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TREATISE
O N T H E
DELUGE.
TREATISE
O N T H E
DELUGE.
CONTAINING
I. Remarks on the Lord Bifhop of CLOGHER'S Ac-
count of that Event.
II. A full Explanation of the Scripture Hiftory of it.
III. A Collection of all the principal Heathen Accounts.
IV. Natural Proofs of the Deluge, deduced from a
great Variety of Circumftances, on and in the
terraqueous Globe.
AND,
Under the foregoing GENERAL ARTICLES,
The following Particulars will be occafionally difcufled
and proved, <i>:.
The Time when, and the Manner how America was firfl peopled.
The Mofaic Account of the Deluge written by Inspiration. The
Certainty of an Abyfs of Water within the earth. The Reality
of an inner Globe or central Nucleus. The Caufe ofihefubterranean
Vapour and of Earthquakes. The Origin of Springs, Lakes, &c.
The Formation of Mountains, Hills ; Dales, tallies, &c. The
Means by which the Bed of the Ocean was formed. The Caufe
of Caverns or natural Grottos ; with a Defcription of the moil
remarkable, efpecially thofe in England. Alfo an Explication
of feveral letter Phenomena in Nature.
Adorned with ^.Copper-Plate, reprefenting the internal Structure of
the terraqueous Globe, from the Center to the Circumference.
BY A. CATCOTT,
LECTURER of St. John's, in the City of BRISTOL
LONDON:
Sold by M. WITHERS, at ikefeven Stars, in Fleet-Jtreet ; and
D. PRINCE, in Oxford, 1761.
Where alfo may be bad, RZMAR KS on the Lord Bifliop of CLOCHER'S Expla-
nation of the Mofaic Hiftory of the Creation and Formation of this World, &c.
2221169
PREMONITION.
ABOUT five years ago I publifhed
fome REMARKS on the Lord Bp.
^CLOGHER'J Explanation of the Mofaic
Account of the Creation and Formation of
this World^ and intended that this Trad
fhould have followed foon after, as a kin<i
of Second Part; but before \ could quite
finifli it, I was feized with an illncfs,
which affected my fight in fuch a manr-
ner, that I was obliged to lay afide all
thoughts of compleating it (tho' nearly
finiflied) for three or four years: and it
was not without feveral relapfes, that I
could bring it to the ftate in which it
is now prefented to the reader.
PREMONITION.
SOON after the publication of the firft
Trad, his Lordfiiip of Clogher (the late
Rev. Dr. Clayton) alfo died ; on whkh
account (and for the reafons mentioned,
page 8.) I have in a great meafure drop-
ped the controverfial part in this; having
only felected one or two principal Arti-
cles, that I thought exceptionable ; and
thefe, not fo much becaufe his Lordfhip
had aflerted them, as becaufe feveral,
otherwife learned and ingenious, writers
had maintained the fame; and it appear-
ed to me to be of fome confequence to
fettle the truth.
To pretend to introduce Novelties in
Natural Philofophy in this enlightened
age, may be efteemed by fome almoft as
bad as to prefume to make new difcove-
lies in Religion : and yet, fome points
PREMONITION.
difcufled in this Trad:, may poffibly be
new to many. In order therefore to
remove this formidable, though in it-
felf weak, objection, I have frequently
chofen to make ufe of the words of any
other writer (that had exprefled himfelf
judicioufly on the point) rather than my
own : which alfo is the reafon, why
feveral quotations will be found in this
Tract, that otherwife might have been
omitted.
IT may be proper to inform thole, who
have encouraged the publication of this
Trad: by their Subscriptions (to all of
whom I defire my fincereft Thanks fcr
their favours), that it is a diftinct Trea-
tife of itfelf, at leaft independent of the
above-mentioned Tratf, relating to the
Creation, &c. the few particulars in That,
P REMO N ITI N.
which were explicative of This, being
introduced in their proper places, or
fimilar explanations given.
SOME of my Subfcribers may poffibly
find a difficulty in underftanding the
Mofaic Account of the Flood, as philo-
fophically explained in \hz former part of
this Tract, I would therefore advife fuch
fir ft to make themfelves well acquainted
with the Copper-Plate^ and the Expla-
natory Notes belonging to it, p. 54; and
then, I hope, there will be no great dif-
ficulty in comprehending it ; or at leaft
a fccond perulal will make the whole
plain and clear.
THE
CONTENTS.
Page
Preliminaries.
TH E Mofaic account of the Deluge full
and complete, not too fhort or imper-
, as fome have imagined - - - - i . 3
The nature of the Miracle exerted to effecl: the
Deluge - - _ - - * - - . . ^ 8
The manner in which the Author propofes to
examine his Lordfliip of Clogher's account
of the Deluge ; with fome ftrictures on that
account ------____ g jg
A full Explanation of the Scripture
Hiftory of the Flood.
GEN. vi. ig. And God f aid unto Noah, 'The
end of all fiejh is come before me ; and behold
I will dejlroy them with the earth ; paraph rafed ;
and the Univerfality of the Deluge urged
therefrom - 17 18
Ver. 14. Make thee an Ark of gopher-wood,
(rooms /halt thou make in the ark) and pilch
it within and without with pitch. A window
Jhalt thou make to the Ark, And of every liv-
(CONTENTS.
ing thing of all fiejh, two of tfvery fortjhalt
thou bring into the ark to keep them alive^ &c.
"-Thus did Noah, according to all that God
commanded him, fo dtd he> The neceflity of
Divine j Inftruttion in order to execute the
above Command, and the certainty that all
- creatures perifhed that were not wkhin the
intent of that inftruction, fhewn - - -1825
GEN. vii. n. And the fame day were all the
Fountains of the GREAT DEEP broken up.
"What the Great Deep or Abyfs is, explained 25 6
And in order to ihew the full meaning of the
Event here related, a brief explication of the
firft Formation .of the earth is introduced.
GEN. i. 2. And the Spirit of God moved upon the
L fact of the waters - ? * - - - -26 9
AndGodfaid, Let there be Light and there was
Light 29
And God f aid, Let there be a Firmament in the
' midft of the waters, and let it divide the wa-
ters from the waters, &c. 29 34
And God f aid, Let the water under the heaven be
gathered together unto one place, and let the
dry -land appear *-'.--._ .34
GEN. vii. n. And all the fountains of the Great
Deep were broken up. The manner how this
Event was accomplimed fhewn at large -3740
And the Windows of heaven were opened. Ex-
plained , and the Dtffblution of the earth
proved therefrom , with other texts denoting
the fame ------.__ -4.0 -44
CONTENTS.
Page
Ver, 12. And the Rain was upon the earth forty
days and forty nights : and the waters increafed
and bare up the ark : And the waters pre-
vailed upon the earth exceedingly -, and all the
hi, h hills i that were under the whole heaven^
were covered: The Univerfality of the De-
luge urged from this paflage - - - -44 6
Ver. 2 4. And the waters prevailed upon the earth
^ an hundred and fifty days. What this preva-
lence of the waters was, explained - - -46 7
Gen. viii. i. And God made a Wind [the Spi-
rit] to pafs over the earth, and the waters
affwaged. This Wind fhewn to be the fame
as the Spirit that moved upon ihe face of the
waters at the beginning ------ 48
Ver. 2. The Fountains alfo of the Deep, and the
windows of heaven were Jiopped, and the rain
from heaven was retrained ; paraphrafed on 48 50
Ver. 3. And the waters returned from off the
earth continually. How this event was brought
to pafs, fliewn ------- _^o i
Ver. 4. And the Ark refted upon the mountains of
Ararat^ &c. ----- - . - ^ t
Ver. 8. And Noah fent forth a dove from him* '
to fee if the waters were abated from off the
face of the ground, &c. - 51
Ver. 15. And -God fpzke unto Noah, Go forth
of the ark, thou and thy wife, &c. And God
bleffed Noah and his Sons, and f aid, Be fruit-
ful and multiply, and repleni/h the Earth.
An argument hence drawn for the Univer-
fality of the Deluge ------ -52 3
CONTENTS.
Page
A Collection of the principal Hea-
then Accounts of the Flood.
The Roman defcription as given by Ovid - -56 8
The Grecian, Syrian and Arabian as recorded
byLucian .- - - - -58 6%
The Egyptian, as retained under the hi (lory of
/_)'/><?#, from Plutarch - - -60 i
The Babylonian, as preferved by Jofepbus and
Berojus - ..... 61 4
The Adrian, from Afcdenus, as recorded by
Eujehius ----------- 64
The Perf.an, from Dr. Hyde's Hiftoria veterum
Perjantm, &c. - ...... 64 5
The Accounts of the Flood as retained by the
inhabitants of the Eaft- Indies ..... 65 8
As preferved among the Chinefe - - -68 --70
The defcriptions of it as given by the feveral
nations of America, in general - - - - 70 2
In particular, by the nation of the Iroptots - 72
By thofe of Cuba ........ -72 3
By the inhabitants of Terra Firma - - - - 73
By the Peruvians ......... 73 4
By the BraftUens -------- -74 6
CONTENTS.
Page
Some Conclufions, deduced from the above
Accounts, refpecting the Certainty that
there has been a Flood, that it was Uni-
verfal, and that the Mofaic Description of
it was written by Infyiration - - - - 76 83
The Time when, and the Manner how Ame-
rica was firlt peopled ----- 83 99
Natural Proofs of the Scripture
Account of the Deluge, dedu-
ced from a great variety of cir-
cumftances, on and in the ter-
raqueous Globe.
I. Proofs of the ABYSS,
o R,
That there is a quantity of Water in the in-
fide of the Earth abundantly fufficient for
anfwering the Effects of the Deluge as de-
icribed in Scripture. This proved
1. From the Quantity of water that is
poured into the Ocean from the mouths
of all the Rivers upon Earth - - - -101 12
2. From the Quantity of water that is
thrown out at the beads or fources of all
the Rivers -------- -112 36
3. From Whirlpools, Under -cur rents, and
Gulpbs in the Ocean ----- -136 42
4. From Lakes ------. -143 48
5. From Phenomena attending Eartfyttakfs 148 52
CONTENTS.
Page
6. From accidental difcovcries of waters, ri-
vers, &c. in the infide of the earth - -1^2 58
II. Proofs of the UNIVERSALITY of the
FLOOD ;
OR,
That the Waters of the Deluge covered the
whole furf ace of the earth. This proved
1. From the divifion of the Surface of th
earth into Mountains, Hills \ Combs* Dales,
I/allies, &c. - - - -159 88
2. From the Nature, Form, and' Situation
offeveral Subftances that at prefent lie loofe
upon the furf ace of the Earth - - - -189 232
3. From Caves, natural Grottos, Swallet-
boles, fcfr. 232 50
4. From the numerous Spoils of fea and land
Animals and Vegetables now found buried in
all parts of the earth -251 60
III. Proofs of the DISSOLUTION ;
o R
That, during the Deluge, the whole earth
was dijfohed, all the mineral and metallic
matter being reduced to its original" cor-
pufcles, and aflfumed up into the Wa-
ter. This prove4
1. From the outward Farm of the Earth - 261
2. From the fame ------- -261-*- 2
CONTENTS.
Page
3. From the prefent Solidity of the Earth -262 3
4. From the Veins in moft forts of Stone -263 4
5. From the Interchange or Mixture of *&/-
ferent Jlrata -------- -264 5
6. From the Formation and Situation tf No-
dules ---------- -265 6
7. From extraneous FoJJils - - - - -266 8
8. From the internal Structure of the Shell
of /& 0r/ ........ 268 9
Corollaries; and Objections anfwered - - -270 6
IV. Of the RE-FORMATION,
o R
Confolidation of the terreftrial parts after
the Diffolution ........ 276 9
A Paraphrafe of the iO4th Pfalm - - -280 4
Appendix, containing fome corroborating ar-
guments for the manner in which the
Author fuppofes America to have been
firfi peopled ......... 285 296
ERRATA.
Page 12. Line 32. dele_/a^. p. 38. 1. 2. read rend. p. 44.
1. 9. r. orbit. p. 53. 1. 32. r. Polibius.-~'$. 58, 1. 27. r. where.
Any literal error the reader will correvt for himfelf.
O N T H E
DELUGE.
B
EFORE I proceed immediately to the
}> difcuflion of the fubject I am to treat
* of, it may be proper to premife a few
articles.
THE Mofaic defcription of the De-
luge has been accounted by fcveral to be too fhort
and concife for the due relation of fo important an
event : but thofe who make this objection feem not
rightly to underftand the nature of the cafe ; the
proper ftating of which will ferve for a full anfwer to
the objection.
FIRST then, Let it be confidered that as at the time
of the Deluge the Earth was deftroyed, broken to
pieces, reduced to its chaotic ftate, or un-formed^ and
afterwards, formed again; and this, its fecond For-
mation, anfwerable, both in the manner and means,
to its firft and original (for fimilar exprefiions are
ufed, and the fame caufes are mentioned to have been
employed, in both cafes) and as a defcription had been
[2]
given at large of the manner of the firft formation in
the Mofaic narrative of the Original of things ; fo it
would be needlefs to have enlarged on that point in
the account of the Re-formation of the earth at the
deluge , juft mentioning the chief articles would be
fufficient, as every judicious reader would naturally
recur to the firft and fuller defcription. Be-
fides, As many of the effects of the Deluge are
legibly written in the book of Nature, being engraved
in the deepeft characters in the hardeft rocks all over
the earth -, fo thofe, who would be at the pains to read
this book, who 'would go up as high as the bills, and
down fo the vallies beneath, and enter into the dark cham-
bers of the earth (carrying the divine light in their
hands) fhould find the ineftimable treaiure, Ihould
fee that the world had been deftroyed, and formed
again, and in what manner this furprifing tranfaction
had been effected i and would by this means have full
proof that there is a GOD, Who that GOD is, and
that he governs the world. And they, who would not
be at this pains (or liften to thofe that had been) did
not deferve this peculiar proof and knowledge. Suf-
ficient be it for GOD, and even gracious muft we
efleem it, that he informs us of fuch and fuch things
in his Word, and gives us eyes to fee the reft or another
part of the evidence in Nature : and they who will
neglect either or both of thefe proofs, may defer vedly
remain fo far in ignorance. GOD indeed will do for us
what we cannot do for ourfelves ; but we muft not ex-
pect that he will do what we can do : This would be
to undo what himfelf had before done, or give us
power on purpofe to take it away, and give it us again ;
and would alfo be encouraging floth, idlenefs, and the
difufe of our rational faculties. Therefore to fpur up
our abilities and quicken our diligence, he gives us
That whereon we may reafon, and then juftly leaves us
f 3 1
to reafon. From what has been faid then, two
points I think are manifeft i firft, the ignorance and in-
excufablenefs of thofe, who havefpoken againfl the 0/0-
faic account of the Deluge as imperfefl and deficient -,
fecondly, ho\v unqualified thofe perfons mufr be to give
a true account of the Deluge, that have not examined
Nature, but fat down at eafe in their ftudies, drew
lines upon paper, &c. vainly imagining that the form
and inclination of Rocks, courfes of Rivers, veins of
Ore, and the fituation of things in the folid earth,
would fnape and wind themfelves according to their
fancies.
ANOTHER article necelTary to be fettled, as prepa-
ratory to the fubje<5t I am to fpeak of, is, in what
manner and bow far the Divine Interpofition is to be
allowed in the Miracle of the Noachian Deluge, or in
deftroying and re-forming the earth at that time. For
as in my interpretation ot the account of the forma-
tion of the earth, I have had (becaufe Scripture di-
re6ted me) much recourfe to the mediation of Natural
Caufes, or endeavoured to explain it pbilofopbicalhj
and I mall do the fame, (becaufe I think I ought)
with regard to the Deluge, fo I would obviate an ob-
jection, which an inattentive reader might make to
fuch kind of explanations, as tho' they -took away or
leffewd the Divine Power in the fact related. But I
truft, upon examination, we mall find, that this way
of explicating or unfolding Miracles, will manifeft the
Wtfdom and Gccdr^fs as well as the Power of GOD, and
in a manner too, far fuperior to any other. When an
extraordinary effect is performed, to tell a perfon,
that GOD did it i and there reft, without explaining
the end) the means and the manner of doing it, is lofinr;
great part of the evidence of the miracle, and the in-
tent for which it was performed ; and is generally
fl 2
m
Ipoken as a cover for our ignorance, or rather our
pride, which is piqued at a difficulty we cannot folve.
But GOD is a GOD cf order ; and when things are done
for the fake of .man, he adapts his operations to the
ftate and circumftances of man. Now it is an allowed
truth, that the fituation of man in this world is fuch,
that he is confined for his ideas, the foundation of his
knowledge, tofenfible or material objects-, and it is al-
fo certain, that the prevailing Idolatry > both long before
and long after the time ofMofes, even almoft from the
creation of man to the coming of Chrift, was the wor-
Ihipping the Natural Agents or fome Part or other of the
Syftem of Nature, inftead of GOD the Creator and
Former of all* Such then being the ftate of man and
fuch the peculiar circumftances of the former world, the
moft fuitable method to deftroy this idolatry would be, to
overrule, fufpend, or divert the commsn courfe of the
Natural Agents -, which would undeniably prove, that
they had a Superior, one who could turn them, whither-
Jcever hepleafed. And when fuch an act was performed,
the part of man would be, to difcover the propriety of
the Agent or Agents, over-ruled or fufpended, on parti-
cular occafions ; and trace out how appofitely the Means
conduced to the End. I mail illuftrate and exemplify
my meaning from that publick and grand difpute be-
tween JEHOVAH and Baal, under the conduct of Elijah
and Baal's prophets, recorded i Kings xviii. which
the reader is defired to perufe. The Conteft here was
concerning the true GOD, whether JEHOVAH or Baal,
or rather who was the Ruler (for that is the meaning of
Deut. iv. 19. xvii. 3. i Kings xi. 5. 2 Kings xvii. 9. xxiii.
4, &c. 2 Chron. xiv. 3, <j. Job xxxi. 26 29. Jerem. vii. 9, 18.
viii. i,&c. xix. 4, <j, 13. xxxii. xliv. Ezek. viii. 15, 16. xxiii.
30, 37. Wild xiii. i 4.
The Writings of the Greeks and Romans abundantly teftify the
fame, as feveral Authors have fhewn at large. Particularly Parker
in his Tentamina Phyjico^-lbeologica de Deo.
[5]
the word Baal in the Original) the material Heavens or
Agents, "or any Being above them. JEHOVAH had al-
ready (hewed himfelf fuperior to the Heavens (at leaft,
to every unprejudiced mind) by having fufpended their
power or affion in giving de-w or r#/# for above three
years-, (fee i Kings xvii. &f xviii. Luke iv. 25.) but
Baal's followers regarded not this ; for all that time
they eat at the royal [Jezebel's] table, and lived in plenty -,
verifying a common obfervation, that as long as men
have enough of this world, they are not apt to be very
folicitous about the Governor thereof. But the famine
increafing more and more, the king and his fervants
are obliged to go from home, and feek in different
places for food tor themielves and cattle ; and GOD at
laft out of companion to his people fends Elijah to
meet the king, and have the contefl decided at once.
That Elijah's GOD had power over \hzWater of 'Heaven \
was pretty plain-, he now proceeds further, and will
fhew that he has power over its oppofite, the Fire, and
can make it act or ceafe from afting juft as he pleafes;
and from Jerem. xix. 5. it is evident that Fire (which
is the moil powerful operation of the Heavens or Air)
was efteemed iacred to Baal, they have alfo built the
high-places of Baal, to burn their fons with fire for burnt-
offerings unto Baal. The Teft, agreed to on both fides
then was, that the GOD which anfwereth by fire, and
confumeth the offered viftim, Hejloould be GOD : and if
Baal could aniwer by any thing, it certainly mufl be
by one of his own emblems. The place chofen for the
fcene of action was Mount Carmel, which probably thele
idolaters had made an high-place of to Baal; fince we
are told, they had broken down the altar of JEHOVAH
that was there. Thus Elijah grants them every favour-
able circumftance. And when they had called upon
their God from morning even until noon (when the Heat,
thzgreateft power of the day, was -come) and in their
B 3
[6]
furious fits of madnefs and defpair had leapt upon their
altar ) and cut themfehes with knives and lancets ; but
wither 'voice came, nor any to anfwer, nor any that re-
garded: then Elijah repaired the altar of the LORD,
and laid thereon a facrifice ; and to (hew the mighty
power of GOD, ordered a great quantity of water to be
poured on the facrifice and the altar, fo as to fill a
trench that was drawn round about it; and by this
means render the facrifice lefs fufceptikle of the action of
Fire ; and take off all poffible fufpicion of deceit. All
things thus prepared, Elijah invokes his GOD to give
the decifive proof of his Deity ; and immediately, at
his requeft, Fire ftreams down from heaven, confuwes the
offered viftim, and licks up all the water in the trench.
At whichftriking, <vifible manifeftation of the Superiority
of Elijah's GOD, all the people fell on their faces, and
cried out, JEHOVAH, He is GOD; JEHOVAH,
He is GOD. And a greater proof of Divine Inter-
pofition could not be defired, nor one more applicable
to the purpofe be given. Here the Heavens were
made, in a particular place, at an appointed time, in
an interefting difpute, to exhibit their ftrongeft ope-
ration, Fire, and pour it down in honour of a facrifice
dedicated to JEHOVAH, and were with-held from doing
the fame on a facrifice dedicated to themfelves : and
fo themfelves in fact forced to confefs their own in-
ability, bring confufion on their own votaries, arid
give glory to the true GOD. Such alfo was the cafe at
the Deluge. The grand object of falfe worfhip then
was, the Natural Agents or fome part or other of the
Syftem of Nature, as thofe words of GOD, Gen. vi. 17.
(the prelude to that dreadful cataftrophe) indicate :
And behold^ I, even J, do bring a flood if waters, &c.
* It is not faid, Let there be, or let the Agents which 1
' have eftablijhed, or let us bring-, but /, even /, in
' direct oppofition to all the Laws of Nature, or
C7]
* powers eflablifhed in Matter.' But the means ufed in,
and the manner of, the execution declare this plainer.
As the Corruption of mankind before the flood was.
remarkably great, and the Imagination of their heart
only evil continually, it could not well be in fuch a
general Apoftacy, but that many objects of falfe worfhip
would be fet up ; fome imagining one part, others
another part of Nature to be Supreme. But from the
manner of their punimment the three principal Deities
Teem to have been, the Air, the Water, and the Earth;
the firft, the heathen Jupiter ; the fecond, Neptune ;
the third, 'Terra. Accordingly GOD to defeat this
idolatry, and manifeft his power over Matter, inverted
the order and natural State of Thefe in particular ; he
made the Air to defcend into the place of the Water,
that lay beneath the earth, and the Water to occupy
the place of the air, and by the pafllng and re-pafiing
of thefe two agents thro' the Earth ', the fhell or orb
thereof would be torn to pieces, its lolid form reduced
to fluid (of each of which effects more explicitly here-
after) and all the idolatrous inhabitants deftroyed by the
very Means or Agents they depended on for fuccour.
Thus the true GOD demonftrated his power over Mat-
ter i and tho' he made ufe of material Means, yet the
Act was undeniably fupernatural, above all the laws
and powers of nature. The Natural Agents could not?
or if they could, they certainly would not, have over-
turned their own empire, puniihed their own votaries,
and fuffered themfehes to be made the inftruments of
punifhing them. .This manner of working mir ades is
eminently ftriking, and indeed irrefiftable ; as it af-
fords manfenfible and material evidence, is level to the
conception of all, and was peculiarly adapted to the ftate
of the 'world, when fuch kind of miracles were wrought.
B 4
[ 8 I
THUS much I have premifed in general :
IN particular, with regard to his Lp. of Clogher, I pro-
pofe not to attend him, ftep by ftep, in his account
of the deluge, as I have done in his explanation of the
Scripture account of the Formation , becaufe replying
to one, is much the fame as anfwering the other ;
fincc the Deluge is a parallel a6V, (only in an inverted
order) to that of the firft Formation, as I have ob-
ferved already, and which will more evidently appear
in the procefs of this treatife. I mall therefore only
felect one or two of the mod exceptionable parts of
our Author's account of the Flood, examine them,
and have a principal regard to them in explaining
that event. I hope alfo to lay down fuch a clear and
full defcription of the deluge, that any one by com-
paring his Lp's tract with this, may determine for
himfelf where the truth lies. .
THE chief exceptions I have to his Lord/hip's ac-
count of the Flood relate to the Extent of it; firft
with refpect to the inhabitants of the earth ; fecondly,
with regard to the Earth itfelf, or its folid, metallic, and
mineral part. In each of thefe points he is of opinion
that the effefts of the Deluge were not univerfal, but
only partial.
4 AND therefore (fays he, p. 171, concerning the
firft) altho' I look upon that part of this [fcripture]
narration, relating to the dejlruttion of mankind,
and of birds, and of beafts, at the Deluge, to be
literally true, in refpecl ONLY of that part of the
world, in which Noah lived before the flood,
and which was afterwards peopled by his three
fons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, yet I cannot but
acknowledge that this Deluge, which happened in
the time of Noah, muft have been general in fome
degree ; as manifeftly appears from the general
elevation of mountains over the whole world, and
[9 J
from the immenfe quantity of fea-lhells, which are
frequently found in the mod diftant regions of the
earth. Neverthelefs I cannot but fuppofe, that
other parts of the then habitable world, which by
the force of the Deluge were feparated into iflands,
and were divided from the continent whereon the ark
landed, were in fome fort exempted from the com-
mon calamity, brought upon the reft of the world
by the Deluge -, inafmuch as the Continent of Ame-
rica, and many Iflands in the Eaft- Indies^ are at
prefent partly inhabited by wild beafts and noxious
animals, which it is not reafonable to imagine, that
any body could, or would, have imported thither
fince that time. Therefore, I own, I cannot fee
any other probable folution of this difficulty, than
to fuppofe them protected by the Providence of
GOD from the general deftrudlion, in fome extraor-
dinary manner, for the propagation of their own
fpecies.' Which paffage, I humbly apprehend, is
fcarce confident with itfelf ; at leaft the pofition, that
is laid down therein, will not coincide with other parts
of the author's treatife j and is contrary to Scripture
and Reafon. His Lp. feems to forget, that, accord-
ing to his Syftem, bait a very fmall part of the world
was, or indeed poflibly could be, inhabited before
the flood, viz. that tract of land only which lay be-
tween the Northern 'Tropic and the Arftic Circle (fee of
his Treatife, p. 74, 75) there being a great ' belt of
water under the equator (equal in extent to the
fp^ace between the two Tropics j fee PLATE 3 d ')
which feparated one part of the earth from the
other , fo that only one of the Hemifpheres [if the
above-mentioned traft could be properly called an
hemifpbere~] was the feat of the habitation or the Ions
of Adam before the Deluge, p. 65, 75.' If fucii
was the fituation of mankind before the flood, had
even the far greater part of America been exempted
from the effects of the deluge, no inhabitants of the
former world would have been faved on it; much
lefs could any have been faved by exempting the
JJlands of the jEaft- Indies from that deft ruction ; be-
caufe they lay either direfily under^ or quite on the
other fide of the aforefaid great belt of waters ; and fo
could not poffibly have been inhabited before the
flood. Befides ; as according to his Lp. the falling
down of this great belt of waters, or ' their rufliing
c from under the equator [the higher ground] towards
* the poles' [the lower] (p. 155.) was one great caufe
of the deluge, fo it could not but be, that fuch a vio-
lent efflux of water running in this direction would
drive all the then inhabitants of the world towards the
Northern Pole-, where if they arrived, they muft, ac-
cording to himfelf, ' have pcrifhed on account of the
4 Cold/ Nay, what is more, he afferts, that the
waters thus rufhing from under the equator ' would
* return to their natural and original fituation of over-
* Spreading the whole earth, p. 155, in the manner
they did on the firft day of the Formation, before the
kaft fpot of Dry-land had appeared. Now how we can
reafonably allow, that any perfons, in fuch an univer-
fal flood as this, could efcape being drowned, I cannot
conceive. But even let us fuppofe, that fome of them
were expert fwimmers, and could live a long time in
the water* yet according to our author's further de-
icription of the deluge, they certainly could not be
able to weather out the whole ftorm, for thus dread-
ful was it, ' When the fountains of the great Abyfs were
broken #/>, and an immenfe hollow was excavated
out of the earth from pole to pole, as a bed for the
Tea to lye in ; when the rocks, and the fands, and
the ihells, and the earth, that were taken thereout,
were thrown upon the land, and raifed in mountain
t " ]
upon mountain, fo as to afiail the fkies and invade
the region of the clouds : And when this heretoge-
neous mixture was flowered down again upon the
earth, it did not only rain, but the water, andfand,
and earth, and rock, and (hells, were poured down
in catarafts from heaven, for forty days, over the face
of the whole earth,* p. 88, 153, 118. Surely in fuch
a terrible florm as this, neither the leaft, nor the
greateft, nor the ftrongeft animal, could efcape being
darned to pieces, much lefs a poor, deftitute, af-
frighted, naked man : So that it muft have required
a miracle, far greater than That by which Noah and
his family were laved, to have preferved one fuch per-
fon. And fmce GOD took fo much care and allowed
fo much time for the prefervation of a few juft ibuls,
we cannot imagine, that he would fuflfer, by a more
extraordinary miracle, a number of wicked to furvive ,
for whofe fake, and purpofely to dejlroy whom, he
brought the deluge upon the world, and put even the
righteous to a fevere trial of their faith in and depend-
ence on him. This certainly is contrary both to
Scripture and Realbn ; as will be fliewn more fully
hereafter.
But his Lordmip imagines, that the Text will au-
thorife his fuppofing thztfome did efcape j which there-
fore muft be examined. He lays, that the writers of
Scripture * frequently put the whole for the great eft
' part, 9 p. 168. and would therefore conclude, that the
words All and Every ufed in the account of the flood,
as ' All flejh died, and Every living fubftance was de-
* ftroyed, &c. ought to be underftood with certain H-
' mitations,' p. 1 70. and therefore we may fuppoie,
that All were not deftroyed. That the words All
and Every are fometimes ufed in the Scripture to fig
nify an integral fart, is very certain ; and I believe,
there is no language in which they, or fynonimous
terms, are not fo ufed. Since they are words which
occur fo often, and in fuch a variety of fenfes, it
would have required much circumlocution to have de-
fined, in every inftance, their precife meaning -, the
Context therefore is always left to determine that point.
Now, the fenfe, in which thefe words are ufed in the
Scripture account of the Deluge, is fo fixed and de-
termined, that it cannot poffibly be miftaken. Mofes
fays (after he had related, that the waters of the flood
had rifen to fuch a height, as to have covered All the
high hills under the whole heaven) And ALL FLESH died,
that moved upon the earth, both of FOWL, and 0/ CATTLE,
and of BEASTS, and of EVERY CREEPING THING that
creepeth upon the earth, and EVERY MAN. All in whofe
noftrih was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry
land died. And every living fubftance was deftroyed which
wa* upon the face of the ground, both man, and cat-
tle,' gnd creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven ;
andtheyw^re deftroyed from the earth ; tf#afNoAH ONLY
remained alive, and THEY that were with him in the
ark, Gen. vii. 21. Had Mofes intended to declare
that every individual living creature thatlwas upon the
Earth, before and during the flood, were deftroyed by
the flood, he could not have been more exprefs and
particular , he fays, that every living fubftance, both
man, and cattle, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air,
that was upon the face of the ground, or in the dry land,
died , and we know of but one ark which went upon the
face of the waters, and fo faved the men and the animals
therein : of courfe, according to the Scripture account,
there was no living creature upon the face of the whole
earth, but iflfc perifoed by the flood. And what mews
this plainer is , that thofe, whomjwe know, were exempted
from this, otherwife, univerfal deftruffion, are exprelsly
mentioned to have been faved , and their prefervation
mentioned too in fetch a manner as to fpecify, that no
[ '3]
other perfons or creatures were faved, And NOAH ONLY
remained alive, and THEY that were with him in the ark.
Nay, St. Peter defcribes this affair ftill more circum-
ftantially, and fixes the very number that were delivered,
i Epift. iii. 20. wherein [i. e. in the ark} FEW, that is,
EIGHT fouls, were faved by water ; and again, 2* Epift.
ii. 5. GOD /pared not the old world, but faved NOAH
the EIGHTH perfon [who with his own wife, his three
fons, and their three wives, was juft the eighth perfon]
bringing in the flood upon the WORLD of the UNGODLY.
All the ungodly therefore muft have periihed. So that
the words all and every in the above pafTages muft be
taken in the large/I latitude, and extended to the utmoft
Univerfality, with regard to the wicked. I may juft
add too, (for as many have urged the above objection
againft the Univerfality of the Flood, fo I would will-
ingly remove it by every means without being tedious)
that each of the arguments, which will be hereafter
brought, efpecially thofe from Scripture, in proof of
the Univerfality of the Deluge, will mew alfo, that the
words all and every are to be underftood in the fenfe
I contend for; becaufe Scripture (as GOD was its au-
thor) muft be confiftent with Itfdf, and with 'Truth.
His Lordfhip's difficulty concerning the peopling of A-
merica, I propofe to give an eafy folution to hereafter,
obferving here by the by, that whether we could get
over this difficulty or not, it would not invalidate the
above arguing-, which depends entirely upon the fenfe
of Scripture, and which may be corroborated by
many proofs from the natural ftate of the earth; and
where thefe two concur to offer clear, exprefs, and
united evidence, there no event in nature, which may
appear unaccountable to fome, but may be eafily ac-
counted for by others, ought to fet afide their fupe-
rior authority.
[ 14 J
THE other article which I am to confidcr, is our
Author's fuppofition (p. 135.) that only the upper fur -
face of the earth was difturbed or deftroycd at the Deluge.
For ' He does not fuppofe with Dr. Woodward^ that
* the whole material world was, at the time of the de-
* luge, reduced into zfoft pulp, but allows that every
4 thing continued in its then ftate of folidity' And yet,
he fays, ' it muft be acknowledged, that at the time
* of the breaking up of the fountains of the Abyfs, a
' great part of the materials, which were fcooped out
of the earth, as well as thofe, which then lay on. the
* furface of the fand and of the more, would be loofe,
' feparate, and divided, and would float irregularly
' in that confufion of elements, which fuch a wonder-
' ful operation muft have occafioned, not only when
* fhowered down in cataracts from on high, but alfo,
c when conveyed by the force of the waters of the fea,
* which gufhed forth, as out of a womb, to the place
' deftined for their abode,' p. 118. So that, if I
rightly underftand his Lp. his opinion is, that the
upper parts of the earth only were moved at the flood ;
and thefe irregularly thrown about by the waters of the
deluge, in large, loofe or detached, fetid majjes ; but
were not diffohed or reduced to their original atoms ;
much lefs were thejlrata, that lay beneath the places
from whence thefe parts were torn : for thus he fays,
p. 140, (where fpeaking of part of a fkeleton of an
elephant and of feveral horns of the moofe-deer, that
were found foflil in Ireland) ' klikewife hence appears,
that ibme of the low grounds in Ireland have not been
covered more than from five or ten feet thick with the
Slutcb of the deluge ; fince it is not probable that
at the time of the death of the afore- mentioned
elephant and moofe-deer, the places upon which they
were found lying, were the natural fur face vi the then
habitable earth j or as it is more clearly exprefled,
c p. 104. where we may fuppofe the furface of this
* earth was, when there were no mountains, but all
' this world was an uniform globe, covered with water
(as at the creation) there thejlrata are uniform , and
6 the feveral layers of them, whether land, clay, mi-
4 nerals, or gravel, are difpofed in an boriz/ontalfofition,
' parallel to one another.' This laft obfervation
(which is the only proof brought for his Lordfhip's
opinion, and is laid down upon the authority of Mon-
Jieur Bujfcn} is certainly falfe in fact ; as I will venture
to affirm, every one will find that will but make
ten obfervations upon the regular ftrata of the earth,
in ten different places ^ it being far more common to
find the ftrata, which lye beneath the flutch and rub-
ble left by the waters of the deluge, upon the furface
of the earth, inclined in various direftions, rather than
horizontally difpcfed; which muft undeniably prove
that fuch Jirata have been moved or difplaced, and of
courfe, that the effects of the deluge reached below what
is called by fome, the f aft-ground, or what our Author
imagines to have been the fur face of the Earth before
the flood. And I dare fay, if he will have the earth
opened in the places, where the above mentioned
horns of the moofe-deer, &c. were found, deeper
than ten feet, he will difcover as many infallible marks
of the deluge, as the horns, &c. of the aforefaid
animals, fuch, for inftance, as fea- (hells, teeth and
bones of other animals, or plants, &c. At lead
fuch are frequently found in England, beneath
what is commonly called Slutcb; and I fuppofe Ireland
was not more favoured during the deluge than Eng-
land. In fhorr, what is called Slutcb y is no more, (as
I obierved before) than that matter, which the waters
in their retreat from the ea*& at the end of the deluge,
left on places fit to receive it, as the/^/j on the fides
of mountains, the bottoms of daks, va/Jifs y &:
the fubftance of which this matter confifts, and the
manner in which it lies, evidently prove; it being
generally of a mixed nature, confifting of various fub-
ftances, and lying, not in regular ftrata, as Hone,
chalk, &c. do, but in fmall feams or ftreaks, of un-
equal breadth in different parts, and in a train, juft
as the laft fediment of water would naturally leave it.
So that it is no wonder his Lp. cannot be of opinion
that all the metallic and mineral matter of the earth
was diffolvedvrfeparated and reduced to its original atoms
at the Deluge, when it does not appear from-4iis ob-
fervations, that he ever examined the earth below ten
feet, but judged of the effefts of the Deluge upon the
whole body of the earth, from what was tranfacled only,
and that very weakly, on the fuperficial fart. But I
hope to make -it evident, both from fcripture and na-
ture, that all the ftrata offtone, coal, chalk, fciV. and all
the veins of ore in the antediluvian earth were aQually
diffolved, their conftituent corpufcles feparated one from
another, and when in this ftate of feparation, were
mixed with a large quantity of water, fo that the
whole was reduced to a fluid colluvies. But of this in
its due place and order.
HAVING premifed thus much; I mail now endea-
vour to lay before the reader a plain, clear, and full
account of the Deluge , firft, as defcribed in Scrip-
ture; fecondly, as confirmed by other hiftorical evi-
dence ; and thirdly, as corroborated by the prefent
natural ftate of the eaith. And I hope to bring fuch
proof of every materisft-cif cumftance, that all, except
thofe who will not fee, mall be able to difcern the
manifold evidence for this wonderful tranfaction. And
,in explaining this event, I defign to have particular
regard to the two above-mentioned exceptionable ar-
ticles of our author, not only becaufe He has afierted
them, but becaufe maty, other wife learned and ju-
dicious writers, as Voffms, Bifhop Stilling fleet, &c. and
fome fuppofed to be learned,- as Dr. Burnet, Mr. Whif-
ton, &c. have maintained the fame, and his Lp. has
flickered himielf under fome of their names.
WITH regard to the Scripture account, I begin with
Gen. vi. 13. And God f aid unto Noah, The end of all
fiejb is come before me : for the earth is filled with -vio-
lence through them: and behold I will deftroy THEM with
the EARTH. So that the Earth itfelf, as well as its
inhabitants, was to be deftroyefl,. The Earth, as we arc
told before, was corrupt before God -, its primitive good-
nefs and fertility had been abufed and perverted by
man, and inftead of rendering him more dependent
on and thankful to his Creator, caufed him to aflume
independency, and even to deify the earth, the imme-
diate producer of its fruits, and to forget GOD the ori-
ginal Author and Former of all. b So that GOD (in
C
* Gen. vi. 12. /^WGoD looked upon the earth, and behold it was
corrupt ; for all fejh bad coh-npted H^s WAY upon the earth, 1. e.
GOD'S way ; for their own IK ay was corrupt enough ; and they could
not properly be laid to have corrupted That. Noah we find, was
exempted from the general deftruftion, becaufe (Gen. vi. 9.) he walked
with GOD, ;'. e. he went in the true way, obferved the precepts of
the true religion, or did not depart from his GOD, CHRIST, (who is
filled THE WAY, 'John xiv. 6. and is the LIVING WAY, Heb. x. 20).
But all thofe who do dtpart, and fet up other gods, other faviours,
new protectors, of what kind or fort fot<uer, are fermed Idolaters, A-
poftates, Imogir.crs', Ccrrupters of the way, &c. and fuch will be guilty
of every evil work as well as thought ; for as their perverted thoughts
or imaginations lead the way, fo bad practice will of courfe enfue.
' Corrupting, (fays dinjkvorth on the place) is in fpecial applied to
' Idolatry, and depraving of GOD'S true fervice. Exod. xxxii. 7.
' Deut. xxxii. 5. Judg. ii. 19. as, the people arefaidto do corruptly,
2 Cbron. xxvii. z. when they facrifced and burnt incttife in the high-
' places, 2 Kings xv. 35. So Idolatry was their chief corruption here,
as may alfo be gathered by Gen. iv. 26. fee the Annotations there.'
judgment always remembering mercy) determines to
deftroy by a flood of waters the Earth that then was,
retrench its luxuriancy, and fo take away the caufeof
the general corruption ; that thus by altering the ftate
of the earth, he might neceffitate man to a greater
degree of labour, fhorten the period of human life,
and demonftrate to the future race of men, their real
weaknefs and abfolute dependence on Him. Hence
appears the neceffity for the deftruBion of the whole
globe. So that the opinion of thofe who have carried
a -partial flood to the greateft extent, and allowed that
all mankind, except thofe in the ark, were deflroyed ;
imagining that mankind inhabited only a large part
of the world ; but the brute- animals , the 'whole ; and
that the deluge did not reach beyond the parts inha-
bited by man (for wbofe Jake alone they fuppofe the
flood to have been brought upon the earth) fo that the
parts inhabited by beafts only, as the -Continent of
America, &c. were exempted from the dellruclion,
and the animals thereon preferved alive (by which they
think they get over one difficulty, viz. the repleni/hing
the earth with animals after the flood:) even this
opinion, I fay, will not ftand the teft of the Scripture
account; for the Deluge, we fee, was not aimed iblely
at the inhabitants of the earth, but included alfo the
Earth itfelf. Had Man been the only intended objett
of dtftruBion, there v/ere many ways to take him off;
there was the Famine, the Sword, the Peftilence, Fire,
Wind, and Storm at the wor d or command of GOD ; and
either of thefe might have been employed, without un-
hinging the whole frame of the earth, and dijjolving all
the fo lid ftrata thereof. But this laft method was in-
tended, was threatned, was executed, was neceffary ;
and therefore the Deluge UNIVERSAL.
I PROCEED with the Scripture account, ver. 14,
Make thee an Ark of gopher-wood; (rooms jhalt thou
make in the Ark) and Jhall pitch it within and without
[ 19 ]
with pitch. And this is the fajhion which thou Jhalt make
it of-, the length of the Ark jh all be three hundred cubits,
the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty
cubits : (a window /halt thou make to the Ark') and in
a cubit JJjalt thou finifh it above : (and the door of the
Ark Jh alt thou fet in the fide thereof) with lower, fecond,
and third ft ories Jhalt thou make it. And behold I, even
I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to deftroy all
flejh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven, and
every thing that is in the earth Jhall die. But with thce
will I eflablijh my covenant : and thouJJoalt come into the
e I have included this fentence, together with one juft before, and
another^almoft immediately following, in parenthefes, as the fenfe of
the Context requires, and the Original fully juilifies : for the word it
in the next fentence, viz. in a cubit Jhalt tbou finijb it above, plainly
refers to the Ark hot to the fffuutnv ; fince the relative it is in the
feminine gender, and the word for Ark in the feminine alfo, but the
word for Window is in the mafculine ; fo the fentence where That is,
muft be taken fsparately from the reft, or included in a parenthefis.
And the fenfe is, In a cubit thou Jhalt finijh it (the Ark') above, that
is, the top part of the roof of the Ark was to be made a cubit high
in the middle, and Hoping on each fide ; on purpofe I fuppofe that
the rain and moiflure, which might fall during the Deluge, mould
eafiiy flide off, without damaging the Ark.
As Commentators have been much puzzled concerning what this
Windo-jj in the Ark was, and I know but one Author that has pro-
perly explained it, and fince his treatife is fcarce, (viz. DICKINSOM-
Phyfica <vetus & <vera) I mall lay down, and endeavour to prove the
certainty of his explication. The common opinion is, that this
Windo-M was a Hole in the uf per part of the Ark about a cubit [quart,
or a cubit in height ; but how fuch a cavity as this could poflibly af-
ford light to the three fiories of the Ark (one of which wasdoubtlefs
underwater) and to all t\&feparate partitions in thofeftories, and to
the many 1'rJ/iuges leading to thofe partitions, and this during the
night, at leaft feme part of the night, as well as in the day, is alto-
gether inconceivable : fo^that this opinion, I think, cannot be true.
But (z* 1 *'] the foundation on which it is built, viz. thpfe words, ///
cubit tbou Jhalt fnijh it above, reft- r, as I have already fhew'd, to
the Ark, and not to the m/dw. So that (3 dl > r -) let the reader r*-
[20]
Ark; thov.) and thy fans i and thy wife, and thy fons wives
with thee. And of every living thing of allflejh^ tiyo of
every fort jhalt thou bring into the Ark to keep them alive
with thee : they Jhall be male and female. Of fowls after
their kind y and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping
thing cf the earth after his kind: two of every fort Jhall
ccme unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto
thee of all food that i* eaten, and thou Jhalt gather it to
thee ; and it Jhall be food for thee and for them. Thus did
Noah ; according to all that God commanded him fo did be.
WHAT Forefight and Wifdom were here requiiite ! I
have already proved that the Deluge was zfupernatural
irember, there is no precife outward form afcribed to this Window.
And (4 thl) ") what is tranflated, A window thou /halt make TO THE
ARK, if, render'd according to the Original, is, for, or for the ufe of
the ark, LaTaBE ; fo that a window in the common acceptation of
the word, canfcarcely be the meaning of the infpired writer. jtiuy.
The word JER (tranflated window) properly denotes a clear light,
and as IJER fignifying oil, comes fiom the fame root, and both are
derived from a verb, fignifying tojbine bright, fothe command here
given to Noah, in all probability was, to make a clear Jhining jub-
Jlance, or a bright oleaginous matter, for the ufe of the Ark. Now
fach would certainly be of great fervice by affording light to every
feparate room fmce it might be hungup in fmall *v?J}els, or other-
wife, as the circumllanccs of time and place required : this fubftance
too might be of fuch a falutifcrous nature, or fend forth fuch vivify -\
ing rays, as would greatly conduce to the health of the animal f in
the Ark. That it is poffible to make fuch a felf-Jkining matter,
either liqtid Of folid, the bermetical Phcfpbor of Balduinus, the
aerial and glacial Noflilucas of Mr. Boyle, and the Pantarba of
Jarcbus, (which laft * ihone in the day, as fire, and at night emit-
* ted a flame or light, as bright as day, tho' not altogether fo ttrong')
and many other preparations cf the like fort fufficiently evince (fee
Stackhoufe's Hijiory of the Bible, Vol. I. p. I 30.) ; and that it
might have been, or that many have been, of the above fuppofed
falutiftrcui nature, Widerifitlct in his fecond Book de Medicamentit
has plainly fhew'd. And by the command here given to Noah,
without any particular directions about preparing this fubftance, we
may fairly coiled, that he well knew of what, and in what man-
ner, to make it. 6^ h ^- The Jtwifi Rabbles feem to have had
act, and it is undeniably certain that no human know-
ledge, no natural experience, no deduction from caufes
or effects, could poffibly have given mankind the ieaft
notice of fuch an event : of courfe a revelation (as Mo fa
informs us) muft have been made to Noah, in order that
he might forefee and be provided againft fuch a tranf-
action. And not only a revelation of the Fact, buf.
the Means alfo declared, by which he might avoid
the confequences of it, and have time to take due care
fortheprefervationof himfelf and family, and for re-
plenifhing the earth with a flock of its former inhabi-
tants. As he was told that the whole earth was to be
ibme notion of the true meaning of the word under confideration'
by fup}X)fmg that it denoted a large bright Ca>t>urc/f, or frcdou?
ftone, which Noah hung up in the middle of the Ark, to give 1^
all around ; but this certainly would not wholly anfwer the end, to*"
fuch a ftone (fuppofing there was fuch) could not emit light into
every feparate partition, and all the paffages leading to the partiti-
ons, &c; fo that fame fuch Jhlning Sub/lance, as the above, which
might be carried in the hand from p'ace to place, or hung up,
or &c. was certainly neceflary and intended. 7 thl y- The Chaldee
Faraphrafe renders the woj:d for window by one fignifying fimply
light. 8 thl y- The Scptutgint Tranflators (probably not knowing
any word in the Greek that would anfwer to the Hebrew ] E R) have
omitted or elfe have fubftituted a \'erb (etrMvctfuv} for it, which con-
veys neither the idea of/ig/jf nor window ; and this certainly they would
not have done, had they thought the word meant a common window.
9 thl >' < But what adds great confirmation to the above expofition
is that the common word for window [viz. HaLUN, which is de-
rived from a verb fignifying to horc or cut thr<? t and properly de-
notes a Hole or Window in a building] is not ufed in this place j
and yet it is ufed in the account of the Ark, Gen. vii. 6. where
Noah is faid to have opened the Vf'indsiv of the Ark and let out a ru-
men. Here a Window as generally underftood, is certainly meant,
and the common and proper word [HaLUN, not JER] is ufed;
which evidently mews that fome other interpretation than that of
Window, muft be attributed to the word JER; and fince the fignifi.-
cation I have above contended for is ib remarkably corrobtf/ated by
fuch a number of circumftahces, \ye may, I prefume, juftly con-
clude it to be the true.
[22]
deftroyed by a flood of water, fb the moft he could pre-
conceive concerning the impending danger (allowing
he could conjecture thus much, which, unlefs Ship-
ping had been in ufe before the flood, he probably
could not) was, that a veflel of wood would be the
moft likely means of faving him, and all that was
neceffary to be fecured : but of what fize or form to
make this vefiel, that it might fuitably contain the
thmgs that were to be taken in, and anfwer in all other
refpects, no human wifdom, I believe, could poffcbly
adjuft. Had man been left to himfelf to form a veffel
that fliould conveniently hold a certain number of all
the 'various fpecies of birds ^ beafis, and creeping^ things in
the earth, and contain alfo proper and fufficient food
for them for the fpace of a whole year ', (forfo long the
Dduge lafted) he probably would have made the vef-
iel" unnecefiarily big, even fo large as to endanger it's
fafety : and this is pretty certain, from the objections
which thofe who have laid claim to the greateft mare of
human Reafon (viz. our wife free or rather no-thinkers}
have made to the Mofaic account, fuppofing the Ark
therein defcribed to have been of too narrow dimenfions.
But the wifdom of man is foolijhncfs with GOD, and
every objection to Scripture proves nothing but the
folly of the objector, which in this cafe is abundantly
manifefti for after the ftricteft examination and moft
accurate furvey, it has been proved by feveral learned
perfons, that the fize of the Ark, as given by Mofes,
was exactly correfpondent to the things that were to
be taken in. d And tho' Mofes could not but forefee,
that fuch objections as thefe would be raifed againft
* See BUTEO de Area Not ; cujus form* & capacitatis fuerat.
Sir WALTER RALEIGH'S HiJJotj of the World, Book I. Chap, 7.
$ 9. TLv<t the Ark <was of fuff.dent capacity. Bifhop WJL KIN'S
f>ffay toivards a real char after and a pbiiofcphical language. PzK
II. Chap. v. $. 6.
[23]
his account, yet he left it to ftand the teft, barely re-
lating the fact, not anxioufly explaining the reafon of
every thing , well knowing that he was directed in what
he faid by Infinite Wifdorn, who would order all things
in meafure^ and number , and weighty and quite fatisfied
that if man would but act the proper part and ufe his
Reafon aright, that is, not judge till he had well
weighed and confidered the fubject, the juftnefs and
propriety of what he related would eminently appear.
[Hence, by the way, we may fee the great neceflity
of much natural knowledge in order to apprehend the
philofophical parts of the Bible, and that Mofes did
not fuit his defcriptions of things to the capacities of
the vulgar, but wrote for the moft improved Under-
frandings.] Again ; as it was necefiary that Iwo at
leaft of each fpecies of animals of the land and air^ and
thefe a male and female (for future propagation; fhould
be taken into the Ark, fo it was impoflible that Noah
and his family of themfelves could have collected them
together ; many of the creeping kind&tt fo fmall as to
efcape the human fight, unaffifted by the beft GlafTes,
and probably many there are that cannot be difcerned
even by the help of them, at leaft fo far as to difcover
which are male and which fema/e ; others are of fo fwift
a flight, or of fo wild and rapacious a nature that they
cannot be caught and tamed by man: GOD therefore
muft have directed the fever al kinds in fuitable numbers
to the Ark (probably in the manner he influenced them
to come to Adam^ when they were firfl named.
