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The Library of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine
MEDICAL SOCIETY OF
LONDON
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Accession Number
Press Mark
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VI
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Supplement and Continuation
-i <✓> OF ..
,( r r^PE SSAY towards a *'
Natural History
O F T H E
E ART H.
Written originaly in Latin
By JOHN WOODWARD, M. D. Pro-
feflbr of Phyfick in Grefiam College, Fellow of the College ofThyfiuam, and of the Royal Society •.
And now firft Trandated
By Benj.Holloway^ LL.B.and F.R.S.
To which is prefixed
Aa Introduction, by the Tranflator,
Wherein are fet forth
Physical Proofs of the Existence of God, his a&ual inceflfant Concurrence to the Support of the Universe, and of all Organical !Bodyes% Vegetablesy and Animals , particularly Man 5 with Several other Papers, tran- fcribed out of Dr. JVO 0 2) WARtD's Larger Work, and never before printed.
L O jD O N :
Printed and Sold by Tho. Edlin, at the IPfiWtfV Arms , over-againft Exeter- Exchange > in the Strand. M.DCC.XXVI.
index
Of the Difcourfes* tranfcribed out of Dr. Woodward's larger Work * and now firft printed* in this Introduction,
H E Art and Contri¬ vance difcernible in the prefent Earthy and the Evidences , in Nature 3 of its being new-made * and different from the former 3 or primitive Earthy give un deny able ! Proofs of the Exiftence of God \ of his Interpofition in the Affaire of Nature , and the Government of the World . p. 9
A % Whe
INDEX.
T he affinal inceffant Concurrence of the Divine Tower to the Tro- duTion of Gravity. T his the main Injirument whereby all Na¬ ture is regulated and governed.
p. 12
The affinal inceffant Concurrence of the fame Tower to the Troduffiion and Support of all Organical To¬ dy es, Vegetables 3 and Animals , particularly Man. p. 18
Infiances fierveing to explain the Reafons of the Divine Trocedure in the Government of both the Mo¬ ral and the Natural World p. 3 1
That the Mofaic Account of the Deluge is authentic, true, and attefted by Nature.
The Tarticulars of that Ac cotint, not from Chance , or Fancy, p. 3 9
Nor from Tradition or Records:
p. 41
Nor from Obfervations of Nature
p. 42
Tut from R evelation p. 4 j
The fame further evinced from the Mofaic Account of the Abyfs , and
of
INDEX.
of the immenfe Quantity of Water fent thence at the Deluge. p. 46
Of the Curfe denounced upon the Earth, on Account of the Fall of Adam. p. 50
Occaflonalyofthe Origin of the Rain- low : and its being appointed for a Memorial of the Covenant made with Noah. p. 5 1
Thorns and Thiftlet fervedy in feme Degree , to put the Curfe on the Earth in Execution. P-5 2
IhijUes particularly confide f d. p. 54 Of Thorns. , p- 61
"Plain Marks of a Curfe on the whole Vegetable World. p. 64
The Mofaic Pofition, that the Life of Animals is wholey in
the Blood, proved. p. 67
Of the co nfiituent Tarts of the "Blood , and the Trinciples of Animal Life, ibid.
Terturbations of the Animal Lifey
and 0 Economy. P* 7°
2 Occa-
INDEX.
Occafionaly of the Nerves. p. 71
Infiances of Life remaining in the 'Parts when feparated from the Body. P-72
Of the DoUrine of Animal Spirits.
p.'P4
Occafionaly of the Cartefian Materia fubtilis. p. 29
Some Degree of Motion of the Blood continuing for a jhort Time in Parts cut off from the Body.
p. IOO
Extract of 3 Difcourfes not yet , printed, v'vg. '
1. Notes on the Mofaic Hi (lory ' of the Creation , fet forth Genefis 1 .
i : p. 104
2. Of the Origin of the Americans,
Negroes, and Indians. p. 1 05
3 . Of the Wifdom of the ^Egyptians.
P- I07,
INDEX
INDEX.
INDEX of the Heads of the Four Letters.
I. Of the Alterations of the Ba¬
rometer, and the Rife and Fall of the Mercury in it, on the Alterations that happen in the Confticution of the At- mofphsere and Change ofWea- ther. p. 109
II. The Propolition, relating to the Prelfure of the Atmo- fphxres being diminilhed, and by that means the Mercury in the Barometer made to fall, by the Afcent of Steams and Vapours out of the Earth and Abyfs, briefly fta ted. p. 120
III. Of the (Economy of the great Deep, or Abyfs, in the Bowels of the Earth : and the
A 4 continual
INDEX.
continual Intercourfe betwixt this and the Atmofphsere.
p. 122
Proofs of the Difpatches of a great Diverfity tf Principles out of the Abyfs. i. From Phenomena ob~ fere able in Mines , and Places at great Depth in the Earth. Ibid.
i. From Phenomena obfermble in great and high Mountains, p. 126
3. From Phenomena obf ere able in
the Sea , in great Lakes, in Springs and Wells. p. 1 2 8
4. From Phenomena obfervable in
Animals. p. 1 3 1
5. From Phenomena obfermble in
Podges inanimate ; particularly the Barometer, and the Hygrome¬ ter. p. 1 3 3
6. From the different Tenor of the ■
Light , and various Complexion of the Atmoj phare. p. 134
The Light of the fame Day ordina- ryly of different Tenor. p. 135
Various Phenomena that attended the Eclipfe of the Sun, April the 22^,1715. p. i37
The
INDEX.
The Light of the different Seafcns confidered. That of Autumn com¬ pared with that of Winter, p. 1 3 8 Occaftonaly of the Tenor of the Light during Frofi. Ibid.
Of the Light during the Heat of Summer . That Heat leffened , then y * ly the great Afcent of Vapours .
. P- 139
2 he Light of Autumn obfcured ly Fogs, and Vapours . Thtfe fent
tip bythefubterranean Heat. p. 14 1 Fain why in greater Quantity in Summer than in Winter. p. 142 Ihe Reciprocations, betwixt the Heat of the Sun, and that of the Abyfs, not unknown to the Antients.
Ibid.
Floe Heat of the fame Seafon, in con- con fant : tf fever al Places in the fame Latitude, very various: of different Seafons, equal: of vari¬ ous Latitudes alike . FheReafon of this. p. 142
Fhe Certainty of this DcUrine, of the Caufes of thefe Phenomena, and the fo univerfal Agency of the Abyfs, farther afferted, by bring - of it to ft ill more Tejls. p. 143
The
INDEX.
Vhe Hi [patches , of the fubterraneau Heat , to the Atmof phare-, contin¬ gent^ arbitrary , and varying . Hence the Variations at the Sur¬ face of the Earthy and in the At- mofphare. p. 149
Of the prime Spring., Mover , and Agent , in all thefe Operations .
P* 1 5 1
IV. Of the Dilfolution, and De- ftru&ion of the Earth, at the Deluge. p. 1 ?4.
Why the Shells, and other like extraneous Bodyes, were not diffolved, as well as the Stones, and all native Foifils. Ibid.
One grand Impediment of the Pro- grefs of Knowledge in the World
Ibid.
The Error of imagining the Earth liable to be diffolved by Water , or by any Menjlruum p. 1 5 5
Eojfils , and all t err eft rial Podyes, diffolved at the Deluge ; but nei¬ ther Vegetable nor Animal ‘Bo- dyes p. 157
Of
INDEX.
Of the Texture of the Tarts of Ve¬ getable and Animal Todyes. The Cohefion of thefe owing wholey to the Complication of the Fibres of which they all are intirely compo¬ sed. p. i 59
Of the Solidity and Cohefion of the Tarts of FoJJils. This caufed wholey by the Tower of Gravity.
p. 160
Gravity ceafing , or the Tower of it being r emitted , there muji happen, in Confequence, a TJeftruUion of the Earth , a total Cejfation of the Solidity o f Foffds , and a ‘Viffolu- tion of them all. Tut this would noway off eU the Vegetable or Ani¬ mal Todyes : or, in the leaft, difiurb the Complication of their Fibres. p. 162
That the TDeflruUion of the Earth was univerfal : and that all na¬ tive Foffds whatever were dijfol- ved, and reduced to their prima¬ ry confiituent Trinciples. p. 1 66
THE
The Tranflator’s
INTRODUCTION^
<
CONTAINING
fAn Account of this , and of fome of the other Works of the Author •
S the Effay towards a Nat. Rijh of the Earth was written in Englifh , and fome Objections to it were afterwards publiilfd in that Language, I thought it would be of Service that the Difcourfe I have here tranflated fhould be fet forth in the fame; partly as it contains an An¬ swer to them all : and partly as it illuftrates and fupplys us with the Main of what was omitted in that Effay. ’Twas indeed to have been wifti’d that that Undertaking, which is of fo great Moment, and in which the Author has been at fo much Pains, Expenfe, and Study, might be per-*
a feCted3
* '
The Tranflator s Introduction.
feCted, and the greater Work itfelf fet forth compleat ; but this Age hath not fhewn itfelf fo favourable to Science as to give Hopes that it would fup- port a Work of the great Charge that this, even in one Article, of Graveing all the many Things treated of, would be.
The Difcourfe before me was writ¬ ten on Oceafion of fome Objections made again!! the Efflay by Dr. ea¬ rner arius^ a Publick Profeflor abroad, and a Man of great Learning and Accomplifhment. Dr. Woodward did not think fit to take Notice of the unworthy Oppoiition made to that Work by fome few invidious Men here at Home. Indeed there was the lefs need of that, fince they were fo effectually anfwer’d, and their At¬ tempts repuls’d, by Dr. Harris , * and fome other learned Men : but. Dr. Camerarius fhewing himfelf an in¬ telligent and generous Adverfary, Dr. Woodward thought fit to return
him
* Remarks on fome late ^Papers, relateing to the Univerfal Tteluge : and to the Natural ' Hiftory of the Earth. 8 vo. Lend. 1697.
The Lranjlators IntroduUion.
him an Anfwer. This he wrote in Latin i Dr. Camerarius having fee forth his in that Language. What made me the more forward to tran- flate it was the Manner in which Was wrote, which indeed I think fuch as may ferve for a Pattern to all thofe who fhall enter into Con- troverfy hereafter. In this Method I am fure the World would have more Fruit, and greater Advantage, from fuch Ingagements, than hitherto it hath been wont to have. Dr. Wood - ward hath every where treated his Adverfary perfonaily with Honour ; and anfwer’d all his Objections by laying actual Obfervations before him, and fhewing him that the FaCt was every where different from what he imagined. In this Way, the World is not amus’d with Artifice, and Sub- tiltyes i or, which is worfe, offended with ■ Rudenefs and ill-Manners, Things indeed too frequent in Con- troverfy ; but further Light every where given to thefe Studies, and Solid Information in all the molt Im¬ portant Parts of them. With which Dr. Camerarius , tho’ he fet forth at fir ft, as with a good deal of Skill
a a and
4
The Tranflator $ IntroduUion*
and Art, fo with a Warmth and Ea- gernefs of Opposition, and Prefumpti- on of Triumphs very great and un¬ common, was fo far Satisfy’d that he Acquiefced in this Anfwer : and kigenuoufly declar’d to the Publick * that he gave up the Controverfy.
As what the Author of the EJJdy and this Defenfe has wrote is evi¬ dently compos’d for the beft Judges.* ’tis, as the reft of his Works, every where fo brief and concife that many Propofitions, fome of the higheft Mo¬ ment, are made out, frequently, in a very narrow Compafs : and all fet in a Light fo ftrong and clear, that this Brevity will caufe no Difficulty to any Reader who wants not Ap¬ plication, Candour, or a right Mind.
Whoever fhall duely eonfider the Original, will foon fee ’tis no eafy Talk to come up to it in any other Language. I my felf was fo fenfible of this, that, of the beft j udges that I know, I thought fit to take in the Affiftance of one or two, thorow the whole Work. Tho’, with all this, the moft I can pretend to is that I have deli¬ ver’d
*E£hemerid. Nat. Cur? of. Cent. 5, Jlj>pend. 2 69.
The Tran/I Mors Introduction,
ver’d the Author’s Senfe. If I come up to that, ’tis the utmoft I can hope for.
They who are well- Wilbers to the Promoting of Ufefull Knowledge can¬ not but be pleas’d to fee that the Author hath, in this Anfwer, taken occalion to explain himfelf further as to the Re-Formation of the Earth at the Deluge. And, in Regard that the Marine Bodies found at Land, particularly the Shells of Sea-Fifhes, are the Main Evidence he goes up¬ on, he takes occafion to clear up a Difficulty that had been Baited againft that Doctrine, in Relation to Cavi¬ ties, in Form of Shells, obferv’d fre¬ quently in Strata of Stone, but emp¬ ty, and without any Shell in them : as alfo Sparry, Marcafitic, and other Mineral Bodies, carrying exa&ly the F orm of Shells, but having really nothing of Shelly or Animal Subftance in them. Thefe Inltances have been made ufe of by the Patrons of Mock- Shells , and Lrtfiis’s of Nature \ to perfwade the World that the real Shells were fo too. But Dr. Wood¬ ward has here prov’d that thofe Cavities had Originally Shells actual* ly in them, tho’ lince delfroy’d, pe-
a 3 rifh’d.
. 6 The ^TranJlcttors Introduction.
.
r ifh’d , and gone : and that thofe Sparry and Mineral Bodies receiv’d the Form of Shells by being call and moulded in fome of thofe Cavities; /hewing both by what Means the Shells were deftroyed, and the Mi¬ neral Matter caft in their Room.
The Reader will find here fome further Advances on the Subject of the Difolution of the Primitive Earth,
■f |
the Origin of the prefent Mountains, and of Iflands, But that which will mo it gratify and entertain his Curiofi-* ty, is what he will here find con-* cerning the great Abyfs. This is in¬ deed a new Province in Philofophy ; and we have here open’d to us a Scene in Nature that had hardly ever been thought of before. Nay and fuch a one too as greatly con-* cerns us all to inquire into ; fince this is evidently fo much concern’d in the Government of our Atmofphere3 bringing about the Changes that hap¬ pen in it : and confequently fince fo rfmch of the Good or Bad of Life, and of the happy .or unhap^ py Succefs of things in the Region wherein we fublift, and in which gll Things that are pf Ufe3 of Or¬ nament
7
The Tran/Iators Introduction .
nament or Pleafure to humane Kind, are produced, depend intirely upon the OEconomy, the Impreiiions, and Regulations firft made in that Sub¬ terranean World. Of which there is only a brief Sketch given here ,* but ’tis to be hop’d the Author will find Leifure to fet forth the whole at large, and the numerous Obfervations, made in all parts of the World, ferving to fupport this new and important Doct¬ rine. One Thing I cannot pafs over, without Notice, that, by this Inter- courfe betwixt the Abyfs and Atmof- phere, and the Detachment and Afcent of Steams thence for the Formation of Rain, are fo clearly and natu¬ rally folv’d the Phenomena of the Barometer, which have fo long exer¬ cis’d the Thoughts of inquifitive Men, in vain, and without their be¬ ing able to aflign any Caufe that has carried with it fo much as a Shew of tolerable Probability.
Men of Learning have been hither¬ to much puzled to find out where there could be Water fufficient to make fuch a Deluge a sMofes has defcrib’d. All that Difficulty is now at an End: and, from fome Phenomena attending
a 4 Earth-
"The Tranjlator s Introduction.
Earth-quakes, f with others hereafter recited, * ’tis made evident that there is, in Store, in that mighty Subter¬ ranean World, a Quantity of that Fluid immenfely great, and vaftly beyond what they fought for, or ever dream’ d of. Indeed from thefe Phe¬ nomena ’tis apparent that the main Bulk of the Globe mu ft x needs be compos’d of Water : and the Earth only .an Expanfum over it lerving for Habitation, for furnifhing forth Mate¬ rials for the Formation of Animals, Ve¬ getables, and Minerals, and fubfervient to the Aftion of that Water, and the Principles there that operate upon it. But what is of chief Regard in the Ejjay towards a Nat. Hift. of the Earth , and this Defenfe , is the clear and unqueftionable Proof that is given of the Exiftence of God, and his Government of the Natural World, and of the exadl Agreement betwixt Nature and Holy Writ, from Gbfer- vations, and Fads at this day demon- Arable in the whole terraqueous Globe. To which he is pleafed to give me Leave to make here an Addition put of his
larger
f Nat . Hift. Earth. V art. 3. * Nat. Hi ft
$arth. illuft rated, infra , Part. 2. Seft, 5,
9
eThe Tranflator s Introduction.
larger Wor-k , which I tranfcribe and deliver in his own Words. “ There The Art “ is a Spirit of Sceptici zm that has and Cmri-
“ lately much prevail’d in the World: ^rmbfFin ^ and thofe rifen up who go about the prefent boldly to overturn all F oundations ; Earth : and *c rejeding all Principles, however t^e “ univerfally hitherto receiv’d. They Harare™/ <c will have it that, the Laws of its being *c Nature being fixt permanent and^w;^^» cc unvaryable, this Frame of things is cc eternal : that the Earth, and all rp,l former, (Q the Apparatus of Bodies in this, or primi - 6C and other Syjiems which they fan- t*ve Earth, “ cy, were ever in the State they^f^'*' tc now are, and will ever continue -Proof eft he cc fo. In this their Scheme they think Exiftence “ no God needful!. They do not °JGp’°f and indeed cannot deny out that, pion in the tc if it can be fhewn there ever was Affairs of ?c a Time that the Earth, and the Nat tire, and
“ Bodyes round ir> had no Being> mmofobh or were ever in a Form and State World.
cc different from that in which they
*c are at prefent, there muft be a
tc God : and that they could never
cc polTibly be brought out of that
into the Difpoiition in which we
<c now fee them, without the Con-
courfe and Agency of a moft in-
f telligent and powerfull Being. Now,
Sc here
IO
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The 'Tranjlators Introduction.
here therefore we make a Stand* on firm and fure Ground* againft thefe Men. From Evidences every where apparent in the terreftrial Globe* Sea Shells, and various other extraneous Bodies, mix’d and incorporated with all the conftituent matter of the Globe* not only the loofe and earthy* but even the moft folid, Stones* and Minerals, ’tis manifeft, and beyond difpute* that this* which we now inhabit, is new* and not the Original Earth, that the prefent Frame of it is re¬ cent* and the former, the primi¬ tive, demoliiVd* utterly deltroy’d and difiolv’d *. For the effecting that Diffolution, rebuilding this Earth out of the Materials of the former, and reducing Things from the Confufion in which they plainly appear to have been, into the pre¬ fent Order, by their own Con- cetfion, there muft be a God. In¬ deed the Confequence is fo neceflfa- ry that it is not to be withftood by any one who attends only to what
* Nat. Hi ft. Earth. Pref. and Part z«
The Tranflators Introduction.
C£ is obvious and difcernable at firft <c View : and much lefs by one who “ fliall further reflect on the Structure tc and Mechanifm of this our Globe, tc with the Exquifite Art and Sur- “ prizing Contrivance that there ap- “ pears in the Compofure of it.”] That Structure and Mechanifm is par¬ ticularly fet forth and explain’d in the Efty, t and in this SDefenfe, * where ’tis fhewn that it is direbtly fuch as was necelTary to render the Earth capable of anfwering the End of its Formation, of Furnifihing forth the various Kinds of Bodyes it was to produce, and of Supplying all the Exigences of them. Nor can I for¬ bear noteing that this, here infilled upon, is the very Inllance that St. Te ter -! alledges in Defeat of the Alle¬ gations of the Libertines and Scoffers, that he foretold Ihonld come in the lafi Tayes walking after their own Lttfts , and faying , all Things con¬ tinue as they were from the Begin¬ ning.
f Part 3. Se£l. 1. verfus finem. * Part 2. Se£l. 5.
\ 2 ‘Pet. iii. 5.
* V '
1 2 If he 'franflator s Introdufdion.
fling. He rightly notes that thefe Objections were not the Refult of Reafoning, ^nd do not take their firft Rife from the Brain, but begin be¬ low, in their Paffions, and Vices: and therefore declares plainly they are confcious of better, but wilfully fihut their Eyes, and are willingly igno¬ rant*, that by the Word of God the Heavens were oj old , and the Earthy (landing out of the Water , and in the Water ; whereby the World that then was , being overflow d with Wa¬ ter*, perijtid* * Mofes. had long before fet forth the fame, and, indeed, in a Manner more full and particular.
But to proceed with what I was tranfcribing out of the Authors lar- Tk oe aBual ger Work . [ cc We have as firm
incejjant « Proof, and clear Evidence of the
LjOUCUYTCUCQ cc j* 1 n . t p -
ofthe Di- ordinary and conitant Interpofition
vine Wow- a of this great Being in the Affairs,
er to the a cf Nature, and of his continual
'Troduttion cc Adminiftration of the Government cf Gravity* ,, . r , _ T . r . -
or the Untverfe, as we have or
his Exiftence, and of that extra-
ordinary Interpofition fet forth a-
bove. *Tis agreed, on all Hands,
that there is in Body, or Matter,
a perfect Inertia, that his paffive,
u indiffer-
yftis the ■main In- firument whereby all cc Nature is cc regulated' and govern- cc ed.
cc
cc
* 2 Tet* iii. 5. 6.
/he 7 r an/I at or s IntroduUion '
cc indifferent, and equaly difpos’d ei- <c ther to Motion or Red. A Body tc once at Reft will continue always 1 tc fo, unlefs it be put into Motion “ by fomething elfe : and, when once “ put into Motion, it has no Power “ of ever again attaining Reft, or of “ varying that Motion in the lead, cc but muft move on perpetualy with the Diredion, and the V elocity,
<e given it by the Agent that gave it that Motion. \V hereas we fee tc all Bodyes, and Matter, both mo- “ ved, and the Direction, and Ve- <c locity of their Motion varyed, re¬ gularly and fteadily determined,
“ eledively, and to an End, by what we call their Gravity. This great “ Principle therefore, that is thus *c univerfal, and infeparable from all Body and Matter, muft be extrin- “ fic, imprefs’d, and imparted by fome Power that is immaterial, ex¬ terior to Matter, and that controuls <c it. As a Body, or Part of Mat- ^ ter, cannot be the Caufe of its “ own Gravity, fo, for the fame “ Reafon, it cannot be the Caufe of the Gravity of any other Body or Matter. ’Tis plain no one Body
»4
The Tran/lator's Introduction.
cc can impart to another what it has “ not itfelf. Not but that there have “ been thofe who, not rightly refled- tc ing on this, have fancy ed that Gra- “ vity, or the Tendency of Bodyes tc towards a Centre, may be effected £c by the Operation of fome other Bo- cc dyes npon them. But then, be- <c tides what may be urged, in Dif- cc proof of this, from what is alledged “ above, and holds infallibly in all <c Bodyes whatever, thofe other Bo- tc dyes muft ad regularly, and eledive- <c ly ; which Adion can no more be <c compatible to meer Matter than Gra- tc vity can. Nor are the Ends, brought cc about by the Agency of Gravi- tc ty, fuch as are not truely worthy tc of a Power the very greateft and tc higheft that the moft exalted Rea- <c fon can conceive. ’Tis to this Prin- tc ciple alone that the Globe we inhabit <c owes its Prefervation, the confo- *c lidatmg of its Parts, and the hin- “ dering the Diffipation of them by “ its fo neceffary diurnal Revolution tc on its Axis. ’Tis to the different tc fpecific Gravity of Bodyes, par- tc ticularly Fluids, that the various u Fermentations, the Librations of
“ the
The Tranflators IntrcduUion
tc the Parts amongft themfelves, the <c numerous Phenomena of the Wa- <c ters. Air, Fire, Light, Meteors, “ and Things of the higheft Mo- “ ment tranladed in our Atmoft- tc phere, are, in great Meafure, owing. “ As ’tis to their reciprocal Gravi- (c tations, each towards other, that tc the various noble Globes we be- <c hold, the Planets and heavenly Bo- cc dies, with this our Earth, are ran- cc ged, kept at due Diftances, and <c regularly make their Revolutions' cc all in their proper Times. In a tc Word, ’tis to this ftupendous Prin- <c ciple, that the conllant and won- <c derfull Harmony among the great “ Bodyes of the Univerfe, that the tc OEconomy, the Order, the Beauty tc fo confpicuous throughout all this “ mighty Frame, is intirely owing. “ Which yet is no more than what <c fome of the wifeft and moft dif- <c cerning of the Philofophers of old tc were lead to the Knowledge of <c purely by their like Obfervations “ of Nature, heedfull Attention, and cc Refledion on Things. The cc greateft Genius, and moft refin’d cc Reafoner, of any of all the whole
“ Homan
1 6
The Tranjlators Introduction*
Roman Nation, contemplating and admiring the fo furprizing Conftan - cy obfervable in Nature, the St a* bility of the Worlds and the Con- fervation of the moft excellent Or* der of the Bodyes that conftitute it, afcribes all directly to the * uniform Bias and Tendency of the Tarts toward a Center ; this ferving as a kind of Tye to hold all together. Which wife Con* formation of Things he exprefly attributes to that Being, which, as omniprefent and diffufed through - out the whole World , aCts every every where with the higheft Thought and Sagacity , determinat¬ ing all Things, from even the cc moft remote Boundaries of Mat- ter, towards a Centre . That the Sea is kept to its Place, and made to conftitute , one Globe together with the Earth, he plainly afcribes to ftill the fame Caufe, the Ten-
cc dencf
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Omnes enim Partes ejus, itndique medium Locum capeffeutes, nituntur cequabiliter , maxime Corpora au- tern inter fe junfta permanent, cum quod am quaft Vim* culo cirundata colligantiir ; quod facit ea Natura, quos per omnem Mundum omnia Mente, & Ratione conficf- ens funditur, & ad Medium rapit, & couvertit extrema* AT. Tull. Ck. de Nat, Deor. L „ i.
The Tranjlator s IntroduBioni
tc dency of the Gravity f of the Parts <f: of both toward one common Cen- <c tr declaring that, upon the whole , cc there's the highejt Reafon to con- “ elude that all things in this World £c are managed by the TMvine Wif- “ dom arid Contrivance-, in a Man- cc ner truely wonderfully fo as to con- sc duce to the Security and Prefer- cc vat ion of every Individual* *. So tc likewife the Author of the Book “ de Mundo]-, 7 hi scP art God aUs in <c the Univerfe, preferving the right “ Tdifpofition , and the Well-Being of K all the Tarts of it ; adding, — As is
b a
f Contentio Gravitatis. Ibid* t Medium Terra* Locum expetens. Ibid.
* Sic undique omni Ratione concluditur Mcnte Confilioque Divino, omnia in hoc Mundo* ad Salutem omnium Confervatio- nemquc admirabiliter adminiftrari. Ibid.
-|-T«T0Kyy \ryg\ t \oy6v o cm xocr/ua) QuViXuV jtw r V oAwv ct^ovfttv re £ (>7i/ew And adds, ocrsf cm vy xi/Se^V, cm fy/nocli 0 tn’ioX&? cm b X.0(>U<p-Ct7®J J CM7T0SH 0 Vopi&j CM S' &>] 0 37 i a u> 0 xysfitti Wo Ss os CM aooptti. Lib. de Mundo. c. 6* Which
Apuleius renders, Adhocinftar Mundi Salutem tuetur Deus, apta et revin&a fui Numinis Poteftate, — ^Qtiod eft in Triremi Gubernator, in Curru Redtor, Prxcentor in Choris, Lex in Urbe, Dux in Exercitu' hoc eft in Mundo Deus. Bud&us renders the former Part thus
* - Hanc eandem igitur Rationem Dens habet in Miin-
do, utpotequi univerfomm Coagmentationem cohdiymetn
cohibeat etcoarHet, IncolumitatemqueUniverfitatiscon- fervet.
cc
cc
cc
i S The Tranjlators Introduction.
cc a Steerfman in a Shipy a Charioteer cc in a Chariot , the Trxcentor in a Chorus , the Law in a City , the General in an Army , fuch is God in the Natural World . ” The Reader will do well to compare what is here offer’d, in Relation to Gravity, with what the Author had .publiih’d, on this Subject, fome years ago, in his Effay Part. I.
The actual tc As we have, thus, plain Evidence mceffant cc 0f the Concourfe of the Divine
Cjyhefame “ P°wer to Support and Prefer- Tower to cc vation of the Frame and Mechanifm the T ro due- cc of the World in general, fo have
we likewife as plain, of the Con¬ courfe and Aid of the fame to every particular in it. To pafs by all others, I fhall give an Pi¬ ttance in the Body of Man. Not that ’tis peculiar to him ; fo far from it that it holds through the whole Animal and Vegetable €c W orld ; being indeed as certain in all other Creatures. Every or- ganical Body, Plant, or Animal, owes its Rife, and Formation, the <c former to a Seed, the latter to an Egg. In each of thefe is a pecu¬ liar Machine, fitted to take in
cc Matter
tion and cc Support of cc all organi- cal Bodyes , Vegetables , and Ani- 7nals , par¬ ticularly Man .
cc
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19
The TrmJIatcrs Introduction.
2 Matter proper for the Nourifhment tc °f the Kind, and to diftribute it ££ t° the Parts for their Formation tc and Growth. By Obfervation made J on the Eggs of Hens, and other if Fowls, during their Incubation, tt we learn that, in Animals, this cc Machine is a Syjiem of Blood- Vef- C£ Veins, and Arteries, with an ££ Heart. This is feen to beat with- “ in not many Hours after Incubati- “ on : and, in a litle Time, to fend forth Blood by the Arteryes, re- “ ceiving it back by the Veins. By “ this Procefs the Parts of the Crea- ■ ture are each gradualy form'd,
,c though not in like Proportion fome being more forward, and fhewing themfelves looner, others later, as the Veffels, ferving for the Formation of each, come to explicate and fuccelhvely difplay ‘ themfelves. The Eyes and Brain ‘ are the firfl: that appear diftin&ly.
‘ Then the Spinal Marrow, and Ca- \ rina of the Body. Next the Wings ' an.d the Legs begin to bud forth.
; Afterwards the Bowels, the Lungs,
’ the Liver, the Stomach, and Gutts ' Blew themfelves, by little and little :
b 3 ‘ « but
to The Tranflator s Introduction.
“ but all naked, expos’d, and without tc any the lead Coverture over them. “ Even the Heart it felf is feen hang- “ ing quite without the Bread for “ feveral Dayes. At length the Muf- cc cles. Membranes, and Integuments “ of the Thorax, and Abdomen, “ commence in their Turn j but are, “ at fird, fo very thin, that the <c Parts within appear clearly thorow cc them. By Degrees, growing thicker “ and thicker, they gradualy intercept <c the Sight, and finaly attain the Con- cc ftitution of Ribs, a Sternum, Muf- <c cles, and the red. In like man- cc ner the remaining Parts are form’d, <c one after another, in their Order, 7 cc till the whole Fabrick be com- ££ pleated, and hnifli’d. But each is, 4£ at fird, a Geliy or Mucus, a mere “ Lump and dead Mad, without cc Senfe, Animation, Life, or Mo- “ tion ; till the Machine, proceed- £c ing in the Operation, gradualy Cl imparts what lerves for the Pro- cc dudtion of all thefe. Thus this “ great, and aftonifhing Work is “ brought about in every Species of cc living Creatures : and the Female, C£ of each, is provided wTith Organs
cc capable
/
/
The Tranflators IntrodaUion.
\ . ;
Cw capable of rigging forth Ova, every cc one of them farnifhed with a Ma- tc chine anfwering all thofe Ends. The cc Man, who has a Mind fo elevated, fo free, and of fuch vaft Extent cc of Thought, as to take in the €C Idea of fuch a Machine, will here cc find Subjeft of Admiration greater than can be fet forth by Words. <c On the other Side, the Male, of cc each Species, is provided with <c Organs fitted to render the Ova <c prolific, fetch them down from cc the Ovary to the Uterus, and put cc the Operation into Aft. Thus this cc Affair has been carryed on, in cc every Species, with a continued cc Succeffion, through all Ages, Races, cc and Generations, from the very cc firft. Towards the End of the cc laft Century, Mr. Lewenhoeck cc difcovering, by the Affiftance of cc his Microfcopes, certain minute A- cc nimalcules in Semine mafcnlino , cc ?twas prefently fancyed that the tc Young of the Kind deriv’d their Origin from thefe. The Notion, being new, fpread ftrangely; till £C it became, at laft, univerfal : and, Y which is ftill more ftrange, it holds
b 3 its
21
Z2 The Tranflators Introduction.
“ its Ground to this Day; though “ contrary to real Fad, and the £C plaineft Observations. We fee ££ the Macula, or Cicatricula, which is no other than the Glomus," £c or Clue of thefe Vefieis, adhialy ££ exiftent in the Egg before the ££ Congrefs with the Male. Then, ££ after Impregnation, we fee them, ££ when under Incubation, explicated, ££ displayed, and proceeding in Adtion, ££ in the Manner fet forth above. ££ The very firft Part we defcry is ££ the Pundtum Saliens, as ’tis call’d, ££ whiGh appears afterwards to be the £C Heart in the Machine. This Shews £C its Self, at its firft Diicovery, which £t is not long after the Beginning of ££ the Incubation, to be many thou- cc fand Times as big as the whole Body of one of Mr. LewenboecH s Animalcules *. But yet this Heart
cc *
IS
— " . — ■ , .-I,, . , t
* Tantam in fernine viriii viventium Ani- malculorum Muititudinem vidi, ut interdum plura quam 1000 in magnitudine arena: fefe moverent. And a little afters Minora Glo- bulis Sanguini Ruborem adferentibus ha^c Animalcula erant 5 ut judicem miliena miliia Arenam grandiorem Magnitudine non asqua,- tura. Ant. Lewenhoeck. Epifi. ad D . 'Brnmhr (Philos. Tran fa ft. No.. 142.
(Tbe Tranjlators IntroduUion.
cc is but one Part of many that go ££ to the Compofition of the Crea- C£ ture in Formation : and is not, by £c much, the biggeft in the Body nei- “ ther. So that if the Bulk, of that ££ Animalcule, be compar’d to the £C Whole of the Ftetus, or Body now <£ frameing, and all the feveral Parts “ be confider’d, ’twill fall fo im- ££ menfely fbort, as not to be as a ££ Grain of Sand to the largeft Moun- ££ tain, I had almoft faid to the “ whole Globe of Earth. Such a “ Growth, thus per Saltum , fhould tc not furely be admitted by any cc that refled, or think regularly. ‘c The Thing is no way conceivable, u or indeed polfible, confidering the “ Elegance, Order, and exquifite Art “ difcernable in the Fabrick : nor tc have we fo much as one Angle ‘£ Inftance of any Thing like it in “ the whole natural World. Befides ££ the Creature being apparently £C form’d, as is above fet forth, £C by Piece-meal, Organ by Organ, ££ and Part by Part, gives Evidence <£ of Senfe againft this Notion. ££ Should fome wild Patagon, or £t other Barbarian, who had never
b 4 ££ before
'The Tranjlators Introduction,
“ before feen fo magnificent aStru&ure, “ obferving the Partbenion at Jtbens , £C the Collifmm or ‘Pantheon at cc Rome, fancy thefe, and the like, “ fprung and grew up from fome ec Hutt, at firft, or fmall Cottage: cc or one who had never before feen ££ a Ship, when firft he obferv’d the ££ ‘Britannia, or the Royal Sovereign^ £C imagine each took its Rife from fome ££ Skiff or Wherry, fuch Conjectures “ would be receiv’d by an Architect, “ who knew how thofe Buildings “ were put together, Stone by Stone, cc or a Ship Carpenter, confcious how “ Beam was added to Beam, and tc Plank to Plank in the Fabrick, tc with the fame Slight that Mr. £c LewenhoecTi s muft, by a wife and cc difcerning Naturalift. The Truth <c is, this Notion, like fome others, ec was the more readily admitted, cc as it feem’d to give an obvious cc and eafy Solution of the Difficulty <c of the Formation of the Body of cc Man, and of other Animals ;
“ whereas, if it be rightly attended “ to, ’twill be found only an Amufe- “ ment and Elufion ; thefe Animal- a cures being no other than mere
.££ Vermin s
The Tran/lator s Introduction '.
u Vermin; the like of which are tc produced in the other Fluids of <c the Body, and in various Liquids ‘c without. Tho’, be all that as it will, for what I am here about to Cc advance depends not upon it, but ££ Hands wholey on its own Bottom, ££ That Machine, the Syjiem of Blood- C£ Veffels, continues to do the fame tc Office, as well afcer the Body of ££ the Creature is compleated, as be- “ fore, ’till it be brought, in Con- “ clufion, to foil Growth, and Ma- ££ turity, nay even thence on to the £c End of its Life. The Artery es £c Hill convey that Blood out of ££ which the nutritious Matter is de- £C tach’d, and annexed to the Parts ££ for their Suftenance; to which £C End a Branch, from fome main ££ Trunk, is allotted to each Part £C for its Service and Supply. This £< Branch is provided with Organs £C fitted to difpenfe, forth of the K common Mafs, only fch Sorts of tc Matter as are proper for the Fa- tc brick and Compolition of that par- :c ticular Part ; each Part being of >c peculiar Conftitution, and Subftance t£ differing from the reft e. gr. a
“ Mufcle
2 6 The TranfJators Introduction.
cc Mufcle from the Liver, this Bowel £C from the Brain : and, to be fhort, cc the various conftituent fudordinate cc Parts of thefe, and the reft, differ- cc ing commonly each from other. £C Every the minuteft Part hath thus cc alloted it a Branch of an Artery, <c conducting and directing the Nou- C£ rifhment to it : and, by Means cc of particular Organs in it, difpatch- cc ing forth, and annexing to it, on- “ ly fuch Corpufcles as fuit the pe- <c culiar Nature of that very Part <c Then the faid Branch is likewife u fo fram’d as to regulate the Order <c of thofe Corpufcles, to range them cc in proper Method, and limit the £C Diftribution of them, in fuch Man- iC ner that each of the feveral Parts cc attains a Subftance, Texture, Bulk, cc and Figure, proper, and fuiting to u its Office and Ule. The minuteft: £c Part in the Compages of each cc Limb, Member, or Organ, thorow- cc out all the whole Body, is provi-
“ ded
£ “ T^he various Fluids, of the Body , the 11 Lympha, the Bile, and the reft are fecreted u and turnd out of the common Mafs of the “ Blood , by a much like Mechanzfm *
R
T’hc Tpanflators Introduction.
ded with a Branch of an Artery, making fuch a Detachment of the Nourithment, fuch an Ele&ion of <c Matter thence as is fit for the con- “ ftituting of that Part, and fuch a ^ Circumfcription and Limitation of it to proper Bounds. Every thing throughout the whole Frame is ^ traofacted, thus, with a perfect and abfolute Geometry and Me^* u chanifm : and, without this Con-
* trivance, no Part could be of Spe-
* cific Nature, and Structure, of a peculiar Size and Figure, or fitted
^ to a particular Ufe. The very ‘c Artery es themfelves are not form’d, ^ nourilE’d, and fupported, but by fuch a Mechanifm and Contrivance. cc Our Microfcopes fihew us, in all cc Parts of the great Arteryes, a fe- cond fmaller Order of Arteryes, “ ferving for the Diftribution, Lledi- on, and Limitation ©f the Matter out of which is form’d and nou- 4C rifh’d each Part of the larger Ar~ *c teryes. This fecond Order of Ar- “ teryes appear manifeftly to be of as c Specific Conflitution, and regular “ Fabrick, as thofe of the firft Order : and thefe could no more attain
“ this
L
b 8 *Ihe Tranflators IntroduUion .
cc this, than thofe of the firft Order cc could, without a like fubordinate <c Mechanical Miniftration, or a third fC Order. Nor can this third Order cc be framed, and continual v nourifh’d* <c without a fourth : or that without tc a fifth : and fo on to a fiftyth, or as cc many more as can be fuppos’d. <c But it’s plain thefe cannot be in- cc finite $ we muft come, at length, <c to one laft Order : and that can- cc not, itfelf, or by its own Power, <c attain fuch a Diftribution, Eledtion, cc and Limitation of nutritious Mat- ter, as to be its own Framer and cc Maker ,* any more than the firft CQ Order can, or indeed than the *c Whole can, or a Man make him- cc felf. For ’tis certainly as e.afy to cc conceive the whole Body, as any cc the minuteft Part, forming and fuf- cc tainingits felf without the Affiftance €c of proper Organs and Inftruments. cc The fmalleft Part is, as to Texture, Figure, and Conftitution, exadly cc regular, and compos’d, with Art, <c to anfwer an End.* If any fuch <f Part can form itfelf, or be form’d cc without the Aid or Miniftry of ' “ fomething without, a fecond may
' ? likewife.
i
T’he ’Tranjlatof s IntroduBioru 29
<c likevvife, and a third, nay all the ec reft of even the whole Syjiem ; fo “ that there would be no Need of cc an Egg, with its Machine, to be- “ gin, and carry on that Work. cc Which is apparently as impoflible <c as that a Palace fhould be rais’d tc without any Builder, or a Watch cc produced without a Maker. So cc that for the Formation and Sufte- “ nance of this laft Order of Arteryes,
“ the Concourfe of fome other exte- <c rior Caufe is abfolutely neceftary. cc This is in it felf fo evident and “ plain, that I cannot fee how it can tc be withftood, or evaded by any <c Subtilty or Artifice whatsoever.
£c One thing I ought not to pafs over Occafiomly “ without Notice. Among other °f the Car- “ Fictions, introduced into the Phi <c lofophy of the laft Age, there was//,-, J <c one that became a great Subject <c of Speculation ; I mean the Materia tc fubtilis of the Cartefians. The <c Votaries of this, like thofe of the tc Animal Spirits, have never offer’d cc any the leaft Proof of even its “ Exiftence. They only fet forth the “ Imploys and Offices they deftin’d it “ to j nay, and without ever going
“ about
The Tranjlatofs Introduction*
<c about fo much as to fhew how it was fitted to anfwer and execute <c them. That thefe Gentlemen may not bewilder themfelves here, or <c imagine that fome fuch Fluid Mat- ter, without, may, in fome Way, cc operate upon, and fupport this laft *c Order or Arteryes, I fhall add *c Cometh ing on this Subjed. I know cf well they fuppofe their Materia cc fubtilis to be infinitely fubtil, pe- netrant, and adive : and thefe cer- <c tainly are exceeding fine Proper- €C tyes ; but they cannot conduce, in cc the leaft, to the Purpofe now un- €C der Confideration, unlefs the Ma- cc teria fubtilis be a free Agent, qua- <c lify’d to proceed by Rule and Art (C in its Work, contriving and de- cc termining all freadyly to an End. cc Which it never can, except it be cc capable of Reafoning and Judg- cc ing ,* to fuppofe which, of the cc Materia fubtilis , would be too cc great a Paradox. ’Tis plain there cc can never be produced an Effed, <c that is certain and regular, which cc this here is, by any but a Caufe cc that ads with Certainty and Re- cc gularity. If it do that, and all
tc plainly
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The Tranjlators Introduction.
plainly tend to a particular Purpofe, as in the prefent Cafe, ’tis unde- nyable that that Caufe mull operate with Thought, Reflection, and De¬ sign. Nor can there be any Dif- pute but that whatever that be that a£ts this Part, and does thislaft Office to the Organs in the Body of Man, and Animals, it difcovers a Power the moft abfolute, and a Faculty of Reafoning and Judg¬ ing in the moft perfect and con- fummate Manner that the Mind of Man can ever poffibly comprehend.
“ Thus ’tis, we fee, certain that Inflames there are in Nature undenyable-^rm£ t0 Proofs both of the Exiftence and eTlarm thl the Agency of this great Being : the VivL and that he left not hi mfelf with- ‘Procedure out Witnefs , in that he did Good m the Go~ and gave us Rain from Heaven , ’botTthe °f and fruitfull Seafons , filling our Moral and Hearts with Food andGladnefs. f Natural The Good here peculiarly fpecifyed ^br^- is brought about by the Govern¬ ment and kindly Conduct of the Principles and Operations of the great Jbyfs ; to which we owe
“ particularly.
t A As xiv. 17.
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i The l*ranJJator $ IntroduUioru
particularly, our Rains , £ the Fmitfullnefs of the Earth, with all the Good and Salubrity of the Atmofphere and Air we breath, which is indeed the Main of the Good of Life*. The prime Spring of thefe Operations hath been hi¬ therto a grand Secret ,* but doubt- lefs, whenever it fhall be difcover- ed, like Gravity, the firft Mover and Spring in the right Ordinati¬ on of the Bodyes and Parts of the Univerfe, as alfo like the Capilla¬ ry Veftels, the prime Organs that fuftain all the reft in the Animal OEconomy, this prime Spring and Caufe of Adion in the Jbyfs will be found immediately in the Hand of God. But, from thefe,
and all the other Inftances that we know, ’tis evident he thinks fit to fkreen himfelf from common View, to ad in great Meafure under a Veil, fo much covered and concealed as to be defcryed only by thofe that fearch for him with
<c the
t Nat. Hi ft. Earth. Part. 3.
* Vide. Nat. Hi ft. Earth . illustrated , Sic, infra p. icp, no, ma
j The Tranjlators IntroduUion •
€C the greateft Application and Atten- cc tion : that feel after himy and find fc him ; tho he be not far from every Cc one of us ; for in him we livey and move , and have our 'Being** This cc is that God that, tho’ allotted <c a folemn W orfhip by the Athenians $ cc Was yet realy. Unknown f, evert cc amidft a Nation fo very much ce- iC lebrated, in all Ages, for the Sa- cc gacity of its Philofophers, till the €C illuftrious Apoftle of the Gentiles cc explained and declared him unto cc them In which Method of
cc the Divine Procedure all Things ce are ordered with the greateft Wif* tc dom, with fuch Concinnity as right- cc ly to comport together, and each cc ad its Part in the OEconomy and cc Adminiftration of the Whole, As cc well in the Moral, as in the Na- c* tural World. For, fhould that £C mighty and powerfull Being con- <c tinualy bare his holy Army in the K Eyes : of all the Nations \y fhould u he openly difplay, fhew himfelf,
c , ie and
f Ibid, V. 2$i 4 Ifai lii, io.
* Ads xvii. 27, 28. 4 Ibid, v. 23.
The Tranflator s Introduction.
£C and fhine forth in his full Luftre,’ cc ’t would fo far influence, and ftrike u fiich a Terror and Awe, as to lay u all Mankind under a continual Re- cc ftraint, Force, and Compulfion. cc Were the Cafe fo, there would be u no Freedom of Will, nor Choice of u Demeanour and Action : and con- cc fequently no* juft Foundation for cc Rewards and Punifhments, Every cc Thing would have been thenwholey cc under an abfolute Mechanifm, and <c fatal Neceffity. All know theOb- fervance and Awe that the Prefence ce of a temporal Prince excites : and, * cc from that, Tis not hard to judg cc how much greater muft needs be excited by the Prefence of a Being fo vaftly fuperior, fo holy, and juft, as well as infinite in Wifdom and cc Power. Nor is this a Pofition ei- tc ther new, or that wants Confirma- cc tion. So far from it, that 'tis fupport- cc ed by the higheft Authority : and we have an Oracle, of ail others the mo ft cc undoubted, pronouncing, and decla- Cv ring exprefly to that immenfe Be- cc ing, Verily thou art a God that hi - deft thy /elf i 0 God of Ifraeft the
? Saviour!
I
^he Tr anflator s Introduction.
K Saviour \! The fteady con- (C ftant Supporter of the Frame of Na- tt ture being thus general y, as it were, tt retired, not difclofing himfelf at Jt every Turn, and never but on ex¬ traordinary Occafions, fuch as the ‘‘ Re-forming and Nevy-moduling the “ Earth, at the Deluge, fo as to “ make it conduce to the Reclaim¬ ing of the degenerous Race of Man¬ kind, or as the Promulgation of fome new important Doctrine, as firft that of Mofes, and after¬ wards that of Chrifi ; but, othfer- wife, making the eftablifhed Law “ of Nature the Handing Rule of his “ Conduct and ordinary Providence; “ I fay, things being thus ordered “ and appointed, fome there are who, “ deporting themfelves commonly in “ Life in fuch Sort that they may “ have Reafonto hope and with that “ there was no God, Men rafh. dar- “ ing, prefuming on their own Parts,
“ tho’ meer Speculators in Philofophy,
“ having only a fuperficial Know- “ ledge, as looking not deeper than
c 2 “ the
i Jfai . xlv. 15.
3 6 ' *The Tran/lator's IntrodnUion .
