning eternal Happinefs and Mifery, are fo clear and full, that it feems to me impoffible, without manifeft Diftortion, to elude or evade the Force of them. Some we have already recited, and might produce many more, Ila. xxxiii. 14. Who among us JJ:all dwell with the devouring Fire ? Who a- mong usJJjall dwell with everlafti?ig Burnings ? pan. xii. 2. And many^ of them that Jleep in F f 2 the
9" 7^
43^ Of the Dijfolution
the Thift of the Earth Jhall awake^ fome to everlafiing Life^ and fome to Shame and ever^ lafting Contempt, 2 ThefT. i. 9. WhoJJmllbe f unified with everlafting Deflru6lion from the Prefence of the Lord, &c, fpeaking of them who know not G o d, and obey not the Gof- pel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ifai, Ixvi. 24. For their Wormfiall not die^. neither Jlmll their Fire be quenched.
The Origenifi^^ and others, that cannot be reconciled to the Catholick Dodrine of the Eternity of the PuniHiments of the Damned, make the Word ct/ wv, from which the Latin dijum is derived, to fignify fometimes a de- terminate Time, as might (fay they) eafily be proved by many Examples^ and fo dc cfMvoL^ or aii^vc/s^ which we tranflate for ever^ {ignifies, w^hen applied to this Matter, a long indeed, but yet a finite Time; and sic ths aiava^ T60V' ^/wvccv, which we render for ever and evcvy may likewife (ignify not an eter- nal Duration, but a Time to which for^a Term may be fet by God, though to usual known. In the fame Senfe they accept the Adje<^ive aic^^viog for a long, but finite Time. But I am of S.Auguftins Opinion, that ct/w- viog doth in the New Teftament fignify the fame wath dter?ius in Latin^ and is appropri- ated to Things that have no End ; and that £ic THf aic^vccg twv <x/Gofwi^, for ever and ever^ doth in like manner always denote eternal pr endlefs Duration. That iIk Word ci(b:vic;y
when
of the World. 437
when applied to the State of the Damned, <doth fignify eternal, S. Auguftin well de- mon ftrates from the Antithefis in that Place of Matth. XXV. 4<5. And thefe fiall go away into everlafling Punifljment^ but the Righteous into Life eternal. Where it is in the fame Senfe attributed tc^that Life which is the Re- ward of the Righteous, and that Fire which is the Punifhment of the Damned -, there be- ing noReafon to believe that the fame Word in the fame Verfe, when applied to Oppo- fites, lliould be taken in a different Senfe. But by the Confent of all ChriHians it is granted, that the Life of the Bleffed fhall be eternal, therefore fo mud the Punilliment of the Damned be too.
This Acception of the Word c(?wwcf for eternal ov.endleff, when it referrs to the State of thofe nvferabie Perfons, receives a farther and ftrong Confirmation from the
Second Particular we propofed, that is,' Uni'verfal T)'adition : It being a received Opi- nion among the Heathen, which muft need?? defcend down to them by Tradition from the Ancients, that Eternal Punilhments a* waited the Wicked after Death.
What more common Notion among the Grecians and Romans^ than of an Elyfium^ and Tartarus? the former to reward good Men , the latter to puniHi wicked. And thofe too efteemed to be Eternal States, Of this the Epicurean Poet Lucretius is a futfi-
F f 3 cienc
Of the Dijfolution
cient and unexceptionable Witnefs : For he makes the Fear of thefe Punifliments to be the Caufe of all the Miferies of Humane Life, and the Foundation of all Religion,
^^ternas quoniam pcenas in morte timendum^
'Ho'W^ that he could ^rive this from no other Source but Tradition, is clear j becaufe he lived a good while before our Saviour's Time, and the Divulgation of the Scripture among the Heathen. And becaufe it may be objedied, that Mternas may fignify only of long Continuance, to put the Matter out of all Doubt, in another Place he faith,
«- Natn fi nullum finem ejje putarent
'jEru?nnaru?n homines^ nulla ratione 'valerent Kelligionibus atque minis obfiftere ^vatwn.