Gen. ii. 19.) Agreeably to this Mofes informs us that
the fame divine Perfon who forewarned Noah of the
flood, aflfured him, that two [or rather as the word
may be render'd couples ; for more than two of fome
fpecies were taken in] of every fort Jhould come unto "him
10 be kept alive. Gen. vi. 20. All thefe articles
were neceflary to be known, all thefe preparations
neceffary to be made by thoic who could poffibly be
C ?*]
faved, and anfwer the end of their falvation (by being
able to replenifh the Earth with a ftock of its former
inhabitants) in fuch a Flood as was That in the time
of Neah. But thefe articles could not be known, nor
could thefe preparations be made without divine ajfift-
ance ; fuch affiftanc^ therefore was undeniably given to
Noah ; and it is equally undeniable, that all thofe who
had it not, periflied. Hence our Saviour reprefents the
Flood as coming upon the ungodly quite unexpectedly,
Matt. xxiv. 38. In the days that were before the flood^
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and
KNEW NOT until the flood came and took them ALL away.
Surely then none either did, or could efcape ; for, if
even a few had reached the higheft mountains, yet as
they had had no time to prepare themfelves with food
and the common neceflaries of life, they mull foon
have perimed thro* hunger.
AGAIN ; had not the Deluge been univerfal, but
partial only, and extended even over one half of the
globe, there certainly had been no need of the Ark,
Noah and his family might have retired from the de-
ftru&ion, in the fame manner as Lot and his family
did from that of Sodom and the countries adjacent, into
fome other part of the earth ; and this might have
been done in much Jefs time and with far lefs care and
trouble, than to have built fo large a veflel as the Ark
was, and prepared all the nece0ary things for the
fafety of the animals that were to be included. At
leail had the Deluge been partial, there had been no
occafion of taking in animals of every kind^ male and
female of every fort to keep feed dive upon the face of all
ihe earthy (Gen. vii. 3.) for had any iflands or countries
with the creatures peculiar thereunto, been exempted
from the common calamity (as our Author fuppofes)
it had been needlefs to have preferved fuch by means
of the Ark 3 or indeed to have taken in any of the
[ 25 ]
Brute-creation at all, fmce they might have been con-
ducted to thofe parts of the earth which the Deluge
reached not, by the fame means that they were
brought to the ark to be faved thereby ; many of the
beafs fuch as are of the fwift and wild kind, might eafily
have efcaped thither -, and the birds without difficulty,
might have fled, from the approaching danger, into the
molt diftant regions of the earth. But as all this pre-
caution was taken, all thefe meafures executed, it is
certain that GOD intended that the Deluge fhould be
ttniverfal , and we mail fee hereafter from the effefts of
it, that it really was fo.
FOR, as foon as Noah and the animals were entered
into the ark, we are told, that
All the Fountains of the Great Deep were broken up.
THE Maker of this earth (who certainly knows its
inward as well as outward ftrudure) has inform'd us,
that there is a vafl collection of waters within it, cha-
racterifed (to diftinguim it from all lejjer Deeps, Seas,
&c.) under the name of the GREAT D-E E P;
it is called Gen. xlix. 25. The Deep that lieth under,
\. e. the earth; and Dcut. xxxiii. 13. The Deep that
coucheth beneath : and in the fecond commandment is in-
cluded under the term ot the Water under the earth.
From this refervoir all fountains and rivers receive
their fupplies as the wifeft of natural Philofophers has
told us, Ecdef.i. 7. All the rivers run into the Sea [the
general collection of waters, part high up, and part
beneath, the earth] yet the Sea is not full [doth not
reach the height of, or run over, its mores]. Unto the
place from whence the risers came^ thither they return
again.* The fhell of the earth is reprefcnted as
lying directly over this abyfs, or covering it as an
e This collection of waters I have defoliated by G. H. in the fub-
fequent Plate, which the reader will confult, and alib what is faid i
Note k .
[26]
Arch ftretched over an orb of water , fo the Pfalmift,
xxiv. i . The earth is the LORD'J ; for he hath FOUNDED
it UPON THE SEAS, and ESTABLISHED it UPON THE
FLOODS; and again, cxxxvi. O give thanks to tbe'LoRn
of Lords, 'who alone doth great wonders ; to Him (for
this is a wonderful and very beneficial act) that
STRETCHED OUT the earth above the waters: So of the
jirft fediment, jlrata, and laying the foundations of the
earth, Prov. viii. 27. Whm he -prepared the heavens, 1
was there; when he fet a Circle upon the face of the
Depth ; when he appointed the foundations of the earth.
And Job xxxviii. 4. Where waft thou when I laid the
foundations of the earth ? Whereupon are the fockets
thereof faftened ? Or who had laid the Corner- flone [the
key-ftone of the arch] thereof? And ch. xxvi. 10. He
fet a Circle upon the face of the waters. So that the
fhell of the earth is of a circular form, comprehending
(as the fnell of an Egg contains the Fluid within) an
crb of water, according to the delineation in the Plate,
where F. denotes the cruft of the earth, and G. H. the
fluid within. Thus were things fituated before the
Flood, and thus indeed are they at preferit.
BUT before I can mew what the alterations wej-e
that were made in the terraqueous Globe at the time
of the Deluge, what Agents were employed, and
the Manner of their acting, it will be proper to fay
ibmething of the original formation of the earth.
THE firft Agent that is mentioned to have had any
effect towards reducing thcformlefs mafs of the earth
into fliape, is the Spirit, Gen. i. 2. And the Spirit of
GOD moved upon ihe face of ihs waters. What this
Spirit is may be judged of from fimilar pafftges in
Scripture. The word rendered Spirit [RUE] is the
fame as is ufually translated Wind, and denotes Air
in wot ion, as If a. xl. 7. The grafs wither eth, the fower
fc.dcth; bccauje the Spirit of the LORD BLOWETH upon
[ 271
it : here certainly the natural motion of the wind is
meant , as alfo it is in the following paffage, Pfalm
cxlvii. 1 6. He givetb fnow like wool; fcatteretb the
boar-froft like ajhes. He caftetb forth his ice like mor-
fels ; who can ft and before his cold ? He fendeth out his
Word [lymbolically placed for the Light cf the Sun ;
as his real Son is the Light of the world, and the Word
of life] and melteth them : he caufeth his Wind [RUE,
his Spirit] to blow, and the waters flow. So alfo, Job
xxx vii. 21. And now men fee not the bright light which
is in the clouds [more properly it means, in thejkies] :
but the Wind [the Spirit] paffetb away and cleanfcth them;
i. e. by the motion of the air the iky is cleared, and the
light rendered vifible. So again, ch. xxxvi. 16. By his
Spirit he hath garnijhed the Heavens. But what more
evidently confirms the above interpretation is, that at
the time of the Deluge when the Earth was totally dif-
folved, and. all things in \hzfame confufed Hate they were
at the beginning of its firft formation, the fame Agent
is mentioned to have been employed towards the re-
forming of it, viz. Gen. viii. i. And GOD made a
Wind ( RUE, the Spirit] to pafs over the earth and the
waters ajjwaged. Here certainly a motion in the air is
meant, and as certainly it is to be underftood in the
former cafe when we are told, that the jpirit ef Goo
moved upon the face of the waters; i. e. GOD by his
immediate power caufed a motion or raifed an agi-
tation in the (before) dark, ftagnant Air around the
earth, (and it is called His Spirit, bccaufe he alone
did, or indeed could, produce fuch a motion) which
MeReHPeT, MOVED ; this word in the original, as his
Lp. of Clogher obierves (who alfo allows that the Spi-
rit here fpoken of is the Air r ) fignifies properly ' a
f See bis Vindication of the bifivrics of the r.hi and ufw Tejlattfnt,
Part II. p. 47. Many ancient writers have thus interpreted it, as
[a8 J
fhivermg or tremulous kind of motion, fuch as a man
maketh, when he fhaketh for fear ; in which fenfe
the word is ufed Jer. xxiii. 9. or as a hen [Deaf.
xxxii, u. an eagle} ufeth when fhe expandeth her
body and wings [fiuttereth] over her brood of
chickens [her young ones]. And therefore this word
is elegantly expreffive of the vibrating motion of tie
Air? This action of the air, we are told, \yas upon
ibe face of the water 's, i. e. upon \hefurface of the fluid
turbid mafs of the earth, and therefore would have
fuitable effects upon it, i. e. by furrounding and com-
preffing the outfide, would determine the earth to be
of a fyherical or orbicular fhape, as the action of the
Air upon any fluid body, fufpended in ir, at prefent
determines it to be. But the grofs action of the Spi-
rit alone could not enter much beyond the furface
or caufe any great alteration in the Injide ; fome other
therefore more fubtle, penetrating Agent than this,
was requifite to form thejhell cf the earth or drive to-
gether the folid atoms thereof. Accordingly the
next thing we read of was the Production of Light.
Pbifo "Judfeus, Martain de Borbai, "Joannes Mariana, and two or three
of the Fathers were of this opinion, as his Lp. obferves. And even
Hobbes (whofe opinion may pleafe fome perfons better than any one's
elfe) argues thus, (Lei-iat. p. 208.) 4 Gen. i. 2. The Spirit of GOD
* moved upcn the face of the waters. Here if by the Spirit cfGoo
' be meant GOD himfelf, then is motion attributed to GOD, andcon-
* fequently place, which are intelligible only of bodies, and not of
* fubftances incorporeal ; and fo the place is above our underihnding,
c that can conceive nothing moved that changes not place, or that has
' not dimenfion ; and whatfoever has dimenfion is body. But the
4 meaning of thofe words is beft underftood by the like places, Gee.
viii. i. Where when the earth were covered with waters, as in the
* beginning, GOD intending to abate them and again to difcover the
' dryland, ufeth the like words, I will bring my Spirit upon the curt b t
* and the tnatertjball be dimlnijhed: In which place by Spirit is un-
derftood a wind, (that is, an air or fyirit moved'] which might be
called (as in the former place) the Sfifit of GOD, becaufe it was
GOD'S work.'
And GOD faid [decreed, commanded] Let there be
Light ; and there was Light.
HERE an Agent is introduced, the moft fubtlc
as well as moft powerful of any in nature. We all
know, that Light paffes freely thro' the hardeft and
clofeft of terreftrial fubftances, and when its atoms
are collected in a focus, will feparate and difiblve the
parts of the moft compact body. Here then are
two very powerful Agents , one that difplays itfelf
principally by preJJ'ure, the other by penetration. And
what might not fuch Agents as thefe do, in the hand
of the mighty Creator ? No Command in Nature
could be infuperable to fuch fervants, under the
direction of fuch a Mailer. We need not therefore
wonder, if we mould hear of great and mighty events
brought about by thefe Agents in ever fo ihort a fpace
of time, nay, if the earth, from a formlefs, fluid,
confufed mafs^ mould be made, within the fpace of a
day or two, into a folid habitable Globe. To effect
which, thefe Agents are put in commiflion by the fol-
lowing Command.
And God j aid, Let there be a Firmament [Marg. Ex-
pail/ion] in t fa MIDST of the WATERS \\htfluid, chaotic
mafs of the Earth, called Waters before, ver. 2.] and
let it [there] divide the waters from the waters. The
reader then will remember that this whole tranfaction
was to be upon or in the Earth, not in the midft of the
heavens or in the Air at a vaft diftance from the Earth,
as many Commentators have imagined, but the whole
tranfaftion was to be in the midft of the waters of the
Earth. And the words plainly imply, as others in
this chapter do, a Command to natural Agents to
operate. Light had been formed, had reached and
afted upon this Globe : and wherever Light and Spi-
rit [or Air in motion] are, there would of courfe be
a ftruggl$ between them, and this ftruggle would pro-
duce an Expanfion, this expaniion a divifion, and fo
on. The word tor Firmament, RaQjo, explains what
the Firmament is ; the word fignifies, as we fee in
the margin of our bibles, Expanfton, and the mean-
ing is, Let the Light and Spirit expand and diffufe
themfelves, and let them prefs into the mixture, called
Waters^ and let them act in, among, or between the
'parts of it, and drive the folid parts together, and
thereby make a feparation, and with the parts fepa-
rated a dhijton or wall between the waters ; fo that
one moiety of the waters mall Jie on one fide of this
wall, and the other on the other fide. To explain
how this was done : the Earth, we are told, was
created void, (Gen. i. 2.) i. e. hollow, emptyivithin (as
the word means Ifa. xlv. 18.) or with a large central
Hollow (called, Job xxxviii. 8. the womb of the earth)
rilled only with air, as every hollow place in the earth
at prefent \sfilled. As foon therefore as the light had
reached .this central or inward air, there would in-
itantly commence a conflict between them, or a ftrug-
gling this way and that as from a center; which is ob-
vious to every ordinary capacity in the cafe of a blad-
der that is flaccid or half- filled with air, when held
before the fire. The light, (which not even the
clofeft-compacted fubflance can deny a paffage to)
iflues forth from the fire, and penetrates the pores of
the bladder, drives itfelf in amongft the grofs air,
which muft force That to pum itfelf every way out-
ward, and diftend the fides of the bladder that in-
clofes it. Thus would the inward Expanfe or ex-
panding-air act upwards every way from the center
to the circumference of the Chaotic mixture , while
the out-ward Expanfe or the light and fpirit on the
outftde of this globe would act downwards on and
through every part of it. And by thefe two equal
and counter-acting agents the earthy Qr folid ^par Is of
[30
the chaotic mafs would be driven together into a
fpbericaljbett at a confiderable diftance irorn the cen-
ter of the earth, and there be fuftained ; and as the
earthy or folid parts would be driven together into a
clofe hard fhell or cruft, fo by the fame action would
the fluids be permitted to (lip between on each fide
of this cruft. Thus would \hzjhell of ftone or tbe
Earth be formed between two orbs of water ; one orb
would cover the outward furface ; the other would
cover, or by the force of the expanding air from the
center, be prefled clofe to, the inward furface of the
earth. Such being the fituation of things, it will
now be apparent to every one how the earth was
founded upon and formed between the waters. And as
the fliell or cruft of the earth was driven together by
the expanfive power of the air, and formed between
two orbs of water, fo the Firmament acted the part it
was commanded of dividing the waters from the waters.
AND as the Expanfion had this power from the
Creator (for He firft caufed the motion in the, before,
dark ftagnant air ; that motion, produced Light , that
Light and that Spirit an Exparfon, &c.) and as it was
now immediately under the influence of its Maker ,
and acted according to his Directions; fo (and to pre-
vent the Ifraelites from imagining it to be a God, and
not the work of GOD, as the idolatrous nations did)
Mofes adds,
And God MADE the Firmament; and divided the Heaters
which were under the Firmament, from the Waters
which were above the Firmament.
THIS is a further defcription of things, in order to
prevent our miftaking where the Waters divided, and
where the Airs dividing, were; and to prepare the
reader for what was to follow. The Expanje, as we
have feen, acted from above and from below, .and by
forming the cruft of the earth in the midft of the*
[32]
Waters, feparated the waters from the waters , WhicK
waters, thus feparated, would be in two diftinct orbs ;
one covering the outward furface of the earth, which
therefore would juftly be defignated by the waters
under the open Air^ Heaven , Firmament ^ or Expan-
Jion; in the fame fenfe as the hills (Gen..v\\. 19.) are
faid to be under the heaven ; and as thefe waters then
covered the whole furface of the earth, they were
more immediately under the heaven. And as we
have feen already there was a body of expanding
air at and round the center of the earth, fo the wa-
ters that were directly above this inward Expanfion,
$. e. thofe which were clofe to the concave furface
of the earth, would properly be denominated Waters
above Air^ Firmament ', or Expan/ion.t That there
was really a body of expanding air at and round the
center of the earth (on which fuppofition the above
interpretation depends; and ignorance of this has
produced all the difficulty which this part of Scrip-
ture has been thought to labour under) is evident, not
only from its being afferted that the earth was created
comparatively hollow^ or filled only with air ; but from
the text under confideration : For (i ft.) here is ex-
prefs mention made of two Expanfes, and the opera-
s The reader may have an idea how things were fituated at this
time from the PLATE annexed (tho' not principally deiigned for this
purpofe) by a little mental alteration. Let D. denote the outward
Expanje^ (unrounding, compreffing and penetrating the mafs of the
Earth. Letthe vacant Space, E. (encompaffing the Earth) be fup-
pofed to be filled with the water H. as it was at this time, and then
this water will fignify the waters utidtr the [outward] Firmament or
Expanfe. Let the Spaces defignated by H. and 1. be filled with the
Air or Expanfe E. and then this will denote the in-Mard Expanfe t
acting upwards; and the orb of water G. will ftand for the waters
above the [inward] Firmament or Expanfe.
And thus the fhell of the Earth F. will be formed between two orbs
of wattr, by the a&ioa of the tiva
[33 ]
tlon of each, as I have Ihewed already, was on or in
this earth. It is allowed by all, that one Expanfe
acted on the outward or convex furface of, the globe ;
the other therefore muft be within, and act on the
inward or concave furface. But (zdly.J had there
not been an Expanfion from within, or from below,
as well as from above, there could have been nofepa-
ration of waters from the waters, or the /hell of the
earth could not have been formed between the waters ;
for had the outward Expanic acted only, it would
have driven the folid parts of the terraqueous mafs
quite down to the center, in the fame manner as it
now precipitates mud or any earthy folid fubflances
through the waters of the fea ; and in this cafe the
earth would have been formed as a. folid ball, or kernel,
at the center , and all the water would have lain over
it in one united mafs, in the fame manner as the at-
mofphere at prefent covers the earth. But there was
a Separation of waters from the waters, by the interven-
ing Jhell of the earth, formed by the expanfive power of
the Air ; and therefore there was an inward Expanfton
as well as an outward. And as there was an orb
of water, feparated from the terraqueous mafs, by this
inward Expanfton, fo it could be no otherwife diftin-
guimed than by being called (as it. is) Waters above
the Firmament, or Expanfwn. But then a queftion may
be afked, How mould this inward orb of water be
fuftained, or kept clofe to the inward or concave fur-
face of the earth, and fo be prevented from falling
down to the center ? I anfwer, by the fame means
that the outward orb of water was kept clofe to the
outward or convex furface of the earth, or as the fea
is at prefent prevented from falling down through the
clouds (cfpccially at our antipodes, to fpeak as the vul-
gar would moft naturally think) or from returning
again to cover the earth (though the earth be rcvolv-
D
[ 34]
ed fo immcnfely fwift on its axis) all which is ef-
fected by the compreffure of the Expanfion, or the Air
acting on the outward furface of it-, which Agent
might as well keep waters above it as under it ; for
there is no fuch thing as innate gravity, or natural
tendencies of bodies to centers, &c. All matter, as
our modern philofophers allow, is dead, innert, in^,
attive, quite indifferent to every kind of motion ; and
therefore cannot poflibly move unlefs impelled , and
which way fo ever it is impelled, either upwards, down-
wards, or fideways, thither it muft move. Sir Ifaac
Newton in feveral parts of his writings fpeaks of Gra-
vity as being no more than Impulfe, and attributes the
Caufe of it to an <etherial medium, or jubtile fluid *;
which way foever therefore fuch a fluid impels, that
way muft motion be. And with regard to up and
down, or above and below, every child in philofophy
knows that they are only relative terms, refpecting
our fituation upon the earth. No fuch difference can
properly be applied to the inanimate agents ; which
muft of courie act uniformly the fame, up or down,
juft as they are placed, and have room to exert their
power : And as at this time they were differently
fituated from what they are nowj there being a body
of expanding-air at the center, as well as one upon
the circumference of the earth, fo each would pro-
duce the fame effect on the fide it acted againft, /. f.
feparate andfupport an orb of water.
THE Earth being thus totally covered with water*
the next requifite ftep would be to free its furface of
this fluid, and permit the dry land to appear.
HENCE we read the next Command of GOD was,
And GOD faid, Let the water under the Heaven be
gathered together unto one place [or be united], and let
the dry-land appear. The waters were before in two
" Frittc. Mat. 3 d. Edit. p. 147. i8S. 488. Optics p. 323. 29.
[ 35 1
places i one orb, covering the outward furface of the
earth \ the other, incloled within its inward furface.
The former of thefe muft be gathered to the latter,
that is, the waters that were under the heaven or open
air (viz. thofe which were upon the outward furface of
the earth, and which prevented the appearance of the
dry-ground) were to be gathered together to thcfe be-
neath the earth, which was the only place where there
were other waters. The manner how this was effected
by the Agents then in Commiffion may eafily be con-
ceived. As the matter of the heavens would be more
and more melted down by the intenfe fiie at the focus
of the primaeval light, fo would the flrength of the
Expansion be increafed, in proportion to the quantity
of matter melted, and the degree of agitation , and
how great its force muft have been on this the third
day, may be partly gathered from the extent of its
fphere on the fourth, which reached by that time the
other orbs, and even the fixed ftars, as is evident from
ver. 17. The Light and Spirit having fuch an im-
menfe fphere of action, and acting very powerfully
near the earth (as is certain from the quick growth
of vegetables, &c. on this, the third day) would prefs '
ftrongly upon the outward furface of it ; and by the
continual and new admiffion of light, through the melt
to the central air, the inward expan/ion would be vaftly
heightened and increafed (in the manner defcribed p.
30.) and by this means would be made to act more
forcibly againft the inward or concave furface of the
earth. This force continuing to act with increafed
vigour, would foon crack, cleave, and break the fhell
of the earth in many places, and fo make room for
the waters that covered the outward furface to defcend,
or be prefied down through thefe cracks ; and as the
inward air went out, the outward orb of waters would
rufli in, and fupply its place -, and fo be mixed or
united with the waters that were beneath the earth.
[3H
And thus by the waters under the heaven [viz. thofe
that once filled the Space E] being gathered together
to thofe that were beneath the earth, [viz. H. where
was the one place appointed for them all, and when united
in this one place they would conftitute the Great Abyfs^
G. H.] the dry-land would of courfe appear, and the
Command be effected. And GOD called the dry -I and
[that which was at firft immerfed in the waters, but
now prominent above them] EARTH -, and the Gather-
ing together [the whole collection] of the waters, called
he [under the general Name of] SEAS. And thus
would the Earth be formed, much of the fame fhape
it is at prcfent, and as the Plate annexed reprefents it.
FROM the defcription here given how the Earth was
at firft formed, we may obtain an eafy folution of the
fevcral feeming difficulties relating to the Deluge.
For, firft, we have here difcovered where a body of
water lies, (viz. G. H. the great Abyfs) fufficient to
flood the Earth to an immenfe height, for but part of
this water (viz. the orb G.) once covered its whole
furface. And we have alfo difcovered two very pow-
erful Agents, cne [viz. the Spirit or Air in a violent
motion j capable ot performing the grander! tranfaftions
by pre/ure ; the other (viz. the Light] capable of dif-
playing immenfe power by penetration. We have
feen that thefe two Agents (under GOD) feparated the
Solids from the Fluids of this globe, drove them to-
gether into a hard circular JheU, and permired the fluids
to flip on each fide i and by renev/ed vigour and re-
doubled power, cleaved^ cracked, and broke this
ihell in various places and fo opened a way for the
water that covered the outward furface of it to de-
fcend, part into the infide, and part to occupy the
large cavities it had made in-the mell, and fo confti-
tute feas, lakes, and by this means fo diverfify the
furface of this globe, with land and water, as to ren-
[ 37 ]
der it a commodious and a pleafant fituation for its
future inhabitants.
BUT as thefe inhabitants, about 1600 years after
the formation of this beautiful feat, had greatly abufed
thegoodnefs of the maker, forgot the original Author
of it, and deified the Creature, inftead of the Creator;
GOD determined, by inverting the order of Nature,
to deftroy them, and demonftrate his power over the
natural Agents to the future race of men, by bringing
a flood of waters over the face of the whole earth, and
fo making the air defcend into the place of the water,
and the water afcend into and occupy the place of the
air, and by this means deftroy that wicked generation
in the moft dreadful manner.
ACCORDINGLY GOD publifhes his Declaration, Gen.
vi. 17. And behold 7, even 7, do bring [MCBIA, am the
caufe or inftrument of bringing] a flood of waters upon
the earth to deftroy all flcjb, &c.
AND as foon as Noah and his righteous family were
entered into the Ark, we are told, The fame day all
the fountains of the Great Deep were broken up.
WHAT the Great Deep is we have feen already, and
alfo that the orb of the Earth furrounds it as a ihell ;
and moreover have feen, that this fhell was at firft
formed whole and entire by the expavfrce pcwcr of the
Air or Firmament, and by an increafed ftrength or re-
doubled force of that Power was cracked and broken
in various places, in order to permit a quantity of wa-
ter that covered its outward furface to defcend into
the inlide.
Now, an Agent that could once by the direction of
its maker, do this, could do the fame at any time,
when that divine Author pleafcd. The force of
the natural perpendicular Preflure of the air upon the
earth is known to be very great-,* and its lateral
* The Weight of Air on every fupeificial Snuare Feet is alvu'e
" 2cco Pound M'tigbt." And " fince the Nvmber of Square Miles on
[33 1
or horizontal preffure, as in cafe of high winds and tem-
pefts, will renefthe rocks, and elevate the v/aters of
the Ocean to a prodigious height. So that the Power
of this Agent being preternaturally increafed, and
its force exerted upon the water of the Ocean and of
courfe upon thai of the Abyis (which is connected
with it and lies immediately under it) would caufe
thofe waters to ifTue from their (before) confined ftation,
buril open their common outlets or the paffages for
fprings, fountains, &c. and flood the earth in pro-
portion to the quantity of water emitted. The Con-
fequence of fuch an extraordinary Preffure of the
Air may be judged of from the EfffSs which a fimilar
preffure of this Agent had upon the waters of the
Red Sea, recorded Exod. xiv. 21, 22. xv. 8. When
a Jlrong Wind [RUE, a violent Spirit or Agitation
in the Air] drove back the waters of that Sea, caufed
(be foods thereof to jland upright as an heap, and
IK ere a wall to the Children of ifrael en the right
hand and on the left as they faffed through. Now
a Continuation of fuch a Force as this upon the
waters of the Sea and thofe of the Abyfs would cer-
tainly break open the fountains of the Abyfs, and
raifc the water above the Tops of the higheft moun-
tains or to any height whatever. To one of the above
acts the Pfalmift alludes when he fays, (Pfal. xviii.
15.) T'ben the fprings of water vere feen, and the foun-
dations of the round world were difcovered at thy chiding,
O LORD, at the blajling of the breath of thy difpleafure.
The effects alfo of zftrong Wind or a violent agitation
" the Earth's Superficies is* computed 1992^0205, and in one Square
" Mile are 27878400 Square Feet, the Square Feet on the Earth's
" Superficies will befiMnewhat above 5547800000000000; whence
" the Weight of the Icicle Atmcfphcre, or its Prefiure on the Super-
" ficies of the whole Earth, is more than 11095600000000000000
*' Pounds, or much about jcccooooocooocro Tons ; that is. the
" Atmofphere compreileth the Earth \vith a Force, or Power, nearly
equal to that of" ei-jf-thyui~und Millions of Mi Hi -im 'f 'Tons.'" Sje
Maftiiit f biUJopbical Grammar. Page i So, &c.
[39]
of the Spirit are defcribed i Kings xix. i %, When Ifaiab
had an exhibition of fome grand difplay of the Power
of GOD, And behold the LORD pajjed by, and a great
and ftrong Wind rent the mountains and brake in 'pieces
the rocks before the LORD , and after the Wind [as a
confequence of this violent agitation of the air] c.n
Earthquake : And fuch certainty there was at the Dif-
ruption of the fhell of the earth in the time of the de-
luge. A very terrible event this (fays a certain Au-
thor) no lefs than the fhell of (lone broken up in many
places, and fhartered in all the reft ; all the Inlets,
Under- Seas, Lakes, &V. made Fountains-, and all
the ftrata which formed their fides, and the fides of
the old Springs, thrown up unto the furface ; fpouts
of vapours to darken the fky, and vaft fpouts of
water rifing like fountains, making a dreadful noife;
rifing in the fea, and running to the fea, and the fea
rifing and driving the people, &c. to the mountain
tops, their laft fhift; where they with fright, rain, or
hunger, perifh'd ; or thofe who furvived 'till the wa-
ters came were deflroyed by them. And thus alfo
the beginning, procefs, and completion of the deluge
are defcribed in the book of Job, ch. xxxviii. 8. Who
poured out*- (fays GOD) the jea thro* doors, when it brake
forth, as if it had iffued out of the womb ? When I made
the Cloud [grofs air] the garment thereof, and thick dark-
nefs [condenfed, ftagnant air] a fwaddling-band for it
[this muft have been at the time when the flood was at
the higheft, when the inward Air or Firmament (or the
air which had preffed upon and at laft broke its way
thro' the fliell of the earth) had driven out great part
of the water of the abyfs, occupied its place, and fup-
ported the remaining part ot the water againft the in-
ward or concave furlace of the earth-, and when the
outward Air or Firmament, furrounded and comprdfed
the upper orb of water, clofe to the outward furface of
[ "\D ( from "]D3 fudit, rjfudit, ftrfudit liquor* aiiquo. MAR. CAL.
[ 40]
the earth]. And then I brake up for it my decreed place,
[i. e. the fhell of the earth which I had formed and
eftablimed between the waters ; and by breaking this,
permitted the upper waters to go to their appointed
place ; and when once retired thither] / fet bars and
doors, andfaid, Hitherto JhaJt thou come, but no further ;
and here jh all thy proud waves be Jlayed.
BUT what is more than all this, an effect greater
than the difruption of the fountains of the Abyfs, is That
which follows,
And the windows of heaven were opened.
Mr. HUTCHINSON is the only Author I know of,
who has properly explained thefe words, I fhall there-
fore give the reader his explication ; Mcfes's Principia,
p. 70. ' The windows of heaven have been taken for
imaginary falls of water from above the heavens, from
the clouds, from the air turning into water, &c.
Synop. Crit. Tom. i. p. 97. ' CataraEfa c<eli, &c.
4 i. e. 'The Cataraffs of heaven, the windows, holes,
1 openings or cataraffs of HEAVEN, /'. e. of the AIR,
' asGfif. i. 7. Ifai. xxiv. 18.' Crit. Sacri, Tom. i.
p. 147. ' Nam Cataraff<tefte Hieronimo, 6cc. i.e. For
c a Cataraft, according to St. Jerom, is a hole in a
' wall, fuch as fmoak gets through. Ifai. Ix. 8. as
' doves cnvo'iN SK (by Sym.) to their doors [GufJaj]
6 to their windows. Ifai. xxiv. 18. The windows of
' heaven were opened-, li. 6. The heavens /hall vanijh
1 like fmoak. ' 'Tis plain, Cataraf*e fignify windows,
holes, (luices, or flood-gates, or cracks or chinks in
walls or buildings, fuch as fmoak paffes through
out of one houfe into another, or windows fuch as
pigeons go in at, or cracks or holes in the walls of
great buildings or rocks, fuch as pigeons creep into
and harbour in. This word is mod clearly compared,
and is the very fame they fay it is. The Airs, and
the Ab\fs of waters, are each called GOD'S Stcreboufe;
and the wall between them is thtfpbere of the earthor
[ 4' ]
* Shell Q^ theStrata offlom^ in which there are innumerable
* cracks^ through which the fumes or vapours or mix-
.* /#ra ;/'/ air, like fmcak> continually pafs at the
* famttpajfage, fometimes up for rain, &c. and fome-
' times down. 5 ' 11 [So that the phrafe windows of heaven
k Mr. HUTCHINSON, in his Olfervatioat in the year 1706,
(\ft. edit. p. 93.] remarks, (long before, I believe, he had any
thought of interpreting the paffage under confideration in the manner
he has done) ' Through the cracks in the ftrata, the water alfo paffes
' to fprings. In fair clear weather, when there is any wind Jlirring
' and motion in the Air above, the air telo<vu in mines pafies fo fenfi-
bly at thefe cracks, as fometimes to blow out a candle. But when
< the rains are rifing, the moifcure expels the air, and caufes fuch a
' fcarcity of it, or elfe a want of circulation of that air, that the can-
' dies will not burn ; and withal fuch a fenfation of heat to men, as
' fcarcity of air, in other places, does It is plain, the air will be
* thus expelled out, and return alternately into thefe cracks, as the
Steams that fupply rain, fill and quit them.' The fame is re-
marked by Dr. Woodward ; and the free intercourfe between the /tir
belo-M and our Atmofphcre or the air above, through every cranny in
the earth, is fully proved ; and the alterations or the rife and fall
of the mercury in the Barometer are fliewn to depend thereon ; vid.
his Nat. liijl . of tbi Earth illus. &c. T raffia tor's Intreduflion, p. i co
153. See alfo Lcvut harp's Ab>idg*. of the Phil. Tranf. Vol. II. ch. iii.
and Gcjjer.di animad. in \ o um librum Dioginit Laer/ti, Vol II. p. i oc 2.
I may here obferve, with regard to the text under confideration,
that the word nn~)i< (tranflated windowi) is derived from the verb
3~1X which fignifiesto lie in nuait, to lurk privily in a den, to ivatcb
in a kale, undtr cover ; as Pfalm x. 9. n"1K he lieth in wait ftcretly
as a lion in his den. Job xxxviii. 40. The young lions abide in the
(overt to lie in wait. And the word 3.1X figninuth a dcr, or hole, or
cave in the rock, asje xxxvii. 8. Then the btnjls go into deus [aiK].
And even the Septuagint Tranflation of this word, xax-ax'ai, in-
cludes much of the meaning of the Hebrew, as ue&etyu&m is derived
from xcC'xr^xcau to ijffitt out, to break through ; and may be rendered
thcp/ace of rupture or breaking through ; it alfo fignifies a Gate, fee
Scup. Lcxi. So that the fume idea of a bile, cavr. p'-Ji^e, '-punia?, &c.
is prefervedin all the above places, the context in each place deter-
mining the precife meaning of the word Hence other paiiages, which
feem to differ, maybe reconciled to this explication, aa 2 l\mgi vii. 2.
where, on account of an extreme famine., a Nobleman for difLelieving
the word of ////?, (who had foretold that there ihculd fccn be a great
pknty of ficur and barley) fays, Ij thi LORD ivea/d make windows
[ 42 ]
may here be rendered the paflages of the Airs.'] c In
* the narroweft acceptation the pajjages of the Airs are
' through every fffure^ and between every fragment of
c Stone, and they are fo many, that moft forts of Stone
are divided by great cracks, into pieces of perhaps a
[openings, paj/ages] in [not of] heaven, [and thro' them pour down
flour and barley, as he had heretofore rained down manna upon the
children of Jfrael, Pfalm Ixxviii. 23, 24 ] might this thing be ? And
again, Malachi iii. 10. where GOD, accufing the Jt ws for robbing
him in hii tithes and offerings, promifes (if they would repent)
that he would rebuke the deftroyer that he Jhpuld not defray the FRUITS
of their ground, and fays, Prove me now, If I 'will not open you the
windows of heaven [the paj/ages of the Airs'] and empty out a blejjing,
that there /hall not be room enough to receive it. Here is the very
fame phrafe ufed as in the text under confideration, and muft be un-
derftood in the fame fenfe. The Abyfs is called GOD'S Jiorehoufe ;
and ihefruit/u/nefs of the earth or Vegetation, depends much upon
the influences thereof, or water fentfrom thence, as any one may be
convinced by confulting the Authors juft referred to, but I /hall con-
fine myfelf to Scripturg. Ezekiel comparing the proud AJJyrian to a
fourifhing Cedar in Libanu<, nouriihed by the fubterranean waters,
fays, (xxxi. 4.) The WATERS made him great, the DEEP fet him up on
high vjith HER rivers [fo rivers proceed from her, the Decp~\ running
about his plants, and Jent out her little riven unto ALL THE TREES
OF THE FIELD : therefore his height nuas exalted above all the trees
of the field, and his boughs vjcre multiplied, and his branches became
tang, BECAUSE OF THE MULTITUDE OF WATERS, 1V/je he Jhot
forth. And the Blrftdncfs or Fruitfulnefs of a land is attributed to
the Deep below as well as to the Heaven above, Deut. xxxiii. 1 1.
BleJTedofthe LORD be Jofeph's Land for the precious things of hea-
ven, for the dew, and for the Deep that coucheth beneath. And
Gen. xlix. 2;. we have exprefs mention of the Blejfings of the Deep
or Abyfs. So that, vvith-holding or clofmg up the pajfeges in the
earth, thro' which the waters, Jt earns and kindly vapours arife for
tnoiliening the Earth, and nourijhing its plants, would certainly ren-
der a land dry, barren, and dcfolate ; and on the contrary, opening
thefe pa/ages, and permitting the vapours to afcend, would greatly
conduce to \kefruitfulnefs or ble/cdnejs of a land. The reader by
viewing the irregular black jirottes in the figure of the fhell of the
earth, reprefented by F, in the fubfequent plate, may have a ftill
clearer idea what thefe pa/ages of the Ain arc, and how the Abyfs
is the Storehoufe from whence they are fupplied.
[43]
tun weight, &c. How far the parts were divided,
and the cracks opened at firft, is not to be deter-
mined ; but they were opened, and the fragments
diftanced fo wide, or in fo many places, that the
Airs went down into the Abyfs as faft as the Waters
came up, quantity for quantity. But the Continu-
ancr and Repetition of this force would by degrees
reduce them fmaller and fmaller. If we carry this
expreffcon of the pajfages of the Airs being opened to
the utmoft exte.nl, the Waters, much more the Airs,
pafs between the grains or fands of moft forts of ft one -^
and perhaps it will at fome time appear that the
parts of the Airs pafs between every atom of ftone,
and then the words imply a DISSOLUTION, as it
really was, though executed by degrees, as men, &c.
were deftroyed.'
As there are other texts which mention the Diffolu-
tion of the Earth, it may be proper to cite them ;
Pfalm xlvi. i. God is our refuge; therefore will we
vot fear, though the Earth be removed [ B E M i R
be changed, be quite altered, as it was at the Deluge]
find tho* the mountains be carried into the midft of the
fea i though the waters thereof roar, and be troubled,
tho' the mountains Jhake with the fwelling thereof;
God uttered his voice, the earth MELTED [THCMUG,
flowed, dijfched to atoms 1 '] So Job xiv. 19. which I
Ihall tranQate nearly according to Pagninus's verfion ;
that being the nearefl of any other to the original ;
For truly the falling mountain diffohed, and the rock [the
ftrata of ftone] was removed out of its place. The wa-
ters dafljed the ft ones to pieces , and wajhed away the pro-
d','Hs of the dtift of the earth : and thou deftroyedft tfo
hope of man. Again; Chap, xxviii. g. in which alfo
I ihall chiefly follow Pagninufs verfion, Us fent his
hand [the ExpanfiGn, his Inftrument or the Agent by
. ! MAR. CALAS. : ; n eft Difihth & Diminu.'tc.
[ 44 ]
which he worked] againft the Rock ; he overturned the
mountains by the roots; he caufed the rivers to burft
forth from between the rocks ( or broke open the fountains
of the abyfs]. His eye [fymbollically placed for the
Light'] faiv [patted through or between] every minute
thing [every atom ; and lo dijfolved the whole]. Pie
(at laftj bound up the waters fro-,n weeping [i. e. from
prefTmg through the fhell of the earth, as tears make
their way thro' the orbjjftf the eye i or, as its related
Gen. viii. 2. be flopped I he fountains of the ab"fs and the
windows of heaven]. And brought out the Light from
its hiding-place [i. e. from the inward parts of the
earth from between every atom, where it lay hid, and
kept each atom feparate from the other, and fo the
whole in a ftate of dijfolution ; his bringing out thefe
parts of the light which caufed the Diflblution would
of courfe permit the Agents to act in their ufual
way, and fo re-form the earth]. 2 Efdras. viii. O
Lord, whcfe fervice is conversant in Wind and Fire ;
whofe word is true ; whofe look drieth up the depths,
and indignation makcth the mountains to melt away,
which the Truth witneffeth, [which the word of GOD,
and prefent natural ftate of the Earth bear witnefs to].
VER. 12. And the Rain [the vapours which were
carried high up into the Atmofphere, and formed
into rain] was upon the earth [falling and fubfiding]
forty days and forty nights. And the waters increased,
and bare up the ark ; and the waters prevailed and
increafed greatly upon the earth \ and the ark went
upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed
exceedingly upon the earth ; and all the high hills,
that were under the whole heaven, were covered \
fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the
mountains were covered.
m From mention being here made of Mountains, as fubfilting un-
der the waters of the deluge, fome have imagined that Thy were not,
US]
So that, there was no high Hill or Mountain upon
any part of the earth which was before covered with
air, but what was now covered with water ; of courfe
the Deluge was univerfal. But an irrefragable ar-
gument may be drawn from thefe words againft a
partial Flood, or an univerfal one effected by partial
means, if I may fo fay, that is, by the waters firft
warning over one part of the earth, and then the fame
water proceeding on and overflowing another, and fo
fuccefiively, 'till in the end the whole was drowned.
For, according to Scripture, the water rofe gradually
and equally, and at laft covered all the high hills and
mauntains at one and the fame time, fo that the Flood
could not have been of the above-mentioned wan-
dering nature, as fome, for want of knowing where a
fufficient quantity of water lay for flooding the whole
earth, have falfly imagined. Befides, it is alto-
gether impoffible to conceive, that the waters could
have rifen to the height of any high hill under heaven,
and not at the fame time to have been of equal height
over the whole earth , for the parts of water are diffu-
five, having no tie or connection with each other ; fo
that as they mounted upwards they would fpread and
extend themfelves equally on all fides ; and at the fame
time that they covered one high hill, they would of
courfe cover all others of equal height over the whole
face of the earth. For we are not to imagine
and of courfe that the <u.bole earth was net, dijol<ved Curing the flood.
Uut fuch feem not to confider that the DiJJoliftiqn (as obferved above)
was executed by degrees, as men, &c. were deftroyed. It is faid in-
deed that on the day that Noah entered into the ark ALL the foun-
tains of the Great Deep were broken up, but it is not faid, that ALL
the ivineio-ius nf heaven or all the paJJc%(S of the airs were opened on
that day, and it does not appear that they were all opened or the
earth totally difTolved 'till the third and laft prevalance of the wa-
ters, or the event mentioned ver. 24, was effected; as the comment
en thaiverfe will fhew.
[46 )
without a miracle of a mod aftonifliing kind (which
in this cafe is not to be admitted, becaufe not men-
tioned) that 4 a huge mafs of water could have hung
' about any particular part of the earth, as if congealed;
' or flood upon the middle of it like one great drop,
' or a trembling jelly, and all the places about it dry
c and untouched,' as an author obfervesi and then
that this faid mountain of water fhould be removed, or
rolled to another place, and fo on, 'till at length it
had cove-red the whole earth. This fliift to avoid
one real miracle, is only multiplying a number of
others that never were effected-, and I may juft add
here the obfervation of a judicious Divine, ' that no
' man departed from the common faith upon pretence
* of avoiding any abfurdity therein fuppoied, but that
* he ran himfelf upon the neceflity of believing greater
' abfurdities than any he pretended to avoid.'
' WHAT is related above, that the waters prevailed
fifteen cubits upwards , and (or according to the tran-
flation of Jun. and 'Tremel. after) the mountains were
covered, does not feem to be fpoken to determine the
precife height of the waters, but only to denote that
all living creatures muft have perijhed in fuch a flood ;
For it immediately follows,
And allfiejh died that moved upon the earth, both of
fowl^ and of cattle^ and of beaft^ and of every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the Earth^ and every man ;
Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him
in the ark.
VER. 24. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an
hundred and fifty days.
As this is mentioned after the mountains are faid to
have been covered fifteen cubits (which was only related
to denote the means by which allflejh perijhed) we may
reafonably fuppofe, that the waters prevailed anew or
continued to prevail for feme time at leaft after the
[471
mountains were covered fifteen cubits -, efpecially if we
confider that there is no mention yet made of the foun-
tains of the Abyfs or the pajfages of the Airs being clofed;
fo that the waters were flill preffed upwards, and
reached in their real altitude far above fifteen cubits
higher than the mountains -, as many appearances in
and on the earth undeniably evince.
It may be proper to remark here, that the word
rendered prevail, fignifieth fomewhat more than the
bare increafe or augmentation of the waters, (tho' that
idea is alfo included) for a diftincl:, and very proper
word for the increafe of the waters is ufed ver.
17 and 18, and the waters increafed [IR C BU, were
multiplied]. And the word which we render prevail,
very juftly has that meaning ; it denotes power ; Jlrengtb
to prevail, get the better of, to fubdue -, fo that by the
waters prevailing upon the earth may be meant (efpe-
cially as this prevalence is mentioned three times, ver.
1 8, 19, and 24) the total Subduing or Diffolution of
the earth by the waters : Mofes by this expreffion giv-
ing us to underftand, that the waters had atted upon
the earth infuch a manner and effected it to fuch a degree,
as to have reduced it, like itfelf, to a fluid, loofejtaie-,
at leaft, this muft have been the confequence of fuch
a prevalence of the waters ; for, as the Paffages of the
airs are faid to have been opened and the fountains of the
Great Deep broken up, BEFORE this Prevailing of the
waters, it could not but be, that the waters, as they
rofe upwards from the Abyfs, would make their way
thro' thefe Pajfages, and by continuing and repeating
this action, would feparate and widen the pores of the
earth, and at laft reduce it to its original principles or
unformed, fluid, chaotic condition, mentioned Gen. i. 2.
So that the Earth muft now have been totally diffolved
in the water.
[ 48 ]
VENGEANCE having been thus executed upon the
wicked, a polluted earth deftroyed, and cleanfed
by water; the next procedure would be to form it.
again. Accordingly we are toldch. viii. i. that GOD
(who delights not in feeing things in diforder, but pi-
ties when he diftreffes) remembered Noah, and every liv-
ing thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark.
And God made a Wind [RUE, the Spirit} to pafs
over the earth, and the waters ajfwaged.
THE fame word that is here rendered Wind is tran-
flated Spirit in the account of the firft Formation of
things, (as I have already obferved) Gen. i. 2. And
the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And as the motion then raifed in the air by the im-
mediate power of God, was the primum mobile or
chief Caufe of bringing the Earth out of its chaotic
flate into its intended beautiful form, fo the fame Agent
is here employed in order to re-form the earth af-
ter its deftruction or diffolution during the deluge:
and of courfe the fame effects followed. The
Waters were before increa/ing and prevailing upwards,
but now they are ajjwaged, and prevented from
extending their orb by the faffing of the Spirit over
them. The Spirit had before acted through the earth,
and by its impulfe broke open the fountains of the Abyfs
and the windows of heaven, but it was now made to act
in its ufual way of preffing only or chiefly upon the fur-
face : things therefore would now be returning to
their former courfe, and the fame effects enfue as had
been largely defcribed in the account of the firft For-
mation, and fo needed not to have been repeated here.
HENCE we read in the next verfe, The fountains of
the Deep, and the windows of heaven were flopped, and
the rain from heaven was retrained.
THIS was no more than a confequence of fetting the
Powers of Nature to work, as at the firft. The earth
[49]
had been difiblved, and all the atoms of the ftrata of
ftone floating loofe and irregularly in the waters ; but
as foon as the natural agents began to operate, as foon
as the outward and inward Expanfe [z. e . the Light and
the Air without and within the earth] began to aft,
to make a divifion between the waters, they would drive
all the folid parts of the earth together (much in the
fame manner as the fame Agents at prefent feparate and
impel the particles of (lime and mud in dirty water)
into a Jhell or cruft and permit all the Fluids to flide
between ; fo that there would be two orbs of water and
one Jhell of ftone or the cruft of the earth between them ;
as things were circumftanced on the^aWday after the
creation, Gen. i. 6, 7. When, by the interpolation of the
folid Jhell of the earth, the 'waters were divided from the
waters, and the earth would be in the fituation it is
defcribed to be in by St. Peter* (2 Epift. iii. 5.)
during the height of the Flood* And the Earth ftand-
ing out of the water and in the water ; whereby the
world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perifoed. The account of the deftruftion of the
earth and of its Re-formation illuftrate and confirm
each other : in order to deftroy the Earth the fountains
of the Great Deep were broken up, and the paffages of the
Airs through the ftrata opened, but at the Re-formation*
Mofes tells us, they were both flopped of clofed* and
even the vapours for rain prevented from rifing. So
that the folid {hell of the earth permitted neither the
waters to defcend, nor the vapours to afcend : and of
courfe the Shell muft before have been dijfolved t& atoms;
for had it been only broken or fractured into large pieces,
it could not have been fo clofed 01 joined together, but
that both waters and vapours would have paffed through ;
and in this, cafe it could not have been laid, that the
of the Airs were flopped.
F;
Tntjhell of the Earth having been thus confolidated
and formed anew, did not, and indeed could not, re-
main long whole and entire. For, as the Expanfe or
Firmament had now received its full, if not new,
powers of acting, the Light (which penetrates all ter-
reftrial bodies) would ibon make its way through the
waters and ftrata ofjtcne to the comparatively thinner me-
dium or air at the center of the earth (for it muft be re-
membered that the air or that part of our Atmofphere,
which at the beginning of the deluge, was forced down
into the Abyfs, drove out the waters from thence, and
elevated them over the furface of the whole earth, would
there continue as long as that elevation laded, and fo
conftitute an inward Air or Firmament) caufe there a
rarefaction, and fo increafe the force of the inward
Expanfe, which by this means would a<5b more ftrong-
ly againft the concave part of the fhell of the earth,
and" by continuing to exert and extend its power on all
fides from the center, would by degrees make fmall
cracks and crevices in the fhell, and at laft by receiving
new ftrength and increafed vigour open and widen
thefe cracks, fo as to permit the water, that covered
the furface of the earth, to be prefled down through
them into the Abyfs by the force of the outward Ex-
panfe, as was the cafe at the firft Formation. Hence
it follows in the next verfe
And the waters returned from off the earth continually.
IN the verfe preceding, the fountains of the abyfs and
the windows of heaven were clofed^ fo that neither va-
pours nor waters could pafs ; but here we find that
the waters are returning i. e. going back to the place
from whence they came-, they came, we faw, from
the Abyfs, fo that new inlets or apertures into the
abyfs muft now have been made for the defcent of
the waters, otherwife they could never have returned
from whence they came j or have been gathered into
[5- ]
ene [and their former] place. They returned from off
the earth^ CONTINUALLY, or as tranflated in the mar-
gin, in going and returning^ in flowing backwards and
forwards, in fluctuating here and there; for as the
Airs began to afcend before the Waters began to de-
fcend, they would of courfe impede and in part drive
back the waters and fo caufe a fluctuating or reverbe-
rating motion in them ; and by this means alfo the
waters would be prevented from rulhing down too
faft and from tearing the {hell of the earth too much.
VER. 4. And the ark refted upon the mountains of
Ararat. As antiquity, and the tradition of the coun-
try at prefent, teftify." <
VER. 8. And No ah fent forth a dove from him^ to fee
if the waters were abated from off the face of the Ground:
but the dove found no reft for the fole of her feet andjhe
returned unto him into the ark. Again he fent forth the
dove out of the ark. And the dove came into him in the
evening, and to, in her mouth was an olive-leaf [or
branch ; an emblem of peace~\ pluckt off: fo Noah knew
E 2
* See Univerfal Hiftory, Vol. I. p. 239, &c.
Some have imagined from the circumftance of the Dove*s bring-
ing Noah a leaf or branch pluckt from a tree, as a proof of the dc-
creafe of the waters, that this Tree muft have been landing upright
Or in its original pofition : otherwife a branch pluckt from it could
not have ferved for fuch a proof; and therefore, if the Tree was
thus ftanding on the ground, it muft follow, that the earth was not
total' y diflblved during the Deluge. But fuch feem not to have
confidered that whether the earth was difTolved or not (but that it
was, I think, I have abundantly proved above) it had been impof-
fible for any thing upon the furface, fuch as Houfes, trees, Sec. to
have withftood the prodigious torrents of water that muft have rufh-
ed down from the mountains, after they had been covered far cibo<vr.
ffteen cubits high ; but of all things, far lefs capable were trees and
vegetabhi of withftanding thefe torrents, becaufe as the waters had
been out upon the furface of the earth foe federal months, it could
not be, but that, by their irregular motions in flowing backwards
and forwards, they rmiil foon have difiblved, liquified of di
[52]
that tie waters were abated from off the earth. And he
ft aid yet other feven days ^ and fent forth the dove-, which
returned not again unto him any more.
VER. 13. And Noah removed the covering of the arkj
and looked., and behold^ the face of the ground was dry.
So the dry-land appeared by the return of the wa-
ters to the place from whence they came, in the fame
manner as they had done at firft, when GOD com-
manded that the waters under the heaven Jhould be ga-
thered together unto one place (the abyfs) and the dry
land appear.
VER. 15. And God fpake unto Noah [as GOD had
ordered Noah to enter into the ark at a particular
time, fo Noah waits the divine command for his COITH
ing out] faying^ Go forth of the ark, thou and thy wife+
and thy fons wives with thee. Bring forth with thee
every living thing that is with thee^ of all fle/h^ both of
fowl and of cattle, and of creeping thing that creepeth
the vegetable mould and all the loofe parts on the upper furf ace of the
earth ; fo that all trees would have fallen of courfe, as the ground,
on which they flood, ga<v e <way : hence Noah could not but conclude
(had he ever feen a common ftorm, attended with violent rain) that
in fuch an inundation as was That in his time, when GOD affured him,
be would dejlroy the 'whole earth ; all trees, &c. muft have been thrown
down upon the furface ; and therefore if the Dove brought him a leaf
from one, it muft have lain along upon the ground ; and fo be as full
a proof of the abatement of the waters, as if it had been {landing up-
right. And that the olive-tree did thus lie, feems evident from trie
prefent ftate of things on and near the earth's furface ; it being very
common to find prodigious numbers of trees lying juft beneath the
vegetable mould, in fuch a manner as the waters ruming from the
neighbouring mountains would naturally leave them.