“ the Outfide of Things, and fo fall- cc ing far fhort of the Notices they Cc might obtain of the true Agent and Caufe, did they fearch deeper, have “ afcribed all to blind Chance, and “ fuppofed there was no God. This tc is the grand Source of that Atheifm, “ Infidelity, and Preemption, that “ muft, in Hiftory, call fuch a Sully 46 and Blemifli on both the Intellects <s and Morals of the prefent Age, which will be found to have fur- 4C palled any of the precedent, as <c in Opiniatry, fo in thefe ill-groun- ded and licentious Principles”.
In the EJfay , and this Defenfe , which I have now made Englifh and publiflied, the Author hath laid before us many great Monuments, and Proofs, at this Day extant, and vifible in all Parts of the Earth, of the Truth and Cer¬ tainty of every individual Article throughout the whole Mofaic Narra¬ tive of the Deluge ; evincing that every Thing happen’d in the very Manner that the Sacred Writer hath there reprefented. In particular the DeftruCtion of the Primitive Earth : and, from Reflections on the Condi¬ tion and various Phenomena of the
Bones,
The Tranflators Introduction.
Bones, 1 eeth, and Shells of Sea-Fifhes, of the Plants, and other Remains of the ProduCtions'of that Earth, preferv’d in this, ’tis made evident that the Fabrick and Confutation of it was direftly fuch as Mofes has fet forth : and that thofe who have prefum’d to recede from his Account of it, have at the fame Time receded as far from Nature and Fadt. f By conferring his Re¬ lation of the primitive Earth with what follows from Obfervations made on the prefent Earth, ’tis made ap¬ parent that the Procefs in the For¬ mation of both was the very fame. Then, from comparing the two Earths, the old, and new, and thereby dis¬ covering that the Difference lay only in Degree of Fruitfullnefs, ’tis made evident that the Defign of the De¬ luge was the very fame that Mofes has affign d, viz* to deftroy, not on¬ ly that profligate Race of Men, but likewife the Earth itfelf, in Order to retrench the greater Fruitfullnefs of it j which, how rightly foever it might fuit a State of Innocence, after
c 3 the
t Nat. Eift. Earth. Part. z. and 6.
38
The Tranflators Introduction '.
the Fall, furnifti’d forth fo plenti¬ ful! and exuberant Supply of what was then fo unhappily turn’d to the Luxury and Vices of its then Inha¬ bitants. In which whole Tranfadtion we have a moft illuftrious Inftance of the Goodnefs of God? and of his efpecial Regard to humane Kind. For, after Man, for whofe Ufe it was firft form’d, had made fo great a Change in his Nature and Difpofition, It was of the higheft Importance that the Difpofition and Conftitution of the Earth fhould be changed too, its Fertility abated, and Things iiiited to his now frail laps’d State. From the fame Obfervations ’tis made clear that the Deluge was brought on at the very Seafon and Time of the Year that Mofes has fet forth : that it was Univerfal, and that all the high Hills that were under the whole Heavens were cover d: t and that, as the Syftem of Nature then was, and now is, eftablifli’d, nothing of all this could ever poffibly have hap¬ pen’d without the immediate Con-
courfe
f Gen- vii, 19.
39
The Trctnflators Introduction.
courfe and Interpolation of a Super¬ natural Power ; all which Mofes had
before alferted.
-
This Atteftation of Nature to the Mofaic Account, and the ftriCt Ac¬ cord that there is betwixt them in eve¬ ry individual Article, duely weigh’d, gives juft Grounds for what the Author of thefe Papers elfewhere * fuggefts, that both came from the fame Hand .
I confefs, when I began rightly to confider this, it caus’d in me not a little Surprize,* which yet increas’d on my conferring with the Author upon the Occalion, and reflecting on thofe Things that he then imparted to me, which, ’tis4 to be hop’d, will be one Day communicated to the Publick.
Among, thefe was a Palfage out of his larger Work ; which, giving me great Satisfaction, I perfwade my felf ’twill give not lefs to others, and therefore I take the Liberty to com¬ municate it, as I have done three al¬ ready, in his own Words.
cc ’Tis not poffible for any rational jccouuTof Man to think that Mcfes could ever the Deluge fall into the Particulars of the Ac- nftjtfrom
Chance, or
‘The Mofaic
<c
cc
c 4
count
Fancy
* Nat . Hi ft. Earth . Part, vi. Sub . fin .
40
j The Tranjlators Introduction.
count he hath fet forth of the De-
* luge, by meer Chahce : or advance C 6 it oniy from Conjecture and Fan~
* cy, We need no further Proof of this, than duely to reflect on thofa
** two great Articles of that Account, ** the Univerfality of the Deluge, and *c the Deftru&ion of the Earth. So far would thefe be from coming of themfelves into the Thoughts of ** any Man, that they are more like-* ly" oven to amaze and aftonifh him 2 when propofed. The Truth is, he “ who can bring himfelf to think 2 that Mqfes could ever (tumble or pitch on thefe by meer Chance, u may as eafily, and with full as u great Shew of Probability, think <£ that he could draw all the Fea- 44 tures of fome Man, or the Map of a Country, without ever having <c feen or heard of either : nay, that fC an Handfull of the Letters of the *c Alphabet, call in Metall, and flung out at Random, might, by 'c Chance, fall into fuch a Series, and Order of Words as exactly to c< compofe his Narration and Account of the Deluge,
Nor
The Tranflators lntrodu'ction. 41
tc Nor could Mofes receive that Norfrom Account from Tradition : or from ‘Tradition, any Records, or Hiftorys then rc-or Records; maining and extant. There could not any fuch he poiflbly made, or drawn up. In fuch a Deluge as, f( we fee plainly, from Nature, real- ly happen’d, no Creature, in which f( was the Breath of Lite, could ever “ be preferv’d, but by fome fuch Means as Mofes has fet forth. 'Tis “ true, Men floating in an Ark, or other like Veflel, might fee a few Miles round them ; tho’, according to the Mofaic Relation, which is “ highly confentaneous to Reafon,
“ the better to guard and fecnre thole “ fliut up in it, from the Rain and “ horrible Tempefts without, the Ark “ was fo clos’d that Noah could not “ do even that. But, if all had been “ open, they could never fee to any “ great Diftance : and much lefs dif- “ cern that the Water overflow’d and * ‘ inviron’d the whole Globe. Now “ what they could not poiflbly attain “ any Knowledge, or Information “ of, themfelves, they could not tranfmit to others, or hand down V. Records of it to Pofterity. Far
cc more
\
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i
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c
Nor from
Obferva- « tions ofNa-t c
*
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The Tranflatofs Introduction.
more impracticable was it ftill for them to judge of what was tranf- aCting underneath that mighty Mafs of Water, or to get Intelligence of the Definition of the Earth, that was at the Bottom of it, vaft- ly out of all humane Reach and View.
“ Neither could Mofes collect thefe, and the other Propofitions that he has 'deliver’d, as we, at this Day, evidently^ may, from Obfervation of the prefent State of Things in the Earth, and Inferen¬ ces from them. Our Commerce, and Navigation quite round the whole Globe, gives us Opportunity of examining, and fearching into it, in every Quarter, and on all Sides : and the Shells, and other Spoils of the Sea, that thofe Searches fhew, in even the firmed Stone, and hardefl Foffils, to the very Tops of the higheft Mountains, and to the Bottoms of the deepeft Mines, in every Part of the Globe, give Proof, and Evidence, of the Unlverfality of the Deluge, and of the Definition of the Earth, beyond all Queflion or Doubt. But
“ Mofes
j the Tranflators Introduction*
€c Mcfes could not know this. For ec if, as he might, he had made fuch cc Obfervations in /Egypt , Midi an •> cc and Arabia , the only Countrys cc where he ever was, in all which thefe Marine Bodies are, to this cc Day, actually found, yet, from cc View and Examination of fo fmall cc a Part of it, he could reafonably cc infer Nothing as to the whole <c Globe, the umiverfai overflowing cc of it, the Deftruftion of its Frame, €c and total Diffolution of the Com- cc Pages of it. . 'Eratofthenes , Hero - cc dotus , and others amongft the An- cc tients, took Notice, as well as we, cc of thefe Marine Bodies at Land,* cc but they never dream’d of an Uni- cc verfal Deluge, or extended their <c Thoughts farther than meerly the <€ Places where they were found ; tC which thofe Authors prefently con- “ eluded had been formerly the Bot- <c tom of the Sea, and that this, re- <c treating' thence, had left thefe Bo- <c dyes behind. As Mofes's own Ob- <c fervations could give him little cc Light into this Affair, fo he could u receive as little from others then *c Living. Studyes of this fort had
44
The 'TranJIators Introduction.
tc not obtain’d in thofe early Times. <c The World was not then thorow- “ ly fettled. Things fuflficiently efta- “ blifh’d, or Arts fo far advanc’d as <c to afford Leifure to Curiolity, or *' fuch Kinds of Speculation. Thefe tc prevailed not till many Ages after- “ wards. Tho’ indeed, had Mo/es tc been ever fo curious or inquifitive, “ it would have been to little Effebt, <c as he mud have wanted A'fiftance <c to carry his Enquiries on to a fuffi- “ cient Extent. Navigation was then cc in its Infancy, and the Sailing, in cc thofe Times, and a great while K afterwards, chiefly near the Shores, <c from Port to Port; the Mariners cc Compafs, by which we are con- cc dudted in our long Voyages, be- 16 ing not found out. Indeed there ‘c was then only a fmall and very tf inconfiderable Part of the World K known ; whereas Mofes could not tc have Intelligence fufficient to found tc Propofitions of fo great Extent up- “ on without Accounts and Obferva- “ tions procur’d from Countries the “ mod diftant, and even Antipodes tl- to thofe he had feen, from the re- “ moteft Part of Jfrica , and Europe ,
<c from
T’he Tranflators Introduction . 4 j
<c from China, and even from Jbne~
“ Wtf itfelf J in all which Parts “ thefe Marine Bodies are found in cc great Numbers j tho’ ’twas altoge- “ ther impracticable for him to ob- tc tain the leaft Notice of them.
“ Now ’tis plain, if Mofes could hutfrom not tall into thele two great im -Revelation* cc portantand wonderfull Propositions, by Chance : if he could not come to the Knowledge of them from <<r Records, Hiftory, or the Tradi- <c tion of former Ages : or by Infe¬ rence from perfonal Observations, cc and Searches made in his own Times,
€c which ’tis evident he never could, there remains only one \Vay more <c of coming to the Knowledge of them, which is by Divine Reve¬ lation, and their being comunica- ted to him by the great Author of all this mighty and even ltupen- cc dous TranfaCtion, along with tho cc weighty Motives that lead to it, the Extirpation of an enormoufly wicked Generation, and making cc fuch a Change in the Earth and its Productions as Should difpofe the cc enfuing Race to Better. Nor does Mofes any where go about to re-
cc ferr
4 6
CC
cc
CC
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CC
CC
CC
CC
CC
CC
CC
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CC
CC
*fhe fame further e- cc vine' d from cc the Mofaic, cc Jlccount of the Abyfs : cc and of the cc immenfe cc Quantity , of Water fent thence u at the 2)e- cc luge.
CC
1 he Tranjlator's Introduction.
ferr to Tradition, or Obfervations ; but openly acknowledges that the Light, he had into this whole Affair, was from the Source here affign’d, and no other ; of which there is, we fee, the nrmeft Proof that can be had of any Thing whereof we have not abtuai Evi¬ dence of Senfe, and which is not now in TranfaCtion before our Eyes. Nor is this, by many, the only Inftance we have how directly and almoft unavoidably a right and ac¬ curate Contemplation of the Works of Nature leads us to the Difcovery and Knowledge of the Author of it. tc To the two Inftances alledg’d above, the Univerfalitv of the De¬ luge, and the Deltrubtion of the Earth, may, with equall Juftice, and Certainty, be added a third, I mean what Mofes has deliver’d concerning the great Jl/jfs, the exceeding Prevalency of its Waters, and the vaft Height to which they rofe above the Earth*. He could no -more have fallen into the No-
“ tion
* Gen . viii. iB. i 24.
1
47
The Tranjlators Introduction]
“ tion of this Propofition by Chance* • cc than of either of the others. Nor tc could he obtain Notice of it from “ Tradition or Records : nor from cc Obfervations ; any more than he “ could the Notice of thofe two. tC The Abyfslyes wholey in the Dark,
*c Unit up and conceal’d from all Mor- <c tal Eyes. Arijlotle , and the reft <c of even the mod fagacious of the cc Greek Philofophers, knew nothing <c of it : and the very firft Difcovery tc of it is owing to the Mofaic Wri- <c tings. As to the Water being fent <c thence out of the Earth, in fo great tc Quantity, and rais’d to fuch Height,
<c they who were in the Ark could <c not be confcious or any ways fenli- <c ble of it themfeives : and there- <c fore could not fend down any Ac- “ count of it to others, or to Pofteri- “ ty. Nor could Mofes inferr this <c from Obfervation, any more than cc either of the other Propolitions. cc The firft fure Intelligence we had cc from Nature of fuch an Abyfs was <c drawn from comparing the Hiftoryes cc of the Earth-quakes that have hap- tc pen’d in all Ages, and confidering * the Operations of the Jbyfs in the
“ Production
<fhe 'franjlators Introduction .
« Production of them f. The won- « derfully great Height to which the tc Water of the Jbyfs mult have tc rifen, above the Surface of the ** Earth, is made out from Reflection <c on the regular Difpofition of the “ Strata, on every Side the G lobe, each <c upon other, to the greateft Depth “ we ever d;g or mine. To range tc all thefe, in fuch Method, by means K of Water, in Quantity fufficient cc for all the Materials that compofe <c thofe Strata to fublide in, fo as to cc be repoflted in the orderly Manner £C we now find them, would require <c a Bulk of that Fluid fo immenfely “ great as would furpafs all humane K Thought, and Imagination, were “ there not at this day extant fo clear cc and unqueftionable Proofs of it as “ thofe Strata themfelves every where cc give*. Nor was Mofes aware mere- ££ ly of the Exiftence of the great - tc SDeep, or Jbyfs : and this enor- “ mous Excurfion of it. at the De-
“ luge.
t Nat. Hijl. Earth. Part. iii. . #
* Of this, there isfomething offer'd in the Nat. wji: Earth iliuftrated pag. 9 6 £5? Seq. infra.
cc
cc
CC
CC
cc
cc
cc
The Tranflators Introduction .
luge. He was as well appriz’d of the whole Theory of it : its Inter* courfe with the Atmofphere : its cc numerous and great Ufes in the Natural World : and, particularly, cc how far it contributes to the Pro* <c dudtion of Things ferviceable to cc the Life of Man 4 which he there- C£ fore files Tlejfmps of the Abyfs or ‘Deep that lyeth under the Earth an Expreffiom of high Emphafis, but little hitherto underftood, by any of his Interpreters, by Reafort of their Want of Knowledge of the OEconomy and Operations of this great Subterranean Referva- tory *
Now that my hand is Iri, and that the Author, of his wonted commit nicative Difpofition, has given me Leave, I fhall take, out of the fame *Work, two Paragraphs more; the one relating to the Curfe of the Ground, \ and the Production of Thorns and Thiftles , fet forth by Mofes on Oc- cafion of the Fall of Adam : the other, to the Life of Animals beini
featei
cc
cc
cc
cc
% Gen. xlix. 2 5. Confer. N. H. Barth illuflr a* ted, pag, 106", to kii? infra.
5°
Of theCurfe denounc'd upon the Earth, on Account of the Fall of Adam.
The ‘Tran/lators Introduction.
feated in the Blood. In this laft are feveral Experiments and Obfervations made in the Diife&ion of Live-Ani¬ mals. The Author, judging thefe too long to be printed here, would have retrench’d them. I have taken the Liberty to differ from him : and flat¬ ter my feif that I fhall be join’d by every Reader who is curious, and inquiiitive into a Matter that I cannot but think highly worthy of Confidera- tion.
cc Gen. III. 17, 18, 1 9. U?ito a Adam he faid , becaafe thou baft cC eaten of the Tree of which I com* cc manded thee faying^ thou jh alt not cc eat of if curfed is the Ground cc for thy Sake , in Sorrow (halt thou cc eat of it all the Days of thy Life . CG Thorns alfo and I hifiles jhall it <c bring forth to thee : and thou (halt cc eat the Herb of the Field . In the cc Sweat of thy Face (halt thou eat cc "Bread till thou return unto the cc Ground. I cannot readily fall in- cc to their Sentiments t who imagin
“ that
| Vide Bafil. Hexam. Horn. 5. D. Augu ftin de Geneii contra Manich. 1. i. c. 13.
*The T ranflators Introduction* 5 1
cc that Thorns and Thiftles were firft produced upon this Occafion : and that there were none, in Being, till after the Fall of ddam; any more than that the Rainbow had never Ooeafionaly appear’d till the Covenant, ma fetftheOri-
with Noah, after the Deluge, which SZaJow: fome have likewife fancy’d. This and its be - tc is a Phenomenon produc’d ac»*»£ appoin- cording to the ordinary and efta -teAifor a 7 blifh’d Laws of Nature : and muft, o/th^Cove* of Courfe, happen, as well before nant made the Deluge, as after it, as often w^N°ah* as the Rays of the Sun were return’d back to the Eye refra&ed and re¬ flected by innumerable Drops of falling Rain, in the Manner fet forth and demonftrated by the great M. Des Cartes* , and fome others cc fince. Nor could there ever have been appointed a more proper To¬ ken, and Sign of that Covenant, than this is. There was no need cc of produceing a Thing that had €C never had Exiftence before : or of, cc every now and then, working a “ Miracle in Confirmation of that €c Covenant. This was not at allrea-
d 2 Cf fonable
cc
cc
cc
cc
cc
cc
cc
cc
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cc
cc
cc
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cc
cc
cc
cc
cc
* Meteoric, 8. Dioptric, c. 6. Se£h 5.
52
6c
/ cc
cc cc cc cc Cc cc cc cc cc cc cc cc CC cc cc cc cc cc cc
l
cc
cc
'Thorns cc and Thifiles cc
/'« cc
gree, to put “ the Curfe , cc c/z £C
Earth, in
Execution.
cc
! The Tranjlators IntroducU on*
fonable, or agreeable to the Me¬ thods us’d in the Adminiftratioii and Government of the World. Any great illuftrious (landing na¬ tural Token would be fufficient, fuch as the Sun, for Example : and, as often as that was feen in the Heavens, it might have well ferv’d as a Monument of this perpetual Covenant, lb long as that glorious Body (Ball fhine and ejdff. But nothing could have been pitch’d up¬ on that was fo natural, fo fit, and dired to the Piirpofe, as the Rain¬ bow ; which is wont to be exhi¬ bited in the Conclufion and Going off of Rain. For ’twas Rain that, comeing on, ufher’d in that great Cataftrophe, the Deluge : and the Rainbow, happening on the Cefla- tion of Rain, was the moft proper Memorial of fuch a Covenant as could ever poflibly have been made Choice of As to Thorns and Thirties, tho’, in my Subterranean Searches, among the various nume¬ rous Vegetable Remains of the Ori¬ ginal Earth that I met with inclos’d and preferv’d in the Stoney and other Strata, I cannot recoiled that I oh-
u ferv’d
53
! The Tran/Iators Intrcchiclioii *
k*
'c ferv’d any of thefe; yet I do not [* doubt but, if Inquiry was again 'C made, with particular Regard to ^ thefe, great Numbers would be ‘c found. The rather, becaufe there are daily difcover’d, under-Ground, :c Plants of thofe Kinds that now as :c much incumber the Earth, and are :c of full as little Worth. I might I£ allege others, but (hall pitch upon c the Fern-Kind for Example of this; ;c fince no Plant whatever occurrs in ,c Stone in greater Plenty, or Variety, Ethan fhe Fern. Which yet is o£ c as little known Ufe as perhaps any :c the meaneft upon Earth. Notwith- c handings it is fo very exuberant, c produces a Cron, of Seeds, fo mcre- c dibly great, and fpreads fo fall, that ,c neither 1 horns, nor Thirties, nor ,c indeed any one Kind of Weed ,c whatfoever, has fo great a Share c of the Globe in its Poifeliion as this c has. But, tho’ Thorns and Thirties c were not iirrt brought forth inline- c diately after the Curfe, ’twas eafy c to God, and they might be then c render’d more mifchievous, trouble- 4 fome, and molefting than before. c They might have new Powers and
d 3 Property es
*
54. The Tran/lators Introduction .
- ec Propertyes fuperadded : and, in par¬ se ticniar, fuch as fhould render them « more prolific than the better. Kinds cf of Vegetables and thofe of greateft ' cc Ufe, more apt to propagate, dif- iC perfe tremfelves abroad, and over- tc run the Ground, And ’ris but too cc obvious to obferve with how great cc Eafe and Freedom Weeds, and “ worthlefs Vegetables, nay fome M that appear to have little in them cc befides what is noxious and hurt- ‘c full, run on, and multiply : and “ with how much Pains and Difficul- c£ ty, the more necelfary and ufefull tc are rais’d and increas’d. Indeed “ ’twill be eafy to difcern how this cc comes about if we look a litle up- w on the Seeds of the one, and the u other : and obferve how much grea- “ ter natural Provifion is made for the tc Growth of Weeds, and the Diftri- tc bution and Conveyance of their (C Seeds to all Places, than for the “ Seeds of Plants of the higheft Ufe, fifties per- cc and Benefit. For Example hereof
ticnlarty fc j wj}[ it;ch
upon the Seeds of $°pj cr , Cc an(j j-hofe of Thirties ; the
{C one the mort ferviceabie, the other ?c the mort detrimental to Mankind,
and
\
Tbe Translator s Introduction.
<c and particularly pointed out by <c Mojes , fo that it is the more pro- cc per to inftance in. For the Growth 4C of the Seed or Grain of Wheat, it cc requires that it be lodg’d at fome ec Depth in the Earth ; to which it ‘c cannot eafily get without humane <c Affiftance. ’Tis plain it can only Cc fhead, and fall down, from the xc Ear, directly upon the Surface of <c the Ground ,• where it would be ex- cc pos’d, and ready to be prey’d upon cc and devour’d by Birds, Field-Mice, cc and various other Vermin : or per- cc haps, ly till it perilh’d and rotted, Cc without ever fructifying, or coming Cc up,* mifcarrying for want of being u cover’d with Earth. But the Seeds cc of Thirties prefently ftrike down Cc Roots into the Ground, where-ever cc they happen to light: and need no cc fuch. Care and Aid. Then thefe cc Seeds have greatly the Advantage cc of thofe of Wheat, as to their na- cc tural Difpofition to be fow’d, diftri- cc buted about, and convey’d to all cc Places. The Grains of Wheat are, cc we know, much larger, and more £C ponderous, than the Seeds of Thi- €C files are: and have not, like them,
d 4 cc an
I
5 6 7* he Tranjlators Introduction*
<c aa Appendage to remove and carry cc them from the Spot where they <c grow. So that they muft all fall down, like a dead Weight, at the cc Root of the Plant, that bore them, ,.-*c without being inabled to ftir farther, cc or fliift each to a Place proper for cc their Reception, and Growth. But cc the Cafe is much otherwife with the cc Seeds of Thiftles. Thefeare (mail, cc and light. Nay, which is more, cc they have a fine downy Train, a 4C fort of very light Plume, extended to many Times the Dimenfions of cc the Body of the Seed. By means cc of this they are buoy’d up, and £c wafted about, by any the leaft Puff £c of Wind : born from Place to Place, and tranfplanted to every Quarter and Corner of the Field where the <c Parent^Thi file grew. Infomuch that, cc at fueh Time as this Plant is at Ma- cc turity, the Seeds loofe, and dif- £c pos a to fall off, ’tis common to fee large Fields cover’d all over with *c them, after any little Wind : and a tc White Mantle, difplay’d over the H whole Surface of the Ground, con- filling only of thefe Seeds with their white downy Appendages. Indeed
"tis
57
The Tranflators Intro chief ion.
‘c ’tis the final and only Ufe of thofe cc Appendages thus to wing and con- a vey their Seeds about every where. <c Nor ought it to be pafs’d over with- “ out Regard, that there are vaft “ Odds as to the Multiplication of <c their Seeds ; a much greater Num- (i ber of them being ordinarily pro- duced by one fmall Seed of a Thi- <c file, when planted in the Earth, “ than by a Grain of Wheat. We c need not go far for Example and “ Proof of this. The Carlina Syl- cc veftris , a Thi/He, that abounds ex- • (C ceedingly in Kent, and likewife, <c on the other Side the Thames, in “ Ejjex, bears ordinarily 20, nay 30, ee or 40 Heads, each holding in it 100, or perhaps 150 diliintt Seeds. cc The Acanthium Vulgar e, is ftill “ nearer us, and in View of all, pre- <c fenting itfelf every where in the <c Neighbourhood of. this City: and tc with yet more numerous Heads, “ fometimes to above an Hundred, <{ each of the larger holding in it be- tc twixt 3 and 4 Hundred Seeds. In *c Order to the palling fome Judgment of the Propagation of this, let it be
“ fuppo-
8
j The 'Tranflator s Introduction*
cc fuppofed, at a Medium, that one <c Seed produces only bo Heads : and “ that each of them holds but 300 <c Seeds. Now, in Cafe thofe all €C take rightly, come up, and frutti- “ fy, then one Seed will produce, at <c the firft Crop, 24 Thoufand. Thofe, cc fucceeding in like Manner, will cc produce 57 6 Millions of Seeds for “ the fecond Crop. This is an In- “ creafe fo enormous as could hardly “ be imagined : and ’tis plain that, cc from a very few Crops more, would £c be furnifh’d forth a Number of Seeds <c fo immenfely great as, if not hin- <c dered by fome Means, but carryed “ regularly on, every Way, would, cc in a very fhort Time, flock the “ whole Globe fo as fcarcely to leave “ Room for the Growth of any Thing cc elfe : and all thefe the Defendants “ of only one fingie original Seed. “ Than which there needs not a more “..firm and convincing Proof how tru- “ ly Thirties are, in their Nature, “ difpofed to put in Execution that cc Curfe : any more than how great “ and fignal the Provocation mud “ have been that drew it down fo
unhap^
!
CC
cc
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<c
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CC
CC
cc
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•
cc
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cc
The Tranjlators Introduction.
unhappyly on the Earth, and Hu¬ man-Kind. The Carduus ‘Polya- canthus ' Parkinfoni is as frequent and obvious in the Grounds about T 'own, and falls not fhort of even the precedent in the Number of its Heads. But fome Thirties, belides that of their Seeds, have alfo other Wayes of planting and propagating themfelves. Thus the Ceanothosy or Carduus Vulgcitijfimus Tdarum, befides the numerous and almoit infinite Seeds it carts forth, all plumed and prepared for Flight, hath its Roots fpreading and fhoot- ing to great Lengths, even for fe- veral Yards, all round, and fend¬ ing up Suckers, or new Plants, on every Side. In a little while thefe fend up others: and they, more, without Tale or End. Infomuch" that, by this Method alone, and befides the Seeds, one Plant will over-run a vaft Trad of Land, in a very fhort Time ; fuppreffing fti- fleing and deftroying all other, • however good and ufefull Herbage, wherever this once gets Footing. But, befides, ’tis not every Soil, or Trad of Land, that contains in it
cc terre-
59
(Jo
The Tran/lators Introduction.
cc terreftrial Matter fit for the Forma- cc tion and Nouriihment of Wheat: tc nay fcarcely any will fend it forth, cc in fufficient Quantity, without Com- <c pofl and Manure, whereby the cc Land is furnifti’d with a freih Sup- cc ply of that peculiar Sort of Matter cc out of which the Body of this Com cc is form’d. * Whereas there is hard- cc iy any Ground or Soil whatfoever, cc high or low. Hill, Valley, or Plain, cc where Thirties will not take and cc flouri ill faff enough. Which Oiews cc us plainly that there is far greater cc Plenty and Provision made, every cc where, of that fort of Matter which <c ferves for the Conftituteing of Thi- <c files, and Weeds, than of Corn, cc and other the mod noble ufefuli cc and excellent Vegetables. Thus cc Things apparently are, as we all tc find to our Sorrow, in the prefent CG Earth. In the primitive, ’tis very cc likely they were quite otherwife:
and Plants of the better Kinds had 'cc the Advantage ; the terreftrial Ve-
u ge table
*Vi<h T)ifc<mrfc of Vegetation — Philos. Tranfaet. June 169$.
tfhe Tran/lator 's Introduction. Ci
£* J
c getable Matter, that ferv’d for the “ Formation and furnifhing forth of fuch, being then much iupenor in “ Quantity to that which ferv’d for u the Formation of thofe which were “ of lefs Value and Ufe. At ieaft “ the Animal and Vegetable Remains <c of that Earth fliew it to have been *' much more fruitfull and produ&ive:£ than ours is: and the Curfe, pro- <c nounc’d upon it, was compleated, tc and finally accomplifh’d, at the Deluge, f by the Diminution and tc Retrenchment, which was then made, of that terrefrrial vegetable *' Matter, which before caus’d fo “ great and exceeding Fruitfullnefs.
« “1,M;lnyJ father Inftances might be 0f Thorns, alledged, but thefe are fufficient : and indeed fo much hath been laid,
“ of Thirties, that I ilrall be the " fhorter as to Thorns j the rather becaufe a great deal of what has “ been offer’d of thofe, as to their “ growing in almoft any kind of tc Soil, their running on and increafing
“ without
4: Nat. Hi ft. Earth . Part VI. t Ibid. Part II.
cc
cc
cc
cc
cc
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T'be T r an flat or s IntrodiicUoiu
without Number, the troublefome Nature and mifchievous Qualities of thofe, holds true like wile of Thorns. We need go no further for Proof of this than to the Bramble, which occurrs eve¬ ry where, and is but too forward to Ihew itfelf in ail our Grounds, to the Damage, Incumbrance, and Confounding of all the Good they produce. For this runs on amain : and throws itfelf about without Meafure. The Berries, it bears, are innumerable : and each contains in it many Seeds. Belides the Roots pulh forwards, very faft, under-ground, and fend up Suck¬ ers, on every Side, in great plen¬ ty ; each becomeing, in a little Time, a Plant of itfelf. Nay the very Branches, and Sprayes, running on to great Lengths, and lying upon the Ground, fend down Roots into it ; by that means diffu- fing themfelves about, and multi¬ plying beyond all Bounds. But, as to Thorns, the Example I make Choice of fhall be the Genifta Spincfa Vulgaris-, call’d in fome Countryes Gorfe, in others Furze ,
or
The Tranflator s Introduction,
(( or Whins. This is the vileft and moft mifchievous Shrub on the Face I; of the whole Harth. ’Twill let no! <c thing thrive, or profper, or even much as grow, near it. ’Tis fo (c clofe fet with Pricks, that ’tis hard- cc ly. pollible to approach it, any way, (c without Hurt. One of our moft eminent Botanifts* rightly obferves (t that its Hr cinches are fet with l fiarP tong Thorns , on all Sides, fo cc Wick that it feemeth nothing but cc Thorns. Another, f that on its c Tranches are Jet, in Numbers in¬ finite, moft Jharp Trickles hurting ‘c tike Needles. ’ l'vvas for this Rea- “ fon that the firft Writers of Plants, very fitly, gave it the Name of ‘‘ the Scorpion, f as one of the moft “ noxious and pernicious of them all.
<C And yet this is fo prolific that,
*' f°r almoft half the Year, ’tis even *' loaded with Flowers, going off in “ Pods charg’d with Seeds. Nay,
“ befides this Way of propagating it-
“ felf
* Parkinfon Theater of Plants, Tribe ?.c. to. t Gerard. H/ft. of ‘Plants Lib. 3. c. 10. t nQ-. Theophratf,-
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tfhe ^Tranjlcttors Introduction*
felf by Seeds, it fhoots forth Roots far and near, from which fpring up Suckers, and young Plants. Thefe, in a little Time* fend up others, as cc faft as the Parent whence they were cc firft derived. So that we need the fc iefs wonder to fee this odious Ve¬ getable, fo plentifully abounding a! molt every where : and vaft Trades of Land, wholey cover’d and over- cc run with it. To all which ought cc to be added that Tis extreamly difficult, indeed hardly pradticahle, ever wholey to extirpate and clear the Ground of it, where once it hath obtain’d and got Footing. cc Thefe Things duely refiedted on* Marks of a a it mu ft be allow’d that the Sen- Curfeonthe cc |-ence upon Adam, cur fed is the
liable World cc Ground for thy Sake0 — 7 horns and * cc cjbiftUs fcaU it bring forth to thee, , cc — - in the Sweat of thy Face Jhalt thou eat 'Bread* t was effe¬ ctually put in Execution : and not only upon him, but upon his Pofte- rity, thorow all Ages. In the whole Vegetable OEconomy there
. “ are
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f Gen. iii. 17. 18. 19.
The Tranjlators Introduction.
H‘ are plain Indications, that Things <c are contriv’d, difpos’d, and defign* tc edly order’d in fuch fort that the <c vileft and Worft of Plants fhould tc have vaftly the Advantage of the “ reft : that they fhould fpread, flou- cc rifh and grow up a-main, and this “ upon the ordinary Eftabliftiment of u Nature, of their own Accord, and ‘c without any Alliftance ,• whilft the 'c ufefull ones require great Care, Management and Culture. Nor is ,Q" there need of Labour and Induftry ■c meerly in the Railing and Order- c ing of thefe,- but like wife in the ‘c Extirpating and carting -out the c others, which not only incroach up- c on the Ground and take up the c Place where thefe fhould grow, but, c running up much eafier and farter, c ftifle and deftroy them, if not pie- c vented by humane Toil and In- c durtry ; which therefore is con- ftantly neceflary and wanting. This c is what hath been loudly complain’d c of in all Times : and is fo finely fet forth, by amort elegant Writer of c Agriculture, amonft the Antients, c that I cannot well contain myfelf
e “ from
The Iranflatofs Introduction*
cc from giving it in his moft beautifull €i Lxpreffion.
Mox dr Fr ament is Labor additas , at mala culmos
EJJet rubigo . Segnifque horreret
in Arvis
Cardans. Inter emt Segetes > fa- bit afpera Syha ,
Lappteque-) 7 ribulique. Inter que nitentia Calta
Infelix Lolium , CJ Steriles domi¬ nant ar Aven<e*.
56 Upon the whole, ’tis but too evident cc that Thorns and Thiftles ferve for cc little other than to give Trouble and €c Toil, to caufe Sweat and Sorrows u and were fent as a Curfe and Puniili- 4C ment to the World ; fo ftrong Lines £c of Nature, and fuch unqueftionable cc Marks of Truth and Exa&nefs are 4C there in this, as in all the other <c Parts of the Account of the great cc Writer of the Hiltory of the Crea- cc tion, the Apoftacy of the firft Man, cc and the Punilliment confequent cc thereunto”.
cc Flejh
* Virg. Georgic* L. i
*?he TranJIators Introduction. 6n
“ Flefh ‘with the Life thereof \fhe Mofaic £c which is the "Blood thereof (hairPofui™>
<c you not eat. Gen. IX. 4. All the thJ '
“ Principles, that fupply and con -Jm/sfs' cc ftitute the Blood, are fent into it wboleyin cc out of the Stomach; which is the tloe ^L00^%
“ firft Source and Fountain of them *r°of'the £c In this Organ are certain Sets of confmuent tc Salts, of like Sort with thofe which "Ports of cc conftitute the Bile. They are O{the/Bi°oj t " Nature very different, fome Am- TnnJpies
moniac and Volatil : others fixt and °f Animal tc alkalious, others Acid, others Bit- fC ter, Sweet, Muriatic. Thefe, con- <c flirting together, as ’tis the Nature tc oflike Salts, fend up Fumes, Steams,
“ or Wind ; which, inflating and dif- cc tending the Stomach, caufes it to '' prefs upon the defending Trunk “ of the great Artery, which is plac’d 'c behind it, upon the very Ridg of x the Back-Bone, fo as to be fubjeft- ,c ed directly to the Preflure and Ac- ‘ tion of the Stomach ; by which c means the Defcent of the Blood be- c ing check’d and impeded more or c lefs, in Proportion to the greater ‘ or leffer Inflation and Prefiure of c Stomach upon that Blood-Veflel,a ‘ greater or lefs Quantity of Blood is
e i fent
The Tranflator s Introduction*
€C fent up to the Brain, there to an- €C fwer the various Claims and Exi- “ gences of that important Organ. The Cc Salts, acting in the Stomach, make Cc various Impreffions upon it, upon Cc the great Artery whereon it prefies, Cc and the Blood which this contains;
whereby a various Xmpulfe, Modu- Cc lation, and Adion is produc’d in the Brain. Thefe Salts therefore concurr to the Produdion of the <c Thoughts : as they do alfo, of the PalTions. Falling upon the folid Part of the Aliment, fent down in- u to the Stomach, they divide atte- ce nuate diffolve and digeft it; by that means rendering it capable of pai- cc fingtheLadeal-Veffels ; and thence on into the Blood- Vefiels. By their cc Confiids and Colludations, in the ^ fame manner that we obferve of cc like Salts in our Chymical Tryals, cc they incite and produce an Eftervef- <c cence and Heat. Detachments of cc them, from the Stomach, attend a the Aliment palling into the Blood i u and, from the Heat, arifing from cc their Colludations, accompanying €C them thro’ all the whole Frame, cc the Heat of the Blood and Body
<c proceeds.
'I he TranJIators Introduction.
ct proceeds. To that Aliment, diftri- <c buted to the various Parts, is owing 4C the Growth the Support and Nourflv- Sc ment of the Body. The Fumes, “ attending the Salts, hurry ’d on in the <c Blood- VeiTels, and agitated, froath “ up and form, out of the Gelatinous cc Part of the Aliment, Bubbles, Veil- <c cles, or, as they are commonly <c call’d, Globules. Thefe expand, “ or contract themfelves, as the Heat <c and Fumes, included in them, are “ more or lefs intenfe : and thefe are tc the Inftruments of Mufcular and <c other Motions, and of all the Action <( of the Members, Organs and Parts. cc By the fame Fumes the Blood- “ VeiTels are, all over the Body, w kept up to a natural 1’enfion : and “ the Nerves, every where attending “ them, render’d tight as fo many c‘ Chorda tenfa. By this Mechanifm “ Senfation is induc’d : and in this, “ with the Warmth, and the Power “ of Action and Motion, confilts the “ Animation and Life of the Whole. “ So that it is plain the Life is in- w tirely in the Blood : and ’tis this, f and the Principles contained in it,
e ] ‘‘ that
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CThe Yranjlator s Introduction.
that animates invigorates and moves the Frame, the Members, Organs * and Parts 5 which are wholey paf- {ive, cold, without Senfe, lifelefc, and impotent, whenever the Blood de- ferts them, and is wanting. Nay, where this happens to be vitious, and, inllead of the genuine, and legitimate, to have receiv’d into it Principles that are not natural , Life is affedted, and incommoded : and the Heat, Senfe and Vigour, chang’d, in Proportion to the Pre¬ valency of thofe unnatural Princi¬ ples. Thus, in Cafe of Indigeftion, and the Aliment being not duely attenuated, but much of it fent, into the Blood- Velfels, in Form of Phlegm ; in the Extremities of the Parts, that are mod remote from the Power of the Heart, and where the Blood Veffels are the fmaileft, this Phlegm, being crafs, and vifeid, frequently impadts, and makes Glutts and Stops in thofe Veffels ; upon which the Part lofes of its Heat, its Senfe, and its Strength, in Proportion to the Quan¬ tity of Phlegm, fo impacted, and
“ to
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The Trcinflators Introduction. 7 1
a to the N umber of V eftels obftruded. cc By whatever other Means the ** Palfage of the Blood is intercep- €c ted, and its Accefs to the Part de- cc barr’d, whether internal, or exter- €C nal, as by a Ligature, or the like, cc the fame Symptoms and Accidents cc conftantly infue ; as certainly as cc they recede, and the Heat, Senfe,
<c and Strength of the Part, recurr, up- u on the Impediment being remov’d, and the Blood recovering due Paf- cc fage, as before. Unlefs, by too great <c Sufpenfe, and Delay, the Organs cc have buffer’d, and the Texture of cc the Part be damag’d and hurt. ’Tis Occafionaly cc true a Ligature, being made upon the of the Ner - u Nerve, will bring on fome of them* fame Symptoms ; which fhews, sc what no Man ever doubted of, that the Nerve mu ft concurr, and a if ft, cC in Action, and Motion > but the Power of the Nerve is nothing <c alone : and it is utterly incapable of exerting itfelf, in any Action, cc further than juft as fupported, by cc its Neighbour Artery, with natu- €C ral and rightly conftituted Blood V in it,
e 4 “ Tho’
7 % TranJIatofs Introchifflion .
Jn fiances of cc Tho’ any Part, when united and £lfe re~ . u continu’d to the Body, and right-
^he^artT 2 join’d with the reft, will be when fepa- CC difabled from doing its Office, when rated from cc the Blood is thus intercepted, yet the ^ “ very fame Part, having the Blood
6C in it, being cut off, and quite fe- parated from the Body, will con- tinue to aft afterwards, to do its cc Office, in fome Degree, and in Cc Proportion to the Blood that re- <c mains, fo long as this retains any cc Thing of its Heat and Fluidity ; cc than which there cannot be a fir- tc mer Proof given that the Life is foley in the Blood, But this will cc better appear from Inftances, and cc Hiftoryesof Faft,* of which I fhall here fubjoin feme, out of my Notes, cc and Papers. '
cc Jan. 2 6, i6p8 . Diffefting a €t D°g? chiefly with Intention to u make fome Obfervations in the Tho- rax, I took the Sternum quite off, and laid it afide. Happening, ac- 2 cidentally, to caft my Eye upon it, almoft a Quarter of an Hour af- J rterL* obferv’d various Startings,
1 witch ings, and convulfive Jerks !* m Ihe Mufcles. Thefe Commo-
Ct tions
The Tran/lators Introduction.
44 tions continu’d for fome Time, till <c the Part was near cold : and, when c< afterwards they ceas’d, upon my <c pricking it, with my differing Knife, <c the Fibres made very brifk Contra- sc dions anew, fhewing as quick and cc plain Signs of Senfe of acute Pain as they poiiibly could have done while cc the Sternum was united with the cc Body, and the Creature alive, cc Which they did feveral Times, af- terwards, upon my repeating the u Pundure, at Intervalls. Only, after u about an Hour more, they began to cc flacken, and gradualy decline, as <c the Mufcles became more and more cc cold, ftiif and dry ; the Heat being cc tranfpir’d, as alfo the thinner Parts cc of the Blood, and the reft being €C coagulated, and wholey ufelefs.
cc Sept . 20, 1709. From a fat Ox, <c which had been knock’d down near £c an Hour, and his Head cut off half cc an Hour. At 29 Minutes paft 5, cc in the Evening, I cutt, off the Malfa- cc ter Mufcle, a Piece about 8 Inches in Length, 4 in Breadth, and 1 in <c Thicknefs. Having laid it upon a cc Plate, I obferv’d all the Fibres V Work’d, agitated, and ftrugled ve-
74
The Tranflators Introduction.
<c ry ftrongly, and in a Manner not u a little furprizing. Viewing it an Hour after, tho’ it lay in a Win- <c dow, and was almoft cold, I found tc many of the Fibres continu’d yet “ ftirring, but not near fo brilkly as tc before. Being prick’d, it ftill fhew’d a very exquiiite Senfe : and u ftirr’d with fomewhat greater <<uick- nefs. W hen afterwards it was cold, c‘ and did not ftir at all upon pricking, tc I heid an hot Iron over it, upon €c which it renew’d its Struggles, <(m twitching almoft as intenfely and tc nimbly as at firft. This was an cc Hour and half after it was cut off.
At 25 Minutes part 7, upon hold- <c ing an hot Iron near it again, it <c ftill fhew’d as acute Senfe, and cc the Agitations and Struggles, were cc near as ftrong as before. At 4 6 Minutes after 8, upon holding the cc hot Iron near, it ftirr’d ; but not “ fo much as the laft Time. At 10, u the Iron being held, as before, it Cw ftirr’d not at all ; but then it was <c become ftiif, Stone-cold, and pretty <c dry. From thefe Experiments €c ’twas eafy to fee, that to the cc Warmth, and Humidity, or remain-
cc ^
»ng
'T’he Tvanflators Introduction.
z ing Blood, in the Part, were ow- c ing its Senfe and Power of Action, £ theie fiackning, gradualy, and in c Proportion as the W armth decreas’d, c and the Humidity went off.
cc 9. Sept. 170 <5. In a fat Ox, c three Quarters of an Hour after he c was knock’d down, and half an c Hour after the Head was cut off, I f obferv’d the Membrana carnofa, and £ exterior Mufcles of the Abdomen, c and Thorax, twitch’d, trembled, c and were convuls’d. Being prick’d, c or llightly wounded, they contradt- c ed as bnikly, and difcover’d as c quick a Senfe, as they well could c if the Creature had been living. ‘ I caus’d two Scewers to be Buck ;c in one of the Maffeter Mufcles, an 1 Hour after the Head of the Beaft cc was off: and fo (trong thereupon :c was the Motion, and Contraction, :c of that Mufcle, caus’d by the Pun- dtion and Pain, that it vibrated, :c tofs’d, and fhook the Scewers very much. I obferv’d this Motion con- pc tinuing, but with fome Diminution, cc two Hours after : and the Mufcles of the Thorax and Abdomen con- -c tinu’d {till likewife twitching, tho*
* very
7 6
j The clranJIatof s Introduction*
£C very feebly, they being now near cc cold. Upon opening the Abdo- <c men, half an Hour after the Head GC of the Creature was off, I took £C Notice that the Periftaltic Motion cc of the Gut ts continu’d pretty ftrong- C€ ly. I have obferv’d the like, in a £C Calf, half an Hour after the Head was cut off: and, in Sheep, at a ££ fomewhat longer Diftance. Nay, in feme Creatures, the Periftaltic €Q Motion will continue, after the €C Gutts are taken quite out of the Bo- cc dy, till they begin to grow cold.
cc From numerous Inftances, that 46 there are extant, and that may, one Day, be produced, in their Place, <c it appears that Nature has been, from the firft Intelligence, Notices <c and Records that we have of it, cc ever invariably the fame, as having cc been ever under the fame fteady cc Adminiftration. ’Tis likewifemoft evident that the Powers and Proper- c<r tys of Matter, and of Bodys, orga- cc nized, and others, have been con- cc ftantly the fame thorow all Ages. cc So that it cannot be thought ft range tc that this Phenomenon, of the Vel- a lications and Tremors of the Parts,
“ of
The 7 ranflators Introduction:
<c of Animals frefti-kill’d, when fe- “ parated from the Body, fliould have u been obferved, and mention’d by. “ by a molt correct Writer near 1800 “ Years agoe.
Tergora diripimt Cojlis C7 Vis¬ cera nudant.
Tars in Frufta fecant , Verubufque Trementia figunt.
yEneid. L. r.
T rementia , Servius interprets, pal- pitantia ad hue.
cc November 2 6. 1709. Opening sc the Thorax of a Cat, two Months <£ old, I inftantly cut out the Heart, <c and laid it, having firft ftripp’d off <c the Pericardium, upon a warm Pew- cc ter-Plate. There the Ventricles and ‘c Auricles continu’d to beat, alternate- ,r ly, but every Pulfe gradualy flow- “ er than the precedent, for 1 2 Mi- “ nutes; when the Pulfations who ley “ ceafed. About 5 Minutes after, “ ftrikeing a larger Needle into the “ Heart near the Apex, the Ventri- “ cles made a briik Syftole once ; as “ they did, upon feveral other like ‘c Functions, fuccelfively. Afterwards,
“ pouring
7»
I he Trnnflators Introduction*
<c pouring upon the Heart warm Wa~ u ter, the Ventricles ftirr’d not, but the Auricles renew’d their Pulfati- “ onsf very regularly, and brifkiy, cc as often as the warm Water was cc pour’d on, for a quarter of an Hour, u and till the Heart had been cut <c forth 27 Minutes 5 when all wholey <c ceas'd, tho’ the Water was conti- <c nu’d to be pour’d on fome Minutes u longer. This ferv’d, before, only u to moiften the exterior Membrane, u of the Auricles, become gloflty, dry, cc and fo Hark as not eafily to yield cc to the Adion of the little Blood yet cc continuing within, till this Water cc had foften’d it, and render’d it more cc pliable and obedient to that remain- “ ing Adion. But, after this Blood cc was quite fpend, the Water avail’d * nothing. Heat is all of the fame 4C Kind : and fome, palling from the Water, might reinforce that in the €C Blood of the Auricles. The Parietes c‘ of the Ventricles being more denfe <c and crafs, feem to have refus’d Ad~
4 million to it : and, being withall <c very thick and ftiff were not ren-*
*c der’d, by the Water, fulficiently
u pliable
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*Ibe Trctnflator s Introduction*
pliable flexil and capable of Pulfa- tion. Or perhaps there was not remaining a fufficient Quantity of Blood in thefe ; they requiring more* to move and work them ,* the Thicknefs and Subftance of thefe being greater than that of the Au¬ ricles.
tc 6. Nov. 1708. A large tame Pi¬ geon. At 1 2 Minutes after Ten o’ Clock, having taken off the upper Part of the Scull* 1 took out the Brain, excepting only a Part of it fo very little that it could not eafily be rais’d : and this I mafh’d and con- fufs’d, fo as to fpoil and deftroy the Mechanifm and ufe of it. At 32 Minutes after x, the Creature difgorg’d, out of its Crop, fome Tare, and Peas, which it had eaten a while before. This is one of many Inftances that I have ob- ferv’d of the ftrift Intercourfe and Reciprocation betwixt the Sto¬ mach and Brain, the one feldotn being affe&ed without the other bearing its Share, and difcovering fome Perception of it. T he Bird was {fill pretty brilk and lively ; but clos’d its Eyes, except when
u mokfted.