And that this Opinion and Belief gene- rally prevailed among the People before £/)/- curus his Time, the (amc Lucretius teftifies in the Beginning of his firft Book,
Jlumana ante oculos fccde cum 'vita jaceret In terrif opprejja gra^vi [ub Relligione^ &c. Frimiijn Graius homo^ &c.
hong time Men lay opprefs'd with Jlavifi Fear^
Religion's Tyranny did domineer^
Which being placed in Hea'v'n^ looFd proudly
down^ 4^4 frig,bted abject Spirits ({t her Frown.
At
of the World. 43^
^At lafl a mighty One cf Greece began T^'affert the Natural Liberty of Man^ By fe?ijlefy Terror;^ and 'vain Fancy led ^0 Slavery ; ftr eight the coitqi-ierd Fantmsfled:
for he makes (as we faw before) the Fear of eternal Pain and Mifery, to be the Founda- tion of all Religion.
I. Now, becaufe thefe Objedors do repre- fent Religion to themfelves and others as a melancholick and difconfolate Things and fhink and fay, that thofe that enter into this State, muft bid adieu to all the Pleafures of Senfe, and tafte-no Sweetnefs in any worldly Obje(i ; I fhall endeavour to remove this Prejudice. I fay therefore. That our graci- ous God doth not envy us any real Good that the Creatures can afford us, and there- fore hath not denied us a moderate Ufe and Fruition of any of them* And feeing He hath annexed Pieafure to thofe Adions that are neceffary for the Support of Life, and Conti- nuation of Kind, as a Bait to invite us to the Performance of them, it feems to me highly abfurd and contradictious to affirm, that He hath forbidden us to partake or tafte thofe Enjoyments which Himfelf has appointed as effectual Means for the Security of thofe great Ends,- and which are fo neceffary Confe- quents of thofe A<ftions, that we cannot but partake them. Where the Appetite is eager, Gop hath indulge dg I might fay, commanded
F f ^ a mo«-
440 Of the Dijfolution
a moderate and regular Satisfaction. And wc know, nay, the Blindnefs of Atheifm cannot deny, that the greateft Pleafure refults from a moderate and well circumftantiated Ufe of Pleafures. Voluftates commendat rarior ufuf. Now a religious Man enjoys all the Pleafures of thefe worldly and fenfible Goods, without any of the Pain which is annexed to the ex- ceffive and irregular Ufe, or indeed Abufe of them t And befides, his Pleafure is enhanced, in that he beholds and receives them as Blef-. fings of God, and Tokens of His Favour and Affedion, and is without all Fear of a future fad Reckoning for his Participation of them, Howbeit a Denial of ourfelves for G o ds Sake and Caufe, in any thing which we might otherwife lawfully enjoy, though it be not commanded, yet is accepted, and fliall be rewarded by Him.
Others there are who grant. That thefe Words grammatically fignify as we contend, and that eternal Punilhments are indeed threatned to the Wicked ^ but fay they, thefe Threatnings are intended only as Terricula- menta^ or Bug-bears to Children, to terrify find keep People in Awe, and to preferve the World in fome tolerable Condition of Quietncfs, And Origen himfelf, tho' he be of Opinion, that thefe Threatnings fignify only temporary Pains; yet he faith, that fuch Myfteries are to be fealed up and concealed from the Vulgar, left wicked Men fhould
ruin
of the World. 441
rufli into Sin with all Fury and Licentiouf- neis, if this Bridle were taken off, who by the Opinion and Fear of eternal and tndlds Pu- nilliments can fcaree be deterred and re- trained from it.
T o this I anfwer, i . That it feems to me indecorous and unfuitable to the Perfon and Majeftyof G0D5 to make ufe of fuch forry and weak Means to bring about his Ends, as grave Men can hardly condefcend to. 2. I do not fee how it can confift with his Veraci- ty, in plain Terms abfolutely to threaten and affirm what he never intends to do.
In D E E D it is queftionable. Whether it be allowable in Man ^ it being at beft but an officious Lye ,• for it is a fpeaking what we do not think, and that with an Intention to deceive.