But there is another folution to this difficulty, which, confidering
the emblematical ilyle of Scripture and the circumftances of the cafe,
may be thought more juft than the former ; tho' very reconcilable
with that interpretation. As it is particularly mentioned that Noah
ftaid juft fe<ven days before each time of fending out the Dove, fo in
all probability the day on which he fent her out was the Sabbath ;
and the time of the day, juft after he -had performed religious fer-
vice ; as he might moll rcafonably think that would be the beft for
[ 53 ]
upon the earth ; that they may breed abundantly in the
earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. And
Noah went forth and his fom and his wife, 6JV. And
God blejjed Noah and his fans ^ and f aid unto them, be
fruitful and multiply, and replenijh the earth.
HERE the fame blejfling for repleni/hing the earth ivitlo
men is beftowed upon Noah and his family, as was
pronounced upon the firft pair of the human fpecits ;
and zfimilar declaration made with regard to the brute-
animals that came out of the ark to be fruitful and mul-
tiply upon the earth, as had been done at their firft for-
mation: whence it muft follow, that the earth, after
the flood, was as entirely void of any living creature
of the land or air (except thofe that were preferved by
the ark) as it was before any fuch were in being.
And therefore the Deluge, in this refpecl;, was unquef-
jtionably uni-verfal.
expefting a blefling or a favour from heaven : Accordingly, at the
fecond return of the Dove the divine fignal was brought, an Olive-
branch, an emblem of peace, in token that the -waters wrre abated
and the/ary of GOD'S wrath upon a wicked world was ceafmg, and
that joy and comfort would foon fucceed to the afflicled righteous.
And unlefs this branch be looked upon as a divi ne fignal and pro-
videntially given, it will be difficult to fay what could induce the
Dove to bring any branch at all, and why an Olive-branch, and
that this ihould be particularly mentioned ; when faying that a leaf
or branch was brought, had been fufficient, without fpecifying the
tree from whence the branch was taken; unlefs fomething particu-
lar had been intended thereby. And, that the Olive-brat,ch was
an emblem or f.gn of Peace, Yriendjhif, or Abatement of Anger, Dif-
cord t tjfc. throughout almoft the whole world. See Ph-git's ^eid.
Lib. viii. 116. & Lib. xi. 101. L'wy. Lib. xxix. 16. PokHus,
Lib. iii. And we learn from Coiumbufs Voyages, chap. 101. that
this Symbol was ufed even in America. So tlien Noub as foon as
he faw the Divine Signal, deciphered the meaning thereof, and
knew that the waters were abated. In this view, it does not at all
fignify, whether the tree, from whence the branch which the Dove
brought was pluckt, was lying down or /iand:ng i, fright : for the
furtnularfpccies of tree fpoke its own meaning.
[ 54]
An EfXplanation of the C o p p E R-P LATE,
REPRESENTING
The internal ftrufture of the terraqueous Globe, from the Center to
the Circumference, and the Air around it.
D. The outward Expanfe or the open Firmament of Heaven.
E. A drcular Space filled with water during the height of the Deluge,
- but now with the Air that came from the central Hollow of the
earth; and atprefent conftitutes what we call our Atmofphere.
F. The Jhell of the earth broken into innumerable apertures and
fjjures, of various lhapes and fizes ; the larger of which, f. f. f. f. f.
being filled with the water that defcended from the furface of
the earth, form Seas and Lakes ; the le/er (which branch from the
former, or pafs immediately from the under-part of the fhell of
the earth to the tops of the higheft mountains) ferve as canals for
the water which fupplies Springs and Rivers to run in ; the leaft
cf all (denoted by the irregular black ftrokcs in the folid fhell of
the earth) represent the cracks thro' which vapours principally
afcend.
G. H. The Great Abyfs of water within the earth - f with which all
Seas, Lakes, Rivers, &c. communicate ; and from whence they
receive their fupplies. G. H. are divided from each other by a
dotted circle, becaufe one of them reprefents the water that, dur-
ing the Deluge, covered the whole furface of the earth, but
which was afterwards forced down, thro' the above-mentioned
larger apertures and fifTures, to its original place, as the inward
Air was forced out thro' the letter and oblique figures : and the
ether cf them reprefents that part of the Abyfs which, during
the Deluge, remained beneath the earth.
}. A folid Ball or Nucleus of terreftrial matter, formed from what
the water in its defcent from the furface, and paiTage through the
flrata of the earth, tore off", and carried down with it into the
Abyfs, and repented at the loweii place, the center of the earth.
j^ So that the Opinion of the Ancients concerning the Earth's re-
fembling an" Egg has great propriety in it : for the Central Ku-
c-'fus, ( I. } by its innermoft lituation and ihape, may well repre-
ient rhe Yolk ; the Abyfs of water, (G. H.) which furrounds it,
and is in a middle pofition, may ftand for the clear fluid of the
White ; the Cruft of the Earth ( F. ) (allowing only for its breaks
and cracks) by its roundnefs, hardnefs, uppermofl fituation, and
little inequalities on its furface, isjullly analogous to the Shell,
And on this account the term tks Jhell of the earth is frequently
ufed in this treatife.
[ 55]
COLLECTION
O F T H E
Principal Heathen Accounts of the Flood.
given at large an explanation of the
Mofaic Hiftory of the Deluge-, I fhall now
fubjoin the teftimonies of feveral Heathen Na-
tions in proof of the fame facb. For, it may juftly
be liippofed, that did any iuch event really happen,
it could not be but that all or mod nations upon the
earth muft have retained fome knowledge or tradition
of it. And if upon enquiry it fhould appear that the
fame of the Deluge has gone throughout the whole
world, that almoft every nation upon earth has fome
ftory or other to relate concerning it , it will certainly
follow, that there has been fuch an Event, and that
it was univerfeiL But of fuch deductions and corol-
laries as thefe hereafter.
To colled all the evidence that might be produced
on this occafion would be endlefs and needlels ; I
fhall therefore felect here and there particular ac-
counts from the moft eminent nations ; and in ga-
thering thefe, /hall travel quite round the world.
I BEGIN with the great and famous nation of the
Romans. Many of their writers, both Poets and
Hiftorians, make mention of an univerfal Flood ;
but one may fpeak the voice of all. I mail take
That of Ovid-, who, purpofing to relate fome parti-
cular circumftances of the hiftory of mankind from
[56]
the beginning, regularly proceeds from the formation
of man, thro' the feverai ages of the world, to the.
time of the Deluge j the caufe and manner of which
(after having related the height of impiety and wick-
ednefs that reigned upon the earth during the iron-age}
he thus defcribes, Metam. Lib. i.
Neve for et terris fecurior arduus tether^ &c. i. e.
c Nor were the Gods themfelves more fafe above ;
* Againft beleaguer'd Heaven the Giants move :
' Hills pil'd on hills, on mountains mountains lie,
' To make their mad approaches to the fky.
' Till Jove no longer patient, took his time
* T'avenge with thunder their audacious crime ;
* Red lightning play'd along the firmament,
' And their clemolim'd works to pieces rent.
* Sing'd with the flames, and with' the bolts transfix'd,
* With native earth their blood the monfters mix'd j
f The blood, indu'd with animating heat,
* Did in th* impregnant earth new fom beget.
' They, like the feed from which they fprung, accurs'd,
' Againft the Gods immortal hatred nurs'd ; p
' An impious, arrogant, and cruel brood j
' Expreffing their Original from Blood.
* Which when the KING of GODS beheld from high
' He figb'd ; nor longer with his pity flrove ;
' But kindled to a wrath becoming Jove.'
<c Mankinds a monfter, and the ungodly times
" Confederate into guilt , are fworn to crimes.
" All are alike involved in 'ill, and all
li Muft by the fame relentlefs fury fall" *
p This anfwers to the Scripture account of the Giant i, the 4pof-
tates (thofe rebels to the Will of Heaven or Word of God] that were
before the Flood, and to the children, the Sons, that {prang from
them, who were 'iuorfe than their Fathers, fee Gen. vi. 15-
i Gen. vi. 12. Ai:d God LOOKED UPON the earth, and BEHOLD //
was corrupt ; for all Fkjb had corrupted his way upon the earth.
[S7l
f Thus ended he , the greater Gods afient,
* By clamours urging his fevere intent ;
' The lefs fill up the cry for punifliment.
4 Yet (till with pity they remember man
4 And mourn as much as beatfnly Spirits can.
* But Jove
c Concludes to pour a watry Deluge down,
4 And what he durft not burn, refolves to drown.
' The Northern breath, that freezes Moods, he binds,
' With all the race of cloud-difpelling winds.
' The South he loofed, who night and horror brings ;
' And fogs are fliaken from his flaggy wings.
* With rain his robe and heavy mantle flow,
4 And lazy mifts are lowring on his brow.
c The fkies from pole to pole with peels refound,
* Andjhow'rs inlarg'd come pouring on the ground.
4 ! Impetuous rain defends.
4 Nor from his patrimonial Heav'n alone
' Is Jove content to pour his vengeance down,
4 Aid from bis Brother of the fe 'as he craves;
6 To help him with auxiliary waves.
4 The watry Tyrant calls his brcoks and feeds,
* Who roll from mofly caves (their moift abodes)-,
4 The floods, by nature enemies to land,
4 And proudly fwelling with their new command,
4 Remove the living ftones, that ftop'd their way,
4 And gufhing from their fource, augment the fea.
4 Then with his mace, their Monarch ftruck the ground ^
4 With inward trembling earth receiv'd the voundj C
4 And rifmg fir cams a ready p^Jfage found. \
Aad it REPENTED the Lard that be lad made man on the earth, and
it GRIEVED him at lit heart. And the Lordjnid, Zivi/t atflrty man
nv^om 1 have created, &c. and bring a FLOOD OF WATERS t<poti the
earth to dejlroy all f.ejb, &c. The reader, as he proceeds, may
make many fuch finking refemblances as thcfe between Scripture
and Heathen Hiitcry.
' Th' expanded waters gather-on the plain ;
' They float the fields and overtop the grain ;
* Then milling onwards with a fweepy fway,
* Bear flocks and folds and lab'ring hinds away.
* Nor fafe their dwellings were, for fap'd by floods,
* Their houfes fell upon their houfhold gods.
* The folid piles too flrongly built to fall,
* High or'e their heads behold a watry wall.
* Now Seas and Earth were in confufion loft ;
4 A world of waters, and without a coaft.
' The moft of mortals perifh in the flood ;
' The fmall remainder dies for want of food.
' A mountain of ftupendous height there Hands
4 Betwixt th' Athenian and Emotion lands,
' Parnaffus is its name ; whofe forky rife
c Mount thro' the clouds, and mates the lofty fkies.
* High on thv- Summit of this dubious cliff,
6 Deucalion wafting, moor'd his little Jkiff.
* He with his wife were only left behind
* Qfperijk'd man\ they two, were hitman kind.
* The mountain Nymphs and Themis they adore,
' And from her Oracles relief implore.
c The moft upright of mortal men was he,
' The moftfmcere and holy woman, fhe.
' When Jupiter, furveying earth from high
' Beheld it in a lake of water lie ,
' That vv;ere fo many millions lately liv'd,
' But two, the beft of either fex furviv'd ;
' He loos'd the Northern Wind ; fierce Boreas flies
' To puff away the clouds and purge the fkies :
c Serenely, while he blows, the vapours driv'n
* Difcover Heav'n to Earth, and Earth to Heav'n.
DRYDEN.
FROM Rome let us proceed to Greece. I fhall here
take the teftimony of Lucian or the author of the book
de Dea Syria, as it will include that of the Scythians^
[ 59]
Syrians ; and Arabians ; as well as Grecians. Ot ^fv
w TToXfoi ArjxaAiwKa, &c. i. e. ' Many fay that this
4 temple [that at Hierapolis in Syria] was built by
' Deucalion, the Scythian. That Deucalion, I mean,
in whofe time the greateft inundation of waters was.
I have heard in Greece, what the Grecians fay con-
cerning this Deucalion. The ftory they relate, is as
< follows : The prefent race of men was not the firft,
( for they totally perimed ; but is of a fecond genera -
tion, which being defcended from Deucalion, in-
( created to a great multitude. Now of thefe former
men they relate this ftory : they were infolent, and
addicted to unjuft actions ; for they neither kept
their oat-hs, nor were hofpitable to ftrangers, nor
c gave ear to fuppliants , for which reafon this great
c calamity befel them : on a fudden the earth poured
forth a vaft quantity of water, great fhowers fell,
* the rivers overflowed, and the fea arofe to a prodi-
c gious height j fo that all things became water, and
* all men were deftroyed : only Deucalion was left unto
a fecond generation, on account of his prudence
* and piety. He was faved in this manner : he went
* into a large ark or cheft which he had, together
c with his fons and their wives , and when he was in,
* there entered fwine, and horfes, and lions, and fer-
* pents, and all other creatures which live on earth,
* by pairs. He received them all, and they did him
* no hurt ; for the Gods created a great friendfliip a-
' mong them ; fo that they failed all in one cheft
' while the water prevailed. Thefe things the Greeks
' relate of Deucalion. But, as to what happened after
6 this, there is an ancient tradition among thole of
' Hierapolis, which deferves admiration ; viz. that
4 in their country a great chafm opened, and received
4 all the water , whereupon Deucalion erected altars,
* and built the temple of Juno, over the chafm.
[ 60 ]
* This chafm I have feen, and it is a very fmall one
* under the temple , whether it was formerly bigger,
and fince lettered, I cannot tell ; but that which I
have feen is little. In commemoration of this hif-
8 tory, they do thus : Twice in every year water is
* brought from the fea to the temple, and not by the
* priefts only, but all Syria and Arabia, many come
' from beyond Euphrates to the fea, and all carry
* water, which they firft pour out in the temple and
* afterwards it finks into the chafm ; which, tho* it
' be fmall, receives abundance of water. And when
* they do this, they fay Deucalion inftituted the cere-
* mony in that temple, as a memorial of the cala-
* mity, and of his deliverance from it. r
WE will next pafs to Egypt ; whofe ancient inhabi-
tants have retained the knowledge of the Deluge under
the hiftories of Ofiris and Typbon ; as is evident from
what Plutarch fays concerning them in his Jfis and
Ofiris. For firft he informs us p. 30, (of Squire's edi-
tion) that they relate, ' that when Ofiris was born, a
* voice was heard, faying, The Lord of all the earth is
' born,' and p. 42. that ' in their funeral-lamentation
' over him, they bewail'd him, who was born on the
' right fide of the world, and who periled on the left*
P. 17.' He is faid to have been put into a cheft,' and
they particularly aiTert, that it was on the i yth day of
the month Atbyr [fee Gen. vii. u] and thrown into
the fea" After thefe things Ofiris is faid to have re-
turned from the other world, and to have appeared to
his fon Orus. The perfon who thus ukd Ofiris is laid
to have been one 'Typbo,* which name the Egyptians
1 LUCIAN de Dea S\ria, Tom. U. p. 882. Vid Univir. Hijlory
Vol. I. p. 203.
The name Typbo according to fo'me learned men fignifies a De-
luge or Inundation ; fee JURIEU'S Dicirines and 'WQ'Jhip of the church.
Part. in. Tr. iv. And Ttfhon, or as the Latin Poets call him
[ 6i ]
explain by interpreting it the Sea 9 and they call tbg
fait ofthefea^ Typbo'sfoam, p. 42. and p. 54, agreeable
to this interpretation is what we are further told^
4 that Typho was once in pojjeflion of the portion orpro-
* vince which belonged to Ofiris , by which they mean,
* that Egypt was once covered with the Sea. Which
' opinion, fay thefe philofophers, is probable enough,
c from that great number of fea-fhells, which are not
' only dug out of their mines, but found likewife upon
' the tops of their mountains , and hence likewife it
* is, that their fountains and wells, though many in
* number, have all of them a brackifh or faltiih tade,
' with them, as containing the vapid relics of the fea*
' water, which once covered their whole country.'
FROM Egypt we will proceed to Babylon^ and fee
what the Chaldeans relate of the Deluge. I mall cite
their teftimoriy as preferved by Jofephus, in thcfirft
book of his Jewijh Antiquities, p. 10. T <fc xa?xAw<r-
ftoy ToyJa, &c. i. e. ' But of this [the Noachian] Deluge
' and the ark all the heathen hijlorians make mention j
' among whom is Berofus the Chaldean, who, relat-
' ing the particular circumftances of the Deluge,
' writeth thus, ' It is reported, that part of the fhip
' as yet remaineth in Armenia on the mountain of the
* Cordy<eans ; and that fome perfons taking off -the
' alphaltus [bitumen or pitch] carry it away, and
' that men make ufe of that which is thus taken off,
* by way of charm, to avert evil.' And again, in
' his difpute with Apion, he publickly appeals to the
* teftimony of the fame Berofus^ as being agreeable to
' that of Mofes (Book the ift. p. 1044.)
Typhus, is reprefented as a monftrous Giant warring againft heaven ;
and who was at laft overconie by 'Jupiter, and as one fays, lies new
fubmerjed in water. APOLL. ARC Lib. 2. The Arabs at this
day expqefs the general Deluge by the word al tufan ; UNIVERSAL
HIST. Vol. I. p. 200.
[62]
- 5 , &c. e Now this Berofus following the moft
* ancient records, writeth the hiftory of the Deluge,
* and of the deftruction of mankind therein, juft as
c Mofes hath related it ; and alfo of the Ark^ in which
' Noah., the Chief or Leader of our race, was faved
* when it was carried to the tops of the Armenian
* mountains. 1 And if the Babylonian Antiquities,
that now pafs under Berofus's name, be truly tranf-
lated from the Original (and I fee no reafon to
imagine that they are not, fince, as far as they re-
main, they are confiftent with, at leaft do not con-
tradict, what Jofephus and other writers have quoted
from the Original 1 ) his account of the Deluge is as
follows, c Ante aquarum cladem famofam, &c. i. e<
* Before that famous devaflation of waters, in which
c the whole world perifhed, many ages had pafTed,
c which were faithfully remarked by our Chaldeans.*
* They write that in thofe times there was a great
* city of Giants, called Mno^ fituated near Libanus^
who governed the whole world, from the rifmg to
4 the fetting of the fun. Thefe trufting to the great-
4 nefs of their bodies and ftrength, and having in-
' vented arms opprefled all, and being (laves to their
4 luft found out mufical inftruments, and all kind of
' delights. They devoured men, and procured abor-
* tions on purpofe to drefs them for food ; they pro-
e mifcuoufly lay with mothers, daughters, lifters,
' men and brutes ; and there was no kind of wicked-
4 nefs which they did not commit ; they were de-
' fpifers of religion and of the Gods. Then many
6 foretold and prophefied, and carved out upon
* I think what his Lordfhip fays on this head in the firjl part of
his Vindication of the hiftoriet of the Old and Neiv Te/iametit, p. I 2 1
128. juftifies this afi'ertion. Berofxs was a Chaldaan Prieft ;
and lived about 270 years before the birth of CHRIST.
[ 63 1
c (tones the things relating to that deftru&ion which
* was foon to come upon the world. But they,
* following their old courfe, derided all fuch admo-
6 nitions, tho' the anger and revenge of the Gods
4 were ready to fall upon them for their impiety and
wickednefs. There was one among the Giants who
' reverenced the Gods and was more wife and prudent
' than all the reft ; his name was Noa ; he dwelt in
* Syria, with his three fons Sem^ Japet, Cham, and their
6 wives the great ffdea 9 Pandora^ Noela, and Nocgla.
' This man, fearing the deftruction which he forefaw
c from the ftars would come to pafs, began, in the fe-
' venty-eighth year before the inundation, to build a
(hip covered like an ark. Seventy-eight years from the
' time he began to build this Jliip, the Ocean of a
' fudden broke out, and all the inland feas, and the
rivers and the fountains burfting from beneath, (at-
* tended with moft violent rains from heaven for
* many days) overflowed all the mountains -, fo that
the whole human race was buried in the waters ;
' except Noa and his family who were faved by means
' of the (hip , which being lifted up by the waters,
* refted at laft upon the top of the Gordyaan moun-
c tain-, of which, it is reported, there now remaineth
' fome part, and that men take away the bitumen
' from it, and make ufe of it, by way of charm or
* expiation, to avert evil. We mud therefore-.
' allow from thefe premiies, that which both the
' Chaldeans and Scythians write of, that, after the
* earth was dried from the waters, there were no
' more than the above-mentioned eight perfons in
' Armenia Saga^ and "that from thefe all men upon
* earth fprung ; and for this reafon it is, that the
4 Scythians jumy fay and call NOA the father of all the
' greater and leffcr Gods, the author of the human race,,
' and feed of the world.
[ 64 ]
FROM the Babylonians we will go to the Ajfyrians.
For whom let Abydenus fpeak, whofe authority is thus
cited and publickly appealed to by Eufebius, Prepar.
Evang. Lib. ix. Cap. 12. * MfS' w aAAot TZ >ipai/, x>
' Sfto-tdp*, &c: After whom others reigned, and
' then Si/itbrus ; to whom Saturn foretold that there
6 fhould be a great flood of waters (or mariy fhowers)
* upon the fifteenth day of the month Defuis ; and or-
* dered him to hide whatever writings he could find,
' in Heliopolis? a City of the Sippari. Siftthrus having
* performed this, immediately failed towards Arme-
* ma ; and inftantly after, thofe things which GOD
* had foretold came to pafs. And on the third day,
* when the tempeft was ceafed, he made a trial, by
* fending out birds, to fee if they could efpy any land
* uncovered of water. But they finding nothing but
' the immenfe Ocean, and not knowing which way
* to dire6l themfelves, returned to Sifitbrus , and af-
ter thefe he fent out others. That the third time
' it anfwered, for the birds returned with their feet
* all mudded. But as for Si/itbrus, the Gods took
' him from among men. And the Ship was carried
c to Armenia, and afforded the people of the country
' amulets of wood, to difpel difeafes. u
FROM Affyria we will pafs into Perfia. Dr. Hyde^
in his Hijtoria religionis veterum Perfariim^ p. 171.
writes thus, ' Veterum Perfarum orthodoxi credunt
u That by the Floods of Deucalion and Sijithrus, as alfo that which
is faid to have happened in the time of Ogyges, the ancients could
iean no other than the general Deluge in the time of NOAH is abun-
dantly evident from the relations themfelves, but if the reader is
defirous to fee it circumftantially proved, he may confuh the fol-
lowing Treatifes, Bp. STILLI^G-FLEET'S Origines facr<e, Lib. iii.
ch. 5. . 5. GALE'S Court of the Getitiks, Part I. Book 3. ch. 6.
RAY'S Three Phyf. Thcol. Difceurfa, p. 66. KIRCHER'S Area
Noa-, Lib. 2. cap. 6. GROTIUS de Verit, Lib. I. cap. 16,
HiDEGGR.'.s HiJ}. Pafriar. Exer. xviii. . xliii.
diluvium, &c. t The orthodox among the ancient Per-
* ' jians believe a. Deluge, and that it was univerfal, and
4 overwhelmed the whole earth. But as they have
4 various opinions and fentiments concerning all thofe
4 things which are Ib remote in antiquity, they differ
' fomewhat among themfelves and run into fables.
4 For Ibn Shabna, the Arabian, in his book de Prirnis
* 6? Poftremis afferts, That there are fome among the
^JVlagi who deny a Deluge ; others he fays, acknow-
4 ledge it ; but lay that it was not univerfal, and that
' it did not reach beyond the top Of a mountain near
* Huhan , a city fituated between the confines of Af-
4 fyria and Perfia. From the opinion of Zoroaftef
4 they maintain, that there had not been a Deluge,
4 neither had the world been drowned, but for the
* iniquity and diabolical wiles of that moft wicked of
4 mortals, Malcus. In the Book Pharb. Sftr. ttye
* famous mountain, where Noah dwelt when the wa~
* ters of the deluge broke out from it, is mentioned ;
* and Zala-Cupha is faid to be the name of the old wo-
4 man, from whofe oven the waters firft iffuedout.'
FROM Perfia we will enter the Eaft-Indies, which
eoifntry being vaftly extenfive, the inhabitants nu-
merous, and of different feels and orders, it is no
wonder that fome (as is afferted) deny a Deluge, and
others affirm that there has been one. But if the tra-
dition of it has reached this part of the world, it will
be fufficient for our purpofe. LORD in his Difcourfe
of the Banian Religion, c. 6 & 7. informs us, ' That
4 the Bramins fay, that the four tribes or cafts, of
* which the firft race of men confided, de-generating
4 from their primitive innocence, the Prieft neglect -
4 ing his piety, the Soldier becoming infolent and ty-
c rannical, the Merchant praclifing deceit in trade,
4 and ufing falfe balances, and the Artizan fpending
4 the profits of his inventions in riot and excefs ; their
[ 66 ]
4 impiety and wicked nefs grew at length to fo infuffer-
' able an height, that GOD'S indignation was juftly
* provoked, and he fent a Flood^ which dejiroyed all
* nal'^m -without exception. Atter which GOD, to re-
* pair mankind, created three perfons of greater ex~
' cellency than thofe of the former generation , to one
' of whom named Bremaw^ he gave the power of cre-
* ating men and animals, which he executed according-
' ly : the firil human pair proceeding, one from his
' right fide, the other from his left. The man was
' called Manow, and the woman Ceteroupa, and by
* them was the earth replenifned.' w Father Boucbet,
fpeaking of the Indians, efpecially thofe that live about
Maduras and Carnate, writeth more largely thus,*
* They fay, that Parabardvafwn, i. e. the Supreme God,
* has created three inferior Divinities, viz. Bruma,
.* Vichnou^ and Routren. To the firft he has given
* the power of creating ; to the fecond of preferring 5
' and to the third, that of deftroying.* The God
' Routren, who is the grand deftroyer of all created
* beings, refolved one day to drown all mankind, pre-
' tending he had juft reafons to be dhTatisfied with
* their behaviour. This defign was not kept fo fecret,
* but it was found out by Vicbnou, Preferver of all
* creatures, who difcovered the very day on which the
' Flood was to happen. Though his power did not
' extend fo far' as to fufpend the execution of what the
* God Routren had refolved upon, yet, as he was the
' God-preferver of all created beings, this gave him a
' right to prevent, if poflible, the pernicious effects
* of it. The method he took for that purpofe was as
* follows. He one day appeared to Sattiavarti, his
w Univer Hift. Vol I. p. 229.
* See his Letter to the Bifliop of A-vrancbes, printed in Picar?*
Cerent, abrid. p. 379.
* great confident, and privately affured him, that an
4 univerfal Flood would foon happen ; that the earth
4 would be covered with water, and that /?0#/ra;'s de-
4 fign was no lefs than that of thereby deflroying all
* mankind, and every kind of animal. He neverthe-
4 lefs affured him that he himfelf need not be under
4 the leaft apprehenfions ; for that in fpite of Routren,
6 he would find opportunity to preferve him, and to
* take fuch meafures, that the world fhould afterwards
4 be re-peopled. His defign was to make a wondef-
4 ful bark rife up on a fudden, at a time when Routren
' fhould leaft fufpect any fuch thing, and to ftore it
' with a large provifion of fouls and feeds of beings,
4 eight hundred and forty millions at leaft. As for
4 Sattiavarti, he, at the time of the Flood, was to be
* upon a very high mountain, which he pointed out
4 to him very exactly. Some time after, Sattiavarti,
4 as had been foretold him, perceived a numberlefs
4 multitude of clouds drawing together, but beheld
e with unconcern the ftorm which was gathering over
the heads of the guilty, when the moft dreadful rain
1 that had ever been feen, poured down from the
fkies ; the rivers fwelled, and fpread themfelves with
rapidity over the furface of the whole earth ; the lea
e broke its appointed bounds, and mixing with the
4 rivers, which now had left their channels, foon co-
4 vered the higheft mountains. Trees, animals, men,
* cities, kingdoms, were all drowned ; in a word, all
4 animated beings were inftantly deftroyed. In the
4 mean time, Sattiavarti^ with fotne of his penitents,
4 had withdrawn to the appointed mountain, where he
' waited for the fuccour which God had promifed him.
4 However, this did not prevent his being feized with
* fome fhort intervals of terror. As the water ga-
4 thered ftrength continually as it rolled, and each mo-
' ment drew nearer to his djyfam, he was every now
F 2
[ 68 ]
c and then in a panic. But that very inftant which
' he thought would be his laft, he beheld the bark
' that was to fave him : No fooner did he fet his" eyes
' upon it, than he immediately got into it, with all
' the devotees in his company, and alfo the eight hun-
* dred and forty millions of fouls and feeds of beings.
* The difficulty now was how to fleer the bark, and
' to preferve it from the impetuofity of the waves,
* which raged with prodigious violence ; but Vichnou
' took care of this ; for immediately afluming the
6 fhape of a fim, he fleered the fhip with his tail, as
' though it had been a rudder. The God who was
* now both fim and pilot, played his part fo well,
' that Sattiavarti waited very quietly in his Afylum, 'till
' fuch time as the waters were run off from the furface
of the earth.'
Wz come now to China. Among whofe Inhabi-
tants we find the knowledge of the Deluge flill re-
maining-, only fome afTert that it was but partial ;
tho' others maintain that it was general. The authors
of the Univerfal Hi/lory, Vol. I. p. 204. (quoting
Anciennes relations des Ind.es, fcf de la Chine, p. 67.)
write thus, ' An Arab, who travelled into China about
4 the beginning of the ninth century, giving an ac-
' count of a converfation he had with the Emperor,
' among other things, ays, that mentioning the
* Flood to that Prince, on occafion of a picture of
* Noah which he mewed him, and telling him, that
* that prophet, and thofe that were faved with him
' in the ark, peopled the whole earth ; the Emperor
' laughed, and faid, ' Thou art not deceived as fo
" the name of Noah ; but as to the univerfal Deluge,
" we know .nothing of it. It is true, that the Deluge
t [fo even thefe allow a Delu?e\ did drown a part of
" the earth ; but it did not reach fo far as our country,
<< nor yet to the Indies" Which laft circumftance
[ 69 ]
is juft as probable, as what, tkofe among the Per/tans
who denied the tmiverfality of the Deluge, aiTerted,
viz. that it reached no farther than fluhan^ a city
on the .confines of their country (p. 65.). But we
have already (hewed the impojjibility ot fuch a Deluge i
(p. 45., and therefore this confeflion muft be the
remains of the Flood in the time of Ncth. And that
it really is fo, or that the tradition of the Flood as
held by fqme of them is the lame with Noah's, feems
certain, becaufe (as Martinius obferves, Sin. Hi/}.
Lib. i. p. 12.) ' The Cbinefe hiftory of the Deluge
' fallcth in nearly with the time of the Noacbian, for
' it preceded the common chriftian aera about three
' thoufand years.' Befides , many reafons may be
given to prove that their firft king, Fobi, was no
other than the fcripture Noab. For firft (to ufe the
words of Dr. Sbuckford on this occafion in his Gannett,
of Sacr. &? Prof. Hijtcry, Vol. I. p. 29, 102.; ' The
' Cbinefe antiquities reach no higher than the times
c of Noah, for Fobi was their firft King. Their wri-
' ters in the general agree, that Fobi lived about 2952
' years before Cbrift: the Author Mirandorum in Sina
* & Europa, computes him to reign but 2847 years
4 before our Saviour, and Alvarez Scvedo places his
* reign not fo early, imagining it to be but 2060
' years ; and all thefe computations agree well enough
* with the time of Noab ; for Noab was born, accord-
4 ing to Arch-bifhop U/her 2948 years, and died
'2016 years, before Cbrift; fo that all the feveral
* computations fall pretty near within the compals of
' Noab's life. And therefore we may conclude Mofes's
' Noab and the Cbinefe Fobi to be the fame perfon.
' But, 2.dly. They fay Fobi had no father, i. e. Ncab
' was the/r/? man in the poftdiluvian world ; his an-
' ceftors perimed in the Flood, and no tradition there-
* of being preferved in the Cbinefe annals, Noab or
F 3
1 70]
6 Fohi Hands there as if he had had no father at all.
' fdly. Fobfs mother is faid to have conceived him
* encompaffed with a rainbow \ a conceit very probably
* arifing from the rainbow" 'j firft appearing to Noah,
* and the Chineje being willing to give fome account
' of its original. 4thly. Fobi is faid to have carefully
* bredfeven forts of creatures, which he ufed tofacri-
* fice to the fitpretne Spirit of heaven and earth , and
' Mofes tells us, that Noah took into the ark^ of every
* clean bead by fevens, and of fowls of the air by fevens.
c And after the flood built an altar, and took of every
' clean beaft, and every clean fowl and offered burnt-
offerings, fthly. The Chinefe derive the name of
' Fohi, from his oblation, and Mofes gives Noah his
' name upon account of the grant of the creatures for
4 the ufe of men, which he obtained by his Offering.
* Lailly, the Chinefe hiflory fuppofes Fobi to have
' fettled in the province of Xeitfi, which is the North-
c weft province of China^ and near to Ararat where
4 the Ark refted.'
FROM China we will pafs into America ; an immenfe
traft of land unknown to us 'till lately ; and yet when
firft difcovered, the people thereof almoil univerfally
retaining the knowledge of the Deluge. Acojla in his
Hiftory of the Indies (one of the firft Treatifes printed
on the fubjecl:) Lib. i. c. 25. fpeaketh thus in gene-
ral, ' They [the American Indians] make great men-
tion of a Deluge^ which happened in their country :
but we cannot well judge, if this Deluge were the
univerfol (whereof the Scripture makes mention) or
fome particular inundation of thofe regions where
they'' are. Some expert men fay, That in thofe
countries are notable figns of fome great inundation,
and I am of their opinione which thinke that thefe
marks and Ihewes of a deluge, w.as not that of Noe,
but fome other particular, as that which Plato
[7* 1
* fpeaks of, or Deucalion's Flood which the poets fmg
*of: y whatfoever it be, the Indians fay, That ALL
' men were drowned in this Deluge. And they re-
* port, that out of the great lake Titicaca, came one
* Viracocha, which (laid in Tiaguanaco, where at this
4 day there are to be feene the ruines of ancient and
* very ftrange buildings, and from thence came to
' Cufco ; and fo begane mankind to multiply. They
4 fhew in the fame ifland a fmall lake, where they
' faine that the Sunne hid himfelf, and fo was pre-
' ferved , and for this reafon they make great facri-
* fices unto him in that place, both of meepe and
' men. Others report that fix, or I know not what
* number of men, came out of a certaine cave by a
f windowe ; by whom men firft begane to multiply ;
* and for' this reafon they call them Pacaritampo. And
* therefore they are of opinion, that the Tambos is the
* moft ancient race of men. They fay alfo, thatAz-
' go Cupa, whom they acknowledge for the founder
* and chiefe of their Inguas^ was ifTued of that race,
4 and that from him fprang two families or linages ;
c the one of Havan Cufco, the other of Hurni Cufco.
* They fay moreover, that when the Kings \lnguas\
e attempted warre and conquered fundrie provincies,
* they gave a colour and made a prerext of their en-
4 terprize, faying, That all the world ought to ac-
* knowledge them , for all the world was renued by
' their race and country : and alfo, that the true reli-
gion had been reveiled to them from heaven.'
BUT as America may be looked upon as a little
world of itfelf, it may be expected that I mould be
fomewhat more explicit than giving a fingle general
teftimony , I mail therefore traverfe it throughout, as
I have done in relation to other parts of the earth.
' See Note u p. 64, and what folfews fhews that it was a tradition
of the Vnivtrfal Flood.
[7*1
AND firft, for the upper or Northern part of Ame-
rica. HENNEPIN in his new dicovery of a V aft country
in North- America, (vid. Continu. of the new Difcovery,
&c. p. 54.) fays thus, ' Other Savages upon the fame
' continent, are of opinion, that a certain Spirit,
' called Otkon by the Iroquqis, and Atahauta by the
6 other barbarians at the mouth of the river St. Lau-
' rence, is the Creator of the world, and that one
' Mfffou repaired it after the Deluge. They fay, that
' this Meffbu or Otkon being a hunting one day, his
* dogs loft themfelves in a great lake, which thereupon
' over-flowing, covered the whole earth in a fhort
' time, and fwallowed up the world. They add,
' that this Mejfou or Otkon gathered a little earth to-
' gether by the help of fome animals, and made ufe
* of this earth to repair the world again.'
FROM the nations of the Iroquois, &c. we will def-
cend fouthward to Cuba. ANTONIO DE HERRERA in
his Hiftory cf America from the firft difcovery thereof \
ivith the beft accounts the people could give of their anti-
quities; collected from the Original relations fent to the
Kings of Spain , tranjlated from the Spanijh, by Capt.
John Stevens, Decad. I. Book ix. C. n. informs us,
' That the people of Cuba knew that heaven, the
' earth, and other things .had been created : and faid
c they had much information concerning the Flood,
f and that the world had been deftroyed by water, by
* three perfons that came three feveraJ ways. Men of
c above feventy years of age faid, that an okl man
* knowing the Deluge was to come, built a great
* fliip, and went into it, with his family and abun-
* dance of animals, that he fent out a crow, which did
* not return, flaying to feed on the dead bodies ; and
4 afterwards returned with a green branch , with other
' particulars, as far as Noah's fons covering him when
' drunk, and the other fcoffing at it; adding, that
[73 ]
the Indians defcended from the latter, and therefore
had no coats nor cloaths : but that the Spaniards
defcending from the other that covered him, -were
therefore cloathed and had horfes. What has been
here faid, was told by an Indian of above feventy
years of age to Gabriel de Cabrera, who one day
quarrelling with him, called him dog, whereupon he
afked, Why he abufed and called him dog, fmce
they were brethren, as defcending from the two
fons of him that made a great fhip, with all the 'reft
that has been faid above. The lame he repeated
in the prefence of feveral Spaniards, after his matter
had reported it.'
FROM Cuba we will pafs to Terra-Firma, the firft
country of South- America. The laft cited Author ac-
quaints us, Decad. n. Book I. chap. iv. that the
inhabitants of Caftilla del Oro (in lerra-Firma] faid,
' That when the univerfal deluge happened, one man
' with his wife and children, efcaped in a canoe, and
' that from them the world had been peopled ; as allo
' that there was one LORD in heaven, who fent the
' rain and caufed all the celeftial motions. That
'there was likewife a very beautiful woman in heaven*
' with a child ; but they went no farther, nor did
' they know any thing of their own original.'
BORDERING upon 'Terra-Firma is Peru. ' The an-
4 cient Indians (fays the above cited Author, Decad. in.
* Book xi. chap. i. fpeaking of the Peruvians) report-
' ed, they had received by tradition from their an-
* ceftors, that many years before there were any Ingas
' [Kings], at the time when the country was very
' populous, there happened a great Ficod ; the fea
' breaking out beyond its bounds, fo that the Land
' was covered with water, and all the people perifh-
* ed. To this the Guancas inhabitating the x r ale of
' Xaufca, and the natives of Ckiquito in the province
[74J
* of Collao, add, That fome perfons remained in the
' hollows and caves of the higheft mountains, who
again peopled the land. Others of the mountain-
* people affirm, that all perifhed in the Deluge, only
fix perfons being faved on a float ; from whom de--
c fcended all the inhabitants of that country.'
FROM Peru we will pafs into Brafil. NIEUHOFF in
his Voyages, &c. to Brafil, p. 150. writes thus : ' The
* m,oil barbarous of the Erajilians inhabitating the
* inland countries fcarce knew any thing of religion or
* an almighty being. They have fome knowledge
' remaining of a general Deluge it being their opinion,
* that the whole race of mankind were extirpated by
* a general Deluge, except one Man and his own
' filter, who being with child before, they by degrees
* re-peopled the world.' But Monf. Thtvet fpeaking
of the Brafilians that lived near the fea-coaft, viz. at
Cap de Frie or C. Frio, gives their account of the De-
Juge very circumftantially thus (Cofmographie univer-
felle, Tome quatrieme, Livre xxi. cap. iiii.) Le
4 Deluge done, que ces Barbares chantent & duquel m*ont
* fouventefois parle, &c. The Deluge which thefe Sa-
c vages talk fo much about, of which they fpoke
< often to me, was in their opinion univerfal ; they
fay, that Sommay, a Carribee of great dignity, had
two children, the name of one was Tametohttfre,
* the name of the other Ariconte, who were of differ-
* ent complexions and natures, and therefore mortally
* hated each other. Tamendonare (they fay) was a
* good ceconomift, having a wife and children, anc^
* took great delight in cultivating the earth: Ariconte,
* on the contrary, regarded not this, being folely
* bent on war, and defiring nothing but to fubdue by
* his power all the neighbouring nations, and even
' his brother. It happened as this warrior returned
' one day from the battle, he brought the arm of
[75]
* his enemy to his brother Tamendonare^ telling him
* with great haughtinefs, go, coward as thou art, I
* mall have this wife and children in my power, thou
c art not ftrong enough 'to defend thyfelf. Tamjtuio-
1 nare hearing his brother fpeak thus, was very much
' grieved at his pride, and faid to him, If thou wert
* fo valiant as thou boafteft, thou wouldft have brought
' thine enemy entire. Ariconte incenfed at this re-
' proach, threw the arm againft the door of his bro-
6 ther's houfe : but at the fame inftant, the whole vil-
* lage, where they were, was carried up into the fky,
and they remained on earth. Tamendonare feeing
' this, whether out of aftonilhment or paffion, ftruck
' the ground, fo violently, that out of it ifiued a great
' fource of water, which flowed fo high, that in a
* fhort time it reached the hills and mountains, and
* feemed to exceed the height of the clouds, and which
* continued till the earth was entirely covered. The
' two brothers feeing this, and follicitous to lave
themfelves, afcended the higheft mountains of all
' the country, and with their wives got upon the trees
c that were thereon. famendonan climbed up a tree,
* named Pindona^ (of which tfrere are two forts ; one,
' whofe fruit and leaves are much larger than the
* other) taking with him one of his wives : Ariconte
' with his wife climbed up another tree, named Geni-
' par , that they might fee if the waters were abated.
8 Whilft they were there, Ariconte offered fome of the
* fruit of his tree to his wife, faying, break off a
' piece of this, and let it fall down ; which being
* done, they knew that it was not yet time to defcend
' into the vallies, and that the waters were yet very
4 high. They affert, that by this deluge all mankind
* and all animals were drowned, except the two bro-
4 thers and their wives : from whom afterwards fprung
* two different people, called 'Tonafearrt^ furnamed
Toupinambaux, and the Tonaiatz Hoyanas, furnam-
ed Tominous, who live in perpetual difcord and war:
hence alfo it is that the 'Toupinambaux^ when they
are defirous of praifing themfelves as above their
neighbours, fay, we are defcended from Tamendo-
nare^ and you from Ariconte ; as if by this they
would infer, that Tamendonare was a better man than
Ariconte.''
THUS I have travelled quite round the world, and
fhewed that the fame of the Deluge has gone through-
out. I am now to draw fome conclufions or corol-
laries from what has been advanced. Thefe fliall re-
fpect principally the certainty that there has been a
Flood, that it was univerfa/, that the Mofaic account
is true or written by one infpired by GOD, the author
of the Event.
FIRST, with regard to the certainty of the Flood, I
may argue in the manner of Ariftotele, ' What feems
true to fome wife men is fomeivhat probable ; what
feems fo to moft or to all wife men is very probable -,
what moft men, both wife and unwife, affent unto,
doth {till more refemble truth ; but what men generally
confent in, hath the higheft probability , and approaches
near to demonftrable truth :' Surely then, what men
uviverfally agree in, what, I may fay, all nations (o-
therwife differing in opinion, cuftoms, language, re~
ligion, and even ignorant of one another's exiftence)
have, throughout all known ages, affented unto, may
well pafs for an eftablffid axiom and a demon/arable
truth. And fuch I have fhewed is the ftate of the
cafe with regard to the knowledge of the deluge.
AGAIN ; the report of the Flood muft have come
from fome quarter or other, and when or wherefoever
it was firft publifhed, the relation of a fact fo extra-
ordinary, would naturally raife thecuriofity of the firft
hearers, and excite them to inquire into the truth of
[77]
it. Now if they difcovered that the report was falfe
or groundlefs ; the hiftory would have been immedi-
ately difcredited, and the relater and his ftory no
more heard of: But the tradition prevailing univer-
fatly, it is certain that fuch an event did "happen ;
and moreover that it was univerfal in its effects, elfe
it could not have been tiniverfally believed.
WHICH (feccnd) article is further evident from the
afore-cited teflimonies themfelves ; for in all thofe
that are tolerably full and explicit, we find a method
mentioned by which a few efcaped out of the general
deftru<5tion, from whom the world was afterwards
peopled , which is a plain confeffion, that according
to their opinion the whole race of mankind (except the
few allowed to be faved) was defrayed'* and fo the
deluge unrperfal.
BUT farther yet , an univerfal deluge, is not an ar-
ticle of mere fpeculation, or a point, the certainty of
which, might be proved only by properly examining
the afierter thereof, but is an Event, a Faff in Nature,
and of fuch a peculiar kind that did fuch ever happen,
it could not but have left undeniable marks of its ex-
iftence on every part of the earth ; and fo the relater
of fuch an event might have been confuted or his ad-
verfaries convinced on the fpot. Efpecially was this
confutation or confirmation eafily to be eftabliflied in
the firft ages of the world ; or rather, This is a point
which could not but be then fettled. For as men be-
gan to multiply after the flood, they would of courfe
feparate -and divide, and fo re-people the earth ; and
as they thus feparated they could not fail of knowing
whether the Flood was univerfal or not. For, if they
could find no human inhabitants in the countries to
which they came, nor any marks of their former works,
as houfes, palaces, temples, gardens, &c. and could
fee nothing but ruin and devaluation in the things that
t 7 3
did remain, they would certainly conclude that the
deluge was univerfal: On the contrary, if, as they
difperfed or endeavoured to difperfe, they found the
neighbouring countries ftill full of inhabitants* the
lands cultivated, &c. they would as certainly conclude
that the deluge had not been univerfal. And from
this infallible and unavoidable means of knowing the
truth, the relation of the flood would have been handed
down to pofterity , but pofterity all over the world
fpeak of it as univerfal ; or allow that there has been
a deluge, which comes to the fame tiling-, for had it
been partial or extended only over a few countries, the
remaining part of the world would have been utterly
ignorant of fiich an event, or at leaft if they fpoke of
it, they would not have acknowledged, as they gene-
rally do, that it happened in their own country, and
have fuppofed that a king or an eminently righte-
ous perfon of their own nation (including fome others)
was preferved from the deftruction. All this abun-
dantly proves that the deluge was univerfal.
THE certainty and universality of the flood appear-
ing thus evident, I mall now, (thirdly), make
fome obfervations concerning the Truth, Perfection,
and Divinity of the Mofaic account.
FIRST, as Truth is the purer the nearer to the foun-
tain head, fo Mofes has the advantage of all other
hiftorians in this refpecl: j none can prefume to equal
him in antiquity ; he is allowed by all learned men
whatever to have wrote a confiderable diftance of time
before them all.
AND as he lived nearer the event than any other
writer, fo is his relation more full and exprefs , nay,
if you take all the above-mentioned heathen accounts
together, and collect from them every different part,
you cannot exceed the Mofaic in fulnefs of defcription >
t79l
far lets can you do this, if you add to it the confide-
ration I have mentioned p. i.
AND not only in fulnefs of matter does Mofes fur-
pafs, but in juftnefs of thought and diction, and in
the confiftency of the icheme he delivers. Jn the
heathen hiftorians there are many imperfections of
this kind, fome failing in more, fome in fewer arti-
cles. But Mofes tho' he extends the duration of the
Deluge far beyond what any of them do, and afferts
its Univerfality in the higheft degree, has yet provided
againtt all exigencies ; he fafely embarks the numerous
creatures in the ark, prepares every thing necefTary
for their being and well-being there, and as fafely
lands them.
As the heathen accounts differ more or lefs from
the Mofaic, which was confcffedly prior to them all,
fo we may afTert of the relaters of them, as Scaliger is
faid to write of the Greek hiftorians, ' They ought ra-
* ther to be pitied for not having had the advantage
* of authentic antiquities and records, to let them
' right, than to forfeit their authority for fueh deviations
* from the truth of the ftory, as render their confir-
* mation of the truth of the Sacred Hiftory much
1 ftronger, becaufe much lefs to be lufpedled, than if
* they agreed with it in every circumftance.' So that
the imperfect and in many refpects falfe accounts of
the Heathen bear witnefs to the truth and perfeftioa
of that of Mcfes.
BUT what diftingiufhes the Mofaic writings, and
fets them in an eminently confpicuous light, and inti-
mates their high Antiquity and Divinity, is, that in
them there is no reference made, for the truth of what
they contain, to any prior traditionary accounts, hif-
tories. . or- records, as is the ufual manner with other
hiftorians , which kind of proof all mere human
writers are glad to embrace, thinking nothing more
[8o]
venerable and true than that which has been delivered
down to them from their forefathers. But Mofes, as
greatly fuperior to them in time, fo much more in
dignity and authority, demands audience from us as
from GOD himfelf , he refers, for the truth of what
he fays, to an immediate Infpiration from the Deity,
the Author and Difpofer of all events ; I AM,^fays
he (Exod. iii. 14.) hath fent me., JEHOVAH HIMSELF
commimoned him to act, and a Thus faith the. LORD
authorifed him to write.
AND had not Mofes been thoroughly perfuaded,
that he was infpired by GOD in his writings, he
certainly never would have ventured the truth of
all he fays upon the afiertion of a moft impro-
bable and aftonifhing fact, viz. That the whole world
had been deftroyed by a flood of waters -, a Fact, which
lie could not by any natural means have had proof of,
unlefs he had travelled all over the world, or had re-
ceived his information from one that had, which I be-
lieve no perfon will fuppofe. any one to have done in
thofe early ages , a Fact too, the truth or falfity of
which could not but have been difcovered, as mankind
difperfed to re-people the earth, or as commerce had
opened a correfpondence throughout , a Fact alfo,
which Mofes, as a human writer, does not appear to
have been under any neceflity of mentioning at all ;
or if he thought proper to record it he might not
have made it fo extenfive as he has done, and yet in
all probability have faved his credit as an author.
But, inftead of all this, confcious of Truth and of
the unerring Wifdom of his Infpirer, he openly de-
clares the Univerfality of the Flood, and that the whole
world was deftrcyed, and leaves the iffne to Providence
and the difquifition of the truth of his afifertion to fu-
ture ages.
[ 8. ]
BUT what fets Mofes in the higheft point of view,
and his writings on the firmed foundation, is his ex-
erting fupernatural powers, performing MIRACLES*
and delivering PROPHECIES, in proof of his divine
Jnfpiration: fome of which are remaining at this day.
J mall mention one, refpefting the affair of the >/#<?.
Mofes writes thus, Gen. ix. 12. And GQD /aid. This is
the token of the Covenant which I make between me and
you, and every living Creature, for PERPETUAL GENE-
RATIONS : I do fet my Bow in the Cloud? and it Jhall
came to. pafs, when 1 bring q cloud over the earth, that
the Bow /ball be fan in tbe cloud : and I will remember
my Covenant 'which is between me and you, and every
living creature of all fleft) , and the waters Jball no more
become a flood to dejlroy allfiejb.. This Token we fee
is frequently exhibited, fo that this faithful IVitmfs in
heaven* is ftjll prefer ved. No flood has really yet
happened (fmcethat on account of which this promife
was made) in which the whole earth has been drowned.
Now if there be any God fuperior to Mefes's GQD, it
behoves him to deftroy this Prophecy by annihilating
thefign of it out of heaven, or the remembrance of it
G
i>9-+*";r f-: .-.' -. - : - ~ r~r ~ " ?"~P^T "
That tbe rnjracles aflbrted in thp Bible to have been performed
by Mcfts, were really tranfaftcd as there related, and of courfe that
the do^rines delivered upon the authority of thofe rpiracks are in-
difputably true or were of divine Infpiraticn, the Reader may fee a
regular and fuccinft proof of in the Rev. Mr. A. S. CATCOTT'S Str-
marn p. 5 51 48 It wou'd be tpo tedious to introduce fiich a proof
here, and therefpre the Author reds the evidence of Mofes'i Infpira-
tion upon a Prophecy, relative to t)ie Subjcdl he is treating of, and
which is exiftent at this day, and affords ocular Demonltration of
Mofcsi I^ifllon fron) the Divine Being.
a That thefe words of the Fjl?/rijt (Pfol. Ixxxix. 37.) are really
to be underftood of the Rainbow, (and not of the Moon, as ufually
interpreted) appears to be fufiiciently evident fioin what the Author
of An Effay on the proper Lr//oni, npjbhifid l<y the Lftatfy of tbe Cbunh
, &.-C. fays on this text, Vol.11. r\ 87.