/
8o
Cfhe Tranjlators Introduction.
£t molefted. At xi, and fo on till cc 5 Minutes after xi, it opened its eC Eyes : and gave feveral Proofs cC that it faw, tho’ not then with cC its ufual Quicknefs, At io Mi- cc nutes after xi, it fell down, lay €C on one Side, and was frequently <c convuls’d. At 41 Minutes after cc iv, it dyed.
tC 6. Ncv. 1708. A large Chicken. cc The greateft Part of the Brain was cc taken out, and the reft maili’d, at iC 18 Minutes after x. It fhew’d no €C Sign of being very uneafy, or in great cC Pain : and was lively, opening its rc Eyes, commonly, till 35 Minutes cc after xii, when it fell down con- vuls’d : and, about 1, after feveral * ftrong Convulsions, it dyed.
tC 2 9. Aug. 1707. A Carp, cut cc up alive. The Heart continu’d Cc beating, ftrongly, tho’ flowly, for <c above an Hour after ’twas taken cc forth of the Body, and laid upon a cc Plate. Longer I had not Leifure Ci to obferve it.
“ 27. Aug. 170 6. A large Eel, cc cut up alive at x*o’ Clock in the cc Morning, mov’d and ftirr’d brifkly, *c for 2 Hours, while I was traceing
iC the
The Tranjlators Introduction.
cc the Biliofc and other Duds, and u making various Qbfer various on the cc Bowels, Then, at xii o7 Clock, I cc cut out the Heart, and laid it upon cc the Table ; after which the Body “ continu’d (lining, and pretty adtive, Cc for near a quarter of an Hour^ cc when, the Head being cut off, and cc the Body cut into 5 Pieces, thefe £c fhew’d Signs of Life, and mov’d cc for fome Time after. Both the £c Auricle and Ventricle of the Heart u continu’d to beat, in Time, and Strength, much as before ’twas cut out, for 500 Pulfes ; when I left uC telling. Three Quarters of an Hour £c after, I obferv’d it (till bearing, but very languidly. In about a Quarter cc of an Hour more, at i o’ Clock, cc the Ventricle, being become (tiff, tc and dry, ceas’d to beat any longer ; €G but the Pulfe of the Auricle was cc near as intenfe as ever. Upon moift- “ ning the Ventricle, with warm u Water, it renew’d the Pulfations a again, but faintly, and with fome £C Appearance of Diforder and Con- vulfion. At half an Hour after iii £C o’ Clock, the Auricle continu’d (till €C beating, tho’ ftifly, being much
£ cc dry’d*
The Tranjlators IntroduUionl
cc dry’d. The Ventricle had ceas’d cc beating now about half an Hour ;
it being become ftiff, dry, and fhri- 4C vefd. Upon dropping warm Water on the Ventricle, it fhew’d ftill <c fome fmall Signs of Senfe and Life $ tc the exterior Membranes moving, cc (lightly contracting and relaxing ; *c but it did not beat. At half an Hour part iv, I could not, by a Live-Coal, PunCtion with a Needle, <c nor any other Means, excite any (c Signs of Life or Senfe in the Ven- €C tricle. But one fmall Speck in the <c Auricle, of a Colour more red than €C the reft, as haveing accidentaly cc more Blood in it, continu’d yet cc beating, regularly, and at due In- fC tervalls, the’ very faintly. This €C was 6 Hours and an half after open- €C ing the Eel : and 4 Hours and an cf half after the Heart was cut out and cc laid upon the Table.
<c 6. 'Nov. 1708. The common €C Snake, or Natrix torquata. The cc Head was cut off, at x, 25 '. By x, cc 35 '•> there were remaining no Signs ce of Motion in the Head ; but the €C Body ftirr’d pretty brifkly. It ftirr’d *c in like Manner at x. 55', Atxu, 3',
The Tranjlators IntroduUioiu
*[ the whole Body was in a con- “ tinual flow periftaltic Motion, tho’ “ nothing touch’d or molefted it. If “ ptefs’d, or ftruck, it ftirr’d with fo ■ ( much Activity, that I could per- “ ceive, now, little Difference from the tc Motion us’d by it before the Head “ was cut off. Nor did it fliew '4 any Signs of Pain, or Convulfions.
At io Minutes after ii, it mov’d c with as much feeming Vigour as c ever* ’Twas about 3 Foot longs * and the Body, being cut in two,
,c in the Middle, each Piece continu’d c to move till about v, when both c Parts loft all Senfe.
“ 6. May 1705. A pretty large e Snake, caught 3 dayes before. At ' x, 9, the Head was cut off, the c Heart taken out, and laid upon E a Table, the Ventricle and Au- : ricle then beating 13 Pulfes in a : Minute. At x, 14, the Ven- : tricle and Auricle beat but 7 Pulfes in a Minute. At x, a-o', the Eyes mov’d in the Head. At x, 22', the Body mov’d fpontaneoufly, very freely. The Auricle and Ventricle beat now only 3 Pulfes in a Minute. At x, 30', the
f » “ Mouth
$4
j the Tranjlator s Introduction •
cc Mouth open’d pretty wide, and cc had done fo, before, feveral Times, cc At x. 33'. The Auricle ceas’d cc beating ; but the Ventricle flill cc continu’d to beat, tho’ very flowly. 44 At x. 53', The Ventricle beat not fiC more than two Fulfes in a Minute. cc At x. 5 5 On pouring warm Water cC upon the Heart, which had now <c aimolt left beating, both the Aii- 4C ride and Ventricle renew’d their cC Pulfations, in a Manner really cc ftronger than when firft taken out cc of the Body, and likewife fafter, cc viz. 32 Puifes in a Minute. At cc xi, r. The Neck being prick’d, cc the Mouth open’d, and the Tongue cc mov’d very quick and fart. At xi. cc 4 . Being ftruck on the Tail, the Body mov’d with a good deal u of Activity. At xi. 14', The Au- cc ricle and Ventricle renew’d their cc Pulfation upon warm Water being /CC pour’d on : and beat now 19 Puifes €C in a Minute. At xi. 35'. The cc Head had loft all Power of Senfe cc and Motion. Atxi. 55*. pouring on Water feme what warmer than €C before, both the Ventricle and Auricle beat, afrefh, ftrongly; : , ' Puifes
LThe Tran/lators Introduction'.
2 6 Puifes in a Minute. Atxii. 20' the Body being ftruck, Birr’d u little : but3 being prick’d with a cc diifeding Knife, near the Tail, cc mov’d that much and freely. At “ xii. 30b the Heart retain’d but cc very little Motion, till, pouring on cc fome warm Water, it beat, tho’ cc not regularly, 1 o Puifes in a Mi- [c nute ; when it again ceas’d, and ‘c Brew’d but little Sign of Senfe ,c or Motion, unlefs the Water was cc repeated. At xn. 40'. the Au- ricle ceas’d, tho’ warm Water was c pour’d on : and the Ventricle did c not beat, but was convuls’d, and c twitch’d pretty ftrongly. Atxii. c 55', on pouring warm Water into c the Part that was open’d to take e out the Heart, the whole Body, mov’d about very brilkly: and continu’d to do fo, till the Water became cold. At xn. 5 6. the Heart now Brew’d not the leaft Motion upon pouring on warm Water, or Pundure with a dif¬ fering Knife. At 1. 35'. Warm Water being powr’d on, external¬ ly, incited the whole Body to move pretty freely. At 1. 40'. it now f 3 “ Brew’d
The T ranjlators Introduction.
u fhew’d not the leaft Sign of Senfe or cc Motion on pouring on warm Water, cc Pundure, or any other Means us’d, a May. 3. 1705. An Englifh *c Viper, or Adder, that had been cc caught a Week, and kept without ic eating any thing. At 35 Minutes <c after ii, I cut off the Head, with near a an Inch of the Neck : and imme- diateiy after tpok out the Heart, ?c laying it upon a Table. The Auri* <c cle and Ventricle beat, alternately, <c with a Syftoie as ftrong as when ■c in the Body, juft 13 Pulfes in a Cc Minute, The Head lay ftill ; but <c the Body mov’d with as much <c appearing Eafinefs, Freedom and £C Strength as before the Head was cut off. At 49 Minutes paft ii, €C the Auricle and Ventricle beat 1 1 cc Pulfes in a Minute; but, prefently cc after, the Auricle wholey ceas’d beating. At 55 Minutes paftii, the €<r Ventricle beat but 6 Pulfes in a tc Minute. At iii o’clock, the Puife a of the Ventricle was fo little as ta cc be but juft perceiv’d. At 3 Minutes after iii, the Puife of the Ventricle ceas’d ; fo that, in this Subjed, the Ventricle beat about 13 Minutes
cc after
The Iran/Jatcrs Introduction.
a after the Auricle had defifted. 2 “ Minutes after, pouring on warm Wa- <c ter, the Ventricle renewing its Adti- cc on, beat, in a Minute, 17 Pulfes, <c which were quicker than at firft, but <c much more feeble and languid. At <f 1 1 Minutes after iii, warm Water €C pour’d on, produc’d little fenfible Pul- cc fation > but there were convulfive Tremors in both the Auricle and cc Ventricle. At 1 5 Minutes after iii, €c on pouring on warm Water, the Pul- cc fation of the Ventricle renew’d. At 18 Minutes, the Auricle made only “ two feeble Pulfes. At 22 Minutes, a tho’ nothing touch’d the Head, the cc Mouth open’d, fuddenly, very wide; €c but prefen tly Oiut again. At 3 3 Mi- *c nutes after iii, the Body was lying cc quiet and Bill ; but, on ftriking the <c Tail with my diffe&ing Knife, it cc mov’d with full as great a Shew of Senfe, and of Activity, as at firfl, cc and indeed as it poilibly could while <c the Creature was well, and before cc ’twas cut or hurt. At 24 Minutes <c after iii, Iobferv’d the Mouth to open <c pretty Wide. Tho’ warm Water <c was continu’d to be pour’d on, the u Puifeofthe Ventricle was now lan-
f 4 <c guid
1
88
The Tranjlator s Introduction.
« guid, and little. At 38 Minutes after cc nt, the Pulfe of the Ventricle, in warm cc Water, wholey ceas’d. I try’d to K incite it again, by Punbtion with 4C a Needle, and with a Lancet, but cc in Vain. At 41 Minutes after iii, cc the Body, tho’ not touch’d or mo- “ lefled, mov’d with great feeming £C Eafe and Freedom, fpontaneoufly, 44 nothing giving it any Moleftation. cc I could not perceive the ieaft Dif- Cc order or Convulfion in this Motion. ct At 47 Minutes after iii, the Head and cc adjoining Neck, had wholey loft cc all Sente ; none being to be inci- “ ted by Pun&ion, or any other Means. “ At 48 Minutes after iii, the Body cc layftill; but, the Tail being ftruck, cc the whole mov’d aimoft as ftrongly cc asatfirft. Itdid the fame after wards “ on ftrikeing it at the other Extreme. cc At 2 5 Minutes after iv, ftrikeing it - cc near the Neck, it mov’d, but more C£ nimbly when ftruck near the Tail. c' At 33 Minutes part iv, the Tail cc being ftruck, the Body iEew’d little e' Sign of Senfe or Motion, The Vi- c: per is in its Nature comparatively ‘c cold ; but this was now become JC fenfibly colder than at firft. At 40 cc Minutes after v, the whole Body
“ mov’d
j the Tranjlators Introduction. g $
a mov’d of its own Accord, and with- cc out Incitement. But, immediately cC after, it loft all Senfe and Power a of Motion. Tho' it was put in a warm Water, and ftimulated with cC various Pundions, it difeover’d not cc the leaft Perception, Upon the cC whole, ’tis ohfervable that the Bo- cc dy retain'd Life, and Senfe, with €C a Power of Adion, above 3 Hours cc after the Head was cut off, and the Heart taken quite out: and near 2 “ Hours after the Head had loft all cc Senfe : 3 Hours, within 1 o Mi- cc nutes, after the Auricle had ceas’d cc beating, and above 2 Hours and cc an half after the Ventricle had cc ceas’d. In this Computation, I have sc no Regard to the Renovation of the cc Pulfations of each, faintly, upon cc pouring on warm Water.
cc Offiob. 5. 1705. I took the cc Brains out of a Frog; clearing the cc Skull of them with great Care.
This was at iii in the Afternoon: cc and he lived near 6 Hours after, ct viz. till within a few Minutes of a ix. During which Time he gave cc plain Proofs of his Hearing, Seeing,
? and Feeling. Upon any fudden
F Noife*
The Tranjlators IntreduUion.
£C Noife, he fhew’d Signs of Surprize, $c and Fright. His Eyes were gene- “ neraly open : and, as often as an “ Offer was made of ftrikeing him, u he ever avoided the Stroke, leap- “ ing away, with pretty much Strength, <c and not appearing in any Difbr- “ der, till within an Hour of his “ Death, when he began to be con- « vuis’d.
cc 6 Nov. 1708. At Minutes <c after x, in the Morning, Opening “ the Heads of two feveral Frogs, <c I took out as much of the Brain ic as well I could ; mafhing and “ confufing the little that remain’d. <£ At 43 Minutes after xi, one of £C thefe Frogs made feveral Leaps £C about the F loor. At x i at Night,
<c both were alive : and leap’d about. tc At xi, the next Night, they were tc ftill alive.
8. Sept. 1714. 34 Minutes paft <c x, I cut off the Head of a Frog, w that was pretty lively and brim,
“ Immediately it had convulfive <c Twitchings, and Subfuitus’s, all u over. The Hinder Legs lay ex- <c tended, and I ftabb’d them feve-
rai
<Ihe Tranjlator s Introduction .
tc ral Times, with the Point of my c- Dififedting-Knife, as alfo the Fore* ^ Legs, he being ftunn’d, for the cc prefent, and hardly fhewing any a Sign of Senfe. But, at 42 Minutes <c paft x, trying with a Knife again, cc I found the Creature much recover’d.
Upon pricking his Hinder Legs, he cc pluck’d them up brilkly : and rais’d cc his whole Body, pufhing forward, as if he intended to take a Leap. The fame he did, as often as he €C was prick’d in any Part at xi . 5 . At cc xii he continu’d to do the like, but cc not fo vigoroufly. At xit. 35', lit— tie Alteration. At i. 9. he feem’d <c to be dead : and fhew’d no Senfe <c of Pain upon pricking his Legs, cc or any other Part of his Body, till, cc upon a Babb into his Gutts, he pull’d *c up his Legs ftrongly. At ii o’clock, iC no Life or Senfe appear’d. I held cc the Creature fome Time near the Fire, pour’d warm Water upon cc him, and wrapp’d him in a warm Cloth ; yet neither thefe, nor prick- u ing, nor burning with a hot Iron, made him fhew any Sign of Senfe ** or Motion,
cc Another
rfhe Tranjlators Introduction.
cc Another Frog, fomething lefs, ,c whofe Head I cut off, 5 or 6 Mi- cc nutes after, from that Time for- £c wards continu’d to fhew Signs of cc Senfe, as often as ftimulated, for cc 2 Hours longer than the former.
Ck 6. OCtob. 1691. Having cut off cc the Heads of three common Flefli- cc Flyes, one of them flew away, <c the other two run about brifkly, u rubb’d their Legs, as they were tc wont whilft well, and no wayes £C injur’d; only they fhew’d, now and “ then, fome Signs of a tremulous £C or convulfive Motion in their Legs. cc 1 2 Hours after, they were flill a- <c live : and, being touch’d, run on their “ Legs much as before. Then I left “ them ; but found both dead in the <c Morning. The Heads never fhew’d sc the leaf! Signs of Life or Motion after they were cut off. This was “ a Seafon of the Year when Flyes “ begin to be torpid, and much lefs “ vigorous than in the hotter Months.
“ Had the Experiment been tryed in cf thefe, ’tis probable the beheaded “ -B°dyes would have fhewn greater “ vigour^ and have retait/d Life longer.
“ 'M.
^The Tranflators Introduction:
cc July..** 1707 . With a Pair cc of Sciflars I clip a a Wafp in two^ cc at the Ifthmus, betwixt the Thorax cc and Abdomen. Both the upper and Cc lower Parts Hir’d very brifkly for cc fome Time after. Indeed the up- cc per, the Head, with the Thorax, a whence proceed the Legs, and a Wings, got quite away, and was
loft. The lower Parts retain’d a w very plain Sehfe 24 Hours after : cc and, being touch’d, and molefted, cc exerted the Sting very nimbly and cc fiercely. I have frequently obfer- cc ved the like in other Wafps that cc had been long fo cut in two ; they cc conftantly fhewing a quick Senfe, cc and emitting the Sting as oft as cc provok’d.— Another Wafp, feve- cc ral Hours after its Head was cut 4C off, ftung a Cat, fo as to caufe in cc her very great Pain. A young cc Gentleman of my Acquaintance, cc inadvertently refting his Hand, on a cc Window, perceiv’d a fudden Pun- €C (Sure and Pain in it. Looking up- cc on it, there ftuck to it the Hinder- cc Parts of a Wafp, with the Sting cc infix’d into his Hand, It fetter’d
cc imme-
Of the 'Do¬ ff rine of Jlnimal Spirits,
*The Hranjlators Introduction.
cc immediately, fwelf d, and gave him <c full as much Pain as he ever re- cC ceiv’d from the Sting of a Wafp <c that was intire and unhurt* The iC Fore-Parts, the Head, and Thorax, <c were gone : and he could find no- cc thing of them upon fearch. What <c is remarkable, in the Cafe, is, that €C the Wafp fhonid be capable of ex- cc erting fo much Senfe, with fo great <c Pain on, and Rage, in its own De- tc fence, when feparated both from cc the Brain, and Heart j there being, cc in this Part of the Body, little be- <c fides the Stomach and Gutts*
<c Aug. 13. 1 659. Making fome €C Obfervations, with a Microfcope, cc on the Spider exhibited by Dr. Li- fter, Hi ft or. Animal. Anplice , Hr, “ de Araneis , Tab. I. Fig. V, by <c accident one of its Legs were tc pull’d off: and I obferv’d that Leg “ afterwards contracting itfelf, and tc relaxing, in Turns, upwards of fix- cc ty Times.
u As the foregoing Experiments <c ferve to fhew what is real in Na- cc ture, and what the Blood and the cc Salts in it actually do, fo they ferve
cc as furely to deteCt what is falfe
1
The Translator's Introduction*
and Suppofitirious; inparticular, the *c Hypothefis of Animal Spirits, fet up, “ in the laft Century, by the Carte-
lians * for folveing the ‘Phenomena <c of Life, Senfation, and Animal “ Action. ^ They fuppos’d thefe Spi- “ rits form’d in the Brain : and dif- cc patch’d thence, through the Ner- “ ves, to all Parts of the Body, to u anfwer there the various Exigences “ of each. All this they will have “ to be fleer’d and directed, in Man, cc by the Soul ; which they imagin £C torefidein the Glandula Penealis, ‘c there to ad that Part, to iflue out <c her Orders, and execute all her Pur- <c pofes, by Means of thofe her Emif- “ faries, and Agents. Tho’, when <c we come to examine the Strudure <c of the Brain, the Glandula Pinealisy tc and Nerves, we find nothing that “ favours this Hypothefis in the lcaft ; tc that Glandule ferving in a much “ lower Office, the Secretion of an “ Excrementitious Humour, and the “ Nerves being not fiftulous, or fo “ fram’d as to fuffer fuch a Fluid.
CC £L _ 1 /
* Vid. Ren, Des Cartes, Lib. de Homine
The Tranflators Introduction.
<c freely and quickly to pafs and cc repafs* But, the Notion ferving Ct their Turn, the Naturalifts of that cc Age run generally into it : and sc efpecially the Englijh . They found cc thefe Animal Spirits ready to run 4C on all their Errands, mighty handy, cc and fitted to do every Thing thorow- <c out the whole Body ,that they pleas’d, €C or that they could not otherwife <c find any Solution, or afhgn any cc Caufe of. Not that they have ever gone about to lliew how thefe Spi- cc rits were capable of that : nor even cc fo much as to give Proof that they cc really had any Exiftence, other cc than in their Fancy, and that there cc was, in the Body, any fuch thin cc fubtil abtive Fluid as they define cc thefe Spirits to be. Be that as it cc will, the Notion taking fo much cc with the Naturalifts of England , cc they grafted upon it another, of a <c Sztccus Nutritius in the Nerves. cc This was as meer a Fiction as the <c other: and defervedlv reje&ed by the Naturalifts abroad *. But that “ had no Effect here. The Animal
cc Spirits
* Vid. G, Sc hd hammer de
j the (Yranflator s IntroduBion .
€€ Spirits are Bill in as much Vogue, and C€ full Imploy, as ever ; even tho’ the ‘c Hypothecs be again!! common Senfe : c& and the Experiments, recited above, with many others that might be al- <c ledg’d, give Ocular Demonftration, that ’tis wholey without Grounds, <c that Senfation may be continu’d, and cg Animab-Abtion fucceffively repeated, cc without any Intercourfe with the <c Brain, and after all Communication cc with that, and likewife the Heart, is e<; perfebtly intercepted. There are, cc indeed, great Numbers of Animals cc that, after the Brain is taken quite out, can fee, hear, feel: nay I £c have Reafon to believe have the Ufe of the other two Senfes, can sc fmell, as alfo taft, did the Uneafi- cc nefs they muft needs be under allow cc them Inclination to do that. They fc likewife are capable of Motion, and cc of every Kind of Animal-Abtion. cc They obferve, reflebt, fhew Signs C£ of Paffion, Grief, Anger : and of cc Fear, if moiefted, or attacked, <c They take Care for their Preferva- cc tion ; avoiding every Thing that €C offends them, or that feems likely €c to indanger or hurt them. But all
g “ this,
g 8 The TranJIators Introdiiction.
4£ this, only for a while ; tho’ in- t£ deed long enough to evince that “ the Dependence of the Parts upon 4C the Brain is not fo abfolute, and tc mediant, as has been generaiy ima- “ gined ; tho’ that Organ be of too “ great Ufe and Importance to be “ difpenfed with for any confidera- 5C bleTime: and, much more, to be “ wholey difmifled, as feveral Ana- cc tomical Tryals have taught us the “ Spleen, and feme other Parts, may. €C Nay, from the fame Experiments, “ ’tis apparent that Senfe, and the 41 Power of Motion, are fo far from “ depending intirely upon the Brain, that this Organ itfelf, and the Parts <c neareft it, frequently lofe all Power c‘ of Senfe and Adtion, fome l ime be- K fore even thofe that are the molt tc diftant and remote from it. I am “ a little the more particular on this sc Subject, becaufe fome of the Par- u tizans of Animal Spirits, fill’d with Opinion of their own Theory es, are “ wont to treat the Mofaic Philofophy in a Supercilious Manner and with “ pifregard. W hereas, we fee, when “ brought to the Standard of Nature, “ Aeirs appears to be wholey with-
out
The Tranflators IntrodvMion.
tc out other Foundation than meer c‘ Prefumption, and a forward Ima- tc gination; while Mofes has Evidence tc of Senfe on his Side : and there £C cannot be firmer Proof defir ’d, that ‘c the "Blood is the Life of the Fkjh, “ than thefe Experiments give, in £c which Pieces of the Fiefhof Ani- “ mals, of various Kinds, exhibit tc plain Signs of Life remaining, with tc a Capacity of Senfe, and fpontane- £C ous Motion, fo long as they have u in them any Blood remaining, warm, cc fluid, and not wholey indifpos’d to “ anfwer thofe Ends. I fliall only tc now further add, that tho’ Mcjes u was thus pofitive, and finely ap- £c priz’d of this Doftrine of the Princi- £c pie of Life in Animals, it had lain tc hid to Ages, and was known to £C no Mortal befides Himfelf. Nor “ has it, that I know, been ever “ hitherto explain’d, or let in a due £c Light. It may not be impoflible, “ but the Advocates of Animal Spirits “ may retort, and demand of me “ what Proofs I have to offer in be- “ half of my Dodrine of the Biliofe ££ Salts ? To which I freely anfwer, “ obfervation. Fad, and the Attefta-
g 2 “ tion
1 oo
cc CC (( < c u ct CL
(C
sc
Cfc
«C
cc
cc
CC
cc
Some De¬ gree of Mo- cc 2?70/Z of the cc the 'Blood c c continuing , /er ^ Jbortcc cTimey in a Darts cut a of from the
Body. “ cc
CC
cC
! The Tranflatof s Introduction «
tion of our Senfes. Thefe Salts ap¬ pear aftualy exiftent in all Parts of the Body : and prefent where- ever thofe Effe&s, Actions and O- perations, that I afcribe to them* appear. This any one, that will beat the Trouble, may inform him- fell of; fo that there’s the lefs Need for me to refer, for more particular Information, to the Thyfiological Treat if e of the StruUure and Ufe of the Tarts in Animals , * men¬ tion’d in my EJfay of the Nat. Hi ft . Earth Part IV. pag. 235. 3d. Edition.
u ’Tis a T hing of very high Spe¬ culation, tho’ never hitherto taken Notice of, that the Blood retains a Motion, at lead: in the capillary Extremityes of the Vefiels, for fome Time after the Part is cut off, and feparated from the reft of the Body. That Motion is perform’d in the very Manner that it is in the ordina¬ ry Circulation, tho’ it, indeed, be¬ comes commonly fomewhat flower
cc prefently
biom this Treat fe feveral confiderable Draughts have been made fi nee : and parti¬ cularly for the Idea of the Nature of Man , where this Do<ftrine is fet in a Light fome- what fuller than it is here.
IOI
The Tranjlators IntroduBion.
iC prefently after the Part is fo fepa- “ rated, and gradualy llakens till it, 4C at laft, iinaly ceafes. But in feme Subjects, and particularly in the *c Gills of aMufcie, cut out, I have, *4 with a good Microfcope, obferv’d cc the Globules of the Blood move as 44 nimbly ^ as is ever feen in any like €C tranfparent Part whileyetunited with 44 the Body : and continuing to move 4C fo long as, I confefs, much to fur- cc prize me. The fame may be ob- cc ferv’d, tho’ not quite fo well, in <c the Gills of a clear young Oyfter : cc and in the Tails of Fifties that are cc thin and diaphanous. Thefe Ob- cc fervations make it evident that the cc Blood- Veffels have, in themfelves, cc feparately and independent of the cc Heart, or Brain, a Power of tranf- cc mitting and pufhing forward the 4C Blood when transferred into them. 4C ’Tis hardly needfull for me to ad-
g 3 vertifo
p For both the Space, and the Veflels, be- sng immenfe y magnifyed, as well as the Blood-Globules, they feem to mo e very fwift, and thro’ a great Space of Velfel, in an Inftant of Time.
101
The Tranjlators Introduction*
€C verttfe that Care ought to be ta~ cc ken that fuch Subjects be chofen cc for thefe Obfervations as are lively, cc in Vigour, and as little impair’d, cc fpent, or hurt, as may be. For tho’ that Motion may be obferv’d in cc thefe, it cannot be with near equal €C Advantage. I have obferv’d the Blood continuing its Motion in the Veflfels of the Tail of a Gudgeon cc ro Minutes after it was cut oft and a parted from the reft of the Body; tho’ the Fifh had been caught feveral Dayes, and kept only in cc a Bafon of Water. I have not iC ail the Notes, which I have ta- *c ken of thefe Things, at Hand : nor indeed made fo many and vari¬ ous Obfervations on this Subjed: as it merits. Whoever flhall have Leifare to do that, with the Appli- cc cation that it requires, will find his “ Labour well repay’d by the Intelli- ** gence and the Light it will give him “ into feveral Things, very confidera- i° the Animal OEconomy, that “ have been hitherto obfcure, and little underftood. I content myfelf herp “ with only giving a Hint of this; chiefly with Delign to iliew feme-
what
The Tranflators Introduction .
€c what of the Mechanifm whereby <c the Senfe and Action of a Part i s, cc in fome Degree, preferv’d, after ’tis cc feparated from the reft ; as we have cc feen in the Cafe of the Maflfeter £c Mufcle, and fome other Inftances cc recounted above.
£C I am well aware I have run out cc out into a much greater Length cc than I at firft intended ; which yet, cc on a Subjedt fo fruitfully ’twas not €C eafy to avoid. That I may not cc tranfgrefs further, I fhall only take €C Notice that ’tis plain, from the re~ cc cited Experiments, that the Princi- <c pie of Life, Senfe, and Animal Adi- cc on, exifts, and is adualy prefent in £C the very Parts that live perceive “ and adt : and that it is not fucceflive- <c ly derived from the Brain, as has <c been generaly imagin’d. ?Tis as “ evident that the Life of the whole cc Animal, and its Power of Senfe, <c Adtion, and anfwering the Ends of cc Life, in every Refped, and of each c c particular Member, Organ , and Part, is exadly commenfurate to the Quan- £C tity of rightly conftituted Blood in cc it: and that the Life, and thofe €C Powers, fail and diminifh only in
g 4 “ Proper-
103'
i£4
The Iranjlators Introduction*
cc Proportion to the Failure and DL 'c minution of the Bloody fo folid *£ Foundation in Fa Ct, and Expert- ment, hath this great Proposition^ cc that the is in the Blood”
As there are thofe who, tho’ with*^ out any real Caufe, fo far as I am able to perceive, are forward to cri¬ ticize upon, and cenfure Scripture-Phi- lofophy, and the Accounts of Nature there deliver'd, I was the more folL Citous to obtain the Author’s Leave to fet forth the foregoing Papers ; in which we have Instances how far thofe Accounts are from being juftly liable to fuch Cenfure, when once fet In a true Light, and brought to the proper Left, that of Nature, and Things.
But, befides Papers of this Sort, I have in my Eye feveral Treatifes con^ ducing to the Service of the fame ex^ cellent Defign, J hefe the Author has had by him fome Years: and, fine© his other Affairs and Studies do not allow him Leifure, 'twill be a great Satisfaction to me, and I iliall be forr ward to do the belt in it I am able, to hand them into the Light: parti-
t*tl) l. Nous m ,hAfi cZ%
ter
\
The Tranflators Introduction'.
ter of Genefis; wherein he has jufti- fied the Mofaic Account of the Crea¬ tion : and, occafionaly, repuls’d the Infults of Mr. Wbifton ; his fo vehe¬ ment Oppofition to it, and his Endea¬ vours to pervert that Account, pro¬ ceeding wholey from its Inconiiftence with his new Theory ; which is fhewn to be altogether fictitious, and with¬ out any foiid Foundation, or Counte¬ nance from Obfervation.
z. A Reprefentation of the State of Mankind in the firfi Ages after the Deluge ; with an Hiflorical Difcourfe wherein the Manners , Cu- Jloms , Opinions and Traditions , as alfo the Arts , Utenfils , Inflrwments , and Weapons , of all the moft Antient Nations, are carefully compared ; in Order to the Dtfcovery of the Ori¬ gin of Nations, but more parti mlar - ly of the Americans , Negroes, and Indians. Tho’, in the Compafs lam confin’d to, it be not eafily practica¬ ble to give an Idea of a \\ ork of the Variety and Extent that this is, yet I cannot but take Notice that it makes out very plainly, from Re¬ flexion on their Notions, and Practi¬ ces, from their chief Culloms Reli-
*The 'Tranflator s Introduction •
gious and Civile from the Difpofition of their Minds, and the Conftitution of the Bodyes of Americans , Negroes , and Indians , that they, with the reft, came all originaly from one and the fame Stock : and that the prefent Difference, as to Stature, Shape, Fea¬ tures, Hair, and Complexion, is ow¬ ing wholey to the Diverfity of Heat, Ciimes, Soils, afid their various Pro¬ ductions, Diet, and the different Me¬ thods of Living. As to the Ameri¬ cans , in particular, ’tis here fhewn that they believ’d in one Supreme God ; but, withall, paid fome Sort of Worship to the Sun : they offer’d S acrifice:of Animals, and fometimes of Men: they had g Notion of the Immortality of the Soul, which they thought maintain d by a Tranfmigra- tion of it from one to another : they retain d a clear I radition of the Crea¬ tion of the World, and of the Uni- verfal Deluge: they kept their Re¬ cords, and preferv d the Memory of Things, by Hieroglyphic Reprefenta- tions ; all which the moft antient Afiatic, African , and European Na¬ tions, the Chinefes , the /Egyptians ^ and the reft, like wife did* "Thus- far
the
io7
Lhe Tranflator s Introduction.
the Americans agree exactly with the moll early Inhabitants of the Old World. But they knew Nothing of Letters, of Coyn’d-Money, of Iron, of the Plough, or of Horfes. Where¬ as all thefe Things are of that mighty Service in Life that, had they once known the Ufe of them, ’tis not to be conceiv’d they could ever poilibly have loft it again. So that ’tis evident the Americans were departed and gone off before any of thefe were found out. Now we have certain Accounts, from Hiftory, and Chronology, of the Time when Letters firft obtain’d, when Mo¬ ney was firft coyn’d, when the Ufe of Iron was difcover’d, as alfo of the Plow and Agriculture, and when Horfes, till then running wild, were firft taken up, broken, tam’d, and turn’d to the Ser¬ vice of Mankind. This Time there¬ fore being afcertain’d there is no Diffi¬ culty in adjufting the JEra. of the De¬ parture of the American Colony. 3 • Of the JVifdom of the antient EEgyp- tians, a Difccurfe concerning their Arts , their Learning^ and their Re¬ ligion; with occasional Reflections on the State of Learning amongft the Jews, and fome other Nations.
The Tfranftators Introduction.
In this, befides other Things, the Mofaic Inftitudon is vindicated : and the Charge, of Sir John Marjham , f and Dr. Spencer * * that fome Parts of that Inftitudon were taken from the ^Egyptians 5 is refuted.
Foftfcript.
AS I am putting an End to this Introduction, I have happen’d to light on fome of the Letters mentioned Nat. Rift. Earth illitft rated , p. 1 1 z infra. I add them to the foregoing Papers^ with the Author’s Leaver which was the more difficulty obtain¬ ed, as they were wrote merely for the private Satisfaction of a Friend, with¬ out any View of their ever appearing in Publick. Sir Robert Southwell \ whofe Name is at the Head of them, was a Man, as of real Virtue and Honour, fo of a great deal of Curiofity, fine Parts, and very folid Accomplishment,* and there was, to the laft, a ftriCt Friend- fhip betwixt him and the Author. The Letters are as follows.
Letter L
«| — > »■ ■ r— —irwr^
| Chron. Canon. Sxc. 9.
* De Legib. Hebraeor. Lib. 3.
I
Letter I.
To the Honourable
Sir Roht. Southwell
At King’s TVefton.
Of the Alterations of the Barome¬ ter, and the Rife and Fall of the Mercury in it, on the Alte¬ rations that happen in the Confli - tution of the Atmojphere and Change of Weather.
Grejh. Coll. July 4. 1698.
Choofe rather, relying on your accuftomedGood-Na- ture, to return you fuch an Anfwer as the Condition of my Atiairs will now permitt, than let a Man, I pay the Deference to that I do to you, ftay longer for what, when it tmaly came, might not perhaps
much
1IO
If he Tfranfiator s Introduction*
much better deferve your Staying for*
You ask - How it comes to pafs
that a pure dir Jhouldraife the Mer¬ cury in the 1 "Barometer or Weather - Glafs, and a foggy ormoift Jirjhoud let it fink ? Or whether of the two is heavyer , Air which is clear and dry , or that which is thick and moifi ? You know Sir ! very well, and indeed it hath been demonftra- ted by feveral late Writers of Hydro- ftaticks. i That the Mercurial Cy¬ linder is born up in the Tube of the Barometer by the Prelfure of the Air upon the external ftagnant Mercury. 2P. That this Prelfure arifes merely from the Weight of the Air, or At- mofphere, that is, the Air, Watery Vapours, and all other extraneous Matter wherewith the Air is charged. 3 u. That the Weight of any one par¬ ticular Body or fort of Matter increa- fes proportionably to its Increafe in Bulk or Quantity ; e . gr . twocubick Inches of pure Gold weigh twice as much as one, fo two cubick Inches of Water are double the Weight of one. 4°a That the Weight of Matter of different Sorts, and different fpecifick Gravities, put or added together, in-
creates
The Tranflators Introduction.
creafes in Proportion to the Quantity of each feparately confider’d. Thus one cubic Inch of Copper being added to a cubic Inch of Gold, which is about double the fpecific Gravity of Copper, the Whole will weigh about -? more than the Gold apart : and two cubic Inches of Copper being added to one of Gold the Weight of the Aggregate will be about double. And the very Corpufcles which conftitute thefe larger Maffes bear the fame Relation to one another, as to their Gravity, and to Corpufcles of different Sorts, that the larger Maffes themfelves do to other Mafles, of the fame, and of different Sorts. From what hath been laid down, you’ll eafily refolve the latter Part of your Queftion, and be fatisfy’d that a Ma/s of dir that is clear and dry is not fo heavy as when thick and moift^ i. e. when charged with Wa¬ tery Vapours or other Exhalations, it being manifeftthat the Air muft needs be charged with as much Weight more than before, as thefe Vapours and Exhalations weigh apart, and confe- quently muft prefs more upon all Bo¬ dies, folid and fluid, provided it gravitate with its whole Weight. So that the former, is the much more
difficult
The Iranf/ators Introduction*
difficult Part of your Queftion. For fince it is moft certain that, before Rain, the Air is charged with Vapours and other additional Matter : and fince confequently it muft weigh more, and prefs more on Bodies, than it could be* fore with its own {Ingle Weight : Iince like wife the Mercury in the Tube is born up by the Weight and Preffure of the Atmofphere upon the external ftagnant Mercury, and rifes in Pro^ portion to that Weight and Prefiure, theQueftion is, why it falls or finks in the Tube before Rain ? Which I think may be fully refolv’d by a right Re°* prefentation of the Circumftances and State of the Air and Vapours before Rain. It ought to be confider’d i°. T hat the Water that falls down in Rain was originaly, and before the Emin happened, raifed from the Earth, and born thence up to a confiderable Height in the Atmofphere. 2 That whiift it thus mounts up, it does not prefs or bear either upon the Air or other Bodies, or gravitate, itfelfi 30. That its Motion upward being di« reftly oppofite to that Motion where- unto the Air and other Terreftrial Bo¬ dies are determin’d by their Gravity,
viz .
The Tranflators IntroduUiOn,
mz downward, and towards the Ceil- tre of the terreftrial Globe r and the Mafs of Air near the Surface of the Earth being very thick, clofe, or denfe, ?tis impoffible the Watery and other Vapours fhou’d afcend through the Intervails of the Aereal Corpufcies without hitting and linking upon them $ whence it muft needs follow that this Counter-Impulfe made on the Air by thefe afcending Vapours muft dimi^ nilla its Preffure or Weight, more or lefs as the Vapours are more or fewer in Number, and as their Afcent is with a greater or lets Impetus. It may not be amifs to iliuftrate this by fome Inftance. Suppofe a Body defcending thro’ the Atmofphere, with 500 de~ grees of Impetus, till, at laft, it was met by 20 leffer Bodies that were af¬ cending each wifh 3 Degrees of Im¬ petus : that as foon as thefe 20 had hit, and fpent their Force upon the faid defcending Body, they were in- ftantly fucceeded by 20 more, which alfo hit upon it, after thefe 20 others, and fo on continually to the End of its Defcent ; ’tis plain this Body would, after it was fo met and fmote incef- fantly by thefe afcending Bodies, def-
(i 14 *Xhe TranJIator's Introduffiion.
cend with only 440 deg. of Impe¬ tus, there being 60 Degrees to be de¬ duced, from the original 500, by rea- fon of the Counter-Impuife made by the 2 o other Bodies each with 3 De¬ grees. * Or fuppofe a Body preffing upon another with the W eight of 5 o Ounces: or rather, if you pleafe, fup¬ pofe fuch a Body fufpended at one End of the Beam of a Balance, and coun¬ terpois’d at the other End by 5 o Oun¬ ces. Then fuppofe a continual Steam or Efflux of fmall Corpufcles amend¬ ing directly upwards, with an Impetus equal to that made by the Weight of 1 o Ounces, and hitting inceffantiy up¬ on the faid Body fo fufpended ; ’tis ap¬ parent it wou’d be born up with 10 Degrees of Impetus, and that it might be then counterpois’d with only 40 Oun¬ ces. As certain is it that the Vapours afcending before Rain mud ftrike up¬ on the Aery Corpufcles, impede the Force of their Gravity, and leffen their Preflure. What is the Caufe of the
Afcent
* I do not here take any Notice of the con* tinual Acceleration of the Motion of defend¬ ing Bodies. That is, indeed, nothing to the prelent purpofs*
The Tranjlators tnWoiutiioin
Afcent of thefe Vapours is no Part of your Queftion $ but it is Matter of Fabt and indifputable that they do a&ualy afcend, and that is all that I here lay ftrefs upon. Now the Mercurial Cy- Under in the Barometer depending in- tirely on the Air’s Preflure, being taller and higher when the Air’s Preffure is greater, and fiiorter and lower whedt the Prelfure is lefs : and the Air’s Pref- fure being leilened before Rain by the Counter^Impulfe of the afcending Va- pours that form that Rain, we have a very manifeft Reafon why the Merca* ry finks in the l ube, and the Cy- Under becomes fhorter before Rain* You fee Sir ! how the Gravity of th^ Air, and fuperadded Vapours, is elu¬ ded and impeded. Gravity is a Pro¬ perty that always attends Bodies, and is not, ever, iefifened* A Bullet, fhot point blank, up into the Atmofphere5 is not at all aeferted by its natural Gravity, tho’ forc'd up by the Explo- lion with an Impetus fuperior to that of its Gravity. The Body in the In- fiance above, fufpended at one End of the Beam of the Balance, is realy at¬ tended with as great a Degree of Gra^ vity, and bears downwards with ai
h % great
:i 1 6 The TranjJators Introduction.
great an Impetus*, after the Efflux and Impulfes of the afcending Corpufcles, as before^ tho’ a Idler Number of Oun¬ ces ferve now to counterpoife it; So likewife when the Air is charg’d with Vapours, the Gravity of the Aggre¬ gate, or Atmofph^re, is truly aug¬ mented, tho5 that be eluded, and it do not prefs or gravitate with the Im¬ petus of its whole natural Weight. T he Meafures therefore of the Air’s Preflure upon the Mercury are not to be taken only from the greater or lef- fer Quantity of Matter in the Atmof- pha?re, or its greater or leffer Gravity ; but regard muff likewife be had to the Tendency and the Direction of the Motion of that Matter. ’Tis not a Part of your Requeft that I lay down the Canones of its Motion, nor indeed is that eafy to be done ; befides that I am now much reftrain’d by other Af¬ fairs. Only thus much may be added3 tis not probable that the Atmofphsere ever preflfes with the Impetus of its full weight ; there being other Steams and Vapours, befides thofe Watery ones which form Rain, perpetually fent forth of the Globe, that fomewhat re¬ pel! and break the Force of the Air’s Prdiure, Thefe may mount as well
at
*Tbe Tranjlators Introduction.
at fuch time as the others fail down in Rain, as at any other. Nay the very Watery Vapours themfeives not only may 3 but actually do, mount up of¬ tentimes whilft the Rain fails ; which may be proved as well other wife as by the long Continuance of the Rain in fome Countries; it falling incelfant- ly for feveral Weeks together ; during which Time the Earth fends it forth in thofe Countries., not only in Form of Vapour, but fpues and forces it out in very great Quantities. Nor does all the Watery Matter that arifes from any Trad of Earth fall down again upon that very Trad, but floats in the Atmofpha^re, being moved on by Winds, and is, let down again, in Form of Rain, frequently in very diftant Parts. * In a Word, the Air’s Preflure will be greater or lefs as the Vapours afcending are in greater or lefs Quantity, and move with more or lefs Force : and like** wFe as the Quantity of them that faiis down again in Rain, is greater or lefs. ’ I is merely the Diredion of the Motion of thefe Vapours that influen-
h 3 ces
* Confer. Nflt. Hifi. Ettrtfa* Part 3. Sed 1®
Coni! 3.
The Tranfuttor s Introduction,
ces the Air’s Preffure, and c6nfequent~ ly the riling and falling of the Mercu- ry in the Barometer, In hot and dry W eather the Mercury is fometimes low,* which is an Indication of the Rife of watery Vapours in thofe Parts, tho* they happen to be born off, and do not fall down there again. At other times it hands high in hot and dry Weather, an Argument there are few¬ er of thofe Vapours raifed then, as alfo that the Heat without the Earth con¬ tributes little to the railing of them, *Tis true that that Heat may bear up Part of the Water that relides on the Surface of the Earth ; but all, that pro¬ ceeds forth of the interior Parts of the Globe, which is very much, owes its Rife to another Caufe. In Frofty and Cold Weather the Mercury Hands frequently high, the Pores of the Sur-, face of the Earth being then ufually clofer, and the Eruptions fewer. Be¬ fore Rains the Mercury generally falls, in proportion as the riling Vapours contribute to the Repulfion of the Air’s Preflure: and when thofe Vapours ceafe to rife, the Mercury afcends in the Tube , but they not always cea- fmg upon the fall of the Rain, but continuing to flow up for fome time,
and
The Tranflators Introdiiclioiu
and perhaps in great Quantity too, the Mercury in fuch Cafe is not to be ex¬ pected to rife prefen tly upon the Fall of the Rain. The Truth is, theRifeand Fall of the Mercury in the Barometer is obferv’d to be hardly certain and re¬ gular in any fort of Weather : nor can that be thought ftrange when the Caufe of its Rife and Fall is thus vari¬ ous, contingent, and uncertain. ’Tis not more certain in any RefpeCt than in its Fall before Rain ,• becaufe there generally happens an Eflux of Va¬ pours, before Pvain, which affeCt it. This Caufe is conftant, and the Effect anfwers as conftantly. But for the Quantity, and the Duration of the Eflux, and whether it all, or part of it only, fall down on the Tract whence it rofe, is wholly contingent, and fo confequently mull be the Mo¬ tions of the Mercury. Much more might be faid, but ’tis not needful to a Perfon of your Apprehenfion*
I am, SIR,
Your mod Humble Servant
Je Woodward.
h 4 Extras
The Tranfldtors IntroduUionl
- — in it * ~ n -- J.I.II ~-~m TTTTnrrr j m i *i uri-ujiji ublim— u.
Extract of Letter II.
Iiiril H lM|»iWHI«IIIM<nW,| - I I.n in. —
relating to the Prejfure of the At» mojpiure’s being diminifhed , and by that means the Mercury in the Barometer made to fall , by the Afcent of Steams and Vapours out of the Earth and Abyfs $
briefly ftated.
\LL the Quantity of the Impetus of the Atmofphaere’s Preffure, caufed by its Gra¬ vity, 3 o. Call the Height of tiie Column of Mercury, raifed up into the 1 ube of the Barometer by that Impetus, likewife 30, Then call the Impulfes on the Atmofpha^re made by the Steam, raised or buoy’d Out of the Earth, and palling directly pp into thg Atmofph^re3 for the For-
The TranJIator s Introduction.
mation of Rain there, 2. I fay, whenever, by the Impulfes, or Coun¬ ter-Impetus, of that riling Steam, the Column of the Atmofphaere, prelfmg, gravitating and balancing the Column of Mercury in the Tube of the Baro¬ meter, is render’d lighter by 2, the Column of Mercury mu ft then of courfe become fhorter by 2 : and then the Height of it can be no greater than 28.
When, by the Steam riling, either in greater Quantity, or with greater Swiftnefs, or buoy’d up with greater Impetus, the Column of the Atrno- fptuere is render’d lighter by 3, the Column of Mercury mull fhorten, and fall to 27.
When the Column of the Atmo- fpha?re is render’d lighter but by 1 , the Column of the Mercury will fhorten but to
9*
Letter
1 22 the tranflators Introduction.
lij in m m«i ~i'> ' 1 — ~r~' r^-7
Letter Ill.