Secondly, I proceed now to a fecondOb-^ je6tion againft the Eternity of the Pains and Sufferings of the Damned, and that is^ its In- eonfiftency with the Juftice of God. What Proportion can there be between a tranfienc and temporary Ad, and an eternal Punifh- ment? The moft rigid Juftice can exad no more than a Talio^ to fu&r as I have done.
*'E;x.f TTiiMi Toc K e^e^s ^Uvi ^' l^sTcn ysvolro.
If I have hurt, or grieved, or injured any lylan, to be punifhed with the fmie, or an equivalent Suffering : If I have taken any
unrea-
442^ Of the Dijfolution
unreafonable Pleafure, to compenfate it with an anfwcrable Pain. Indeed, the Enormities of my Life cannot well deferve fo much, if it be confidcred, that I have been ftrongly in- fligated and inclined, and as it were fatally driven upon all the Evils which 1 have com- mitted, by thofe Affedions and Appetites, which I made not for myfelf, but found in myfelf i and have been expofed to ftrong and almoft inexpugnable Temptations from without -y befet with Snares, encompaffed a-« bout with innumerable Evils.
To this I anfwer, Firft, that every Sin, In- jury, or Offence, is aggravated and enhanced by the Dignity or Merit of the Perfon againft -whom it is committed. So Parricide is e- fteemed a greater Crime than ordinary Mur- der, and by the Laws of all Nations aven- ged with a forer Punilliment. The like may be faid of L^sfa Majeftas^ or Treafon. Now God is an infinite Perfon, and Sin being an Injury and Affront to Him, as being a Viola- tion of His Law, an infinite Punilhment mufl be due to it.
This Anfwer Dr. Hammond in his Pra^fi- cat Catechifffij lib. 5. fe6t.4. accounts a Nice- ty, and Unfatisfadory, as alfo that other com- mon Anfwer, That if we fhould live infi- nitely, we would fin infinitely ; and there- fore gives us another, which in his Difcourfe of the Reafonablenefs of Chriftian Religion, he thus briefly fums up.
' ' 2. That
of the World. 4^^^
2. T'hat the Choice being referred to m to take of the two which we heft lih^ eternal Death fet before us on the one hand, to ?nake eternal Life the more infinjtely reafonable for us to choofe on the other hand, and the eternal Hell (whenfoever we fall i?tto it) being per-- fetty our own A6f, neither forced on uf by any abfolute Decree of God, nor irrefiftible Tem^ ptation of the De-vil or our own Flefi ; but as truly our Wijlo and Choice, and mad Furchafe^ 7iay, much more truly and properly, than eter- nal Heaven is, (when our Obedience is firji Wrought by Gods Grace, and yet after that fo abundantly rewarded by the Doner) it is cer* tain, if there be any thing irrational, it is in us unkind and po-^erfe Creatures (fo obflinate to choofe what God fb pajfionately warns us to take heed of ^ fo wilfully to die, when God fwcars He wills not our Death) and not in Him, who hath done all that is imaginable to be done to reafonable Creatures (here in their Way or Courfe) to the Refcuing or Sa-ving of us.
But to this may be replied, If the Thing itfelf be unjuft, how can our Choofing of it make it juft? Now, that it is unjuft, ap- pears, in that there is no Proportion between the Offence and the Penalty, that is, between a fhort and tranfient AcT:, and an eternal Punilhment.
To which I anfwer, That God deals with us as with intelligent Creatures, and
hat
444 Of the Dijfolution
that have Liberty of Will ; and fo are to be led by Motives to choofe that vv^hich is good, and refufe that which is evil : And there- fore, though there fliould be no Proportion between them, (as in the firft Anfwer we have fliewn there is) yet the Annexing fuch a Punifliment to the Violation of His Laws may be juft, becaufe a leffer would not be a fufficient Motive to determine our Choice, and fecure Obedience to them. As we fee Lawgivers, in the Sandion of their Laws, are not (o folicitous to make the Penalty com- menfurate to the Offence in Point of Dura- tion, as that it be fufficient to enforce Obe- dience to the Law; not thinking it unjuft to annex a Punifliment much longer than the Offence, if a leffer will not ferve to fecure Obedience. So feveral other Crimes befides Murder are puniflied with Death, which is a kind of eternal Punifliment, there being no Return to Life again : And thofe Laws only are unjuft upon account of difproportionate Punifliments, where leffer would ferve the Turn.