[82 ]
cut of the mind of man, elfe it will remain an indubita-
ble proof of Mofes's Miflion from the Supreme Being,
the GOD of Heaven and Earth, the Creator, Former,
and Preferver of all Things in this world. If it
be faid, that the Rainbow was exiftent before the flood -,
therefore the argument will not ftand good. I reply,
that fuppofing it to have been fo, it could not have
exifted as a Sign from the Supreme Being, that a flood
of waters mould never cover the earth (becaufe fuch
did cover it) and therefore it will not in the leaft affect
the argument here ufed ; which does not refpeft its
bare natural State, but its fuper-natural ufe and divine
appointment. .And left it mould be imagined, that
Mofes afligned this token as of himfelf, and to mew
the folly of fuch imaginations when men prefume to
make appearances in heaven figns or tokens of things
upon earth, without a divine direction, I mail here
quote a Fact recorded by Gaffendus in his Animadver-
fions on the tenth book of Diogenes Laertius, Tom. II.
p. 93~8. * Memorabile certe eft, &c. /'. e. It is really
* worth remarking, what is written in the hiftories,
* and in almofi. all the books of the laft age : When
4 the Aftrologers, by reafon of the many great con-
' junctions of the Planets, and not a few of them hap-
' 'ning in the watry Conftellations foretold, that in the
' month of February in the year 1524, there would be
* a general Deluge, and fo great a devaflation of
' things, as was never heard of before. So that-
' numbers of perfons in France, Spain, Italy, and
' Germany, being terrified with thefe apprehenfions,
' had prepared Ships, or had got together what pro-
' vifions they could, and other necerTaries, and made
' to the higheft places : But fo it happened, that the
c whole month of February was the moft ferene and
c fair weather ever known ; apparently, as if it had
' been fo ordered on purpofe for refuting the predic-
' tions of thefe Aftrologers (when otherwife it is very
* unufual, that the month of February fliould be with-
' out rain ,) which even Cardan and Origan [two noted
' judicial Aftrologers of that time] could not deny ;
* greatly grieving that this Judgment concerning the
* Deluge was declared by Sttffler fo much to the in-
' famy of Aftrology.' As long then as the above
Appeal to the true GOD, and Challenge to all falfe
Deities remains, fo long will each fucceeding age
have undeniable proof, nay ocular Demonftration of
Mofes's Mijfion from, and Infpiration by, the GOD of
all truth, power, and wifdom. And when we con-
fider that this bold Appeal has been recorded in wri-
ting, already above three thoufand years, and no de-
teftion yet made that it was falfe or unauthorifed by
the true GOD, we may juftly fuppofe it will remain as
long as the Heavens themfelves mail endure, /. e. to
the Confummation of all things.
AND this I think a proper place (before I have
quite done with Scripture and ancient Hiftory) to take
notice of his Lordlhip's objection to the Univerfality
of the Flood drawn from the peopling of America, and
its being inhabited with wild beafts, &c. when we firft
difcovered it. To account for which he fuppofes,
' that fome parts of the habitable ante-diluvian world,
which by the force of the Deluge were feparated into
4 iflands, and were divided from the Continent where -
' on the Ark landed, were in fome fort exempted from
4 the common calamity brought upon the reft of the
* world, &c. 5 But how inconfiftent this fuppofition
is with his own defcription of the Deluge and with the
truth of Scripture, I have (hewed already (p. 9, &c.)
and alfo obferved, that fuppofing we could not folve
this difficulty, yet a feemingly unaccountable event in
Nature (or rather that which may appear unaccountar
ble to fome, but not fo to others) ought not to fet afide
the united evidence of Scripture, Reafon, and Fact,
concurring in all other refpects to prove the Point un T
der confideration.
BUT to mew bow or by what means America became
inhabited by men and other animals.
AND here it will be neceffary to premife a few things,
introductory to the difcuflion of this article.
FIRST, then, America was peopled after the Flood.
This is certain from the inhabitants thereof having the
knowledge of that Event.
SECONDLY, Since the Tradition of the Flood was
univerfally fpread throughout that vaft tract of land,
and acknowledged by the feveral nations thereof to
have been delivered down to them from the higheil
antiquity, we may reafonably fuppofe, that it was
peopled foon after the deluge ; whilft the knowledge
of the Fact was frem and lively upon the minds of
the original inhabitants.
AND fince, when this part of the world was firft
tlifcovered by the Europeans* the inhabitants were
found to be ignorant of the art of writing with letters*
and could record things only in the ancient hiercglyphi-
cal way, by figns and emblems, 13 it feems alfo hence
evident that it was peopled early.
WHICH will further appear from their ignorance of
the art of working iron into ufeful tools or warlike wea-.
pons, 'till the method was difcovered to them by the
Spaniards. For tho' there is plenty of iron-ore in A-
merica, yet the ancient inhabitants were ignorant of the
ufe which the Afiatics and Europeans make of it; and
initead thereof ufed Ihells, bones, or generally hard
b Furchas's Pilgrimage, p. 8 1 1 . quoting dccfla, Gamqra, Peter
Martyr, &c.
ftones, which with immenfe labour and trouble they
fhaped by grinding or whetting, into the utenfils or
weapons the^ wanted, 6 And tho' the art of manu-
facturing iron, was known before the flood (Gen. iv.
22. d ) yet it feems to have been loft, foon after ; and the
lofs was probably owing to thefe two caufes ; firft,
that as all the metallic and mineral bodies that were
in the earth before the Deluge were deftroyed and even
diflblved during that Cataftrophe (as will be fhewn
hereafter) fo of courfe all the inftruments and utenfils
that were made of thefe bodies perimed likewife , which
would certainly tend much towards obliterating the
memory of ftich inftruments in the poft-diluvian
world. And fecondly, fince, for fome confiderable
time after the flood, the inhabitants of the new earth
would be employed and their time wholly taken up
in providing and fecuring the common necefiaries of
life at firft hand, or when they came to feparate from
one another in travelling and feeking out agreeable
countries to inhabit, fo the art of mining and work-
ing metals, and fuch like knowledge, (among their
cares and concerns for many things immediately need-
ful and abiblutely neceflary) might be forgotten. And
it feems certain that this art was loft, 'till fome time
after the flood ; for there are found, even at this day,
in almoft all parts of the world many inftruments,
fuch as axes, chifels, heads of arrows, &c. conlifting
wholly of Stene^ generally of the hardeft kind-, which
certainly were made before the ufe of iron was reco-
c Dr. WOODWARD'S Lefters, relating to the method of Fojpls ;
Letter III.
d And7M!a~h, fit atfi tare TuBAL-CAlN, an inf.ruStr of cverv
artificer in brafs and inn. From this petfon's N.7n:f and Ojfj : ce %va r .
the -fictitious VUL-CAN of ths Latins.
[ 36]
vered after the deluge, for they are neglected and dif-
ufed wherever iron is known. And fmc;e when we fir ft
difcovered the Americans they had no other tools or
weapons but fuch as were formed out of Stone, &c. it
is evident, that they departed from us before the
working of iron was in practice after the Flood ; for
had they ever known this ufeful art, it is not proba-
ble that they would ever have loft it, any more than
ourfelves j and fmce we have retained it for thefe fe-
veral ages back, even from time immemorial, it is
certain that the Americans departed from us even be-
fore that early time.
ANOTHER. Gonfideration which may be brought in
favour of the early peopling of America, is, that the
inhabitants were ignorant of that noble and ufeful
Structure the Arch, and even of building with mortar
or any kind of Cement-,* and yet their edifices con-
fifted of Stones great beyond imagination, 5 and thefe
Stones were fo artificially wrought, and placed upon
one another, that in many places their joinings were
not vifible: 'And that which is moft ftrange (fays
Acofla], thefe Stones not being cut nor fquared to
join, but contrariwife very unequal one with another
both in form and greatnefs, yet did they join them
together without cement, after an incredible manner :
all this was done by the force of men, who endured
their labour with an invincible patience.' Certainly
if they had known the ufe of mortar or cement, they
would never have taken fuch a tedious method as
this. Now the firft poft-diluvian account we have
of Cement being ufed in building was at the 'Toiler of
f See ACOSTA'S Hrftory of the Indl<s, Book vi. chap. 14.
8 AcoK. meafured one of thefe Stones in a building, and it was
38 feet long, 18 broad, and 6 thick; which I think, vaftly exceeds
any of thofe that are now remaining in our ancient Druidical Temples.
f 87]
Babel (Gen. xi.j; but as this in all probability was
that pitchy fubftance, called Afpbaltus, with which
that Country particularly abounds, fo unlefs the Ameri-
cans had difcovered a fubftance of a fimilar nature yi
their new land, they might not think of making ufe
of any other, and be as much at a lofs for what we
now call mortar as if they had never heard of any
thing like it. So that indeed we cannot conclude
from hence that they departed from us before the
Building of Babel but only before the general ufe of
Mortar or Cement; and even this was very early, as
the remains of the oldeft Buildings in the world fuch
as the Pyramids of Egypt &c. teftify, in which the
mortar is vifible at this day. h
THE laft circumftance I mail mention, tending to
prove the Antiquity of the American Colonies (for I
might enlarge upon feveral, as their ignorance of
coined money, the plough, the bellows, &c. all which
would ferve to mew that they departed from us in the
very infancy of the poft-diluvian world, before thefe
arts were known to mankind) is, that they were igno-
rant of Shipping or the art of making large veflels
with Sails &c. till they firft faw ours ; knowing be-
fore no other kind of veflels than fmall boats^ made of
the bark of trees, fkins of fifties, &c. or canoes,
confiding of a fingle trunk of a tree hollowed out by
means of fire, and thefe to be directed only by the
help of oars or a paddle. 1 From whence I would
THIRDLY obferve, that America muft have been
peopled by land: for had the original inhabitants
been carried thither in a Ship, either by diftrefs of
weather or defignedly (both which are fuppofitions
G 4
h Dr. SHAW'S Travels, p. 415.
1 PURCHAS'S Pilgrimage, p. 750, 755 &c. HEYLYN'S Cafmogra
ic, p. 10 1 6.
[88]
that can fcarcely be allowed when we confider the dif-
ficulties attending them) they certainly would never
have forgot that ufeful part of (hipping, the Sail',
even fuppofing that fabricating a large veflel might
be inconvenient or impofiible to them when they fir ft
arrived on their new land, and therefore the know-
ledge of it be loft to their pofterity ; yet, I fay, the
ufe of the Sail -would in all probability have remained
among them, fmce it would have been of fuch fervice
in navigating their fmall canoes.
BUT what feems moft to confirm the opinion, that
America was peopled, or at leaft (locked with animals,
by land, is, that that vaft Continent is every where in-
habited by wild beafts and the moft noxious creatures,
fuch as Lions, Tygers, Rattle -fnakes, &c. which we
cannot imagine that any perfons would be at the trou-
ble, or expofe themfelves to the danger, of conveying
over thither in Ships, and at the fame time leave be-
hind them fuch ufeful creatures as the Horfe, the
Camel, &c. which were not known in the Weft-
Indies 'till tranfported thither from us. k Nay,
what is moft remarkable, America has creatures pecu-
liar to itfelf, fuch at leaft as are not known to exift in
any other part of the world-, which therefore cannot be
fuppofed to have been carried from hence thither :
and befides they are of fuch a nature that ot themfelves
they could not have crofied the Seas, and therefore
muft have come thither by land. 1 '
IT appearing then thus clear that America was peo-
pled early and by land^ the next queftion to be folved
is, by whom or from -what land?
IN order to folve which, Let itbeobferved, that the
facred and moft ancient Hiftorian informs us, in his
account of mankind after the flood, \h*\. the whole earlfr
k PURCHAS p. 732 35. HEYLYN, p. 1017 19.
was over fj>rtad by thl defcwdtnts dftht tfctt $*ns rfNoab,
Sbcnt) Ham and J-aphet, who went forth of the Ark*
Gen. ix. 19. From whence it is certain, that no part
of the world could have been peopled by any other
anti-diluvians than thofe that went out of the Ark;
and of courie that America was peopled jfter the Flood,
and by the Pofterity of Ninth.
SECONDLY, Let us confide^ that Mofis proceeds
next to give us the names of the firft defceridents of
theie three Sons, and to mention the names of the
Countries which the principal of them inhabited,
tfpecially thofe whofe affairs would afterwards be
mixed, or have Ibrtie connexion, with the Tranf-
actions related in the Bible, particularly with tlielfravti-
tijb Nation. But as tor the reft he takes little or no
notice of them.
So that, Thirdly, We cannot expect that any great
notice fhould be taken of the inhabitants of ib diftant
a part of the world (from that where Mofis wrote,
and the intent of his writing) *s the Continent of
America , and yet, one would be apt to imagine, that
as He, who infpired Mofes in his account, f&w aU
things from the beginning to the end (and asbo had mtidt
of one blood all mtiam &f in?,i for to dwell on all the fact
of the earth, and had at I fr mined the times beftin appointed^
and the bounds of their habitation, Acts xvii. 26.) fo
He would, in fpeaking of the migration of mankind
towards re-peopling the earth, make fome mention,
let drop fome few words concerning the manner by
which fo large a part of the world, as the Continent
of Amerka, became inhabited.
AND fuch there is reafon to think he has done, and
left recorded in the following remarkable paifage (the
event denoted by which, was fo fmgular as to give
name to one of the poft-diluvian Patriarchs ; and is
twice repeated in Scripture) viz. Gen. x. 25. i Chr&n.
[90]
i. 19. And the natty of one (ofHeber'sfons) was PELEG,
for in bis days was the earth DIVIDED [NePeLeGEJ On
which words, that celebrated Biblical Critic Bengelius
thus occasionally remarks in his Ordo Temporum, p. 54.
* Peleg a divtjione terra nominatus eft, &c. i. e. Pe-
* leg was named from the divijion of the earth [which
* happened in his days'] - 9 The earth after the deluge
' was divided by degrees, by a genealogical and 'political
* divifion, .which is exprefied by the words rws:* and
* vnffl!. 1 But a very different kind of Divifion is
* meant by the word HJJWM [NePeLeGE], namely, apby-
* Jical and geographical divifion, which happened at
* once, and which was fo remarkable, and of fuch ex-
* tent, as fuitably to anfwer the naming the Patriarch
' therefrom. By this word [peLec] that kind of Divi-
* fan is principally denoted, which is applicable to
' Land and Water. From whence in the Hebrew
* tongue jSs [peLec] fignifies a River, and in the Greek
' IlEAAros [PELAGOS] the Sea? [and in the Latin,
Pelagus denotes the fame]. From this precife meaning
f the word then we may conclude, that the Earth
wasj5>/// or divided afunder for a very great extent, and
the Sea came between, in the days of Peleg. Now fu re-
ly when any perfon views the fkuation of America, and
confiders how it Hands disjoined from this part of
the world, and what an immenfe Sea divides it from
us, he will not be backward in allowing, that This
was the grand Divifion intended by the Paffage under
confideration. And therefore we may juftly fuppofe
k As Gen. ix. 19. Tbefe are the three Sons of Noah : and cf thtm
was the whole earth OVERSPREAD [ni*D3].
1 As Gen. x. 5. By thefe were the ijlands of the Gentiles DIVIDE*
[n"lD3] m their lands ; every one after hit tongue, after their fa-
milies, in their nations ; fo alfo ver. 18, and 32 ; and ch. xl. 9. Frcm
thence [from Babel] did the Z,c?WsCATTER THEM ABROAD [Dtf'SiT]
vfori the face of all the earth.
[ 9' ]
'with the above-mentioned writer, * That, foon af-
' ter the Confufion of tongues and the difperfion of
' mankind upon the face of the whole earth, fome of
' the fons of Ham [to whom Africa was allotted] went
' out of Africa into that part of America, which now
* looks towards Africa ; and the earth being divided or
' fplit afunder in the dap of Peleg, they with their pof-
.' terity (the Americans) were for many ages feparated
' from the reft of mankind. This feparation of the
' human race, by means of fo large a fea, prevented
* in like manner any evil and pernicious confpiracy,
* as the Confufion of tongues did.'
AND if this account can be feconded by any fimilar
event related in ancient Heathen Hiftory, our fuppo-
fition may deferve a greater degree of credit. And
fuch an event we have recorded by Plato in his Dia-
logue named Tim<eus; in which he treats of Nature
or the Syftem of the Univerfe, its generation or begin-
ning, and the Nature of Man, And as a prelude to
his Subject he makes mention of a Fadt that happened
in the mod early ages, the nearefl of any known to
the beginning of the world ; and that is of a vaft Tracl
of land or an Ifland greater than Libya and AJia, fitu-
ated beyond the bounds of Africa and Europe, which,
by the ciincuffion of an earthquake, was fwallowed up
in the Ocean. Plato introduceth this fact, as related
by Solon (one of the firft of the feven wife men of Greece)
who, while he was in Egypt, had heard it of an old Egyp-
tian Priejl, when he difcourfed with him concerning
the mcft ancient events. This Prieft tells Solon, that the
Greeks, with regard to their knowledge in antiquity,
had always been children , and then informs him of the
hiftory of this famous Ifland (which they knew nothing
In From what the Indian fays to the Spaniard t p. 72, it appears,
that the American! themfelves retained fome kind of tradition that
they were descended from this Son of Noah.
[ 92 ]
of before). The description of which and its cataf-
tophre is as follows (which in itfelf is fo remarkable,
that there muft have been fome ground in nature for
the tradition of it), ' There was formerly an Ifland at
* the entrance of the Ocean, where the pillars of Her-
* cults ftand [and fo beyond the then fuppofed bounds
c of Europe and Africa]. This ifland was larger than
* all Ubya and AJia , and from it was an eafy paflage
* to many other iflands.; and from thefe iQands to all
* that Continent which was oppofite, and next to the
* true fea [*A?i0u/o!/ iroflov]. Yet within the mouth,
4 there was a gulf, with a narrow entry. But that
* Land, which furrounded the Sea called rieXay^ [Pz-
* LAGOS, where the 'Divifion was made] might juftly
* be called a Continent. In after-times there hap-
' pe-ned a dreadful earthquake and an inundation of
* water, which continued for the fpace of a whole day
' and night, and this ifland Atlantis, being covered
* and overwhelmed by the waves, funk beneath the
* ocean, and fo difappeared : Wherefore that Sea [II*-
* A*yo?] is now unpaffable, on account of the flime and
* mud that has been left by the immerfed ifland.'
THIS paffage of Plato may receive fome illuftration,
and the point I am upon, fome degree of confirmation*
from what occurs in the i8th ch. of the third book of
^ELIAN'S Htftory of various things. ' T'heopompus re-
* lates a certain difcourfe that paffed between Midas the
4 Phrygian and Si-terms. This Silenus was the fon of a
* Nymph, and was inferior to the Gods, but iuperior
* to mortals. When thefe two had difcourfed of ma-
* ny things, Siknus, above all, tells Midm, ' That
*' Europe \ A/ia, and Libya, ought to be confrdered as
" Iflands, which the Ocean wholly furrounded \ and
114 that that part of the world, which lay beyond this,
* c ought only to be cfteemed the Continent : as it was
* of an immenfe extent, and nourished very different,
[ 93 ]
*' and vaftly larger, kinds of animals than this fide
" of the world , and the men, that inhabited it, were
" twice as big."
FROM what has been offered, I think, we may con~
elude, that Africa and America were once joined, or
at leaft feparated from each other but by a very nar*
row gulf-, and that iome time after the Flood the
earth was divided or parted afundcr, probably by
means of an earthquake, and then this middle land
funk beneath the Ocean.
ACCORDING to Scripture this event came to pafs *'*
the days of Peleg, for we are told, that IN HIS DAY*
the earth was divided. From whence fome have ima-
gined, that this divifion fell out exactly at the time of
bis birth \ but the extenfive expreflion of his days rather
implies the contrary, and denotes that it happened
when he was in an advanced age, when he had feen
many days, not when he had feen but one. So that
nis name muft have been given him prophetically, in
the fame manner as was Noah's, under which was
predicted an event which did not come to pafs 'till
fome hundreds of years after his birth (Gen. v. 519.
viii. 2 1 ). Several other of the Patriarchs alfo had fuch
prophetical names.
Now it appears from Gen. xi. 1017. tftat P&g
was born in the ioi st year after the flood, and Jived
239 years : fo that if the circumftance that caufed his
name to be given him, happened, when he was in an
advanced age, we may fairly fuppofe that it fell out
about 300 years after the flood.
ALLOWING this diftance of time, we fliall find up-
on calculation, that there muft have been a fufikient
number of mankind upon the earth to have re-peopled
it abundantly. In order to mew this, and a!fo
in what manjier the poft-diluvians may be juftiy fup-
pofed, even in a natural way, to have fepaj^ted and
[94]
difperfed, and r'e-peopled the globe, I fhall tranfcribe
fo me li nes from the Abridgment of P i c A R T 's religious
Ceremonies^ p. 279. * 'Tis very probable, that Ameri-
ca was as populous a few centuries after the deluge
as it is at this, time ; after which States and King-
doms were foon formed : However this was done
progreflionally, according as Families feparated, and
that the children themfelves becoming Parents of a
numerous progeny, were obliged to quit their na-
tive countries. Thefe Separations gave rife to
States, in which ambition and a defire of fuperiority
might even in thofe ages have had fome mare. Ne-
verthelefs 'tis probable that Afia did not fend out any
colonies, 'till after having been forced to drive out
fuch young people as were capable of fubfifting by
themfelves. But thefe Settlements were very eafily
made in thofe times : Hufbandry was then the onl^,
employment ; mankind then fpent their lives in lead-
ing their flocks to pafture ; and 'tis by the opportu-
nities which rural occupations gave to people whofe
paflions were as yet but in their infancy, that the
firft conquefts were made in Afia, and the fending
out of the firft Colonies. A Shepherd, who was at
the head of a numerous family, mafter of feveral
flocks, and who found himfelf well fettled in Chaldea^
fent one of his Children or Dependents, feveral
leagues ofF, with a detachment of oxen, afTes and
camels. The flock went gently on, grazing in their
paffage, and infenfibly drew farther from the true
owner. In the mean time the Detachment grew more
numerous; from this flock there fprung another.
The Shepherd, who at firft was no more than a de-
puty, became himfelf the Mafter and Father of a
family : He then alfo feparated part of his wealth,
and gave it as an inheritance to that Son whom he
intended fhould fettle, in a foreign country, or to
[95l
* fome dependent that .was going to fettle further oft.
* We prefume that in this manner an hundred years
' was time fufficient to people Europe, Afia, and Afri-
' sa, very confiderably -, and an hundred more to peo-
4 pie the Continent of America. Let us fuppofe for
* this purpofe, that at the flood Sbem, Ham, and Ja-
' pbet had each 12 children," and that all thefe chil-
' dren were fit for marriage about 15 or 18 years af-
4 ter the flood. 'Tis very probable, that after they
* had been married 12 years, they might fee apofteri-
' ty of four hundred and thirty-two perfons. In this
* manner Noah might have been at the head 0f above
' five hundred defcendents in the fpace of thirty years ;
' and if we then fuppofe that every one of Noah's great
' grand-children had ten children, thefe four hundred
* thirty two perfons might have begot four thoufand
' three hundred and twenty children in ten years time.
' All this might have happened in the fpace of half a
* century , fo that multiplying them always by ten,
* and' leaving an interval of about twenty or twenty -
" Left the fubfequent Calculation mould feem unreafbnable, the
reader is defired to attend to the following, which is founded npon a
Scripture-matter of fact, ' It is evident from facred Hiftory, \_Exod.
xii. 37.] that in the fpace of about 266 years, the pofterity of
Jacvb alone, by his [twelve] fens, amounted to Jix hundred thou-
fand males above the age of twenty, all able to go forth to war.
Now by Mr. Graunt's obfervations on the bills of Mortality it ap-
pears that about -^ are between the ages of fixteen and fifty-fix :
which may be near the proportion of males numbered, to the en-
tire number of them all. So that as 34 is to 100, by the Golden
Rule, muft fix hundred thoufand be to the entire number of the
males of Ifrael at that time: which was therefore one million f even
hundred fixty-four thoufand and jc<ucn hundred. To which add/>-
ma/es, near T " 5 fewer, as fuppofe, to make the fum even, one mil-
lion Jtx hundred thirty-Jiije thoufand three hundred, the Total is,
Three millions and four hundred thoufand ; add forty-three thoufand
for the Levitts (not included in the former accounts), the entire
fum will at laji amount to three million s t and four hundrtd Jortj
thret thoufand fouls.' WHISTCN'S Theory, p. 2^0.
[ 9 6]
* five years between oe generation and another, Afia.,
4 Europe^ and Africa may have been peopled with four
c hundred thirty- two millims of inhabitants, an hundred
4 and fifty years after the ftood. Methinks this could
* not be difputed, were we only to have regard to the
c ordinary methods of propagation. 'Tis true indeed,
* that we fuppofe every Head of a family to have
4 had ten children, when probably fever^l of thofe
* Chiefs might not have had rjear fo many, But then
' how many do we fee jn our days, who have more
4 than ten , and if we cqnfider wha,t Bp. Burnet has tojd
* US concerning Meff. fr endow ancj Calfindrin of Geneva*
" the former of whom at the age of feventy five, had
4 one hundred and fifteen children* or perfon married
*- c to his children, that coujdcajl him Father -, and the
*' other, at the age of forty feyen, had one hundred
" and five peribns who were all his nephews or
4 ' nieces by his brothers or fillers." If, I fay, we
* cqnfider thefe two inftances, 'twill be found that
* our computation is model! enough, for an age
' when poverty and the cares of life had not yet
* deflroyed man's vigour, nor reduced Jiirp to the
* neceffity of refraining from marriage (the lawful
* method of propagation) for fear ot not being a-
4 ble to iupport his family. But although the in-
* creafe of our fpecies had for one hundred and
4 fifty years been much lefs than we have fup-
* pofed it, and that only four hundred millions of
6 people had came into the world ; nay farther,
* tho' we were Hill to fubftract thirty millions from
4 that fum, for the immature and violent deaths,
* difeafes and wars, which in all probability were
* not fo bloody in thofe ages as they have been
* fmce, 'tis very natural to think that fome millions
e might detach themfelves from the remaining three
' hundred and feventy millions, in order to leek their
[ 97 1
* fortunes in America. And tho' we afterwards fup-
' pofe, that propagation may have been very much
' prejudiced by reafon of the fatigues they laboured
' under in their voyage, and from the change of
' climate, &c. we mall neverthelefs find that ten
4 or twelve millions of people may have been able
' to furnifh America with forty millions of fouls, in
* fifty y ears ti me - What is here advanced ought
' not to be looked upon as a paradox, nor mould
* any difficulties be raifed with refpect to our cal-
' culation ; difficulties which are founded only on
, * the length of man's life in our days. Mankind in
' thofe ages had not invented all thole pernicious arts,
' which at the fame time that they morten life, do alfo
' leflen propagation.' And if to all this we add the
confideration of what we are told in Gen. ix. i. viz.
That GOD, immediately after the deluge, bleffcdNoab
and his font , and f aid unto them^ Be fruitful and multi-
ply and replenijh the earth ; if, I fay, we add to the
above obfervations the confideration of this divine
JBlefTing, and injunction, we cannot doubt that the
Progeny of Noah and his Sons was very much increafed
foon after the Flood, and fufficiently numerous to re-
people the earth.' And, when we farther confider,
that after the Confufion of Babel (which happened about
an hundred years after the deluge) it is faid, Gen. xi.
9. And from thence did the Lord feat ter them [i. e. the
Projectors of Babel] abroad upon the face of the
whole earth , I fay when we confider this, that thofe
who were reluctant to GOD'S defign were forced to go,
and doubtlefs many co-operated with the divine inten-
tion willingly, and as mankind, within two or three
hundred years after the flood, were abundantly fuffi-
cient for re-peopling the whole earth, fo we may fairly
conclude, that within that fpace of time they actually
peopled it.
WITH regard to the brute part of the world, they
certainly complied with the divine injunction, Gen. viii.
1 7. and were fruitful, multiplied upon the earth^ and
bred abundantly. And with refpedt to their difperfion,
their peculiar qualities and inflincts would prompt
them to feek fuch countries and climates as would be
moft fuitable to their natures i in the fame* manner as
many of them now pafs from one country to another,
to immenfe diftances, when the alteration of the fea-
fon affects them. Add to this, that the mild and
meek kind of animals, fuch efpecially as were defigned
to be the prey of others, would naturally avoid the
wild and rapacious, and the lafl would as naturally
fjurfue , fo that both would be induced to get as far
from the place where the ark landed, as they conve-
niently could: and by this means the whole globe
would be foon re-fupplied with animals.
THUS then, within two or three hundred years af-
ter the Deluge, the whole Earth would be re -peopled
with men, and flocked with other animals. And as
about this time the Earth was divided or fplit afunder,
and we may juflly fuppofe that the land, which united
Africa and America together, fuffered in this divijien,
was disjoined from the two Continents, and funk be-
neath the Ocean , fo would both Continents be ftill
inhabited ; tho' for the time forward the inhabitants
of each would be feparated from the other.
THUS we have difcovered an eafy way by which
-America might have been, and I apprehend, the true
way, by which it really was fupplied with inhabitants
after the flood ; a way this, that affords a very con-
venient paffage (thro 5 a warm and fruitful climate)
for the moft tender and delicate animals, and fuch as
could not endure any great degree of Cold, and of
courfe a very eafy one for robuft man.
t 99 ]
NATURAL PROOFS
OF THE
Scripture Account of the Deluge,
Deduced from a great variety of circumftances,
on and in the terraqueous globe.
&>*<08( AM now come to Jay before the reader
*Jf j "y what natural proofs may be deduced,
C\ /"S f rom tne P re ^ ent Situation of things id
xLr \J* tne eartn) j n favour of the Mofaic de-
fcription of the Deluge.
AND here, I mall felect four Particulars, which
if I can evince, the truth of the whole will, I believe,
be readily admitted, viz. if I can prove,
I. THAT there is a quantity of water in the earth
abundantly fufficient for flooding it to the height re-
prefented in Scripture ;
II. THAT this water did actually thus overflow it ;
III. THAT, during this Flood, the folid ftructure
or compages of the earth was diflblved, all the mine-
ral and metallic matter reduced to its original corpuf-
cles, and affumed up into the water; fo that the
whole conftituted one fluid mafs or colluvies ,
IV. THAT all this matter, together with the animal
and vegetable bodies inclofed within it, fubfided again,
and formed the prefent folid ftrata of the earth.
IF, I fay, I can prove thefe four points, the truth
of the Mofaic defcription of the Flood cannot, I
think, well be difputed.
H 2
AND I. to flievv, That there is a fuiEcient quantity
of water in the earth for covering alt the high moun-
tains under the -whole heaven, or rather the whole fur-
face of the Earth above the height of the higheft
mountains.
THIS has been thought the main and principal hinge
on which the whole affair of the Deluge turns, the Cauja
fine qua non of folving that grand cataftrophe , for un-
lefs we can procure fufficient materials for the work, it
would be idle to attempt the foliation of the effect.
And all nature, both from above and from below,
has been ranfacked by feveral writers on this fubjeft
to find out a place where there lies a quantity of wa-
ter fufficient for flooding the earth ; which, confidering
the light that writers in general have looked upon the
deluge in, namely as a flood of waters barely over-
flowing the terreftrial parts of the globe, is a matter
of fome furprize that they mould be at a lofs to find
a fuitable quantity : for let any one but caft his eye
over a map or globe of the earth, and he will at once
perceive that the Ocean and Seas greatly exceed the
terreftrial j&rts, and if he will take a nearer and
more accurate furvey and add to the account the
fpaces occupied by all the rivers and lakes upon the
earth, he will find, that the dry land comprehends
not more than, if fo much as, one third part of the
earth's furface. And as it is well known, that the
fea is unfathomable in many places, and that its depth
is equal to the height of the mountains -, fo it is evi-
dent;, and manifelt to ienfe, that there is a quantity
See VARENIUS'S Geograpb\, by SHAW, Vol. I. p. i '3, 195, 8.
As I fhall have occafion to quote this Trcatife hereafter, it may not
be arnifs to acquaint the reader with its authority and character. Sir
Jfaac Newton thought it fo judicious and ufetul a work, that he re-
printed an accurate latin edition of it at Cambridge, for the ule of the
Students in that Univerfky. This edition meeting \vith a quick fale.
of water in the earth capable of covering all the
mountains under the whole heaven. But as this act
of barely covering the mountains will not anfwer the
defcription of the Flood as given in Scripture, nor fuit
with the efeEls of that Flood as they are now dilcernible
upon and in the earth (of which hereafter) fo we mull
find out a quantity, even greater than this. But what
I have faid may ferve to pave the way, and leflen the
wonder the reader may conceive concerning the quan-
tity of water requifite for fuch a grand tranfaction.
THE Prelude to which mighty event was, accord-
ing to Mofes, The breaking up of tbe fountains of (be
Great Deep. What this Great Deep or Abyfs is has
been fbewn already, namely, that it is an immenfely
large Refervoir of water lying beneath the circular
fhell of the earth, communicating with all lefier Deeps
or Seas, and affording lupplies for the numerous
rivers upon the earth. Such is the Scriptural account
of this Abyfs, fee p. 25, &c.
LET us now fee whatreafon there is to believe, from
a view of the ftructure and parts of th!s globe, that
there is fuch a fubterraneous magazine ot^vater.
i. THE/r/? argument which I ihall bring in proof
of this Abyfs is (to fpeak in the words of Scripture
wherever we can) That all the rivers run into tbe Sea,
and yet tbe Sea is not full, or does not reach the height
and confequently foon becoming fcarce, Dr. Bent!e>; importance! Dr.
Jut in to print another edition, and to affix an appendix of later Dif-
coveries. Mr. DugdfiU published an cn^i-ji? 7V 1 ,/,//;/^ from Juries
edition, with feveral additional notes ; which has fi nee been revifed,
corrected and re publifhedby Dr. 6'<7if. And 1 fcarce know a
more ufeful Book for a Student in Flsiloibphy to begin with.
See alfo Hiltti-e Pbf/jquc d .-lamer far O.n:e d, MARSILLI, p. i i.
This alfo Is a valuable Treatife, and the Author of it fo w-.-li known
for his indefatigable indaftry, judgment and accuracv in making ex-
periments and observations upon the tops of the hi^heft mountains,
the deepeil cave-, and even t'^e bottom ><\ t!\..' Sea, that 1 need unly
to ir.tution Li^ naiiie to ^aiii credit to liis b:uk
t I2 ]
of, or run over, its fhores. This is a fact as flu
as it is apparent \ but, like other common truths, the
obvioufneis of it leffens the wonder, and takes off
the weighty confiderations deducible therefrom. But
the Event in itfelf i truly wonderful, and deferves our
particular notice on the prefent occafion. To enu-
merate and defcribe all the rivers upon the earth would
be endlefs and impofiible. I mall therefore mention
fome of the largeft ; in order that we may form a
judgment of the 'quantity of water poured into the
Sea by all of them. The Danube, after it has ran
a courfe of above two thoufand miles, and received by
the way fixty rivers, (thirty of which are fo large as to
be navigable) throws itfelf, by five or fix great ftreams,
with fuch rapidity into the Euxine Sea, that its water
continues frefh and unmixt with the fait for twenty
leagues. Its depth, in moil places, is two hundred
feet.? The Volga, after it has taken an irregular tour
of two thousand nine hundred miles , and increafed its
ilream by the addition of two hundred rivers and
brooks, difcharges itfelf by twenty five mouths into the
Cafpian Sea, and makes that Sea lefs brackilh for
many leagues.* The Oby, a river in Siberia, in fome
places half a league, and in others a whole league
broad, runs for about two thoufand four hundred miles
(without reckoning its windings) and then empties it-
felf by fix mouths into the Icy Sea. r To which we
may add the Jenifa, about ten weeks journey diftant
from the former river, and equal, if not fuperior to
it, both in length and breadth.* The Crocc<us or yellow
r'tver of China, after having flowed thro' feveral Pro-
vinces for more than two thoufand miles, falls at length
* COLLIER'S Miflorita/, Geographical, &c. Dictionary.
i Atlas Ge'.grapbus, Vol. I. p. 164. Vdrcnius, p. 291.
r Atlas Gtcg. p. 165. VA RE Nil's'/ Geography, Vol. 1. p. 349.
' f'arcniu}, ibid.
into the Haft-Sea. 1 Not far from this is tfre J&ttft, re-
markable for its depth) being unfathomable in feverai
places, fo that the Chinefe have a proverb among them
\vhich fays, The Sea hath no bounds and the Kiam hath
no bottom. This impetuous river (which is fo very-
rapid when the torrents from the mountains incrcafe
its ftream, that it frequently bears away the iQands
that lye in its channel, and buries them under ite
waves) after having ran a courfe of twelve hundred
miles, difburthens itfelf into the Eaft-Sea of China*
The Ganges, famous for its length, breadth and depth,
being VK&X fifteen hundred miles long; and in its nar-
roweft places eight miles broad, in the molt open parts
twenty , and feldom fo mallow but that its depth mea-
fures an hundred feet. w The Euphrates, after having
ran a courfe of about a thcufand miles joins that remark-
ably rapid river the Tigris (after the Tigris had patted
a courfe of about five hundred miles) and both of them,
about j&# miles beyond their union, exonerate them-
felves into the Per/tan Gulph. The Nile takes its rife
in 12 deg. of N. Lat. and having flowed fifteen hun-
dred miles, nearly from South to North, divides into
two branches, and then falls into the Mediterranean
Sea.* The Niger, the longeft river in Africa, after a
courfe of two tboufand four hundred miles, empties it-
felf by fix great ftreams into the Atlantic Ocean. 7
The Zaire, another river in Africa, which, though it
does not equal any of the above in the length of its
courfe, yet exceeds them all in its breadth, being at
H 4
1 LE COMTB'S Qbfir-vations made in a Journey thro' the Empire of
China, p. 108.
" Ibid.
w SALMON'S modern Gazetteer: HE VLYN'S CnCmtgrpphy, p S'Q.
* SALMON'S /)/-, /<;// Jlatc aft ill nation*, Vol. V. p. 10.
* VARENIUS, p, 349. COLLIER'S Did.
104
its mouth twenty eight miles broad, and rufhes into the
Ethiopic Sea with fo great a force, as to preferve its
waters pure and frefh for ten miles commonly, for fif-
teen at other times. z But if we pals into America, we
mall find rivers exceeding any yet mentioned. The
river of St. Laurence, alter having ran through, and
been fed by, feveral great Lakes, and taken a courfe
of one thoufandfive hundred miles (and its fource yet un-
known) difcharges itfelf into the gulph of St. Laurence ;
being at its mouth between feventy and eighty miles
broad, and two hundred fathoms deep. 3 The Paria or
Oronoque is navigable for a tboufand miles by mips of
burden, and two tboufand by boats and pinnaces ; and
having received into its channel an hundred rivers,
openeth into the fea with fixleen mouths, which part
the earth into fo many iflands. b Rio de la Plata, in
length from its firft fountain two tboufand miles, in
breadth at its fall into the Stzfixty miles , and of fo
violent a ftream that the Sea for many leagues together
altereth not the taile of it. The River of the Amazons,
efteemed the greateft in the world ; Orellana is reported
to have failed in it five tboufand miles, including the
feveral turnings and v/indings he took; in many places
it is fo deep as to be unfathomable-, and, at the time
of its higheft rifings, the Current is an hundred and
eighty miles broad, and rufhes into the Sea with fuch
impetuofity as to preferve its natural tafte and colour
for more than thirty miles.* Now to the above
let any one make an addition of all the remaining ri-
vers upon the earth, and then conceive within himfclf
HEYLYN'S Cofmog, p. 989, 995-
COLLIER'S Dit.
HETL,YN'S Cofmograpby, p. 1056.
Ibid.
Ibid. CcckSs fejage to the South Sea, &c. p. 254.
[ 105
what an immenfe profufion of water muft be poured
into the Ocean, 1 need not lay, yearly, monthly, but
daily, or even hourly? It was the opinion ot that ac-
curate Geographer Farenius,* [and to which I believe,
every one upon mature consideration wi-il confent, as
Bp. Stillingfleet, Dr. Plot, Stackhoufe, and others have
done] that each of the larger fort of rivers, (and fuch,
every one of thofe that t have mentioned above, may
well be efteemed, and many others that are not
mentioned) empties into the Sea, in one year's
time, a quantity of water fufficient to cover the
whole fur face of the earth. And if feveral rivers,
fmgly coniidered, throw in fuch a quantity, and fome of
them a. far greater, What muft all of them added to-
gether effund ? In order to fee what a quantity this
would amount to, and to what an height, if it was
poured upon the earth, it would arife, Let us fuppofe,
that the mouths of all the rivers, or the places where
they enter into the Sea, were flopped and dammed up
fo high, that their currents were diverted from rufhing
into the fea, and turned back upon the dry-land ; and
how foon would the higheft mountains be covered ?
For, if one river, in one year's time, produces a quan-
tity fufficient to effect this, (or rather twice as much as
would be fufficient, for the Dry-land occupies but one
third part of the earth's furface) and there are many
fuch rivers, and feveral much larger, and if all the
lefler ftreams were united, they would exceed the
larger already mentioned, How foon, I fay, in this
cafe, muft the higheft mountains be covered ? Surely,
not many days, it hours, would be requifite for fuch
an inundation. Now when we confider, that fuch
an inconceivably great quantity of water is daily ^ or at
^ Gin/ Geography, p 299.
[ io6 J
lead weekiy difcharged into the Sea, and yet//^ Sea is
not full, nor even any vifible increafe produced there-
by, What an immenfely large receptacle mutt there be
beneath the Ocean and the Land for containing fuch
an afiemblage of water ? Well might it be called in
Scripture THE GREAT DEEP, as all leffer Deeps
or Seas are nothing in companion to it.
ALLOWANCE indeed muft be made in the above cal-
culation, for the quantity of water that is raifed from
the Ocean in vapour by the heat of the fun, &c.
which fome have been fo extravagant as to imagine to
be equal to That which is poured into the Ocean by
all the rivers upon earth ; and therefore they fuppofe,
that what the Sea gets by the rivers, it loies by eva-
poration ; and fo a mutual and equable interchange is
prefervcd. But furely this Hypothecs can never
Hand the examination of common fenfe or experi-
ments. For i/}. it is well known, that the vapours
and rain fall upon the Sea, as well as upon the land ;
and the furface of the Ocean is full 'as large again as
That of the Dry-land; fo we may juftiy fuppofe that
two thirds of what is raifed in vapour returns from
whence it came, without falling upon the Dry-land.
idly. Befides, as, it has been obferved ' This is a
1 Summer reafon, and would pafs very ill in winter,
4 efpecially in our Northern climate, when the heat of
1 the Sun is much lefs powerful ;' and yet our Seas
have no fuch fenfible diminution in Summer, or over-
flowing in winter, as might be expected, if their in-
creafe and decreafe depended fo much upon vapours.
And, %dly. I may add too, This is a day reafon, and
will not hold in the night; when the vapours fre-
quently fall nearly as fail as they role in the precedent
day. But, ^tbly. fince the favourers of this hypo-
thefis fuppofe, That the fnpply of all the rivers upon
earth is owing to the vapours that are raifed from the
Sea, carried from thence by wind, and condenfed
againft the fides of mountains, and fo trickling down
thro' the crannies of the rocks, enter into the hollow
places thereof, form collections of water, &c. from
whence they illue out at the firft orifice they can find,
and by this means conftitute Springs and Rivers , fince,
I fay, they hold this hypothefis as a conference of
the former, it mould follow, That as the evaporations
are greater in Summer time than in Winter, fo the
Springs and Rivers, which depend upon the quantity
of theie evaporations, ought to be higher and fuller in
Summer than in Winter; the contrary to which is
well known to be fact, at leaft in our Northern re-
gions ; unlefs when the vapours happen to be con-
gealed and frozen into Snow, asfoon as they fall ; and
then they of courfe (in their frozen and confined ftate)
cannot afford any fupply for the augmentation of ri-
vers , and in this cafe, or in fuch places where this
happens, the rivers generally remain of the fame height
in Winter as in Summer. Which laft confederation will
furnifh another argument againft the opinion of thofe
who afcribe the origin of Springs and Rivers to the
condenfation of vapours againft the fides of mountains,
&c. for it is obferved by Mr. Ray, (who himfelf tra-
velled over the Alps) ' That the tops of the Alps above
' the fountains of four of the greateft rivers in Europe,
' the Rhine, the Rhofne, the Danube, and the Po, are
* for about./?* months in the year conjlantly covered with
4 Snow to a great tbicknefs , Ib that there are no vapours
' all that while that can touch thofe mountains, and be
' by them condenfed into water : there falls nothing
' there but Snow ; and that continuing all that while
' on the ground without diffolution, hinders all accefs of
c vapours to the earth, if any rofe, or were by winds
' carried fo high in that form, as I am confident there
' are not. And yet lor all that do not thofe Springs
[ io8 ]
6 fail, but continue to run all winter, and it is likely
' too, without diminution.'' But, Laftly, this Hy-
pothefis that the origin of Springs and Rivers is ow-
ing to vapours condenfed into water and rain, and that
the quantity of water which is evaporated from the
Ocean is equal to that which is poured into it by all
the rivers upon the earth, has been fo fully examined
and confuted by Dr. Gualtieri in anfwer to Dr. Valif-
nieri (who maintained the above hypothefis) and this
too, by making the mod reasonable or rather over-
reafonable allowances to the favourers of this hypothe-
fis, That I mail only tranfcnbe part of what Dr. Gu-
altieri has faid on this head, as it is abridged in the
Memoirs of Literature for Aug. 1725. 'After this,
* Dr. Gualtieri undertakes to prove the impoflibility of
' afcribing the origin of Springs and rivers to rain-
' water, &c. To demonftrate this impoffibility,
* it ought to be proved that the quantity of rain-water
' is far from being fufHcient to keep up the continual
4 courfe of fprings and rivers. And to fet that pro-
4 pofition in its full light, one mud determine by a
* Calculation the quantity of rain-water, andthequan-
' tity of the water of thofe rivers that fall into thefea:
4 and jf one exceeds the other confiderably, the quef-
* tion will be decided. It refill cs (fays the Author)
' from the obfcrvations made by the Paris- Academy,
* for the fpace of nineteen years, that the mean quantity
* of rain, that falls at Paris, is about 18 or 19 inches
* high every year. f To find how much it rains in
f It may be proper to make a few remarks here, I st - That it has
been now determined by a cov.rfe of oHfervati ops that hav? been fuc-
ceflively continued bv the Profdlors of the Academy for no lefs than
tfVrv fi-ve yt.a>-s, that it a rnedi.:m, crone year with another, there
falls no more than ibmcbc;, and 8 lines of rain; feeTi-.MPLtMA.N's
Kxtrafis from the mrtn'iin cf the Acini >n\ tit Parif, Vol II p. 32-?;
juft prir.tcd. 2 d1 '- That under the term R.\in is ulib included all the
[ T 9 J
* Italy during one year, the Author requires that the
4 whole furface of that country be reduced to an ob-
* long rectangular parallelogram ; the length whereof
4 be or 600 miles of Bologna, and the breadth of 1 20.
4 In the next place, he fuppofes that all the water fall-
4 ing upon that extent of ground, in the fpace of one
year, is kept in, without being able to run out.
4 That water, in this fupp^ofidon, will rife, according
4 to the obfervations of the Academy, to the height of
* one foot and a half; and if the whole be calculated,
' it will appear to amount to the fum of two trillions,
4 feven hundred billions of cube feet of water, that
4 Kill in one year upon the furface of all Italy. Now,
4 in order to know the quantity of water carried into
4 the fea by all the rivers ot that country in one year,
4 we mufl fuppofe a canal of a depth and breadth pro-
* portionable to the dimenfions of thofe rivers, where-
* of thofe that fall into the fea, are two hundred in
' number, without reckoning the other rivers, brooks,
* fountains, fubterraneous canals, &c. Dr. Gualiierr^
1 before he determines the length and breadth of fuch
* a canal, obferves that the Po is near a mile broad at
4 its entrance into the fea. If we add to the waters of
4 the Po thofe of eighteen other great rivers^ can we al-
4 low to a canal that mould contain them all, lefsthan
4 one mile or, 5000 feet in breadth, and 20 feet in
4 depth ? If we add (till the water of the" fmall rivers,
4 and of all the fountains and fprings, that fall into
4 the fea ; Can any one believe that thole waters col-
4 leded can be contained in inch a canal ? [Doubtleft
water that fails in [now, dt<w, vapours, &c. 3 <ly> That this quan-
tity is meafured almoft as foon as it fa h, and the fum total determined
from thefe feveral lefier meafurements j and no allowance made fbi
what would othervvife have been carried ofFby <uvW.<, by cxh <//;//'. ,
contained in vegetation, imbibed by the earth t &c ; which, if ukca
into the account, would greatly lefien the above eftimare.
not]. However the Author is willing to reduce the
* breadth of that canal to that of 1250 feet, which is
only the fourth part of 5000, and its depth to that
* of 15 feet. [This certainly is an over-reafonable
< allowance given to his adverfary]. After this re-
< duction, the author following the calculation of
< Dr. Guglielmini^ finds that the quantity of water con-
tinually carried into the fea by a canal of that di-
< menfion, during 366 days, would be equal to the
6 fum of five trillions, five hundred twenty two billions,
three hundred ninety one millions of cube feet of
water. But all the rain-water, that falls in Italy
during one year, amounts only to the quantity of
two trillions, feven hundred billions of cube feet of
< water. Therefore all the rivers in Italy carry into
* the fea two trillions^ eight hundred twenty two billions^
' three hundred ninety one millions of cube feet of water
' ABOVE that which the rain affords in one year. From
* whence comes that overplus, if it be not from the
fea itfelf [or rather from the Abyfs that lieth within
* the earth] ? The Author confirms this
"' proof by another fort of fupputation, viz. by that
* of the quantity of water, which evaporates daily.
1 'Tis well known, (fays he) by feveral experiments,
that from a furface of water ten inches fquare, a cube
4 inch of water evaporates in 24 hours. A fquare
* mile of water contains twenty five millions of fquare
1 feet of water, which make three billions, fix hundred
' millions of fquare inches : from whence it follows
* that from a furface of a fquare mile, three hundred
' fixty millions of cube inches of water evaporate in
c 24 hours, which make 208 thoufand, 333 cube feet.
* Allowing the Mediterranean Sea to be 3000 miles
' long and 420 miles broad, its whole furface will be
* of one million, 260000 fquare miles, which number
6 being multiplied by that of 208 thoufand, 333 cube
!
[ "I ]
c feet, we fliall have the number of 262 billions, 499
' millions, 580 thoufand cube feet of water, which
' in 24 hours evaporate from the whole furface of the
c Mediterranean fea ; and multiplying again that num-
4 ber by that of 365 days, there will be 95 trillions,
4 812 billions, 346 millions, 700000 cube feet of
4 water, which evaporate from the fame furtace, in
' the fpace of one year. Afterwards if we reduce all
4 the rivers that fall into the Mediterranean to a canal
4 fix Italian miles broad, and 15 feet deep 'which is a
4 very low fuppofition) fuch a canal will carry into
{ that fea, a hundred thirty two trillions^ five hundred
4 thirty fe-ven billions , three hundred eighty four millions
4 of yibe feet of '-water , a quantity very much exceed -
4 ing tha which evaporates from that fea in one year.
4 That Dr. Valijnuri may have no ground to complain,
4 the Author is willing to grant him, againftthe tefti-
4 mony of all obfervations, that thirty inches of water
4 fall in Italy every year. But he tells him at the fame
' time, that all this water is not employed in keeping
4 up the courfe of fountains and rivers. One mult
4 deduct out of it, i. All the quantity neceflary to*
4 moiften the ground to the depth of lome fathoms,
c without which an excefiive drought would reduce it
' to duft; and this quantity muft needs be very con-
4 fiderable. 2. One muft deduct that quantity which
4 ferves for the nourifliment and growth of trees, and
4 all the other plants of Italy ^ during the whole year ;
4 and in order to conceive how far this can go, it is fuf-
4 ficient to cbnfider, that according to the experiments
4 of Mr. de la Hire^ one fingle fig-tree, furnifhed with
4 an hundred and thirty leaves, ablorbs two pounds and
4 a half of water, in the fpace of five hours, and con-
4 fequently three thoufand one hundred and ninety four
4 founds in one year. 3. One mull deduct out of
4 rain-water that which continually evaporates? the
quantity whereof has been determined above. Now,
how likely is it that 30 inches of water yearly may be
fufficient for all thofe ufes j and that there fhould
remain enough ftill to keep up the courfe of fountains
and rivers. Again-, Dr.Gualtieri makes another im-
poffiblc- fuppofition in favour of his adverfary, viz.
that out of thofe 30 inches of water, 15 only are em-
ployed for the continual evaporation, and to fupply the
wants of the ground and plants; and that the other 15
inches ferve for the courfe of fountains and rivers.
But notwithftanding all the endeavours of Dr. Gual-
tieri in favour of his antagonift. what Ihift can the
latter make with 15 inches of water, whilft the 18
inches found by the Academy, are, as has been
(hewn above, much beneath the quantity requifite to
keep up that perpetual commerce between freih and
fea- water.'