Of the (Economy of the Great Deep , or Ahyfs * in the Bowels of the Earth : and the continual Inter - courfe betwixt this and the At - mofphere •
Cannot* 1 confefs* but think that ’t would be more agree¬ able to your Purpofe Sir! and I am fure* much eafyer to me, to lay before you the Obferva- tions themfelves* and the Collections* which I have made, relating to the OEconomy of the Aby is, and it’s Com¬ munications with our Atmofph ere ; but* fince you are pleafed to command on¬ ly an AbftraCt, I here fend you One, drawn up in fuch Manner as my pre« lent Circumftances will give leave. proofs of the 1 he Difphtches, of Principles* very fDiffatches various, out of the Aby fs* up into the
zbiverjity Atmofphere, are almoft continual. Of <®fTrinci - thefe fome are humid* others dry* fome
cold3
xaj
*The Tranflators Introduction.
cold, others hot, others of Saline, and/** out of mineral Nature. But Sir ! as vour In- the qmry is chiefly relating to Rain, I <ph<enome- fhall have Regard more particularly m objerva- to that : and there are both Proofs o{bieinMines% its Rife out of the Aby fs, and, for fome Time before there be any Apearance Depth in of it above in the Atmofphere, Prefa- the Earth ge$ of its Accefs, there, below, at the Bottoms of great Coal-Pits, and deep Mines of Metalls, in all Parts of the World. The firft Notice, that the Colliers and Miners have of its Rife, is a Heat, under Ground, fomething greater than ufual. This continuing, the Air there becomes thick, mifly, foggy, and finaly humid, and damp.
In Proportion to the Afcent Increafe and Continuance of the Heat and Hu¬ midity, the Workmen below foretell the Time of the Fall of the Rain above, its Quantity, and Duration : and thofe, that have frequently made thefe On- fervations, and have Experience, fore¬ tell that with great Certainty • than which there needs not a firmer Proof of the Certainty of the Principle.
Much the fame Phenomena are oh- ferved in Grottos and deep fubterra- iie&n Caverns, Nay even our Vaults,
by
The TranJIator's Introduction.
by the Fumes and Stench that the afcending Steams carry up along with them, give fure Prefages of Rain to infue, In fome of the deepeft Mines, before long and great Rains, Water is feen working forth of the horizontal Filfures of the Strata, firll attended with Froath; the Water fometimes , flowing in thus in fuch Quantity as, palling on into them, coniiderably to raife the Springs, and fill the perpendicular Filfures, to fuch Degree as to drive the Workmen out. This Phenomenon affords fome Light to conduit us in forming a Judgment of the Origin of Springs, and Rivers. But, to proceed, the Thicknefs of the Air and Fog increaling, in the Mines, or Cole Pits, the Candles, ufed by the Workmen, under Ground, burn lefs clear than ufual. Nay, the Heat, Rife, and Hurry, from beneath, continuing, and becoming ftill greater, befides the Humidity, various Sorts of mineral Steams, nitrous, fulphurous, and others, afcend and fly up, fometimes infuch Quantity as to take Fire at the Can¬ dles, and, after the Manner of Gun¬ powder, which is compofed chiefly of thofe two Ingredients, make Explo-
fions.
€Ihe(Tranjlator s Introduffiion.
(ions, fuffocate and kill the Work¬ men there, and do much Mifchief. Thefe have obtained the Name of ‘Damps*. The mineral Steams, af- ceiding to the Surface of the Earthy and being farthered by the Heat there, in Summer, and warm Weather, mount up into the Atmofphtere, and form there Lightning and Thunder f. They are fometimes in fuch Quantity, in our Air, as to be plainly perceived : and aful- phurous Smell frequently attends thefe Emergencyes. It will not be fo¬ reign to note that, befides thefe, other mineral Steams arife, which, palling up to the Surface, become there noxious, injurious to Health, bring on Fevers, and pehilential Diftempers which are ever obferved to be the moft rife and epidemical, in hot Weather, and the rainy Seafons. So that they, who would apprize themfelves of the Caufes of the healthy or unhealthy State of the Air, mult fearch for the Origin of them in the Operations of this fubter- raneous Refervatory.
The
* Coup Nat. Hift. Earth . Part. IV. Confi f Ibid, | Ibid.
t*i& *Ihe Tranflators Introduction *
2. From The Strata of Mountains are bro- *Ph<enoMe- ken*, and interrupted, fo as to have na vbjerva- j them frequent Fiflures and Aper-
and high tures. 1 hen thefe Strata are eleva- Mountains . ted ^ : and put into fuch Pofiure as to difpofe them to give Pafiage, not on¬ ly to Steam s, and Humidity, but to Water, fometimes in Quantity, very freely, and directly, from the Abyfsj efpecialy where the Strata are fo much railed as to come near to a Perpendi¬ cular. Thorow thefe, the Water pafles, all along, readyly, with the Grain of the Stone : and thorow the Fiffures that part the Strata. Nay, here, even the Steams, that rife, by Reafbn of the greater Cold in thofe higher Regions, are more fuddenly condenfed, and arrefted : and confer quently fooner difcernible, than thofe that arife from the Plains, and V alleys beneath, where the Heat is greater® Any Man, refie&ing on this fo mecha¬ nical a Compages and Structure of the Mountains, will foon fee Tis fuch that they mufi in courfe prefen t us with
very
* V. Nat. Hifi. Earth, Part, II. Conf. 6, 8, £ Ibid.
*fhe Tran/Iators Introduction],
very early Notices of the Difpatches from the Abyfs : and, in particular, of the Humidity that, affembling and uniteing into Drops, forms Rain. ’Tis for this Reafon that we fee, ordinary- ly, on the Tops of the higher and larger Mountains, not only ours here, but thofe of even the moft Northern Countryes, quite to Greenland ; tho’ more commonly on the Southren of America , Africa , and indeed all Parts of the World, Mills and Fogs, or, as they are commonly called. Clouds, and Caps, for fome Time be¬ fore any Rain is collected and ready to fall. This is fo certain, that the Country People, inhabiting within View of thefe, conftantly ground their Prognolticks, with great Alfu- rance, upon them : and, from the In- creafe and Continuance of thefe, they make their Judgment of the Quantity and Duration of the Rain to infue. In fome, efpecialy the more Southern and hot Countryes, the humid Va¬ pours ilfue forth of the Mountains fo fall, and in fuch Store, as there im¬ mediately to form Rain, and fall down, on the Spot, in Showers. Nor is any Thing more common than, in
[«*s
The 7* ranjlators Intreckiftiori;
thofe Country es, to obferve great Rains, and, in fome, even Thunder and Lightening, in the Mountains, when all is clear below, and none in the Plains or Valleys. Nay, at fome Times, efpecialy in the hotter Seafons, when the Power of the Sun joyns and inforces that of the Subterranean Heat, the Water is roufed in fuch Quantity as to ftorm the Strata, make new Breaches in them, and force its W ay forth, fometimes in fuch Quantity as to drown and drive away whole Flocks of Cattle feeding in the neigh¬ bouring Paftures, overturn Houfes, and make Deluges fo great as to lay con- liderable Traits of Land, and almoft whole Countries, under Water. T his happens, not feldom, in the larger Mountains of the North of England ; where thefe Eruptions have obtain’d the Name of Out-cBurfis •, but much more frequently in the vaft Mountains of Habajjinia, thofe of the Andes of A- merica , and other Southern Country es.
3. From They, who inhabit Places near the <Ph<enome- Sea, have fure Notices, ofevery coniide-
ZbkVthe rab!e Rain’ Siven them> before han(1’ bY
Sea, in great the various Noifes that proceed thence. Lakes, in occafion’d by the various Agitations and springs ^Commotions of the Sea at the l ime.
Thefe
Wells.
The Translators Introduction . i ig
Thefe are very different^ at fome Times fuch as to imitate Water bub-5 ling up, as boiling : at others, to raife it into a Swellings as the Seamen term it, or Rowling, and Waves, fre¬ quently when there is little or no Wind Hiring above. Sometimes the Sea Water becomes fenfibly more warm, than ordinary, before Rain; by which Means the Porpuffes, and other Sea^
Fifh, are offended and difturbed, to fuch a Degree as, in Shoals, to tofs and fling themfelves above the Water, with much Flutter, Noife, and Marks of Difcompofure, on the Occafiom In fome Places that Warmth is atten¬ ded by a Sparkling and Light of the Sea- Water, but fuch as is only vilible in the Night. In Loughs, and great Lakes, Rain is likewife prefaged by like Noifes and Commotions : and by the Water becoming more turbid, muddy, and foul. Of all which Phe¬ nomena we have Accounts from thofe who have made Obfervations on the great Lakes of Pen. j, of Habajfmia , of China , of Sweden , and Lapland , of the Alps and Switzerland , of Ire - land) and of the North of England \ where the Natives are wont to afcribe thefe Phenomena to what they call
i an
The Tranjlator s Introduction .
an Under-Wind^ or Vapour afcending from the Bottom. Rain is prefa- ged, in Springs, or Wells, by the Water becoming more or lels Warm: by its receiving fome adventitious Taft, or being fomewhat more thick and turbid : and, in fome Springs, efpe- cialy thofe which rife in Hills, by an Hilling, Chanting, Thumping, or o- ther Sound: in others, by the Increafe and Rife of the Water. This laft I take to b e the Cafe of thofe common¬ ly call’d Ebbi ng-Spri ng r : and in par¬ ticular of the famous Tydes-Well in the Teak) that is faid, tho’ very wrongly, to ebb and flow with the Sea: as alfo of fome other like Springs, both in this Ifland, and in foreign Parts, which have fo much and lb long, in vain, exercifed the Con- jedures and Speculations of Natura- lifts and Men curious in fuch Inqui¬ res. Our Baths, here, at Hath, as well as thofe abroad, become fome¬ what more hot than ufual before any great Rain. Nay even the Vuicanos, or Burning-Mountains, /Etna, Vefn- vius , Hecla , and the reft, are more noify, and fend forth more Fumes, and Fire, before every extraordinary and lafting Rain. The Acidnla , or vitrio-
The Tranflators tnirodu$ion. Iji
lie Springs, fuch as thofe of T unbridg, become ordinarily ftronger, and more highly faturated with that Salt, be¬ fore great Rains; quite contrary to the common Notion, which fuppofes them thinner and weaker.
In like Manner, before any confi- 4- Pr<M derable Rain, moft Living Creatures Th<enome-
are affected in fuch Sort as to render ^Uei^AnU them fome way fenfible of its Approach, mats. and of the Accefs of fomething new, to the Surface of the Earth, and to the Atmofphere. Moles work harder than ordinary, throw up more Earth, and fometimes come forth. The Worms do fo too. Ants are obferv’d to ftir about, and buftle more than ufualy, for fome Time : and then to retire to their Burrows, a while before the Rain falls. Garden and Field- Spiders are feen likewife wandering about, in Quell: of Coverture for the Time. All Sorts of Infers, and Flyes, are more Birring and buify than ordinary. Bees are ever, ori this Occaiion, in fulled Employ ; but betake themlelves all to their Hives, if not too far off for them to reach, before the Storm arifes. The com¬ mon Flefh-Flyes are more bold, and greedy. Snails, Frogs, Toads, ap-
13 2
‘ The 'Tranjlator s Introduction.
pear difturb’d, difquieted, and uneafy. Fifh are fullen, and made qualmifh, by the Water, now more turbid than before. Birds, of all Sorts, are in A&ion. Crows are more earned after their Prey. As are alfo Swallows, and other fmall Birds : and therefore they fall lower, and fly nearer to the Earth, in Search of Infects, and fuch other Things as they feed upon. So foon as ever the Mountains of the North begin to be cap'd with Fogs, the Moor- Cocks, and other Birds, there, quit them, fly off in Flocks, and betake themfelves to the lower Lands, for the Time. Swine difcover great Un- eafinefs. As do likewife Sheep, Cows, and Oxen ; appearing more felicitous, and eager in Pafture, than ufual. Even Mankind are not exempted from fome Senfe of a Change in their Bo- dyes, occafion’d by the Change made in the Atmofphere, by means of an adventitious Heat, and Humidity : as alfo of Mineral Principles, and Salts, perhaps vitriolic, fulphurous, and, in reality, the very fame to which I have elfewhere f fhewn moft of the Difea-
fes.
f Idea of the Nature of Man, Difeafes, and Hemedyes. 8vo»
*33
The TranJJators Introduction •
fes, Perturbations, and Diforders of hu¬ man Nature are owing. And, as the Salts, derived from improper Diet, and perhaps Intemperance, and Excefs, are wont,firft,to affeCt theStomach,and thole Parts that fuffer inConfort with it, chief¬ ly theLungs, and Head ; but, afterwards, to defcend thence gradualy into the Blood, where they are diffufed over and affedt the whole Body; fo, on the like Salts, and Mineral Principles, from out the Earth, invading the Atmofphere,
Men, of the finer Conftitutions, become afthmatic and fhortbreathed, have their Heads cloudy, dizzy, and, as they call it, vapoured : and perhaps their Limbs pained; with feveral other Symptoms.
Nay, where the mineral Principles af- cend in Quantity greater than ordinary, the Stomach is fometimes fenfibly affect¬ ed : and I know feveral who become maukifh, fick,and a&ualy vomit, before Thunder and Lightening, fo conftant- ly that they never fail of fuch W arn- ings of thofe Meteors before their Ap¬ proach.
The Steams, afcending thus up into 5. From the Atmofphere, muft, of- neceffity, 'Phtmme- break and leflen the Preflu re-of it : and,“ obPr^ by that means, lower and fhorten the^w inani~
i 3 Mercurial mate 3 far-
i|4 The Tranjlators Introduction ,
tkularly Mercurial Cylinder of the Barome-*
'ligand ter‘ t The Humidity, rifmg, and the Hygro- continualy increasing, Shews itfelf in fietcr, various Ways. In Vaults, Cellars, and Places under Ground, firft : and, afterwards, continuing to mount up, in Places that are higher, it cafts a Damp and Moifture on Stones, and fuch other hard polite and fpecular Bodyes, as, happening to be in its Way, flop, arrefi, coiled:, and fo
render it difcernible. The Humidi^
ty, infinuating itfelf into Bodyes that
are fungous and porous, fills their Cells and Pores, diflends them, and inlarges the Bodyes fo much, that they, by that means, are made to give fen- fible Evidence of its adual Arrival and Prefence : and fo ferve for Hy¬ grometers.
6- Fr°m The Exhalations of the Abyfs, aft ^fy^cendmg, and intermixing with the the Light , Air and Atmofphere, impact a various and various, Manner, Hue, and Colour to it, an- fwerable to the Different feature of
mofybere. eac^3 and, as they happen to be fuf- pended, in the Atmofphere, in greater
or
f Confer, p. 105. feqq. fupra.
The TranJIators Intro duel ion. 1 3 f
or leffer Quantity. When they are in leffer, thin, and near equaly diffufed in all Parts, the Atmofphere obtains, with fome, a Grey Call, with others, a Sky, or Blue : when in greater, and grofs, a white, a yellow, a red, or black. The Light, call thorough thefe Exhalations, Steams, Fogs, and Clouds, and by them varioufly reflect¬ ed and refraCted, appears with a dif¬ ferent Complexion and Tenor, fuitable to the different Conftitution of the Matter whereof they confift. Th offhe Light
Light of even the very fame Day va-^ ryes much, according as the V apours nanly of in the Atmofphere happen to vary in different Nature and Qiiantity. Ire Summer,3^* when the Sun’s Power is greateft, and its Rayes nearelt to direct, here in England, the Light of the Dayes, that are cleared, and freed from Clouds, is much varyed merely by the various Interpofitioii of the common afeending Steams. During the Cool of the Night, they are ufualy much leffen’d. So that, in the Morning, in Cafe the Fogs of the foregoing Even¬ ing ^ are diflipated, the Light, for
i a. fome
i Confer 2hdt. Hi ft • Earth. Part IV. ConC 14. p. 2,33. 3d. Edit.
The IranJIators Introduction.
feme Hours, is bright, vivid, and ftrong. As the Sun draws nearer to the Meridian, the Light becomes more faint and languid, and is of a different Hue,- which rather increafes after¬ wards. The nearer the Sun is to the Meridian, the more direct its Rays, tnere, are : and the greater its Power upon the Earth j in which Cafe, more Vapours being continualy raifed, the Light fhews itfelf fomewhat turbid, and thick. In fultry hot Weather I have frequently obferv’d, afeending’ in the Atmofphere, an extremely tine Matter, agitated, and in a continual Undulation, much after the manner of a very thin ;etherial lambent Flame. This, doubtlefs, is no other than Heat, or the Subterranean Fire, detach’d forth in fmall Parcels, bearing up a- long with it Fumes and Steams, which are made the more vifible by their Agitations, and their varioufly reflect¬ ing ^ the Light of the Sun. That the Sun’s Power, to a£t upon any Part of the Earth, increafes continualy as it approaches the Meridian, there, is certain ; which alligns a Caufe of the railing of thefe Kinds of Steams chiefly in the Middle of the Day. The Light
ihould
The Tranflator s Introduction . 137
fihould increafe in Proportion : and be¬ come continualy more vivid. That it does not, mu ft be owing to the Inter- pofition of fomething that thus fcreens and impedes it. I had a Confirmation Various of this, Jpril 22 d, 1715, in th o,cPh<£?iorM~ Morning, during the total Eclipfe ofmena r^°at the Sun. The Light was, before, ve-^-^7 ry bright, clear, and brilkj but, a sttie Sun, the Body of the Moon interpos'd, in a ^Pril 22^* little Time, the Light appear’d of the I?I5‘
Hue ’tis wont, then, ordinarily, about Noon. As the Moon advanced upon the Sun’s Difk, the Light grew more and more faint, and grey, till it ap¬ pear’d like the ordinary Light, call obliquely through the Atmofphere, in September . At laft the Light had a faint blueifh Call. The Air became cooler likewife, in Proportion : and a fine flight Dew fell j occafion’d by the Moon’s Interpofing, and impeding the Adtion of the Sun upon the At¬ mofphere, the Earth, and the Abyfs.
’Tis to that A&ion that the Rife, of Humidity, up into the Atmofphere, is owing: and, upon this Interruption and Sufpenfe of it, the Humidity now fell back ; uniting, thickening, and forming itfeif into Drops of Dewg as
138
7 he TranJIators Introduction «
it fell, and approached the Surface of the Earth. vf was probably from this that the Blue, then fo much taken Notice of, in the Atmofphere, did arife. Nor indeed can there well be much Doubt but that the ordinary fine thin Azure of the Atmofphere, is ow¬ ing, if not to humid, to fome other Vapours in it. ’Twas aifo obferv’d at CPunjiable^ where there happen’d to be fome Clouds, that thefe became ap¬ parently bluer, indeed near black, and thicker, during the Eclipfe. kt Lon¬ don ^ after the Eclipfe was over, the Atmofphere was more dufky, gloomy, and thick, than before. In the Gar¬ dens, all round, the finer and more tender Flowers began to clofe, during the Eclipfe, as they are wont after Light, Sun-Sett. In like Manner the
cj- the dif- Light, of the different Seafons of the
fmsfconfi- Year, is very different. This happens der'd. That from the different Power of the Sun, of Autumn and its different Abtion on the Earth,
C°ldthTfhat the Atmofphere, and the Exhalations of Winter, there. The Light of October about Occafiona - 40 Dayes after the Autumnal ^Equi- ly of the nox E not commonly fo clear t as
Tencr erf the J '
Light dll' that
f Confer, pag. *4*. infra.
The T r an flat or s Introduction. 13$
that of the End of January , about 4 o Dayes before the Vernal ^Equinox.
As to Winter, in the hardeft Froft Zight du- the Light is clearer than it is in the rag the Midle of Summer. It is alfo brighter, & eat °f ftronger, more vivid, and intenfe. ^>hat #eat The Caufe, of this Difference, is, in lejjend. Summer the Rays of the Sun are in-^«» by the deed call more directly through th Atmofphere, but then, by Reafon of7 the greater Heat of the Seafon, there are Vapours, continualy rifing, or ftagnating, which intercept and re¬ fract the Rays ; whereas, in Froft, which happens in Winter, the R ys of the Sun are caft obliquely thro' the Atmofphere j but, then, the Ac¬ cent of the Exhalations from the Abyfs are check'd, * and fo the Light pure, clear, and free from Vapours.
For if there be the lead Appearance of Vapour, Fog, or Cloud, tis a Sign, the Froft is declining. So that, in hard Froft, 'tis highly probable that the Light is the 1110ft genuine and pure.
Our belt Metallin-Goncaves, and
Burning-
* Confer pag, 150. infra.
140
The T ranJJators Introduction.
Burning-Glaffes, colleding the Rays of the Sun, ftiew that its Heat is full as great, and does as much;, if not more Execution., in the F ufion of Me- tails, and the Diftolution of Bodyes the moft firm, folid, and hard, £ du¬ ring the hardeft Froft, when the fubter- ranean Heat is in great Meafure with¬ held, as in the moft exceffive and in- tenfe Heat of Summer. * * So that the Sun’s Heat is realy no more interrupt¬ ed than its Light is, during Froft : and ’tis what I have ever obferv’d that its Heat and Light are fo exaftly com- menfurate, each to other, that I am not fatisfy’d but that they are both the very fame. By comparing
the extreme Heat of Summer, with this of the Sun in Froft, may be afcer- tain’d the Power, and Quota of the fubterranean Heat : and how much it is commonly fuperior to that of the. Sun, in our Atmofphere. ’Tis indeed evident that, to this fubterranean Heat,
and
\ In thefe Affayes Confi deration ought to be had of the Change made, in thofe Bodyes, by Froft.
* Confer. Hid.de £ Acad, des Sciences y 1705.
Ip* 0 P 9 40 ®
\
*The Tran/lators Introduction. 1
and the various Difpenfations of it, all the many Viciffitudes of our Atmo- fphere are owing.
In Autumn, and in theBegining of7^ Winter, Fogs are more frequent, thick, and grofs, than in the End of Winter, Fogs, and and the Spring. This fliews that the Vapours. Heat of the Earth ads, not only con- ^hefifent jundly with that of the Sun, as in Uiubterra- Summer : but feparately likewife, and man Heat . alone ; fending up Humidity and Steams in Autumn,* and the Beginning of Winter, which form Fogs, and fre¬ quently Magnate near the Surface of the Earth, the Heat of the Sun then being not fufficiently powerful! to take them at the Surface of the Earth, to raife, and carry them up, as before in Sum¬ mer, and the hotter Seafon. So that, ftagnating in the Atmofphere, and in the exterior Strata of the Earth, many of the Pores and Paffages become there¬ by glutted and flopped : and, by that means, the Vapours intercepted ; which is the Reafon why Fogs, in the latter Part of the Winter, are ordinary ly lefs frequent : and, when they happen,
not
* Conf. p. 138. fupra.
142 The Tranjlator s Introduction.
Rain why llot fQ thick and grofs. Tis owing in greater patjy to this Glutt of the Pores of the
m Summer Barth, and partly to the Interception than in of the Rays of the Sun, by the Ob- Winter. liquity of the Atmofphere, that there is commonly fo much lefs Rain * in the Winter, and colder, than in the •the Red- Summer, andhotter Months. This procations , Concurrence of the Power of the betwixt the Subterranean with the Solar Heat, was
*Sun Wf ta^cn Notice of very early • and a Wri- that of the ter, of great Rank amongft the Ro~ Abyfs , not mans, reprefents the Sun as i ncir- unknown to cnng this our Globe, and dif pat eking
ms. n<l~ forth its Rays, which he ft ties Reins of Fire , fo far till It joy ns them to the Fire within the Earth t- T’hc Heat As, when the Sun is in the fame of the fame Sign, the Heat of the fame Place is
fonfim-lf dltFerent> ,in feveral Jear> ia !°fC
feveral Via- greater, in others lefs ; fo, tho the
ces m the Sun has the fame Afped on all Places
fame Lati* jn fame Latitude, yet thefe differ
much
* Conf. at. Sift. Barth. Part III. Seif, t* Conf. 8.
^ - - ■Sol vagus igneas Habenas
Immittit propius, jugatq^ Terris.— NsevinSj, ap* Maerob. Sat. I. i8«
The Tranflator' s Introduction. 145
much as to the Temperature of the tude, very
Air, the Heat being very different and vart'm •' °f
in feme of thofe Places much greater
than m others, the Fruits forwarder,^/-' ofva-
and the Productions of the Earth or •~riom Letti-
dinarily larger. On the contrary, in
very different Seafons, the Heat of the
fame Place is frequently nearly alike.
I have obferved the Thermometer, in January } Handing at much the fame Height that I have fometimes obferv’d it at in May. In like manner there are Inftances of Countrves in different Latitudes, that yet agree pretty near¬ ly in the fame Degree of Heat, and Temperature of the Air. So that, ’tis plain, the lemper of the Atmofphere, and Heat at the Surface of the Earth,, cannot be owing merely to the Sun.
Of thefe 1 hings I have given feveral Inftances where I treat of the Com¬ plexion of the Negroes: and (hew that the Difference is caufed by the ir¬ regular and uncertain Difpenfationsand Effluxes of the Subterranean Heat. phe Cer_ This Sketch, however, mean, con- taint y of cife, and haftyly drawn, will, Sir! t0 this cDo£t-
? “a" CT>eicy ?»<< ?en e-Zglp
tration, luflice to give an Idea of thefe thefe <Ph<e- Operations : and fhew that all Nature nome??a,and
eoncurrsr^^ m*‘
ri44 T& T’ranjlators IntroduUion. verfalJgen- concurrs to affert and eftablilh the €% °fsT%r r^rut^1 an<^ Certainty of this Dodrine* theraffer- R has been, elfe where % fliewn, ted , by from Obfervations, and Fads every bringing of where vilible in it, that the far greatell
t0 Part of the Globe we inhabit is made more e ^ ancj confifts of Water; the earthy
Part ferving only as a Skin, or Shell, to contain that Water. Such a Con- ftitution only, and fuch a Proportion of the folid Parts of it to the Fluid, could rightly anfwer the Ends of Provi¬ dence in the Formation and Well- Being of all its Productions. Had the Shell been thicker, that would not have comported with the inceffant and perpetual Intercourfe, that is requilite, betwixt the Abyfs and Atmofphere, for the Support and Maintainance of thofe its Produdions. The Globe was firft formed, and the Parts of it regu¬ larly arranged, by the Miniftry of Water, and the Principles of the Abyfs 9Twas, afterwards, at the Deluge, for weighty Reafons, taken
to
* Id at. Hifi. Earth. Part. III. and Nat. Hifi • Earth illufirated Part. II. SeB. 5.
$ Nat. Hifi . Earth. Part. II. Pag. rop. %d. Edition .
The TranJIators IntroduUm *
to Pieces again, and formed anew, by the fame Miniftry * : and, by ftiil the fame, all Folfils, mineral and terre- ftrial Bodyes, are formed f . ’Tis to the Miniftry of the Humidity, conti- nualy riling out of the Abyfs, traver¬ sing the Shell of Earth, and mounting up into the Atmofphaere, that all Ve¬ getables owe their Formation and Growth :£* How far Animals, of all Kinds, and Man in particular, live, feed, and fublift upon thofe, or the fuperior Kinds of Animals upon the inferior, and thefe finaly upon Vege¬ tables, is obvious to every One, and fo well known as to need no Explication here* vFis fufficient to have given thefe Intimations that the Beginnings, and firft Operations, of all, are the Refult of the O Economy and Admi- niftration of Things in the Abyfs. Of the Magnitude of it, fufficient hath been faid ; I fhall here only fubjoyn. fome Inftances of the Extent of its Ef-
k (efts *
f Nat. Hi ft. Earth. Part IL Pag. 109* 3d* Edit. { Ibid. Part. IV.
| Vid. !Z)ifc. of Vegetation. Philof! Tfanf ffune 1 699. And Nat. Hi ft* Earth Part III* 1 * Conft 8, and 10,
rIhe TranJIator's IntroduUion.
fe£ls, and of the Principles wherewith it acts, as they occurr to me, calling my Eye over my Notes, and the Hif- toryes of them that I have collected : and then conclude. Barometers, in Countryes the moll dillant, have, by accurate Ohfervers, been found, efpecialy upon all great extenfive and lading Rains, to keep Time, rifing and falling at the fame Inftant, in each ; e. gr. at JJpminfter in Eng¬ land^ and at Zurick in Switzerland* Hence we learn that the fame Princi¬ ple affe&s both : and, in this, we have, of many, one Sample of the Di- menfions and Extent of it. In the fame manner, before any great Rain, the Phe¬ nomena that portend it under-ground, are obferved, at the fame Time, in Mines, and Cole Pits, how far foever they happen to be from each other. So likewife Mountains, very remote, but of fuch Height that, from the one, the other may be difcerned, appear capp’d with Fogs, in Confort,* the Fog rifing, increafing, declining, and vanishing, in one, at the fame Time that it does in the other. Of this there are many Inftances, and one particu¬ larly mentioned by the excellent Au¬ thor
*Xhe ‘Tranjlator i* Introduction •
thor of the "Britannia * , of Skiddaw In Cumberland \ joy ntly with Skruffelt , in Scotland. I his alfo is com¬ monly the Cafe of the Vulcanos , or Burning-Mountains, thofeat the great- eft Diftance keeping Time, as to their Eruptions, and Difcharges of Flames, Fire, Cinders, and other ignited Bo- dyes. Of this there s one Example in the famous Writer of the Life of M. *Pieresk\ . ’Tis of an Eruption of Vefuvius , in Italy, and Mount Semus in Ethiopia , at the fame Time,- from Which, tho’ not apprifed of this fo vaft- ly extended Receptacle of the Abyfs, he inferrs that there mult befome&^- t err an eons Commit n i Cat ion betwixt Vefuvius , Syria, Jrabia , and the Country near the Red-Sea , which Mount Semus is. In like manner, the Shock of an Earth-quake has been obferved, in feveral Country es, at eonfi- derable and even the greateft Diftance, in each, at the fame Moment. Thefe
are Inftances of Things of the fame Kind ,* I fhall next offer fome others
k 2 of
* Cambden in Cumberland, p. £ Gajfend . p* m, 395*
The Translator s Introduction.
of Things of different Kinds, concur¬ ring, and fhewing that all are acted by the fame Principle. Thus Fogs, on the neighbouring Mountains, at¬ tend thofe Commotions of the Sea that forebode Rain, and Storms. The Baths, here, at Eathe , were obferved to be hoter, than ever was known, a little before the Earthquake that hap¬ pened there in 1692. On another Earthquake, that was preceded by an Hurricane, and attended by an unufa- ly great Heat, the Barometer funk prodigioufly, quite down to 25 11'; which was lower than ever was taken Notice of before. Great Heats, ful- phurous Smells, Exhalations, and ftrong and mifchievous Damps in Mines, are wont to accompany Earth¬ quakes. ri he Vulcanos are much the moll outragious, and the Waters of the Therm* the mod hot and fulphu- rous, during Earthquakes. To con¬ clude all in a Word, having been more full and particular on this Sub- jeit in my Effay towards a Nat. Hi ft- of the Earth , f great Earth¬ quakes
| Part III. Se£f. 1. Conf. 12.
The T ranflators Introduction. 149
quakes are commonly attended with Eruptions of Vulcancs, Ebullitions of /
the Therma , great Difcharges of Wa¬ ter out of the Bowels of the Earth, and fometimes of Fire, Emiifions of Steams fo noxious and pernicious as to kill Cattle, Fowls, and Fifh : High-Tides, violent Commotions of the Sea, Inun¬ dations, Rain, Wind? Storms very furious, with Thunder and Lighten¬ ing, all in the fame unhappy Scene ; than which I think there needs no o- ther Proof that all derive their Origin from one and the fame common Source and Promptuary.
Much has been offered, above, in The T)If Relation to the Action, and the feve-A^^u °f ral Effects of the fubterranean Heat ; er~ but tis not fo eafy, to afcertain what Heat, to the are the Rules and Laws of its A&ion, Atmof for Want of Data, and fuflScient con~
floryes of Fact. ’Tis plain they ar ^binary fn'd not fteady, regular, and uniform, varying. The Accefs of Earthquakes, and Erup- dlence Tpe tions of Vulcanos , are not periodical. ^t^^Sur- The Heat at the Bottom of Mines, face of the and in the Water of the Therm*, Earth, and fenfibly varyes : and is not conftantly ln iff ^ to the fame Degree at the fame Sea- fon. That likewife is the Cafe of the
k 3
Heat,
! The Tranflcttor slntroduUion*
Heat, and of the Humidity, in the AN mofpha^re, railed by it. The Earth has ever the fame Site, and Polition to the Sun, at the fame Seafon. So that the Sun cannot but be conftant and re¬ gular m its Action : and therefore thefe Irreguiarityes muft be owing to fome other Caufe •> which is apparently the Heat of the Earth, and the Aby fs. As this happens to be retrained, or difpens’d forth, the Atmofphtere is pure, and free, or charged with Heat, ex¬ traordinary Vapours, Exhalations of all Kinds, and Humidity. Under the greateft Reftraint f of it, Froft in- foes ; but, as the Heat of the Abyfs begins to reafcend to the Surface, a Thaw commences: and this ever hap¬ pens, firft in the Parts nearelt the Earth ; which lEews that the Princi¬ ple relldes within it. This is moft evident when the warm Exhalations, from out the Earth, are great, and confequently the Thaw fudden. It begins, of courfe, on the Parts, of the Ice, or Snow, neareft the Earth, out of which proceeds the Caufe ; for I
meddle
f Confer p, 139, fupra*
The Tranflators Introduction . 151
meddle not here with the Melting wrought by the Sun, which is con¬ tingent, and only temporary : and the Thaw underneath is frequently confi- derably advanc’d, and great Quanti- tyes of Water are oftentimes fent forth, from the Bottom of the melting Ice or Snow, where they happen to be very thick, and to be lodged upon an Emi¬ nence, whence the Water may run on a Defcent, fome Hours before any Thing like a Liquation or Thaw is perceived, above, at the Surface.
This the Country People call a Ground , or Under-Thaw*
Such is the Precipitation in which oj the I draw this up, that it cannot poffibly prime be without Faults fo many and great String, as Sir! much to need your Pardon and wonted Indulgence. My only Hopes all thefi are that You will have greater Re- Operations. gard to the Dignity of the Subjed, than to the Manner in which I am conftrained to lay it before You. I have the greater Reafon for this Apo¬ logy becaufe what I prefume here to offer you, which has fcarcely hitherto been touched by any One, is' far from being filed, burmfhed, or brought to
k 4 its
The TranJIatois Introduction]
its due Luftre, tho’ it be, in Truth, the Mafter-Key, in this Work, and ferves rightly to open, and let us into the Knowledge of the true Caufe of the main Phenomena and Tran factions of this our whole fublunary World. But by what Means it is turned, act¬ ed, and managed, or what is the prime Mover, and Director of this Heat, and thefe Exhalations,* or what is the Rule and Law by which all is fleered and conducted, I will not pre- fume to take upon me to determine. But this I mull fay, that all the Good or Bad of human Life, the Happinefs or Unhappinefs of the State of the Region in which we live, move, and have our Being, and of all the Productions of it, apparently depend folely on its Government and Admi- niftration : and, whenever that fhall be given up, and the fubterranean Fire once let loofe, any One may prefently inferr, from what has been before layd down, how eafyly, and by what Means, in that great and dreadful F)ay^ f the Elements. Jhall
be
f Mctlach. iy. 5,
The Tranjlators Introduction.
be brought to melt with fervent Beat , the Barth alfo , and the Works that are therein, be burned up, diffohedf and the Whole reduced to Confulion, 2nd abfolute Deitrucdon.
Under however ftridt Reftraint I have here all along held my Pen, the Subject is fo ample, that it has drawn me on too far; fo that I fhall not longer prefume on your Goodnefs than only while I allure you that
I am, SIR,
Your mod obedient humble Servant
J. Woodward.
Letter
* z *Pet* iii. io.
*54
'j’foe Tranflator s IntrodiMion .
Letter IV.
Of the Diffolution and DeflruElion of the Earth , at the Deluge.
Why the Shells , and other like ex* traneous Bodyes , were not dif* folved, as well as the St one j, and all native Fojfls.
S I R,
One grand Impediment of the cJPro- grefs of Knowledge in the World .
T muft be allowed that your Reflection is very juft: and that; of the many ufefull Truths which have been advanced in this Age, feveral have not found fo ready Reception, as affurediy they would, with the candid and ingenuous, were they not difcou- raged and kept from Examining them, and by that Means their Judgment
band.
fthe Tranflators Introduction. 1 5 «■'
barr’d, by the Interposition and De¬ clamations of fome forward Adven¬ turers in the Commonwealth of Learn¬ ing. As to the Enterprizes of thefe Gentlemen with Regard to me, I have this to fay for myfeif, that the Dehgn of my Studyes hath been ever iincere: and, for the Fruits and Succefs of them, I willingly fubmitt that to the Opinion of the World ; which has been Favourable to me beyond my Merits, and indeed my Hopes. But Nothing has ever incouraged me more than your Approbation : and 1 have Rea- fon to think this an Over-Balance to all the Opposition that I have found from fome, who are far from having fhewn a Judgment, a Fidelity, and Exadnefs like what you do on every Occafion. With this Incourage- T’he Er- ment I can eafyly bear the being rcr .</ wrongfully charged, in Print, and ha-f Z%rth ving Objections rais’d againft my Nat.imbie to be Hift. of the Earth , by fome, as if I diffbived by there fuppofe the terrellrial Globe wasf^er> or difiolved by a Menftnmm : by others, quite contrary, as if I luppos’d it was diffolved by the Water of the De¬ luge ; nay, and that this is one of the main Articles of it, and the Qrou nds
which
The T ranjlators Introduction.
which I defign to build my Theory , as they are pleas’d to call it, upon ; f when, in Truth, I am fo far from ha¬ ving ever offered any Thing like that, or fuggefted that either Water , or any i tyenftruuMy was the Caufe of that DiJJblntion that I no where, thorow that whole Difcourfe, go about to aflign any Caufe at all ; * but referve the doing that intirely to a future Work. Not but that any One, who fhall give due Attention to what I have plainly delivered there, will foon find enough to convince and fatisfy him that I could never poffibly think of either of thofe two. Indeed, Sir ! as you obferve, it cannot but be a great Biemifh caft upon a Work, to be layd under fuch Imputations ; fince Nothing can well be more abfurd than to im¬ ply there is to be found any where in all Nature a Menftruum in fuch Quan¬ tity as to receive into it and diflolve the whole Earth, a Body of 8 Thou-
fand
f Dr. Ni choir s conf. with a j'heift. Part II. p. 192. and M. 'Bernard Norn, de la Reftnh. del Lettres . Mars. 1 704*
* Vid. Nat. Hi ft. Earth . Part II. p. 120. 1 zie
The Tranflators IntrodtiUion . V57'
fand Miles in Diameter: or that all the Solids of the whole terreftrial Globe fhouid be, in a lliort Time, diffolved, and reduced to their Origi- nal conftituent Principles, by meer Water , that is not capable of difloi- ving a Flint, which is far from being one of the hardeft, in many Hundreds of Years.
But what I perceive you are chiefly FoJJilsand folicitous about, is a Difficulty that^ terre- has prevailed amonaft fome, whom^f^?^, you think realy impartial , fair, and ved at the free from all flnifter Intention. They^e^b cannot , you fay, underftand how Mar- nen^er ble, and the hardeft terreftrial Solids, n^Animal could be diflolved, while all Animal fiodyes. and Vegetable Bodyes, Bones, Teeth,
Shells, Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, and even the tendered Parts of them, fuch as Leaves, remained intire, and alto¬ gether unhurt. As to the Impartia¬ lity of thefe Gentlemen, I will let it pafs3* but ’tis furely hard for them to make me anfwerable, becaufe they cannot tmderjiand why thofe fhouid be diffolved, and not thefe. None of thofe Gentlemen, it feems, go about to deny but that the Fa<ft a&ualy was
fo %
*Ihe Translator's Introduction.
fo : and that I have, from the things themfelves, given unqueftionable Proof, and even Evidence of Senfe, that the terreftnal Bodyes were actualy dilTol— ved : and that the Vegetable and Ani¬ mal were not. Now this is all that I took upon me, or am anfwerable for. So that they have not the lead Ground of Objection, or any Reafon to think I have not acquitted my feifofall that lay upon me. T he Parts of V ege fa¬ ble and Animal Bodyes, dig’d up in all Places, and on every Side of the Globe, many of them fair, unaltered, and per¬ fectly well preferved, to this Day, are Witneffes for themfelves : and fhew how far they were from being diffol- ved, or deftroyed while the Foifils carry in them not lefs manifeft Proof that they were all affuredly diflolved, and hnce formed anew. The Body of the Earth confifts mainly of Strata, lying each upon other, and all in fuch Manner as to fhew plainly they are meerly fo many Sedi¬ ments fallen, fuccelhvely, rom Water. Then, they have ordinary ly in them extraneous Bodyes that are the natu¬ ral Products of Water, e. gr. the Bones Teeth and Shells of Sea-Fifhes :
^Tbe Tranflator's lntroduBionl \ yp
and thefe are, not only in great Num¬ bers, but incorporated with the Sub- ftance of the Stone, and other con ft i- tuent Matter of the Strata, in fuch fort as, together, to make up one com¬ mon Mafs. When broken, and par¬ ted, the Stone, and other folid Matter, in which thefe Shells, and other extra¬ neous Bodyes, have been lodged, ap¬ pears commonly to have taken the Im- prellions, and even the fmaileft and fineft Lineaments of them, in a Manner fo exquifite as to fhew the Diffoluti- on was abfolute, and the Foffils re¬ duced all to their primary conftituent Corpufcles. This is the true Condi- dition of the Strata : and for their Breaches and Fifliires, both they, and the Metalls, Spar, and other Bodyes now found concreted in them, muft needs have been all formed lince the Strata themfelves were. So that the primitive Earth, and all the original FoiTils, what ever, muft have been dif- folved : and the prefent formed fince.
Nor indeed is it fo difficult, as thofe of the Tex- Gentlemen may have fancy ’d, to fhew ture of the by what Means, all this happened : cfp'e'
and why the Foffils underwent that ^mnafso* Fate5 and were not preferved, as well dyes, ^the
as
1 5 6 The T fanflator's Introduction*
Cohefion of as the Vegetables and Animals. I long thefe owing a,ro intimated that the Caufe of the
teCornpli- C°^on °f thi TmS °f F°^S WUS
cation of the quite different from that of Vegeta- Fibres , of nes anf Animals * . Thefe latter, which they aq our Qhfervations fhew, are made
tirely com- up wholey of Fibres : and thofe Fib- fos'd. res are interwoven each with other, tyed, twilled, and complicated toge¬ ther ; by which Means the Cohelion of all the Parts’ is maintained, and preferved.
Of the Soli- But the Cohefion of the Parts of dityandCo- Folds is owing to a quite different hefion of the caufe, x have not now, Sir ! that
gtoa that I once had of the THf- caufed who- courjc of Gr rcivity^ or mat Of oOllcii - ley by the fy ? fince they have been fo fortunate tpc'wer of as t0 0btain y0ur Approbation. So far
ramt^ from it, that I could wifh there were found feme Perfon, converfant in thofe Studyes, who had Time and Leifure to fit thofe two Difcourfes for View of the Publick ; the rather becaufe you are pleafed to admitt that the Experi¬ ments and Keafonings, in the former^ make out that Gravity is the Power
by
* Nat . Hijl. Earth, Part, IL
The Tranflators JntrochiUion.
by which al! Nature i> governed : and, in the latter, that the Solidity of FollilS and ail terreftrial Bodyes is undoubted¬ ly an Effect of Gravity. Ail the Sorts of thefe Bodyes are compofed of Granules, only apply ed, and conti¬ guous, to each other ; but independent, and not any ways conneded, or tyed together ,• which the Parts of Vegeta¬ bles and Animals are. This all our Obfervations, 1 ryals, and Experiments, concurr to make out : and they are all held together merely by the Com- preihon and Gravitation of the external Ambient, the Air, .Tther, and other component Parts of the Atmofpha’re, Wherein they exift. So that Nothing more wasneedfull, for the total Diflo- lution of thefe, than the Snfpenhon of the Caufe of their Solidity, I mean Gravity. In that Gale they would ail immediately fail to Pieces, of tbem- feives, wholey of their own Accord, and without Need of a Menftruum, or any the leal! exterior Force, and Alli- llance ; juft as the two flat Pieces of Marble, which coharre, when ap- piy’d Surface to Surface, in the fb well known Experiment, fall afun- der again when put into a Re-
1 ceiver,
161
'i6%
*Tbe Tranjlators IntrodnUion.
csiver, and only the groffer Air drawn
Gravity cea- ftng, or the Vovoer of it be- fyipr remitted 5 there mu ft happen, in
Conference, a DeJlruBion the 'Earthi a total Cefja- tion of the So¬ lidity ofFojfils, and a Diffolu- tion of them all. But this would no Way affect the Ve¬ getable orAni -
But, on fuch aSufpenfion of Gravi¬ ty, the Parts of Vegetables and Ani¬ mals would not be afte&ed in the lealt. The Fibres, of which they are com- pofed, would no more untwift, un¬ weave, or untye, on the Sufpenuon or Gravity, than a Cord, a Piece or Cloth, a Gordian or other Knot, m an exhaufted Receiver, on drawing out the Air. Nor, when there was in A- gitation and Defign fo great and im¬ portant a Change in Nature to be made at the Deluge, can it be thought
it range.
* For thefe Marbles are ptefs’d together by only
the groffer Parts of the Atmofphxre , the reft being .. ^ r> 1 - _ pvrliudpci bv fuch ciu Ap
the groiier Farts oi trie > — - A °
far too fubtil and fine to be excluded by ^ Ap¬
plication. So far indeed that the Planes, of thefe two flat Marbles, can, by no Art be made fo regu¬ lar and true, nor is any Marble fo free from Pores and fmall Caverns, as to take aPoliih fo o
be brought to be contiguous in fo Aen the'
acolv’d Surfaces, as neat to exclude all of even the
groffer Parts of the Atmofphwe. Whereas & hules, or primary condiment Corpufcles, of mai y Foffils, are fo regular, that they can, when apply d riahtly each to other, come to be fo contiguous as to exclude even the finer ; but feme Sorts of them, fewer, others, more ; thofe which compofe the h - deft, «. gr. the Diamond, perhaps excludm all, except the luminous, or thofe which conltimte the
Light,
The Tranflator s Introduction* 162
ftrange, at all, that it fhould be brought ma\ Bodyes: about by means of a Change made in the Power, or Gravity, if it be conh- complication dered that that Power is wholey in °f thc!v FihreS' the Hand of the fupreme Governor of the Univerfe, and is the very In- ftrument whereby all Nature is re¬ gulated, and managed"": and that Was that great Being who did then faring a Flood of Water upon the Earth to deftroy all Fie fid , wherein is the [Breath of Life , from under Heaven , as aifo, at the lame Time to deftroy— the Earth t; and indeed, as the Syftem of Nature was then , and is Pill [up- ported and eftablijhed , a Deluge nei¬ ther could then , nor can now , happen naturaly ^ . It is not to be thought
that the Gravity, of Bodyes, in and about the terraqueous Globe, was then intirely fufpended, and withdrawn , for, if it had, they would have been all difperfed, and flung off by the diurnal Rotation of the Earth ; in Cafe there realy was then fuch a Rotation, of
I 2 which
* Conf. p. 12. Seqq. fttprci.
f Gen, vi. 13, 17.
4 Nat. Hijl. Earth. Part HI. Sett. 2. Con - fiCi. 7.
The 7* ranflators Introduction. •
which I am not certain ; for the H, Writer, Gen . viii, 21, 22, feems to intimate that there was then, for the Time,t a Sufpenfion not oniy of the diurnal, but of the annual Motion' of jt, and confequently of Summer and Winter , as well as of T)ay and Might. But, if there be fuppofed fuch a Rotation, with a Remiihon or Di¬ minution of the Gravity of Matter on¬ ly fo far that fuch a DTperfion fhould be avoided, and prevented, ’twill rea- dyiy account for every Thing that then fell out, and folve all the Phe¬ nomena j * e. gr« a Readynefs of the Water of the Abyfs freely to afcend, it being now not heavy as before : ^ a Difpolition of the Parts of Fofi'ils and the terreftrial Solids, to fepa- rate, and difunite, ]■ the Gravity
and
f Conf. Nat. Bifi. Earth. Part VI. in fin.