Now, that leffer than eternal Punifliments would not fuffice to enforce Obedience to God's Commandments, is clear in Expe- rience: And Origen himfelf, the firft Broacher of the Opinion of the Determination of the Damneds Punifliments, could not but con- fefs it, in that he faith, It is to be held as a ^reat Secret, and carefully concealed from
the
of the World. '44^
the Knowledge of the Common People, who, if you take off this Bridle, would be apt to ruJh into Sin, as a Horfe rulheth into the Battle. Indeed Eternity is the very Sting of Hell. Bate him but that, and the Sinner will not think it very terrible or infupporta- ble. But the Thought of an eternal Hell intervening, (and it will often intrude it- felf ) ftrikes a cold Damp to his very Heart, in the midft of all his Jollities, and will much quahfy and allay all his Pleafures and Enjoyments. Rid him of this Fear, and he will be apt to defpife Hell and all his Tor- ments, be they never fo grievous or lading. He will be ready thereupon thus to argue with himfelf : What need I take fo much Pains to drive againft Sin? What need I fwim againft the Stream, ftem the Tide of my Pallions, my natural Appetites and In- clinations, and rehft the Importunities of Company ? What need I keep fuch a con- ftant Watch and Ward againft my fpiritual Enemies the Devil, the World, and the Fleih ? If I fall into Hell at laft, that's no eternal State, it lafteth but for a time, and will come to an End. Til venture it, I hope I fhall make a Shift to rub through as well as others.
This, therefore, I think is the moft folid and fatisfad:ory Anfwer to that grand Ob- jection againft the Juftice of God in pu- luihing a fliort and temporary Offence with
eternal
Of the Dijfolution
eternal Pains and Sufferings, becaufe lefTer are not fufficient to enforce Obedience to His Laws.
If any Man be diffatisfied with the prece- dent Anfwers, all that I have to add farther, is, that before this Sentence adjudging to eternal Death be pronounced againft him, and executed upon him, there Ihall be fuch a Re- velation made, as ihall convince and fatisfy him of the Rightcoufnefs thereof. And this the Apoftle feems to intimate, Ro7n, ii. 5. when he calls the Great Day of Doom, the Day of the Revelation of the righteous Judg- ment of God. Then lliall be made appear what now to our dim-lighted Reafon is not penetrable ; how the Juftice of G o d can confift with the eternal Damnation of the Wicked.
A s for Man's being as it were fatally de- termined to Evil by the Strength of Tempta- tion, and the Violence of unruly and head- ftrong Pallions and Appetites : I anfwer. That there are Motives and Confiderations fufficient to enable a Man to refift and repell, to conquer and overcome the moft alluring and' fafcinating Temptations, the moft urg- ing and importunate Appetites or Affe- c^tions ; fuch are, certain Shame and Difgrace, and chat not long to come, eternal Infamy and Dilhonour j prefent Death, ftrong Fear and Dread of approaching Death , or iad and intolerable Pains or Calamities, Now
the
of the World. 447
the Divine Threatnings are of the greatefl: and moft formidable Evils and Miferics that humane Nature is capable of fuffering ; and therefore were they but firmly believed and apprehended, they would be of Force fuffi- cient to ftir up in us fuch ftrong Paffions of Fear and Terror, as would eafily chafe away all Temptations, and embitter all the Baits of fenfual Pleafure.