II. SECONDLY, as the quantity of water that is
poured into the Ocean from the mouths of all the ri-
vers upon the earth proves the certainty of an Abyfs be-
neath the Ocean and the Land, fo the quantity ^hat is
thrown out at the heads or fources of all the rivers
equally proves the fame ', and efpecially that this Abyfs
lyeth beneath the Earth as well as the fea. In the above
defcription of feveral of the larger rivers, I have men-
tioned the length of their ccurfcs as well as breadth of
their mouths, in order that the reader may judge from
thence what an immenfe quantity of water is requifite
for preferving their channels full, and keeping their
currents ilrong; and alfo that he may obferve that
their Sources, or the Springs that fupply them with
water, lye high up in the inland countries, fo that fe-
veral of them are fome hundred, nay thoufands of miles
diftant from the Se# they at laft fall into; and fome
of their Springs rife in the very middle or centre of
the largeft Continents. So that fmce they are fituated
[ "3 ]
at fuch a vaft diftance from any fea, and take their
rife generally' in the higheft mountains, the refervoir
that fuppiies them with water muft certainly be beneath
thofe mountains. And fmce, befides thefe larger ri-
vers there are a multitude of other rivers, rivulets,
and fprings, that indifcriminately arife in, and pafs
thro' the different parts of any one of the larger Con-
tinents into which the world isufually divided, fo that
it a perfon would but take a view of the map of either
of the Continents, and obferve the heads of the feveral
rivers that fpring up in it, that Continent, and fo the
whole Earth, would appear as~ if it were bored thro*
in innumerable places, thro* which a continual efflux
of water proceeded; and from hence he will readily
conclude, that the Earth is, as the Pfalmtft fays,
ftretched out or expanded upon water, or eftablijhed upon
the Abyfs that lieth bemath\ fee p. 25, &c.
To fay, that the Origin of thefe fprings and rivers
is owing to rain and vapours condenfed againfl the fides
of mountains, is, as we have already feen, falie in fact
as wf 11 as anti-fcriptural. But as it is the prefent pre-
vailing opinion, it may be expected that 1 mould ex-
amine the chief of the arguments ufually brought in
favour of it-, which I-fhall do, and endeavour to con-
fute them ; and. then introduce an experiment or two,
which ought forever to filence this opinion, and which
indeed might make thofe afhamed of it that have em-
braced it. The firft and chief argument, that the
quantity of water which falls in rain and vapours
throughout the year is fufficient for the fupply of ail
the rivers upon the earth, has been already (hewn
to be an egregious miftake ; there being no rcafon to
think it fufficient for the fupply of one of the larger
rivers, much lefs for all, during that fpace of time.
'idly. It has been faid, That fmce rivers increafe and
overflow their banks after any great rains, efpeciall/
fuch as are periodical, and after the flowing or melt-
ing of the fnow upon the mountains, it certainly fol-
lows, that their fupplies are owing to rain, vapours or
fnow. But this is fo far from proving that the conflant
and regular flux of rivers (which is the point in quef-
tion) is derived from hence, that it rather proves the
contrary ; and only mews that the fudden incresife or
accidental inundations of rivers may be owing to thefe
caufes ; but does not at all account for the water that
continually iflues forth from the fprings or heads of
rivers, and which affords them a conftant and equable
fuppfy, when no fuch rains fall, and no fnow is melt-
ed. Again , it has been faid, That the rain that
falls, and the fnow that is melted, upon the mountains,
fink thro' the earth, and is referved there in large ca-
vities or bafons, from whence 'tis gradually difpenfed
for the fupply of fprings and rivers. But the above
argument deftroys this, for we find that rivers fwell
and increafe immediately after and in proportion to the
rain that falls or the fnow that is melted ; and there-
fore, the water that proceeds from either is not detained
within the mountains. And it is evident to fenfe,
that, after any fudden mower or even a rain of long
continuance, or the gradual melting of fnow, the
water which proceeds from either flows down from
the mountains along upon the furface, almoft as foon
as it falls, and does not enter into the bowels of the
earth [unlefs where there happen to be natural hollows
or pits dug for mining, &c. which lie open to the fur-
face -, and then fome part of the rain that falls will of
courfe pafs thro* thefe -, but as this tinges the water
of the fpring with the colour of the foil it has pafied
thro', fo its continuance is eafily diftinguifhable, and
it feldom lafts above a few hours after the rain] but
in general, I fay, it is evident to fenfe, that the water
which falls in rain or from fnow flows down from the
fides of the mountain in fireams or torrents towards
the lower grounds, and either unites with rivers and
with them tails into the fca, or e'le fettles at the bot-
tom of hills (but not upon the tops or fides, from whence
fprings generally rife, and to can afford no iupply for
them ) i and even from thence is in a few days conveyed
away, part of it being evaporated by the heat of the
fun, part carried off by the winds, part fpent in the
nourimment of vegetables, and part imbibed by the
earth. But it has been farther aiTerted, Thar,
fince in the hotter feafons of the year and in great
droughts, when no rain has fallen for fome time, the
fprings and rivers fenlibly tail or are diminifhcd ;
therefore, as their deficiencies are owing to want of
rain, their fupplies muft be owing to rain. But
this by no means follows, for the part that rain bears
in the fupply of rivers is only (as we have feeh al-
ready") an accidental increafe or fwelling of their wa-
ters, but has no mate in affording a regular and fuf-
ficient quantity of water for their, otherwife, equable
and conjtant courfes. And the reafon why fprings and
rivers fail or are leffened in great droughts and the
hotter feafons of the year is evident, for during fuch
times the heat of the weather and the action of the
Sun-beams upon the water at the Spring-head ^ where
the quantity is generally fmall, and in the channels of
rivers- will caufe the water to be exhaled and evapo-
rated in proportion to fuch heats and droughts, and
therefore" fprings and rivers will proportionably fail.
Befides ; in fuch hot and dry weather, the ufual
moifture of the ground is exhaled, and the fur-
face of the earth parched and cracked into chafms
and openings, fo that the moid vapours that arife
from beneath or from within the earth, (of which
more particularly hereafter) and which in a great
meafure afford fupplies for fprings and even for rain,
I 2
[ 1,
are, when they come to the furface of the earth, at-
tenuated, divided, and difperfed here and there (as
our breath or the fume emitted from our lungs, is in
the fummer-time) by the action qf the fun-beams or
heat in the air, inftead of being collected and condenfed
at and under the furface of the earth - (as is the cafe
during the colder, and more moderate months) and
fo faturating the vegetable mould, and repleniihing
fprings, &c. And hence it comes to pafs (quite con-
trary to the hypothefis of fprings being derived from
rain, Sec.) that tho' there fails in England and the adja-
cent countries a much greater quantity of rain in June
and July than in December and ^-fc.mic.r'^ yet the
fprings and rivers are much lower and the earth more
dry in the two former months than m the two latter ;
and this certainly happens on account of the greater
heat of the fun, and more copious exhalations from
the earth and water ; whereas in the two other months,
the fun's power is lefs, and the furface of the earth
clofed and frozen ; fo that the inward or fubterranean
vapours are confined, ccndenfed, and increafed beneath
the earth's furface ; and hence fprir.gs and wells receive
a furplufage of water, and the inward parts of the earth
are quite fated or glutted with moifture, which collect-
ing into drops falls more plentifully from the tops of
caves, grottos, &c. during thefe colder months : and
yet this is a time when Rain is not only lefs in quan-
tity, but lefs able to fend fupplies to fprings, on ac-
count of the clofe union or compaction of the upper
parts of the earth ; fo that their, fources mull lie be-
neath the earth, and their fupplies be inward^ not cut"
ward.
E WOODWARD'S Nat. Wjl. p. 213. MARTYN'S Abridgment cf
ike Memoirs of the Acadtm^ of Sciences, &c. Vol. II. p. 44.
[ "7]
BUT I mall now produce an experiment or two of
Mr. de la Hire, fufficient to overthrow this whole
theory of the origin of fprings being owing to rain
and vapours. This gentleman was reiblved to bring
this hypothefis to the teft of experiments, and to ex-
amine it in its moft ejjential article, viz. by endeavour-
ing to find to what depth rain or fnow- Water did really
defcend into the earth. In order to know this, h ' He
* dug a hole in the lower terrafs of the Obfervatory at
' Paris, and placed therein, eight feet under ground,
' a large leaden bafon, a tittle inclined towards one of
' its angles, to which was foldered a leaden pipe 12
c feet long, which, after a confiderable defcent, reached
' into a cellar adjoining. And after having covered
* the head of the pipe in the bafon with feveral flints of
' different fizes, to prevent the orifice from being
' Hopped, he threw in a quantity of earth of a middle
* nature, between fand and loam, (and fo eafily per-
4 meable by water) to the depth of eight feet -, and then
' judged, that if the rain and fnow-water penetrated
' the earth to the depth that fome fprings are found
' at (which in digging wells and mines are difcovered
' to be at all depths, from 8 to 800 feet) or 'till they
' meet with the firft clayey or compact flratum to flop
' them, that then the bottom of the bafon would ferve
to Hop and collect the water : and by this means there
4 would foonbe a fpring burfling forth thro' the leaden
* pipe into the cellar. But on the contrary, after hav-
' ing kept the bafon in this fituation for no lefs than
' 15 years, and the ground all the while expofed open
4 to whatever rain, fnow, or vapours that fell, he
' could not obferve that ^fingle drop of -water had ever
I 3
h See Mittioin de la Acadim, or MARTYN'S Abridgvur.t ^ Vol. II.
p. 52. &c.
pafled thro* the leaden pipe into the cellar. At the
_' fame time that he begun the above experiment, he
placed another bafon about 8 inches under ground,
< and chofe a place where the rain and vapours might
fall, and yet the ground be fcreened from the heat of
' the fun and the aclion of the wind, and took care to
pull up all the grafs and herbs which grew over the
bafon, that all the water, which mould fall on the
< ground, might pafs uninterrupted to the bottom of
' the -bafon, wherein was a little hole, with a tube to
< convey the water into another veiTel. The effect was,
< that in all the fpace of time from the iith of 'June
< to the igth of February following (more than eight
'months) no water came by the tube from the bafon ;
e and tho' it began to run on the lyth of February, this
was entirely owing to the great quantity of fnow
< which had fallen, and was then melting. From that
' time the earth in the bafon was always very moift,
though the water would only run a tew hours aftef 1
raining, and it ceafed running, when the quantity
< fallen was drained off. A year after, he repeated
c the fame experiment, but buried the bafon 16 inches
' under ground. He took care alfo that there was no
' grafs on the ground, and that it might be fcreened
' from the fun and wind, which would dry it too fail.
' The effect was much the fame as in the former, ex-
' cepting that when a confiderable time pafled without
' raining, the earth would grow a little dry ; fo that
' a moderate rain coming on, it would not moiilen
' it fufficiently to make it run. Laflly, he
' planted herbs on the ground over the bafon, but
' found, that when thefe were grown up a little, the
' ground was fo far from fending any water after rain,
' that all that fell was not fujfident to fujlam them,
' but they would droop and wither, unlefs re-fprinkled
' from time to time with water.' This, I think.
[ "9]
abundantly proves, not only that the rain-water does
not penetrate the earth, fo as to form the (mailed col-
lection of water, above 16 or 18 inches, but that
the quantity that falls, is not fuffident to furnifh the
quota requifite for the growth of vegetables ; fo that
we muft call in, as the above-mentioned author re-
marks, ' fome foreign affijlance to fupport them ;'
which alfo he found to be true from * feveral experi-
* merits that he made upon the quantity of water eva-
4 porated thro' the leaves of plants. '_ And what he
fays concerning the rain-water not finking above 1 6 or
1 8 inches in a foil of a middle nature, between fand
and loam, I have obferved to be nearly true even
in the moft lax and gravelly foil, fuch as that in the
low-lands about Oxford, which confifts of fmall round
pebbles and fand. I have examined it frequently after
the hardeft rains, and thofe of long continuance, [but
could never perceive that the rain had defcended,
(tho' the ground was upon a level, in a valley, and
of a wide extent) above 20 inches or two feet at moft;
and at about this depth I obferved in feveral places
where the earth was opened, that the gravel was un-
commonly hard and compact, the parts of it fo in-
timately united, that it formed a kind of ftratum,
which in tenacity equalled fome kinds of ftrata of (tone :
and upon examining the reafon of it, I found it to pro-
ceed from hence, that the rain water had drained down
as low as this, and here lodged ; and as it defcended,
it had carried with it the fmaller granules of fand and
other finer matter, which being repofited among and
between the other pebbles, cemented them clofe to-
gether and confolidated the whole ; and that this was
the caufe of their union was manifeft from the finer
matter being affixed to the fides and under-parts of moft
of the pebbles, juft in the manner as the draining or
laft fediment of water would naturally leave it, Buu
I 4
[ 120 ]
I fay, after repeated obfervations, I could never per-
ceive that the rain-water had penetrated thro 1 this com-
pact ftratum of gravel , and unlefs the ram haa bf-en
of long continuance, and the weathef very moift and
wet before, I could not find that it had penetrated
even thus far; but faw plainly that all the rain that
fell was not fufficient for the fupport and nounmment
1 of the herbage and vegetables ; which, unlefs they had
been aflifted by the foreign fuppiy of the vapours that
afc end from the infide of the earth or whkh proceed
from beneath upwards (not thoie that fall from the
clouds, or from above, downwards) would foon have
drooped and withered, as thofe planted by the above-
mentioned gentleman did.
IT appearing then thus evident that the origin of
Springs and Rivers is not owing to rain or any vapours
that -may fall from above, we muft feek for an internal
fupply, for a magazine of water underneath the earth ;
and how immenfely great this muft be, I have given
the reader reafon to judge from what has been faid
at the beginning of this argument, p. 105. But it
may be proper (in order to obviate all objections and"
entirely to clear the fubject I am upon; to explain how
and by what means the water of this fubterranean
Abyfs is conveyed to the tops of the highefl moun-
tains, and there breaks out in Springs, &c. Now
any one that has but ju.lt looked into the infide of the
earth, and obferved the ftructure of ir, cannot but
know that the ftrata or beds of (lone, &c. of which
it confifts, have innumerable cracks or ffures in them,
ibme perpendicular, others oblique > and others hori-
zontal, or rather fuch as interfect and divide the ftra-
ta at all angles, and in all directions whatever ; and
alfo that thefe fiffures are of various frzes and capa-
cities, from foir.e that are feveral feet in breadth to a
multitude of "others that arc not more than a line in
width, or even invifible ('till fome force be applied to
the ftonc, &c. and then the (lone will break into fmall
fhatters or fragments, and difcover where thefe cracks
were, as every one knows) ; and it is alfo certain, that
feveral of thefe fifiures or rather thefe divifions or part-
ings of the regular flrata are filled with a rubbley-kind
of matter, confitling of a mixture of fmall loofe flones,
clay, fludge and fand ; and that others of them are
quite open. 1 It is allo well known to thole that
are at all converfant in the fubterranean world, that
there is a moift vapour or a kind of fleam continually
paffing, from beneath upwards, thro' the fhell or cruft
of the earth i and that this vapour pervades, not only
the fmaller and leffer fiffures, but even the interflices
and pores of moft forts of flone, &c ; and that the
deeper you defcend, the more fenfibly and forcibly
this vapour ads or aicends. k Now upon the certainty
of thefe two facts (the reality of which any perfon may
be convinced of, by giving himfelf the trouble of look-
ing into the infide of the earth) we (hall be under no
great difficulty in accounting for the afcentof the fub-
terranean water to the tops and fides of mountains for
the origin of fprings, rivers, &c. For, firft,
fince the Earth is thus cracked and divided, from
the bottom of its iliell to the top, into an innumerable
number of fiffures of various fhapes and various fizes,
it cannot but be that the water of the Abyfs pervades
thefe cracks and enters 'up into them to a level with
the water of the Sea : for however irregular and wind-
ing thefe fiffures may be, yet it is evident, from the
common experiment of immerging feveral tubes that
are of the moil different fhapes and fizes into a veffel
of water, that the water will rife to an equal height
' See the Expltu^tizn of the l j latc under the Letter F.
k See Note k p. 41 . and the references.
[ ,22]
in each, and be level with the furface of the water in
the veffel -, and fo muft the water of the Abyfs fcand
with refpect to the furface of the Ocean. So that if
we were to fuppofe the Earth, or rather the mountain-
ous Part of ir, to be cut off to a level, or concentri-
cally, with the furface of the Sea, it is certain that
the fiffures and chafms, which communicated with
the Abyfs beneath, would be full of water to their
very tops, notwithftanding the-- Preffure of the out-
ward Air upon them , for, neither this nor the ir-
regularity of the fubterranean canals would prevent
the water from rifmg in every one of thefe fiffures to
a level with the furface of the Ocean, as is evident
from the above-mentioned well-known experiment.
Nay, it will rile much higher, for (as Dr. Gualtieri
juftly obferves) ' Two Liquids of an unequal weight,
4 put in an equal quantity into two equal tubes raifed
c perpendicularly upon the fame plain, have a different
* height relatively to their weight. This being laid
6 down, 'tis certain by many experiments, that Sea-
* water is heavier than frefli water, and that the gra-
* vity of the firft is to that of the fecond, as 103 to
* 100. And therefore if we fuppole the Sea to be an
6 100 feet deep, and that the fea- water being deprived
6 of its fait by filtration, fills up the fubterraneous
* paffages thro' which it circulates, it may rife to the
* height of 3 Feet above the level of the lea. Now,
* if we fuppofe the fea to have the depth of an Italian
* mile, which makes 5000 feet (meafure of Bologna)^
c frefh water may rife to the height of 1 50 feet above
* the fame level. That height of 150 feet is already
4 fomething confiderable for a mountain. But be-
c caufe fome are much higher, at the tops of which
' there are Springs of frefh water ; we may obferve,
' that in many places, Pilots have not been able to
1 meafure the depth of the fea, becaufe they could not
* firrd the bottom of it ; but tho' they mould find it
' in fuch places, one may very well fuppoie that there
' are in them abyffes, caverns, c\c. which the plum-
4 met does not reach, and which penetrating into
4 the moft internal pares of the earth, from a perpen-
' dicular column of fait- water ot an immenfe height.'
Now if, under thefe circumftances, we fuppofe the
mountainous part of the earth or that portion of its
fphere which is higher than the fur face of the Sea (and
which we before ilippofed to have been taken off) to
be re-placed in its firft and original pofition, fo than
the fiffures in the mountainous Part mall be directly
over the fiffures that are full of water to their tops (as
is the real fituation of them in the prefent ftructure
of the earth) how foon, in this cafe, and to what a
height would the water of the Abyfs be preffed up
thro' the fiffures into the mountains ? For now the per-
pendicular preflure of the outward Air upon the fur-
face of the water in the fiffures being taken off or e-
luded by the covering of the mountains or their fuper-
incumbent ftrata, the fubterranean water, by the force
and action of the outward Air upon the Seas and the
weight of the fait water in the Seas (which com-
municate, or are one, with the Abyfs), would be
forced up through the fiffures in the mountains vaft-
'ly above the level of the Sea-; in the fame manner
(to compare great things with final 1) as water is pref-
fed up thro' the pores in a heap of fand, or thro 1 the
cracks in a block of ftone, whofc bottom or under-part
lies immerfed in a pond of water, but whofe upper
part is much above it , for by this fituation of the
Sand or Stone, that part of either which is prominent
or above the water receives the perpendicular prei-
fure of the outward air upon its exterior furface, and
io eludes or weakens the action ot the Air upon the
water that is under or in the pores of the ftone , and
[
alfo, comparatively fpeaking, increafts the pfefTui'e
and ftrength of the external Air upon 'the. furface of
the water in the pond, which therefore will force the
water that is leaft preffed (viz. That which is under
and in the pores ot the ftone) to that place where it
can find eaiieft admittance, which will be up into the
pores and cracks in the ftone, as there is the thineft
medium and freed paffage. Now if we carry this
analogy farther, and confider that the whole furface
of the- earth is compreffed by the ftrength of the Ex-
panfe, or the Fluid of the Heavens furrounding and
binding it on all fides ; and that this Preffure or Ten-
fion is fo very great and fo clofely applied to every
part, as to prefer ve the earth in its prefent folid ftate
and circular form (tho* it be revolved fo immenfely
fwift upon its axis).* And when we farther confider,
that, while the external Air or grofier part of the Hea-
vens (the Spirit} preffes chiefly upon the furface, the
finer, purer, or the ethereal Part (theL/g$/) pervades
and reaches the inmoft receffes of the earth (for, we
find, that no terreftrial body can deny it entrance) and
penetrates even to the center. And as there is anew and
fnccej/i-je ftream of Light, almoftinftantaneoufly, mov-
ing or impelled from the Fire at the Sun, and con-
tinually preffing againft, and making its way into
the orb of the earth (chiefly at or under the torrid
Zone), and having palled thro' the fhell or the wa-
ters of the Ocean, enters into the Abyfs and there
agitates and expa nds the water : And as in order to
gain itfelf admittance and occupy a fpace in the Abyfs
equivalent to its own bulk or quantity, a proportion-
able quantity of other matter mull recede, give way,
or pafs out of the Earth -,' fo this receding matter, as
* Sec alfo what is faid of the ?---^v/r t of the air, in the note, p. 37.
1 To explam ihife fomewhat farther, it is now, I think, univer-
fally allowed that Light is a bod-; or a material fukjiaxce. And
\\ hen we confider that its particles refie&cd from a concave ff eculuai,
[ -25 ]
it is impelled upwards from the center to the furface,
would takte the eafieft and readieft paiTages it could
find, and therefore would endeavour to pafs thro' the
cracks and fifliires of the earth ; but as all the fuTures
that communicated with the Abyfs beneath, were before
full of water, even to a level with, or rather much
higher than the furface of the Sea, fo this receding
matter in its afcent would certainly contribute to-
wards forcing the water in the fi fibres y?///^ /for up
aft with fuch force as to divide and inftantly to fplit aflnder the parts
of a diamond or the clofeft body we know, it muft be allowed to be
a fubilance inconceivably bard and I'ubtlc ; and its motion immenfelt
fnaift and Jhvng : which laft article is further evident from the almoft
infinite number of reverberations it will endure from fpecula to fpe-
cula, and yet its angle of reflection be equal to its angle of incidence.
Such being the Solidity, Subtilty, Activity, and Velocity of Light,
no terreftrial body furely can prevent its paffing thro' their pores; and
when we confider that the Earth has been expofed to the aftion of
this fjbtie penetrating Agent for federal tboufand years, there cer-
tainly can be no fpace in it, that can receive an atom of Light, b.:t
what has one ; and therefore the Earth from center to circumference is a
Plenum, cr there is no one atom in it, but what is in contact with
another atom, of fome kind or other, but chiefly with the particks
of Light; as is evident not only from the tenuity of this body which
will premeate the pores of any other, but fince the far greater part of
the terraqueous globe is in a ftate ofyf^V/Vj or confiftsof ivnter ; and
we know that the adion or comparative non-aftion of Light, Heat
or Fire (for each are the fame in fubftance, and differ only in degree
or mariner of motion) cau!es the Fluidity .or Soliairv r,f <watt:r (its
fluid or frozen ftate) ; and as the earth is warmer, the deeper we
deicend; and there is an imraeniely large fphere of water in a (late
of fluidity and motion or perpetual circulation underneath the earth
(as will more evidently be (hewn hereafter 1 ! ; fo there muft be a free
admiflion and full penetration of the particles of Light thro' that
mafs of water in order to preferve \iiuch or keep it in a (late fuf-
ccptiBle of eafy motion and brifk circulation. Such being the con-
dition of the earth ; and iince it is imporiible that any two bodies
can fubfift together in one and the iame place, it muft follow, that
wherever, in iuch a plenum as the above-mentioned, there is an
intrufion of any other body or matter, there mull be a protrufion of
other marttr, quantity f/r quantity.
f .26]
or nearer to the tops of the mountains : And this its
Effect muft be judged of from the nature and force
of this receding matter. We muft therefore next de-
termine what this matter is. Now this can be, no
other than the above-mentioned fubUrrancan moift va-
pour-, it being certain, that this is inceffantly palling
thro' (and we know of no other matter that is fo) the
ihell of the earth from beneath upwards or from the
center to the circumference , and it anfwers in its nature
and form what we might juftly expect fuch receding
matter to be. For it cannot but be allowed, that, as
the Light penetrated into the Abyfs; and protruded
or pufhed out other matter to gain itfclf admifiion,
the matter thus driven out would be the fineft and
pureft that was in the Abyfs, which could be no other
than the Light and fine Air that were there before
(for it is certain that there is fome, tho' very pure air,
as well as Light, in the Abyfs, elfe fifties could not
live and breathe at the bottom of the Ocean , nor the
water of the fprings that are difcovered at the loweft
depth in the earth be fo replete with air). Now as
this Light and fine Air were pufhed outward, they
muft ot courfe pafs thro' the water of the Abyfs. And
as this water had been before rahfied and expanded
by the colluctation of the atoms of Light between
themfelves (and it is not improbable, fince the earth
is of a fpherical form, that the rays of light which
pafs thro' the Ocean and the Abyfs, on each fide of
the equator, are refracted or converge towards one
another till they meet in a focus near the center of the
earth-, and then the heat and agitation would be much
greater) and alfo by their ftruggle to difpoffefs and
drive out the fubterranean light and air, fo this light
and air thus driven out would arife from the Abyfs
in form offteam or vapour-, which we find actually
to be the cafe. Now this vapour, in its paflUge
[ 127 ]
from the Abyfs thro' the cracks and pores in the ftra-
ta of the earth, would not only be a means of elevat-
ing the water in thofe cracks, but would itfelf be
turned or condenfed into water (as the fleams that rife
in an alembick are) as it ftruck againft the tops, fides,
and irregular hollows in the failures ; and by this re-
peated action be continually forming into drops, and
trickling down the fides of the failures and thus, not
only increafe the water that was before paffing thro'
the fi iTu res, but in fome places, where there were
natural bafons or cavities in the rock, be amaffed in
confiderable quantities. And if fuch bafons or fiffures
happen to be higher than the ordinary furface of the
earth, or than the lower grounds (as is the fituation
of them all in mountains) the water thus collected, or
rather inceffantly collecting would break out, where -
ever it could find vent, on the outfide of the moun-
tain, and there form fprings, rivulets, &c. But if
the bafons or fiffures in the infide of the mountain be
not higher than the mean furface of the earth, or
there happen to be any depreffed or hollow place on
the outfide of the mountain, the water that ouzed
out of the infide would then fall into them, and there
fettle , and become either fmall -pools or large lakes,
according to its extent or quantity. And thus, by
this inward fupply, by the afcent of the fubterranean
water and vapour > there will be a conftant Fund and
fufficient Source of water for the production of Springs,
Rivers, Lakes, &c. throughout the whole earth.
BUT there is a difficulty attending this account of
the origin of Springs which may be thought too ma-
terial to be patted by without a folution : and that is,
That if Springs derive their water from the Sea or
from the Abyfs which communicates with the fea,
how comes it to pals, that Spring-water is not fait
and briny, like the fource from whence it proceeds ;
[ "3]
but on the contrary is generally frefh and fweet, or
infipid. Now fuppofing the Abyfs beneath the earth
to be fait like the Sea (which yet we can have no ab-
folute proof of; and I could give feveral reafons to
ihew, that it may not be fo, at leaft, not equally fait with
the Sea) yet we may folve the difficulty upon the fol-
lowing facls and obfervations. Firft, let it Be re-
marked, that Sea-water may be diverted of its faline
particles, and is frequently rendered frefh in a natural
wa y . the vapours that are exhaled from the fea, and
which fall again in frefli fhowers of rain, is one proof
of this , and the flefh of fifli, which are caught, and
which before lived and fed, in the Sea, being fweet,
is another proof of it ; and from in experiment which
Mr. L^jier m made, it is certain, that the w'ater which is
fucked up (as we commonly fay) or rather impelled
and ilrained through the tubes and veffels of the Alga
marina or common Sea-weed is frefh, fweet and pota-
ble ; tho' the diftillation be made from a bafon full
of falt-water. Or, what is more applicable to the
prefent cafe, Monf. Marjtlli having -filtrated a certain-
quantity of the falteft and heavier! Sea- water he could
procure thro' feveral veflels filled with fand, all which
together made up a cylinder of fand of 75 inches in
depth, found, that the water had loft near one half
of its degree of faltnefs -, and concluded that had it
been drained again thro' twice the fame quantity of
{and, it would have been entirely deprived of its faline
particles -, n or we may fafely fay, that had it pallid
thro' a -cylinder of land, confining of as many feet,
as the above did of inches, it would have been as
pure and frefh as the water of the wells of St. Marfs
on the fhore of Languedoc in France, which
Phil. Tranf. N- 156. Q^Lywtkor^s Abridg. Vol.11, p. 297.
De laMtr. p. 33.
f I2 9 1
fays are not more than 60 feet diftant From the neareli
place where the Sea- water reaches. Here then are
feveral flrainers, or means by which Sea-water may be
percolated and rendered frem, in aneafy, natural, and
expeditious way* Now tho' the pores of the earth
are larger or more open than the ftrainers here men-
tioned, yet when we confider the bulk of the earth or
the thicknefs of its mell, the great variety of ftrata
of which it confirts, the many turnings and windings
of the fifllires (by means of which the fubterranean
water may pafs thro' this variety of ftrata), the thick
grofs vapour that is continually paffing thro* the whole
body of the earth, and the great quantity of Sea-weed
and other marine productions that are at the bottom
of the Ocean, efpecially in fuch calm and quiet places
as the cavities at the mouths of the fiffures,- I fay,
taking all thefe into consideration, which may be
efteemed as fo many percolators, and tho' more open
and porous than the above-mentioned, yet by the
length of their courfes and the variety of their fubftancesi
they will certainly anfwer the end of the atore-men-
tioned. And this appears to be fact from hence,
That in fuch places where the Sea-water has admif-
fion into the earth, the Springs and Wells are more
or lefs brackifh, as they are nearer to, or farther from
the Sea. Thus Mr. Norwood, fpeaking of the Ber-
muda iflands, fays, p * We dig WtUs of frejh 'water
* fometimes within 20 yards of the fea, or lefs , which
* rife and fall upon the Flood and Ebb, as the fea
' doth ; as do mofb of the wells in the country, tho*
' further up (as I am informed). Wherefoever they
e dig wells here, they dig 'till they come almofl to z
K
De la Mer, ibid.
p i Abridg. Vol. II. p. 2q9.
' level with the fuperficies of the fea, and then they
* find either frejh water or fait. If it be/r^&, yet if
' they dig two or three feet deeper, or often lefs, they
' ccme to fait water. Jf it be a fandy ground, or a
* faxdy crumbling ftone, that die water foaks gently thro',
* they find ufually frejb water ; but if there be hard
c lime-ftone rocks, which the water cannot leak thro',
' but pafieth in chinks or clefts between them, the
c water is fait or brackifh' Parotitis relates the fame
of feveral places, and obferves ' that Springs near the
' Ocean are fait or brackifh, and the nearer they are
c the fea, the more .they are fated with fait ; as on the
' more of Africa, and in India y chiefly on the more of
' Coromandel, where no vines grow, and all their wells
' tafte fait. Near the town of Suez, at the end of the
' Red Sea, their fprings are all fait and bitter ; and
* even the water which is fetched two German miles
from the more, taftes a little bracki/h. Alfo in fe-
' veral fmall iflands there are no frefh fprings but
' all fait (tho' fomething lefs fated than the Ocean)
' as in the ifland of SL Vincent, and others. In the
' low countries of Peru that border upon the Ocean,
* their Lakes are faltifh y becaufe of the vicinity of
c the Sea. q But farther up in the inland countries, it
is well known, that the Springs and Lakes are frefh
and fweet. Hence then we may fairly conclude,
that the water of the Ocean and the Abyfs is, by a
gradual filtration thro' the ftrata of the earth, fo
itrained and purified as to leave behind all its faline
or briny particles, and when it arrives at a due dif-
tance (either greater, or lefs, according to the poro-
fity or tenacity of the ftrata it paffes through) from its
original refervoir, there to become fweet and frefh, or
at leaft diverted of its primitive qualities. A fur-
VAREXIUS'S Geography^ Part I. Ch. xvi. Proportion 5.
thef proof, that the water of the Abyfs, in its paf-
fage thro' the ftrata of the earth, depofits its faline
particles, may be drawn from the peculiar qualities
of mineral Springs-, of which there are almoft an infi-
nite number, differing from each other in the moft
diftinguifhable properties, according to the particular
fpecies of the mineral or metallic effluvia they are im-
pregnated with; and tho' feveral of thefe have a
laltilh tafte, yet it is well known, that even That pro-
ceeds from other fairs than thofe which the Sea- water
is replete with. "Whence it muft follow, that all
mineral waters, before they arrive at their outlets,
have not only depofited their faline particles, but
even affumed others, very different and diftinct there-
from. And fince this is the cafe^ we may fairly
fuppofe, that where the fubterranean water pafles
through ftrata that have no proper, or no great quan-
tity of proper, matter for the production of mineral
waters * that there it will break out in fprings of pure
and frefh water. It may not be amifs to obferve
in this place, that> upon the fuppofition of Springs,
being owing to rain or vapours that fall upon, and
make their way through the outfides of the mountains^
to the places from whence they rife, it is altogether
abfurd and impofiible to conceive, that the fmall por-
tion of the earth which lies above feveral mineral fprings,
efpecially fuch as break out near the tops of the high-
eft mountains, can be fufficient for affording a conftant
and equable fupply of mineral matter for the impregnation
of them. Befides; it is well known, that in fuch
places where mineral Springs are, and there happen
to be any cavities open at the furface of the earth, or
any chinks or crevices in the rock, through which the
rain-water may defcend and gleet down to the nfiure
through which the mineral water flows, that in fuch
cafes the rain-water is fo far from increafing the vir-
tues of the Spring, that it either deftroys or leficns
them for a time, and renders fuch as are hot and
warm cold or cool, fuch as are acrid and bitter fome-
vvhat f #eet or lefs acrid, and fo of the reft , which
plainly mews, as I obferved before, that when rain-
water permeates the earth, and reaches the water of
Springs, it only makes an accidental or temporary in-
creafe, but does not afford the conftant and regular
flux , and is fo far from being the Source of mineral
water, or bringing down any matter proper for the
production or continuance of fuch Springs, that were
it reaches them, it in part deftroys their qualities ;
which, I may obferve, the Springs recover again when
the rain is over : fo that their fupplies cannot be ow-
ing to rain : and we muft feek deeper for their fources
than that fmall portion of the earth which rain-water
penetrates , and therefore muft have recourfe to zfub-
terranean refervoir. And upon the fuppofition of
an Abyfs of water beneath the earth, as the grand
fund or promptuary of all Springs, thereis the whole
thicknefs of the mell of the earth, confifting of a vari-
ety of different ftrata, rilled with a variety of folubie
mineral and metallic particles, and the fiiTures full of
a grofs watery vapour, that has paffed through the
neighbouring ftrata, at every crack and cranny, re-
plete with the mineral cr metallic effluvia that it has
brought out of thefe ftrata, There is all this, I fay,
for the waters of the Abyfs to make their way through - y
before they break out in fprings on the furface of the
earth. So that there is reafon to believe, that fome min-
eral waters may have loft their original properties, gain-
ed others, loft them, and have regained their original or
others of the fame kind, before they appear as Springs - t
and certain it is, that feveral of them come up endued
or impregnated with a variety of mineral qualities, and
thereby mew the large Ipace they have ranged through
[ '33 ]
for the acquifition of them. And though the
mouths or firft -pajfages of the nfTures that reach from
the Abyfs to the furface of the earth, are probably
large and fo open as to -admit freely to fome diftance
the fubterranean water, endued with its peculiar pro-
perties, whether faline, or whatever they are , yet as
thefe fiflures gradually lefien as they tend towards the
furface of the earth, and frequently break off or run
into other fiflures that are of an horizontal or oblique
fituation, which again divert and branch off into
others ftill lefs, and fome fo fmall as to be invifiblej
fmce many of thefe figures, are filled with a rubbley
kind of matter, as fand, clay, fludge, fmall ft ones, &c.
and fo fit for ftraining and refining the water ; fmce
the fubterranean Vapour, by being condenfed againft
the tops, and trickling down the fides of the fUTures
is continually adding irefh fupplies of water that has
been purified or deprived of its original properties
by evaporation and diftillation ; and fmce there is a
perpetual ouzing of water into the larger fiflures
through the cracks and crannies in their fides ; to
which ' continual diftilling alone, gleeting, or ftrain-
4 ing of the watery particles through the terreftrial flra-
' ta' Varenius attributes the deprivation of the faline
particles in the fea-water ; and juftly remarks, * that
' we obferve this very thing in mines digged to a vaft
' depth (and the deeper we defcend, the more difcern-
4 ible it is), how that water on every fide is conti-
4 nually dropping, and collecting itlelf into fmall guts,
4 which are called veins of water-, and if feveral fuch
4 guts or runnels as thefe, concur in one receptacle,
4 they form a fountain, as they who make drains, to
4 bring water into wells, ver/ well know :' r Now
all thefe circumftances being added together, we ccr-
r General Geog. p. 305.
1 134}
fcainly have a folution to the above-mentioned difrkulr
ty, and have reafon enough to conclude, that the wa-
ter of the Abyfs, in its pafiage through the flrata of
the earth, is deprived feveral times of the different
qualities it gains, and therefore, foon after its per-
meation, is entirely diverted of its faline pr original
properties, whatever they be.
THUS, I hope, I have now cleared ray way, and
fufficiently anfwered every material objeflion, and plain-
ly mewed, That the origin of Springs is owing to an
internal fupply ; the water of which,, by the general
action of the Air upon the Seas and (by their commu-
nication) upon the Abyfs, and by the recefs of the
finer Air and Light from the centre of the earth to the
circumference, is impelled or prefTed up through
the cracks and MrTures in the terreftrial ftrata to the
tops of the higheft mountains. And as there are
Springs breaking out all over the furface of the earth y
as well in the moft inland as the maritime parts ; and
thefe Springs are the Heads or Sources, from whence
that profufion of water proceeds which affords the con-
flant, uninterrupted, and regular ftreams or courfes
of all the numerous rivers upon the earth, it muft fol-
low that there is an internal magazine or an Abyfs of
water beneath the earth-, and that this Abyfs is alfo
equal in extent to the lower part of the Ihell of the
earth. So that as I before argued, that, from the
quantity of water poured into the Ocean from the
mouths or at the ends of all the rivers upon the earth,
there muft be an immenfely large Receptacle beneath
the Ocean for containing it, fo from the quantity that
is thrown out at the Heads or Sources of .all the rivers,
there muft be a Refervoir beneath the earth for fupply-
ing this ; and if thefe two'Confervatories were not full
and in union with each other, there muft loon appear
a great fuperfiuity in one, or a great deficiency in the
r >35 ]
other, but as neither of thefe is obferved, they muft
be in conjunction, and a mutual interchange and per-
petual circulation be maintained between them. And
hence is evident that two-fold fcriptural argument
Ecclef. i. 7 ; the firft part of which I have already
quoted, proved, and mewed the reafon of from Na-
ture ; and by now adding (fince I have proved) the
fecond, they will, when united, corroborate each
other ; All the riven run into the Sea, yet the Sea [the
general collection of waters, including the Sea and the
Abyfs ; fee page 25, and p. 36.] is not full;
unto the place from whence the rivers come^ thither they
return again. And, I hope, it now at lall ap-
pears, from all that has been laid, to be no more
wonderful that there fhould be a circulation of waters
throughout the earth, and that Springs mould break
out on the tops of the highell mountains, than that
there mould be a circulation of blood in the human
body, and that a man mould bleed, when pricked,
in the veins or arteries of his forehead, as freely as
in thofe of his feet. For, the fame Caufe produces
both thefe effects. The Blood, by the preflure of
the outward Air or Atmofphere upon, and by the
penetration of the finer Air and Light into, the hu-
man body, is impelled or ejected from the Heart
(the Centre.) into the arteries to the extremities of the
body, and from the arteries is forced into the veins,
and by the veins is refunded back into the heart : So
the Subterranean or Central Water, by the fame A-
gents and after the fame manner, is prefted up through
the veins or fiffures in the earth to its extreme or
higheft parts, and from thence is conveyed down,
through the channels of rivers, into the Sea, and from
the Sea is returned into the Abyfs, from whence it
firft came. And the afcenf of thefe two Fluids (the
Blood and the Water) is as natural as the detent --, for
K 4
[
neither of them having any innate Gravity or Levity,
but, like all other matter, being indifferent, and
therefore fubject, to motion any way, they are moved
either up or down, this way or that, juft as they are
impelled by tl>e Univerfal Agents Light and Air*
III. -Thirdly. ANOTHER Proof of a Subterranean
Abyfs of water may be drawn from Whirlpools, Un-
der-current s and Gulphs in the Ocean.
OF the firft of thefe is that remarkable Whirlpool
upon the coaft of Norway , which is thus briefly de-
fcribed by Gordon in his Geographical Grammar, p. 76.
' Upon the coaft of Norway, near the ifle of Hitterej
' in the latitude of 68, is that remarkable and dan-
' gerous whirlpool, commonly called Maeljlrocm, and
* by "navigators the Navel of the Sea. Which whirl-
* pool is, in all probability, occafioned by fome migh-
4 ty fubterranean Hiatus, and proves fatal to mips that
' approach too nigh, provided it be in the time of
* flood : for then the fea, upwards of two leagues
4 round, makes fuch a terrible Vortex, that the force
* and in- draught of the water, together with the noife
* and tumbling of the waves upon one another, is
' rather to be admired, than exprefled. But, as in
* the time of flood, the water is drawn in with a migh-
' ty force, fo during the tide of ebb does it throw out
* the fea with fuch a violence, that the heavieft bodies
* then caft into it, cannot fjnk, but are tofifed back
' again by the impetuous ftream which rumeth out
6 with incredible force. AncJ during that time is
' abundance of fifties caught by fifhermen who watch
* the opportunity ; for being forced up to the fur-
* face of the water, they cannot well dive again, fo
' violent is the rifing current.' Some have imagined
from the circumftance of the bodies that are thrown in-
to this Vortex being returned again, that therefore there
t '37 1
is only a great Cavity with a confined bottom, but
no Hollow or Paflage through the (hell of the earth*.
But were there not a free pafiage for the waters thro*
the whole Ihell of the earth, I cannot fee how they
could return with fuch impetuonty as here defcribed,
and the reafon why the bodies .thrown in do not to-
tally difappear but are caft back again, is, in all pro-
bability owing to the irregularity of the aperture or
channel of this Vortex, being in fome places narrower,
in others broader, as is the form of the natural cavi-
ties in the earth, and even of thofe in the Sea, where
we can vifit them, as witnefs thofe remarkable ones
in the bottom of Zirchnitzer Sea in Carniola, defcribed
in the Phil. Tranf. No. 54, 109, 191.
AGAIN , ' The Cafyian Sea (fays Stackhcufe in his
ftiftory of the Bible, Vol. I. p. 122, citing for proof
Moll's Geography t p. 67. Stillingfieet's Orig. Sacr. 1. 3.
c. 4. and Bedford's Scripture Chronology, c. 12.) 4 is
'reckoned in length to be above an 120 German
' leagues, and in breadth from eaft to weft about 90
' of the fame leagues. There is no vifible way tor
4 the water to run out, and yet it receives in its bofom
* near an hundred large rivers, and particularly the
' river Volga, which of itlelf is like a Sea for large -
' nefs, and is fuppofed to empty fo much water into
' it in a year's time, as might fuffice to cover the whole
' earth [fee p. 105.] -, and yet it is never increafed nor
' diminished, nor is obferved to ebb or flow, which
' makes it evident, that it muft neceflarily have afub-
' terraneous communication with other parts of the world.
' And accordingly, Father Avril, a modern traveller,
* tells us, that near the coaft of Xylan there is in this
' Sea a mighty Whirlpool, which fucks in every thing
* that comes near it, and confequently has a Cavity in
4 the earth, into which it delcends.*
[ '38 1
OF a fimilaf nature and of the fame name with the
above Sea is another in Hifpaniola in the Weft- Indies,
4 which (as Peter Martyr in his Hiftory of the Weft-Indies,
f p. 135, informs us) confifts of fah, four, and bitter
4 water, as we read of the Sea called Cafpium, (lying
4 in the firm land between Sarmatia and Hircania] ; we
4 have therefore named it Cafpium. It hath many
* fwallowing Gulphs, by which both the water of
4 the great Sea fpringeth into it, and alfo fuch as
4 fall into it from the mountains are fwallowed up.
' The rivers which fall into this Lake or Sea, are thefe ;
4 from the North, Guanicabon , from the South, Xac-
4 fOfi 3 from the Eaft, Guannabo -, and from the Weft,
4 Occoa ; they fay, that thefe rivers are great and con-
* tinuat, and that befides thefe there are twenty other
4 fmall rivers which fall into this Cafpium. This Lake
4 istoffed with ftorms and tempefts,and often drowneth
4 ffnatt mips or fifher's boats, and fwalloweth them
4 up with the mariners, infomuch that it hath not been
4 heard of, that any man drowned by fhipwreck was
4 ever caft on the fhore, as commonly chanceth of the
' dead bodies of fuch as are drowned in the Sea,'
OF Under -Currents, Dr. Smith in the Phil. Tranf.
No. 158. writes thus, ' In the Offing between the
Norih-foreland and oti!h-forcland, it runs tide and
half tide, that is, it is either ebbing water or flood
upon the fhore, in that part of the Downs, three
hours, (Which is, grofsly fpeaking, the time of half
a tide) before it is ib off at fea. And it is a moil
certain obfervation, that where it flows tide arid ha>f
tide, though the ride of flood runs aloft, yet the tide
of ebb runs under foot, that is, clofe by the ground ;
and fo at the tide of ebb, it will Row under foot.
Th~re is a vaft draught of water poured continually
out of the Atlantic into the Mt diterranean, the mouth
or entrance of which between Cape Spartel or Sprat,
f '39]
c as the feamcn call it, and Cape Trafalgar, may be
' near feven leagues wide, the current fetting flrong
' into it, and not lofing its force 'till it runs as far as
c Malaga, which is about twenty leagues within the
' Streights. By the benefit of this current, though
c the wind be contrary, if it does not overblow, fhips
* eafily turn into the Gutt? as they term the narrow
' paffage, which is about twenty miles in length. At
* the end of which are two towns, Gibraltar on
' the coaft of Spain, which gives denomination to the
* ftreights, and Ceuta on the Barbary coaft : at which
' Hercules is fuppofed to have fet up his pillars. What
* becomes of this great quantity of water poured in
6 this way, and of that, which runs from the Euxine
< into the Bofpborus and Propontis, and is carried at
' lail through the Hellefpont in the Mgean or Archipt-
6 lago, is a curious fpeculation, and has exerciled the
* wit and underflanding of philofophers and naviga-
* tors.. For there is no fenfible Fifing of the water
' all along the Barbary coaft even down tv Alexandria -,
' the land beyond ^ripoli^ and that of Egypt lying very
* low,, and eafily overfiowable. They obferve indeed
' that the water rifes three feet, or three feet and a half,
* in the Gulf of Venice, and as much, or very near as
* much, all along the Riviera of Gemua, as far as the
* river Arno : But this rather adds to the wonder.
' My conjecture is, that there is an Under- current,
c whereby as great a quantity of water is carried out,
' as comes flowing in. To confirm which, befides
' what I have faid above, about the difference of tides
e in the Offing, and at the more in the Downs, which
' neceffariiy fuppofes an Under-current, I mall prefent
4 you with an inftance of the like nature in the Baltick
* Sound, as I received it from an able feaman, who
' was at the making of the trial. He told me, that
[ , 4 o]
' being there in one of the king's frigates, they went
* in -their pinnace into the middle ftream, and were
' carried violently by the current : That foon after
' they funk a bucket with a very large cannon-bullet
* to a certain depth of water, which gave a check to
' the boat's motion , and finking it ilill lower and
* lower, the boat was driven a- head to the windward
* againft the upper-current ; the current aloft, as he
* added, not being above four or five fathom deep,
c and that the lower the bucket was let fall, they found
4 the under-current the ftronger.'
So alfo Marfelli (as quoted by Mr. Ray in his three
Phyfico-Theological Difcourfes, p. 8 1.) affirms, 'That
* the lower water in the channel of the Thradan BoJ-
* pborus, is driven Northward into the Euxine Sea,
* whilft the upper flows conftantly from the Euxine
c Southward. And that that which flows from the
* South is falter and heavier ; which he found by let-
1 ting down a vefiel clofe {hut up, fitted with a
c valve to open at pleafure, and let in the lower water,
* which being brought up and weighed, was obferved
' to be ten grains heavier than the upper. That the
' upper and lower flow contrary ways, he found by the
* fifhermen's nets, which being let down deep from
* veffels that were fixed, were always by the obferva-
* tion of the fifhermen, by the fprce of the current'
' driven towards the Black Sea : and by the letting
1 down of a plummet , for if it were flopped and de-
c tained at about five or fix feet depth, it did always
* decline towards the Marmora or Propontis, but if it
' defcended lower, it was driven to the contrary part,
4 that is, the Euxine' And though Mr. Ray fpeaks
of this (and alfo of the Under-current at the Streigbt's
Mouth) as being ' the concurrent and unanimous vote
* and fufFrage of mariners, voyagers, and philofophers,'
yet he feems to make a doubt of it, becaufe, fays he,
' I do not underfland how waters can run backward
' and forward in the fame channel at the fame time ;
* for there being but one declivity, this is as much as
4 to affirm, that a heavy body mould afcend.'
But furely Mr. Ray may eafily conceive, how water
may be made to run into a vefiel or pond at one part,
and be made to run out in a contrary direction at the
bottom by means of a cavity beneath, and fo two dif-
ferent Currents be formed , which certainly is the
cafe in the above-mentioned feas ; there being a great
cavity or aperture at the mouths of each leading into
the Abyfs beneath, which caufes a current different
from, and in a contrary direction to, That which ap-
pears upon the furface of the waters.
VARENIUS (in his Syftem of Geography, Chap. iv.
Sect, iv.) gives an account of the feveral principal
Currents in the Ocean i fome of which are certainly
owing to fubterranean gulpbs or paflfages that lead un-
der the earth, particularly the two that follow, (as
he himfelf imagines) fmce they fet in towards the Shore ;
i. ' The moil extraordinary Current of thefeais that
by which part of the Atlantic or African Ocean
moves about Guinea from CapeFerd towards the cur-
vature or bay of Africa, which they call Fernando Poo,
viz. from Weft to Eaft, which is contrary to the ge-
neral motion. And fuch is the force of this current,
that when mips approach too near the more it carries
them violently towards that bay, and deceives the
Mariners in their reckoning. This current effects not
the whole Ethiopic Ocean, only that part which is ad-
jacent to the more of Guinea, to the end of the bay,
and to about one degree of fouth latitude. It is ob-
ferved not to exceed the diftance of fourteen miles
from the more , therefore mips are very careful left
they mould approach fo near, when they fail along
[ 142]
* thefe coafts ; which would hinder their intended
* courfe and drive them to a place they would not
* care to vifit.' 2. The fecond perpetual current is
* where the Ocean moves fwiftly from about Sumatra
* into the bay of Bengal, from fouth to north [that is
* from the lea towards the more] ; fo that it is proba-
* ble this bay was made by the rapidity of the current.
* I do not know whether the caufe may be owing to the
* many iflands, and to capeM*&? 3 upon the fouth con-
' tinent, whereby rhe ocean in it's paifage weftward may
* be diverted northwards, or there may be a fubterra-
c neous Receptacle in the bay itfelf.*
THE reader may fee defcriptions of feveral o-
ther lefler Gulphs, Whirlpools, and Under-Currents
in the Sea in Kircber's Mundus Subter Lib. ii. & iii ;
and from viewing and confidering the number and
fituation of them, we may reafonably conclude that
there are few or no Seas without one or more of fuch
Gulphs, and confequently that there is an immenfc
quantity of water daily poured into the infide of the
earth through the mouths of them all.
AND here, by the way, I may juft animadvert up-
on the inaccuracy of thofe writers who have endea-
voured to prove, by exact mathematical calculation
(which proves juft nothing at all when founded on
falfe facts), that the quantity of water which is raifed
from the Ocean in vapour is equal to that which is
poured into it by all the rivers upon the earth, with-
out having taken notice of, or made any allowance
for, thefe U^r- currents and In- draughts^ which muft
neceffarily carry off a great quantity of the water. I
have already had occafion to examine this opinion at
large (page 108, &c.) and have fhewed the falfity of
it from facts and experiments ; and this article
be brought as another argument againfl it.
[ '43 1
IV. A fourth Proof of a fubterranean Refervoir tf
wafer may be deduced from Lakes.
OF thefe there are feveral forts, each tending to
prove the point in queftkm, as, firft, Thofe which re-
ceive a great quantity of water, either from rivers or
other means, but externally emit none; fecondly,
Thofe that fend forth a great quantity of water, but
outwardly receive none ; thirdly, Thofe that neither
increafe nor decreafe, notwithstanding the difference
of fcafons, or the quantity of water carried off by
evaporation. In each of thefe cafes there muft be
a fubtrraneoi4S exit, or elfe an internal fupply , and
when it has been proved, that there are fome of thefe
Lakes in almoft every part of the world, it muft be
allowed that the refervoir which fupplies them muft
be equally extenfive with themfelves, or that there is
a collection of water which extends under the whole
furface of the earth.