* Which, to note that by the By, is, not only a proper Tell to bring it to, but, its Abideing and Anfwering this Tell, thus pundualy, in fo many Refpeds, indeed in all Particulars, is, to wave all the ©ther Proofs, a llrong Prefumption in its Behalf. So Itrong, that, in Truth, this, alone, is all thatfome of the molt confiderable Theoryes of the prefent Age have for their Jullification and Support,
4: Nat. Hift. Earth. Part III. Sed. z. Confed. 2j, 4 Ibid. P^rt9 II. Cogfe^t, j.
The 'Tranjlators IntroduUion .
and Prelfiire of the Ambient, that caufed their Cohefion, ceafing fo far as now not at all to prefs them together, and only juft fo much of it remaining, or very little more, than would hinder the Diffipation of tne Parts of the Globe : the terreftrial Matter of ail Sorts, the Shells, and other like Bodyes, formerly heavy er, fo that they would then fink, would be now difpofed to be eafyly afliimed up and retained in the Water : * and that Matter, at length, to unite again, concrete, and form Nodules, f not abfolutely folid, for that would re** quire a Gravitation and Prelfure in the Ambient to eff@6t it, but having their Parts cohering together flightly, and only fo far as the then ambient Fluid would difpofe them to. But, when the former Gravity totaly returned, they would initantly become folid % and fubfide, £ along with the common conftituent Matter of the Strata, and with the Shells, Bones, and other ex**
1 3 traneous
* Ibid. Content. 2.
| Ibid. Part IV. Confl 2.
4 } Vat. Hifi. Earth* Part II. Conf j*
1 66 The Tranflators Introduction.
traneous Bodyes then lodged in them : and, by this Means, the Globe be finilhed, and formed anew. afloat the tvs to the Diflolution of the Earth, tDefiruftwn to the greateil Depth we ever digg or of i he Earth mme, there are, in it, every where, was miner- proofS} not be’ contefted, and that
thatZi give ocular Demonftration that all native Fof- Foifils whatever, the very firmed, Mar- fihwhat ble ancj stone. Flints, cPyrit<e, and
ImZef the other Nodules, nay even Dia- and reduced monds, and the hardeit of the preci- te their pri- ous Stones, underwent all the fame inary con- common pate. Indeed, befides all
Principles, other Arguments, thefe carry appa¬ rently, in their very Make and Con- dilution, Marks of their having been fo diflolved, and concreted anew. Nor is there Reafon to doubt that thofe Parts of the Sphere of Earth, and the Foflils, that lye yet deeper, and even quite down to the Abyfs, were ail like wife as certainly diflol¬ ved. At the Beginning of the Deluge, all the Fountains of the great Deep were broken up ; * to that the whole
Sphere
* Gen. vii. ix®
j the TV an flat or $ IntroduUionl
Sphere muft have been torn, and fplit, from the Abyfs, quite to the upper Surface of the Earth, At the End of the Deluge, fomething of like fort muft have been done again : and Breaches made, for the Water to re-* * turn by, back, to the Abyfs. £ The Sediments, and Strata, that were at firft level, and continuous, f were af¬ terwards broken up, and difloeated, feme elevated, and others depreifed. f The Agent, or Force whereby this wTas effected, was feated, under ail, within the Sphere of Earth, in the Abyfs. * So that thefe two Difrupti- o ns were manifeftly thorow the whole Thicknefs of the Sphere of Earths That the Dilfolution was fo too, there will be the lefs Caufe to doubt, if it be confidered that no Agent can be affigned to affeft fo great a Part of the Earth, without equaly affecting all the reft, I mean the whole Sphere: or Reafon given why the Dilfolution
1 4 fhould
$ Nat. Hi ft. Earth . Part. II, Confeft. 0, f Ibid. Conf 5. f Ibid. Conf 6.
* Ibid. Conf 7,
The Tranflators Introduction*
fihould flop at any determinate Depth,' Without going on quite to the Borrcmj which, as has been fhewn in its Place ^ is no very great Way* that Sphere be¬ ing not of near the Thick nefi> that has been generaiy thought. Be that as it will, ’tis plain, if ail Foflils owe their Solidity to the Abtion and Preilure of the Ambient, in which they exift: and that Action proceeds wholey from the Gravity of that Ambient, in Cafe that Gravity was abated, or conhderabiy diminii) ed, for the Time, ail Foifiis whatever mull lofe their Solidity, be dilioived, and reduced to their origi¬ nal condiment Particles, as well thofe that lay deeped, quite down to the Abyfs, as thofe that happened to be nearer to the Surface of the Barth.
You fee Sir! how great a Trouble you have brought upon you, by that generous Partiality you are pleafed al- wayes to difcover towards what I write. If, thorow the Whole, you find any Thing that gives you the lead
Light
1 tsfat . Hi -ft. Earth illustrated. Part II, Sea 5.
The Tran Patois Introduction,
Light or Satisfaction, I flatter myfelf you’ll be fo good as to let that atrone for all the Faults and Defects that you’ll find in the reft : and believe me, always, with great Integrity,
SIR, your moft faithfull
and moft obedient Servant
J. Woodward.1
THE
,V *'
THE
Natural History
OF THE
E A R T H,
Illu ft rated, and Inlarged:
AS ALS.O
DEFENDED ,
And the
Objections ag
it,
Particularly thofe lately publilh’d by
Dr. Carrier arius , anfwered.
Written originaly in Latin by JOHN WOODWARD , M. D. Profeffof of Phyfick in Grejbam College, Fellow of the College of Pbyjicians , and of the Royal Society: And now firft mad e Englijh by BE NJ HOLLO WAT, L. L, B. and Fellow of the Royal Society.
LON DON:
Printed and Sold by Tho. E6lin, at Arms, over-againft Exeter- Exchange, in the Strand. MDCCXXVI.
■ t • 'ii. •
The Author’s
PREFAG E.
Tvveral ‘Tears are now pafs'd^ fince 1 fet forth my Natural Hiftory of the Earth, in our own Lan¬ guage , for the Ufe of Englifti Leaders . This the learned Dr« Scheuchzer, Profejfor of Mathema - ticks at Zurich, publi/tid afterwards to the learned World in Latin, un¬ der the Title of Geographia Phyfica. As there were*> in that Work> f eve* ral Things altogether new , it can * not well be thought firange that forne ‘People flmild entertain Doubts concerning them. , and fet themf elves* in Oppofititm to them ; which they
The Author’s PREFACE.
did, with great Tains and, Vehe¬ mence ; but not with that i'oi cc o) Weight of Argument to deferve to be ' (evefctly twfwcr d by ihc- Hefid&s^ I am of a Temper not difpofed to Re- feutment , nor indeed to Controller- fies oj any Kind. Rut when the learned Dr. CamerariusV Differtati- ons came abroad , , I prefently dijcern- ed fo great Jcutenejs , ‘Diligence , and Happinefs of Invention in Him , that fcarce any Thing had been ob¬ jected by others that was not there propojed by him , with fome Addi¬ tions of his own entirely new. So that, in returning an Anfwer to him, 1 jh all likewife refute all the
They who (hall expeCt to find, in this Treatife , any Ofientation of Skill in Difpnte, or Triumph over my Jdverfaryi will be dif appointed. The Catife I defend is fupported by Nature itfelf \ and careful/ Obfer- ■ nations of Things ; nor will I any where depart from thefe in this my HDtefeiifc.
Refides the Arguments which are now brought in '< Confirmation of my DoCtrines formerly publijhed, here
are
The Author’s PREFACE.
are offered others not produced be¬ fore : and fuch as, I hope , will ap¬ pear to be of no f, mall Moment, nor in any wife unworthy Conft deration. The Subjeci of which I write cer¬ tainly demands the (IriUefl Exa¬ mination : and I Jhould not a little rejoice could I be perfwaded 1 have treated it with an ExaUnefs fuita- ble to its TDignity. But , whatever this my ‘Performance may be, it will find ‘Pardon from Readers of Can¬ dour and Humanity, and all fuch who rightly conjider with how great Care and Concern , the Thoughts of thoje are taken up> who apply them - [elves to the Practice of Phyfick with that Fidelity and "[Diligence it re¬ quires^ which I ever J hall do ,
A3 THE
4
- K
Vj: ■}.
\
THE
CONTENTS.
> i
Part I.
HE Reafon of my pub- lifting this Anfwer . P. r 'The Method and T)e- fign of my Studyes , p. 2 to trace and fet forth the true Laws of Nature. ibid.
The Approbation of the Learned, p. 3 Hinderances to my Tejign in the Natural Hiftory of the Earth, p. 4
A 4 After
\
The CONTENTS,
Jfter the pubUJhing my ‘Book) fever al learned Men-> rejewing their for¬ mer Opinions 3 embrac'd mine ;
Page 4
i Particularly Dr. Seheuchzer, p. 5
Jnd many others , P* ^
JEfpecialy the Writers of Germany 3
P\?
Who are mo ft knowing in Foffils. ibid.
From thefe Dr. Camerarius diffents i but without Re a f on. p. 9
Jddrefs to Dr. Camerarius. ibid.
Fart I. of this Differtation* where¬ in is confided d his unfair Way of treating me , and his Mifrepre r fentation of Things- P* 1 °
1. Examples of this in his Fnqui - ryes relateing to the Belemnite. ib.
Of the ./Etites and Geodes. p. 1 1
2. Of the Ammonite. ibid.
3 . The Ammonite inhabiting the in¬
ner and deeper Farts of the Sea 3 is feldom flung upon the Shores by Storms. ' p* 12
Defer Storms do not reach the deeper Farts of the Main , and therefore remove not the Shell~Filh which
refide there . P- 1 3
\
m
i
The GONTEN T S.
Tut greater Storms reach t h of e Tarts , and bring up Shells that are rare , and never other wife feen. Page 1 6
A Corollary relating to the p)rodigious Deftruaion that was made at the 'Deluge. p. 17
4. Dr. Camerarius judged from Shells fmall and not arriv'd at full Growth , found in the Earth with thefe that are large and grown, that both were produced there, but without juft Grounds.
p. 18
5. Shells , diggd up in other Coun¬ try es, in as great Tlenty as in
England, p. 19
Dr. Camerarius’ j firangelnconfiftency in this Matter. p. 21
6. Of the Origin and Formation of
the Conchita^ and other like To¬ dy es. p. 27
Dr. Camerarius’ j Mijlake in this Affair. p. 2 8
Occafionally of the Cavities in Stone formed after the Model of Shells, &c. p. 29
And of Spar , &c. formed in the Shape of Shells, &c. p. 30
7. 7)r,
The CON T ENT S.
n, cDr. CamerariusV Objections, as to the Site of Shells in the Earth,
refuted. P* M
Of the Situation of Met alls, ana Minerals, in the Earth. P-33 Of the Site, and Order, of the Stony and terrefirial Strata. P- 34
The Origin of the Strata affeited front the Shells and other extt a- neons "Bodies contained in the Strata. Their covfiituent Mat¬ ter once diffohed, and fujiained in the Water, of the Deluge, p- 3 7
That Matter being at laft brought to fubfide by its own Gravity , the Strata were compofed of it. The Laws and Order of that
Subjidence. . P-39
The Strata , fince the Time they were form'd , have fuffered Jome Changes ; i- The upper ones by the Return of the Waters at the Conclufion of the Deluge. P- 43 a. The lower Strata, by the Removal
of metallic and mineral Matter.
p. 44
Tit in many T laces Fojfils are found
difpofed, with wonderful Exacts
nefs, according to the Laws of
Gravity. Examples of this. p. 45
o9 Uj
The CONTENTS.
8. Of the Growth., and confolidating of Stone. p. 49
Stone, in the Barth , faturated by Moiflure there , and foft, being, at length expcfed to the Air , and dryed, becomes harder. p. 5!
The Argument, concerning the Vege¬ tation of Stone, taken from Dr. Tournefort’x Obfervations, conji- dered. p, 5 5
9- Of the Growth of Met alls. p. j 5
10 .Of the Origin of Cry flail, and of
■ Gemms. P. 56
1 1 . Water no fit Menflrumn of Sul¬ phur, Oil, or ‘Bitumen. p. 5 7
1 2. The Afcent, of Water to Springs,
not owing to the Breffure of the Strata. • ibid.
1 3 . What Supply the Springs receive
from Rains. p. 58
14. Of Earthquakes. ibid.
iS- Of the Olive Tree from which
the Dove cropped the Leaf Jhe brought to Noah. p. 60
Of Trees, and other Blants, fre- quently digged out of the Earth.
ibid.
That Havock, of Vegetables, was caufed by the Diffolution of the Earth, at the Deluge. p. 61
The
The CONTENTS.
The Tradition of the Antients , con¬ cerning that Diffolution and Ha- vock. ibid.
Some Taff ages of Holy Writ compar'd , and explain'd. p. 62
The Condition and Site of the Trees, particularly of the Olive, after the Return of the Waters of the Tie-
luge. P- 75
The Mofaic Account of this Affair confidered. P-77
The Olive Trees were rooted up a- bout Mount Arrarat, at the De¬ luge for none are found growing in that Country now. p- 78
Part II.
II. The 2d Tart of this Differ tati- on, wherein are confidered Dr. CamerariusV Mi flakes, and care- lefs Way of pajfing Judgment of thefe Things. P- 8 1
1. He joyns and confounds Things
that are in their Nature very different. P- 8 2
He gives unfit Names to Things.
ibid.
* s > •* *' • . • *
2. Dr. CamerariusV Inconfiftency as to the Shells keeping themfelves
The CONTENTS.
whole , while moved and toffed by the Waves amongft Stones p. 8 3
3. Of the Ghffopetrtf) their Nature *
and Origin . ' p. 8 <5
The Opinion 0/Fabius Columna, cerning thefe Bodyes 3 ajferted , <2/2^ Reputation vindicated, p. 87
4. Of the Dijfolution of the Earthy at the "Time of the Deluge, p. pH
Terr eft rial) and Mineral ,
Animal) or Vegetable Bodyes > dif- folved at the Deluge . p. 93
5. Of the AbyfS) or that great Sub¬ terraneous Refer v at ory of Water,
p. 96
Of the Quantity of this Water, p. 97
0/ the Momenta of heavy Bodyes des¬ cending in a Fluid. p. 98
Of the twofold Increafe of the Wa¬ ters affigned by Mofes. Occa- fionaly) of the Mofaic Origin of the 'Barth. Alfo of the Chaos of the Antients. P* 100
Of the 'Place where thefe Waters arey at this Day) ftored up. And fomething further touching Earth¬ quakes. 104
The exact Agreement that there iS) betwixt Nattire and Holy Writ)
concern -
The CONTENTS*
concerning the Ahyfs , and the Structure of the terraqueous Globe.
p. 107
The Rife of Meteors , and of almoft all the Changes , Phanomena^ and AjfeUions of the Atmofphere , /m/2 the 'great Abyfs . p. 109
Oz#/* 0/ the Phenomena of the 'Barometer . p. 1 1 1
Inflames of certain Tarts of the Earth's Surface being undermined by Earthquakes 5 and falling down into the Abyfs beneath . p. 1 1 2
6. Of the Salts that [apply the Mi¬ neral Waters. p. 113
7. Mountains not raifed by Force
of Earthquakes , p. 1 1 5
8. The Origin of Iflands . Parti¬
cularly of that Heap of Rabble raifed in the Pay of Santorini, called by fome an I (land. p. 1 1 8
The Conclufion of this fecond Part .
p. 1 24
With what Difpofition of Mind 1 Jet myfelf to read Dr. Camerarius his Differtations. p. ibid.
With what View , and in what Me¬ thod I have anfwered them . p. 1 2 %
Hindrances to the Search of Truth.
‘ '• p. 12 6
' The
The CONTENTS:
The Scope and Tefign of all my Writings. p. 128
The Tottrines , by me formerly de¬ livered, confirmed by all Obferva- tions made fince. . ibid.
The vain Attempts of my Adver- faryes in Opposition to them. p. 1 2 9 My Readynefs to lifien to the Ad¬ monitions of thofe who are can¬ did : and to disregard thofe who cavil , and are contentious. ibid.
_ ■ *'"-■* P--- *> - _ x ' \ ^
\ * v
Part III.
i V . .. •• ^ • O
i. < ,•
XII. The third Tart of this Diflerta- tion5 wherein are examined Dr. Camerarius his Conjectures, fet up by him ■ in Oppojition to what I have advanced \ p. 1 3 1
1. The Sea-Shells , now digged up in all Parts , were not repo fit ed in thb Earth at the Time of the fir (l Separation of the Waters from the dry Landy nor before the T)e -
luge. P-134
-2. Thofe Shells were not originaly lodged in the Fiffuresy but inter - , mingled and incorporated with the Matter of the Stratay while
this
The contents;
this was foft , loofe, and in a State of Tijfolution . „ p- i 3 8
3. Thofe Shells were not brought out to Land by particular Inun-
, dations. P- I4I
4. Thofe Shells were not brought,
from Sea , into the ‘Bowels of the Earth, by any Subterraneous ‘Paf- fclf6S* 'V: ~ P* 1^-5
5. Thofe Shells were not created , by Qody in the Bowels of the Earth ;
but bred at Sea. p*
The grcfs Mifiake of thofe who ima¬ gine, not only Shells , but federal artificial Things , digd up, were formed in the Earth , ' by Nature playing and Sporting under Ground
p, 1 >4
♦ * ^ *
Of the fuppofed Analogy betwixt Jome Marine , and Terrefirial Bodyes «
p. 1 6 1
rion to the Earl of Pern- dfokc, • P-
4 . \ > ’S • ■ • -- • 5 * • . ' . . . . >.
f. \ .Jr * » * . t \ v ' -•
i v
* t
i T
r " *•
\ \ -i ■
r \
'V‘
The
V‘ '
/
i
THE
v, L ^ ’ i .. 'v> !
Natural History
O F T H E
EARTH
' * , f . .• <* • i- i t > , 1
Illufirated , and Inlarged : as alfb. j 'ended, particularly againft the late Objections of Dr. Camerarius.
Part I.
To the Marl ^/PEMBROKE.
My LORT),
HE learned Dr. Camera- The Reafon ruts, Profeffor of Phyiick °J ntypub- at Tubingen * having tack d me with fo much Eagernefsand Vehemence, tho’, every where, with great Care and Art concealed under a Shew of
B Complai-
* In Dijjertationibm \ Tanrinenjib . lit* hingtf edit is, 8vo. 1712,
Nat. Hip. of the Earth Part I.
Complaifance and good Manners, Your Lordfhip, and all others of like impartial and ingenuous Difpofition, would think me wanting to myfelf fhould I negledt to give fome Account of my Studies, and the Succefs of my Ejfay towards a Natural Hijlory of the Earth , publifh’d fome, Years agoe; which otherwife there would, have been no Occafion for me to have done.
<?he Me- As to my Diligence in thefe Stu-
^efi Vtf ^ may be allow’d to affirm that my Studies, for many years I have apply’d myfelf to them with great Conftancy.- 1 have ' carefully fearch’d the principal Mines of our Iiland, and the Bowels of the Earth by what ever Means laid open to View; obferving the Strata of eve¬ ry Sort of terreftrial Matter, the Man¬ ner in which the Minerals there lay, with the Order wherein the feveral Kinds of Foffils were found : and the Main of what I difcover’d from thefe Obfervations I fet forth in that Book with the utmoft Truth and Exaft- nefs.
to trace Nor did I take thofe Pains, or and fet forth write that Book, with any View of
Laws of fupporting fome former Hypothefis of Nature . . my
Part L Ittuftrated and hdargd \ j
my own, as that Gentleman fufpe&s* and more than once charges me to have done ; but to defcribe, to others, with what Accuracy I could, the true State of thofe Things which I had myfelf obferved. And afterwards to advance fome Propofitions, not fuch as I might have framed in my Mind before, or that flhould carry only fome Shew of Truth, but that ftiould be * certain, as following naturally and plainly from the very Obfervations themfelves,* without which, I con¬ ceived, the whole Defcription of thofe Obfervations would not be of any real Ufe.
As foon as I had publifh’d that "the Appro- Treatife, impartial Judges, efpecially haUon °J they who had apply ’d themfelves to earn theie Studies, publickly confeffed this Matter to be highly worthy of a more attentive Con fi deration both of them¬ felves and of others: and that many of my Propofitions were of the greateft Importance. They, from that Time, reprefented the Study of Minerals, as moft beneficial to Mankind, and re¬ gretted its having lain fo long ne¬ glected. In a Word, that Book found Fortune fo favourable, or the Learned
B 2 fo
/
/
4 Nat. Hi ft. of the Earth Part L
fo well inclined to it, that in a little Time it was carried over the greatefl Part of Europe , and every where receiv’d with Candour, and not with¬ out Approbation.
.Hindrances This was fo great an Encourage-
n^iiTthe ment t0 me^ ^ mY own Private Natural Affairs, and that conftant Attendance
Hiftory of which the Practice of Phyfick re-
the Earth. qUires, had not other wife engaged
me, and the pubiick Commotions,
occafion’d by the long and cruel War,
drawn off the Minds of Men from
the more liberal Arts of Peace, I had
certainly made a greater Progrefs in
it. What added ftill more to my
Satisfaction was, that from the firft
publifhing that Work, no Man of
Candour and Judgment ever made
any doubt of my Obfervations, or
ever went about to refute the Pro-
< pofitions drawn from them.
After the Indeed, before the publishing that
^wy'flook Work, Naturalifts were generally of
fever al ’ Opinion, that the Shells, found in
learned Stone, and digged out of the Earth,
fdeny re - were not the Produce of the Sea, but
'their for- meer Stones * form’d in the Earth,
mer Opini- and
cnSy em¬ brac'd mine •
* See Mr. Ray's 3 Thyfico-dfkeol. Difc. p. 1 27.
Part I. Illuflrated and Inlargd. y
and of terreftrial Origin. But, I \ am perfuaded, there are now very few, if any, who difpute their being the real Spoils of the Sea, and left behind, by the Deluge, at Land.
This is certain, that of thofe who N have made the moft accurate Search into thefe Things, with a View to difcover their true Nature, not a few, rejecting their former Opinion, have imbraced mine : and even publiekly defended and maintain’d it. Of the many I could name, I fhali men¬ tion only one, whofe Authority is equal to that of many, I mean Dr. Scheuchzer , a Perfon of diftinguifh’d Tartim- Parts and Judgment, confummate^r Z)r. Learning, and who is defervedlySclieuctlzer ranked among the firft Naturalifts of Europe. He publifh’d, in the Year 1695, a Dilfertation T)e Generations Conchitarum , wherein he endeavours to prove that thefe Bodyes ought to be reputed native and genuine Fof- fils. But, afterwards, upon a carefull Perufal of my Book, he publiekly ac¬ knowledged * his Miftake confeffing he had too haftily embraced that Opi-
B 3 nion.
* In Epfi* Dedicat, Geogr, Thyf
'6
Nat. Bift . 0/ Part t*
nion. Thereupon, as became a fin* cere Labourer in the Caufe of Truth, he gave up his own, and came over to my Sentiments : and the many learned Works, wherein he has from that Time aflerted and demonftrated the Truth of this Opinion, beiides his other Writings, abundantly lliew the great Progrefs he has made in thefe Studies. gnd many In lhort, the Teftimonies of the others, greateft Men that have wrote on the
* lame Subjects, and their Approbations
of my Natural Hiftory of the Earthy are fo many, and confiderable, that I fhould feem too much pleas’d with the Fruits of my own Studies in this Way, if I fhould particularly recount them all. Neither is there any Need that I fhould do that, feeing their Works are in every Bodies Hands. Nor had I faid any Thing of this Kind, now, nor hereafter, either pri¬ vately among my Friends, or much lefs thus in publick, had not the juft Defence of myfelf, and of the Caufe, which fo many great Men with me have approv’d, required it.
But
Part I. lllufirated and Inlargd. ~f
But, after all, if what I wrote did specially not feem of W eight to the learned Dr. Camerarius , unlefs he thought erma' himfelf more knowing than all thofe Gentlemen, every where fo deferved- ly famous for their Knowledge in na¬ tural Things, and could not acquiefce in their Judgment, he fhould not fure- ly have gone about with fo much Im¬ portunity to oppofe his own fingly to all theirs. For , he acknowledges of his own Accord, that I have ea¬ sily won over , to my Side , thegreateft of thofe in Germany who are taken with this Sort of Learning. * Af¬ ter which Declaration, he had ne¬ ver fet himfelf with fo much Vehe¬ mence again!! an Opinion, received by them, jointly with me, had he not thought himfelf much more intelligent in thefe Things, than all of us.
This Teflimony of his, that the ’who are great eft Men in Germany were ea-™0fi fily brought over to my Opinion , makes more for the Truth of it, and may juftly be thought to add the greater Confirmation to it, becaufe there are in Germany more Sorts of
B 4 Mine-
•ft
* <DiJ]ert. I’aurin* p. 2 269,
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part I.;
Minerals, more frequent and diligent Searches after them, more exad Ex¬ periments and Allays of Each : and confequently a more eafy and fure ,Way of attaining the true Knowledge of the State and Nature of thofe Things, than in any other Part of Europe befides. For which Reafon, as the Germans are moft addicted to thefe Studies, they have been al¬ ways allowed to have the greateft Skill in them. What Pains they have taken, how fhrew’d Judgment they have ufed in thofe Studies, and how far the Germans , particularly the later Writers, have kept up the Pre¬ rogative fo defervedly conferr’d on their Nation, we have Proof beyond all Exception in the Works, of this Kind, which Dr. "Bayer * Profelfor at Aldorf and Dr. Spener f of Ber¬ lin^ as dlib other learned Men of that Country, have lately fet forth. Now, fince thefe appear in Favour of me, eftablilli my Do&rine by their Authority, and confirm it with their Arguments, I have certainly the lefs
Caufe
*
* Defer ip. Fojil. Territor. Norimberg. 4to, 1708. I jDifj de Crocodilo in , Lcipide s
aliifq 5 JLithozois Mifccll. fierolin* 1 7 ic . p. $>9 >
Part I. llluftrated and Inlargd .
Caufe of Apprehenfion from the At¬ tacks of Dr. Carrier drills alone, how¬ ever eloquent, and, as I am forward to believe, knowing in other Mat¬ ters.
What moved him particularly to prm thefe diffent, not only from me a Stranger, cDr. Cams- and perhaps known to him merely by Name, but from the molt noted ^fthml^ Perfons of his own Country, and de- Reafon. fervedly celebrated, he beft knows.
But this I will be bold to fay, when¬ ever he has diffented, in that Work, from mine and their Opinion con¬ cerning thefe Things, he has at the fame Time departed from Obfervation and Fad ; whereby he has given great Caufe to doubt whether he has fearch’d into Quarry es, Mines, and the other interior Parts of the Earth, with a Diligence needful to fupport fo large a Share of Pofitivenefs.
If a Perfon of his Eloquence and Po- jddrefs to litenefs, fhould here exped the fame ‘Dr. Came- Accomplifhments in me, and thinkrarius* himfelf a little too roughly ufed, while I call in Queftion not only his Candour toward myfelf, but his Skill in the Things he treats of, and his Induftry in examining into the Na¬ ture
.lQ
Part I. of
this Differ - ration y 'wherein is confider'd his Unfair Way of treating me> and his Mi f reprefenta- tion of ffhings.
i. j Exam¬ ples of this in his En¬ quiry es re- iateing to the Belem- nite.
Nat. Hijl. of tide ’Barth Part I;
ture of them, I hope he will Par¬ don me, when he finds I affert no¬ thing in the following Difcourfe but what I ftiall make clearly appear.
I. Firft, if he has read my Book with due Attention, I have great Caufe of Complaint of his Want of Candour, almoft every where, to¬ ward me. For he often afcribes to me Things I never faid, and fome- times fuch as are apparently contra¬ ry to what I had exprefly fet forth. There are Inftances of this almoft without Number ; but I fhall con¬ tent myfelf with recounting only a few of them.
i. Where he treats of the Nature of Foffil Shells, contending earneft- ly that they are not of Marine Pro¬ duction, he mentions the cBelemnitey and alks me * under what Genus of marine Animals I would rank that ? as if I had aflerted it to be of fome Genus of marine Animals. Had I faid nothing of the Nature of the HelemniteSy he might perhaps have fancy’d I took them for Crea¬ tures
* P. 298. Conf. alfo P. 349.
Part I. Ithiftrated and Inlargd. t|
tures of the Sea. Tho’ that would have been a little hard, from my Si¬ lence to judge of my Opinion. But when, with the Confent of all Na- turaliftS) I had expreily affirm’d, that f the Belemnites were realy Fojjihy and of mineral Origin , I can impute his Sufpicion of my Opinion in this Affair, which I have clearly exprefs’d, to nothing but Prejudice, and too much Precipitancy ,* being unwilling to attribute it to any o- ther Caufe in the leaft unworthy the Chara&er of fo great a Man.
Hence alfo it is, that he confounds the $ Altites , and Geodes , both mere of the Stones, with Shells, and other of marine Extract.
2. He like wife takes great Pains 2. Of the to demonftrate the * Cornu Jmmo- Ammonite. nis not to be a Nautilus : and in¬ deed, for what I have faid, he might as well have ufed other Arguments to prove it no Mur ex , or no Oyfter ; for I never afcribed it more to the Claffe of that, than of either of thefe.
But
Things 4£tites and Geodes.
f Nat, Hi fi. Earth, fajftm . i ‘Differt . tfaurin* p. 199* * P» *9$' *91* and 34°*
yg Nat. Hi ft* of the Earth Part I.
But yet t the Ammonite is realy a Shell, of the wreathed or turbinated Kind, produced at Sea, and brought from thence to Land. It has the Marks, and what we call Elfential Propertyes, of a true Shell, tho’ of a Kind plainly different from all thofe.
tfhe 3. The Ammonites are indeed but Ammonite, rarely light of upon the Shores. I inhabiting never met with above one Speci es of
Im/deeper them found there ; whereas out of the •parts of Earth there are dig’d very many. But the Sea, is a]j the Kinds of Shells, that are to be felaom flung pountj on every Shore, have not yet
Shores by been obferv’d and collected with due Storms. Care. Befides, there are many which are bred in the inmoft and deepeft . Parts of the Sea, where they have their Abode, and never of themfelves come near the Shores, nor are flung out of their native Seats, even by the Violence of Tides or Storms. Of fome Kind of thefe I take the Am¬ monite to be. Moft of thofe Shells which are call upon the Shores, by Tides, or Storms, are fuch as were bred riot far off, and among the Shal¬ lows
* " “ mrnm «■ "■ "■ - ■ ■ J m
4 See Nat. Hifi. Earth, Trtflm Differ t . in fin.
\
Part I. Illuftrated and Inlargd. 1 3'
lows and Flats. The Difturbances given by Tides, or Tempefts, never reach the inner and deeper Recefles of the Ocean. It is therefore lefs to be wonder’d at, if the Shells pro¬ duced in thofe Places, and there re- fiding, are feldom found call upon the Shores. ru ■'
The learned Dr. Cameraritis indeed Lejjer profeffes himfelf f doubtful of theSJ°P”*af° conftant Calmnefs of the ‘Bottom (fntjoe deeper the Sea. This, in fo great a Man^m ej efpecially, I cannot but much wonder !‘je Mam, at, fince the Thing is fo certain, and ^fe fo generally known : and the Truth of not the which he might have had throughly Shell-Fijh confirm’d to him, from Books, as well r^ae as from the very Perfons, who, when the Surface of the Sea has been moft tempeftuous, have dived to the Bot¬ tom. But fince there is perhaps none of thele Perfons known to us both, to whom I might refer Dr. Cameraritis,
I will recommend him at leaft to one great Author, out of many, who has wrote of this Matter ; one, of whofe Fi¬ delity the moll: fufpicious cannot doubt.
I mean Mr. Robert Royle^ the great, and lulling Honour of his noble Fa¬ mily,
Wat. Hi ft. of the Earth Parti,
mily, who is defervedly ranked among the higheft Philofophers of our Age, and who has wrote a * Treatife on this Subjeft, entitled, Relations about the ^Bottom of the Sea. In the third Sec¬ tion of that Treatife he may find, that the Water at the Bottom of the deeper Seas , is ever calm , nor in the leaft difturb'd , even whilfi its Sur¬ face is mojl troubled , and tempeflu- ous. He may alfo there learn that Di¬ vers take the Water , when the Sea is fo very rough that fcarcely any Weffels will hazard themf elves out of ‘Port ; fo that he was under a very great mi- ftake, when he haftily laid, f that Divers never go under Water during great Storms. But to the Queftion he puts foon after, \ why Divers do not bring on boards from the Bottom of the Sea, fome of thcfe Shells call’d by Naturalifts ‘Pelagia, becaufe they re¬ fid e only in the Deep of the Main ? I return for Anfwer, in the firft Place, what, tho’ it be eafy and obvious, may defervedly be thought fatisfa&ory,
and
* Mr. Boyle’i 'Trails, 8vo. Oxon. 1671, I Ttijfertat. ‘Tcmrin. p. 2,88. % Pag. 288.
Part I. llluftr cited and Inlargd.
and a fit Solution of fuch a Difficulty j that thofe Perfons, not being Philofo- phers themfelves, nor employed, by fuch as are, with Defign to promote natural Knowledge, but meerly in Hopes of Gain, when they have dived to fo great a Depth, with Hazard of their Lives, look for Pearls, and Things of \ alues but they neither colled:, nor obferve others which would be plainly of no Ufe to them, nor, if they Hi ould bring them up, re¬ ward their Labour. But, if this An- fwer fihould not fatisfy the curious Camerarhts , he ought alfo to obferve, that thofe Divers look for Pearls not far from the Shores ; neither do they go under Water but in fuch Places as are meer Shallows, if compared with the more remote and deep Parts of the Main, which I fpeak of. No Diftur- bance, as may be reafonably believ’d, has ever been given to thofe inner Re¬ cedes of the Ocean, fince the univer- fal Deluge,- at which Time thofe Places were totally broken up, and the Shells, inhabiting there, being forced from their antient Dwellings, born to the moft diflant Places, and not a few left in thofe their new Seats
at
and never other wife feen.
[t 6 Nat. Hift. of the "Earth Part I;
at the Retreat of the W aters. Thofe, in my Opinion, are what we now fre¬ quently find in the Earth, but very, feldom on the Shores, and of the Ori¬ gin and Nature of which the learned Camerarius has raifed this Difpute. Tut greater After all, tho’ thofe Shells are never Storms now moved from their native Places, q>artsy andyzt there are others often flung upon bring up the Shores by greater Storms, which Shells that jefler never reach. The moft violent are rarey ^ thefe Storms, by us called Hurri-
canes , are thofe which happen about ySarbadoes , and other Iflands of the fame Sea, and in the adjacent Parts of America . Where thofe Storms arife, they ufually rage more vehe¬ mently, than any 'European can eafily Credit, or conceive to himfelf, and difturb the Seas to a much greater Depth than ufual. After thofe Storms, Shells lie expos’d on the Shores, in much greater Numbers, than are thrown forth by lefler Storms, and of Kinds quite different from them. Neither is it to be doubted, but as thofe more violent Tempefts call up Shell-Filli very rarely otherwife feen, being fuch as inhabit the inner Parts of the Sea, where leffer Storms do not reach, fo,
if
i
Part I. lliujlrated and Inlargd .
If other yet more violent Tempefts fliould happen, fufficient to difturb the Bottom of the deepeft Seas, they Would bring up the Ammonite , and other Shells, fuchas, it is plain, were heretofore brought up by the Deluge and never fince.
From thefe Shells, found in fuch A Corollary great Numbers, and of fuch various Kinds, in Places far diftant from any gmliDeva* Sea, even to the Tops of the high enftation that* Mountains, and the Bottoms of the was deepeft Mines, which neverthelefs, a s^ef e' has been noted, are generated only in the Middle of the Ocean, and are never found near the Shores ; from thefe, I fay, it is manifeft, what great and furprizing Changes were then made : and with what Tumult and Confufion, dreadful beyond all De- fcription and Imagination, all Things were tofs’d and hurl’d about ,* which they certainly never had, but for fome moft weighty Caufe, fuch as was that of bringing on the Univerfal De¬ luge.
1 8 Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part I.
4- 2)r. Ca- 4, It frequently happens* that* with mcranus large and full grown Shells of Sea
^Shells!* °m Animals* there are digged up others fmall, and of the fame Species* but fmaller, ten- not arriv'd Jerer* and not yet arriv’d to Maturi-
^Growth, or ^e'lr Ju'ft anc^ compleat Bulk. foimdinthe From thefe, efpecially of the fame Earth with Magnitude, and Maturity* to which
arTlar^e u^ua^Y arrive about the End of and grown, May* and from fuch Vegetables as that fath we find in many Places in the Earth were pro - arrived to the State they ufually at-
hit d wit h^ tain by the fame Skafon of the Year, from thefe* I fay* I could certainly form a Judgment of the Time of the Year when the Violence of the De¬ luge coming on put an End to the Growth of both *. There are alfo digged up at Land, as well as found at Sea* Shells * full f grown that yet are thin and tranfparent : and others alfo* which, by Length of Time are become tender and friable, as tendirig towards Decay, and finaly to De¬ finition ; but that any are ever found, in the Earth* which even the molt quick lighted Perfon* by only looking
out juft Grounds .
on
* Nat. Hift . Earth. Part III. and VI* f <RiJ]ertx of 'Dr. Camerarius. p. 22 ,6*
Part I. llluflrated and Inlarg'd. \ $
on them , can difcern to he fiill in a Way of growing , tho’ Dr. Gamer a- rins affirms this, I dare be bold to af- fert the Contrary. If he hasanyfuch Shells by him, from which he thinks tie can demonftrate that, I do not ask him to fend any of them over to me, which might . be troublefome, but I may at leaft expert he fhould fet forth feme of thofe Signs from which he makes that Inference. For if he can fhew any fuch, I will immediately publickly confefs my felf miftaken in my Obfervations, about thefe Things, and that I have err’d in my Judg¬ ment concerning them, I will come over to his Opinion, and moft willing¬ ly embrace the Truth he fhall fo de- monftrate.
5 . The learned Camerarhis indeed ?• Sbelh, the more willingly admitts *, that dl'&&ed, t!P
great ‘Plenty of Shells may poffibly ’countries, be digged up in England , becaufe it in as great is an Ifland every where t furround- Plenty as m ed by the Sea, from whence he fup- England' pofes thofe Bodies to have been car¬ ried thither through fome fubterrane-
C 2 Oils
t Page 347-
* Page 282,
2 0
■ Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part L
ous ‘paffages-, by Inundations , and < violent Changes , which he fancies it has undergone ; of which I fhall fay fomething hereafter j but he denies *, that any Judgment can be made of the State of other Countries , from Arguments fetched from that Ifland. He elfe where fays f, that in the Mid¬ land Parts, efpecially of larger Coun¬ tries, a like Quantity of them is not to be found. But how unadvifedly thefe Things are aflerted, tho’, by a Perfon very intelligent in other Things, all the moft Antient, as well as the Modern W riters unanimoufly teftifie ; the unquefiionable Accounts which I my ' felf have procured from the moft inland Parts of, AJia, Africa , and America , as well as Europe , clearly Ihew: and laftly the Things them- felves, the Bones, Teeth, and Shells, of Marine Animals, of which, toge¬ ther with many other Things, I have by me great Numbers, collected there, and brought thence hither, give abundant Proof.
But
> * Ibid. | Page 281, 290,
I
Part I. llhift rated and Inlar?' d. 21
But why do I endeavour to con- Z)r. Came- firm, by the Teltimonies of others, r,arin*’f r What he confelTes to have obferved^jS^J' and found Himfelf? For he lays, in in this Jf- another Place *, there are wholefair'% Mountains in Germany , which ap¬ pear to be nothing but Shells: and that particularly about f Echt ending , great Numbers, and variety of them, are found. And foon after he men¬ tions tj: whole Mountains , all where¬ of conjift of Stones figur'd or caft in Shells , and which are , as it were, formed and compil’d of them. Thefe are his own Aflertions of the Plenty of Shells, and of Stones moulded in them, found in other Countries ; a Plenty of both no way inferiour to what are any where to be found in this our own Ifland. Thefe Things are .indeed fo contradictory one to another, and his own Reprefentations of FaCt fo totally inconfiftent with this his Opi¬ nion and DoCtrine, that how they can be eafily reconciled I am not able to fee,* he muft look to that himfelf.
But tho’ Shells abound fo much in
C 3 thofe
Tase 193. f 297, 298. $ 338,
Nat. Hijl. of the Earth Part I.
thofe Parts, that whole Mountains feem to be made up of them, yet he could find no Remains or Traces of them about * 'Tubingen. But what follows from thence ? Does he believe, or any one elfe, has fo carefully fearched thefe Parts too, as to be fa- tisfy’d there are not ftill fome that may lye concealed there, and be, fome Time or other, at laft difcovered ? Or what if, by Length of Time, and having lain in a Soil containing Salts, detrimental, and gradually deftrudtive to the Texture of fuch Bodies, they ax^e long fince perifhed ? Or finally what if None at all were ever lodg¬ ed in thofe Parts? For I have not any where faid, nor can it indeed be thought, that they were left in all Parts of the Earth, efpecially fince in fome they are fo accumulated, and heaped up as to compile whole Moun- * tains. A little lower, as becomes a Man fo ingenuous, he confeffes, there offered themf elves to his View My¬ riads of f mall Shells , lodged very deep in the Earth, in thofe very Places
about
"ll"" *' 11 ■■ ■■»"■ . . . . . . I . , „
#
* Page 283.
Part I. Illufirated and Inlargd. i $
about 'Tubingen , but , as he believes, not of Marine Origin. And he won¬ ders, nor indeed without Reafon, that [uch Numbers of them fimdd be found at Jo great a Depth in the Earth, Tince they muft have been.
Come Time or other, carried out of their Native Seats, and by fome means or other lodged there. So that, altho’ thofe Shells were not rea- ly of Marine Origin, of which yet there is not the leal! Reafon to doubt, becaufe the River and Terreftrial Kinds are very light, and feldom or never found at fo great a Depth in the Earth, yet they prove at lead, that the Earth, fo far, has been violently difturb’d, and fuffered great Changes.
But he * enquired of thofe who break and draw up Myriads <f Stones out of Quarry es, and they were all alike ignorant of fuch figured ‘Bodies , ex¬ cept one , who declared , he had twice or thrice found a fmall Shell in the Stone , the Shape of which he did not remember. But if one or two fuch Shells were obferved by a heed-
C 4 lefs
. - |,i,|iiiii ii Mini I H i WW— !■>■»■» ' iTTTn “
* Page 284,
Nat* Hift. of the Earth Part I.
lefs Digger, it is to be believ’d, many more might be difcovered by thofe who look more diligently after them* For neither may we depend, more on the Diligence or Curiofity of thefe Diggers whom he rightly calls * rude Labour ers> than of thofe j Divers > both of which ufually have their Mind, and Eye$, molt intent upon that which they are in Search of, and, even tho’ admonifhed, are blind to the Reft, If any one therefore would be furely inform’d of the Truth of Things of this Nature, he fiiould, while others digg, examine the Places, and carefully .Purvey, with his own Eyes, what they digg up. "But when perhaps others may difcover thefe \ Things , at leaft about the Neibour- hood of Tubingen , by greater Dili - gence than ordinary , they are abrupt¬ ly called away from thence in the midfi of the Search Which in¬ deed I then begun to fufped, when I faw he denied that he found any Shells there of Marine Origin j nor do I indeed doubt but, if at any Time
he
^tasagaayCTT |l^. rp— run ■uiiiwpL mm hub r nu ru
* Page 2.7(5". f Conf pag. 14. fugra*
J Page 284.
'A * , •
Part I. Illuftrated and Inlargd.
he would fearch the fame Places a- gain, and only ufe greater Diligence and Patience without fo fudden an Interruption , he may find great Plenty of them. But let us proceed to what next follows. In all our Journey , over fo many Mountains , in Switzerland, and Valois and the Alps, and Chains of Hills , we met with nothing at any "Time figured in that Manner , tho we locked over in¬ numerable Stones , on the higheft Ridges of the Alps , particularly of great Bemardus. This he tells us p* 284, and not much after, viz. p . 2 97, he attefts that Shells of many Kinds, Univalves, and Bivalves, are to be feen in Abundance on the Mountain Randus in Switzerland , and in Places every where round about it. Now to deny, in that Part of his Differtation, that any Shells were to be found in thofe Places ; but to acknowledge in this Part of it that many and various Kinds were found there, made equal¬ ly for his purpofe. This great Man might * indeed have properly in¬ form’d
* Page 284.
Z6
Nat. Hi ft. of the Earth Part I.
form’d his Readers, upon this Occa- fion, that he had not yet feen the learn¬ ed Dr. Scheuchzer s Hook on that. SubjeU , if that Book, had been pub- lifh’d in fome remote and more ob- fcure Part of Europe. But fince that Book had been abroad nine Years and more, before Dr. Camerarius had wrote on the fame Subject, and de- fervedly gained its Author fo great a Reputation, that he then firft obtain¬ ed, among the Learned, the Title of the Helvetian Tliny , the learned Ca¬ merarius might certainly, I do not fay he ought to have feen it. If indeed he had feen it , I do not in the leaft doubt but, that if he had not imrtiediately changed his Opinion, he would not have defended it fo ftre- nuoufly, after he had confidered the great Number and Variety of Ma¬ rine Bodies found in the Mountains of Switzerland, and other Places, and delineated and defcribed in that Spe¬ cimen of T)r. ScheuchzerV Litho - graphia Helvetica , publifhed at Zu¬ rich in the Year 1702.
i. I
Part I. ffluftrated and Inlargd. 27
6. I faid that at the Time of the <?. of the o- .Deluge, while Shells, fuftain’d and riginmd ‘upheld in the Water, floated, toge- Ci¬ ther with Sand, and other the con- chitre, and flituent Matter of Stone, Flint, Sparser like and all other Minerals, reduced to bodies. their primary Particles, the difolved Matter of thefe, entering the Shells, filled them up, fo that they gave their own Form, or Figure, to the Matter fo received into them, and were as Matrices , and Moulds : o it * : that of thefe Shells, whether fo fill’d or empty, finking together with the Matter of Stone, Clay, Chalk, and all the reft that this terreftrial Giobe is compos’d of, are made thofe Strata, of which this our Earth con- fifts : that the Strata of Mountains, af¬ terwards, being laid open by the Force of Rains, Torrents, and Acci¬ dents which often happen in ail Parts, were broke up, and the Shells, con¬ tained in them, which lay uppermoft, with fome which lay deeper, were thrown out, and left expofed at the
Surface :
* Nat. Hifi. Earth. Part II. and IV.
3 8 } Slat. Itift. of the Earth Part I.
Surface: that at length thofeShells, fo laid open, thrown out, and expofed, f were worn away, or broke, but the Matter enciofed in thefe Shells, whe¬ ther Stone, Flint, Spar, or any other, of a Conftitution firm and foiid, did Hill retain, and reprefent the concave , d or interior Form of thofe Shells, in which it was moulded. This, from an accurate and often repeated Exami¬ nation, and diligent Coniideration of thefe Things, I afferted to be the true Origin of the Co n chit m, Cochlx- t sf EchiniTje, and other like Bo- ‘Dr. Came- dies * But here this very learned rarius’r mis- Man profelfes himfelf unable to com - take m this pre)jenJ thefe Matrices, thefe Moulds. $a‘r‘ p por thefe figured Stones bear , he fayes, the outward Form of the Shells »• not the inwards which they plainly ought-, if they were formed in the Eollow of them. Now thefe Ma¬ trices and Moulds , which he could not yet comprehend, I believe he eafily may hereafter, if he wnll on¬ ly look into thefe Matters, a little more carefully. For my own Part I
have
f Nat. Uifi. Earth. Part. V. 1 Ibid.
* Ibid. | Camerar. Tnjfert. p. 338.
Part I. lllufirated and Inlargd, 29 1
have Nature my Guide in this whole Affair j and fince I have offered No¬ thing, at any Time, but from the Things themfelves, and have relyed wholy on Obfervations of the fame made with the utmofl: Accuracy, I now appeal to them and to Nature ; and, as of all other Naturalifts, fo efpecially to the Obfervation of the learned Camerarius himfelf on thefe Things, but made with more Care than hitherto. If indeed he had ufed fuch Care and Diligence before, he would certainly have had no Caufe to enter into a Controverfy on this Subjed.
For among Thoufands and Myriads, of thofe Bodies, which are found in their Places, I dare take upon me to fay he would not find one Stone, or Flint, which bears the Convex or outward Figure of the Shell. If he fhall find any fuch hereafter, I will then admitt the Force of this Objection, and yield up my Opinion to it.