3. There remains yet a third Objedion againft an eternal Hell, and that is^ that it is inconfiftent with the Divine Goodnefs. For the Unbeliever will fay. It's contrary to all the Notions and Ideas I have of God, to conceive Him to be fo angry and furious a Being, How can it ftand with Infinite Goodnefs, to make a Creature that he fore-knew would be eternally miferable? We Men account it a Piece of Goodnefs to pardon Offences : And all Punifhments are intended either for the Reformation and Amendment of the Offen- der, or, iFhe be unreclaimable, to prevent the Mifchief which he might otherwife do, or for an Example to others to deterr them from the like Enormities ; but I do not fee for what fuch End any Man can be eternally tor- mented. So that of fuch Inflidions one may rationally demand, Cui bono? What Good comes of them ? How then can they come from God, who by all Mens Conf elfion is infinitely. Good i*
To
448 Of the Dijfolution
To which I anfwer : Firfl^ That God Is juft as well as good. You will fay, What is Juftice ? It is an equal Weighing of Adions, and Rendring to every one his Right or Due: A Setting ftreight again what was perverted by the Sins and Extravagancies of Men. Now, that the Breaking of Order and Equa- lity in thcWorldjthis Ufurping and Encroach- ing, upon others Rights, is a great Evil, and ought to be redified , fome may take an Ar- gument from the ftrong Inclination and De- lire to revenge Injuries, that is implanted in the Nature of Man, and of all Creatures. You'll fay, all Defire of Revenge is abfolute-^ ly (inful and unlawful. I anfwer, I am no Patron of Revenge. I know, the very Hea^ then^ by the Light of Nature, condemned it.
Infirmi eft anmi exiguique 'voluptas^
Ultio
Revenge is the Pleafure of a poor and weal Spirit. Yet, let us hear what they have to fay. I. It is hard to affirm, that any innate Appetite or Defire is in itfelf (imply and ab- folutely, and in all Circumftances whatfo- ever, unlawful ; for this feems to refled upon the Author of Nature.
T o which may be anfwered, that a well circumftantiated Defire of Revenge may not be in itfelf unlawful, yet for the evil Con- fequents of it, it may be, and is prohibited by a pofitive Law. 2. Divine Perfons have
prayed
of the World. 44^
prayed to God to avenge them, as D^iJ/iand the Prophets. And S. ?aul himfelf, 2 TV///. iv. 1 4. prays G o d to reward, Alexander the Copperf?nith according to his Works, To which may be anfwered. That thofe Expref- fions are rather Predi(5tions of what fliould befall their Enemies, than Defires that they might. Again, whereas it is faid. Rev. vi. 9,10. T^hat the Souls of thein^ under the Altar^ that were Jlain for the Word of Go d^ and the Tefiimony which they held^ cried with a loud Voice^ faying^ How long^ 0 Lord, Holy and True^ doft 'Thou not judge and avenge our Blood on them that dwell on the Earth ? Dr. Hammond faith. It (ignifies no more, than that their Blood cries to God for Vengeance, as Abel's is faid to do. 3 . The Nature of Forgivenefs feems to imply the Lawfulnefs of fome Delire of Revenge. For what is Forgivenefs, but a Parting with, and a Re- nouncing the Right I have to be Avenged ; and, therefore, before I Forgive, I do retain at leaft fome Will to be Revenged. And, I am not obliged by our Saviour, to For- give abfolutely, but upon Condition of Re- pentance. Luke xvii. 3,4. // thy Brother fin againfi thee^ rebuke him; and if he re- pent J forgive him^ &c. And in the Lor d's Prayer, one Petition is. Forgive us our Tref-^ fajfes^ as we forgive them that trefpafs againjl us. But God forgives not without Repen- tance. To which may be anfwered. That
G g ' before
Of the Dijfolution
before his Repentance, I may retain a Will of having an Offender punilhed by the Magi- ftrate, or by G o d, for his own Good and Reformation, but with no refped of avenge- ing what is paft. And if his Repentance prevents his Punilliment, then I am to for- give him, that is, ceaie to defire his Punifli- nient. But all allow Vengeance to be juft in G o D, whofe Adions are not to be fcan- ned by our Meafures. He h^th not permit- ted Vengeance to us, but hath referved it to Himfelf. Vengeance is Mine^ (faith the Lord) and I will repay. . 2. If it be juft with God to propofe to us fuch a Choice as Heaven, upon Condition of our Obedience to His Law, or Hell in cafe of Difobedience, as, we fee, fome wife Men make no Scruple to grant ; then it cannot be Injuftice in Him to infli(^ the Punifliments of Hell upon them that make it their Choice. Nay, I cannot fee how it can confift with His Veracity not to do it ; Why then fhould any Argument from His Goodnefs move us to diftruft His Veracity ? as I have before intimated. It may aifo be anfwered to the Demand, Cui bono 1 That thefe eternal Pu- nifliments were threatned for a very great Good, '-oiz, to fecure Obedience to the Di- vine Laws, and to reftrain Men from lin»
nnig.