OF t\\tfirft fort of Lakes are the following, reck-
oned up by Varenius, (Syftem of Geog. p. 280.) 4 In the
' foregoing proportion we obferved that the Lake
6 Titicaca difcharges a river into a fmaller called Parta,
* which therefore may be referred to this clafs, viz. to
' fuch as receive rivers but emit none. The lake
c Afphaltites, which is alfo calJed the Dead Sea, re~
' ceives the river Jordan, but emits none : Its length,
' from north to fouth, is feventy German miles, and
' its breadth five, as fome make it. There is one
4 in the lefler Afia. There is a fmall one in Mace-
* donia, called Jana, which receives two little rivers.
' One in Perfia near Calgiftan. The lake Soran, in
c Mufcovy, receives two fmall rivers. The river
' Gbir, in Africa, is reported, by Leo Africanus, to
' lofe itfelf in a lake, and fome maps fo reprefent it,
' but others join it to Nubia.'' Peter Martyr in his
Hiftory of tbe Weft- Indies, p. 135, fpeaking of Hijpa-
t '44 I
toiola, fays, ' That about threefcore miles diftant from
' the chief city of St. Dominick, there are certain high
' mountains, upon the tops whereof is a Lake or
* (landing Pool of frelh water three miles in compafs^
* and well replenifjied with divers kinds of fifhes.
' Many fmall rivers and brooks fall into it. It hath
* no paflage out, but is on every fide inclofed with
c the tops of mountains.* Under this head we may
reckon a Lake mentioned by Du Hatde, in his Defcrip-
tion of the Empire of China, Vol. I. p. 20. ' This vaft
Lake [named Tong-ting-Hu, in the province of Hu-
quang\ is remarkable for the greatnefs of its circum-
ference, which is above 80 french leagues, and the
abundance of its waters, efpecially in certain feafons,
when two of the largeft rivers in the province,
fuelled with the rains, difcharge themfelves into it,
and when it difembogues them, one can fcarce per-
ceive it to be diminifhed.' To this article alfa
may be referred what has been already faid concern-
ing the two lefTer leas or lakes, called the Cafpian,
one in Afia, the other in America, p. 137, 8.
OF the fecond fort of Lakes, or, thofe which fend
forth a great quantity of water but outwardly receive
nonej take the following account from Vartnius (Syf-
tem of Geog. p. 278^) c There is an infinite number
* of thefe Lakes and moft large rivers flow from fuch,
6 as out of citterns -, of the fmaller fort are the follow-
' ing, the Lake Wolga, at the head of the river Wolga \
* the Odoium at the head of the Tanais ; the Adac^ from
* whence one of the branches of the river Tigris flows ,
* the Ozero [or White Lake] in Mufcovy^ that gives
* fource to the river Sbackfna^ which is poured into
* the Wol^a, and many more little ones , we mall
* here only reckon fome of the larger fort that are
* more remarkable. The great lake Chaamay in the
' latitude of twenty fix degrees north, not far from
[ '45 ]
6 India to the eaftward of the river Ganges , out of this
* lake flow four very large rivers, which water and fer-
c tilize the countries of Siam, Pegu, &c. viz. the
' Menaw, the Afa> the Caipoumo, and the Laquia.
' Some maps exhibit a fmall river that runs into this
* lake. The lake Singhay, upon the eaft border of
6 China, fends out a great river fouthward, which
' being joined to another, enters China. The lake 37-
ticaca, in [Los Charcas] a province in fouth America,
is eighty leagues in circuit, and emits a large river,
which is terminated in another fmall lake, and is no
4 more feem There are feveral towns and villages
* difcovered about this lake. The lake Nicaragua, in
* a province of the fame name, in America, is only
* fourteen German miles from the Pacific, or fouth fea,
c and above one hundred from the Atlantic, into which
* it is difcharged at broad flood-gates. The lake Fron-
4 tena, in Canada, out of which iflfues the river of St.
* Lawrence. The lake Annibi, in AJia, in the latitude
* of lixty-one degrees.' And after p. 282, where the
Author gives an account of Lakes that both receive and
emit rivers, it is evident that the quantity of water
emitted by fome is far fuperior to what is received ;
and in others the quantity received fuperior to what is
emitted ; fo that there muft be fubterraneous fupplies
and exits.
THE next quotation I mall cite may ferve both for
this fecond article and alfo for the laft, viz. for thofe
Lakes that neither increafe nor decreafe, notwithftanding
the difference of feafons and the quantity of water carried
off h evaporation: It is from Acofta's Hiftory of the In-
dies, Book iii. chap. 1 6, ' It is a queflidn often alked,
' Why there are fo many Lakes in the tops of thefe
.* mountains, into which no river enters, but contrary-
* wife many great dreams ifiue forth, and yet do we
[ i 4 6 ]
4 fcarce fee thefe lakes to diminim any thing, at any
' feafon of the Year. To imagine thefe lakes grow
4 by the fnow that melts, or rain from heaven, That
4 doth not wholly fatisfy me ; for there are many that
* have not this abundance of fnow, nor rain, and yet
4 we fee no decreafe in them : which makes me to be-
4 lieve they are fprings which rife there naturally ;
4 although it be n6t againft reafon, to think that the
' fnow, and rain help fbmewhat in fome feafons.
4 Thefe Lakes are/:? common in* the higkeft tops of the
4 mountains, that you mail hardly find any famous ri-
* ver that takes not its beginning from one of them.
' Their water is clear and breeds little ftore of fifh,
* and that little is very fmall, by reafon of the cold
6 which is there continually. Notwithftanding- fome
4 of thefe lakes be very hot, which is another wonder.
* At the end of the valley of Tarapaya near to Potozi,
4 there is a lake in form round, which feems to have
* been made by a compafs, whofe water is extreamly
4 hot, and yet the land is very cold : they are ac-
* cuftomed to bathe themfelves near the bank, for elfe
* they cannot endure the heat being farther in. In the
* midft of this lake there is a boiling of above twenty
4 feet fquare, which is the very fpring, and yet (not-
4 withftanding the greatnefs of this fpring) it is never
* feen to increafe in any fort: it feems that it exhales
4 of itfelf, or that it hath fome hidden or unknown
4 iflue : neither do they fee it decreafe, which is an-
* other wonder, although they have drawn from it a
* great ftream, to make certain Engines for metal,
4 confidering the great quantity of water that ifllieth
4 forth, by reafon whereof it mould decreafe.' But
the greateft Lake of this kind in America, and indeed
'in the whole world, is the Lake Parime, lying directly
under the Equator. 4 It is (as Varenius fays in his
4 v//. Geog. p. 278) in length from eaft to weft, about
f 147]
* 105 German miles, and in the broadeft place 100
* miles over or thereabouts , fo that it may be com-
c pared with, if it do not exceed, any lake in the
6 world for magnitude , yet it neither receives nor
* emits any rivers/ Gordon in his Geographical Gram-
mar fpeaking of Scotland, writeth thus, page 204*
' Towards the north-weft part of Murray is the fa-
c mous Lough-Nefs, which never freezeth ; but retain-
c eth its natural heat, even in the ejitreameft cold of
' winter ; and in many places this lake hath been
c founded with a line of 500 fathoms but no bottom
* found. Nigh to Lock-Nefs is a large round Moun-
' tain [called Meal-fuor-rtouny] about two miles of per-
* pendicular height from the furfaceof the Nefs-, upon
* the very top of which mountain is a lake of cold frefli
* water often founded with lines of many fathoms, but
' never could they reach the bottom. This lake,
* having novifible current running either to it or from
c it, is equally full all feafons of the year , and it never
c freezeth.' Sir Robert Sibbald in his Scctia illuftrata,
p. 22, fays * That there are various Lakes in Scotland,
' efpecially in the bigkeft places, which neither emit
c nor receive rivers, and yet are full of water-/ and
concludes ' that fuch mull be fupplied by fources
* from beneath, at leaft with a quantity of water equi-
* valent to what is carried off by the heat of the Sun/
IN Kircher's Mundus Subterraneus, Lib. v. Ch. 4.
there is an account of feveral other Lakes of each of
the above-mentioned kinds, and full proof that they
derive their origin from, and are continued by, Jub-
terrene fources. And though probably fome of thefe
Lakes are maintained by rivers that run under-ground
or by fprings that iflue out at their bottoms, yet, as we
have already mewed (p. 120, &c.) that the Springs and
Rivers which appear above ground owe their fupplies to
L 2
[ '48 ]
an infernal Refervoir, it muft much more ftrongly fol-
low that thefe covert Springs and Rivers are owing to
the fame, and therefore that the Lakes, which are
fupported by them, plainly mew that there muft be a
ju&terranean Refervotr of wafer.
V. A. fifth Argument in proof of an Abyfs of water
beneath the earth may be drawn from the confideration
of fome phenomena attending Earthquakes.
AN account of which I mall tranfcribe from Dr.
Woodward's Nat. Hi/lory of the Earth j the truth of
which every perfon that is at all converfant in the
hiftory of Earthquakes cannot but know j and indeed
the effects of the late dreadful mock of the earth at
Ujbon, which extended themfelves (through means of
the agitation of the waters of the Sea and the Abyfs)
to the four quarters of the world,* being at prefent
freih in the memory of almoft all now living, will
bear ample teftimony to the truth of what the Doctor
afierts, Nat. tlift. p. 133, ' That this fubterranean
' Heat or Fire, which thus elevates the water out of
' the Abyfs, being in any part of the earth flopped, and
* fo diverted from its ordinary courfe, by fome acci-
* dental glut or obftruction in the pores or paflages
* through which it ufed to afcend to the furface : and
' being by that means preternaturally afTembled, in
* greater quantity than ufual, into one place, it caufeth
4 a great rarefaction and intumefcence of the water
' of the abyfs, putting it into very great commotions
' and diforders : and at the fame time making the like
' effort upon the Earth, which is expanded upon the
c face of the abyfs, it occafions that agitation and con-
' cuffion of it, which we call an Earthquake. That
1 See an Account of thefe effefts, and how extenfive they were,
in Phil. Tranf. for the year 1756," Vol. XLIX. Part i. .ii.
[ H9 ]
6 this effort is in fome earthquakes fo vehement that it
4 fplits and tears the Eartb t making cracks or cbafms
4 in it fome miles in length, which open at the in-
4 flants of the fhocks, and clofe again in the intervals
4 betwixt them : nay, it is fometimes fo extreamly
4 violent, that it plainly forces the fuperincumbent
4 Strata ; breaks them all throughout, and thereby
* perfectly undermines and ruins the foundations of
1 them j fo that thefe failing, the whole Trail, as foon
4 as ever the mock is over, finks down to rights into
4 the Abyfs underneath, and is fwallowed up by it,
' the water thereof immediately rifing up, and form-
4 ing a lake in the place where the laid tract before
4 was. That feveral confiderable tracts of land, and
* fome with cities and towns Handing upon them ; as
4 alfo whole mountains, many of them very large, and
c of a great height, have been thus totally /waucvvedug.
4 That this effort being made in alldzre&iojisindiffcrent-
* ly ; upwards, downwards, and on every fide -, the fire
* dilating and expanding on all hands, and endea-
vouring, proportionably to the quantity and ftrength
4 of it, to get room, and make its way through all
4 obftacles, fails as foul upon the water of the Abyfs
4 beneath, as upon the earth above, forcing it forth
' which way foever it can find vent or paflage ; as
4 well through its ordinary exits, wells, fprings, and
4 the outlets of rivers ; as through the chafms then
4 newly opened ; through the Camini or fpiracles of
4 JEtna, or other near Volcanoes ; and thofc Hiatus's
* at the bottom of the fea, whereby the Abyfs below'
* opens into it and communicates with it. That as
' the water refident in the Abyfs is, in nil farts of it,
4 ftored with a confiderable quantity of heat, and more
4 efpecially in thofe where thefe extraordinary aggre-
4 gations of this fire happen, fo likewife is the water
' which is thus forced out of it ; infomuch, that when
' thrown forth, and mixed with the waters of wells,
* of fprings, of rivers, and the fea, it renders them.
' very fenfibly hot. That it is ufually expelled forth
' in vafl quantities and \v\\h. great impetuofity, infomuch
* that it hath been feen to fpout up out of the deep
' wells, and fly forth, at the tops of them, upon the
' face of the ground. With like rapidity comes it
' out of the fources of rivers, filling them fo of a
* fudden as to make them run over their banks, and
' overflow the neighbouring territories, without fo
* much as one drop of rain tailing into them, or any
* other concurrent water to rife and augment them.
4 That it fpues out of the chafms opened by the Earth -
' quake, in great abundance : mounting up, in
* mighty fir earns to an incredible height in the air, and
' this often-times at many miles diftance from any
'* fea. That it likewife flows forth of the Volcanoes in
* vaftfloods^ and with wonderful violence. That it is
' forced through the Hiatus's at the bottom of the fea
' with fuch vehemence, that it puts the fea immedi-
4 ately into the moft horrible diforder and pertur-
* bation imaginable, even when there is not theleaft
c breath of wind ftirring, but all, 'till then, calm and
' ftill , making it rage and roar with a moft hideous
6 and amazing noife , railing its farface into prodig-
' ious waves, and toffing and rolling them about in
' a very ilrange and furious manner; overfetting mips
' in the harbours, and finking them to the bottom ,
1 with many other like outrages. That it is refunded
* out of thefe Hiatus's in fuch quantify alio, that it
' makes a vaft addition to the water of the lea , raifing
' it many fathoms higher than ever it flows in the
' higheft tides, fo as to pour it forth far beyond its
* ufual bounds, and make it overwhelm the adjacent
' country ; by this means ruining ant] deftroying towns
> and cities , drowning both men and cattle ; breaking
' the cables of fhips, driving them from their anchors,
4 bearing them along with the inundation feveral miles
4 up into the country, and there running them a-
4 ground -, (handing whales likewife, and other great
4 fifties, and leaving them, at its return, upon dry-land.*
And again, Nat. Hift. of the Earth illus. p. 104.
* Now fiace there are, on record, earthquakes, and
' indeed not a few, by which the globe, for many
4 hundred miles together, has been fhaken, at the very
* fame moment of time, it thence follows, that the
4 waters, which caufed thofe concuffions, were not
4 only equal in extent to that fpace of the Globe which
4 was fo fhook, but one fluid body continued^ and not
* divided into parts or diftinguifhed into regions, fo
4 that particular portions thereof mould be confined
4 each to its proper cavern. Nay, there want not in-
4 fiances of fuch an univerfal concuffion of the whole
4 Globes as mufl needs imply an agitation of the
4 whole abyfs. For an effect of fo vaft an extent
* could never have proceeded but from a caufe equally
4 extenfive ; fuch as might affect the whole earth at
4 once ; which cannot be done without fuch an orb
4 of water, as I have defcribed. We have had ac-
4 counts from writers of the mod unqueftioned fideli-
ty, and even from eye-witneffes, that there have
' been earthquakes, in our own times, wherein the
1 motion, given to the earth at the feveral fhocks,
' perfectly refembled that of the waves of the fea railed
1 by a flrong wind. Whoever mail rightly attend
' to this phenomenon in particular, he muft, not
' only acknowledge that the earth contains in it an
1 abyfs of water, and is moved by the fame : but mufl
' alfo readily agree with me that this terreftrial part
L 4
* See RAY'S Phyfico-tbezlogical Df/aur/es, p. 13.
[ 15']
* of the globe is nothing but a //&/ foelt, which i$-
' eludes in it, clofely on every fide, an immenfe mafs
' of waters, and whenever thofe waters happen to bq
* put into any extraordinary motion, the earth is by
c them moved and agitated juft in the fame manner as
c the inclofed waters are moved and agitated.'
VI. THAT there is an Abyfs of waters beneath the
earth, may be ftill further mewed from the quantity
of water that has been difcovered in the infide of the
earth, in opening the ftrata either for Stone, Coal, &c.
in digging for wells, &c. in fearching after minerals,
ores,&c. from fuddenand accidental eruptions of water
out of the bowels of the earth -, or from difcoveries of
fubterranean waters that have been made by any other
means, either accidental or defigned, that do not pro-
perly come under the heads I have already difcuffed.
Mr. HUTCHINSON in his Obfervations on the earth
(fee Vol. XII. of his works, p. 331.) fays, ' It is
' hardly credible how great a quantity of water will be
' fometimes flung upon miners, when they come to
6 break up ftrata of ftone, that have in them many of
' thefe cracks, that are fo fmall that they are hardly
4 difcernible. Thefe are indeed the natural convey-
* ances of water : and, when once they are opened,
' it runs inceffantly. I have obferved fuch an irrup-
4 tion of water in vafl quantity out of Stone, that, ex-
* empting thofe cracks, is much too denfe and clofe
5 to let any, the leaft, humidity pafs. 3 The vafl
profufion of water that fometimes enfues the break-
ing up of the ftrata in Coal-pits is well known to all
that are in the leaft converfant in that affair , and what
amazing quantities are drawn off from deep mines,
cither by chains or levels, or raifed by engines, is alfo
well known : Nay, in digging common wells and
ponds, in places where there are no Springs above
[ '53 ]
ground, it frequently happens, that fuch a glut of
water ifiues forth as to endanger the lives of the
workmen. Of this Dr. Shaw gives us a remarkable
inflance in -his Travels , p. 135, 'The Villages of
4 Wadreagg [in the eaftern province of Barbary~\ arc
* built in a plain, without any river running by them,
' and are fupplied in a particular manner with water.
6 They have, properly fpeaking, neither fountains nor
* rivulets; but by digging wells to the depth of an
' hundred and fometimes two hundred fathom, the in-
* habitants never fail of obtaining a plentiful dream.
c And to this purpofe, they dig thro' different layers
of fand and gravel, 'till they come to a fleaky kind
* of ilone, like unto Slate, which is known to lie im-
* mediately above The [Bahar ta.ht el Era 1 ] Sea below
' ground^ as they feem to call the Abyfs. This is eafily
' broken through ; and the flux of water which fol-
* loweth the flroke, rifeth generally fo fuddenly and
c in fuch abundance, that the perfon let downtoper-
' form the operation, hath fometimes been overtaken
* and fuffocated by it, tho* raifed up with the greatefl
4 dexterity.' Of fudden Eruptions of water from
out of the bowels of the earth there are feveral ac-
counts recorded in hiftory, fome that have overflowed
whole countries, others large towns and cities, others
villages : of thefe the reader may fee feveral accounts
in Kir cherts mundus fubterraneus , Ehrartus de Belemnitis
Suevicis, Prxfamn ; Phil. Tranf. &c. I fnall cite one
account from the laft mentioned Treatife in order to
give the reader an idea of fuch Eruptions, No. I. p. q.
' In the beginning of July 1678, after fome gentle
e rainy days, which had not fwelled the waters of the
* Garonne more than ufual, one night this river fwelled
* all at once fo mightily, that all the bridges and
' mills above Totcufe were carried away by it. In
6 the plains which were below this town, the inhabi-
[ 154]
c tants, who had built in places which by long cx-
' perience they had found fkfe enough, from any for-
* mer inundations, were by this furpnzed , fome were
' drowned together with their cattle i others had not
* faved themfelves but by climbing of trees, and get-
* ing to the tops of houfes ; and fome others who
' were looking after their cattle in the field, warned
* by the noife which this horrible and furious torrent
4 of water (rolling towards them with a fwiftnds
' like that of the lea) [in Britaigne he means'] made
* at a diitance , could not efcape without being over-
' taken, though they fled with much precipitation :
* This neverthelefs did not laft many hours with this
* violence. At the fame time exactly, the two
c rivers only of Adour and Gaue, which fall from the
' Pyr^nean hills, as well as the Garonne, and fome
* other little rivers of Gafcoyne, which have their
' fource in the plain, as the Gimone, the Saue, and
* the Rat, overflowed after the fame manner, and
* cauled the fame devaftations. But this accident
' happened not at all to the Aude, the Ariege y or the
' Arife, which come from the mountains of Foix, only
* that they had more of the fame than thofe of the
* Conferunt, the Comminge, and the Bigorre. M. Mar-
' tell (by the order of M. Foucault ) \\zt\\ fearched after
* the caufe of this deluge, being aflured that it muft
4 ha>ve had one very extraordinary : for all who had
' feen the circumftances agreed, that it had rained in-
* deed, but that the rain was neither fo great, nor
4 lafted fo long, as to fwell the rivers to that excefa or
' to melt the fnows of the mountains. But the nature
* of thefe waters, and the manner of their flowing
' from the mountains, confirmed him perfeclly in his
6 fentiments. For, i. the inhabitants of the lower
* Pyrxnsans obferved, that the water flowed with vio-
* knee from the entrails of the mountains, about which
t '553
* there were opened feveral channels, which forming
6 fo many furious torrents tore up the trees, the earth,
' and great rocks, in fuch narrow places where they
' found not a pafiage large enough. The water aifo
* which fpouted from all the fides of the mountain in
' innumerable Jets, which laded all the time of the
' greateft overflowing, had the tafte of Minerals.
* 2. In fome of the pafiages, the waters were ftinking
' (as when one ftirs the mud at the bottom of the mi-
' neral water ) in fuch fort that the cattle refufed to
' drink of it, which was more particularly taken no-
' tice of at Lomber, in the overflowing of the Saue
' (which is one of the rivers) where the horfes were
' eight hours thirfty before they would endure to drink
'it. 3. The Bifliop of Lombez having a defire to
' cleanfe his gardens, which the Saue paffing thorough
6 by many channels by this overflowing, had filled
* with fand and mud , thofe which entered them
* felt an Itching, like to that which one feels when
' one bathes in Salt-water, or wafhes onefelf with
; fome ftrong Lixivial. This Itching could not
4 be produced by either rain or fnow water, but by
' fome mineral Juice, either Vitriolick or Aluminous,
' which the waters had difiblved in the bowels of th'e
' mountains, and had carried along with it in pafTing
* out through thofe numerous crannies. For thele
* reafons M. Mart ell' believes the true caufe of this
* Overflowing to be nothing elfe but fubterranecus
1 Waters' I might here add an account of the
Rivers that are known to run wholly under-ground,
and even of the Catarafts- that have been difcovered
there (of which Herbinius in his Differtationes de admi-
randis mundi Cataraflis, fupra & fubterraneis, &c. gives
a defcription) but to avoid prolixity mail conclude
with obferving, that the deeper we penetrate into the
earth, the greater quantity of water is met "jcitb^ and
[ '56]
ikat generally this water breaks forth infuch a manner
as manifeftly to (hew that it is raifed by a power from
underneath, thereby plainly indicating its fubterranean
origin.
THUS I have produced feveral arguments to prove
that there is an Abyfs of water beneath the earth -, and
feveral others might be brought ; but thefe may more
naturally be introduced under fome of the fublequcnt
heads. For, I would obferve here, once for all, that
there is fuch a clofe connection between the feveral
parts of the fubject I am treating of, or the Heads I
have been obliged to divide it into,, that very often
one and the fame argument (or at leaft with the help
of a few additional fentences) will prove two or three
of thefe Heads, but yet is more immediately applica-
ble to one, I fnall therefore difpofe of it under its
proper Head, and as far as it affords proof for other
particulars, deduce them by way of corollaries or con-
clufions.
BUT before I quite finim. the Article I am now up-
on, it may not be amifs to endeavour to mew what
the Form and what the Size of this Abyfs may be.
FROM what has been already faid (p. 134) it ap-
pears that the Abyfs and the Ocean are in conjunction
v/ith each other, and therefore that the Abyfs is not
divided into feparate parts or diftinguifhed into large
detached caverns (as fome have imagined) but is one
continued and united body of water, and equal in extent
to the circumference of the lower part of the fhell of
the earth, and lying immediately under k ; as~Ts~ al-
fo evident from what is faid page 151. And there-
fore as the Shell of the earth is of a round form, we
may juftly efteem the Abyfs to be fo likewife, as it is
reprefented in the Plate by G. H. And, that the
Abyfs is really of this form we have better proof than
any that can be deduced from natural evidence, for
He who made it and the whole earth hath allured us
[ '57]
that it is fo, as I have mewed page 26; and in ordef
to ftrengthen the comments there made upon Scrip-
ture, and to add authority to the juftntfs of them, I
(hall cite the opinion of the celebrated Stackhoufe in
his Hiftory of the Bible, p. 125.. I feleft this writer
(out of feveral that might be brought) not only becaule
he has determined the Form of the Abyfs, but has fpo-
ken of the Size of it, and given a calculation by which
-the reader may judge of the quantity of water con-
tained therein. e Tis certainly (fays he) more thaa
4 probable (becaufe a matter or divine Revelation) that
4 there is an immenfe body of water enclofed in the
4 center of the earth, to which the Pfalmift plainly al-
4 hides when he tells us, that (Pfal. xxiv. 2.) God
4 founded the earth upon the feas, and efiablijhed it on the
'floods; that (Pfal. cxxxvi. 6.) he jlretched out the
4 earth above the waters; that (Pfal. xxxiii. j.) he ga-
4 tbered up the waters as in a Bag (fo the beft tranflati-
4 ons have it) and laid up the Deep as in a Storehoufe.
4 Nay, there is a paffage or two in the proverbs of
4 Solomon (where Wifdom declares her Antiquity, and
4 pre-exiftence to all the works of the earth j which
4 lets before our eyes, as it were, the very Form and
4 Figure of this Abyfs; (Proverbs viii. 27, 2%.) When
4 be prepared the heavens, I was there, when he fet a
4 Compafs upon the face of the Deep, and Jirengthened the
4 Fountains of the. Ab\fs. Here is mention made of
4 the Abyfs and of the Fountains of the Abyfs ; nor is
4 there any queftion to be made, but that the Foun-
4 tains of the Abyis here are the fame with thofe,
4 which Mofes mentions, and which, as he tells us,
4 were broken up at the Deluge. And what is more
4 obfervable in this Text, the word, which we render
4 Compafs, properly fignifies a Circle or Circumference,
4 or an Orb, or Sphere: fo that according to the tefti- ,
4 mony of V/ifdom, who was then prefent, there was
[
in the beginning a Sphere, Orb, or Arch, fet round
the Abyfs, by the means of which, the fountains
* thereof were Jtrengthened-, for we cannot conceive,
6 how they could have been ftrengthened any other way,
e than by having a ftrong Cover or y^r ;#tf^ over
< /i/9. If, fuch then be the form of this Abyfs,
* that it feems to be a vaft mafs, or body of water,
e lying together in the womb of the earth, it will be
e no hard matter to compute what a plentiful fupply
c might have been expected from thence, in order to
* effect an univerfal Deluge. For, if the Circumfer-
* ence of the earth (according to the loweft com-
putation) be 21000 miles, the diameter of it (accord-
c ding to that circumference.) 7000 miles, and confe-
* quently from the fuperficies to the center, 3500
6 miles -, and if (according to the bed account) the
higheft mountain in the world (taking its altitude
from the plain it Hands upon) does not exceed four
perpendicular miles in height -, then we cannot but
conclude, that, in this Abyfs, there would be infi-
nitely more water than enough, when drawn out
upon the furface of the earth, to drown the earth,
to a far greater height than Mofes relates.'
[ '59 1
SECONDLY,
I AM now to prove that the whole Earth was
covered to an immenfe height by this Subterranean
Water, or that the Deluge, in the time of Noah, wa$
univerfal ; the Fountains of the Great Abyfs having
been broken up, and the water thereof elevated above
all the high Hills under the whole heaven.
AND, firft, to begin with proofs deducible .from
the circumftances of things on or near the Surface of
the Earth.
I. THE Divifion of the furface of the earth into
Mountains, Hills, Combs, Dales, Vallies, &c. isib
obvious and ftrikmg, that few or none but muft have
obferved it ; though probably but few have feen how
far this regularly irregular Divifion (as I may iuftly
call it) was owing to, and is a proof of, an univerfal
Flood, or that the furface of the earth has been covered
to a great height by an inundation of water. I
fhall therefore enlarge on this article, and point out
the evidence deducible therefrom.
Mountains and Hills have generally on all fides a
regular defcent or inclination from their tops, greater
or lefs, longer or fhorter. And when feparately.con-
fidered, and without attending to every little inequa-
lity, may be faid to be of a conical or pyramidal
lhape; and when many lie clofe together, or are con-
tinued in a direcl: chain through whole countries, they
may be faid to be of a prifmatical form. The
point therefore to be decided is, Whether this be their
original Jbape, That which was neceffarily produced
by, and in which they have always remained fmce,
the firfl fituation of their materials in the places they
now ftand ? Or, Did they obtain their prefent form af-
tcrwards, i. e. were their original materials modelled,
framed, or brought into this fhape by the action of
fome outward Caufe ? And what was that Caufe ?
THAT Mountains were not originally of this fhape
feems'evident from the manner in which their mate-
rials or conftituent parts fubnded and at prefent lie,
they being difpoied in ftrata, beds, or layers (whe-
ther of ftone, clay, chalk, &c.) of equal thicknefs
throughout, and regularly lying upon each other in a
flat, level, or horizontal pofitionj which ihuation of
all others feems the ieaft proper for difpofmg fuch
materials into a conical or prifmatical figure. Did
their ftrata or layers Hand one againft another in a
Hoping poihire like the ridge of a houfe, or even
perpendicularly upright, it might more probably have
indicated their prefent fhape to have been the original ;
but fince they are pofited in a flat, level fituation,
(which is the moil different from any of the upright
forms) it feems plainly to mew that their prefent
fliapes were not the original, but are owing to fome
external force. Which is further evident from
hence, That in mountainous countries, which confift
of the fame kind of ftrata, the ftrata in each moun-
tain (hall exactly anfwer or correfpond together in
every refpect, in fpecies, in colour, in depth, in
thicknefs, in fituation and in their contents. So that
fuppofe, the ift [under the vegetable mould] or up-
permoft ftratum to be of a whitifh coloured Sand-
ftone, one yard thick; the 2d a red Marl, two yards ;
the gd a blue Lime-ftone, containing fhells, teeth,
bones, &c. of particular kinds, one yard thick-, the
4th a blue Clay, containing native foffils, fuch as fe-
lenitae, pyritae, &c.' three yards thick ; the 5th a grey
Flag-ftone, eight yards thick \ the 6th a ftratum of
Coal, [with its ufual attendant, a black clayey flate,
replrte with plants of all forts ] two yards thick ; the
yth a Rag-ftonc, ten yards thick-, the 8th a Free-
ftone, containing a great variety of fhells, twelve yards
thick i the 9th a red Sand-ftoae, fifteen yards thick ;
the loth a ftratum of grey Lime-ftone, containing d
great variety of corals, fhells, &c. reaching to the bot-
tom of the mountain." Now in the fame order and
in the fame horizontal pofition you mall find fimilar
ftrata in each mountain throughout fuch a country.
The queftion therefore is, whether they were not all
once united, or the ftrata continued throughout in one
entire body^ without any of thcfe Eminences We call
Mountains, or thofe Hollows called Vallies ? And it
fo, then the prefent mountainous form was not the origi-
nal, or thefe mountains were not coeval with, or any
ways owing to, the difpofition of their materials oif
the fettlement of their ftrata. Now in order to fhew
that the ftrata in thefe mountains were once wholly
continued, let a perfon firft examine a fingle chain or
M
u If any perfon mould he defirous of examining the ftrata of the
earth in a mountainous country, and fhoitld not find any great variety
of ftrata, or even but one fingle ftratum, yet upon ftrift infpe&ion or
rather at firft fight he will perceive that this fmgJe ftratum is divided
into a great number of lefTer ftrata or fmall layers, which will be ea-
fily diftinguifhable from each other, either by their colour, depth,
thicknefs. or more remarkably by their Contents or the fofiU bodies
they contain, one layer abounding with one fpecies of ihells, another
with a different ; another layer containing bones and teeth of nfhes ;
another corals of various kinds, &c. &c. &c. fo as to afford.him e-
vident marks by which he may diftinguiih one layer from another
alonoft as readily as if there had been ftrata of different lubftances.
In the description of the above fuppofed Mountain the Strata are
not reprefented as lying according to their fpecifkk Gravities, for
however commonly received the opinion is that they do fo lie, vet 1
never could find them in this fituation in any place that I have Veen.
And the feveral experiments and obfervations that have been made
upon the ftrata of the earth, when opened to the greateji depths,
fhew that they do not lie according to their fpecifick gravities ; fee in
particular l j hilcfof. Tranfac. No. 336. Art. xi. No. zjo, Art. \\.
No. 360, Art. iv. No. 391, Art. i. VARKNIUS'S Gepgrqffy, Lib. I.
Cap. vii. Propos. 7. HAUSKBEE'S Experiments, p. 317, Exttcriix,
xx. LUIDII Lytbafhil. p. MO,
[ 162 ]
ridge of them, riming for ten, twenty, or thirty
miles only, [and they Ibmetimes continue for feveral
hundred] in which chain particular mountains are
diftinguifhable from each other only by the reparation
or vacant fpaces between their tops, reaching to dif-
ferent depths and at various diftances , and fuppofe,
upon examination, he mould find that the ftrata in
each of the tops were of the fame kiad, colour,.thick-
nefs, &c. (as above defcribed) and lying in the fame
pofition, and only parted from each other by the va-
cant fpaces between their fummits, and that ti\z ftrata
underneath, in the body of the mountain, were quite
whole and entire, lying in the fame direction or parallel
with thofe in the tops, Would he not conclude that
the uppermoft ftrata were likewife once whole and li-
nked [which are now only difcontinued by the com-
paratively fmall vacant fpaces between the fummits of
the mountains] as well as thofe that are underneath ?
Efpecially, if he was to remark, that, where the fepa-
ration between the tops of fome of the mountains was
not fo great or deep as in others, the ftrata that did
not appear in the reft, would appear in thefe ; or fup-
pofe the depth of the fpace between fome of the moun-
tains to be no more than thirty yards or to reach down
to the ftratum of Free-ftone (in the above defcription)
but that in other of the vacant fpaces between the
mountains even this ftratum of Free-ftone fhpuld not
be found, or, as is frequently the cafe, only a part or
half of it be wanting, Would he not conclude, that
the other part was formerly fubfifting in its due place
and order ? And if he would judge thus of this ftra-
tum, doubtlefs he would determine the fame of the
reft, and that the vacant fpaces between the tops of
the mountains throughout this chain were formerly
filled up with their refpective ftrata. Judging then
thus of this fingle Ridge of mountains, Jet him now
extend his view on every fide, and behold how exact-
ly parallel the lame kind of ftrata in the adjacent
mountains lie with their fimilar ones in this chain,
and he will as readily conclude that they were all once
in conjunction and the vallies between them filled up
with correfponding ftrata, as thofe vacant fpaces were
between the tops of the firft chain of mountains he
examined. In Ihort, if a perfon was to fee the broken
walls ot a palace or caftle that had been in part de-
moliflied, he would certainly conclude that the
breaches or vacant fpaces in thofe walls were once
filled up with fimilar fubftances, and in conjunction
with the reft of the walls, and could eafily with his
eye fee the lines in which the walls were carried, and
in thought fill up the breaches and re-unite the whole :
And in the fame manner if a perfon was to view the
naked ends or broken edges of the ftrata in a moun-
tain on one fide of a valley and compare them with
their correfpondent ends in the mountain on the other
fide of the valley, he would manifeftly perceive that
the fpace between each was once filled up, and the
ftrata continued from mountain to mountain. So that
the prefent conical mape of mountains was not coeval
with their fubftances or with their inward and origi-
nal form , they being primarily of no outward form,
if I may fo fay, or rather there were once none of thofe
Eminences upon the earth which we now call Moun-
tains ; for when the ftrata of the earth were whole and
entire, and in conjunction- with one another, and the
vacancies that now occafion vallies, dales, &c. filled
up with their refpeclive ftrata", the earth muft have
been of cm Jpberical form without mountains, hills,
dales, vales, &c. and all the ftrata muft have lain
originally horizontally upon one another, or rather,
to fpeak philofophically, concentrically with each
other. And wlut further lliews, That mountains
[ 164]
are only Eminences of the earth, caufed by the exca-
vation or fcooping out of the fubftances or ftrata that
formerly occupied thofe Hollows, which we now call
Vallies, Dales, Combs, &c. is this, that it may be
demonftrated, That the origin of mountains cannot be
owing to any Elevation or Depreflion of their ftrata -,
though mofl writers have attributed it to this caufe,
and fuppoled them to have been produced by Dif-
ruptions from within the earth, occafioned by the
breaking out of fubterranean fires, earthquakes, &c.
whereby the ftrata became elevated in fome places,
and depreffed in others : but this could not have been
the cafe. For, the ftrata of Mountains in the inland
countries (and fuch mediterranean Eminences are pro-
perly to be termed Mountains -, Hills being lefs, and
fituflted at a diftance from mountains, and nearer the
fea) are generally, and if the higheft or moft inland
in the Continents or Iflands on which they ftand, are,
I may venture to fay, always pofited in an horizontal
direction, or but very little inclining therefrom, and
even this inclination accountable from other caufes
than Difruptions, as will be feen in the procefs of this
treatife. w Now the ftrata of Mountains being thus
horizontally placed, which alfo appearing to have been
their original pofition, (as will more clearly be fhewn
w Thus much I can fay for certain, that the Strata in fome of the
higheft ridges of Mountains in England and Wales are horizontally
pofited', which is a plain proof that Mountains in general might have
been, and that thefe in particular really were, formed without any
elevation or depreffion of the ftrata : and hence alfo it appears that
the horizontal pojition is the original and natural fetuation of the ftrata.
And in fuch mountainous places where I have obferved the ftrata to
be fomt<what inclined, it has generally been where there are large and
deep vallies, fteep precipices, naked rocks for a great extent of
ground, and many other fuch like proofs that the Agent (the 'water,
as will be feen hereafter) that tore out the hollows of the dales and
rallies, paffed off with great rapidity and adedwith great force upon
hereafter) is an undeniable proof, that they have wt
been difylaced, and therefore that thefe eminent parts
of the earth were not owing to any Elevations, or )/?-
fre/ions of their ftrata ; for had they been produced
by either of thefe means the ftrata muft have been in-
clined in various angles, and placed in. the moft differ-
ent directions from the horizontal. Befides, had Moun-
tains been owing to the Elevation or Depreflion of
their ftrata, the outfides and forms' of Mountains
would have been fhaped or in a great meafure have
anfwered the inward pofition of the ftrata -, whereas
this is feldom the cafe , and in Mountains where the
ftrata are horizontal, never can be, provided thofe
Eminences are of the common pyramidal or conical
fhape ; but where fuch have large extenfive plains or
much level ground upon their tops, the outward
fhapes of thefe indeed ufually anfwer or correfpond
with the inward level fite of the ftrata j but fuch fiat
eminences as thefe are not what we generally under-
ftand by the term Mountains^ and ougtit rather to be
called, as they commonly are, high Plains or Dows.
And in fuch mountains or rather Hills where the ftra-
ta are inclined, I have feen the outward form very
M 3
the fubjacent ftrata; in doing which it would naturally (in fuch
places where there was a variety of ftrata) wafh and carry away the
more foft and brittle ftrata, and by this means undermine, and fo
incline, the fuperior beds of ftone ; &c. and in many places I have
remarked, particularly upon the fides of fteep mountains, that this
inclination of the ftrata is but for the depth of fom,e feet, or what
I may call, fuperfidal ; and that the beds of ftone upon the top of
the mountain are but little, or not at all, inclined ; and in the body
of the mountain are horizontally fofited : which plainly mews, that
the upper ftrata only have been moved, and moved too by fome aut-
fuaard caufe, and not the whole body of the mwntfiin, cither by ele-
vation or depreflion of the ftrata.
different from what one might expect from the inward
inclination of the ftrata, nay, fometimes direflly con-
trary to it. It being then thus certain, that the
prefent outward form of Mountains was not owing to,
either, the inward difpofttion, or prefent fituation, of
the ftrata, and that the vacant Spaces between the
tops and fides of mountains were once filled up,
it muft follow, That thefe high and eminent parts of
the earth were caufed by fome external Agent or
Means that acled upon the outward fur face of the earth,
and which, by tearing off and carrying away the matter
or ftrqta that formerly occupied thofe places we now
call rallies, left thole Eminences ilanding, which we
now call Mountains.
AND that this was really the cafe will yet more
manifeftly appear, in tracing out what that Agent was
that effected this, which is the next thing to be con-
fide red.
THAT the outward form of Mountains was owing
to the action of fome Fhtid, which by foftening and
mollifying the parts gradually wore and tore away the
circumjacent ftrata, is evident from the conical fhape,
regular Hope or gradual defcent of Mountains from
their tops quite down their fides ; and when we con-
fider the bulk of a mountain, and the prodigious
number of them upon the earth, there is no Fluid of
a nature proper, and in quantity Efficient, for effect-
ing this but IVaier. And that Water was the A-
gent is further evident, from the general tendency'or
inclination of the fides of mountains down towards the
Sea, efpecially in iflands and peninfulas, chiefly and
more remarkably in fuch as are longer than they are
broad-, and in necks or promontories of land that jut
out into the fea, and have water on both fides of them.
So in the iflands of Cuba, llij'pun'iola, California, Ma-
Sumatra, Sucoma,St.Cbriflopber, and many
others, there is a ridge or Chain of mountains run -
ing directly through the middle, in a line with the
length of thofe iflands and peninfulas, gradually leflen-
ing and lefiening with gentle declivities on each
fide, tending outward or falling away down to-
wards the two feas [not inward towards the land],
juft in fuch a manner as Water defcending from the
tops of thefe ridges would naturally have torn and
carried away the ground, and fo have formed regular
defcents on both fides ; which defcents generally con-
tinue for feveral miles underneath the feaj for it is a
common obfervation with mariners that where the
more lies nearly level or upon a gentle defcent, that
there the fea gradually increafes deeper and deeper the
farther you proceed from land ; x fo as plainly to mew
that the ground underneath or the bottom of the ocean
was formed after the fame manner, and is only a con-
tinuation of that at Land : fmcethen thefe Defcents or
Declivities are at prefent in part covered with water^
there can be no reafon to doubt that this was the A-
gent that formerly covered and formed the whole.
So in Promontories or parts of land that project into
the Sea, where fuch are long and narrow, there is
commonly a ridge or feveral ridges of mountains
pafling through the middle with gentle declivities on
each fide. Thus in Italy the Apennine mountains are con-
tinued lengthways through the middle of that country,
and divide it in two parts, juft in the manner (as it has
been reprefented) as the back-bone of an animal does his
body, fimilar is the fituation of the mountains in
Norway ) Malacca, Ccrea, Cambodia, India within the
Ganges, the South part of Africa for feveral hundred
M 4
* KIRCHER'S Mundus Subterrancus, p. 97. MARSILLI Je la.
Met; p. ii. RAX'S Three phyftco theological Di/cour/ej, p. 27.
[ i68 ]
and for as many in the fouthpaftqF/fmV0, &c.
And what is further remarkable in Promontories and
iuch procurrent parts of land, they generally, and
cfpecially where there is an open and free Sea, gradu-
ally le'ffen and terminate in a point like a Wedge -,
which is exactly the form that water, retreating from
the upper lands, and falling on each fide, would natu-
rally fhape and reduce it into. Whereas,
the effects of the water defcending from the furface of
fuch extenfive parts of the earth, as large Continents
are, would exhibit a different appearance of things
from what they do upon iilands and promontories;
for in this cafe the water would take many and various
courfes, according to the greater number, diftance,
and irregular fituation of the PaiTages or Inlets it had
into the Abyfs (which inlets we may fuppofe to be in
iuch places where Seas and large Lakes are at prefent) ,
and alfo according to the greater variety of the Strata
it had to act upon (many of which ftrata would refift,
and as many yield to, the force of the water; andlbme
more, fome lefs) fo that under fuch manifold and dif-
ferent : circumftances we might expect to find the
Chains or Ridges of Mountains upon large Continents
lying in many and various directions ; and accordingly
we lo find them. But yet, in fome degree,
the outward form or furface of Continents and Iflands
would refemble each other; for upon both, and even
where there were no remarkably great mountains, we
Yn'tght reafonably imagine, that the inland parts would
be the higheft, or more eminent than the maritime , for
the water would act more ftrongly and tear off a greater
quantity cf the earth near the fea-coafts than higher up
within the land; and this, for two reafons; becaule
the PafTages into the Abyfs lay nearer the fea-coalb,
and thither the whole force of the v/ater was directed ;
and becaufe all ths water that covered the inland
[ 169 ]
parts of the earth would flow over and act upon the
maritime, and would bring along with it large frag-
ments of rocks and a great quantity of rubbifh, which
by being driven upon, would wear and tear away, the
land near the fea-coafts to a great degree ; and there-
fore the mediterranean parts of Iflands and Continents
would be lefs, or but little, torn ; and on this ac-
count, after the retreat of the water, be left ftanding
higheft. And this alfo we find to be fact : as is evi-
dent from the courfes or falls of rivers ; they gene-
rally, or indeed almoft univerfally, taking their rife
in or near the Middle of Continents and Iflands, and
flowing down towards, at lafl empty themfelves into
the Sea ; and as it is certain that the fall of water is
always from the higher to the lower grounds, fo it is
as certain that the inland parts of the earth are higher
than the maritime. Befides, it is a common
obfervation that Mountains or inland Eminences are
higher, and their defcents or fides longer than thofe
of Hills ; which are generally fhorter, but their fides
or falls more fudden and precipitous : and that the
ftrata in Mountains are horizontal, but in Hills (or
lefier Eminences nearer the fea) are generally oblique
or inclined. All which is exactly confonant to what
a Flood of water, retreating from the furface of the
earth, would naturally produce; as is evident from
what has been faid in the above paragraph : and the
truth of the. fact may be exemplified from the man-
ner in which water moves when permitted to run
out at an orifice at the bottom of a large and deep
veflel ; the chief action or motion of the water is at
and near the orifice;' while the furface is almoft
calm -, and if the bottom of the vefiei be made of
any matter that will yield to the force of water, it
will be moft torn at and near the orifice, fince the
current will be there ftrongeft: And fo, as the \va-
ter, that covered the earth, retreated from the fur-
face towards the apertures in its fhell, the chief mo-
tion and violence would be at the mouths of the ori-
fices that led into the abyfs, whither the whole body .
of the water tended, and its whole force was exerted ;
and near thefe apertures the currents of water would
be very ftrong and rapid, and which, by wafhing
away the more foft and brittle ftrata, would undermine
whole ridges of mountains and lay their ftrata in a
Hoping pofture, and by its continual action in pafling
over thefe ridges, would reduce and wear them lefs
and lefs until they came to be of their prefent fize or
Hills. But higher up or at a greater diftance from
the fea, the force would be proportionably diminifhed,
as the quantity of water would be iefs and the current
weaker; fo that the ftrata in mountains are but little
or "not at all difturbed from their original horizontal
pofition -, and as a lefs degree of force was exerted in
forming them than in Hills, fo their defcents would
of courfe be longer and more gradually declining than
thofe of Hills. And from what has been juft
faid, we may fee the propriety of Monf. Buacbe's plan
of the difpofition of Mountains, as laid down and de-
lineated in Hiftoire de V Acad. des Scicn. An. 1752,
Nov. 15. according to which, the greater or moft re-
markable Ridges of Mountains upon the feveral Con-
tinents of the earth take their rife in or near the
middle of large Tracts of land , and are ftretched out,
as radii, from fome high and extenfive Plains , one of
which plains rifes in Africa, another in Afia, two
fmall ones in Europe, one in North and another in
South America ; and from each of thefe, refpectively,
iilue out, like horizontal fhoots from a ftock, feveral
long Ridges or Chains of Mountains. In order to
fee the reaibn of this from Experiments, and how far
it would favour our prefent hypothecs, I provided a
large veiTel of Glafs, had feveral holes of different
fizes bored in the fides about fix inches from the bot-
tom, and flopped each with cork : I then filled the
veflel with water ; and having pulverized before-hand
certain portions of the various ftrata of which the
earth confift, as Ston<, Coal, Clay, Chalk, &c. I
permitted thefe fubftances to fubfide one after another
through the water, 'till the terreftrial mafs reached about
two inches above the level of the holes : and the whole
fettled in regular layers one upon another, juft ac-
cording to the difpofition of things in the earth. I
then (with the afliftance of another) pulled the corks
out of each hole as nearly at the fame time as poflible.
The water immediately began to drive the earthy parts
through the holes, and fcooped or tore the furtace of
the earthy mafs in fuch a manner as that the deepeft
Hollows were near the Apertures, /'. e. where the force
was greateft, and the feveral furrows gradually Jefs
and lefs, towards the middle part , as the force of the
water was proportionably diminifhed to its diftance
from the place where its moft violent action was : So
that at the greateft diftance from the apertures, /'. e. in
the middle of the heap of the terreftrial mafs there were
no furrows at all, and that part remained the higheft
of all the reft, and anfwered to one of the above-men-
tioned high plains upon the furface of the earth : and
from this middle-part there tended feveral ridges, be-
tween the furrows leading down towards the holes in
the vefTel, juft in fuch form as the chains of mountains,
which take their rife in or near the middle of fome
Continent upon the earth, and tend, like radii, from
fome high inland plain towards their refpective aper-
tures in the Seas next adjoining. Befides , the ftrata
in the middle- part of the terreftrial mafs remained
immoveable, ar.d without the leaft alteration, but
thole near the apertures in the veffel, were, bent and
[ '7* ]
inclined, and in fome parts confufedly mixt together,
agreeably to the difpofition of- things in the earth,
with refpeft to inland and maritime Eminences, as I
have obferved already. Thus do the phe-
nomena, on the fuiface of the earth, with regard to
Mountains and Hills, higher and lower lands, both
upon iflands, peninfulas, promontories, and conti-
nents, exactly anfwer to, and manifeftly fhew forth,
the effects of a Flood of Water which once covered
the whole, and gradually retreated therefrom.
AND this will be ilill more evident if we defcend
to a particular examination of the form, fituation,
and caufe of Combs, Dales, Vallies, &c. It was ne-
ceffary to fpeak fomewhat of thefe before, but they
deferve a feparate and clofer confideration than could
hitherto have been conveniently beftov/ed upon them.
A Comb, a Glin, a Dingle, or a Gill, &c. (for it
paiTes under different names in different parts of Eng-
land) is a gradually increafing or gently declining
Hollow upon the furface of the earth ; the fides regu-
larly doping down towards the middle part. They
are of various fizes ; fome being not more (or even
lefs) than 3 or 400 yards in length, 50 in breadth,
and 20 in depth at their largeft end ; others there are
that are three or four miles in length, a mile in
breadth, and 4 or 500 yards deep ; and others of all
intermediate fizes. They generally begin at a ridge
of mountains or hills, and tend down their fides to-
wards the lower lands; their beginnings or upper
parts are very fmall, in fome places fcarcely percep-
tible ; and they gradually open or increafe to fome of
the above-mentioned lengths, breadths, and depths.
The ftrata in moil of them are bare and vifible, if
not throughout the whole Comb, yet in fome part or
other, or rather in fever al parts \ and the broken
ends or edges of the rocks that project from each
[ 173 ]
fide generally anfwer each other to a furprifing exacr.-
nefs ; and near the beginning or in the upper parts of
the Comb they almoft touch and meet each other,
and at the very beginning are united ; and fo leave
no doubt to conclude but that the ftrata were once in
contact or continued in parallel lines from fide to fide
throughout the whole Comb/ And this mutual agree-
ment between the ftrata on each fide of Combs evi-
dently mews, that thefe and fuch like Cavities were
caufed by fome outward Agent that acted upon the
furface of the earth, and which by tearing off and
carrying away the interjacent ftrata, left thefe Hol-
lows, and were not owing to any inward difruption,
or a force from beneath : for, had this latter been
the cafe, it could not be but that the ftrata on one
fide or other of Combs would always appear elevated
or deprefTed, or fome way or other altered. And k
is further demonftrable that Combs and Gills were
not owing to any inward difruptions, fmce it is com-
mon to obferve in fuch of them as have rapid rivers
or ftrong currents of water runing through them,
y Sometimes indeed the ftrata on one fide of a Comb are different
both in kind and fituation from thofe on the other ; but then the
reafon is evident upon, the fpot ; as, firft, either the Comb was
formed in a place where the ends of different llrata met, or in a deep
fUTure, or two or three Combs happened to be formed near together,
and by the fide of each other, and then the Agent that tore the
largeft has fhelved off or inclined the ftrata of the larger to-
wards the lefler, there being no ftrata on the back-part (on account
of the cavity of the letter Comb) to fupport it ; or fome fuch accident
or other has made a difference, which will be at once manifeft to a.
judicious fpeftator. And thefe accidents generally happen in hilly
countries or fuch as are near the lea, where the water of the deluge,
in its retreat from the furface of the earth, defcended with violence
and acted with great fotce ; whereas higher up in the inland countries
or near the mountains the Combs and Gills are generally very regular
and exact, and the broken edges of the Urata on each fide tally aad
correfpond to the uttnoft nicety.