One Thing indeed there happens Occafiomlly in fome Places, which is not hereto tftbeCavi- be pafied over. When Water, con taining in it Vitriol, or other lik Q ter the Mo- Salts, pervades any Strata, it dtifolvesdelof sbtik:
the
(
3°
md of Sfary Sic, formed in the Shape of Shells , Sic.
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part I.
the Shells lodged in fuch Strata by little and little, carries their dilfol- ved Particles away with it, and leaves the Spaces, before filled and poftefted by thofe Shells, empty. Examples of this are to be found in almoft all Parts of the Earth. To fay No¬ thing of other Places, there is here, in Portland- an huge Stratum of the hardeft Stone, in which may be ob- ferved an infinite Number of fuch Cavities, or vacant Spaces, reprefent- ing to View both the Shape, and Size, of Turbinated Shells, and Bi¬ valves. Into thefe Cavities if there be poured melted Lead, or any other Metall, it will always take the moft exaCt Figure of thefe Shells. ' So where it happens, that the Water, patfing through, carries with it, be¬ sides fuch Saits, Particles of Spar, or other Minerals, it frequently lodges them in thofe Cavities, - and there leaves them till at laft it fills them up. Wherever this happens, it al¬ ways follows, as of NeceiTity it mu ft, that the Matter of Spar or other Mi¬ nerals fo formed, exhibits and repre- fents the very Sizes, and perfect Fi¬ gures, interior, and exterior, of the
Shells
Part I. llluft rated and Inlargd. 3 r
Shells whofe Places it had filled Nor are there feldom found Conchites , and other Stony and flinty Bodies of that Sort, at length caft out of the Strata, incrufled with the Sub- fiance of fuch Spar, and other Mi¬ nerals, fupplying the Place of the Shell that is worn away, and de- ftroyed. If Dr. Carrier arius means thefe Incruftations, as I think he does not, I was not treating of them ; nor indeed do thefe make out what he wouid demonftrate, but rather fliew the Contrary. For if thefe Incrufta¬ tions are broken off, the Surface of the Stony Matter, contained within, exhibits the interior Figure of the Shell, in which it was firft moulded, as exadtly as thofe other Stones, which remain ftill covered with the Shells ; which ever bear the Impreffion of the interior Surface of the Shells, after the Shells themfelves are decayed or confumed.
7. Biit I come now to that part 7> %)r q of the Book, where Dr. Carrier arms merariusV treats of the Order wherein thefe Bo- Objections # dies are found lodged in the Earth He is not forward to admitt way shells in Thing that I have offered on this Sub- the Earth ,
ject. refmed-
l : * K , . ■ *. ; ...
Mdt. Hijl. of the Earth Part I,
left. For to what I had writ he
returns, - * fhefe \ Things indeed
carry a great Shew of cProof as to what relates to Crabs and Lob- jlers , — but demonftrate Nothing with Refpett to the Buccina, and Con¬ cha; Veneris ; fince thefe are found fo very numerous on the Shores , and have not the f mall fpecifick Gravity of Crabs , and therefore were not lodged in the upper Strata , fo that they ought to have been found in the lower. I am realy very much concerned when I cannot make this learned and ingenious Gentleman’s Obfervations, of Things, which re¬ quire no great Study, but only com¬ mon Senfe,and a meer View of them, comport with my own, which were not made without due Diligence and Confideration. I have made Tryals of many Crabs, as exactly as poffi- bly I could ; and found fome of them anfwer to Water, in Specifick Gra¬ vity, as i 4, to i, and others as 2 to 1 . But I have obferved many of the ! 'Buccina that have not the Proportion
of
* Page 290,
of 2 to i, and but Few that exceed that Proportion, For the Concha Ve- neris exigua alba ftriata, , this has the Proportion of i ■£. Thefe the>fe- fore coming fo near the fpecifick Gra¬ vity of Crabs, we cannot expect to find thefe more commonly than Crabs But laftly he fays, ^Buccina, and Concha Veneris, occurr in very great Numbers on the Shores. There are indeed feme few of the \ Buccina , and but only one Species ■ of the Conchy Veneris , which is that which I mention d above, to be found on the Shores of our I (land : and only a very fmall Number on any of all the Shores of Europe.
Nor indeed is he lefs doubtfull m of the St- his Opinion concerning the Order of aiatien of Metals, and Minerals, and their Difo pofition in the Earth, * For he thinks the Molecula , or minuteft Particles, of Earth* Metalls and Minerals3too heavy to have been fupported in the Water, or ming~ led with the Matter of the Strata of St on e, fo that they flhould have been precipitated down , fo as to confti-
JD tute
* P. ^07, $09, 3*5,
1
34 Nat. Hi(l. of the 'Earth Part I.
tute the ioweft Stratum of all, and to reach the very Centre of the Earth . But the Things themfelves, and the dally Experience of Chymitts, afford Arguments fufficient againft this Opinion of his. For who knows not, that Gold and Silver, which are not the lighted: Sorts of thefe, are fuftained in Aqua regia , and Aqua fort is y fo as not to fink to the Bottom ? This is a fufficient Anfwer to Dr. Carrier arms. Nor indeed is it here to be enquired, how fo great an Abundance, as well of feparate Par¬ ticles, as of Nodules, or Lumps of Metallic or Mineral Matter, be¬ came repofited in the Strata , among Sand, and other lighter Matter. This is a Subject foreign to the prefent Inquiry, as I had intimated to my Readers, Nat. Hift. Earth . Part. 4 : and therefore Dr. Camerarius fihould not have wholey neglected that Ad¬ monition of mine.
Of the Site , He moreover denies, * that Order , and Order, ^jfpofitien , and Dijlinffiion of the
andlerrTy Strata, with the extraneous "Bodies final stra - contain -
Putt I. Ittuftr cited and Inlarg d.
contained therein , according to their fpecifick Gravity , to he commonly oh- J erv able • But on what Argument does he chiefly rely when he does this > From what Example of the Thing's themfelves does he endeavour to de- monhxate the contrary ? Why truly from what Mountfaucon has fupply’d him with from 1 Xamazhti* But, when he objected this to me, he fhould have ferioufly confider cl with himfelf, what thofe learned Men thought of the Strata about Modena , f who believe ihofe Strata were not from the Tte- luge^ but were formed at various Times by the Mud of Rivers. Whe¬ ther this be true, or falfe, I do not here enquire * but if Dr. Camer arias takes it for Truth, and fuppofes that thofe Strata have been the Work of later Times, and thrown up by the Rivers, then they are not thofe which we are here treating of, and confequently make Nothing to his Purpofe. And therefore he fliould make Ufe of other Arguments, fetch¬ ed from other Places. Nor indeed are
D 2 there
3 6 Nat. Hift. of the Barth Part L
there fuch other Places wanting, where he imagins he finds Matter for Ar¬ guments of the fame Kind, and which are not refuted by the Judgment of any One, nor eafily to be refu¬ ted $ for Example, * The Qiiarry of Biberax, and other Quarrys , and the €Pits that are dig d thereabouts , con - tradiU my Opinion , which prefent fometimes to View Strata of Earthy fometimes of Sandy fometimes oj Clay , and fometimes of Stone . In Cafe I believe and acknowledge thefe to be fo, depending upon his Fidelity and Diligence, which indeed I eafily do, becaufe they are often found fo elfewhere, yet Nothing can be ga¬ thered from thence to deftroy my Opinion, and overthrow the Do&rine I have advanced relating to thofe Things. Ho indeed fays, t but the very View of the Strata Jhewsy they were not formed , and land one over another , by fuch an orderly Subfi - dence , according to their fpecific Gravity , becauje then the Strata of
Earth ,
— * \ -
* P. 291, i P. 330,
j
Part I. llluflrated and Inlargd. j 7
Earth , Clay, Sand , Stone-, Chalk ,
Marble-, &c. could not be fc unequal¬ ly intermix'd ; the lighter Stratum being often found under the heavier.
But this he feems to aifert only upon Conjecture, and Obfervation of the various Conftitution of the Strata ; becaufe he does not fay that he has made any accurate Experiment of this, nor that he has made Tryal of the Specific Gravity of any Stratum, and found the Matter of the under Strata to be lighter than that of the upper.
But, if he had done fo, and found die Origin Things in that Manner, yet he could °f the Stra’ by no Means thereby have made out what he thinks demonllrated with- Shells and out any Examination at all either o father extra- himfelf, or any One elfe. For that®"67" s°- un equal Order of the Strata does no CaLeTin in the leaft afireCt my Doftrine of the the Strata. Subfidence of the dinolved Matter ofCbar con- the Earth. For that Doctrine is S\m-^!f“ent ported by the Evidence of Bodies diffciveT™ brought from the Sea into thofe Strata, mdfuftahp. and now found in the fame all over if. m t!oe the Earth, a Proof the molt certain meru that could be required. I fay thofe Bodies, bred in the Waters, which are now found in the Strata, lodg'd among
D 3 Earth,
3 B Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part L
Earth, Chalk, Sand, Stone, and all other Matter, as well that which is now more loofe, as that which is more folid, of which thofe Strata con- lift : and the Order and Condition in which thofe Bodies are found, plain¬ ly fhew that Matter to have been once * all in a State of Solution, all fuftained in the Waters, and at laft, fuhfiding in thofe Waters, formed thofe Strata. It is not here material to enquire how that Diffoiution was effected ,• it ought to fuffice, that the Thing is certain, that there are every where extant Proofs of it fo manifeft that if any One, I will not fay in- ftruCted in even the fir ft Rudiments of Natural Philofophy, but who has ' only common Senfe, and the Ufe of his Eyes, will but go into the next Quarry, he cannot but immediately acknowledge the Matter to be actual¬ ly fo, which thofe who fit contri¬ ving Hypothefes in their Studies, de* ny to be poffible. From fuch a Con¬ templation of Things, and Obferva- tion of the Strata in the Earth, it
was
* See Nat. Hifl. Earthy Prelim. Divert £nd Part 2.
39
Part I. Ilhfl rated and lnlcir,gd.
was, that the ^ moft antient Philofo- phers believed, and taught, the Earth to he Nothing elfe but the Sediment and T)reggs of Water.
Now thefe Things being proved 'That Mat - according to Reafbn, and demon- ltrated even to the Eyes, I defir tfubfide by to know of the moft ingenious Ca^ tts own merariusj what he thinks was Caufe3 why thofe Marine Bodies, to -wlreZmp- gether with Sand, and other Matter,^ of it. diflfolved, and floating in the Water, ^oe. £aws. fhould fink, and be formed into fuch Strata? For my Part I think their fideme Gravity was the Caufe. And if that Matter, and thofe Bodies, owe their Subfidence to Gravity, it is necefla- ry that thofe Strata themfeives fhould obey the Laws of Gravity, and be difpos’d and formed according to the fame Laws. If he would overthrow my Do&rine on this Subject here he ought to begin: this its Foundation fhould be undermined. For thus I wrote when I treated of this Matter,
D 4 and
$ TijV ft.lv ynv vnoTctrtv aval ^ T$vya t«
ScPdflot. Metrcdorm afud Plutarch, de *P ta¬ cit. T kilos. Lib. 3. c. 9.
Nat. Hifi . of the Barth Part I,
and never argued otherwife any where elfe ; * ! This Subfidence happened generally^ and as near as pofiibly could be expended in fo great a Con- fufion , according to the Laws of Gravity. For in fuch a Confufion of Matter difiolved, it could not be imagined that the Subfidence fhould be every where alike, or the Stra¬ ta, thereby Compofed, always placed in the fame certain Order. They therefore who look for that, look for what I never promised to fbew them. But when they read my Wri¬ tings without due Attention, they thence frame Laws of Nature, as if conceived according to my Opinion, and devife to themfelves a Sort of Fa- brick of the Earth exa&ly according to thofe their Laws ; and if any of them, entering upon that Fabrick, find thofe Laws not juftly obferved, they immediately pronounce mine wrong and miftaken. But to return to the Matter in Hand ; this is moft certain, the Subfidence could not be every where uniform, and the fame. Nay it
was.
«*»
I
* Jfidt. Hifi. Earth . Part 2. Confeft 3,
Part I. llhiftrated and Inlargd.
was neceftary, itfhould vary, in every Place, according as the Quantity of Matter fuftained, anfwered to the Quantity of Water that fuftained it: as the Water itfelf was more trou¬ bled, or more calm : as each Eody fuftained was greater or lefs : as there were more, or fewer, of any Kind, in the fame Place: and finally, as the Place, where each Body fluctuated be¬ fore it began to fink, was farther from, or nearer to, the Bottom, and as the Courfe of its Defcent was lon¬ ger or fhorter. For it could not o- therwife happen but that a Particle of Matter, however light in itfelf, floating within fome few Feet of the Bottom, when Things began to fet¬ tle, muft jeach the Bottom much fooner, and fo lye deeper in the Earth, than another, tho’ much hea¬ vier, which floating perhaps a thou- fand, or more Paces above, began to fink at the fame Time, * It is
therefore
* This Argument is more accurately treated of in that Chapter of my greater Work , Tart of which the ingenious and learned T)r. J. Har¬ ris has infer ted in his 'Book , entitled , Remarks on fome late Papers relating to the Deluge, and to the Natural Hiftory of the Earth. iLondop pub lifted, in the Tear 1697, 8vo,
Nat. Hi ft • of the 'Earth Part I.
therefore neceffary, tho’ we fuppofe this whole Affair to have been trans¬ acted exactly according to the Laws of Gravity, that a great Part of that Mafs fhou’d fink promifcuoufly, and confufedly, and be laid without any certain Method : that the Conftitution of the Strata ftiould be various, and uncertain : and that therefore lighter Bodies fhould be often found lodged under heavier. * ’Tis moft evident that only that Matter, and thofe Bo¬ dies, which, when Things began to fettle, were higher, and .fluctuated nearer to the Surface of the Mafs, and had confequently a longer Def- cent to make, t could be difpofed into any certain Method and Order. It was alfo neceffary that thefe fhould fink laft; and fo conftitute the up¬ per Parts of the Globe, and thofe neareft to its Surface. Hence the Reafon is plain why the Strata nearer the Surface of the Earth, and the Marine and other Bodies found there¬ in, lye in better Order than thofe
* Conf. Part 2. Se<fL 5. iff re. ] Ibid*
•Part I. Illujlrated and Inlargd. z ?•
• placed at a great Diltance lower.
But this more uniform Site of th e'T’he Strata, upper Strata, and the Difpofmon o the Bodies therein, I would have un -werejorm- deriiood only of thofe Places where ed, have the upper Strata, after the Subfidencefr^rfta? or the Matter, and Confolidation ofg^f ®ian~ the Earth, were not removed, and i. the upper born away, i or I fhall elfewhere ky tbt fhew, by many remarkable Inftanc es,^fTT!^ that they were in feveral Places removed, and born away, by th ^Deluge: Force of the Waters returning from orf the Earth, at the Conclunon of the Deluge. rl Ire Matter fo forced away was thrown eife where, and there laid without any certain Me¬ thod, or Order. And truly this feems to be the Stare of that Tract of Land about Modena., * where Things iye as the Current of the Water, fo re¬ turning, dilpofed them. In like Man¬ ner great Quantity of Gravel, Sand, and other Matter lyes promifcuoufly, in fome Places, at the Surface of the Earth, nay even to very great Depths, as well in England, as in all other
Countrys.
* See P. 35. Supra.
&. the low¬ er Strata, hy the Re¬ moval of Metallic and Mine¬ ral Matter
tfat. Hifi. of the Earth Part I.
Countrys. But for the Strata them- felves from which that Matter was then taken away, and fo by that Means were uncovered, and now ap¬ pear bare, and on the very Suiface, which before lay under all that Mat¬ ter thefe Strata, I fay, commonly prefentto View Things laid perplex¬ edly and confufedly together, and that for the Reafons above alFigned.
Befides which? from the unequal Sublidence of the diffolved Matter, there muft of Neceihty be an Inequa¬ lity alfo of the Strata ; the Strata themfelves, fxnce the Time they were • firft formed, and compacted, have apparently not remain’d in the fame State but undergone coniideranle Changes. To fay nothing of the o- ther Matter of them, I will only re¬ cite here what I have fet forth in my A Tat. Hi ft. of the Earth. Part IV. Confeft. II. 7 here have and dofttll happen T ranfitions and Removes of the ‘Metallic and Mineral Matter , from one E art of the fame Stratum to another : and- from the lowei Strata to thofe which lye above them. From which Tranfitions of that Matter,
Part I. Ufa ft rated and Inlargd. 45,
and Changes of it’s Places, the Gra¬ vity alfo of the Strata themfelves muft neceflarily have been changed too.
For that heavier Matter, being extra¬ cted and removed, leaves its own Strata lighter : and adds to the other into which it has fhifced, the Gravity taken from the former. So that from the Gravity of the Strata as they now are, a certain and exad Eftimate of their original Gravity, cannot always and every where be made; efpecial- * ly in Countrys which moil abound in Metalls. For, in others, the Strata re¬ tain their primitive and original State, if not entire, yet much lefs changed/
This, as in other Parts of our ovmretinmmy Country, may be obferved Flaces Fof-
inthofe Parts particularly of the Coun-^ are ties of Qlocefter , Oxford , and NoJpS Stb thampton , where Metalls and Mine-* wW rals lefs abound : where the Strata fall ExaEt- of Stone, and every other Matter arene^’ accord‘ found difpofed according to their re- zl/ fpettive Gravity, fo that they feem to Gravity. have retained their primitive Cox\fti-F,xaml’les tution to this very Day. Some Ex- amples of this are now lately fet forth in the learned Mr. Mortons, Nat.
Hift. of Nortbamptonjhire a Work
of
Uat. Hift. of the Barth Part 1
of many Years Labour, no way in¬ ferior to any of the Kind, and which will give abundant Proof, to all who are Judges of thefe Studies, of the Author’s unwearied Diligence and uncommon Knowledge in Natural Things* It is alfo farther to be ob- ferved, that thofe Counties, being very remote from the Sea, diet not fuffer fo much Damage by the Re¬ turn of the Waters at the End of * the Deluge, and in many Places fewer of their upper Strata were born away. There are indeed many other Things which might be offered here relating to the Subfidence of the terreftrial Matter, and the Formation, and Dif- pofition, of the Strata, which, had I not already exceeded the intended Bounds of this Treatife, I might pro¬ duce here. But I fhall quit this Sub¬ ject after I have only put the learned Camerariiis in Mind of one or two very remarkable Inftances of lighter extraneous Bodyes, found among light¬ er Terreftrial Matter, and of heavy er lodged among heavyer ; which indeed feems to be of great Moment towards putting an End to this Controverfy, and
which
47
Part I. llluftr cited and Iiilcirg d.
which I have formerly mention’d in my A at. Hifi. of the Earth* Prelim. 'DijTert. verfus fin. In feverai Coun- tyes of England, e. gr. Kent , Surrey > Hartfordjhire , Perks, and Oxon , there occur almoft every "where many and vaft Strata of Chalk. To thefe, which are fufficient of them- felves, I could add other Places, not only in our Ifland, but in foreign Countryes alfo, where Chalk much abounds, in all which great Numbers of Shells, and other marine Bodies, very different indeed from one an¬ other, both of the Turbinated Kinds, as alfo of Bivalves, and Echini, are found ; yet all thefe are ever of the lighter Kinds of Shells, and fuch as come neareft the Specifick Gravity of Chalk. But in Strata of Stone, a Matter much heavier than Chalk, on- . ly the heavier Shells are found, and that too in not lefs Numbers or Va¬ riety. If any one ferioufly confiders this, which could neither fall out by Chance, nor any other Means than what I have aflign’d, I can hardly think it poflible, but he may of him- felf from hence refolve all his Doubts as to this Matter. Another Argu¬ ment,
. Nat. Hift- of the. Barth Part L
ment, for this, may be taken from the Cruftaceous Kinds of Marine Ani¬ mals. It could not be otherwife, but that Crabs, Lobfters, and other Ani¬ mals of the Cruftaceous Kind, muft be call out of the Sea, with thofe of the Teftaceous. But, tho’ the former are ordinaryly the bigger, and,, were they now extant, would be more e a li¬ ly found, yet I have almoft every where met with Thoufands of the Teftaceous, without haying been hi¬ therto able to find, with the utmoft Diligence, above five or fix Remains of the Cruftaceous, or to procure them from any other Part of the Earth. Nor indeed does this feem ftrange to me, nay I lhould rather wonder if it happened otherwife. For thofe Cruftaceous Kinds, being lighter than Chalk, and almoft every other Sort of terreftrial Matter, and fo fubfideing laft of all, muft lye upon the Surface of the Earth, expofed to the perpetual Injuries, of the Weather, Rain, and other Cafualties, till being totally decayed, and rotten, they left behind no Signs of their ever having been there. Nor indeed is this any Thing other than what I wrote before.
Ill,
an
Part I.
in my Nat. Hiji. Earth , TrNivu Uijjert. tn fine ^ and Part 2. ConfieW,
3 ' which Paflages and fome others if the learned Camerarius had more carefully attended to, I cannot fee that he would have had any Grounds to have railed a Controverly on this Subjed.
8. In Oppofition to toy Opinion of* the g. of m Origin of the Strata, the learned Came- Growth, veil his fuppofes Stone to grow ; of an^ which if he can give any Proof front the dfn,& °t Thing it felf, he fhall no longer find ‘
®e tenacious of my Opinion, or defend¬ ing my Doftrine, but I will immediate¬ ly give up both to the Truth which he iliall fo demonftrate. Therefore he ihould exert himfelf, to find fome Ar¬ gument in Confirmation of his Opi¬ nion. Let him turn over his Com¬ mon-place-book to lee if he has any Examples of this Growth, which he fpeaks of, obferved by himfelf, or any other. Let him fearch all his own Country, Germany , if he thinks he can find any Proof of this. But if he is difappointed in all thefe, let him make Enquiry of the fame in any o- ther Part of the Earth. Yes truly he has a moll certain Proof from the
E Things
Nat. Hifi • of the 'Earth Part I.
Things themfelves, every where to be found, both at Home, and Abroad, and obvious to any one. For when I aflfert that there is no Inftance of Strata of Stone growing gradually more and more hard, — -Jo as, by De¬ grees, finally to attain a complete fo- lidity , Dr. Camerarius * thinks that Examples occurr wry frequently, not only in Germany, but in other ‘Places, of Stone of a fofter Nature while in its Quarry , and which mufi there¬ fore be wrought as foon as drawn out , becaufe otherwife it would be won¬ derfully hardened by lying fome Dime abroad , expofed to the Weather. Examples of this Matter are indeed very frequent ; but does he fancy this will prove, that Stone , in its Strata under Ground, grows gradually more and more hard , and by little and lit¬ tle attains a complete Solidity ? He had furely fomething elfe in his Mind when he wrote this. For if Stone, drawn out of its Quarry, and expofed to the Air a long Time, does actual¬ ly become hard, can he think it thence
follows
. . . I mini. mm Jill K ifc .Wn ■»—«■■■» I lf» I n
* P. ? 1 5-
1
JI
Part I. II lufi rated and Inlargd.
follows that they do the fame while they lye in their native Seats dowfi in the Quarrys, expofed to no fuch ex¬ ternal Caufes to harden them ? This indeed I could not have in the leaft expefted, nor have believed to have been fo eafily received by fo great a Man, and one fo acute at cenfuring the Vv ritings of others. Did I ever deny that Stone, when drawn out of the Strata, becomes harder? Who sme^nthe Was ever ignorant of this? I had Earth, fa- a&ually made mention of the fame tnrateri by Thing before *, not as a Matter j
difoovered by my felf, but to gwafift, being the Reafons of that Hardening, which ttt length perhaps the Generality of Readers c:cP°fi^ T0 had not obferved, and which alfo *£££'£* feems to have been the Cafe of this cokes bar- learned Gentleman when he wrote r*er • againfl me. For in my Nat. Hi ft. of the Barth , Bart 3d, and 4th, treating of the great Plenty of Water in the Earth, and the Power it has to infinuate it felf, I faid fcarce any Stone, nor indeed any Marble, is fo clofe, that the Water does not at leaft
E 2 fo
* Nat. Hi ft . Earth. Part 3. Sect, 1. Con-
5 2
cfhe Argu¬ ment, con¬ cerning the Vegetation of Stone , taken, from dDr. Tourne- forc’i Ob- Jer vat ions, conjidered .
Nat. Hijh of the Earth Part 1. fo far penetrate, and pervade it, as to infinuate it felf into its Pores, and even moiften it throughout. So that all Kinds of Stone, while in the Strata, mull of NeceiTity be lefs folid, and hard, than after they have been long digged out, and dryed by tne Air, and Sun.
But this Argument, fetched, as he fancies, from the very Nature of Things, he endeavours to confirm by the Teftimony of the learned, and defervedly famous Dr. Vournefort. Out of his Obfervations Dr. Camera- fins produces what follows, In the Cave which is called Antiparos, TJr. Tournefort faw a new Sort of a Gar¬ den , with Variety of Plants , of Marble * {HU growing , ranging into Eeds, and Species , and which , from all the Circumftances of their For¬ mation, could not but have grown after the Manner of Vegetables, p. jij, 316. What {hall I answer to this Remark of an Eye Witnefs? I readily acknowledge him to be a molt skillful Botanill, as he has ap-
plyed
* Of Stone, Pierre.
dc 'C Acad, des Sciences.
M- Tournefort^* Mem*
I 702. p. 2'2I.
53
Part I. lllujlrated and Inlargd.
plyed himfelf to thofe Studies, much to his own Honour and the publick Advantage; but he has acted fome- what unadvifedly, and extended too far the Bounds of thofe Studies, when, in an Account of Vegetables, their Nature, and Properties *, he adopted Stones into the fame Family. Among the many Calamities of the long and tedious War, may be juflly reckoned the Hinderance to all mutual Com¬ merce of Literature, when but few French Books, as well as other Com¬ modities, could be brought over to us, or few of ours fent over to them, and thofe only privately. Whence it is no Wonder if my Book was not carried thither, or at leaf!; never came to the Hands of the learned Dr. I’ournefort , which I readily believe. For had he feen that Book, he had found what he treats of, accounted for by me. For he might have there learned, that it was not the Stone it felf that was in a Way of Growth in the Garden, but Spar affixing to the Stone, in that molt beautiful Order.
■ E 3 * That
* Mem. de 1' Acad. 1708. p. 151.
54
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part I.
That the Thing realy was fo* * ap¬ pears from Dr. %mrneforf s own fcription * of it. And he himfelf might have immediately difcovered this^ at firft Sight, had he been more ufed to make Obfer vat ions under Ground. For there white Spars are commonly found caft and fixed upon the Strata of grey and other coloured Stone ; as appears in almoft every Cavity,. and Fiilure, where Water pervades, and fparry Matter, or that of which Spar confifts, abound. And I not only have fhewn, that ‘Spars grow ex- abtly after this Manner, but have fet forth in the 4th Part of that Book, the Reafon of their Formation,,, and the Order of their Growth. When therefore the celebrated Gamer nr ins thus confounds Bodies, in their Na¬ ture and Original very different from one another, and takes the Growth of Spars in the Figures of the Strata,
for
. '' V
* Une efpece de Broderie, haute d’envi- ron deux, ou trois Lignes.— - La Matiere en eft blanchatre , quoique la Pierre d’ou elle fort foit grifatre : & je regard comme une efpece de Calus. ^A.Jgournefort , Memoires de TAcad. de? Scienfes. 1702./. $21.
I
Part I. llluflrated and Inlargd. 5 5
for the Growth of Stones and Marble Which conflitute the Body of the Strata, he is fo far from producing any Thing, as he imagines he does j, again!! my Syftem , and the Account I give of the 'Origin of all Stones , that he reprefents my Dodrine very ill, if not invidioufly, and difcovers his own Unacquaintednefs with thefe Subjeds.
If by Chance his happy Genius, and, great Elocution, fhould draw fome to be. of his Opinion, yet he will not gain many of the more intelligent Readers, at leal! by the Strength of thefe Arguments.
9. What fhall I fay , fays Dr, Ca- 9. of the merarius , of the Growth of Metalls , Growth of of their particular Way of ripenings Stalls, their Regeneration-, and Generation anew in Glebes long exhaufted , and likewife of the lucre afe of pure and / olid Metall .What, learned Sir, you would now, or hereafter, fay of thefe Things, I know not, nor am able to guefs. But this I will fay, when you fhall demonflrate any other Opinion, of the Generation and
E 4 Growth
t p- 3**- * p-
•y<5
to. Of the Origin of Cry fall , and of Qermm ,
Nat. Hi ft* of the Earth Part L
Growth of Met alls , contrary to mine oil the fame Argument, I will forth¬ with embrace it. But, in the mean while, I would ask of you, where I have ever faid, that Water can dif- fohe all Met alls , contrary to all Chy- mical Experiments f ? For unlefs my Memory and Eyes very much de¬ ceive, me, I have faid no more on the Subjed than that the Water takes up the Particles of Metall, which lay before loofe, and feparate, in the Interfaces, and Pores, of the Strata of Stone, and thence carries them into the perpendicular Fiffures of the Strata *. .
10. With the like Candour it is that Dr. Camerarius -j- afcribes to my Dodrine, fo numerous a Cryftalliza- tion^ and Formation of fo many Gemms , in the Waters, at the Time of the Deluge. Whereas, tho1 1 well knew that fome Cryfrallizations did then happen, yet, as they were but few, I pafied them over in Silence. Nor indeed did I then fo much as mention any one Cryftallized Body,
except
f P. 327. * is Jar. Hift. Earth . Partly,
I P. 32 6. , -
1
Part I. llhifir cited and Inlargd. 57
except the Selenites , and Echinated Crystalline "Ball. But, on the con¬ trary, I declared, as exprefly as I could, that the far greateft Part of Cry fi alii zations^ and figured Gemms , has been produced fince the Deluge, by Means of Water, in the Fiflures of the Strata. Nat. Hift. Earth.
Part IV. Confeft. 6, 7, 8.
11. Another invention of the fame n- Ingenious Gentleman is that Men-nr° J% Men~
ftrmmof Water , j&r Sulphurs , Oilsfstliphiir! and Bitumen , which, of his Libera- Oil, or hi- lity Dr. Carrier ar ins is pleas’d to af- cribe to me. 328.
12. But where did I ever lay, the12,^e Af- Waters are prefsd out of the Abyfs °f0 Wa~ by the Weight of the incumbent Str a- springs, not ta*> and fo , contrary to the Laws offing to the their own Gravity , rife up to their freJfure °f Springs * ? I actually alfign a Caufe, f °e trata° of this Afcent, very different from
that, but agreeable to Nature and right Reafon. Nat. Hift . of the Earth . Part III.
13. The
* Page 318,
5 8 Nat. Bi ft. of the Earth Part I.
13. What 13. The learned Camer arias , as Supply the difcerning and quick-fighted as he is,
ctive frm . d°es * not fee how the Rains can be Rains. wholey excluded from mixing with the Water of Springs* and Rivers. Nor realy do I fee why he wrote this. For tho’ I have denied, that they owe their Rife wholey to Rains, yet I have no where excluded thefe. On the contrary I have, in exprefs Words, declared that the Water of Rains is wont to fall into and mix with that of Springs, and Rivers. Nat. Hift. of the Earth. Part 3. Sed. 1. Con- fed. 4.
14. Moreover, when he infinuates f, that I deny that there ever were Towns fw allowed up by Earth¬ quakes) Mountains broken , Rocks Junk , and new Lakes formed , he does not feem to have read what I wrote of thefe, Nat . Hift. of the Earth. Part III. S. 1. Confed. 12. viz. that the Earthquake is fme- fimes fo extremely violent- as to un¬ dermine and ruin the Foundations of the Strata , fo that the whole
fraU
14. Of
Rarth'
* P. 310. f P* 303, 339*
Part I. Illuflrated and Inlargd .
TraU finks down to rights into the Abyfs underneath^— the Water thereof immediately rifeing tip and forming a Lake in the *P lace where t he f aid TraU before was . Several confiderable Trails of Land , and fome with Cities , and To w n s fi an ding upon them> as alfo whole Mountains, many of them vaftly large and of a very great Height , have been thus totally fwallowed up. Nor was there the leaft Reafon for him to imagine, from what I have any where written, that all Earth¬ quakes would be univerfal , if the Waters of the Abyfs were fo rari- fyed , and gave the Earth pitch Con * cufiions *. For I have fliewed, that it might, and commonly does, hap¬ pen, that by the Effort which caufes thefe Concuilions, fome one Trad of Land only is afifeded, yet fhould that Effort extend it felt further, and ad with greater Force, there might be, and adually have been, fome Shocks, which at leaft a great many Parts of the Earth, if not the whole Globe, have felt f.
15. Nor
* P. 322. | See Net. Hi ft. Barth. Part III,
leaf foe brought to £Ioah.
Of T’rees,
and other hPlants,fre-
6 o Nat. Iltjl. of the Earth Part I.
15. of the j 5-. Nor does be ufe me with more
frm which Candour, where he fays *, I imagin- the Dove ed the Olive Tree from which the cropped the Dove croped the Leaf that fhe brought to Noah , to have been that Time jwiming in the Waters . For I wrote nothing like that; but the dired con¬ trary. See Nat . Hifi . Earth . Part VI. In the Strata of Stone, even to the greateft Depths, are found Leaves* quent ly dig- an^ other Parts, not only of the com- ged out of mon and known Plants, but of others the Earth. that are very firange, and of Kinds whereof there are none at this Day growing in thofe Countries where thefe are found fo lodg’d in the Strata underneath. In the very fame Man¬ ner, in moft, if not in all. Parts of the Earth, Shrubs and Trees are dig¬ ged up, fome very large, and many of Species not now found growing in thofe Places. Nay there are found buried Trees, in great Numbers, and fome of huge bulk, in Iflands where the Soil is either fo barren, or the Air fo bleak and fharp, or elfe the Winds there fo bluftering and tem¬ ped nous, as to fuffer none now to
grow
* Page
)
Part I. Illujir cited and Inlargd. 6 1
grow there ; nor can we learn either from Hiftory, or from the Accounts of the moft antient Inhabitants, that any ever did grow there. So univer- That Ha» fal a Devaluation could never have vock> °f?e- been effected, w^out a Caufe equaly^^^V^ exteniive: and in Truth there are fo by the CDif great a Variety of Circumftances and folution of Phenomena, which plainly fhew the tJoe univerfal Deluge to have been that^f5 e~ Caufe, that there can I think be no¬ thing offer’d in Contradi&ion or in Objeilion to the Proof they give.
Now tis very remarkable, that thefe Trees are found with their Roots ftill adhering to them. For this plainly fhews there was a Diffolution and Failure of the Ground, where they formerly flood and grew. Of this there was alfo a long Tradition a- mong the moft antient Nations *. ^!°e Fradi- 'Bacchus is by the Naturaiifts taken Uj]ltfen^e for the Fruit of the Vine. ‘ He is concerning
feigned to have been born t a fecond that 'DiJJ'o -
f ^nt ion and
Havock .
* fyvoicKoyxTtt— t <t7w cty.'7T<i'hx x,£f7r&v A ibvw ffvV Diodor. Sic. L p. 195. f Aif
<t' divTk r hV ytviaiv a tot JW ro JUl£ v
Up tzoV £nha)V I'/nrw yf r Azvkc tAicoVct >tctj ctx.XvO'
< vQetfiuctt ^ rzl up Tijv tTnpCffav 'jr^hiv cijeipviylxf. Ibid. p. 196.
6z Nat. Miji. of the Earth Part 1.
Some cjpaf- Time of Jupiter, becaufe in Deuca- tl£e.s °fr . lion’s Flood , (which they ufuaily con-
compar'd f°u|U with Noah' s) the Vine is f up - and ex- pofed to have perifhed with other tidin' d. ‘Trees, and afterwards to have
fprung up a- new* But we have a much fuller Defcription both of the Earth’s dilfolving, and the falling of the Trees, in Seneca, where he treats of his Deluge, viz *. their Roots being let loofe , every Shrub, in par¬ ticular the Vine, fell down, and i every FI ant lofi its Support in the Ground, which was become foft and fluid . — The "Buildings fall and are overpower d, and the Waters be¬ ing admitted into the Earth quite to the very deepeft and ioweft parts of it, their Foundations fink and fail, and the whole Earth becomes a Bog . In vain are Things tottering afiifted by props , for every Foundation is in
a
* Nat. Quseft. Lib. 3. C. 27. Solutis quippe Radicibus, Arbufta procumbunt & vitis, atque omne virgultum non tenetur folo, quod molle fluidumque eft.—Labant & ma- dent Te&a, & in imum ufque receptis Aquis Fundamenta defidunt, ac tota Humus itagnat 3 fruftra titubantium fulcra tentantttr, Omne enim Fundamentum in iubrico figitur, & lu¬ rch* Humo nihil {labile eih *
a Jlideing State , and nothing can ft and firm in Ground fo quaggy. And afterwards, fpeaking of the Earth f
k, to have been changed \ dijjoh d and reduc’d to a Fluid: —
that ■ it was neceffdry its ‘Parts
Jhoud perijh , and be all perfectly de-
ftroyd, that they might be all again
formed anew, fimple and pure. There
had obtain d an Opinion, amongft many of the Antients, that the very Earth was corrupted , and was there¬ fore deftrcyd , purified , and formed a new, at the Deluge. This is what the Philofopher here points at. Per¬ haps there may fome Time or other be published the Paflages of thofe an- tient Writers to this Effedt, more ac¬ curacy collected out of their Wri- tings, and illuftrated with Remarks. But thus Seneca goes on to defcribe the ‘Dijfolution of the Earth It therefore begins to putrify , and the
Particles
t Terram efle mutabilem & folvi in Hu- morem.--- Partes ejus interire debuerint, abo- lireve funairus totse, ut de integro tota^ rudes mnoxiceque* generantur. $ — Incipier ergo putrefcere, dehinc laxata ire in Humorem, & affidua Tabe defluere. - - Seneca . Nat.
L. 3. c. 27, ap. ~
Nat. Ilijt • of the Earth Part L
[ "Particles of it , being loofened , to turn into a Fluid , and by a con¬ tinued Solution to be absolutely li¬ quated. To which Opinion of this Philofopher Lycophron very much agrees, v
* When Jove, in Tempejis r agings fiormd the Earthy He dafh'd the Whole into minuteft Atoms . — -
Where the Scholiaft, If Tzetzes , ex¬ pounds hpA-Jvvs by cZfAjUov brims 7 icLlejcXms: and that very properly, fince all Stone was reduced into Sandy and the hardefl Bodies in the Earth into foft and tender . So that, at the Deluge, in fuch State of Things, t The World was unmade or ta¬ ken to Teices again , as ^ Nonnus in his Dionyfidca well obferves. We have alfo fouie Footfteps of the Earth
being
* 'Or’ ii{j.a$ui'Z nsra,<TtLV ofiCp-Hretf %0om, %wo$ va<7^o<;. — —
\ - — K Q(ry.os ctKOPiAQS iyWiTO. .
| Lib, 6.
F&rt I. 11 lujtr cited and Inlargd.
being fo diflolv’d, and melted as it were, in Manilius §*
■ . • i
Th' Earth quivers now, before tho' firmly
And from their Feet ‘withdraws the treache* rous Ground .
The melted Globe Jwims in it/elf : the Main
Spews up a Sea > and fucks it in again .
Nor can the great Abyfs itf elf contain.
All Nature thus was in Confufion hurl'd
And the Deep gorg'd itfelf with all ’the World .
Deucalion only then remain'd behind The Solitary Heir of all Mankind \
The Knowledge and Tradition that the Gentiles had of thele Thina*s c^ime firft from the Baft. The Hebrews of old had frequent Commerce with
F firft
§ Concutitur Tellus validis Compagibus barrens,
Subducitque folum Pedibus^ natat Obi$ in ipfo 5
Et vomit Oceanus Pontum, iitienfque re- forbet,
Nec fefe ipfe capit Sic quondam merfe- rat Urbes,
Humani Generis quum folusconftitit Ha»r^
Deucalion.— Manil. Aftr . Lib. 4.—
Nat. Hift. of the Barth Part I.
the ‘Phoenicians, and /Egyptians, and both thefe with the Grecians. And thence was the Fountain and Origin of many of thofe Notions, and Cu¬ stoms, which afterwards obtained a- mong the Greeks and Rowans. That the Deftru&ion of the whole Earth was threatened, before the Deluge : and that that Definition was effected da¬ ring the Deluge, we have the Autho¬ rity of Mofes , Gen. vi. Vulg. Lat. f I will deftroy them , with the Barth . So the <j LXX Verfion, And behold , I will deftroy them, and the Barth. Gen. ix. \ ii. Nor (hall there hereaf¬ ter be a Deluge to deftroy the Earth . So the Hebrew , as well as the Sa¬ maritan, Chaldee, and other Inter¬ preters. The * Vulgar Latin Tran-
1 flator
*9
f Ego difperdam eos cum Terra. Vulg. Zat. Gen. the 6th. 13. „
§ VLdi IcfSf totlaipQJ ?*> $ T ynv.
LXX.
£ Neque erit deinceps Diluvium ad dii- perdendum Terram.
* Keque erit deinceps Diluvium diflipans omnem Terrain. Vulg, Lat* Rob* Stef h* € . Par. 154&
flator hath it. Nor ) hall there here- aft er he a Flood diffohing the Whole Earth. The 4- LXX, and there pall be no more a Deluge to diffoke the Whole Earth. Diffipare , the Word ufed here by the Vulgar In¬ terpreter, lignihes not only disjicerd to fcatter, but liquare , and diffoherey to melt , and diffolre. I hus Seneca , t the Showers wajh away the Snow in the Spring ; and the firft Heat ' melts [diifipat] what remains behind \ And Cicero , (j Epicurus is againfi the Notion, of ^Bodies Concreting , leaf} it fhoitd be inferrd that, on the Contrary, there might be a Fe¬ tching and SDiJjolution [Diffipatio] of them. To which the W ord K*rct$ ufed by the LXX, w7ell anfwers, fig- nifying to melt , corrupt , putrefy j from or rather from' p0e}*,
whence aifo QQeip/ctiris. So that that
F 2 Deftru-
+ K At xx, 'Hi l<peu K'pdLY.Kvjy.Q*; Settles KcflcZ-* Spttpctt FIA2AN 7hv yny.
t Q^ippe vernis Temporibus Imbres nivem diluunt : Reliquias ejus primus Caior diifipat, Nat. £fiiceft. Lib. 4, C. z.
§ Epicurus Corporum Concretionem t, ne Interitus & Diifipatio confequatur. LI)e Nat . SDeor . Lib. 1.
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part I.
Deftruition of the Earth was effected by melting and diffolving //, and all Fojfils. To this the Royal Pfalmift
* agrees. He uttered his Voice , the Earth melted. For which Reafon Thilo-Judceus thought the -whole World , at the TDeluge , -was turned into the Nature of Water, t
So the Pfeudo-Sibyll ,
Water is all , and all Things are deftroyd by Water.\% And the
Author of the Book De T)ea Syria ,
* JU Things are become Water. Among the facred W riters alfo there s great Agreement, as in other Matters, fo likewife in this. Habak. iii. 6. t He flood and meajured the Earth j he beheld , and drove afunder the Nations-, and the ever lading Moun¬ tains were broken to ‘Pieces , [or
fcattered.
* Dedit in Voce fua^ liquefa&a eft Terra.
^Pfalrn xlvi. 6.
^ fNo^lcrcte T& {Apil T8 ^CLVT0<1 fMAV $V7tV $ 0 £ct7o<; dvcLToixeixyAV* * * §. Oe Abrahamo. p.
§vTcP<yp i<rcu attauJa , ^ &/W# *&vTtivrok&ld,t*
* TLav]a v<T<yp zyivovlo.
I Stetit & menfus eft Terram : Vidit & exfilire fecit Gentes: & contriti funt Mon¬ tes Perpetuitatis, incurvaverunt fe Colies Ssecu- li, Habak. 3. 6.
Part I. llhtjlr cited and Inlargd.
fcattered, diftipati , Hebr.~\ the per¬ petual Hills did bow. So the LXX, 4- The ever lofting Mountains were diffdved , the eternal Hills were melted. The Chald. Paraphr, $ He difcoverd himfelf and Jhook the Earth , and brought on the Flood , &c. The Mountains that were from all Antiquity are broken to Pieces , the Hills that were from the Begin- ing are deprefs d or beaten down. The Syr. V erfion, f The Mountains are diffolved , and the Hills are brought low. The Arabic , * *
The Mountains are diffolved , the Hills are melted. And lower, Verfe x. 41 The Mountains trem¬ bled : the Overflowing of the Wa-
F 3 ters
+ A ictQpvCn Tci o PM Cld9 ilctniurctv Cavlt d/aviofe
LXX.
ft Revel atus eft Sc commovit Terrain, Sc adduxit Diluvium, &cj Fra&i funt Montes qui erant ab antiquo, depreffi Colles qui ex- titerant a Steculo. Chald. Paraphr.
t Diftipati funt Montes, Sc humilati Colies. Syr . Verft
* Comminuti funt Montes : — -liquati funt Colies. Jlrah
4; Tremuerunt Montes : Inundatio Aqua^ rum tranftit ; dedit Abyftus Sonitum fuura. Verf. Xo
Nat. Biff. of tie Earth Part I.
ters paffed by : the Abyfs uttered his Voice. In this Place the Be- fir nation of the Mountains is par¬ ticularly treated of: and hence it is plain the primitive Mountains were [contriti~\ beaten to Pieces** or, as the Commentators rightly explain it, /#- quati^ comminuti , diffipati , melted , broken to Pieces , diffohed. Nor is this any other than what I was lead, by Observations of Nature, to let forth, Nat. Hi ft. Earth , Part 2, Thus like wife Amos ix, 5* 6. The Lord God of Hcfis is he that touch eth the Lands [or the Earth,] audit fhall Melt, and all that dwell therein fhall mourn. Is fhall rife up W holey like a Flood, and fhall be drowned as by the Flood of ./Egypt. The Vulg. Lat. t The Lord God of Hofts is he who touches the Earthy and it fhall Melt, and all who dwell therein fhall mourn: and All the Earth fhall rife up like a Rivers
and
% Dominus Deus Exercituum qui tangit Terra m, & tabefcet s & lugebunt Omnes ha- bitantes in ea : & afcendet ficut Rivus om- mss Sc deflue t ficut Flu-vim Mgyptv
*
Part I. Illufl rated and Inlargd.
and flow about like the Flood of .(Egypt. This Paflage does not treat of any new or future Deluge, as fome imagine. For both the Prophet and the People were allured by an Ora¬ cle, * of all others the moft infalli- ble, that no fuch fhou’d ever happen more, to the End of the World. The dreadful Devaluation made by that antient Deluge was in every Man’s Mouth, and imprefs’d on every Mind. Nor was there any more eafy and fure Method to ftrike the People with Horror and Difmay than by mention of that Deluge, and Repetition of the furprizing Phenomena of it. For this Reafon the Jewifh Writers the often- er made Ufe of this Method. As did Amos alfo ; and indeed the diffolution of the whole Earth could not be more fully or happily exprefs’d by any Se¬ ries of Words, than thofe which this Prophet has made choice of, nor could the promifcuous Razfing of the Earth fo diflolved, and the fuflaining it in the Water be more clearly fet forth ; of which alfo, traceing clofely the
F 4 Foot-
* Gen. ix. 8. & feq*
7i
Nat. Htjft: of the 'Earth Part I.
Footfteps of Nature, and fupported by Obfervations made in the Bowels ©f the Earth, I .treated Nat. Hi ft. Earth. Part 2d. Confect. 2d. Of this like- wife the Compiler of the Sibylline Oracles,
The Mountains and the Earth ■ Jhallfwim. — -(•
As above,
— - - - He fbatt break up
Tfhe Earth's Recejfes, and dif- folve her Walls.— f
Thus Ifaiah xxiv.' 18, 19, The Windows from on High are open, and the Foundations of the Earth do Jhake, the Earth is utterly broken down, the Earth is clean Dissol¬ ved, the Earth is moved exceedingly. The Chaldee has * it. The Earth is dijfolved by a TJiffolution : the LXX, with Confufion fhall the Earth be confounded. So Job xii. 15. (j God fendetb out the Waters, and
they
I n hivvu yn, whiitivGiv oftf, Orac. Sibyll. Gallaei. Lib. y. p. 133.
+ K iuQpcovAS T6 yarn (ntifarei, £ Ay-
?h. Ibid p. 122. *
* Diflolutione difTolvetur Terra. Chald.
^ LXX, ‘Ta.petyii rctpctyJxTiTctt « ytj,
§ Deus emittit A<juas? & fubvertunt Ter-
ram. Job. 12. if.