I T may be objeded againft the Goodnefs of G o Dj and His Fhilanthropy^ or Love to
Man-
of the World. 4^1
Mankind, How can it confift therewitf»; to permit Sin to enter into the World ? Why did He not prevent it, and make it impof- fible it'lhould enter, lince He hath Wifdoin enough, and Power enough, to prevent it > that I may ufe Dr. Whiehcofs Words, [Ser- mom^ Vol. II. Serm, V.]
T o which I anfwer ,• Why might not God make a Creature, endued with a Faculty of Underftanding, to difcern that which is Good,' and Freedom of Will to make Choice of it, and under no Neceflity of Sinning ? If He may, and hath made fuch an one, it doth neceffariiy follow, unlefs He fruftrates His own Workmanlliip, that He muft fuffer it to a6i: according to its own Will. Indeed, without this Freedom of Choice, there can be no fuch thing as Vertue or Vicq. For, how can that be a vertuous Adion to whioh the Agent is as neceffariiy determined, as z Stone to fall downward.
But farther to vindicate the Honour of our Maker, (^ faith the forementioned Dn Whichcot ) and to put all out of Doubt, all thofe things confidered which are the Pro- vilion of G o d, Man is more fufficient to His Effe(5t, and the Purpofes of His Creation, than any other Creature whatfoever. For as that to which a Man is called and required, is of a higher Nature than that of any other Creature below him ; fo alfo are his Prin- ciples higher and nobler ; and there is over
G g 2 and
45*^ Of the Diffolution
and above thefe, the Afliftance of Grace,' which is (upernatural, and more than is due to him. This is fuch an Afliftance as is able to raife a Man to that which is fupernatural, and to fit him for the State of Glory. You fee, inferiour Nature is fufficient to its End, and hath not failed, and we are confident that it will not fail. Now, why a Man that is inverted with nobler Principles Ihould not ad at a higher rate, according to thofe Prin- ciples and Endowments, is a thing not to be anfwered. But to return from whence I have digrefled.
I A M as unwilling as any Man to limit the Mercies of God, becaufe I have as much need of them as any Man : Yet I muft re- ferr it to Him, whether He will be more favourable than He hath threatned, or no, whether He will remit fomething of the Se- verity of His Comminations. I am alfo wil- ling to reftrain and confine the Senfe of thefe Words, cc/wvff, and cumEQ 0Li(}iV(*^v^ ias far as the Context will permit. But let our Opi- nions and Hopes of the Mercies of God, and temporary Hell, be what they will j a tem- porary Hell, I fay, or rather a Purgatory^ in-* (lead of Hell : For the Word Hell^ accor- ding to the ufual Acception of it, includes Eternity*
I SHALL add farther. That fince God hath threatned eternal Punifiimcnts, and it is no Injuftice in Him to infli(^.them upon
the
of the World. 4^3
the Breakers of His Laws i and, fince we can fcarce reconcile it with His Veracity not to do fo, it is our wifeft and fafeft Courfe to believe them. For, though He fhould not intend to execute the Severity of them up- on us, as we riiay groundlefly imagine ; yet it is clear, that He would have them be be- lieved by us, elfe they cannot have that End and EffeiSt He defigned them to : And, there- fore, it muft be Unbelief and. Prefumption in us to deny or diftruft them, tho' upon Suppofition, that they are irreconcilable with His Goodnefs ^ with which, yet, perhaps, they may accord well enough, tho' we can- not at prefent difcern it. All Divine Reve- lations are to be believed and accepted by us, as well Threatnings as Promifes ,• and, if we may diftruft the Veracity of God in Them, I know not but we may as well do it m Thefe : If we deny the Eternity of the Tor- ments of Hell, I do not fee but that we may, upon as good grounds, with Origen^ deny the Eternity of the Joys of Heaven.