[ '74]
that the ftrata at their bottoms are whole and entire,
and lie parallel with thofe above ; nay, when miners
have occafion, in tracing or purfuing a vein of
ore, to dig under Combs they find the ftrata be-
neath, as regularly placed and in the fame direction
as thofe above, and where they are horizontal above
they are horizontal below; which affords an undeni-
able argument that Combs were not formed by any
Force from beneath, but by the operation of fome out-
ward Caufe. And when we confider the general regu-
larity, fmoothneis, gently Hoping fides, and the gradu-
ally increafing length, breadth and depth of Combs or
Gills, we can attribute the Caufe of their formation to
no other Agent than Water, that formerly covered the
tops and ridges of the Mountains and Hills where thefe
doping Hollows are now found, and which by dele-end-
ing from thence, gradually tore and furrowed the earth
into fo many afoei or channels, juft in the fame
manner as water, falling in a ludden and great thun-
der-mower, and retreating from the hills above to-
wards the fea or any great river, tears and wears
channels in the ouze or mud upon the more. Ano-
ther mark, that Gills and Combs were formed by
currents of water is the ferpentine lhape or winding
courfe of fuch as are long and large, and the apparent
caufes of fuch deflexions or curvatures. For water
defcending from the mountain-tops would of courfe
be diverted from a rectilineal motion (efpecially if it
ran for any confiderable length , by reafon of the dif-
ferent ftrata, or different conftitution of the fame ftra-
ta, it acted upon ; fome parts being hard, others fofr
fome having but few, others many and large crack
&c. and according to the different circumilances
thefe accidents the courfe of the water would be varic
and the ftream occafionally diverted from the pa
that refilled moft towards thofe that refilled lefs : r
[ '75 J
on the fame account, there would be many and va-
rious dreams rulhing down the fides of the fame moun-
tain, and as thefe would be irregular and winding,
two or more would frequently unite, particularly the
Jeffer fall in with and join the larger ; and of this there
are manifeft marks and the effects now remaining ;
for it is common to oblerve at fuch places where a
long and large Comb begins to turn off, that there is
a furrow or channel now vifible upon the furface of
the earth, and the Comb is deflected from its former
courfe according to the angle in which this furrov;
meets it (allowing for the fize of the furrow) and alfo
is proportionably broader and deeper according to the
fize of this concurring channel j manifeftly fhewing,
that where the dream that formed this lefier furrow
met the larger, that there the deflexion would natu-
rally begin, the Comb be turned off, and enlarged,
in proportion to the additional force of the Current
that formed this lefTcr channel. Many fuch obler-
vations as thefe might be made, if we were to confider
particularly and minutely the form and fituation of the
mountain or hill in which the Comb lies, the condi-
tution and pofition of the drata within, the courfe of
the fiffures, the lhape of the valley beneath, the dif-
tance of the ft-a, or any great lake, &c. from each
and all of which many and different proofs might be
drawn, plainly indicating, that Combs were formed
by currents of water , but thefe are eafier to be feen and
difcovered by a fpectator than to be defcribed to a
reader; and they will be very evident to any one that has
had but the hint given him that Combs and Gills were
channels tore in the e.arth by the defcent of water from
the upper lands. And what has been laid
above in relation to Gills may in a great meafure be
applied to Dales \ which begin at the end of two or
more Gills, and gradually increafe in length, breadth,
and depth, in proportion to the number and lize of
[ i 7 6]
the Gills that lead into them ; juft in the fame
ner, and as evidently by the fame means, as the
larger Combs were increaied and opened by the flreams
of water that tore the lefler channels that enter into
them. As the Dales fall off from the moun-
tains, and meet or unite at a greater or lefs diflance,
a ftill larger Hollow prefents itfelf ; which gradually
opens and dilates as the former-, and conftitutes
what we call a Valley -, of greater or lefs extent and
dimenfion according to the number and fize of the
Gills and Dales thatdefcend into it. At laft,
at a great diftance from the mountains, two or more
vallies unite, and open into a wide extenfive low-land
Plain, or rather, a gently declining country , which ad-
joins to the Sea-Jbore; the bottom of which (efpecially
if it is of a foft yielding nature, not rocky and ftoney)
is- of a fimilar form, continues the fame declivity, or
gradually grows deeper and deeper 'till it ends in an
unfathomable Abyfs. And thus does the
Whole clearly point out the effedls of a Flood of wa-
ter that formerly covered the mountain-tops, and
retreated therefrom down to, and even beyond, the
very depth of the Ocean ; forming (in its paflage from
the furface of the earth to the center) high up, where
its force was weakerr, the lefler channels or Gills and
Combs , and where feveral flreams united, the Dales -,
and where the currents, that made the dales, met and
joined their forces, hollowing out the Vallies \ and
were the torrents that fcooped out vallies opened and
expanded themfelves, there forming the wide low-land
Plains, gradually declining Sea-Jhore, and the Jloping
bofom of the Ocean.
HAVING thus, fafely and truly, I hope, conveyed
the reader from the tops of the highefl Mountains
down to the bottom of the deeped Seas, we will now
take a review of the paths we have trod, and draw
ibme fuitable conclusions from the whole. And
[ '77 ]
: l . FROM what has been faid, we may fee the error of
his Lordihip's opinion concerning the origin of moun-
tains, p. 88, viz. c That when the Fountains of the
' great Abyfs were broken up, and an immenfe Hollow
6 was excavated out of the earth from pole to pole, as
4 a bed for the fea to lie in , when the rocks, and the
4 fands, and the fhells, and the earth, that were taken
4 thereout, were thrown upon the land, and raifed in
4 Mountain upon Mountain, fo as to afiail the fkies
' and invade the region of the clouds ; when Promon-
* tories, and Capes, and Head-lands ftarted up in an
4 irregular order, &c ; or as it is elfewhere defcribed
4 p. 118. ' At the time of the breaking up the foun-
4 tains of the Abyfs, a great part of the materials,
e which were fcooped out Of the earth, as well as thofe
* which then lay on the furface of the fand and of the
* more, would be loofe, feparate and divided, and
4 would float irregularly in that confufion of Elements,
* which fuch a wonderful operation muft have bccafi-
4 oned, not Only when Ihowered down in cataracts
4 from on high, but alfo, when conveyed by the force
* of the waters of the Sea, which gufhed forth, as out
4 of a womb to the place deftined for their abode ;
4 where this heterogeneous mafs would fubfide, and
4 form itfelf into fuch' Hills and Mountains, of fuch a
4 mixed kind of materials, as we now find them to be,
* according to the wife defignation of the great Author
4 of Nature.' Such was the Manner, fuch the Means,
according to his Lp. by which Mountains and Hills
were produced. From whence it ftlould follow, that
Mountains and Hills are no more than huge heaps of
Rubbijh, thrown out of the Sea, of the place where
the fea now is, by the omnipotent Hand of GOD ;
as his Lp. more clearly afferts, p. 108, and 115: But
this referring to the firft Caufe, when the operation
N
[ '78]
was manifeftly performed by fecond Caufes, is boldly
cutting the Gordian knot, which we cannot fairly un-
tie, and {hews neither the Philofopher nor the Divine
in this cafe-, for both the Word of GOD, and the whole
face of the earth, declare the contrary, as I have already
Ihewed at large, and fh all conclude this fection with
the Teftimony of another Author, againft this opi-
nion, ' We are to confider that a great many Moun-
* tains of the Earth are far diftant from any feas, as
* the great iii-land Mountains of Afia and of Africk,
4 and the Sarmathk Mountains and others in Europe \
4 how were thefe great bodies flung thorough the air
4 from their refpe&ive feas, whence they are taken,
' to thofe places were they ftand? what appearance is
4 there in common reafon or credibility, that thefe
4 huge mafies of earth and flone that ftand in the mid-
* die of continents, were dug out of any feas ? we
c think it ftrange, and very defervedly, that a little
4 chapel mould be tranfported from Pale/tine to Italy
4 over land and fea, much more the tranfportation of
4 Mount Atlas or Taurus thorough the air, or of a
4 range of mountains two or three thoufand miles long,
4 would furely upon all accounts appear incongruous
4 and incredible : befides, neither the hollow form of
4 mountains, nor the flony matter whereof they com-
e monly confift, agrees with that fuppofition, that they
4 were prefs'd or taken out of the channel of the fea.
* Then too, we are to confider, that the moun-
4 tains are not barely laid upon the earth, as a tomb-
4 ftone upon a grave, nor ftand as ftatues do upon a
4 pedeftal, as this opinion feems to fuppofe-, but they
4 are one continued fubftance with the body of the
4 earth, and their roots reach into the abyfs ; as the
4 rocks by the fea-fide go as deep as the bottom of the
4 fea in one continued mafs : and 'tis a ridiculous
6 thing to imagine the earth firft a plain furface, then
6 all the mountains fet upon it, as hay-cocks in a
* Field, {landing upon their flat bottoms. There is
* no fuch common lirface, in nature, nor confequently
* any fucli fuper-additions: 'tis all one frame or mafs,
4 only broken and disjointed in the parts of it.
. 2. FROM the above defcription of things appears
alfo the abfurdi:y of the opinion, that is at prefent fo
much in vogue in France,, concerning the origin of
Mountain's, 2 viz. That Mountains are only Heaps
of Sand and Mud, formed by the agitation of the
waters of the fea, which were chiefly put into motion
by the flux and reflux of its waves in tides, or fome
ftrong currents that met and oppofed each other,
during the time when the whole furface of the earth
was covered with water (for the maintainers of this
fyftem allow that it has been thus covered). The
Sand and Mud having been thus collected and heaped
up together, and the water fubfiding and finking to
occupy the cavities at the bottom of the fea from
whence the fand and mud were excavated, the dry-
land by this means and mountains were raifed upon
the whole furface of the earth. But lurely the
Authors of this hypothecs could never have obferved
the effects of the Agent, which they fuppofe to have
been the Former of mountains, during any violent
agitation of the fea, nor have obferved the inward
Conftitution, or outward Form of Mountains. For
with regard to the firft of thefe articles, as his Lp.
juitly remarks (in his Anfwer to this Syftem of the
origin of Mountains, p. 1 1.) * The Sea, in itsgreatefl
4 agitations, always levels every thing in its power,
' inftead of raifmg it into Hills and Vallies. And if
z Sec MefTrs. Le Cat's, Baffin's, DC Mailht's t c. writings.
N 2
[ i8o]
c thefe Authors will but make the experiment, of
* raifing a Mound within the reach of the Tides, and
* let but a fmgle Spring-tide get above their works, I
' believe, inftead of finding their Mound increafed into
* a Mountain, they will find their Mountain reduced
* into a Mole-hill, if not entirely carried off and
* levelled with the bottom of the Sea.' And, in
oppofition both to his Lp's. Syftem and that of thefe
Authors, it muft be remarked, that the inward Jlrufture
of Mountains undeniably difproves each of their opi-
nions. For, mountains confift of regular ftrata or beds,
(whether of ftone, coal, clay, &c.) orderly pofited
upon each other, and in an horizontal direction; and
befides, each refpective ftratum is of equal thicknefs
throughout, though they continue for feveral miles in
extent; all which clearly demonftrates that the whole
fettled in a regular and fuccefiive order, during a
quiet and calm fea, or without the lead perturbation
of the water it fubfided in. And fince thole parts,
that now remain ,and are vifible, of the Mafs that
thus fettled, viz. the Mountains and their tops, ftill
retain their firft and horizontal direction, it is evident
that they have not been difplaced or their pofition
altered; and alfo that they have not received any new
or frefti Matter to cover them (except the vegetable
mould and a few feet of loofe ftones and fludge; of
which hereafter) ; neither were they formed by occa-
fional or fucceffive additions of Sand and Mud or
heaps of Rubbifh, for had this been the cafe, there
would have been no regular ftrata or layers of ftone,
coal, clay, &c. or if there had beenfuch, they would
have been inclined on all fides or Ihaped according to
the outward form ot the mountain, and have covered
thefe conical or prifmatical Eminences like fo many
caps or arches laid one upon another; neither could
f '8, ]
the layers have been of the fame thicknefs throughout
even in a fingle Mountain (much lefs in hundreds or
thoufands) but would have been much thicker at bot-
tom than at top ; at lead thofe layers that fettled laft
mufl have been formed thus; for when the Mountain
had attained to any confiderable fize, and a new layer
or fediment of loofe matter fubfided on it, the far
greater quantity would (all down on each fide, and
fettle molt at and round the bottom, with thin edges
towards or near the top; which is a form that, I believe,
no mountain upon earth has. But what further
fhews, that Mountains are not Heaps of Rubbim
thrown out of the fea, or quantities of Sand and Mud
confufedly coacervated, is, the general uniformity of
their fhapes, their regularly doping fides, the man-
ner in which Chains or Ridges of Mountains are con-
tinued, being extended length ways upon fuch iflands
and peninfulas as are longer then they are broad; and
fhooting oiit, like branches from a flock, from high
extenfive Plains upon the larger Continents of the
arth: and then the Gills gradually falling off from
the mountain- tops, and meeting the Dales down their
fides, the Dales uniting with the Vallies, andtheVal-
lies opening into extenfive declining Countries, and
thefe adjoining to the IhelvingBed of the Ocean, all
manifestly mew, that the Agent that formed moun-
tains did not acY from the Sea upward, or towards the
inland countries, and amafled together large heaps of
fand and earth, but defcended from the mountain-tops,
or the moft inland parts of the earth, and furrowed or
made its way down towards the very bottom of the
Ocean, carrying before it almoft every thing that was
moveable or oppofed its paffage.
3. FROM the above-mentioned uniformity in the
fhape and courfe of Mountains, and the apparent
N 3
[ 182 ]
cajufe thereof; and from the regular manner in which
Gills, Dales, and Vallies defcend from the mountains
and run into each other, gradually declining towards
the Sea, it is alfo evident that Mountains were not
owing either to any irregular Elevation or Depreffiori
of the ftrata of the earth : for had either of thefe been
the Caufe, this regularity could never have been pre-
ferved and been vifible over the whole face of the earth.
So that neither Dr. Burners, nor Dr. Woodward's and
Mr. fflbifton's Syftem of the origin of Mountains is true
or confident with the face of Nature ; the firft of whom
fuppofes them owing to a fudden depreflion or finking
in of the ftrata of the earth, a.nd the other two, to as
fudden and violent a Depreflion of fome of the ftrata
and Elevation of others; for,' upon either of thefe
fchemes, the Eartn muft have exhibited the moft ghaftly
appearances of Rocks and Precipices, and the whole
form of it would have refembled the ruins of a defolated
edifice, that had been thrown down by a Tempeft, or
blown up by a fubterranean explofion : fo that there
would have been no traces of the operation of a Fluid
Agent that dt-fcended from the mountain-tops and gra-
dually tore its way quite down to the Sea, and fo
formed the regularly-Doping fides of Mountains, the
cafy and natural Cadence and Connexion of Gills with
D.alcs, Dales with Valiies, &c. And
4. THIS fame regularity and uniformity in the rifings
and fallings of the higher and lower lands, and their
mutual dependences on and inclinations with each
other, remaining the fame at this day in all countries,
manifeftly (hews, that there have been no Mountains
or Hills, Dales or Vallies made fmce the Deluge or the
Inundation that caufed the prefent; and therefore that
Mountains are not continually a- forming, as fome of the
modern French philofophefs afiert; neither were they
occafionally thrown up by earthquakes or fubterranean
eruptions as fome of the old philofophers imagined:
indeed earthquakes and fuch like explofions, inftcad
of railing new mountains, rather tend to throw down
the old, by fhaking and diflocating the land, where
the violence of the concufllon prevails, and finking it
beneath the Ocean or into the Abyfs-, and befides
earthquakes generally happen near the fea, and affect
not inland eminences or Mountains.
5. NEITHER could the channels of Gills, Dales,
and Vallies have proceeded from Contractions or la-
teral fhrinking of the ftrata of the earth (and fo the
parts of the earth above, or on each fide of thefe
cracks, be left eminent or in the form of mountains)
in the fame manner and by the fame means as Chaps
or Cracks are made in the mud and ouze upon the
fea-fhore by the heat of the fun-beams and action of the
wind, according to the opinion of fome of the An-
cients. But had this been the cafe, as the tops of the
mountains were dry fooneft and mofb expofed to the
influence of thefe two agents, the Combs and Dales
would have been deepctt near the fummits of hills and
mountains, and gradually have leifened or been fhal-
lower and mal lower as they proceeded down the fides,
and terminated in a point at the bottom of mountains ;
but the direct contrary to this is their form : therefore
This could not have been the Caufe, Befides \
fuch Contractions as thefe could never have made
Eminences, nor would there have been any difference
between Mountains and Hills, neither would the in-
land parts of Continents and large iflands have been
the higheft, as I have plainly fliewed they are ; for
when the mud upon the fea-fhore or when the ground
in large flat and low marmes is dried and cracked in
-the fummer-time, the parts or pieces of land between
N 4
jthe cracks are equally high, and the whole fur&ce.
level. Though indeed thus much may be faid for
this opinion, that the Cracks and Fiffures that were
made in the fhell of the earth (after it had fettled, fa-
turated with water, and the Expanfe from above and
from below had compreffed and hardened, and fo
contracted the ftrata in fome places, and thereby left
gaps andfj/ures in others 8 ) gave room for the water
that covered the earth during the deluge to defcend
through into the Abyfs ; and fuch as ferved for this
purpoie directed, in fome meafure, or were the caufe
of the direction of, the courfes of the Vallies, Dales
and Combs-, but they neither did, nor could have
formed them for the reafons above given : befides,
thefe Cracks are feldom above eight or ten feet broad
(and generally much lefs) and feveral vallies are as
many mites in breadth, and exceed them as much in
length as they do in breadth -, and what is more re-
a Or, to give an account of this Effedt in the words of a modern
writer, firft then thefe Fiffures are no more, as they feem to me,
* than the neceffary confequences of the firft fettlement of matter,
' when it was divided into wet and dry, folid and fluid. That we
* may the more clearly apprehend this, let us recolleft what happens
* to finall maffes of matter, cloven by like failures, whence we may
' infer what is probably the caufe of thofe greater cliffs which we are
* now infearch'of. We all know that flime, diluted clay, andpul-
* verized or diiTolved done, mall occupy more fpace in that ftate of
' moifture than when the fame clay, (lime, or ftone, becomes dry and
' hard; and, from a parity of reafon we may argue, that when folids
* and fluids formed, and from a ftate of chaos became divided into,
* diftinft bodies, the parts of the former, being defeated by the latter,
* nuift needs grow cloier together, and confequently leave chafms and
crevices betwixt them. But the maffes of earth, ttone, and clay,
' were not at this time meerly paffive; they formed larger and more
' compact bodies every where, in proportion to the quantity and
' mutual attraction of their fimilar parts, within proper diftance.
^ Hence arofe firmer combinations, and confequently greater open-
[ 1*5]
markable, the Cracks and Veins of ore in many places
run directly acrofs the rallies, and yet the vallies con-
tinue on in their ufual courfes ; which plainly {hews
that they were neither formed, nor even altered, by
thefe cracks. But, in fhort, the fea-fhore itfelf
(from whence the above hypothecs is brought) affords
a manifeft difference between the Cracks made by
fhrinking and the regularly-increafing Channels of
Combs, Dales, and Vallies ; for upon the fea-fhore
or the banks of a large river, efpecially where there is
any quantity or depth of mud and ouze, the chinks
caufed by the action of the Sun-beams and Wind are
nearly throughout of the fame fize, meet and interfect
each other at almoft all angles, chiefly at right,
and fo divide the parcels of ground or mud between
into fquares, pentagons, or fome fuch figure, but
never, or fcarcely ever, into long ridges like the
chains of mountains. And what is further obfervable
in the fame place, the Channels or Gulleys tore in the
ings between fuch maffes. Farther, it muflbe obferved, that as all
fimilar particles ftruggkd to come into contact with each other, fo,
' at the fame time, they deferted, and repelled, and expreffed all
* diflimilar and contending particles ; confequently maffes of differently
' natured particles feceded and fled from each other, every party (if
' I may ufe the expreffion) tending to form and flick clofe to its like :
betwixt fuch different fubftances therefore, attracted here, and there
' repelled, fome chink or interval mult needs happen. Thefe caufes
* then, viz : the defertion of moifture, the union of fimilar and the
mutual repulie of difimilar particles, muft all have contributed to
' form the maffes of our terraqueous globe into fuch feparate portions
' as we now find them in ; for that indeed it was not poflible for
* bodies to grow hard and dry, unite and contract, without leaving
' fome chafms and fiffures between them. What enfued upon the hard-
* ening of particular and fmaller maffes, enfued alfo in the larger pcr-
' tions of the whole earth, in proportion to the quantity of fojids
united at any one effort, whether a grain, zftratum, a county, or
a region:\
mud by the retreat of the fea-water in ebbing, or by the
defcent of land-floods, do really leave the interjacent
land in prominent ridges juft like Thole of Mountains ;
and thofe gulleys or little furrows gradually increafe in
length, breadth, and depth, as they unite and fall in
with each 'other, juft in the fame manner as Gills,
Dales and Vallies do ; which manifefliy fhews, that
both kinds were formed by currents of defcending
water.
6. SINCE there are Mountains and Hills, Combs,
Dales, and Vallies upon the whole fur face of the earth,
and thefe were caufed by the retreat of Water from the
furface, it is certain, that the Deluge that formed them
was univerfal: And I have already proved that there
never was but one univerfal Flood, which was That
recorded by Mcfes.
7. SINCE Gills, Dales and Vallies, fall away from
the Mountain-tops, and tend in their courfes down to-
wards the neighbouring feas, and are united to the
fhelving Bed of the Ocean, nay, fince fome of the
chains of Mountains are continued under the lea and
appear again on the oppofite land, or, what is more,
fmce there are Mountains and Hills, Dales and Vallies,
even entirely under the fea, b it is evident, that the
water that formed them, defcended not only down
towards the fea, but even beyond it, into fome great
Cavity in the infide of the earth ; for had it reached
no farther than the prefent furface, or even any con-
fiderable way into the bed, of the Ocean, its waves
muft have been reverberated or returned upon them-
felves, and fo would foon have loft all their force :
but fmce this force continued and cut and tore the
* KIRCHER'S Mundiu Subterraneus p. 69, ^6, &c. MARSILLI dt
la Mcr.-p. 312.
earth under the fea to unfathomable depths, we may
juftly fuppofe that the water defcended far beyond,
entered into, and filled up, a large Concavity within
the earth, and fo conftituted what Mofes calls the
ABYSS.
8. SINCE the Water that fcooped out the hollows of
Combs, Dales, and Vallies defcended into the Abyfs,
it muft ofcourfe have carried with it all that quantity
of the earth which it tore away for making thefe hol-
lows; and as it defcended from every part of the
earth's furface down towards the centre, it would at
lad repofit and fettle the whole there, in form of a
Central or inner globe or nucleus of terreftrial matter,
furrounded on all fides by the water of the Abyfs.
To which, or to a fimilar kind of nucleus, moveable
in a fluid medium, Dr. Halley afcribes the Caufe of the
variation of the magnetic needle^ and to which not only
This, but many other and far greater effecls, both in
and on the earth, are to be attributed. And
q. WHEN we confider the great length, breadth
and depth of the larger Vallies upon the earth, the
multitude of the leffer, together with the numerous
Combs and Dales that lead into them, the Height
of the Mountains and inland Eminences above the*
lowland, their diftance from the Sea, or rather, from
the correfponding Chain of Mountains on theoppoiite
Continent, the vaft Bed of the Ocean, the cavities
pf all the Lakes, Rivers, &c. I fay, when we confider
all this, and reflect, that all thefe Hollows were once
filled up, with the folid ftrata or fubftance of the earth,
from the top of one ridge of Mountains to the oppo-
fite, and from that to the next beyond, and fo on
quite round the globe, (which therefore was once en-
, e Pbibf.Tranf.W. 148, 195.-
[ '88 ]
tirely fpherical, and without any inequalities, or the
lead rifing and falling, of hill or dale) - 9 and that all
this fubftance was fcooped or hollowed out and car-
ried down into the Abyfs, we may fuppole the central
nucleus to be of fome confiderable bulk or fize. But
the Agent that did all this, the Water that thus tore and
fwept away the folid rocks, and left fuch deep and wide
marks of its power, muft be great in quantity beyond
conception, far exceeding what might be fufficient
barely to fill all thefe Hollows, for it muft have pafled
over and through the folid rocks, where thefe Hol-
lows are, many times before it could have made fuch
gradually worn channels and have opened fuch exten-
five breaches; and therefore be far fuperior in quan-
tity to the bulk of the whole Ocean itfelf and all the
water that fills every other Cavity upon the earth ; for
all thefe Cavities were made by the repeated aftions of
this defcending Flood. And fmce the Tendency of
thele Hollows and Channels plainly fhews, that the
Water that tore them defcended down towards the
Ocean or the feveral Seas upon the earth, and fince
the water in them is not fumcient in quantity to have
effected all this, there muft be (from a consideration
alone of the quantity of Water neceflary to caufe thefe
effects) a large Refervoir or an Abyfs of Water be-
neath the earth; which, during thefe Tranfaclions,
muft have been elevated far above all the higheft
Mountains or Eminences upon the whole furface of
the earth-, and therefore the Deluge at that time uni-
verfal, and caufed not barely by an effufion of the
waters of the Ocean, but principally by thofe of the
y according to the defcription given by Mofes.
[ '89 ]
II. ANOTHER general argument (including, like
the former, feveral particular ones, and deduced alfo
from the circumftances of things upon the furface of
the earth) in proof of an Univerfal Flood may be drawn
from the consideration of the nature, form, and fitu-
ation of feveral bodies or fubftantes that at prefent lie
loofe upon the furface of the earth. For,
i. IT is common to obferve upon the fides, and
even the fummits, of the higheft Hills, Mountains,
and inland Eminences (efpecially fuch as confift of
folid flrata or hard rock within, and have long flats
or any level ground at their tops) a prodigious num-
ber of Stones^ of various forts and fizes, but generally
of one or nearly the fame form i being either perfectly
fpherical or oval, or fome way or other tending to a
round figure ; their furfaces or outfides being quite
fmooth, without any projections or angles. I have
obferved multitudes ot fuch flones, of all fizes, from
fome that were eight or ten feet in circumference to
others that were but two or three inches in circuit,
lying upon the tops and fides of fome of the higheft
hills and eminences in England and Whales \ particularly
' upon the long chain of Mountains that run through
the middle of South Wales, and upon the high lands
in the northern parts of Worcefterjhire^ Warwick/hire*
Strop/hire^ and Staffordshire. And thofe large ftones
that lie upon the wtjlcrn fide of Sbotover hill, near
Oxford, and which on account of their Roundnefs, are
called, by Dr. Plot, Lapides tefticulares^ are of this
fort. So alfo upon Marlborougb Downs, in Wiltjkire>
are an inconceivable number of large flones, which,
from their fhape and fituation, are called the grey Wea-
tbcrs, as refembling a flock of fheep lying down ; and
Nat.Hift ofOxfordfhire, p. 129.
[ i 9 o ]
many of thefe, efpecialiy fuch aslie at a diftance frotn,
the center or middle of thefe flones, are quite round
and fmootK, though vaftly large. Mr. Hutchinfon
fays, that he obferved ' rriahyfuch round fmootli Hones,
* of various fizes, frofn the bignefs of a melon to an
* hundred weight, lying, not only upon the fides,
' but upon the tops and ridges of the high hills in the
4 North of England, particularly in Arkendale, and in
* many other places ; and alfo in Cornwall, and in
4 Devon/hire, upon Dartmoor'* Dr. Lifter, in Phil.
Tranf. N. 164, remarks, ' that all the high mountains
c and Woolds in the North of England are covered,
* more or lefs, with a quantity ot Sand, mixt with
c white pebbles of a greater fize.' Langius in his Pre-
face to his Hiftoria Lapidum figuratorum Helvetia, &c.
or, Hiftory cf the figured Stones in Switzerland, ftarts
the following queftion (but leaves it undecided) * Al-
' fo it has often been inquired, Whether the fmootb
c round ft ones and flints that are now found upon the
* tops of the highefl mountains, even of the Alps,
* where no river can poffibly pafs, were thus fmooth
' and round by nature, or whether they were at firft
c and originally rough and unequal, and then afterwards
< fmooth id and rounded by currents of water, during the
' Deluge, and carried to the higheft mountains ? f9
e Vol. XII. of his Works, p. 294.
f Cffta-um de Si/uilus fubwtundis & licvibuSi &c. It may be
proper to remark here, with. Dr. Woodward, (fee his Cat. of Englijb
Fcji!.<, p. 83.) 'That the Damjb, German, and other writers of
FoflU? do not reilrain. the name Silix, to what we in England call
' Flint, but apply that name to very various bodies ;' and alfo that
the Rhf'.t-Ks (s* the Doftor proves at large, p. 22.) did the fame;
undemanding by it ajiy very hard Scone that would ftrike fire, as
indeed moft hard Stones wi ! l. I mention this, becaufe the bodies
u-hich we in England call Flints, are fometimes found, and were fo p
formed, natural^ of a rwvdjhepe ; and it might be objefted to the
Dr. Baltbafar Ebrhart in the account he gives of his
Journey from Memingen over the fyroknfian Alps (fee
Phil. Tranf.N . 458, for 1740) makes the following
obfervations ' The mountains of Memingen, which are
' higher than the middle of the higheft mountains in
* thefe parts, have upon their very fummits vaft quan-
1 tities of Stones about three or four inches in circum-
* ference, that have been plainly worn round, andjuft
* after the fame manner as thofe that are thus formed
' by the ftream and attrition of rivers. But it is ma-
' nife'ftly evident that this immenfely large heap of
' Stones, which lie, as it were, in a feparate and de-
6 tached manner upon thefe mountains, where KO river
1 flows, could never have been formed by currents of
c this kind. Another remarkable circumftance is,
' that thefe Stones are found to increafe in bulk or di-
c atneter from Memingen towards the Alps, fo as at lad
' to equal maffes or trunks three or four feet thick, .
" but from Memingen towards the oppofite country and
* more remote from the Alps they proportionably de-
4 creafe lefs and lefs, fo as at laft to be reduced to a
4 fpecies of grofs fand. This remarkable phsnomc-
* non, which may ferve to explain the-theory of the
'- earth, may be accounted for from the following
above quotation that the Flints therein fpoken of might have been
naturally of a round form, and fo not have been worn by any agita-
tion in water. But, firft, I would obferve that round flints are <ve*y
feiv in comparifon of the number of others that are found in all kinds
of fhapes; and Langius himfelf, in the defcription he afterwards
gives of a Flint or rather of the body he applies the word Silix to
;p. 13.) does not mention it as being nnti-ral'y, or even accidentally
of a round form ; and whatever he underllands by the word Silix y it
is certain that the bodies he fpeaks of in the above quotation carried
in themfelves evident marks of having been ivorn, ground dcwn, and
even rounded, by water ; otherwife he would never have thought of
putting the above queftion.
[ 192 ]
dbfervations and reflexions. I have obferved among
* the Tyroknfian Alps whole and entire fummits of
* Mountains, that have in one continued rock the very
< fame kind of Stone with that which is now found
* infeparate and worn-parts^ and placed at a diftance
in the country between the Alps and the Danube.
* There are alfo juft as great a variety of thefe worn
* (tones, as there are of Rocks in the Alps. The
Caufe which broke the Alpine rocks and covered all
' this part of Germany with fragments torn from thence
* (and which were afterwards rounded by the mutual
* attrition, between themfelves and the waves) could
' be no other than the great deluge. The fragments
' of ftone which were torn from the mattered Alps
4 (which were as high again as they are at pfefent be-
* fore the deluge) the farther they were carried and
* the more they were rolled, the more were they worn
* and leffened. Hence the places the neareft the Alps
* were covered with the largeft fragments, thofe that
c were more remote, with the fmalleft. The exact
* agreement between the moft broken pieces of thefe
* ftones, and the larger and entire rocks in the Alps
* demonftrate to the eye the place from whence they
c came, and that the former are no other than the
4 difperfed ruins of the latter.' Swedenborg in his
Mifcellanea obfervata, &c. p. 11, fpeaks of Mountains
in Sweden, ' qui lapides habent admodum tritos, 6? quaft
* politos, & mixtos cum arems? i. e. which have ftones
' upon them that are much worn, and as it were polijhed y
6 mixed with Sand.' Bifhop Pontoppidan mhisHiftory
of Norway, p. 56, fpeaking of the Effects or Confe-
quences of the Deluge, writes thus, ' This [/'. e. the
* Deluge] is like wife the origin of moft of thofe Peb-
6 bles, which are found fcattered in all parts of the
* globe* And indeed, I think, we may fairly conclude
t '93 1
&om the inftances I have brought, that, if all
parts of the globe were examined by proper and ju-
dicious perfons, fome fuch round or fmooth Stones
as the above-mentioned, lying ( at greater or lefs
diftances, in greater or fmaller numbers, would be
found upon rh'm.
THE Point therefore to be decided is, How came
thefe Stones to be of this round fhape ? Were they
originally thus ? Or, formed fo afterwards ? And
by what means ?
THAT thefe ftories were not originally and at firft
of their prefent figure is evident trom many particu-
lars, as, ift, From fome of them having on their -
outfides the bafes of hexagonal moots of fpar and
chryftal, which are now of a round or circular
form at their tops, whereas it is well known that
thefe naturally terminate or end in fharp pointed
angles, wherever there is room or fpace for them to
fhoot, and fuch there rnufl have been here, if thefe
ftones had always been of the fame fhape arid fize : fo
that as thefe moots of fpa"r were once longer, and
alfo pointed at top, and being now round or hemi-
fpherical, it is manifeft, that they have been Worn
and ground down to this form by fome regular at-
trition. 2 dly , From feveral of thefe Stones
having now, lying immerfed in them, and united with
their fubftance, the ihells, teeth, and bones of various
animals, pieces of wood, coral, &c. all of which
bodies are naturally of fome determinate figure, and
greatly differing from each other, and yet fuch parts
of thefe (hells, bones, corals, &c. as appear on the
outfides of thefe Stones mall be round or circular or
anfwerable to the outward fhape of the ftohe; and yet
the parts which lie immerfed within the ftone mail be
of the true, ufual, and natural form of thefe bodies ;
nay, when the ftone is broken * there ftiall frequently
O
[ 1943
be Found in the infide the fame fpecies of (Hells,
corals, &c. quite whole and entire, as thofe on the
outfide, which are now ihaped to the figure of the
ilone -, and therefore thefe on the outfide were formerly
of the fame fhape as thofe in the infide ; and of courfe
both Shells, Corals and Stone muft have been rounded
or brought to this unnatural, fpherical, figure by fome
external force or agency.- ^ lf . The fame is
jmanifeft from the Contraft between the manner in
which the c onftituent parts of thefe Stones originally fe /-
tied, and their prefent outward form, it being evident
to fight, particularly in the larger ones, and efpecially
in fuch, as are of a fiflile nature, that they fettled in a
flat regular manner, or in lines, layer upon layer,
each of equal length, breadth, and thickneis in all its
parts; which could not poflibly form a body ot a
fpherical fhape; but as thefe are now of an orbicular
form, they muft have been reduced and rounded by
fome outward force.; But, 4 thty . Where thefe
Stones occur, the far greater number of them are gene-
rally of the fame kind, contain the fame fpecies of
fhells, corals, &c. and apparently fettled in ftrata of
the fame fize and order, as the Stone or Rocks in the
adjacent Mountains; and fo afford an undeniable proof
that they are only fragments or pieces torn off from
the adjoining mountains; and therefore were not ori-
ginally of the fame fize and form as they are now;
but have been, fince their feparation, much lefTened
and worn into a round figure. And their
lhape and fmoothnefs manifeftly fhew, that they ob-
tained their form in, and . by the motion of, a wet
Fluid, fuch as Water; for had they been fubjecled to
the adion of a dry Fluid, fuch as the Air, in a vio-
lent wind or tempeft, &c. it could not be but that they
would have been of the moll irregular forms, and
their outfides j^g^ed and pointed with angles or em-
[ '951
tofied with protuberances in every direction-, but fince
they are fo regularly rounded and their furf'aces fo ex-
tremely fmooth they muft have procured their fhapes
from being agitated in and by a moid Fluid, fuch as
could penetrate and mollify their outward parts, and
fo permit them to be worn away, granule after gra-
nule, of by a gradual attrition. And when we
confider the great fize and weight of fome of thefe
Stones, their immenfe number, and the vaft extent of
ground that in fome places they are fpread over nay
that there is reafon to fuppofe, that they are in fome
meafure fcattered over the whole face of the earth) it
may fairly be concluded, that there is no motft Fluid?,
in or upon the earth, in a quantity fufficient for ef-
fecting this but Water \ which therefore muft have
been the Medium in which, and the Agent by which,
this wonderful phcenomenon was tranfacted. >
As is moreover evident from the manner in. which thefe
Stones lie. Thofe that are upon the long tops and
fiats of Mountains or upon high level ground are
fituated for the moil part at a little diftance from each
other or lie in a feparate detached form [not heaped
together or in trains]-, for as upon fuch even land, there
could be no inclination in the ground to determine
them to one place more than another, and as the cur-
rents of water, that formed the Combs that defcend on
all fides of fuch high land, fet different ways, fo thefe
Stones, that were muffled and rolled about upon the
top, would be left in the moft irregular, loofe, de-
tached or ilragling manner pomblej arid accordingly
we fo find them. But thole that are upon the fides' of
Hills, efpecially fuch are fomewhat fteep, and parti-
cularly at fome considerable diftance from the top, lie
thick and clofe, and heaped upon one another: thofe
that are in the Combs, Dales, and Vallies (tha.t fall
off from the Mountains) lie ftill thicker and clofer:
O 2
1 196 ]
and chiefly in the bottoms of fuch Cavities, there being
few or none upon their fteep fides; and alfo tend in a
train from the tops of thefe Cavities, and gradually
increafe in number and quantity, as the gills, dales and
valliesopen and enlarge by receiving other gills, dales
and vallies into them ; in which lateral gills and dales
are allb a few, the greater part having been carried
down into the large vailies, where they lie in inconceiva-
ble numbers-, and particularly in the curving parts of
the vallies, juft before their turnings-, or where any
rock, that withftood the force ot the Flood, or large
fragment of a rock, that the waters could carry no
further, ftands in the middle or any part of a valley,
there thefe round Stones are found in ftill greater
plenty for the depth of many feet under the ground.
And what is remarkable, and yet a general rule in this
cafe, is, that fuch Stones of the above kind as lie
near the beginnings of the Combs are leaft worn,
thofe that lie farther down in the dales more woin,
thofe that lie in the vallies and in the low flat countries
moil of all worn and perfectly rounded, as having
been carried furtheft, and agitated mod. So that all
of them manifeftly bear the appearance of having been,
not only formed or rounded by water, but alfo of hav-
ing been placed juft in fuch manner, as water alone, re-
treating from the mountain-tops down through the
vallies, would naturally difpofe them.s Many other
It is not uncommon to find among the Stones, that were thus
apparently worn round by accident, fome, that were always, or na-
turall of a ro nd mape; and it may be proper to inform the reader
how to diftinguifti between the one and the other; and alib to fhew
how far even thefe laft are ferviceable in proving the point in debate.
The Stones that are naturally of a round fhape, and which are com-
monly called hcdul<}. have generally an outward coat or cruft, dif-
fering from the internal part of the body either in fubftance, colour,
or hardnefs ; or elfe confift of ieveral coats ,- and are ufually very hard :
thofe that are of the fame fubftance throughout (as flinty, alabafter
f '97 ]
circum (lances there are (which will readily be perceived
by an obferver, though they are not fo eafily to be
defcribed to a reader) depending either upon the nature
of thefe Stones, the Conititution of the ftrata in the
adjoining land, or the fituation of the ground, &c.
that afford occular demonftrations, that thefe round
Stones are only Fragments, which were beaten off from
the neighbouring rocks, and worn into their prefent
figures, by the agitation of Water ; which fluid
muft therefore once have filled all the deep Vallies, and
have covered all the high Hills and Mountains,
where thefe Stones are now found.
nodules, &c commonly are) when broken, fplit or fall apart in aP
kinds of directions; thofe that confift of feveral coats of different
matter, open or feparate in pieces, that are convex on the o ;tfide and
concave in t .e infide according to the feveral coats. On the con-
trary, Stones that are worn to a roundntfs, which was not natural
to them, fuch as Pebbhs found upon the fea more, and thofe that
are now found upon the higheit mountains, have never any coat or
inveftient cruft, break reg .larly, or according to the grain of the
ftone, and freq emly into a number of thin flat plates like the flone
thit lies in ftrata in the adjoining hills, and are generall., either
foft or hard, accordmg to fuch fton. j ; and carry in themfelves evident
marks of which I have already recited at large the particulars) thatthey
are pieces orfragm:nts of the adjacent rocks, ivom round by being
rubbed againft one another in fuch a fluid as Water And even the
Noddles themfelves, that are fometimes found among the Pebbles,
exhibit manifeft proofs of having been broken out of regular itrata, car-
ried from their natural and original place, and of having endurtd the
outward force or aftion of Water For, firft, in fuch places where
v.'e find Nodu'e-. of flint, cryftal, alabafter, &c. lying loofe upon the
furfaceof the earth, it is common to find the very fame kind of No-
dules, immerfed in their natural beds in the ftrata of the rocks adjoin-
ing, and very diftinft and eafily feparable from the fubftnnce of the
rock (which is another mark by which Nodules may be known from
rounded pieces ofthe rock) : it is therefore reafonable, to believe that
the Nodules, that are now loofe, and detached upon the fuy/ace of
the earth, formerly lay in, and were beaten out of, the adjacent rocks,
by the fame means or by the fame flood of water, that parts of the
rocks themfelves were broken off and worn found; among \vhici,
O 3
[ -931
BUT befides this larger fort of round or Bowler Stones^
(as they are called in fome parts of England; their very
form indicating to the mo(t fuperficial obferver that
they have been rolled or bowled about) there is another
kind of a lefs fize, from fome that are two or three in-
ches in circuit to others that are as fmall as peafe, com-
monly known under the name of Gravel. This con-
fifts of a variety of fubftances, not only of hard, round
or fmoothed Stones of different kinds, but of parts of
Bones, pieces of Shells, Coral, &c. that have been
alfo rounded or worn,* 1 fo as evidently to demonftrate,
that the whole has been in agitation, and that fuch a
thefe Nodules now lie. This a'fp is evident from a circumftance at-
tending many of them, viz. that their outward coats have apparently
been much rubbed and worn, efpecially in the more prominent parts,
and in fome of them quite worn off I have obferved too that feveral
of them have had parts or pieces of the rock, from whence they were
originally torn, affixed to their outfides, which though at firft certainly
of no determinate fhape, have been, fmce their feparation, regularly
rounded to the ftiape of the Nodules : nay, I have obferved large
Mattes of the rock, containing feveral Nodules in them, thus worn,
and rounded ; which manifertly {hews, that even thefe Nodules arc
Fragments, or at leaft were beaten out, of the rock. Then, laftly,
Nodules, being found lying together with and exactly in the fame
wanner as, the mountain pebbles and other worn fragments of ftone,
undeniably proves, that they were pofited upon the places, and in
the manner, they are now found by the fame means, that the inland-
pebbles were, and though they do not flievv fuch ftrong and clear figns
of having endured the force or action of water as the pebbles (chiefly
on acco nt of their fuperior hardnefs and original roundnefs); yet they
exhibit fufficient marks, as I have defcribed above, of having beea
fubjeft to its force.
h It may not be amifs to obferve here, that in fome parts of England
the inhabitants very improperly call any fmall, lobfe, rubble Hones,
though they are fiat, pointed with angles, or of all lhapes, provided
they lie near the furface of the earth, by the name of G reeve I: but
unlefs they are anfwerable to the above defcription, and apparently
worn, or a great part of them worn and rounded, they ought not
properly to be, neither indeed are they generally and commonly,
fo called,
[ '99 ]
fluid as Water was the Agent. Which is further
apparent from the manner in which, and the places on
which, Gravel lies. It being always pofited in a
loofe, irregular form, not in a clofe compact ftate, or
in uniform ftrata of equal thicknefs in all parts, as the
regular beds of Stone, &c. are; no, this is thrown or
pitched, as it were, in ftreaks or unequal feams, and
in all directions, generally in an oblique, fometimes in
a wave-like form, juft in fuch manner as the undulat-
ing motion of departing Water would naturally
caft it. Betides, it is ufually found free and void
of all lighter, earthly, ochreous, clayey or fuch like
matter, which, being fokibje in water, would, when
once aflbmed up therein, be contained longer, and
carried farther than (and fo feldom fubfide together
with) the heavier and harder parts of Gravel; which
therefore would be left clear and divefted of all fuch
lighter matter, and indeed at prefent it appears to the
eye to have been warned and cleanfed "by Water.
Then too Gravel is commonly found over unmoved
and horizontal beds of Stone, Chalk, &c. and being
of a nature different from thefe, and lying in a man-
ner different from that in which the ftrata of the earth
originally fettled, it is manifeft that This has been,
moved, agitated, and brought from other places.
And fince great part of this mixt fubftance, Gravel,
is of the fawie nature with, and confifts of the fame
kind of (hells, corals, &c. as thofe which are found
in the higher lands or in the grounds above, it is an
evident proof that it was brought from thefe lands.
And when we confider the places where Gravel is com-
monly found, viz. either upon extenfive flats juft un-
der Mountains or higher ground or in the bottoms of
large vallies, or elfe fpread over low-land gently-de-
clining countries, but feldom or never (or but in very
{mall quantity) upon the tops or even fides of fharp-
O 4
20
pointed and fteep mountains, it affords an additional
and undeniable evidence, tuat it was brought from the
upper lands-, and being difpoftd or pofiied juft iri
fuch manner and juft upon thoie places, where water,
retreating from, the higher grounds., would naturally
throw or leave it, it evidently fhews, that Water was
not only the Cauft of the /cm of roundnefs of the va-
rious parts of Gravel, but of the Difpofition or Settle-
ment of the whole. Such is the form and fnuation of
Gravel in En land; and no doubt is to be made but
that ic is the lame or fimiiar in every part of the earth
where it is found; and fince there is i'carce a country
over the whole globe but what has it, more or lefs, fo
it is certain that all thefe countries or the whole face
of the earth have been overfpread by Water.
UNDER this article may alfo be reckoned a ftill lef-
fer fpecies of round ftones than any of the above-
mentioned, viz. thofe which conftitute what we com-
monly call Sand; this fubftance ' being really no other
* (as Dr. Woodward $&\y obferves, Nat. Hifc. p. 188)
c than very fmall pebbles; as may appear to any one
6 who mail carefully examine it, efpecially with a
* good microfcope.' And when thus viewed and
magnified ; the various bodies of which it confifts as
manifestly exhibit marks of having been worn or
ground clown to their prefent fize and form by the
agitation of water, as the parts of Gravel 4o. Sand
too lying in a fimiiar irregular manner, a,nd being
pofited upon fuch pieces, as Gravel, equally points out
the aftion of water, retreating from the higher grounds,
to have been the Caufe of its fituation and pofition. 1
5 In fome places indeed what is properly, and ought fo to be
called, S'-inrfJionf, lies in fuch a loofe lax manner, even upon the tops
of the higheft mountains, (where their upper parts happen to confift
of Sandiione) and in fome places Sand itielf lies thus, as at firft fight
greatly to referable the Sand, found in the vallies and in the low cam-
at adds confirmation to this is, that where the up*
per lands confift of a lax friable ftone, there the Sand
lies in the valleys beneath in a greater plenty than,
ufual, or where the country is an extenfive low-land
plain, and the mountains at a great diftance, there
alfo is generally a vaft quantity of Sand ; as is the
cafe with thofe immenfely large fandy Defarts in the
lower or remote parts of Africa, bordt ring upon the
Mediterranean fea; for the water, that termed the
Mountains in the in-land or higher part of that great
Continent, muft have patted over fuch fpacious tracts
of land in its retreat towards the fea, that in all pro-
bability it would meet, in many places, with ftrata
of a loofe friable kind of ftone, which it would foon fe-
parate, tear afunder, fhatter to pieces, and at laft grind
down to Sand, and when thus reduced, this matter
would be eafily carried and hurried away by the tor-
rents of defcending waters to a great diftance from the
mountains, and at laft be naturally left expanded over
the low flat countries ; or pofited in the bottoms of
large and deep vallies , and fuch from the maps ap-
pears to be the fituation of moft of the fandy Defarts
upon the earth. And I cannot but think that the
far greater quantity of, what is called, Sea-fand^ was
pot termed upon the mores, where it is now found,
but was originally Land-fand^ and brought down even
paign countries: but there is always a manifeft difference between
them; for the Sand or Sandftone of Mountains it more coarfe than
the other, and generally adheres in lumps, and is found in vaft large
ftrata or beds of equal thicknefs in every part, and regularly divided
by horizontal and perpendicular fiffures, as the Tblid unmoved
beds of ftone, &c. are; whereas the Sand found in the vallies is
fmail and fine, eafily feparates when touched, and is alway> pitched
jn unequal ftreaks, that are commonly thicker in one part than
another, and gradually terminate in points towards either end, and
is pofited in all the variety of directions, that water, flowing over
uneven ground, could po&bly throw it into.
[ 202 ]
From the in-land countries. Thus much is certain,
that the rains that fall upon the higher grounds gene-
rally come down replete with Sand, and depofit it in
rivers-, and rivers, by wafhing away their banks, ftill
receive more fand ; which being carried down by the
currents is at laft difcharged into the Ocean. And
it is very remarkable that upon a fandy fhore there is
generally a great load or bar of Sand at the mouths of
the rivers, the very place where the Sand, brought
down by the river, would naturally fubfide, not only
on account of the dream being there broadeft and lefs
itrong, but chiefly by reafon of the oppoiition the ri-
ver-water would meet with from the waves of the Sea,
which would beat back the current of the river, wea-
ken its force, and oblige it to lay down its burthens.
So alfo with regard to thofe immenfe Sand-Banks that
are found upon fome fhores, even where there are no
very large rivers immediately adjoining (though they
are generally, where there are fuch rivers) it is certainly
very reafonable to conclude, that they are in a great
meafure the product, of the diluvian waters -, and had
the Sea, after the deluge, retreated farther within its bed
they would have been left upon the low-lands and
now found in the form of fandy T)efarts\ for as the
waters of the deluge retreated from the higher lands,
tore out and carried away fuch vaft quantities of ter-
reftial matter (as the hollows of the Combs, Dales,
and Vallies over the whole furface of the earth abun-
dantly demonftrate) they wpuld naturally depofir a
great portion of that mixt fubftance they were loaded
with, efpecially of the finer and lighter fort, upon
thofe parts or places, where their force firil began to
abate, or the land was of a proper form for receiving
and retaining it, and fuch certainly are thofe low flat
Shores where the principal Sand-banks are found.
Some perfons indeed have imagined that there is a dif-
ference between Sea-fand and Land-fand; but
ftricteft inflection can difcover none: And Dr.
ward obferves, that ' The Sand upon the fhores of
* i^/'/x?)' confift of extremely fmall pebbles of the very
' fame kind with thofe corrjmonly found in land-pits
' at land, in various parts of England, particularly ia
' feveral parts of Kent* (in which County the ifle of Skep-
pey lies): Dr. Lifter too remarks (Phil. Tranf. N. 164)
' That the in- land Sand- hit's above Eulloigm in Picardy
* in France is of the very fame kind with that on the
' fea-Jhore at Calais.'' So that, upon the whole,
we may as fairly conclude, that the granules of Sand
were caufed by a friction of the parts among themlelves
in agitated water, as that the pebbles of which Gravel
confifts were; and alfo that the far greater quantity of
the Sand now lying upon the fea more was not owing
to the agitation of the waters of the Sea, but that the
origin of this and of all the Land-fand is to be attributed
to the action of other waters : and when we confider
the vaft extent of the feveral Sandy Defarts upon the
earth, and the largenefs of many of the Sand-banks
upon the fea-fhore, and the diftance of thefe from one
another, and how in a meafure they are fcattered over
the whole face of the earth, we muft infer that the
Caufe was as univerfal as the Effects, and therefore that
a flood of Platers has covered the whole furface of the
(firth.
II. BUT befides thefe Stones that have been thus ap-
parently rounded by water, there are others that have
plainly endured the force of this fluid, though not in
fo great a degree as the above, either on account of
their fize, hardnefs, or the fliort time they were fub-
ject to its force, but yet they manifeflly exhibit marks
pf its power ; and their fize, number, and fituation
iufficiently demcmftrate that the action of the water,
t 204 ]
to which they were fubjecl:, was univerfal or extended
over the whole lurface of the earth. For
THERE is abundant reafon for believing, that there
are very few hills or mountains, at lead luch as con-
fift of folid ftrata or hard rock within, but what have
feparate maiTes of ftone, fome of an immenfe bulk,
together with fmaller pieces, lying upon their tops or
fides, and alfo that there are fuch ftones in the val-
lies beneath; and both the larger and fmaller mafies,
of a^l kinds of fhapes, and lying in all kinds of pof-
tures, though generally in fuch a direction, and fo
fituated, as plainly to indicate that a flood of waters, re-
treating trom the higher grounds, was the caufe of
.their pofition. What Mr. Lhwyd fays of Wales
(Phil. TranJ. N. 334) I have obferved to be true, not
only in that Country, but in various parts of England :
* What feemed to me moil ftrange, were 'vajt confufed
* Stones, and, to appearance, Fragments ofrocks^ Handing
* on the furiace or the earth, not only in wide plains,
* but on the fummits alfo of the higheft mountains ;*
To which hefubjoins this remark, ' There is no Brim-
c ftone or Pumice-ftones on the tops oi our mountains,
* nor any thing elfe that I fufpedt to have be;-n the ef-
* feels oif Volcanoes', [fo thefe ftones not to be attributed
to fuch cautes]. Again; Dr. Slukeley (after having
cited the above quotation from Mr. Lhw.d in his Alury-
reftored, &c. p. 17) writes thus : ' So [in the fame ^nan-
4 ner as the above Stones] lie the Moof-ftones c^n the
c waftes and hill tops 'of Cornwall, Derbyfcire. Dcicn-
'Jbire, Torkjhire, and other places, of a harder nature
* than thefe \ i. e. the grey weather-fiords on the Marl-
* borough downs, of which the Dr. is firft fpeaking]
* and much the fame as the Egyptian Granate.* But
the grey weather-ftones themielves (of which I have
fpoken in part before p. 189) are probably as remarka-
ble as any, and as they lie in a part of England, that
[ 2 5 I
is much frequented on account of the great roads,
that are near them, principally one that leads from
the fecond to the firft City of the kingdom, and are
xveil known to mod travellers in thefe parts, I mail
give a particular account of them, to fave the trouble
of being circumftantial in other relations. Thefe
Stones are of a baftard kind of lighted grey marble:
and are of various fizes; fome of them ot 50, 60, or
even 70 ton weight ; k others fo fmall as to weigh but
a few pounds. They are fpread over an irregular fpace
of ground for forty miles in circuit, as I have obferved
myfelf; and have been informed, that they extend
much farther. 1 They begin at, or thole that are
higheft lie upon, the tops of the greateft Eminences
on thefe downs, and tend on each fide in incredible
Numbers for feveral miles down towards the two
nearly oppofite Seas, the Englijh Channel and the Brif-
tol Channel, and many of them lie in long trains, juft
in fuch a manner and direction, as water retreating from
k 'But our grey- weather ftone is of fo hard a texture, that Mr.