/
»
73
Part I. Il'luft rated and Inlargd.
they overturn the Earth . The lxx, t* * He fent forth the Waters , which, overturning (the Earth,) deftroyd it. And this is that [ AmXeix ] fDeftruUion of the Earth of which Sr. Peter /peaks, § fly the. Word of God the Heavens were of old, and the Earth Jlanding out of the ' ' Water, and in the 1 fitter. Jfthere~~ ly the World .that then was, being overflowed with . Water, perifked. flat the Heavens , and the Earth, which now are, &c. In which Ac¬ count indeed he gives a fliort, but true Reprefentation of the Conftitu- tion of the terraqueous Globe, or of the Orb of Earth, with the Abyfs Hint up in it, and the Ocean with¬ out. How exactly agreeable to Na¬ ture itfelf this is drawn, may be feen in my Nat. Hift. of the Earth,
Part 3d. The Apoftle allerts that primitive Earth to have been deftroy d: as, after him, the Author of the Book
de
+* LXX. vtaf - iTsiipn dTraKivtv aurtiv
iyriv) xttTstrpi'^a.f.
y $ 'Ovpctvof r,(T&v I'MdLKeLl ^
*) ft vfetloc OVVeratTel 7J 7* A oyeo. Zv
0 T0T2 Koo-pot vJ'dfli x&]akKv&h{ ctWASTo. ’O / 4
yw tfdVoi, Xj vyn? &c*
/
74
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part I.
de Egregoris , * * * § which is wrongly afcribed to Enoch , The Whole Earth is defir oyed. To conclude, he makes a plain and manifeft Difference betwixt the Antediluvian Earth, and that which we now inhabit, betwixt The World that then was , and the Heavens and the Earth which now are. t As Thilo like wife fitly and wife¬ ly obferves, a new Earth § fprang from the Primitive, which was diffolved at the Deluge: and St. Chryfoftom t* alferts, that there was an Jbolifhing or Definition, as of Men and Ani¬ mals, fo likewife of the Earth it- felfi and that the fame was after¬ wards refiored and framed anew. < Many of the Modern Jews likewife, as well as the Antient, maintain directly the fame Doctrine. For tho’ they did
not
* Ap. Grab, in Spicileg. Patmm. p. 551.
n yy} clttoEE v^) nA2A4
$ 6 tots — — ot q vuv Jpctro?, w
§ N icls ait&fecyeiJnf' De Vita Mo¬
lls, Lib. 2. p. 66 3.
Kcii clCtvs $ yn? t et^dVKT(/.ov. Homil. 22« In Gen. v. Op. Tom. 2. p. 262.
*§ ’A vcLFoix&cofiv. Ibid. p. 2 66.
/
Parti. Illuftrated and Inlargd.
not know how far the Diflolution went, yet they affirm that there realy was a Diflolution. The Hebrews fay three Talms of the Surface of the Earth were dijfolved, and turned into Wa¬ ter ■, and therefore it is f 'aid , Gen. vi,
13, And I will deftroy them , with the Earth . t To this is agreeable -the Hebrews calling the Deluge 'TOO which according to R. S. is derived from nTf to confound-, becaufe all earthly Things were confounded by it. Hut Kimhi derives it from thp Root * * which fignifies to
flow about , and rot to pieces. The Rabbins alfo aflert, £ that all the Trees on the Earth were rooted tip by the Waters of the Deluge. The The Condi- I rees therefore being thus delerted, tion and by the Earth’s being diflblved, an &sAteofthe they being all fallen down, $ many Sdarffoj ot the bigger Sorts of them, having the olive, large and fpreading Heads, lay up- After the
on the Departure of the Flood, with fZvleL then Branches fh etched up to a great of the E)e-
Height^*
t Lyran. in Gen. vi. 15.
* Munfter in Gen. vi. 17.
$ Id. in Gen. vii. 18. and § Nat. Hi ft. Earth . Part. 6.
Nat. Hift . of the Earth Part I.
Height in the Water, and, after that was withdrawn, in the Ain And thus probably lay the Olive Tree, § from which the Dove pluck’d the Leaf, fhe brought to Noah^ Gen. viii. ii. But Dr. Carrier arius earneftly contends, t that even the Olive Leaf alone , which the Dove returning brought to Noah, fuffciently proves that the Earth remained intire , and the ^ ree continued fixed by its Roots to the Earthy under the Waters of the \ 'Deluge . The Reafon he gives is this, for, lays l\e, * tf the Tree had been floating about , a Leaf of it had been no Proof to Noah, that the Earth was become dry . Nor tru¬ ly did Noah infer any fuch Thing from thence,- he only conjectured that the Waters were fo far £ abated and diminished, that the Trees began to appear. And that he might with as much Reafon have concluded from thence, if the Tree lay along upon
the
$ Nat. Hift . Earth. Ibid, t Differt. Epifi. p. 344. * Ibid.
+ Gen. viii, 8. ji.
Part I. Illuftrated and Tnlargd.
the Ground, as if it had flood up¬ right. t For the Olive Tree isfome- times very tall. , and large , {as T>r.
Stapel^ rightly obferves ,) with "Boughs Spreading forth to a great Extent.
And therefore thofe Boughs, which happened to extend upwards, while the Tree lay along, might appear as far above the Water, as any others could if the Tree had been then Hand¬ ing. So that the Dove might pluck a Leaf from one of thefe, as long before the Waters were abated, as it ' could, if the Tree had then flood upright, and rooted in the Ground.
Mofes himfelf gives no exprefs Ac- fke Mofaic count of the Condition and Site o {Account of the Olive Tree. But if his ¥ De- thh J$air firuUion of the Earth implies i tsconflder’d’ Difjolution , which indeed I think I have proved, () it is certain that Tree cou’d not be Handing at that Time.
As for Noah , it is evident, from the Hiftory itfelf, that he knew nothing of what was done, at that Time, out of the Ark. If he knew not ’that
the
t J- Raij. Hiftor. Plant. Vol. 2. p. IJ4, * Gen. vi. 13. ix. ir.
§ Nat. Hi ft. Earth. Part id
1
78
Nat. Hift. of the Barth Part I:
the Waters were abated, ’till he fent out a Dove to, difcover that, much lefs cou’d he know that the Earth was diifolved, and all the Trees dri¬ ven about as Chance directed. So that had Noah believed the Olive Tree to have been f landing , which yet does not appear, that had realy made Nothing to the prefent Purpofe ; nor could that Miftake of his have been brought as an Argument agaitift me. cfhe Olive I cannot leave this Argument with- ‘jrees were- out obferving one Thing, which I rooted up think, very material, i ho’ we learn
Mount Ara- from Okarius , Tavernier , Chardin , rat at the and others, that Olive Trees are found Deluge ; growing in great Numbers in B er fi a > ~are ’fumd anc* other Places far remote, yet none growing in now grow in all that Country where that Conn- the Ark re fled ; * whence it happens, try now. many have very much wondered ,
whence the Dove took the Leaf fie brought to Noah. But that Difficulty
will
* II n’y a point d’Oliviers ; ce qui fait, que plufieurs s’etonnent ou la Colombe peut prendre la Rameau qu’elle apporte a Noe.
- Les Voyages & Obferv. du Sieur dela Boul~ laye 4to. p. 85.
r
Part I. llluftrated and Inhwgd.
will immediately vanifh, and the Iruth of the Thing appear without any Room for Doubt, if the Affair be rightly confidered and reprefented. F or probably thefe Trees might abound’ m that Country before the Deluge; and yet be all then rooted up, and buried deep in the Earth, or laid along upon its Surface. Nonhould any one wonder if the Olives of Jrarat had the fame Fate with our f EngUJh Pines, which we fo commonly find buried in our Fenns and Marlhes, when yet none are found now growing here, unlefs planted, and raifed by Art. And indeed, in this Cafe, ’tis plain, the Olive Tree, from which the ‘Dove cropped the Leaf^ could not be in a Handing Pofture, but lying alone. And very likely twas owing more to Chance than Choice, that the Dove took an Olive Leaf ; for any other had ferved as well to fhew the Wa¬ ters were abated. But probably the Olives there lay in greatefl Num¬ bers, and that Leaf offered itfelf firft.
And
1 See Diflert. 3. Seft. 3. Infra,
19
V
8o
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part I.
And if it imported but little what Leaf was brought, there was no Ne- ceflity, that the ‘Dove ftiould take her Flight into Terfia^ or fome other re¬ mote Country, to find out this. Be- fides a Leaf brought from any other Region had not fihewed the Thing looked for. For the Earth was not plain, but fome Parts of it lay higher than others : and therefore a Leaf brought from a very remote Coun¬ try had indeed fignifyed that the Waters, if any ftill remain’d in thofe Parts, were little, and of no confi- derable Depth ; but not at all, in the Parts where the Ark relied, and that Leaf was not gathered.
i
THE
L.
*
Natural History
o F T H E
earth
llkftrated , and Intarged: as alfo, T)e~ fended. , particularly again ft the late Objections of Dr. Camerarhis.
Part II.
H E Inftances ailedged d'he id. in the former Part of?fn' °f this Difcourfe, to which S many more might h e wherein are added, fufficiently fhew, conf,dered with what Care the learned Camera- ~1>r- Gan’e" Tins had read my Writings, and files' aid what Regard he had to Truth, when eardefiWay he undertook to refute what I had fpaffmg therein fet forth. Nothing mor e^ff' feems now to remain on my Part, but ‘Things. to fttew, with all poiftble Brevity, in fpme few Examples, what the Ex-
O tent
82 Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part II.
ten t of his Skill and Knowledge in thefe Things, is.
i. He joins i. For wh§n he offers, as he does, and con Natural Things confafedly, and pre- fents m the fame Order and Clafs fuch that are in as have not the leaft Relation to one their Na - another, but are moft different in their ture very Nature they who do not better know if event. Qen^eman, might be apt to fuf-
pe£t this to have been the Effedfc of his Ignorance in this Affair, or done with Defign, and fome indirect Pur- pofe to keep others in the Dark, as to the Merits of the Controverfy be¬ gun by him. If any defire Proofs hereof, fuch may be found, as in many other Places, particularly in Page 2083 and 2 99; where he promifeu- oufly brings in, together. Shells, Bodyes formed in Shells, Stones, and native Foinls, none of which have any Agreement in Nature with the other, or are Things of the fame Clafs.
He gives To this confufed Way of rangeing unfit Nantes Filings, may be added, thofe un- to ‘things* coutj1 Names, he makes ufe of, de- vifed, and impofed by fancyful Men • fuch as Ombria , jBrontia , Gryphites , Hyfterclithos , 'Bit car elites , Bala
noides
3
fart II. llluftrated and Intargd .
noides , and others ,* which Names communicate no real Ideas in them- felves, nor in the leaft affift towards undemanding the Gonftitution, or Properties of the Things to which they are applied* Tis certainly the Bufinefs of a Naturalift, by fit and defcriptive Names, to clear up Things not well known ; but by no Means to render them more obfeure, by a Cloud of Names, which neither any Way explain the Nature of the Things in Queftion, or any others, nor indeed convey any right Notion of them to the Reader ;
i
/
(
Not with dark Smoak to [mother up what's bright ,
'But out of Smoak to fend clear Rays of Light*. /
2. But to fpend no more Time a- 2. ZDr. Ga bout his Way of methodizing, and ofmerarius’i naming Things, let us come to xhQInconfflen- Things themfelves. Dr. Camerarius 1 ’belhkeep . asks j with what Colour can it he i«g them • fuppofed , that Shells , finking dcwnfelveS!Wh°le\ together , and forming the fame Stra- "atT toped turn by Reafon of their being of the by the
G 2 fameWf-vtty
- . . — ■ ■ ■»- — — — _ mongjl
* Kon Fumum ex Fulgofe, fed ex Fumo SiQneit dare Lucem. Herat.
t eP- 3 °9> 3 to- Couf. ipd, 297.'
84 Nat. Hift . of the Earth Part II.
fame fpecifck Gravity, Jhoitld not be then broke to pieces ; for that muft of Neceffity have happened from their bein g dafhed each againft other , as they fubfided, in the confufed Com¬ motions of the Waves . Tfhe Stones , meerly by their Weighty mttft have broke the Shells which were there amongft them , and beat them all to Hitts. He thinks it utterly impof fible for them not to have been fo broke : and therefore makes this Ob¬ jection more than once. But it Pure¬ ly is a fufficient Anfwer to this fo often repeated Objection, that fo vaft a Number of Shells are llill found en¬ tire, and not at all broken, even in the firmed and hardeft Stone. Nor does he himfelf deny that this is actual¬ ly fo. Shall I affert , fays he, that no real Marine Eodyes are found there ? * Far be it from me after fo many Obfervations of that learned Gentleman , and, he might truly have added, of every other Man, in all Farts of the Earth . He prefently after this makes Anfwer to a Queftion
* of
* Page 3
8j
Part II. flluflrated and Inland d.
o
of his own, Ty what Means came thefe Shells into the Earth , the Stra¬ ta, and thofe Tarts * / Many cf them , fays he, if not all , were caft there hy the Deluge, through the Fif- fures of the Earth, while it was gaping, and lodged in the Strata while they were yet [oft and fluid. Now what Part am I to ad here, when he is at fuch Variance with Himfelf, fhonld I interpofe as a Re¬ conciler? He grants that the Shells are realy found in the Strata: and points out the very Means of their Conveyance thither ; viz. they were lodged there by the Deluge, while the Strata were yet [oft and fluid. And yet he averrs he is entirely igno¬ rant, with what Appearance of Truth it can be fuppofed that the Shells finking together , and forming the fame Stratum, flmild not lie then broke to Tieces, and deftroved, by the Dafling and Agitation of the Stones. Let us therefore proceed to fomething elfe.
G 3 3. What
* Page 34#,
86
%. Of the Gloflbpe- trae, their flature, and Origin.
Nat. Hijl. of the Earth Part II.
3. What they commonly call the Ghffopetrty of which I my felf have feveral digged up here in England , as well as others brought from the Ifland of Malta , and various other Country es, are apparently ri eeth of Sharks, and fuch like Fillies. Nor, indeed, according to any Judgment to be formed from the Words of Dr. Ga¬ rner arias himfelf, can I make the leaft Doubt, but that thofe he mentions, dig¬ ged up about Montpelier , are the. Teeth of Marine Animals alfo, tho’ he is at fo great Uncertainty about them. For, what Reafon does he produce for his Doubts about thefe t ? Only becaufe in Diftillation they did not yield Volatile Salt , Spirit , and^ Oif in the Quantity he expeded ; tho’ they did afford an Urinous Phlegma , which alone might have ferved as a clear Indication of a Volatile Ani¬ mal Salt J. But, tho’ from thefe To¬ kens they did not with any Certainty appear to him to be the Teeth of Ani^ mals, yet, fmce even fuch a ‘Phlegm a is not to be extracted from any Mine¬ ral
,11 1 .11111 mi 1, . I. T"JI..
t P< 111- t Uh
8?
Part II. lllnftr cited and lulargd .
< *
ral Body, it is thence highly probable that thefe rather had their Origin from any Part of Nature than from the Earth. And indeed whoever makes Searches of this Kind, with¬ out obferving the various Circum- ftances of the Things, and comparing them well together, will obtain little Light or Advantage from them.
There is no one but knows how ealily and how foon the Volatile Par¬ ticles, of almoft every Body, fly off of their own Accord, and are exhaled.
Nor certainly can any one expebt fo great a Plenty, of thefe, from thofe Teeth which have lain buryed above 4000 Years in the Earth, as from others of the fame Kinds juft taken frefh out of the Mouths of the Ani¬ mals. If Dr. Camer arias fhould doubt of this, let him try, if he can, to extrabl a like Quantity of Salts from human Bones and Skulls which have been long buryed, as from thofe of Bodyes but newly dead.
But to that Argument Dr. Came-tfje opini
rarhis adds another, which is, that * on of Fa-
the Ghffopetr <z do not (as Fabius Co-}31118 ^°" t v , lumna, con
G 4 lumna
- - - - - - - - -
* Page 273.
g 8 Nat ; Hi ft. of the Earth Part II.
cernxng Imnna had , he fays, falfely pretend- thefe So- gj\ turn jnt0 a Cinder , but into a deT'SVhhCalxr-Eot thofe Gloffopetr <s which Reputation F. Cohmna had procured from Mal- vindicated. ^ did , he tells us *, when put , into, the Fire> hum to a Cinder > [Garbo] before they went into a Calx> or JfoeS) as the Bones, Teeth, Horns, and other like Subftances of Animals, are wont to do : and for that Reafon J he judged them to be of the lame Subftance, and not of the Nature of Stones, which do not turn firft into a Cinder , but into a Calx . Dr. Camera - rius charges F. Cohmna t _ with . Falfehood for averting that the Glof¬ fopetr turn into a Cinder. But how came he to any certain Know¬ ledge of that ? Did he learn it from Tryals made on the Gloffopetr of Montpelier , and finding that they immediately turned into a Calx? If he take upon him to affirm this, I will give him Credit. Yet there are fome other Things which he ought alfo to
have
* F. Col. De Gloffop . Dijfert, Pub fin. Lib . de Turpura* p. $i, ^ Fab. Col, ibid.
' r
Part II. llluftr cited end Inlcirgd.
• have been well allured of, and care¬ fully to have considered, before he had called in Queftion, not the Judg¬ ment, but the Fidelity, of J\ Colurn- na. Not to mention others, he ought certainly to have known, if the Glof- fopetra are found lodged in very dif¬ ferent Places, and in different Sorts of Matter, whether they would not, in Trait of Time, be fo affected by that Diverfity of Places, and of Matter, as to turn, when committed to the Fire, Some of them into a Cinder , and others prefently into a Calx. He ought further to have obferved, that the fame Body, put into the fame Fire, burning flower, or remaining there a Shorter Time, will turn intp a Cinder : but, if in a Stronger Fire, or continued longer, into a Calx. Which is obvious of it felf: and indeed Co- lumna has given fome Hints of it. But to fay fomething here of the Character of F. Coluwnci , he was a Perfon of a noble Family, and Him- felf a Man of extraordinary Inge¬ nuity. He was alfo eminent for his great Learning : and for his Purfuit of the Study of Natural Things with more Diligence, Accuracy, and Suc-
cefs.
Nat. HiJi. of the Earth Part II.
cefs, than almoft any one of thofe Times j as the Writings he has left behind him, by which he has deferved greatly of Pofterity, abundantly tefti- fy. His Contemporaries looked up¬ on him as a very diligent Searcher after Truth, and as a Man of the greateft Fidelity ; which Reputation he ftill retains, now at the Diftance of almoft a Century from the Time of his Death. When the celebrated Dr. Camerarius therefore reproaches a Perfon of that illuftrious Chara&er, with Falfehood, as to an Experiment that he made, and yet realy produces no Proof of fuch a Charge, he furely a£ts in a Manner unbecoming an inge¬ nuous and learned Man, and fuch as can be very little agreeable to thofe who are realy fuch. Nor has he treated this Gentleman only, who is of thofe early Times, with fo much Liberty, in his <JDijfertations , but fe- veral more modern Writers likewife, and fome who are yet living, and of the greateft Repute for Learning and Judgment: and that, at leaft as ap¬ pears to me, and perhaps to all others of candid Difpolition, not becaufe what they have fet forth is any Ways
repog-
♦
Part II. Illuftrated and Inlargd. 9 f
repugnant to Truth, but meerly be- caufe their Opinions do not fquare with his own.
4. What I have written concerning 4. of the the Diffolution of the Earth, and of Dijfolutim all Foifils, the learned Carrier arius i s°t thl very averfe to admit. Tho it be a/- thlfime of lowed , fays he, that real Marine the ^Deluge. Bodyes are found in the ‘Bowels of the Earth , — -yet it does not follow from thence , that the Earth was diffohed at the Deluge *. Such a Diffolution he pronounces f fuppcfed , without any ‘Proof: and treats it as fupported by no Shew of Truth. But before he had inveighed, with fo much Vehemence, again!! this Propo¬ rtion, he ought to have fhewn, how, without fuch a Diffolution, the Shells of Conch 4”, Cochlea, Echini , and other Marine Animals, came to be ex¬ actly filled with Stone, Flint, Spar, and other Mineral and Metallic Mat¬ ter, as they are at this Day found to be : how the Surfaces of Stones,
Flints, Spars, and other Mineral and Metallic Bodyes, every where digged
up.
* P. *87.
f P. 3 z6.
1
\
>
91
Nat. Bift. of the Barth Part II.
up, came to have the very Forms, and even the fineft Lineaments of thefe Shells, imprelfed upon them: and, finally, how it happened that fo great a Plenty, and Variety, of Marine Bodyes, were immerfed in the Strata of Stone, and almoft every other Kind of Terreftrial Matter, and fo intimately and thorowly incorpo¬ rated with that Stone, and Matter, as, together, to conllitute one common Mafs ; and this in Places the moft re¬ mote from any Sea, and to the great- eft Depths in the Earth that Men ever dig; he ought, I fay, to have ex¬ plained by what Means ail thefe Things could be efte&ed, without a Diflolution of the Earth, and of Fof- fils, before he had, upon his fingle Opinion, and Authority, condemned what I had advanced, wherein is given an Account how all this was brought about, and by a Method the moft plain, eafy, fimple, and fuch as is exactly conformable to the Pro¬ cedure of Nature it felf.
Dr. Came-
Part II. llhiftv cited and Inlcirgd
Dr. dewier evius neither believes %wyefirial9 himfelfj nor thinks any Body elfe an^ Mine- eafily will, that fofter Matter remain- m* ed entire, while the moft folid was Vegetable diiiolved, at the Deluge. For who- Sodye!, dif~ ever fays he - Jh all compare the moftf^ea* fohd Marble , and hardefi Stone ® g with the tender Shells of Fijh , will not be eafyly perfwaded that thefe could r emain entire , and not be dif- Jolved by that Agent that reduced , all Marble into ‘Powder. But this perhaps will appear lefs wonderfull to any one who has obferved, which inay be eafyly done in many Places or been informed from the Obferva- tions of others, that the exterior Parts of Marble, and of the hardeft Stone, lying a long while expofed to the Weather, or the fharp and fait Va¬ pours of the Sea, are, by Degrees, worn, eaten, and confumed away’ while the Shells, contained in them, not only continue to exift, but often remain a long Time after entire, or but little hurt by the fame Weather,
Salts, and Vapour. Which Fad had
this
* 307,
flat. Htft • of the Barth Part It
this Gentleman, fo very knowing in all other Refpeds, been rightly ap¬ priz’d of, and duely confidered it. I’m apt to think he would not have infilled on this Argument. But, as to the true Caufe of the DiiTolution,
. made at the Deluge, it cannot be fuf- ficiently lliewn within the Compafs of either that Effay, or of fuch a Trad as this. My Defign in both is to fliew, that the Earth it felf, and all Foffils whatever were realy diffolvedj but that Shells, and other Animal, and Vegetable Bodyes were not ; and in¬ deed that the Thing actually was fo, I think I have, from Obfervations, fufficiently made out, v and proved. But to add fomewhat further to what I have, above, brought in Anfwer to this Objection of the learned Came- rarius , he ought alfo to confider that the Texture, and Conftitution of the former of thofe Bodyes, is very different from that of the latter. For the Parts of Animals, and of Vege¬ tables, are fibrous, and their Fibres connected, complicated, and variouf- ly interwoven each with other but the Parts of Foffils, even the hardeft, are only contiguous, and held toge¬ ther
9 5
Part II. llluttr cited and Inlargd.
ther by no common Tye. Whoever rightly reflects upon this Difference of thefe Bodyes, he will not think it fo difficult perhaps to find theReafon why all the Foffils were immediately dif- folved, while the others were not in the leaft hurt, but remained entire and in theirQriginalCondition. If therefore the celebrated Camerariits flhould, at any Finie, refume this Argument, which* in real Friendship, Iwouldadvife him not to do, let him dream no more of a Menftruum Jufficient to dijjbhe the whole Globe of Earth . There are others indeed who, like him, have be¬ fore done the fame, without being able to touch any Point of what I have de¬ livered ,* but only betrayed their own Ignorance, both of the Powers of Nature, and the Operations of a ]\.len~’ ftrmim. He oojedts alfo to my Doarine, that the Diffolution of the Globe would have been the T)eftruc~ tion of the firfl Creation *. This I readily grant him, it being no other than what Nature fhews, and Mofes teaches: and what indeed I my felf
have
* P. 544*
96 Nat. Hijf. of the Barth Part II,
have endeavoured to make out, viz. that the Deluge was brought on, and the DiHolution of the Globe effected, by the Divine Appointment, in Order to defiroy the firft Creation. Nat. Hift. of the Barth. Part II. ’Twas therefore his proper Bufinefs to have examined, and try'd to have refuted what I had there fet forth, and not thus to have taken and drefled it up in • Form of an Objection againft what I had deliver’d.
5 . of the 5. The learned Camerarius con - Jbyfs, cr ftjfes t that he very much defines to that great rpg jrpuments to prove the Jbyfs, or
fcmeRefr- Central Sphere of Water. But 1 think vatory of it needlefs to produce any- new Jlrgu- Water. ments here, nor thofe in particular with which, if God gives me Life and Leifure, I am ready to render the Truth of this Matter more evident ; fince what I have propofed in my Book has made it fufficiently clear, and indeed put it out of Doubt. Nor can I make any Quell ion but thofe Arguments would have given Sa¬ tisfaction to this learned Writer,
had
1 P. 318.
v
*
Part IL Hhijl rated and Inlargd. 97
had he fufficiently attended to them.
Which fince he feems not to have done,
I will here propofe two of them a- new ; one of which is to fhew the Quantity of Water that overflowed the Earth at the Time of the De- luge, and the other to fhew the Place where the Water is now referved.
Of the firft of thefe we may form of the a Judgment from a Survey of the Quantity Strata, and generaly of whatever elfe^ is found in the Earth, being, as ’tism% eafy to obferve in very many Places, all repohted in a regular Order and Method, and indeed according to the refpe&ive Gravity of each, f For to effeG; this, ’tis moll: evident and certain that an immenfe Quantity of Water mufl needs be required. Such a Difpohtion of Things, as we now almoft every where fee, could, by no Means, have been brought about unlefs the Fluid, in whicbfall was tranfabied, had been very thin: un¬ lefs the diflolved terreftrial Particles had been confiderably diflant each from other : and laftly, unlefs their Defcent was very great, or the Place,
H from
t See page 41, Ft Seqq. fupra*
9%
Hat. Bijl. of the Barth Part II.
from which they firft began to fubfide, very remote from that where they till at length fettled in their Order. Foi Nothing of that Regularity in the Set¬ tlement of the terreltrial Matter could have happened, if thofe Waters had not vaftly exceeded that Matter in Quan¬ tity. But, if we fuppofe this, the Ex¬ plication of this Phenomenon will be Of the Mo- eafy. For, as the Velocity of Bodyes '
Jenta of fubfiding in Water is different, accord- heavy 'Bo- jng t0 the different Gravity of thofe Bo- dyes defend- ^ it was neCelfary that, of thofe
Fkifl a which were of the fame Magn itu de and Figure, and began to fubfide together, and from the fame Height, the heavyer jl i oil Id link, faftell, and fo be placed at the Bottom of all. Yet,_ tho’ thofe Bo¬ dyes differed fo much from each other in Gravity, it could not otherwife hap¬ pen but that the Heavyer, in their De- fcent, fometimes falling and hitting upon the lighter, fhould be, by that Means, much impeded, and retarded in their Motion,- while the Lighter
were
* For this was abfolutely neceffary, that the heavyer Bodyes, from fo great a Space of Defcent, might have Time to get before the lighter, and leave them at feme Diftance behind. For, without that, they had not been placed deeper and below them.
Part II. Iliufir cited and Intcivgd »
were accelerated and puflied on by fuch Impulfes of the Heavyer. * But, after the Heavyer had reached their Journey’s End/ or the Bottom of the Water, the Lighter might pro¬ ceed to fubfide in their Order, unlefs, when it fo happened, that, by fo great a Quantity of terreftrial Matter, fub- lideing between the Heavyer and the Lighter, as to fill the intermediate Space betwixt them, both fettled at the fame Time. In Cafe no fuch Impediment intervened, two fuch Bodyes would be repofited at no great Diftance beneath one another ; f tho’ if the Lighter of them was fo impeded, it would be layd at a gi eater Diftance above theHeavyer. But if there happened to be two Bodyes, not very different in Gravity, it was ne- ceiTary that the Heavyer of thofe fiiould linK thro a great Space of Fluid, before it could leave the other, which was
'H 2 but
' From thefe their Collihons it was unavoidable but there Ihould be fome Confufion and Diforder in the Sediment they together conftituted.
t S° that, Heavyer and lighter Bodyes may fome Times be found near one another, and lodged in the \eiy fame Stratum, tho their Subsidence was exadHy according to the Laws of Gravity, and tho’ thofe Bb- dyes, fo different in Gravity, funk through a very great Space of the Fluid,
IOO
Nat. Hi ft. of the Earth Part II.
but a little Lighter, at any confide- rable Diftance behind it. And yet, of thofe Bodyes, that are almoft equal in Gravity, we frequently fee the Hea- vyer lodged in the Strata far beneath the Lighter ; whence ’tis mod evi¬ dent that thefe two Sorts of Bodyes muft needs have funk through an im- menfe Mafs of Fluid. If we conhder all thefe Things, with due Attention, ’twill thence abundantly appear that fo great a Work could not have been tranfaded, without the whole Stores of the Abvfs, or fuch an Orb of Waters as I reprefented. * Which of itfelf diffidently fliews that fuch an Abyfs
realy exifted. of the two- After that the ‘Deluge had prevailed fold increafe f0Y grq forty Days, and the Wa~
tenlfhnedters -were tncreafed greatly , fo that by Mofes. all the high Hills tinder the whole Occafiomly , JJerwen were covered ; and the Wci~ of the Mo- ters were fifteen Cubits above the
the Mountains , t which Inundation Earth. was brought on, that Men, and all
Jlfo of the rerreftrial Animals, might perifh in
Chaos of the •
Ant tents*
* Nat'. Hi ft. .Earth. Part 3. Scd. 1. Con-. fea 1. ' f Gen. vii. 17, i?>
10
Part II. Ulujirated and lnlargd.
it, the Waters prevailed anew, and, very likely, for a much greater Num- of Days, jin hundred and fifty uDays * are mentioned in the Whole In the firft forty of thefe, the Waters' were brought out of the Abyfs, which, together with the Rains that fell, co¬ vered the Mountains. But in the fol¬ lowing Days the primitive Earth was diilolved : the Waters which then re¬ mained in the Abyfs were poured out : the dilfolved Matter of the Earth was taken up into and fuftained in the Waters, and afterwards preci¬ pitated again downwards, difpofed, and formed into a new terrellriai Globe. But, hitherto, the Condi¬ tion of this new Globe, was the fame of the old one when firft crea¬ ted ; § it was without Form , ^ that is, not yet reduced to fuch Form as might render it habitable, and fitted for fuch Ends as it was made to an- fvver. The Surface of it was plain, even, and fphericaf not broken, fo as to have any Hills, Valleys, Ca¬ verns, or F i flu res ; f all which were
H 3 abfolutely
* Gen. vii, 24. 5 Gen. i, 1. \ Gen. i. 2.
T Hat, Hi ft. Earth. P&rt z, ConfbcL
Nat. Hift • of the Earth Part II.
absolutely neceffary for the Producti¬ on, and Suftenance of Animals, Ve¬ getables, and Minerals. It was alfo, like the primitive, void, * while all the Waters, that were to be Suddenly Sent back into the AbySs, which was then void, or empty, and to be re¬ manded again into the Bowels of the Earth, remained yet, without, upon the Surface of it : and till this Sphere of Earth, which was like a Cruft, or Shell, wras broken, f Hills raifed. Valleys funk, and Filfures made, whereby the Waters were to return down again into the Abyfs. After¬ wards the Waters, withdrawing at the Divine Command, were gathered together unto one ‘Place ■, t ttiz. into the Abyfs, within the Earth, § and, which is as a Kind of Appendage to it, the Sea , 4- as before in the original Earth ; and the dry Land appear¬ ed. [t] And the Earth at length attained a Form compleat, fitted for Habitation, and to anfwer the Ufes of it. Of this whole Affair I may
Some
* Gen. i. 2. I Nat. Hift . Earth. Part 2. Confeft 0. 8. S Gen. i. 9. § Nat.
Hift. Earth , Part 2 and 3. I Gen. 1. to. [}j Gen.- i. 9.
fome Time treat more at large ; but* till then, what I have already wrote fufficiently /hews the Senfe of the facred Writer, where he fayes, the Earth was without Form , and void . * From thefe Words of Mofes the Heathens devifed their Chaos ; and are herein followed by moft Mo¬ dem Philofophers. But neither the Jewifh , nor Chriftian theological Writers, feem to have rightly under¬ wood this Palfage ; they being not throughly informed of the true Fa- brick and Conftitution of the terre- ftrial Globe : nor did they fufficiently attend to the Mofaic Defcription of • it, couched indeed in few, but the moft proper and exprefs Words, that could ever poffibly have been pitched upon. To conclude, in fome Time of the latter Part of this Space of 150 Days, the Waters were abated, and withdrawn from off the Earth, fo far, that their Surface was funk to about the fame Degree, to which it had a- rofe in the firft forty Days of the Flood, and the Ark touched upon
H 4 Mount
* Gen . i. 2*
1 04 Nat. Hift. of the Barth Part II.
Mount Ararat ; * where, at length, it refted.
Of the The other Argument, whereby I
<place proved that fuch a Mafs of Water where thofe reau, ex;ft, and fhewed the Place
ZfthvJiay, where it is now referyed, is drawn pored up- from Confideration of forue I hamo- And pome- of Earthquakes. For that thele
'SlZh- are caufed by the Force of Waters ing Earth- within the Earth I think I . have quakes , proved by Arguments fufficiently
firm and convincing. Now fmce there are, on Record, Earthquakes, and indeed not a few, by which the Globe, for many hundred Miles to¬ gether, has been fhaken, at the very fame Moment of Time, it thence fol¬ lows, that the Waters, which caufed thofe Concuflions, were not only e- qual in Extent to that Space of the Globe which was fo fhook, but one • fluid Body continued, and not divided into Parts, or diftinguifhed into Re¬ gions, fo that particular Portions thereof fhould be confined each to its proper Cavern.. Nay, there want
not
* Gen, viii. 4.
Part II. lllnflrated and Inlargd . 105
not Inftances of fuch an univerfal Concujjion of the whole Globe, as mujl needs imply an Jgitation of the whole Abyfs> t For an Effect of fo vafl an Extent could never have proceeded but from a Caufe equaly extenlive; fuch as might affeft the whole Earth at once ; which cannot be done with¬ out fuch an Orb of Water, as I have defcribed. We have had Accounts from Writers of the moll: unqueftioned Fidelity, and even from Eye-Witnef- fes, that there have been Earth¬ quakes, in our own Times, fo that it can hardly be thought that the learn¬ ed Camer arias could be ignorant of them, wherein the Motion, given to the Earth at the feveral Shocks, perfectly refembled that of the Waves of the Sea raifed by a flrong Wind. Whoever fhall rightly attend to this Phenomenon in particular, he mull, not only acknowledge that the Earth contains in it an Aby fs of Water, and is moved by the fame : but muft alfo readyly agree with me that this
terre-
f Nat. Hift. Barth . Part 3. Se£L 1. Con¬ fect iz. mfine.
io6
Mat. Hijh of the 'Earth Part II.
terreftrial Part of the Globe is No¬ thing but a thin Shell, which includes in it, clofely on every Side, an im- menfe Mafs of Waters, and whenever thofe Waters happen to be put into any extraordinary Motion, the Earth is by them moved and agitated juft in the fame Manner as the inclofed W a- ters are moved and agitated. As of the primitive Earth, in which no One can doubt but that there was an Abyfs, fo the Ufe and Defign of this fecond Earth likewife was to lerve for an Habitation to Men, to fend forth Ve¬ getables, and all thofe other Things, which might ferve for the Nourifti- ment, for the Defenfe and Conveni- ence of Men, and Animals created for their Ufe. To anfwer which Pur- pofe there was no Need of a thicker Cruft of Earth ; one more thin, fuch as the prefent is, would beft anfwer the End propofed, the Water making up the far greateft Part of the Globe. Nay, a thicker one would have per- petualy obftru&ed the Paftage of Va¬ pours, t and intercepted all that Com¬ munication,
4— - - - - - — - —
f Confer, p. 105?, no, infra.
Part II. 11 luft rated avd lnlargd. 107
munication, betwixt the Abyfs and 1 the Atmofphere, which is fo necefla- ry for the Prefervation of human Life, and of all Things which grow out of the Earth. *
To this Defcription and Account The extttt of the terraqueous Globe, taken pure- Agreement ly from Obfervation and Views of tfbefZt Nature, that of the illuftrious Jr a- Nature / hi an Philofophor Job , as well as tha t and Holy - of Mofes , l^avid) and others of the^m’ C0T Hebrew Nation, is exadtly eonforma- jhyfsf and ble. Of w7hich two Accounts the Struc-
He who well knows either , wilimre °J ^oe Horn both, t £2f~“
Both of them fet forth an Abyfs, a Mafs of W aters very vaft ; on which this our Globe, or Cruft of Earth, is founded, expanded, and lyes built all round it.
£ Both alfo fhew that this Abyfs com¬ municates with the Ocean, fupplyes, and gives Rife as well to Vapours,
Rains, Springs, and Rivers, as to the various Phenomena, and Affe&ions,
of
* Confer, p. iop, no. infra, f Qui utramvis re£te norit, ambas noverit, Cerent.
$ Nat . Hi ft. Earth . Part z, 3.
Nat. Hifi . of the Barth Part II.
of the terreftrial Globe, and of our Atmofphere. $ Thus likewife we find, both from Nature, and from Holy Writ, that this immenfe Abyfs of Wa- 1 ter, at the Time of the Deluge, .was brought from out its Place, and pour¬ ed forth upon the Surface of the Earth : and that afterwards the terreftrial Cruft itfelf, being firft liquated and diftolved, was taken up into and fuftained in that mighty Mafs of Wa¬ ter : and that finaly all that Matter, fo diftolved, afterwards fubfiding, was compofed and formed anew into a terreftrial Globe, after the Model of that which was made in the Be- gining , at the Creation, and built and fixed upon a Void, a Place ca¬ pable of fuch an Abyfs, and fited finaly to receive it : and that this ter¬ reftrial Sphere being at length burft, and broken up, the Waters returning back again down into that hither¬ to mid Place, left the Surface dry Land , commodious, fit, and rightly difpofed for the fending forth of all
natural
§ Ibid. Part 3, 4. Conf. p. 109 > no. infra.
* ■ I
Part II* * Ilkftrated ci h cl Iulctyg^ d* jo$
natural Productions : ^ and that all thefe Things were not brought about mechanicaly, by any Tendency of their own, or the meer Powers of Nature, but were now tranfa&ed, the whole Fabrick formed, and finifhed anew, by the fame Hand, and Di¬ vine Counfel, by which ’twas crea¬ ted in the Begining. * But I hope to have hereafter Occafion to treat of thefe, and fome other like Things, more at large.
Nor was this fo mighty a Mafs oiBhe Rife of Water created, and laid up there Meteor^
meerely for the Sake of fwelling out ZtffaUt'he the Globe, and bringing it to its juft Changes, and neceftary Dimenftons ; no, there ‘i'hosnome- are other Ufes of this huge fubter-?V^# raneous Work-houfe of Nature, that the At mo- are not only exceeding proper, but fpkerejrom abfolutely neceftary for the Produdti- the Sreat on and Confervation of all natural Things whatever. For in this Abyfs of Water are feated the Origins, and Initia, or firft Beginings of all that
is
i Nat. Hitt. Earth. Part 2, 2
* Ibid.
• *
Nat. Hift. of the Barth Part II.
is afterwards tranfadted, and brought to Perfection, in the Earth itfelf a- mong Mines and Minerals, as alfo on the Surface, of it, and in this Re¬ gion of the Atmofphere in which Ve¬ getables grow, and whereon Man, and Animals live and have Being. That the fame Seafons, in different Years, are fo various, in fome more cold, or wet, lefs fertile, or healthfull : in other Years, quite contrary, more hot, dry, fruitfull, or more healthy ; all thefe Variations, I fay, are ow¬ ing to the Operations of Nature, in that great fubterraneous Promptuary of Water. As to Earthquakes, Vul- canos. Damps in Mines, the Ori¬ gin of Springs, Rivers, and Rains, of Thunder, and Lightning, I fay,
I have offered my Sentiments, with the Obfervations whereon they are grounded, elfewhere ; f intending, as I fhall fee Men’s Minds fettled, and turning to thefe Studyes, if God fhall give me Leifure, to methodife what I have wrote, and to treat of the fame Subjects more at large, toge- •
ther
t Nm. Hift. Earth. Part 3, 4.
(
Part. II. Illujirated andlnlargd mi
ther with fome others of like Sort, e. gr. Meteors, Froft, Winds, Tem- . pells, and Storms. Mean Time I iliall only intimate here, in general, that from numerous Obfervations made by Perfons of great Senfe, and Fi¬ delity, in every Part of the World,
I am fatisfyed that all thefe take ' their Rife from the Jbyfs: and that, whenever they are dilpoled to illue out thence, they conflantly lend forth before them fome fure Signs of their Approach, very plain and3 difcernible to all who attend and oblerve them, in the Sea, in great Lakes, in Springs, in deep Wells, in the Bowells of the- Earth, in Caverns, and in Mines, be¬ fore ever they begin to ad, or fhew themfelves on the Surface of the Earth, and in the Atmofphere.
I fhall now make only this one The Caafe fingle Remark further, when Exha -of the Thee- lations, Vapours, and watry Particles, nomm °f afcend in any extraordinary Quanti- ty, from out the Abyfs, into the At¬ mofphere, till they are there colleded and fo condenfed as to form Drops and Rain, thefe Exhalations thus taking a Courfe and Motion, and exerting a Force, in a Direction quite
contrary
1U Kat. Hi ft -of the Earth Part II.
contrary to that of the gravitating Atmofphere, they thereby io much diminifh and break. tne Force jind Preilure of the Atmofphere as fenfi- bly to leffen and render it more lan¬ guid ; which is the true Caufe of the Defcent of the Quick-fiber in the Ba¬ rometer-, as often as thole Circum— fiances happen. Nor, fince ’tis now agreed on all Hands, that the Afcent and fuflaining of the Mercury in the Barometer, is owing to the Preilure of the gravitating Atmofphere, can it be wondered that, when the Pref- fure is, by the Caufes here recounted, fo much lellened, that the Mercury ■ fhould thereupon defeend. This is the real and conftant Reafon of that Phenomenon, as I have fhewn in fome Letters which I wrote feveral Years ago, and which perhaps may fome Time appear in Publick.
Instances oj What this learned Gentleman ur- certain „es p> , jg tfat the Abyfs WOllld
U afford hut a weak Support to the 'surface be- terreftrial Strata , makes Nothing a- ing under- gain ft me ; I ready ly allow the fame
7 Earth ^ Thing. For altho’ the Earth, being quakes, and& Spnere or Speroidc, and confecjuent— falling ly every Segment of it an Arch,
down into which 0f a\\ Kinds of Structure is
the Ahyfs rh
Part II. lllufirated and Inland. tii
the ftrongeft, yet, fince it is but thin, and iubjeded to the Force of fuch an Agent ns is within jtfclf, it may happen to give Way to that Force.
Which is no more than I have de¬ livered in very plain Words. — The Eat thquake is j emetine s fo extremely . violent, that it plainly, forces the fu- perincumbent Strata: breaks them all throughout , and thereby perfectly undermines and ruins the Founda¬ tions of them. So that , thefe failing, the whole iT/ a'cl , as foon as ever the > -
Shock is over, finks down to Rights into the Jbyfis underneath , and is fw allowed up by it ; the JVciter there of immediatly riling up, and ibrm — -
ing a Lake in the Place where the fiaid Trallt before was. f
6. To what Purpofe the learned <?• Of the Camerarius wrote that which I ataSahs-thgf next going to take Notice of, I canno fee, nor indeed avoid being much fur -Waters. prized at it ; fince it realy makes Nothing againft what I have offered, neither is it indeed agreeable to Truth!
1 His-
t Nat. H/ft. Earth. Part 3. Sed. 1. Con- fe£l, 1 a.
(
l<[at. Hiji. of the -E fifth Part II.
His Words are thefe, If the Water of the Jhyfs had pervaded the Strata contiimaly from the Time of the ©£- . luge , it maft long ago have exhaujl ed and drawn all the Salts out of them . jSlor had there any now remained , to have given that Taft which we find in Mineral Waters. * But have I ever propofed any Thing that could be refuted by this Argument, fuppo- fing it was true in itfelf ? I have ad¬ vanced Nothing any where relating to the Quantity of Salt which the Water, palling through the Strata, brings thence along with it, nor to the Time wherein that Salt {hall be totaly exhaufted. And therefore this is a Subject that I leave to be treated of by any who fhall hereafter write of thefe Things. Yet I cannot but take this Opportunity to obferve one Thing, which is, that that Water, whether it riles from the Abyfs, or, if Dr. Camerarius will have it fo, from any other Place, has adualy per¬ vaded the Strata ever fince the De¬ luge, and brought thence forth along
with
* DilTenat. p. 32B.
Part II. lllufi rated and Inlargd. j j
%vith it Salts, and hill continues to bring them, without having yet, or being perhaps ever likely to drain them all forth. For they fo eafy- ly liquate, mix with the Water, and flow out along with it, and fo great Abundance is there of them in the Strata, that there is no Reafon to fear that thefe Salts, fome of which are of the greateft Ufe to human Life, and the Conveniences of it, fhould ever wholey fail. Whoever fhall ob¬ serve how great Quantity, efpecialy of Vitriolick or acid Sals, there’s al- molt every where found in the Earth, will not have the lead Occahon to apprehend there fhould not be a fuffi- cient Supply, of thofe Salts, to fatu- rate the Mineral Springs with all, tho- row all future Ages.
. 7- When Dr. Comer, arms fays, It 7. Mouth ts evident from Hiftory , that fo ma- tarns not ny high Mountains have been formed , raifed and caji up by Earthquakes , v he^Lf fpeaks of what I confefs myfelf intire- f takes. ly ignorant, having never yet feen thofe Hifioryes ; fo that 1 fhould
I 2 efteem
* P- 3°S-
a
Nat. Hifi- of the Earth Part II.
efteem it as a very great Favour, if he could help me to the Sight of fome of them. Certainly, when I had openly alferted, that there is not any authentic Inftance , in all Hiftory, of fo much as one fingle Mountain that was heaved up by an Earth¬ quake, * he ought not to have afferted the Contrary without producing at leaft one Example in Favour and Support of it. Till therefore he fhews he can do that, while he is turning over his Authors, and producing their Te- ftimonyes, I may be allowed to give my Judgment from Nature itfelf, and the State of Things in the Earth. It is needlefs to fay any Thing here of the Monte di Cinere , in the King¬ dom of Naples , the Matter of which I have fliewed was not railed by an Earthquake, but thrown up by a V ul- cano that then broke out there, f From the Times that Men firft be¬ gun to write for the Service of Po- llerity, there have not been wanting Perfons to committ to writing, what¬ ever
* Nat. Hifi. Earth. Part 2. Sab fin. j Ibid.
Part II. Ilhiftrated and Inlargd.
ever Works either of Art or Nature, they thought worthy the Notice of after Ages. Now, as they recorded many other Things, not alwayes be- caufe they appeared to be of great Moment, but as they happened rarely, it is fcarcely credible that they fhould omitt thofe more remarkable Events, ’which could not happen without even the Aftoniftiment of all who faw them ; finch as the rctifing up fo ma¬ ny vaft Mountains muft certainly have been. The Rife of that Heap of Cin¬ ders is taken Notice of by moft of the Writers, of that Time, and by fome fince >• but not a Man, at leaf! that I know of, has ever committed to Me¬ mory the railing fo much as any one Angle Mountain. Till therefore the learned Camerarins , or tome other, iliall fhew, from the Hiftorians he talks of, not yet known to the learned World, that the Alps^ the Apennines * Mount Taurus , Atlas , or others, or at lead fome one Mountain, was formed and took its Rife from an Earthquake, or any other like Force in Nature, I muft ftill, relying on the Arguments I have ailedged in De¬ fence of my own Opinion, believe
I 3 thofe
n$ Nat. Hiftf of the TLarth Part II.
thofe, and the other Mountains, were formed all together, at the Time that I have elfewhere affigned, f For if, of the numberlefs Mountains that there are in moft Countryes and Parts of the Globe, feme of them very high, aud of great Extent, he cannot prove the Rife of any one in his Way, ’twill furely be what they call a* good negative Argument of the Truth of my Opinion in this Affair. For if the Mountains, now fo frequent and obvious, every where, were caft up, one after another, in different Ages, the Inhabitants of every Country had been always in Danger, or at lead under perpetual Fear ; nor would all the Hiftoryes of thofe Times have been * wholey filent in a Thing fo furprizing, fo well worth Notice and being re¬ corded,
8. *2*he Ori- 8. I have afferted that, as Mom - $in °f tains , fo all I [lands had their Ori~
<p*r^icu- from t^oe t But the ce-
krlyofthat lebrated Dr. Gamer arias fancyes that lie $ of Nature has fupplyed him with a late
Inftance,
f Nat. Hijl. Earth. Part %. i P- 347. 348.