Let not then the Prefumption of a tem- porary Hell encourage thee to go on in Sin 5 For, how if thou Ihouldft find thyfelf mi- flaken ? If the Event fruftrate thy Hopes, and fall out contrary to thy Expectation, as it is moft likely it will. What a fad Cafe wilt thou be in then ? How wall the Uncx- pc^ednefs thereof double thy Mifery c^ /;//-
. t po-vifa
Of the Dijfolution
pYOvlfa gravius feriunt. How wilt thou be ftricken, as it were, witli a Thunderbolt^ when the Almighty Judge fliall fulminate againft thee a dreadful indeed, but by thee formerly undreaded. Sentence, adjudging thee to endlefs Puniihments ? How wilt thou damn thine own Credulity, who by a groundlcfs Belief of a temporary Hell, haft precipitated thyfelf into an eternal, which (Dtherwife thou mighteft poiTibly have avoi- ded ?
Well, but fuppofe there be fome Sha- dow of Hope of the Determination of the Puniihments of the Damned ,• it is by all acknowledged to be a great Piece of Folly, to leave Matters of the higheft Moment, and which moft nearly concern us, at Uncer- tainties ; and a Point of Wiidom, to fecure the Main Chance, and to be provided againft the worft that can come. An eternal Hea- ven, or State of complete Happinefs, is the Main Chance, and is not to come into any Competition, or fo much as to be put in- to the Balance againft- a few fhort, tranlient, fordid, loathed, and, for the moft part, up- on their own account, repented Pleafures : To fecure to ourfelves an Intereft in fuch a State, is our greateft Wifdom. And as for being provided againft the worft that may or can come ,♦ What can be worfe thani an eternal Hell ? Which there is, I do not
fay
of the World. 4^^
fay a PoOfibility, but the greatcft Probability- imaginable, that it will be our Portion, if- we perfift in Impenitency, and die in our Sins. But fuppofe the beft iliould happen that we can hope or conceive, that Hell fhould laft only eJq cl'1(^vclq (x/ojvgov, for Ages of Agsf, .and at laft determine : Do we think this a fmall Matter ? If we do, it is for Want of Confideration and Experience of Acute Pains. Should any of us be .under the Senfe and Suffering of a raging Paro- ; xyfm of the Stone, or Gout, or Colick, I doubt not but rather than endure it for Ten thoufand Years, he would willingly part with all his Expectation of a Bleiied Eftate after that Term were expired, yea, and his Being to boot. But, what are any of thefe Pains to the Torments and Perpef- fions of Hell ? or, the Duration of Ten thoufand Years to thofe Ages of Ages ? If thou makeft light of all this, and nothing can reftrain thee from Sin, but the Eternity of Punifliment, thou art bound to thank God, who hath ufed this only eflxdiual Means, threatning an eternal Hell, A.nd it ill becomes thee to complain of His Ri- gour and Severity, who wouldft have made fo pernicious an Ufe of His Lenity and Goodnefs. But thou who haft entertained fuch an Opinion, and abufcd it, to encou- rage thyfelf to go on in thy Sins, though
others
Of the Dijfolution.
others fiiould efcape with a temporary Pu- niflimentj furely thou haft no Reafon to ex- ped any milder Doom than to be fentenced to an eternal.
FINIS.
ADVERTISEMENT,
PHyftco-Ttheohgy : Or, a Demonftration of the Being an*! Attributes of God, from His Works of Creation. Be- ing the Subftanee of Sixteen Sermons, preached in S.Mary ie Bovo, London, at the Honourable Mr. Boyle's Leftures, in the Year 171 1 and 1712. With large Notes, and many curious Obfervations. Never before Publiflied. By ^*^. Verbm, Reftor of Vpminfter in Ejfex, and F. R. S. Printed kit IV^JmySf at the Prinesi jitm in S. Paufi Chuj^cB^rd.
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