Part II. Illiiftr cited and Inlargd. 119
«
Inftance abundantly capable of over- Rubble throwing my Doctrine. Says hQ/^edlJ?the Ehat new JJ l cind-y tn 1 he Jday of San— x.ox\x\\^cailed torini, is enough of itfelf mojt terribly by fame an to fhake the whole Woodwardian Sy- Iflwd. ftem. * That is, if this formidable Engine be managed by the moft gal¬ lant and brave Camerarius . Let us
therefore go on, to try his Strength.
It isy fays he, an Ijland formed by a fiow Emerfion out of the Waters , put together by many Earthquakes ,
Noifes , and Flames becoming at l aft fo large , and fo much raifed above the Waters , and as it was joyned to Hocks that rofe together with it, and to thofe of the Neighbourhood . f A huge and formidable Engine in¬ deed ! but fo far is it from fhakeing, or giving any fuch Blow to the Wood - wardian Syfiem , that it cannot, by any Means, be fo much as levelled at it. But to leave off talking, in Figures, in the Way of the moft elo¬ quent Camerarius ; that Ifland, when I wrote my Natural Hiftory of the Earth , was not in Being. So that
I 4 certainly
* P- 347, 348‘
f Ibid,
f
%%0
Nat . llifl. of the 'Earth Part II*
certainly it could not be expefted that I iliould predict its Rife to fol¬ low in fome fhort Time. I then made mention of a Heap of Rubble like this, I mean the Monte di Cinere ; only that was not caft up in the Sea. For is not this liland juft like that Mountain, the Matter, and the Caufe of the Rife of which I then fully explained ? Are they not both of the fame Kind, both thrown forth by the fame Force of Vtdcanos ? For thus I had reprefented the Matter, and the Caufe of that Hill, . Eh at it is Nothing hut a Heap of Stones , Cinders , and dfloes^ fpued cut of the Eowels of the Earthy by the Eruption of a Vtdcano^ in the Eear 1538,* t nor indeed did I ever go about to deny, that there were already, or might be hereafter, others thrown up in the fame Manner. Nei¬ ther did I deny that Vulcanos may as well rage with fuch Violence un¬ der the Sea, as in like Manner to break up its Bottom, and throw forth fo great . a Quantity of Matter as to
pile
| Nat. Hlfi. Earth* Part 2. fuh. fin.
Part II. Ilhiftrated and Inlargd. '
pile fuch a Heap of Rubble up to and above the Surface of it ; for it is reafonable to believe that, where- ever the Eruption of a Vulcano hap¬ pens, whether at Sea or Land, its Force and Effects will be the fame. If therefore the ingenious Dr. Came- rarius is pleafed to give the Name of Mountains to Heaps of Rubbie, call out of the Earth by fuch Means, /he may, with all my Heart, call thofe which are caff up at Sea, Iflands. But whatever he fhall fancy, or take up¬ on, him to write, of thefe Things,
I intreat him not to imagine that I was fpeaking of fuch Kinds of con- fufed Heaps of meer Rubble, when I referred the Origin of all Moun¬ tains and Iflands to the Time of the Deluge. For all thofe which I call’d Mountains and Iflands have the Mat¬ ter, of which they confift, laid in a Method, certain, regular, and like that of the reft of the Globe : and are every where diftinguifhed into Strata, lying commonly in an order¬ ly Manner each upon other. W here- as both the Monte di Cinere , and that Moles of Santorini , are Nothing but rude indigefted Piles of Frag¬ ments
12
12%
Nat. Bift. of the Barth Part II.
merits of Stones, of Drofs, Cinders, and Rubbifh. The Vulcano there¬ fore that flung out that Bomb at Santorini , is fo far from Shaking my Whole System, that it cannot fo much as touch this one Angle Pro¬ portion, relating to the Origin of Iflands j which, I hope, will be rea- dyly admitted by every impartial Reader, efpecialy a Perfon of fo great Sagacity, fo well verfed in the Study of 'Nature, and fo candid a Judge of the Works and Performances of Wri¬ ters of all Kinds as your Lordfhip f is univerfaly allowed to be. But if this Part of my Syftem remains ftill firm and unhurt by fo many Earth¬ quakes , fo many Fellowings , and Flames , which Way will this ex¬ pert Ingeneer ply his Machine to fhake and overturn all the reft of ' the Parts of it ? Let him try, if he thinks fit, whether he can, by Ar¬ guments taken from this Phenome¬ non, refute what I have wrote of Vulcanos, of Earthquakes, of the
Seafon
„ ' (■ t
f The E. of ‘Pembroke, to whom this Trea- tife is addrefled.
i
Part II. lllufir, ctted and Inlargd.
Seafon of the Year in which I have prov¬ ed the Deluge happened, as alfo what I have wrote of Amber, and of the Situation of Paradife, with very ma¬ ny other Things. For #hat I have propofed concerning every one of thefe, he cannot deny to be ‘Parts of that my Syftem. If that be what he here contends for, I can indeed willingly grant him, that the Argu¬ ments, he has drawn from this Phe¬ nomenon, as much afted any of my other Propofitions, as they do this of the Origin of Hands j which they are fo far from having weakened, that they rather have eftablifhed and confirmed it. In a Word that whole Sjftem appears, not only to myfelf, but to not a few others of the moft accurate Searchers into Nature, fo well and effedualy fupported by Ob- fervations, that I cannot think any one that fhall apply hinifelf to thefe - Searches, with like Accuracy and Diligence, will ever go about to dif- pute any Part of it. For all others, they may go on, and pleafe them- felves with their own Opinions.
When
124 Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part II. 7 'he Conclti- W hen firft Dr. Camerarius hisfDif-
s\jT r ** • c y ) 7 _ . /? a ^ 71 /f" /» /* o in 0 t*
W m>' «anas> 1 mo.usut ‘7 vr. y; nf
2)$ofmon cularly concerned to take Notice ot of mind I fQ much oP them as related to my fit wyfijf Writings ; to the End that, it I found
Camerarius any Part of my Dodrme confirmed his ‘Dijj'er - by the Judgment, and improved by tations . ^e Wit, of fo great a Man, I might
have lefs Apprehennon from the Gen- fure of others : or that, if he had can¬ didly and friendly corredted any Mi¬ stakes, or pointed them out to me, I might have returned him Thanks for fo obliging an Office, done me pub- lickly, in a Manner as publick : or finaly, that, if he had, as is the Cu- ftom, not only with vulgar Readers, but with the Generality of Animad- verters, fee tried, which yet I could not haye fufpedted in fuch a Man, to have read my Writings, purely to pick an Occafion of Cenfure, and, relying on the Reputation he had ac¬ quired, and his own fprightly Ge¬ nius, to condemn thofe Things, which, only becaufe they were new, he would not affent to, and yet could not prove them erroneous, I might take the Oc¬ cafion to vindicate and afcertain the
Truth
Part II. llluftr cited and Inlargd. 125
Truth of them. When, contrary With what to my Expectation, I found I had fal- Vie™\ an ^ len into the Hands of fuch an Ani- lMefho7, j madverter, tho’ I had many other have an - Things which might advantagioufly/w^ have been offered here, I determined thm' to produce only fuch Arguments as might defend what was called in Que- ftion, and at the fame Time difcover the hafty Judgment of this Critick upon me. Some Things indeed there are brought by him into Difpute which I have defignedly paffed over, but they are only fuch as any Perfon, I thought, befides himfelf, the leaf! con- verfant in thefe Studyes, would not raife any Difficulty about. Yet feve- ral of thofe I have touched upon are fuch as fhew how negligently the Au¬ thor hath run over my Book, how lit¬ tle converfant he has been in thefe Studyes, and how far he was from being {efficiently apprized of the State of the Earth, and the Nature of Fof- fils, the Subject he took upon him to treat of. Had I fought after Inflan- ces of this Sort, I fhould have found Plenty enough of them every where.
But what I have done in that Way is only fparingly, and that too by Con-
ilraint.
12 6
Nat. Hi ft. of the Barth Part II,
ftraint. I have only, defended my feif, and the Truth, of what I had laid down relating to the Earth, and all Foffils, efpecially Metalls j which I conceived would neither be unac¬ ceptable to Gentlemen who are cu¬ rious, nor difadvantagious to the fi¬ liates of thofe who had Mines in
them. • f rr u
ffinderances Mow that I am fpeaking of Truth,
to the Search \ can not well forbear making fome of ‘Truth. few Remarks on this Subject. While fome allow themfelves fo much Li¬ berty, and others are fo eafy to be millead, and carryed away, by the ' Conceits of every One that fets up ror an Author, the Condition of Truth muft needs be very precarious, and unfettled. And, as with the Romans of old, fo is it at this Day with us, We have impofed on us the Shew inftead of the Subftance of Truth *. It is frequently fo wrapt up in Clouds, and the thickeft Darknefs, that but few there are who know the Way ^ to approach, or diftinguith it ; that tis
not
* Decipimur Specie Re£ti.— •
Hor * de -Arte Toet*
Part II. lllufl: rated and Intargd .
not to be wondered at that there’s in Science fo little that is eftablifhed and certain. If, as there are many, there be thofe who make Obfervations of Things with the greateft Diligence, and afterwards publish them with not lefs Care and Fidelity, there will ftraitways Hart forth others, who, buoyed up wholely with Opinion of their own Genius, tho’ realy deftitute of all true Knowledge of Things, will yet be ever making fuch a Shew of their Skill, fuch Confufion in the Things they take upon them to treat of, in a Word, rendering them fo dark, fo perplexed and intricate, that but few Readers are capable of de¬ termining whom to follow, or what to depend on. By which Means it is - that fuch Undertakers are fo far from contributing to the publick Good, as they would be thought, that they de¬ feat, and do it the greateft Injury imaginable. Some alfo there are who make it their Bufinefs to decry the Works of others, without attempt¬ ing to furnifh forth any Thing that is rational, or folid, of their own.
1 hefe are the Goths and Vandals of the Common Wealth of Learning ;
I2g Nat. Hiji. of the Earth Part II.
they abting the very fame Part in this, that thofe barbarous Nations did in the polite Roman World.
•flie Scope As to my felf, the Truth has been and ‘Defign ever w]iat j folely aimed at ; and in of aU my thg compofingthat whole Work, which Writings. Gentleman thus fets himfelf a-
gainft, 1 fteered my Courfe intirely by Obfervation of Fabt, and of the Things I treat of 5 nor have I therein propofed any Thing, that does not •thelDoc- rightly fquare therewith. Nay, trines, by ever hnce the firft publifhing that Book, 1 have taken Care to have the confirmed by fame Obfervations carryed on, with all obferva- ftiH as much Diligence as ever, all tions made ^ orid over ; from which I have -{lnce' received not only many, but thofe the molt fubflantial Confirmations of what I then offered : nor, in all this Time, has the whole Field of Nature prefented fo much as one Angle Thing that has given me the leaf! Caufe to doubt of the Truth of any one of thole my Propofitions. ’Twas the Remark of a great Man among the Antients, that Time ftrikes out all Notions that are not 'well grounded^ but efablijhes thofe which
are founded upon Nature ** No Man living can be more confcious to himfelf of his Weaknefs than I truly am of mine j but that Work will re¬ main a lafting Teftimony and Monu¬ ment how far that Defed has been fupplyed by my Diligence* and Faith- fullnefs. There have not been^^ wanting thofe* who have not fpared any Pains* nor left any Stone unturn- verjaryes, ed* to find out Miftakes, if they /« could, or any Thing that might de- tl°n t0 ferve Cenfure, in my Writings; but them' all, hitherto, whoiely in Vain. Every Attempt, to invalidate, has confirmed them the more. For ftiil the more candid, and thofe who were better •
Judges, have openly profelfed, they never found any Thing alledged that, when brought to the Teif , could de- ferve the Name of an Objection. Neverthelefs, if any One hereafter, My Reitd upon diligent Perufal, and vtellnefs to tifteit weighing what I have wrote, fhall 10 the Ad- ferioufly think he has difcovered ini any Errors, he can do Nothing more arfcmdidt
K agree-
* Opinionum Commenta delet Dies : Nature
Judicia confirmat. Qc< de Nat,-Dsor< L* a.
130
{■
and to dis¬ regard thofe who cavil , and are contentious .
Nat. Hifi. of the Earth Part II.
agreeable to me, than in a friendly and candid Manner to admonilh me of them. For by this Means he will realy purfue the fame End with me, who never propofed any Thing other than to make all my Studyes and En¬ deavours fubfervient to the Caufe of Truth. But if any one, out of a Spi¬ rit of Contradiction, or Hopes of rai¬ ling a Reputation, by publiftiing fome Notions and Opinions contrary to mine, without any Regard to Truth, fhall hereafter take upon him to at¬
tack my Writings, he will have no Reafon to expect that I fhould neg- leCt my own Affairs, and my other Studyes, to give him an Anfwer ; tho* I am now doing it to a Gentleman, in whom I fhould rejoyce to have found a Candour, and Skill in the Subject he has undertaken to treat of, equal to the Politenefs, Wit, and Happinefs of Invention that he every where flhews himfelf fo much Mafter
THE
I
r ^
131
the
Natural History
o F T H E
EARTH
llluflrated , and Inlarged: as alfo, ‘De¬ fended, particularly againft the late Objections of Dr. Camerarius. , .
Fart III.
*"• ■ ■■ ■ — — _
O much of what was III. ‘the requifite for my own third ‘Part juft Vindication, being °f r!lli thus delivered in th/^rehare two former Parts3 I now pafs on to examined difpatch what yet remains further to <1)r- Came- be fpoken to. Now, if this learned ComL Gentleman would be thought to have fit Ip, by ’ dealt fairly by me, and at the fame him, in op-'. Time to have given Proofs to others o{^'fitl0n t0 his own Abilityes, after having refuted IZanceT what he thought in me Errors, he
K. 2 • ought
Nat. Hift. of the 'Earth Part III.
ought to have fet up his own Opini¬ ons, againft mine ; but thofe only fuch as are attended with Evidence very convincing, and much more pro¬ bable than mine. This indeed is no more than what he well knew, and confelfed, his Readers might juftly expedi from him. For thus he ad- dreffes * the Noble Berfon , to whom he writes. Methinks 1 hear Ton ob- jeU, that 1 have indeed rendered thofe Things dubious , but have not pointed out any other Way whereby thofe figured FoJJils could be produ¬ ced , and brought into the Bowels of the Earth. But that is not my Bu- finefs: nor am I duely qualify ed for ■it. Expecf not therefore , fays he, any Thing more of me than only fame ConjeUures , and thofe perhaps fuch as carry no Shew of Truth , and are fupported by no folid Reafoning. But furely, if any Thing was, this was his Bufinefs : and what was apparent¬ ly expended from him. Now realy, whatever fhew of Modefty this may carry in it, thefe Expreffions compli¬ ment
* P* 34^
*3?
Part III. Illuflrated and Inlargd.
ment the great Parts of the Author to the higheft Degree that well can be fince they fhew he experts that bare Conjectures of his, nay tho’ looked upon by himfelf as flight ones, Ihould pafs current as fufficient An- fwers to the ftrongeft Arguments of others. To think that in thefe Words of his he gives his real Judgment of his own Performance, muft furely be furprizing, and indeed hardly credible. For how can it well be thought that a Man fo ingenious, and difcreet, Ihould go about to offer what carryes 120 Jhew of Truths in Lieu of, not what realy is fo in it felf, but what he only furmifes, he has rendered dubmis ? to offer, as his Conjectures , what he confefles are fupported by no folid Reafoning ? Or how could he ever believe fuch would pafs upon his Friend, who he reprefents to be as eminent for his Judgment as his Qua¬ lity? But, after all, let us con¬ sider thefe Conjectures : and they are fuch as follow,
" ■**'*■ t 1 _ . ,
K 3 i. Some
i
134 Nat. Hifi. of the Earth Part II.
i. I’keSea- I# Some fhells , fays Dr. Camera- . fifttsy n0™ rius^ were perhaps lodged there , in m%ans! the Earthy before the ^Deluge , at were not re- the fir ft feparation of the Waters - pofitedinthe jrom * j, 6m at the Crea-
f he Time Of^on* Now certainly this ConjeUure the firfi Se- of the learned Author will never faration of appear very probable to any One,
fromkedr ; w^° obferved what Plenty, and Land, nor how great Variety, of thefeBodyes, before the are found in the Earth ; efpeciaiy if Deluge, ke jias feen {he whole Skeletons of Whales, the Teeth and Bones of Sharks, and of other Fifties, as alfo Sea-fhells exceeding all Number and meafure. Among others, of that * Kind which Eab* Columna f calls Concha Anomia , I my felf have taken Notice of many Millions in that one County of Glocefier ; not to mention thofe which I have ob¬ ferved in other Countryes, and thofe I have received Samples of from al~ moft all Parts of the World. That fuch an Abundance of Shell-Fifties, of the fame Kind, fliould have been created, all at once, at the very
Beginning
* P* 34^*
(
| De Purpura. C. 12.
Part II. lUufl rated and Inlargd. 1 3 5
M *
Beginning of Things, can hardly feem credible to any thinking Man : and ffcill lefs credible is it that, with¬ out any Caufe, they fhould imme¬ diately be extripated, and deftroyed.
Dr. Camerarius , very ingenious, as he certainly is, has not been able to find out, at leaft has affigned no Reafon for the Deftruction of them. Whereas, what Exceptions foever he may be pleafed to make to it, that * Definition of the firft Creation ,
* which I fuppofed, t I have proved was brought on with a Defign wor¬ thy of the Divine Wifdom. Befides, there are almoft every where found, ij: in the Earth, Shells, of the very fame Kind, fome fmall, others large : fome young, others old : fome imma¬ ture, others full grown : and, in a Word, fmall Ones affixed to the larger, or thofe which are young to the Old Ones, juft in the fame Manner as they commonly are found at Sea, for their better Security againft the
K 4 Shocks
* Dr. Carrier. Differt. p. 344* f Nat. Hifi , Earth . Part a.
4 Ibid.
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part IIP
Shocks and Injuries of the Tides and Storms. Thefe certainly give plain Proof that they were not all created together $ but generated fuccellively, and at different Times. To this may be added, that the very Order which thefe Bodyes are often found difpofed : and thofe Indications, which fo many Shells and Plants carry with them, of the Seafon of the Year in which the Deluge be¬ gan, * fufficiently prove this Conjecture of Dr, Carrier arius to be without apy Grounds. I fball fay nothing here concerning the Bones of Quadrupeds, or about Vegetables, and in particu¬ lar the great Trees which are com¬ monly found lodged in the Strata, none of which could ever be the Pro- dudion of the Waters. But, if I iliould, after all, afk by what Au¬ thority this learned Gentleman affirms that, when the Earth was fir ft created, it was covered with W ater, and that afterwards the Waters were feparated from the dry Land ? He muft im¬ mediately
II ' I wi I
i 45. to 49. fupra»
* Part 1. §. 4* fupra*
Part III. lllnfirat ed and lnlargd. i 3 7
mediatly anfwer, that of Mofes , Gen. i. But then Mofes tells him likewife that thofe Bodyes, which are now found lodged to the greateft Depths in the Earth, were none of them created till after this Separation of the Waters was made. For the Waters withdrew on the third Day of the Creation * ; but Fillies, and the other Inhabitants of the Waters, were not made till the fifth, f which was two Days after. When therefore a Perfon, who would feem to Write with fo much Caution as Dr. Ca- merarius , fays, that thefe Bodyes were left at Land, upon the Retreat of the Waters, when they were not created, and had not fo much as Being till two Days after that Retreat, he fays a Thing which furpalfes not only mine,but the Apprehenfion ofetfe- ry Man of common Senle. Now,tho’ he cannot Blew us how this could poflibly be, I will not ftraitways pro¬ nounce the whole Camerarian SyJlern ,
+ of which I have feen but a fmall
Part,
* Gen. i. 9, .13. t Gen. i. 20, 23.
$ Differ:. 19. p. 348. Confer. Part 2. §8. fupra.
138 'Nat. Hifl. of the Earth Part II.
Part, quite overthrown, yet I cannot well forbear thinking at leaft this Propofition of it, to be moll terribly Jloaken.
2. Thofe 2. But let us proceed to the fe- Shells were cond ConjeUure of the famous rrgT Camer arias, and fee if that be rhe°Fif- ^ more fubftantial. Many of thefc fares, but Marine Bodye s, fays he, * were hur- intermmg- <j)eluge into the Earthy
‘corporated through its Chafms and Figures, •with the For my Part, I allow that, not Matter of only many, but all of them were the. ■fcrfta'’ brought to Land by the Deluge. was foft,* Dr. Gamer arias invented thofe Fif- toofe, and in fures, the better to introduce the a State of shells into the Bowels, and interiour ‘Xhffohiti- parts ^ £artjlj arKl to elude the
Dobtrine of the Dilfolution of the Strata. But, if they were then thrown into FilTures, they would be found in FilTures now. Whereas, I never found fo much as one of thofe Bodyes any where in the FilTures, nor have I read or heard, of any Man that ever did. They are always found, either loofe on the Surface of the Earth, or in¬ corporated
* p: 346'.
J
Part II. ' Bluft rated and Inlargd.
corporated with the very Subftance of Stone, and even the moft foiid Strata. If therefore he appeals to Nature in this Affair, fhe certainly gives her Suffrage for me. But, if he argues that thofe Fiffures, and Chafms, have been fince filled up in Trad of Time ; neither has that any the leaft Appearance of Truth in it : and Nature her felf Shews the dired contrary. For, was the Thing fo, the Shells, and thofe other Bodyes, would be now found in the perpendicular and other Fiflures, and not in the Strata themfelves, nor in that adven¬ titious Matter with which the Fiffures arefuppofed to be filled. But the Fad is quite otherwife ; they are found lodg¬ ed promifcuoufly, and without any fuch Diftindion, indifferently in all Parts of the Earth. To which may be added, that, if there were former¬ ly any fuch Fiflures, and filled up fince, fome Traces of them at leaft would ftiilappear. That, the Variety of the Matter, and of the Conftitution and Hardnefs of it, in the fame Stra¬ tum, would readyly and manifeftly difcover; which yet we no where find it does. Another very ftrong
Argument
I
Nat. Bift. of the Barth Part III.
Argument likewife, to me, that thefe Marine Bodyes were not originaly thrown into, and lodged in Fiffures of the Earth, is, that there are fuch Multitudes of them, met with, even in the moft midland Countryes, every where all about for many Miles to¬ gether, particularly here in England , throughout almoft the whole Coun¬ ty es of Glocejfer, Oxford , Nor¬ thampton, Somerfet , and Wilts > in the Fields, and on the .Hills. Or, where they have been lodged fo deep* that they cannot be now turn¬ ed up by the Plough, and call out upon the Surface of the Earth, there they are found by thofe that have Occafion to dig down deeper, in the Bowels of the Earth. If thefe, and all other Parts of the Globe, in which fuch Bodyes are now found, were once Fiffures, and Chafms, fil¬ led with no folid Matter, thofe Fff- fures muff have been furely of a pro¬ digious and even incredible Extent. Finaiy, tho’ thefe Shells, everywhere found, in the Strata, and never in the Fiffures, fufficiently {hew how little Dr. Carrier arius was acquainted with this Affair, on which he ventured
thus
Part. III.
thus to pafs his Judgment, I will prefume to add one Thing further which muft render his Overfight ftill more evident. In Mining, and Open¬ ing Quarryes, at the Filfures of the Strata of Stone, it is common to find fhelis fo broke in two, and divided with the Stone, that one Part of the fame iliells fhall remain on this fide of the Fiflfure, and the other Part on the other fide of that Fiffure. Which, tho’ there were no other Argument of the fame Thing, plainly proves thofe Shells to have been lodged in the foiid Strata, while they were continuous, and be¬ fore thofe Fiffures were made : and alfo that both thofe Shells, and the ' Strata, were broke, and divided, at the fame Time, and by the fame Means.
3. The third Conjecture of Dr. 3* TM& Carrier arius, is that tbefe Shells were ^brmght brought out of the Sea by particular m t0 jfand Inundations * Now I ihould think by particu- that, before he had publifhed this l&rlnunda-
ConjeUure^ he fhould have looked tL°'-^
for
'* P, $4#.
Hat. Hifl . of the 'Earth Part II.
for fome Support for it in Hiftory : and if he had found any Accounts of fuch Inundations, as they would have been new, fo they would have been very acceptable to the Republick of Letters, if he had publiilied them. Or he fhould at leaft have produced from thence fome Inftances of Inun¬ dations, which have reached quite to the midft of the greateft Continents : which have laid his own Country, Ger¬ many, for two or three hundred Miles under Water ; for, even there, at fo great a Diftance from any Sea, are thofe Marine Bodyes found: he fhould have given us Examples of fuch Inundations which have’convey- ed Shells, peculiar to the American , and other the remote!! Seas, into the very Midland Parts of England , where we, at this Day, commonly dig them up : nay fuch as have brought Animals, that are Natives of the Land, or Rivers, into Coun- tryes where it is not probable there were ever any of the fame Kind be¬ fore, and certainly are not now the Na¬ tural Produd of thofe Countryesj fuch , as Crocodiles, the Skeletons of which
are
Part II. lllu ft rated and Inlargd.
are found under Ground in Germany * Elephants in England, where their Bones and Teeth are digged up in va¬ rious Places ; and that Kind of dme - rican Deer, we call the Moofe-Deer, in Ireland , the Skeletons, and Horns, of which, of incredibly large Size, are often digged up there : finaly, which have fetched up by the Roots, and thrown down Trees, fuch as thofe large Pines, and Firs, which are found, in fo great Numbers, buryed in almoft all Parts of Eng¬ land , where no fuch, not only in the Memory of Man, but in the Records of any Hiftory, have been known to grow ; it is certain, Ge- far t teftifyes none were here in his Time. Dr. Gamer arius fhould like- wife have bethought himfelf of a Way by which thefe Marine Bo- dyes, brought from Sea, might, by the Violence of thofe Inundations , be fo intermixed, and incorporated with the very Subftance of the Strata of Marble, and all Sorts of Stone, in fuch Manner that, when thefe come to be now broke up, the Shells fhould
for
* Mifcell. Berolin. i 7i°. pag. 103. 4 Com. de Bello. Gall. L. 5,
Nat. Hiji. of the Earth Part III.
be found lodged in all Parts of thofe Strata : he fhould have thought of a Way by which forne of thefe Shells could have been caft down to the Depth of feveral Hundreds of Feet in the Earth, while others were car¬ ry ed up to the Tops of the nigheft Mountains, e.gr. of the Alps in Europe , and of other the loftyeft Ajiatic , Chinefe , and American Mountains. When the learned Author framed this his ConjeUure , he feems to have had England particularly in View, An Ifland encompajfed on all Sides with the Sea *. But he certainly ought to have confidered that this our Ifland has Mountains, tho’ not equal to thofe juft mentioned, very large, and high j of which I fcarce know any, which have not Shells lodged in them to the very Tops. If therefore he can imagine thofe Shells were carryed to the Tops of thofe Mountains by any particular Inundation , what Condi¬ tion does he think, France , and all Europe , nay and the whole Globe, were in, at that Time when the higheft Hills in 'Britain were covered by the
W aters
* Page ipo, 347.
P^ft III. lllujlrated and Inlargd . ’i4l::
Waters of that Inundation ? For Water cannot be piled up in Heaps* but mufi flow about* till the Surface of it is On all Sides equidiftant from the Centre of the Earth : and confe- quently all Parts of the Globe muft be then laid as deep under Water as England. All thefe Things being ferioufly weighed* by any Man* I can fcarcely believe he will eafyly come into this Conjecture of the ingenious Camerarius : or ever imagine that thefe Marine Bodyes could be brought from Sea, and lodged in all Parts of the Earth, by any other Means than the Noetic or Univerfal Deluge.
4. His fourth Conjecture is what 4- l%ofe follows. Hence , fays he, it is that ™ere fo many Marine "Bodyes are found infr0m°Sea*% England. That Ifland^ being environ into the lied by the Sea * admitts , by fubterra- Bowels of neous ‘Paffages, the Waters of it into Of i ts '’Bowels deeper and further than yott terraneous Would imagine *. But before he had fug- ‘Pajfages. gefted that thofe Marine Bodyes were brought, through any PafTages, Subter¬ ranean into the Bowels of the Earth*
L or
* Pag. 347-'
/
\
14^' Nat. Rift . of the Earth Part III.
or its interior Parts, and fuch as are very remote from the Sea, he fhould have put it beyond all Doubt that there are fuch fuhterraneous PaJJages from the Sea. Certain it is no fuch are yet difcovered. Whereas if there realy were fuch, they would be eafy- ly found out, fo fpacious | they * muft be, to receive fuch vaft Bodyes into them, and to give W ay for them to pafs into the very Middle of this Mand. Not to mention others, many Shells of the Ammonite Kind, two Foot over, are digged up in Port¬ land^ and fome broader in Qlocefter - floire and Somerfetjhire. Belides the Skeletons and Bones of Whales, and other the largeft Fifties, are digged up here. But for what Purpofe can we think thofe Fifties fhould fwim up thefe Paflages, if there were any fuch ? And to Places fo far diftant from the Sea? For Nature has not aligned them any agreeable Way of Living or Habitation under the Earth, But fhould we fuppofe fo great Num¬ bers, feme- of them of fo vaft a
Bulk,
9
f Conf. p, 140 .Jiifra*
Part III. llhftr cited and Inlarg d.
Bulk, to have been hurryed and thrown up hither, that could never have been effected without a Force far greater than is eafy for us to con¬ ceive or imagine. And why do not we foe as great Numbers of them in our Times forced up by the fame Vio¬ lence ? Some f, who defend this Opi¬ nion, think the Waters are carry ed through thofo Pallages from the Sea to fopply the Springs and Rivers; but without any Proof, from Nature, or Shew of Reafon. For was it fo, the Spring and River Waters would be fait, like thofo of the Sea. Tis plain were thofo Pallages fo fpacious, as to receive fuch great Bodyes, as feme of thofo which we often find in the Earth they could not foparate the Salt from the Waters by Percolation, nor by any other -Means hinder its attending of them. In fhort, the Water could not rife, through luch Pallages, above the Altitude of the Surface of the Sea. Whereas thofo Shells, and other Bo_ dyes, are found quite up to the very
f Ssg T. Laurence Mercur. Central, i2nx> Lend, 1664.
Nat. Hi ft. of the Earth Part III.
1'ops of the higheft Mountains, fome Miies higher than the Sea, if not in England , at leaft in other Countryes. Bur, laftly, there’s an Argument equi¬ valent to almoft all the reft, which is that thefe Marine Bodyes are never found, either in Fiftures, or fubterrane- ous Paftages ; but lodged in the Very Strata of Marie, Clay, and of Stone, and every other even the raoft clofe denfe and folid Matter. Are there¬ fore thofe Paftages, through which the Springs and Rivers are fupplyed with Water, ufualy damm’d, and fill’d up with terreftrial Matter, and Ma¬ rine Bodyes ? If fo, whence have we at this Day remaining any Springs or Rivers? Or do thofe Paftages, and fubterraneous Channels, frequently change their Courfe, from one Part of the Earth to another ? We certain¬ ly no where fee or obferve any Thing of this Rind. Springs, and the Heads of Rivers are at this Day in the very fame Places that they antiently were. Nor indeed does there any where ap¬ pear, in Nature, any Power that is ordinaryly capable of effecting fuch Changes in the Earth. If there were ever any fuch Changes made, thofe
Marine
Part III. llhiftrated and Inlargd. 149
Marine Bodyes would be now found, lying inacertain Method, and Track, anfwering the former Courfe of thofe Channels filled up fince ; which, as I have fufficiently fhewed before, is no where to be feen.
5. Thus far I have had under Con- 5. "Thofe fideration what Confirmation from Shel'A <mere Nature, and the Things themfelves, Godl^n and what appearance of Truth, the the Bowels four firlt CenjeUures of Dr. Camera - °f the rius carry along with them. But ?ar!h ’ bm what fhall I fay to his fifth Conjecture ? "
He thinks it no ahfurdity to fuppcfe God to have made fome Analogy and Kefemblance betwixt Marine and terreftrial "Bodyes , by creating va¬ rious Kinds of Stones reprefenting the Forms of Sea-Shells *. By the fame Rule alfo Hazle Nuts, fuch as- grow on Trees upon the Earth, Pine Apples, nay even Oaks, and other Trees, and Vegetable Bodyes, which are found buryed to a very great Depth in the Earth, were all* there created by God. This is indeed an eafy Way of folving all thofe Dilfi-
L 3 cultyes.
#.Pag. 348,
“S’**
Nat. Bift. of the Earth Part HL
cultyes, but founded on no Support of Nature, or Atteftation of Holy Writ. After all, fuppofing God did create thefe Bodyes entire, did he likewifa create Pieces and Fragments of them in the Earth? For*’tis common to dig up Fragments of Shells : and, in fome Places, only the upper Shells of Bi¬ valves, in others, only the lower Shells : nay Bivalves, turbinated, and indeed Shells of all other Kinds* without having in them the Animal or Fifh belonging to thefe Kinds. But perhaps we may fet this Conjecture of Dr. Camerarius in a better Light, if we imagine Jrifta or Beards of Corn created without the Ear, the Bark of Cedars without the Wood, the Hides of Oxen without the Flefh and Bones, the Skins of Men without their Bo- dyes, and Hands or Legs without the reft of the Limbs, or other Parts. For in the fame Manner the Foflil- Shells and other Things we treat of, are often found in the Earth,- e. gr . ail Sorts of Shells without the Fifh. in them, fome one Bone without the reft of the Skeleton, or a fingle Tooth without the Jaw. But to pafs c>yer thefe Things, and what I have
Part III. Illuftrated and Inlargd . * $ ; i
produced to the fame Purpofe in the prelim . Hiffert. to my Nat . Hi ft. of the Earthy there are many other Things which much weaken this Con- jeffitire: and which the Cameraman HypothefiS) that allows only the Fir gure and Similitude of Marine Bo- dyes to thofe Foffils, cannot account for. i ft. The Shells, which are dig¬ ged up in Places, and found lodged in Matter, fit to preferve them, and which therefore are firm, found, and have lefs felt the Injuryes of Time, yeild ftill a true Marine Salt, fuch as recent Shells taken out of the Sea, or caft on the Shores, are wont to yeild. This is certainly worthy the Confideration of the learned Author ; and tis what I had long ago put him, and my other Readers, in Mind of, Nat.^Hifi. Earth , prelim. HijJert.
2. There are alfo found in the Earth the Teeth of Fifties ground down, and worn away, in the very fame Manner as the Teeth of thofe Kinds of Fifties, taken at Sea, ufuaiy are, by chewing • their Food. 3. The Shell-Fifti called the Purpttra , has' a Tongue of a conliderable Length, terminating in a hard boney fharp
L 4 Point,
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part III.
Point, with which, as with an Augre, he bores Holes thro’ the Shells of other Shell-Fifh, and feeds on the Subftance of them drawn forth thro’ thofe Holes. This has been obferved of the 'Pur¬ pura by the antient Naturalifts, par¬ ticularly Jrijlotle , and Pliny. ^ rl hus Jrijlotle writes concerning it, fuch is the Strength of this Member , the Tongue, in the Purpura, that he is able therewith to pierce thorow the Shells of Shell-Fifh, particularly thofe of the turbinated Kind, with the Meat whereof he is wonderful - ly delighted * *. What Pliny t fays, is, the Fong tie of the Purpura is about a Finger s Length, with which he feeds himfelf, by boring thorow the Shells of other Shell-Fifh \ fo hard is the Point of it. Now there are com¬ monly found in the Earth, among o-
thers.
t«t 9 to ubeiov, aVs h) r cou K ayyi'Kicoy <Pef;pu7rco(n
*ro cf^aitov, otov 'mu rqouCav, J czujct’’
Ariftot. dc Partib, Animal. Lib. 2.
C. 17. verfus finem.
f Lingua Purpuras Longitudine digitali, qua pafcitur perforando reliqua Conchylia $ tanta JJuritia Aculeo eft. Hift* Nat. Lib. 9. C. 3 6.
Part III, lttnflr cited and Inlargd.
thers. Shells bored thorow in the Manner above defcribed ; whence it is certain that thofe Shells had once living Fifties in them, and that thofe Fifties formerly lived in fome Place, where all'o there were ‘Purpura to feed on them : and that Place could be no other than the Sea. 4. It is common to dig up the Shells of Oy- fters. Concha , Pe'ctines , and other Bivalves, which retain plain Marks of Tendons, and other Signs which undoubtedly fhew that they had once a&ualy the living Creatures in them. 5. Laftly, the Echinita , Conchita , Cochlita , and other Bodyes of that Kind, confifting of Stone, Flint, Spar, and other Mineral Matter, which every Way match the Size, and ex¬ hibit the perfett Refemblance of the interior Part of thofe Shells, from which they have derived their Names, could never have been fo formed, moulded and fhaped, had not thofe Shells been quite empty. But there are other Bodyes alfo, of which I have Samples by me, formed like- Wife of Stone, Flint, and Spar, which reprefent only Pieces, or fpme parti¬ cular Parts of the Ecbinita , Conchi-
, 54 Nat. Hi ft. of the Earth Part III.
U, and CochliU. Thefe, any One, at' firft Sight, may plainly difcern were formed in the Shells, while they had yet their Fifhes aCtualy in them: and therefore could receive only fo much of the Stoney Flinty or Sparry Matter, as would fill up the Parts which were empty or vacant, and not poffeffed or taken up by the Fiik Thence it is, that thofe Stoney Flinty and Sparry Bodyes bear only the Refemblance of that Vacancy, as having been moulded in it. Now thefe Bodyes plainly fhew thofe Shells to have had Fifties formerly in them: and at the fame Time point forth to us the true Origin of them , viz* that they were not produced, in the Places where they are now found, but were at fome Time brought all from the
Sea*
ne grofs But let us confider . this Con- Miftake of jeUttre of Dr. Carrier arias a little thofe who more attentively, to fee if it may not imagine, be applyed to other Ufes, and made
llellfbut ro explain fome Things, which have feveral ar- afforded hitherto Matter of Difpute tftcial tQ the Learned. Indeed I cannot IfTnp, think that Dr. Carrier arius will take were form- it ill, if I endeavour to improve, in- in tbs large.
Part III. Illujirated and Inlargd. \ j j
large, and render more ufefull, what Earth, by he had the Ingenuity, and good For Nature tune firft to find out. It is common and in many Places to dig up Coins having der Ground. mfcrtbed on them the Names of Alex¬ ander the Great , Julius Cafar^ Cu- nobeline , and other Emperors and Kings. Should any fancy that thefe were ftamped by fome Mint-Mafter many Hundred Years ago, and after¬ wards loft, or hid and burved in the Earth, and have lain there for fo long a Time, he truly would feem to rea- fon much after the common Rate, and juft as thofe do who believe the Shells, found in the Earth, were ori- ginaly produced at Sea. ’Tis much the fiiorter and eafyer Way of de¬ ciding fo difputable a Point, if, as the Matter of the Coins mult, fo like- wile the Forms of them, be afcribed to the Workmanthip of God. And he who thus happyly firft removed this cruel Stumbling-Block, out of the Way of the Students of Antiquity, can never be thought lefs defervmg our Praifos and Rewards than he who fhall happyly find out
Where
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part III.
Where there grow Flow rs inscrib'd with Names of Kings *.
Nay farther, if it fo fall out that thofe employed in digging, fhould, as they frequently do, rind, under Ground, Things carrying with them the Ap¬ pearance and Shape of Pots, and Earthen Veffels, tho’ thofe Things have been hitherto taken for antient Roman Urns, Rat era, or Simpula , yet it would be intolerable, that we, and all Pofterity fhouid run ftill on in the fame Miftake. For in good Truth it is to the full as likely that thefe Pots, and other Things, were formed by Nature in the Earth, as thofe Shells. But leaft I fhould feem to propofe this raflily, or to arrogate to my felf the Honour of this Conjecture, fo much of a Piece with that of Dr. Camera - rius, there are fome Writers of Na¬ tural Hiftory, and indeed principaly thofe, that will needs have it that the Shells, found in the Earth, were pro¬ duced there, who advance the fame Opinion concerning thefe Utenfils.
Whether
WW71 m.ir *1 . . . . . r - 111 1 Mi ~\
* Quibusin Terris infcripti Nomina Regum Nafcantur Fiores,--—
*57,
Part III. Illuftrated and Inlargd.
Whether or no, if Dr. Gamer arms gives Sanction to this Opinion of thofe Writers, People may not go hereafter to fearch for Earthen Ware, as now they do for Ores of Metalls, in the Bowels of the Earth, and fo finding them there under Ground ready made to their Hands, have no need to buy, or have Recourfe to the Potters, they may not be all undone by the Shift, I cannot tell ,• let them look to that. But, certain it is, that 'Bob. Balbinus , with great Elegancy, calls thefe Vef- fels FoJJil Tots *. Conrad Kiefner terms them Native Tots f. And Dr. Jo. T)an. Major treats of them as of Fojfil Urns Balbinus gravely and wifely argues that Clay — - readyly , and of its own Accord , difpofes it felf into the Shape of Tots , Nature her felf directing what fhe would have here done Finaly another
like
* Ollas Fofliles. Mifcell. Hift. Regni Bo- hem. L. i. C. 49.
f Ollas Native. De Fig. Lapid. p. 87. i Urnis Foffilibus. Divert. Epiih de Can- cris & Serp. petrif. p. 43.
[ Exiftimat Argillam — ad figuram Ollarum fponte fefe ac libenter componere, Narura ipfa quod fieri veJit docente. Loco fupracirato.
ij8
Nat. Hift. of the Earth Part III*
like fagacious Writer, treating of Pots digged up near Spremberg in the lower Lufaiia, is of Opinion, That the Pojfibility of fuch Tots being formed by Nature is not to he dif* pitted *. This W ay indeed of arguing and making Inferences, having al¬ ready got Authors of fo ftanch Judg¬ ment, and Patrons fo mighty, if it fhould at laft prevail as to the For¬ mation of Shells, Bones, Teeth, and other like Bodyes in the Earth, it would make the whole Matter fo eafyly intelligible, that no Doubt or Difpute can ever polfibly be raifed about it hereafter. But yet I cannot forbear telling them that there is one Thing I would advife the Authors that fhall take upon them this Task, to write, not in Profe, but in Verfe, nor were it amifs that it fhould be fet alfo to fome fuitably merry Tune ; fince that Nature , to which, they afcribe fuch Works, can be only fictitious* and ‘Poetical*, and that GW,
which
* Credit nature in ejufmodi fabricandis Ollulis Poffibi'iTatem non eflfe derrahendam. P. Ebr. Hagendon Mifcell. Cur, Ann, 3. Ob£
I} f «
Part III. llhftrated and Inland d.
which Camer arias brings in here meer- ly imaginary, and Mechanical *. But ’twere to have been wifhed that this fo confiderate a Writer had taken here the Advice of one of the belt Judges of Poetry that ever lived,
-—Ne'er introduce a God, IB tit for a Caufe right worthy of a God f.
With fo much Reverence did he, in •thofe Days, think thofe his Gods, tho’ realy no better than fi dido us, ought to be treated. But they who fuppofe the One only true God, the great Author of Nature, to be thus em¬ ployed, in making Toyes, and Things of no Ufe, may be defervedly thought either not rightly to know God, or not to pay him due Reverence. So that a Man of great W it and Learn¬ ing, Dr. Hier. Cardan , with good Reafon, fharply reprimands that raili Way of Conjeduring ; We forry idle ’Fellows, fays he, talk of God as of
one
* 0so< ctTrb (jwy eLVvf.
t Nec Deus interfit nifa dignus Vindice Nodus
Incident* . . De Arte Poet,
*19
i
t !} :
'Knt, ffi ft. of the Earth Part 1IL
one of us\. Of the fame Sort alfo is that other ConjeUure of the fatuous Carrier arius , where he fays, he had rather fnppofe the beneficent Creator \ would have ) hewed Men the Ufe op Letters, than believe he would have let them lived for fifteen and more Jges without the Knowledge of them , or that PiUure fhould be more an - tient than fimple Writing * *. vTts impoffible furely but that, from the Time this lucky Conjecture was ftrft advanced, cPolidore Vergil, Geo. Pap chius , and others who have wrote of the Inventors of Things and Arts, muft lofe the Efteem they have hi¬ therto obtained, and be now finaly wholely defpifed. Nor can it be well wondered at if the late Author of Mufcipula , who, in his facetious Man¬ ner, attributes the Invention of the Moufe-Trap to his happy Welch Hero, he reckoned fit Company for fuch ‘Poetical Writers.
But
t ^°s Nebulones loquimur de Deo tan- «quam de uno e nobis,
* pag- 3°4- '
Part III. Nat. Hift. of the 'Earth 161
e ■
But Dr. Camerarius , not to feem °/ altogether deftitute of an Argument, takes in one, and that only, from [ome Mn~ Analogy, fays he, God wilt rme, and
have Species of Vegetables in the*^id Sea , perfectly analogous ana like ci¬ thers at Land , in that great Va¬ riety of Cor alls , Corallines , Spunges,
Jlga's , Tucus's , &c. what hinders hut that there may be pitch a Vege¬ tation and Growth of Stores in the Earth , as there is commonly at Sea , and as is efpecially obfervable in Co- rails, that are of Stoney Nature *.
Moll certainly nothing hindered but that God might have done fo ,• tho’ that he adtualy has done fo, does not thence by any Means follow fo far as I can perceive. But if it were fo that God had made Bodyes at Sea analo¬ gous to others at Land , it doe>- not thence follow, that he mull likewife, on the other Hand, have needs cre¬ ated Bodyes at Land refembling thofe at Sea, or that there Ihould be any Vegetation of Stones , in the Earth , reprefenting Marine Bodyes. But not
M to
* Pag. 549.
x 6 2 Nat. Uiftn of the Earth Part III#
to Iniift upon this, let the learned Camerarius , if he can, produce fuch Bodyes growing in the Sea> either Cor alls ^ Corallines , Spunges , or any other, which are analogous to lfer~ reftrial IBodyes , either in their out¬ ward Form, or inward Texture* For, in Truth, neither I, nor any Body elfe^ ever faw any Samples of fuch Things. But when he, from his better furnifhed Cabinet, and Store, fhall be able to produce any, I will readyly come into, and embrace this his Conjecture concerning them.
^je Conelu - 1 hefe, my Lord, are the Objec-
right h(h ^ons the learned Dr. Camera-
now able fills has been pleafed to offer againft
the Earl of what I have fet forth, in the Nat. Pembroke, of
the Earth. Of what Force and Weight they are, whether he had realy any juft Caufe for writing at all, and whether what I have here reply ed may be admitted as a full Anfwer to hirti, I willingly leave to be determined by any impartial and intelligent Perfon, but, above all, your Lordlliip, to whole diftinguifh- ed and uncommon Judgment, as in all others, fo likewife in thefe Stu-
dyes
Part III. llluftrated and Inlarg'd,
dyes and Subjects, I pay a very great Deference ; wifhing, moil fincerely, that, as you have hitherto done, you may long continue to live, with Health, and Profperity, a Benefit, and Blefling to this our Age, our Na¬ tion, and this great Metropolis.
* W *
Qrejham College xi f Dec. 1713.
FINIS,
f
ERRATA,
i
Oceafion’d by the Editor’s being at a Diilanee from the Prefs.
PAge i* line ult» after Art add (,) P. 5. 1. 14.
rea d— but whefe Authority. P. 12. inftead of Vrelun , in the Reference at the Bottom, r. Vr&lim* P. 17. 1. 8. r. From the/a firange Shells* P. 31.I. 17. inftead of interior Figure 3 r. inward Form * ibid , 1. 2 6. inftead of the Book, r, his Book. P. 6 1 . the laft Mar¬ ginal Title fhould Band higher againft 1. 19. P. 73* in the Reference, 1. penult, r. eQ / ^ vvv* P. 74. in the Reference, the Accents are wanting over ctTroWiflou — tct5' yytf* P. 14$. 1. penult, r. fuhterranean Pajfages. P. 156. in the Reference after Flores add Virg. Bclog . 3.
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