AylojftfiVotton baJTtt hewed one of them to make a rape- mill ftone,
* and employed 20 yoke of oxen to carry it off; yer fo great was its
weight, that it repeatedly broke all his tackle, and he was forced to
* leave it Ld. Pimbrok-r caufed feveral of thefe ftones to be dug un-
* der, and found them loofe and detached. My Lord computed the
general weight of our ftones at above 50 ton, and that it required
* an oo yoke of oxen to draw one. Dr. Stephen Hales makes the
'larger kind of them 70 ton.' Dr. STUKELEY'S Stonehcngr, p. 6.
Some of the largeft of thefe Stones lie in the bottom of a Comb or
Valley called Grey-rweatber-bottom', and are in a great meafure covered
with coppice wood, which muft be removed, and the Stones carefully
Purveyed on all fides, in order to fee their due fize.
1 It is certain that thefe Stones were formerly far more numerous
than they are at prefent, for many of the Houfes and moft of the Walls
for garden^ and enclofures of all the Villages on and near thefe Downs
are built ot them ; and for feveral years paft full liberty has been given
to all, that might want them, to take them away (in order that the
ground might be ploughed) and vaft numbers have accordingly been
taken off. Then too, the huge Stones of which the two Druidical
[ 206 ]
thefe ridges would naturally have thrown of placed
them, as the courfes of the rivers adjoining evidently de-
monilrate, they tending thefe two ways ; nay, even the
rain, that falls perpendicularly upon the earth parts on
the tops of feveral of thefe hills, and retreats towards
the two above-mentioned feas-, one portion, falling into
a branch of the river Avon, delcends to Brijiol-, and
another, entering into the river Kennet^ (which at
fome diftance joins with the Thames) goes to London^
and empties itfelf near the Eaft end of the Englijh
Channel ; but on the South fide of thefe downs* the
rain that falls retreats into another river called the
-) and runs directly into the very middle of the
Channel: fo that thefe Hills are manifeftly the
higheft land in the South part of England, and from
them there lies a gentle declination on each fide to-
wards the neareft feas : which declination (as I have
above mewed) was caufed by, or was the natural con-
fequence of, a flood of waters that formerly covered
Temples of A^ury and Stowebenge (the former fituated on, the other
at about the diftance" of 16 miles from, thefe Downs) confiit, werr
brought from thefe Hills and once made a part of the Grey-weathers,
as cannot be do bted when we confider, That there is no ftone of
the kind of which thefe Temples are built, nearer than thefe Downs ;
nay, that ti.ere is no ftone, that I know of, in all England of the
fame kind but thofe that lie on thefe downs : which alfo by being fe-
parate and detached from any rock, and lying loofe upon the furface
of the earth, were n;oft fit for ufe and ready for carriage: befides; in
the Valley where the biggeft of thefe Stones lie are now to be feen
feveral great Holes or Cavities in the ground with fiopes on each lidc,
which have been plainly dug, and the chief fubftance carried away;
and in two or three of thefe Cavities I obferved a large grey <weathcr-
Jtcnc lying, but broken in the middle , and it was very evident, that
the earth had been dug away from fuch Stones, that they might the
more eafily be carried oft"; but probably, by fome -ccident (as the
machinery not being ftrong enough), the Stone in r dfmg, fell and
fplit alunder, and then was too fmall to ar.fwer the enu de%ned s and
therefore wasleft, as not being worth the carriage,
[ 207 1
thefe lands, and retreated from the in-Iand parts
down towards the fea-coafts ; and as the Stones I am
fpeaking of, tend in a courfe anfwerable to the effects
of fuch a flood, we may juftly fuppofe that their pre-
fent pofition and fituation were owing thereunto.
Which will be further apparent from a more particular
confideration of them. On the tops, and near the
ridges of the Hills, there are few, and thofc feparate
from each other; but as the diftance increafes, they in*
creafe in number, lying thicker and clofer, and chiefly
in the bottoms of the Combs; and befides, ihape and
wind their courfe according to the direction of the
Combs and V allies-, which clearly fhews that the
Agent that formed the one (the Combs), placed alfo
the other (the Stones): and when we lofe fight of
them above ground, they are ftill to be found under-
neath, lying among broken flints and gravel, and fuch
as I difcovered here were much lefs than thofe that lay
upon the furtace of the earth and higher up in the Vai-
lies, and alfo much more worn, and many of them
fairly rounded: All which evidently denotes, that
water deicending from the higheft eminences on thefe
Downs was the caufe of the pofition, fituation, and
direction of thefe Stones. I have obferved too
fuch maffes of Stone, as the above, lying not only
in in-land countries, but alfo on the Sea-coafts, and
many of them fo large as to conftitute Rocks and fmall
I/lands; and that they were really no more than Frag-
ments broken off, and brought down from the
mountains or hills above, was fufficiently manifeff,
not only from the ftrata in them being in a different
pofition, and of a different kind from the unmoved
ftrata on the fea-coafts, but that the neareft place,
where there were any ftrata of the fame kind with the
fragments, was in the mountains or hills above-, and
from them there lay ieparate roafies of the fame kind
. ( "8 ]
of ftorie, fome more, forhe lefs worn, in the cornbs 3
dales, and vallies, quite down to the fea-coafts-, where
the larger fragments lay, and refted, as it were, upon
the loweft ground.
AND what is thus obfervable in England is to be feeri
alfo in other parrs of the world. Mr. Innes in his
Mifcellaneous Letters, &c. (p. 6) fpeaking of the parifh
of Magilligan in the County of Londonderry in Ireland,
fays thus, ' The Deluge hath left us other marks of
* its tury, for more than half of our Mountain, is one
* continued Heap of Stones and Rocks tumbled down,
* and in particular one Rock left Handing upon the
' fide of the precipice: it is about 28 feet in height,
* about 6 yards about, with natural feams in it, not
' very well cemented; no art of the Irifo could place
c it there.' So alfo Mr. Smith in his ancient and pre~
fent State of the County of Kerry in that kingdom, p. 82.
* The moft confiderable natural curiofities in this [the
< Southern ) part of the Country are two Rocks, on
* either fide of the river Roughly, [which in this place
* is about a mile broad! which feem to have exchang'd
c their fituation : one of them the Country-folks name
' Clough-Bearradh, /. e. the (tone flice. This river
< divides a lime-ftone foil, from one of common grit,
* a thing very frequent in Ireland, tho' but little no-
c ticed, becaufe of its being very common. Except
* the above-mentioned rocks, all the (lone on one fide
of this river, is lime-ftone, and that on the other,
' is a coarfe grit, or common mountain- (tone: but
* oppofite to each other, on different fides of the river,
' a large rock, too heavy for human force to remove,
* of lime-ftone, hath feated itfelf on the grit- (tone fide
' of the ftream , and a large rock of grit, hath oc-
* cupied the place from whence the other feemed to be
' detached, and is feated among the rocks of lime-
* ftone : which is a fpeties of Lulus Naturae, or fport*
. 2 9
c ing of nature, not very incurious; and which muft
* have been effected by fome prodigious flood, or fhock
4 of the earth; but earthquakes have been hitherto,
4 'till of late, quite unknown to this kingdom.'
Bifhop Pontoppidan in his Hijtory of Norway, p. 56,
writes thus, ' Hence [i. e. from the Deluge, as her
4 rightly concludes] likewife remain on the fur face of
* the earth the many detached blocks and fragments,
* like lumps of mortar, feattered not only in the val-
* lies and creeks, but alfo on the tops of the higheft
4 mountains ; many fu*:h being found here of the bulk
' of a common houfe, confequently too ponderous to
' have been railed to fuch a height by the hands of
* men-, and befides, of no vilible ufe.' Again;
p. 177, ' The higheft creft of the mountain of Svuka
4 in Oefterdalen, a province of Norway, lies, according
* to afurvey taken by the barometer, above two thou-
* fand ells higher than the lake of Famund, a water
* betwixt the mountains. This mount confifts of one
4 folid, hard iand-ftone-, on the top of the mountain
4 ftands a folid huge mafs of the fame ftonc, which
* bears on it many marks of a diflblution and difrup-
* tion, which can be attributed to nothing but water.*
Zwcdenborg in Aft a Literaria Sueri<e (tranflated in the
literary Memoirs of Germany, Vol. I. p. 66).obferve's
thus, c That the Ocean once ftood high above the
* Earth feems to be more evidently concluded from
' the face of the Northern parts, than from that of
c countries more Southerly. Here [in Sweden] we
4 find entire tracts filled, as it were paved* with Stones
* of a huge weight and bulk : and the higher the
* country lies from the tea, thefe Stones ars larger and
* more numerous; as in Orebo, which lies high
4 and between two Seas, larger and more numerous
c Fragments are obferved than any where elfe.' Ijift-
in his Preface to his Hiftoria Lapidum, &c, or
P
Hiliory of the figured Stones in Switzerland^ remarks thus,
6 Then concerning Stones this truly wonderful occurs,
6 that the tops of rocks and fummits of the higheft
* mountains are fometimes divided by ioints into ie-
4 parate pieces ; and moreover that certain Fragments
6 or large pieces of Stone offome cubits in height and
* breadth are found lying upon Plains, and even upon
* Hills which are at a great diftance from higher
* grounds, or feparated from them by vallies : now
* by what means the aforefaid Divisions or Sepa-
' rations were produced in the hardeil Rocks, and
* how the above-mentioned Fragments of rocks were
* brought down to the places where they are now found
* deferves, in my opinion, a diligent inquiry : for I
4 can fcarcely think that they were naturally generated
* in thefe places, fmce they carry in themlelves evident
* marks of being really the Fragments of Rocks., cum ve-
4 riflima rupium Fragmenta pr^-fe-ferant* A perfon,
who attended Sir Martin Frobijher in his fecond voyage
to the Streights that pafs under his name, obferved
upon the adjoining land, * Huge and monftrous
4 mountains, whofe great fubflance were Stones, and
4 thefe Stones fo fhaken by fome extraordinary means
' that one is feparated from another, and difcordant
c from all other quarries,' Hakhqfs $d. Vol. of Voyages y
p. 38. Mr. Ellis in his Voyage to Hudfon*s-Bay y &c.
p. 147, fpeaking of an ifland (called Marble-ifland)
near the Coaft of new Nortb-Wales, fays, ' The tops
c of the hills are prodigioufly rent and mattered,
4 numbers of huge Rocks are confufedly huddled to-
4 gether, as if by an irruption.' Ltidolphus, in his
Hiftory oi Ethiopia, p. 28 j defcribing the Mountains
and Rocks in Habeffmia, writes thus, ' Amongft
4 thefe Mountains, and frequently in the Plain itfelf,
4 and in the middle of the fields, rife up Rocks every
4 way fteep, yet varying their ihape ; fome looking
afar off like towers, fome like pyramids, fome like
four-fquare towers built by art, and fo even on the
fides, as if the workman's hand had done it : fo that
there is no way to get to the top but by the help of
ladders and ropes.* Under this head may probably be
reckoned thofe two remarkable Rocks or Stones,,
which front each other, near tilankemburgh in Germany.,
and which are called Monks Craigs^ on account of
their refembling at a diftance the appearance of two
monks in their proper habits, Atlas Geograpbus^
p. 544. So alfo I may here mention that large and
curious Mafs or Mountain (as it is called) of iron-ore
at Taberg in Smalandia, in Sweden, for it can really be
no other than an enormous Fragment, torn from the
mountains above, as is evident from Dr. Afcanius*?.
defcription of it, 1 * which is as follows, c This Moun-
tain is fituated in a fandy tract of land, of which the
fand is extremely fine. Oppofite to it is a valley,
through which a fmall river flows. It's perpendi-
cular height is above 4 op feet-, its circumference
half a Swedifh league, or three Englifh miles. The
whole mountain is one mafs of rich iron-ore, and
even in fome parts is mixed with particles of native
iron. There are many perpendicular as alfo horn-
zontal fiffures all over the mountain, which are filled
with the fame fand, reduced to a kind of line mudr
like pafte, and in no part whatever is it impregnated
with the leaft particle of the iron-ore of the mountain,
but is of the fame purity and nature as is found on
the fea-beaches. No ore is found beyond the foot
of the mountain, nor on the neighbouring plain ;
fo that it appears as if the mountain frad been artifi-
cially laid on the fand , for it has no roots, or, like
other mountains, its fubftance does not penetrate the
B S&P&ilof. Tratrfaffions, Vol. XLlX, p. 30, fortheyw 1756
P 2
[ 212 ]
' ground. It is fituated near 40 Swedifh leagues dif-
* tant from the lea.* Another Hill or Eminence
that may come under the denomination of a Fragment,
is that called the inaccejjible or Needle-mountain in Dau-
phiny in France? as the form and fituation of it plainly
denote, ' The pofition of this Hill is fuch, that it ap^
' pears to have been inverted or turned upfide down t
* for it is no more than a thoufand paces in circumfe-
' rence at the bottom, and is two thoufand at top , from
' whence it is called the inaccejjible Mountain. At the
' top upon the plain of this hill there is a narrow and
' fteep Rifing or a marp-pointed Elevation ; which
' gave this hill the name of the Needle-mountain (fee
* Htftoire de JJAcad. des Sciences \ for the year 1700,
' p. 4)' and which, probably was the caufe, why it
did not fettle upon its larger bafis, or the plain at the
top. The famous Rock in Horeb, anciently called
Maffah or Meribah, and at prefent the Stone of Mofes
and the Stone of the Fountains (being that which Mofes
ftriick with his rod, in order to give water to the children
of Ifraclin the Wildernefs, Exod. xvii) is preferved to
this day without the leait injury from time or accidents,
and is certainly a Fragment from mount Sinai, as ap-
pears from Dr. Shaw's dcfcription of it, ' It is a Block
* of Granate marble, about fix yards fquare, lying
4 tottering as it were and loofe in the middle of the
* valley [of Repbidim], and feems to have formerly be-
' longed to mount Sinai, which hangs, in a variety
* of precipices, all over this plain.'"
n SHAW'S Travels, p. 352. It may not be unacceptable to
the reader, nor altogether foreign to our prefent purpofe, to
continue the Dr's defcription of this Rock, which is as follow?.
* The 'Maters ivbich giifbed out, and the Stream ivbicb jlo-~wed ivithal
1 (Pfalm, Ixxviii, 20) have hollowed acrofs one corner of this
rock a Channel about two inches deep, and twenty wide, ap-
* peuring to be incruftated all over, like the infide cf a tea
[ 213 J
THUS I have given inftanccs of large maffes of Stone
or Rocks lying loofe upon the ground in various parts
of the earth, and no doubt is to be made but that iimi-
lar mafles are to be found in every part, where there
is any confiderable extent of land, though fuch only
are taken notice of by travellers as have fomething
remarkable in their appearance. And that thefe
are really no other than Fragments torn off, and car-
ried down, from higher grounds, every circumftance
in the above defcriptions tends to point out, as the
reader will be a fufficicnt judge for himfelf from what
has been already faid on the lubject. I mall therefore
kettle, that hath been long in ufe. Befides feveral mo/Ty produc-
tions, that are ftill preferved by the dew, we fee all over this
channel, a great number of Holes, fome of them four or five
inches deep and one or two in diameter, the lively and demon-
ftrative Tokens of their having been formerly fo many Foun-
tains. It likewife may be further obferved, that Art or Chance
could by no means be concerned in the contrivance; for every
circumftance points out to us a Miracle, and, in the fame man-
ner with the Rent in the Rock of mount Calvary at Jerufalem,
never fails to produce a religious furprize in all who fee it.' Simi-
lar to which is Dr. Pccotke's Account of this Rock, and alfo that of
the Prefetfo's of 'Egypt ; each of which the reader may fee inferted
in the Bijbcp of CLOGHER'S Tranjlailon of a MS. Journal from
Grand Cairo to Mount Sinai, &c. p. 34, Z A Edit.
I may here obferve too, that in confidering this Rock as a
fragrpegt, the Miracle of the water's flowing out of it will ap-
pear much greater than if it had been in its natural bed or united
to the folid orb of the earth'; for it is not uncommon, in break-
ing up or only boring through the regular ftrata of the earth, to
enter into a natural ft flu re, which, communicating with thj;
Abyfs, is always full of water, and when fuch is broken into,
a ftream of water will immediately iffue out and continue flow-
ing: but as this Rock was feparare and detached from the re-
gular and undifturbed ftrata, and lying loofe upon the furface of
the earth, it cannot be fuppofed to have had any communication
with the natural fiflures, and therefore the water that proceeded
from it, muft have been owing to a fupernamral Cauic; which
is agreeable to what an ancient Traveller (M. BAUMCARTEX, *
P 3
in this place only enlarge a little on the aforecited paf-
iage tofLangius, (p 210) ' That the tops of Rocks and
* lummits of the higheft mountains are fometimes
'divided by joints into feparate pieces-/ for though
this may feem a trifling and infignirlcant obfervation,
yet the opening or widening of thefe kind of joints
was the immediately preceding effect to the tearing
off and carrying down of the Fragments, and one was
the confequence of the other, as will be evident from
the following particulars. :; Thefe Joints or Openings
between the ftones in the upper parts of Rocks ought
to be diftinguifhed from the natural fiffures in the
body of the rock, and are diftinguimable there-from
German Nobleman, who travelled into Arabia in the year 1507 ;
fee his Travels in CHURCHILL'S Colhflion of Voyages, &c. Vol. I;
p. 337) remarks : Which Miracle (of the water's flowing out of
' the above-mentioned Rock) was the more wonderful, becaufe
* thie Stone, though it is feparated from the reft of the rock,
' and is almoft of a fquarc figure, yet is fixed in the ground by
< only one pointed corner [fee Dr. SHAW'S Draught of it, in his
* Travels, p. 350] and confequently not in fo fit a pofture to
' extraft any moifture from the earth; and therefore its fending
' forth fuch abundance of water muft have been the work of an
' Almighty Hand.' I may here add too, that this Stone was
'fo fmall, expofed in fuch a manner, and fituated in fuch a tot-
tering condition, that it might eafily be viewed on all fides, and
even turned upfide ddwn, had the people that attended Mvfcs
iafpeed any cheat or impofture in this affair; and in order to
take oifall iufpicion of this kind might be one reafon why GOD
made chou-p of fuch a Stone as this for the operation of this
miracle, which was fo extraordinary and attended with fuch in-
dubitab'e proof, that the perfons, who had juft before murmured
and queiUoned the divine Miffion of Mofes, now entirely ac-
qniefced in it: :;t d if inch perfons as Corab^ Datban, Abiram,
md tkar companies (who were ready on every occafion to find
fault with A/V>.- <md difpute his Authority) were fatisfied, furely
our prefent unbelievers (who lay claim to great modefty and i'ea-
fon) ought to be fo, fince the Miracle was examined by their own
iet of people, and they may have ocular demonllration of thfc
tm:h ot it at this day. f
1 215 ] ..
by various marks, being generally far more nume-
rous than the others, commonly filled with fludge or
an earth-like matter, but principally are to be known
from the others on account of their greater width in
proportion to their length, and becaufe their edges or
terminations are much worn and rounded, and alfo
the extraneous bodies, fuch as fliells, corals, &c. that
project from the edges, much worn and rubbed.
All which clearly Ihew that thefe edges have been
fubject to fome gradual attrition, and that thefe joints
or openings have been a pafTage for fome fuch fluid as
Water; which alfo muft have parTed through them with
fome force or violence, ejfe thefe edges (which doubt-
lefs at firft like the ends or terminations of other
cracks in ftone, were fharp, jagged, or pointed with
acute angles) cojjld not have been worn to fuch a de-
gree ; which laft confideration further mews, that this
effed is not to be afcribed to the flow and gentle
gleanings of rain through the earth; ^ nor even where
the rock is naked and expoled to all the violence and
beating of the wind and rain are thefe openings to be
attributed to them (though probably they may en-
large them a little), for they are found almoit equal in
number, and fize, and have as manifeft marks of the
force of running water, where the rocks are covered
with mould and rubble for the depth of feveral feet,
as where the rocks are expofed to the weather. And
I believe that there are few or no rocks but what have
thefe joints or openings made by the aclion of water, in
a greater or lefs degree, even under the turf; which
is a proof that this effect was produced before the
earth' was covered with vegetable mould: and fince
thefe marks of the force of water, are to be feen upon
the fummits of the higheft mountains and rocks
throughout the whole world (for we may reafonably
fupppfe that what is common to the rocks and mount:
P 4
1 216 ]
tains in England and Switzerland, is common alib to
all other) we muft conclude, that the water that opened
or enlarged, and patted through thefe cracks was
equally univerfal with its effects, or fpread over the
whole furface of the earth , and therefore the Deluge,
in which thefe accidents happened, univerfal. And
as the Water made its way through thefe cracks, it
would not only wear and widen them, but by con-
tinuing and repeating its action would at laft feparate
and disjoin large pieces of the rock, and remove
them from their places : and accordingly it is com-
mon to fee, in a country that is expofed and the rocks
laid bare, large mafies of Stone, ibme difplaced but
two or three 'inches from their original beds, others
two or three feet (and there remaining pendulous at
the tops of precipices and brows of hills), others
carried down the fides of mountains and hills for fe-
veral yards -, but none of them removed to fuch a dif-
tance, or fo much injured in the carriage, but that a
judicious perfon may find the very place they for-
merly occupied in the natural rock, and have as con-
vincing a proof that they are disjefta membra or the
difTevered parts of the adjacent rocks, as if he had
feen them torn from thence. And if he would judge
thus of thofe that lie upon the tops and fides of
mountains, he would certainly determine the fame of
thole that lie farther down in valiies , for the former,
are only the beginning ; the latter, the end of the fame
train : and as the former were pufhed down or re-
moved out of their places by the force of defcending
water, fo alfo we muft conclude of the latter; and
that both are proofs that a flood of waters formerly
covered, and retreated from, the furface of the
4e earth.
II. Bi'T befides thefe larger Stones, there are others
are lefsj which aifo are to be found Icofe upon
1 2,7]
the furface of the earth, or elfe but a little way be-
neath it-, and are of fuch a nature themfelves, and lie
in fuch a manner, as clearly to point out that they are
Fragments torn from the itrata above, and placed in
the form they now lie, by currents of water defcend-
ing from the higher grounds. Of thefe lefier frag-
ments there are a great variety, and no country what-
ever without them. And as it would be endlefs to
fpeak of every different fpecies, trace out the acci-
dents that have happened to them, and particula-
rize the arguments deducible from each, I fhall there-
fore treat, only of one fpecies, which, on account of
its ufefulnefs in leading to the difcoveries of veins of
ore, &c. has been accurately fearched into, and care-
fully examined, by moft miners. The fpecies I mean,
are thofe Stones which are commonly called Shoad-
ftones. An account of which I fhall take from Mr.
Borlafis Natural Hiftory of Cornwall, p. 149 ; as that
Author has illuflrated his meaning by fome Copper-
plate cuts, which the reader, if not converfant in the
affair, would do well to confult. But firft it will be
necefTary to explain a few terms. A Vein of ore, or a
fffure containing ore, is called in Cornwall a Lode or ra-
ther Load; and I fuppofe for this reafon, becaufe that
is the place where the ore lies, as if it had been loaded
up or laded in, as goods are in a fhip. The Top-part
of the Vein or that which is neareft to the furface of
the earth, and which generally confifts of a mixture
of ore, loofe ftones and rubble, is called the Broil.
When this Broil, or rather that which was once the
Broil, is found difperied or lying at any diftance from
the Load, thefe difperied or ieparated parts are called
Shades or Sboad-jlones, becaufe, I fuppofe, they lie in
fuch a manner as manifeftly to fhevv that they were
Jhed abroad or detached from the main Vein or Load -,
and that this detachment or iepararion v.'as made by
/ [*i8]
the Force of water will appear from the following phce-
nomena, as extracted from the above-mentioned
Author. " Firft, the Broil is found in greater quan-
tity in the valiies than on the tops or fides of hills ; in
the level grounds, it is but juft moved from its firft
Ilation, and fpread on each fide the vein in an equable
manner i but if the lode has any declivity near it,
then many of the looie ftones of the broil are found
ilrewed down the hill. .2 dly< The longer the de-
clivity, the farther are thefe Stones removed ; but the
fhorter and fteeper the fides of the hill are, the lefs
diftant they are found. 3 dl/p The fmaller Stones
are carried farthefc , on the contrary, the largeft ftones
are neareft to the lode. 4 th! '- The fmaller are
alfo nearer to the furface of the ground, but the larger
ones, deeper, and ftill deeper as you approach the
lode, 'till the laft are found contiguous to the lode
itfelf. 5 thly - The farther diftant thefe Stones are
from the lode, the lewer they are in number ; but
they multiply as you come nearer, and are always in
greateft plenty next the lode. 6 thly - Thefe
Stones are known from all others by their being of a
different colour and ftruclure from the fhelf, rubble ?
and other common ftones of the ground where they
lie, but more particularly by their angles being worn
off; and the farther diftant they are from the lode, the
fmoother they are ; and the nearer, the lefs are their
angles blunted. In Cornwall we call thefe difperfed
parts of the broil Shcdes. (Now) From
daily obferving the grounds they fearch, and the dif-
ferent fubftances they there meet with, the tinners can
readily diftinguifh between what has been removed,
from what has perpetually kept one and the fame fta-
tion; the karn, that is the firm folid rock, feldom
affords us any inftances of alteration or movement,
but every looie unconnected part of the earth has been
[ "9 ]
moved and (hifted , and for as much as the tranipoied
bodies are found to be moved more or lefs, farther or
lefs diftant from their former beds, according to their
own fpecific weight, and the declination of the plane
they moved on," it is the general perfuafion of every
intelligent tinner, that this change of fituation can be
owing to nothing but tbe Force of Water, and of no
other water fo likely as that of the uniuerfal deluge^
neither are we to think this lei's the voice of truth, be-
caufe it is fo common an opinion , for indeed the
caufe fpeaks fo much for itfelf, that in order to con-
firm the juftnefs of this reafoning, there remains no-
thing more to do, than to point out the correfpon-
fdence and circumftantial agreement betwixt this af-
(igned caufe, and each particular effect and property
mentioned before. Firft then, In low and level
grounds the Broil is greater in quantity, and lefs dif-
turbed, than on the tops or fides of hills, as being but
juft moved from its firfl iettlement by the vacillating
waters of the deluge on a plane furface; whereas on
a declivity, and a more expofed fituation, the waters
had more power to agitate and dilperfe, and confe-
quently the original covering of the lode is much lef-
fened in quantity. 2 dly> The gravitation of thefc
ftones (ulually impregnated with metal) will, xvhen
moved with water, -make them deicend a deep hill
quicker than down a more eafy deicent, in the fame
proportion as bodies moved on inclined planes, their
velocity being in proportion to their own weight, the
declivity on which they move, and the impediments
they meet with there ; but the quicker they defcend,
the fooner they get at reft, and fix by immerging them-
felves in the ftiff clay and rubble andr/V* verfa.
3 dly The fmaller Shodes were moved to and fro eafily and
frequently, and consequently much difperied ; whereas
the greater and weightier the Ihod^s were, the more
[220]
they refitted the agitation of the waters, and were lei*.
removed. -4 thl > r ' The fmaller Shodes are ufually
found in and near the furface, being waflied down-
wards, till, by the refiftance of the ground on which
they are fpread, they are forced out like the rills of
brooks into open day, whilft the larger by their fupe-.
riour weight, reft deeper interred, and nearer the
lode. 5 thly> The more diftant Shodes are found
from the lode, the more they were difperfed by the
water, and confequently became fewer in number in
any equal fpace, like diverging rays-, and the nearer
to the lode, the thicker and more frequent they re-
main for the fame reafon. 6 thlyt That the an-
gles of thefe Hones are blunted, proceeds evidently
from the agitation of water, and they are fmoothed
in proportion to the diftance they have been rolled;
and had the force continued a fufficient while, thefe
ftones would have been as round as the pebbles on the
fea-fhore; but the farther we find them from the lode,
the more trituration they have undergone, and vice
verfa."
III. TOGETHER with the above-mentioned Frag-
ments of Stone, both thole of the larger as well as thofe
of the fmaller kind, both thofe that are round as well as
thofe of the moft irregular fhapes, there are alfo found
a variety of other fubftances, lying in ftich a manner,
both with refpeft to themfelves, and alfo with regard
to the ground they lie upon, as plainly to fhew that
their fituation and direction were owing to the effects
of a Flood of Water that once covered, and retreated
from, the furface of the whole earth.
FOR, firft, it is common to obferve upon the tops
of the higheft Mountains a fmall thin covering of a
kind of blackifh bituminous earth, commonly known
in England by the name of Peat-earth or Turf ; and
this upon examination appears to be no other than a
[ "I ]
mafs of rotten and perifhed vegetable s. And where
the mountains happen to have any extenfive flats or
large fpacious Cavities, in form of bafons, at or be-
tween their tops, there is generally a ftill greater quan-
tity of thefe fubftances, lying in a moffy or moraffy
kind of ground, with a vaft number of trees, of all
forts and fizes, buried under them : and many of the
trees and vegetables ot fuch fpecies are not now known
to be growing near thefe places, nay, fomeofthem of
luch kinds as the nature of the climate will not permit
to grow there:? confequently, they muft have been
brought from other, far more diftant, regions: and
no Agent or Medium can be thought upon ib proper
for effecting this as Water, a Medium upon which
thefe bodies would naturally fwim and float, and
therefore be eafily conveyed from place to place.
And the parts they are now found upon plainly ihew,
that their prefent fituation was owing to a flood of
waters that covered the whole furface of the earth ;
for they are left upon fuch places where fuch a flood,
in its retreat to the lower land, would molt naturally
depofit a great portion of its floating wealth, viz. upon
the higheft and more eminent parts, or thofe places
which it firft receded from -, in the fame manner as the
water upon the lea-more in retiring, after an high tide,
throws, and by the unequally reciprocal or gradually
decreafing repercuflive motion of its waves, leaves,
upon the parts it firft recedes from, all lighter bodies
or the fubftances that fwamupon its furface; and in a
fimilar manner as the fame water in retiring from the
channels of rivers, bays, &c. leaves upon the banks
and fliores the finer parts of the mud and ilutch that
WOODWARD'S Cat.ofFoJfils, Part II. p. 17. MORTO.N'S //;-?.
of Northampton/hire, p. 83, &c. HALE'S
IP WOODWARD'S Nat. Hiji. Him. p. 60,
222
it was pregnant with, fo when t;he flood that drowned
the whole earth retreated to its appointed place, it left
thefurface in a manner covered with the fined, lighteft }
and pureft of terreftrial matter, Vegetable Mould.
Secandly -, Under the vegetable mould there lies a vaft
variety of Subftances, of all forts, fliapes, and fizes,
but each and all of them placed in fuch a direction as
manifeftly to indicate that their pofition and fituation
were the effects of a flood of water retreating from the
higher grounds. Thus, for inftance, where the
higher and more inland countries abound with free-
ftone, and chalk, interlined with layers of flint ; in
the lower lands you will find for the depth of feveral feet
the two former fubftances intimately blended together
<r \vafhed and worn down to a gritty kind of maum,
and the nodules of flint broken into innumerable
pieces, and confufedly mixed with the afore-mentioned
matter. In fuch places where the upper ftrata of
Mountains confift of Lime-ftone, with interjacent
layers of clay, and of iren-ftone, replete with yellow
and red oker, or ruddle-, in the vallies beneath you
may difcover both large and fmall, round and ir-
regular, fragments of the iron and lime-ftone, with
unequal and uneven ftreaks or feams of Clays of all
colours, that the above-mentioned fubftances could
tinge them with. Where the upper ftrata confift of
it loofe Sand-frone, and a brittle flakey Slate, with
beds of clay intervening-, in the lower lands you will
find for a considerable depth a gritty marly rubble,
filled with immenfely fmall pieces of iharp flakey
ftone, thrown in a variety of poftures. And the
fame may beobferved refpeclively and proportionably
of all kinds of flrata, in fuch places. If we defcend
from the in-land and mountainous countries to the
Hills and the Vallies beneath them, and examine the
rranner in which things 'ie under the vegetable Mould,
we mall find them placed much in the fame form as
thofe already defcribed, only a greater quantity and
a greater variety of them (according to the different
fpecies of ftrata that lay between the Hills and the
Mountains) and thefe alfo in general much more worn
and much imaller, efpecially thofe parts that came
from the Mountains. If we go farther down, and
vifit the Low-lands and Marmes near the Sea-fhore,
a ftill greater variety and greater quantity of Rubble
will prefent itfelf to our view ; and the fragments of
ftone much more worn, and in many places, ground
down to a fine Sand or Slutch.
Now that this Rubbly-matter was placed in the
manner above-defcribed by the action of Water re-
treating from the higheft in-land Eminences down
towards the Sea-fliore is evident, from the multitude
of Stones that are found in it which have been appa-
rently worn round by agitation of Water ; from the
number of fragments of Stone that lie in trains, tend-
ing from the higher towards the lower grounds, juft
in fuch form and direction as water in its retreat
would naturally caft them (as I have already mewed
\vith refpect to thofe Stones and Fragments that lie
above ground) j from the irregular and unequal
ftreaks and feams into which it is caft - y and what is
very remarkable that in fueh places where there is any
eminent projection in the ground or rock underneath,
or large fragments of Stone which the waters could
carry no farther, there thefe ftreaks and feams of dif-
ferent matter are thrown over it in various concentric
arches, and the whole terminated in fuch a form as
plainly to indicate that the force of a defcending flood
placed them thus ; and alfo from the manner in
which this Rubble lies all over the earth ; as for in-
ftance, upon the higheft in-land Eminences, efpecially
fuch as are (harp-pointed and fteep, there is but *
[ 224 ]
fmall portion of this rubble, feldom exceeding a few
inches in depth -, i,n the bottoms of the combs that
defeend from thefe Eminences, you will find the
quantity Ibmewhat increafed , in the, dales, (till more;
in the vallies, a much larger portion -, and in the low-
land marfhes near the fea-lhore a ftill greater quantity,
for 2 or 300 feet in depth, and in many places even un-
fathomable. All which would be the natural refult
of a flood of water, that formerly covered, and re-
treated from, the furFace of the whole earth, and de-
fcended into the Sea, or rather, the Abyfs beneath
the Sea. For, as the in -land parts of the earth were
at the greateft diftance from thofe places (the apertures
into the Abyfs) where the moft violent force and
flrongeft action of the water was, fo they would be
leaft torn, and of courfe lead covered with Fragments
and Rubbiih ; and the wear and tear by the water
would be in proportion greater and greater, and the
load of loofe rubble gradually and continually in-
creafed, till it approached the Sea-more i and by the
time that the latter- waters arrived thither, the Ocean
would be full or nearly fo, and therefore thefe waters
would be repelled back again, and the loofe clay-,
mud, flutch, &c. with which they were filled, be
caufed to fettle upon or near the fea-fhore, and fo
conilitute, what we call a Marjh or Moor, being a
loofe clayey ground, confiding of a variety of terref-
trial fubftances worn extremely fmall, and placed, in
all kinds of direction, as the reciprocal and undulating
motion of water would naturally caft them.
THUS I have mewed, from the confederation of
that vaft variety of bodies or fubftances that are now
found loofe upon the furface of the earth (each parti-
cular fpecies carrying its particular proof) that this
terreftrial globe has been covered by an inundation
of water.
[ "5]
I AM now to deduce fome Corollaries from what hag
been advanced.
1. THEN, from the quantity of matter that is now
found loofe at the bottoms of Combs, Dales, and Val-
lies, and from this matter being principally of the
fame kind with the ftrata in the fides of thefe Cavities j
we may reaforta'bly infer that it once made a part of
the ftrata, and fo, that the firata were once continued
from fide to fide, and of courie that the Hollows of
Combs, Dales, and Vallies, were once filled up with
ftrata fimilar to thofe, which now appear in their fides
or in the bodies of the mountains Or hills, in which
thefe fuperficial Cavities are : and as Mountains and
Hills are no more than Eminences caufed by the
formation of the Hollows of Combs, Dales, a"nd Val-
lies, fo it is certain that the earth was once of one uni-
form fpherical furface, and that the prefent irregular,
mountainous form, was not the original, but owing to
fome after-caufe, as I have already endeavoured td
prove, p. 1 60, &c.
2. FROM that vaft Quantity of Rubble which in ^
manner covers the whole furface of the earth, chiefly
from that which is pcfited in Combs, Dales, and Val-
lies, it is manifeft that the Hollows of combs and
Vallies were not caufed by any ContraSfieH or lateral
Jhrinking of 'the ftrata ( fee p. 183) for had thefe cavi-
ties been owing to fuch a caufe, there would have been
but little or no loofe matter found in them, for in
fuch a cafe the parts of the ftrata (when the whole
earth began to be confolidated after its diflblution) by
being contracted within themfelves, atom to atom,
would be fo clofely united together, that the Cavities
Caufed by thefe Contractions would contain little or no
loofe matter in them, as is the cafe with the covered
Fiffuresor thofe Chafms in the body of the earth, which
terminate in themfelves and have no Communication
with other cracky ; in thefe we never find any fuch
Q
[226]
loofe matter or rubble as that which lies in the bot-
toms of dales and rallies : had therefore one fort of
thefe Cavities, as well as the other, been formed by
Cetttraflions, there would have been like matter found
in each and refpectively placed.
3. FROM the regular and gradually increafing proportion
of the rubble that is found in Combs, Dales, and Val-
lies, it is manifeft that thefe Channels were not caufed
by any elevation and depreflion of the ftrata -, for had
this been the cafe, this rubble would have been placed
in the moft confufed and irregular manner pofiible.
4. FROM this fame increafe and apparent tendency
of this rubble from combs to dales, from dales to val-
lies, from vallies to the (helving bed of the ocean,
we may determine the place, whither the other part
of this rubble (viz. That which formerly filled up all
the Hollows and Channels upon the earth and in the
lea) was carried to, namely, the Center of the Earth.
For had it been carried no farther than the bed of the
ocean, and depofited there^ it would more than have
filled that ; becaufe the matter that was tore out for
making that Cavity, would equally have filled it
when in the form of rubble, as when it remained in
whole and unbroken ftrata : and then there was the
additional fubftance of all that matter, that before filled
up the hollows of the Combs, Dales, and Vallies
over the whole furface of the earth : and had all this
been placed in the bafon of the fea, it muft more than
have filled it. Now fmce it is certain that all this rub-
ble was carried down into the bed of the Ocean, and
as that did not retain it, it muft therefore have pafTed
through, and been carried into fome place beyond the
bottom of the fea, and that could be no other than the
center of the earth, the laft place it could be driven
to ; and there it would remain in form of a nucleus or
inner-globe^ as defcribed p, 54, 187, and. delineated
by I in the Copper-plate.
[ 2 7 ]
5. IF this load of rubble and fragments of ftone were
carried down to the center of the earth, it will cer-
tainly follow, that the Agent that did this, that the
water (as it is of a more fubtle and penetrating nature
than this matter) accompanied it in its paflage and de-
fcended together with it j and as this loofe matter oc-
cupied the center, the water would naturally fettle
around it, as denoted by G. H. In the PLATE 5 and
fo conflitute the Mofaic Abyfs.
6. As in tracing the fragments of ftone that lie in
trains from the mountains, it is common to obferve
where the defcents are gradual (where they are irre-
gular and attended with fudden falls and precipices*
great irregularity rriuft naturally be expected) that
thofe flones that are largeft and lead worn lie neareft
the tops, and thofe that are lefs and moft worn at the
greateft di fiance, and alfo that thefe Stones are of the
fame kind with the ftrata in the mountains above,
and not of the kind with the ftrata m the vallies be-
neath (unlefs where they both happen to be of the
fame fpecies) fo it is certain that the currents of water
which removed thefe ftones from their original beds,
and placed them in the manner we now find them,
came from the mountain-tops and drove towards the
fea, and therefore that thefe Stones were not thus
placed by partial deluges, owing to high tides or ac-
cidental inundations of the fea, aslbme have imagined;
for had either of thefe latter been the caufe, the
larger ftones would have been left neareft the lower
grounds, and the lefTer necefiarily thrown higher up:
and if the water of fuch a flood, in its return tc
the fea, had force enough to bring back any of
thefe bodies, it would naturally leave them in the
greateft irregularity, the lefTer would be brought to
the larger, and the ftones of the vallies be mixed with
thofe of the mountains j which is not the cafe: and
therefore thefe Stones were not thus placed by fuch
partial floods. Q^ 2
[ 228 ]
7- FROM the confideration of fomc other circum-
fiances attending thefe fragments of Stone, efpecially
thofe that have been worn round by water, we may
fee the falfity of another hypothefis, calculated to folve
thefe phenomena, without reference to the univerfal
Deluge in the time of Noah -, viz. that thefe Stones
were thus rounded, and the fragments of Rocks torn
from their original beds and fcattered over the furface
of the earth, at the firft formation of things, when the
earth was totally covered with water, at which time
the high'eft mountains conftituted part of the bottom
of the fea, therefore it is no wonder, fmce the retreat
of thofe waters, that we now find pebbles and rocks in
the moft inland countries. But the grand queftion to
befolved, is, How came thefe waters to retire? in which
principal particular the Authors of this hypothefis
are not agreed, fome imagining that the water was
rarified and changed into air , others that the Sea by
the violent motion of its flux and reflux, threw up
vaft quantities of fand and mud, and thereby left the
fpaces between them as Vallies, which the water oc-
cupying, the eminent parts became dry and habitable ;
with feveral fuch groundlefs and unphilofophical afler-
tions. But it required, and thefe Authors fuppofe
it did require, a great length of time, even that of
ages, before thefe tranfaclions were completed, and
therefore that the parts of the earth, which at prefent
bear marks of the Sea conftituted for a long time the
bottom of it, and thereby gave room for the waters to
feparate the rocks from their natural places, and form
the fragments of ftone into pebbles, and place them in
the manner we now find them in the moft diftant coun-
tries from the fea. But then there is a very material
difference between the in-Jand pebbles and rocks, and
thofe formed arid found at fea. It is common to ob-
ferve vaft numbers of pebbles and ftones upon the fea-
fhore which have feveral extraneous bodies, fuch as
(hells, corals, and corallines, affixed to their outfides a
and many of thefe fo clofely adhering that it is almoft
impofiible to difengage one from the other without
breaking both-, and it is alfo certain that thefe grow
and are formed at this day, especially in calm and
quiet places. But now, after the ftricleft examination
I could make upon immenfe multitudes of Rocks and
rounded ftones that I have feen at land, I never could
obferve any fuch extraneous bodies adhering to them,* 1
nay, not upon fuch as were but a few miles from the
fea, when the pebbles upon the fea-mpre abounded
with them ; which muft plainly mew, that the places
where thefe pebbles are now found were never the bot-
tom of the fea, nor the pebbles themfelves formed at
fea, but that they were made at fome particular time,
or in fome general deluge, the waters of which muft
have been in fuch conftant agitation and perpetual
fluctuation, as not to permit fuch things to fettle and
grow , which is agreeable to the Mofaic account of the
Flood in the time of Noab^ fee p. 51. And what
further mews that the places where thefe Stones are now
found were never the bottom of the fea, nor the Stones
themfelves formed at fea, is, that we never find (what
is very common to find at fea, and upon the fea- more)
any artificial things, fuch as regularly fhaped pieces of
wood, ftone-inftruments, iron-tools, potfherds, &c.
> I have feen indeed one or two inftances of Nodules, having a
{"mail fhell or a plant flicking to their outfides ; but then thefe
are a very different fpecies of Stones from in-land pebbles (though
they refemble them in their outward fhape) as I have fhew'ed,
p. 196. Ncduhs were formed during the ' diflblved llate of the
earth and the great confufion of things at that time, and many
of them have apparently paffed through feveral ftrata that
abounded with (hells and plants, and at laft fettled in ftrata that
were replete with thefe extraneous bodies, fo that it is no won-
der that we fcmetimes find one or two of thefe bodies adhering
to their outfides : but in-land pebbles were formed at a different
time, in a different place, and in a different manner, as oiay be
f?en in the above cited page.
naturally lying among them, but only fuch as were
placed there by defign or accidentally dropt, as is evi-
dent from the prior disturbance of the earth, where
fuch have been taken up at any depth, and their being
generally found in fuch places where Old Cities,
Caftles, Camps, or Lakes have been/ And indeed
had thefe artificial things ever been cceyal with thefe
fragments of (tones, or fubject to the agitation of water
as they have been, they would certainly have been
worn and rounded in the fame manner as they are.
Befides, the artificial things that are taken up at Tea,
have indifcriminately fhells and corals, growing on
them, as well as the {tones and pebbles on the more,
r 'I have read indeed of boats, fmall barques, anchors of
Ships, &c. being found at land in countries' far diftant from the
fea, but then it has generally been in authors of no great credit,
and the facts aflerted upon no good teftimony ; but even allowing
them to have been true, it is certainly much more reafonable to
fuppofe, that the places where thefe things were found, were for-
merly the bottoms of large Lakes, which by defign or accident
had been drained, rather than the ancient bed of the Sea 1 ; in the
fame manner as in draining the famous Lake of Martin-mcsr in
Lancajbire, which was eighteen miles in circumference, there were
found in the dutch at the bottom no lefs than eight boats, fhaped
fomewhat like the Canoes made ufe of in America, as Dr. Leigh
in his hiftory of that County, ' aflures us of his own know-
ledge, p. \S, and 181. Or elfe thefe things might be attri-
buted to violent tempefts or accidental overflowings of the Sea;
and befides, whatever things of this nature may be now
found at land in Europe, fome alldwance muft be made for the
event recorded (p 82) of this treatife, when numbers of perfons
procured Ships and other conveniences, under apprehenfion of a
general Deluge, and probably many of thefe were made at land
in countries far diftant from the Sea, as it was fuppofed that the
devaftntio'n would reach all over Europe : which therefore, as the
event did not happen, would be left in the places where they
were firft made, and in the future ages might be imagined to
have been wrecks of mips loft at fea, though the fea never reached
thefe parts; and what parts of the earth the fea has really covered
vi I j be beft determined by the marks given in the text, in the
iubfequent pages.
[ 231 ]
but the artificial things, even thofe that bear the
marks of the greateft antiquity, which are taken up
in the inland countries, have no fuch bodies adhering
to them; which is a plain and an undeniable proof,
that neither they, nor the places where they are now
found, were ever covered by the fea. And here, by
the way, we have an eafy and certain method of dif-
covering what parts of the earth the fea might formerly
have encroached upon, and covered for any length of
time, and after have retreated there-from, and what
not, viz. by obferving whether the rocks and flones,
efpecially the artificial things, found at land, have any
marine productions adhering to them or not ; if they
have none, we may depend upon it, the Sea never
reached thefe parts , if they have fome, efpecially if
they are of the fame kind with the fhells and corals
upon the neareft fea-ihore, we may conclude it has.
But upon the ftricteft refearches I could make with
regard to thefe particulars, I could never find that the
Sea had receded above a few miles in length, or a few
yards in depth, from its original and firft known boun-
daries ; and that only in places where the land was
low and flat, and thefe recefles or retreats chiefly ow-
ing to banks thrown up, or canals cut, by the art and
labour of man. All Hypothefes therefore to ac-
count for thefe in-land rocks and pebbles (which fo
apparently carry marks of having been moved, muf-
fled, or worn round by water) upon fuppofition that
the places where they are now found were formerly the
bottom of the fea, muft fail, and recourfe can only
be had, for the explication of thefe phenomena, to
the one Universal Deluge in the time of Noah.
III.
FROM the confideration of things upon the fur-
Face of the earth, let us now defcend into the inftde %
and fee what proofs we can educe from thence of an
UNIVERSAL FLOOD.
AND here let us enter the fubterranean Kingdom by
thofe eafy and convenient paffages, the natural Caves
and Holes of the Earth : and in the firft place collect
what evidence we can for the point in queflion from
thefe Caves themfelves.
ALL the natural Caverns that I have feen myfelf,
or thofe that I have read defcripdons of, appear to
me to be no other than what in the North of England
are called Swallows, and in the PFeJl, Swallet-boks.
Thefe Holes or Caves are generally nearly circular at
top -, and from twenty tp two hundred yards or more in
circumference. Many of them have a direct perpen-
dicular defcent, like the Hollow of a Well, for the
depth of feveral fathoms ; in others the defcent is
fomevvhat winding and crooked ; and generally, at a
greater or lefs diftance, there is a large fpacious Open-
ing, into which enter leveral leifer Caves or Conduits ;
fome gently declining from the top, others lying in
nn horizontal line, and fome defcending perpendicu-
larly downright to unfathomable depths. The En-
trance or Mouth leading into many of thefe Caverns
is at prefent horizontal and very fmall; and hence Na-
turalifts have been greatly puzzled about the vaft
Spaces within, and how it came to pafs that fuch fmall
orifices mould lead to fuch fpacious Openings;
whereas in fact the larger Cavities were made nrft, and
the lefier that proceed from them after : and the true
entrance into fuch Caverns is at top, upon the furface
of the earth, and only covered with rubble and mould ;
and indeed the large Spaces within, in mod of thefe
Caverns, reach near to the furface and form part of
the true and original entrance j fo that they aii may
r
be looked upon as Swallets, or in-Iand gulpbs that f wal-
lowed down the waters of the deluge.
HAVING thus far explained myfelf, I fhall now
fhew in what various parts of the earth, and how dif-
tant from each other, thefe Caverns are to be found.
THE firft that I fhall mention, and the moft noted in
England, is that called Elden-hcle, \nDerbyJhire. This
is a direct perpendicular Chafm, of an oblong form,
as far as the eye can difcern its depth ; the mouth of it
is about twenty yards over one way, and eight the
other. Mr. Cotton endeavoured to find the bottom*
by plumbing it with a line eight hundred and eighty-four
yards long, but could not reach it: and upon ex-
amining the lower end of the line, he found that eighty
yards of it had funk through Water. 5 Another gen-
tleman let down a line nine hundred and thirty- three
yards, without meeting with the bottom. 1 The Earl
of Leicejler, in Queen Elizabeth's days, caufed a man
to be let down with a bafket of Hones tied to his mid-
dle, in order that by letting fome of them occafionally
fall, he might judge of the depth of the Cave, and after
he had remained at the length of a rope 6f two hundred
ells for fome time, was pulled up, in expectation of
fome great difcoveries : but when he came up, he
was fenfelefs, and died of a phrenfy in eight days*
When I was upon the fpot, I found, upon enquiry, that
two men had lately ventured down this cavity, upon
fuppofition, that fome cattle, that had been miffing,
might have fallen into it : and when they had de-
fcended to the depth of feventy yards, they found the
carcafes of feveral oxen and meep ; but could get no
further ; thefe carcafes, together with the frones that
had been thrown in by the curious in endeavouring to
s . See the Wonders of the PtaL~, p. 40.
* Pbilof. T'ranf. N" 2.
* HOBBES de Mirabilibus Petti.
[ 234 3
diicover its depth, having probably covered and (lop-
ped up the leading Cavity. They faid alfo, that af-
ter they had been let down about half way, the cavern
opens and widens into a fpacious vault, and that there
appeared to be another great cavity, befides that of
Elden-hole, leading to the fur face of the earth. And
upon examination, I obferved, that, at about the dif-
tance of two hundred yards from Elden-hole, there was
a gradual, nearly circular, Sinking in the earth, near
three hundred yards in circumference, and from its ut-
tnoft fummit, about twenty yards deep : and this ap-
peared to me to be undeniably the true mouth of this
Swallow^ and that Elden-hole is no more than a lateral
conduit leading into it. Three miles. Northward
of Elden is another famous Cavity, called Peak-hole^
fituated almoft in the Village of Caftltton, and at the
foot of a femi-circular, or rather femi-cylindrical
Rock, (the hollow fide facing you as you enter) above
i/voo hundred feet high, and the diameter of the cylinder
jfoQutJixty feet ; at the bottom of this^jperpendicularly
hollowed rock, this Cavern opens its mouth in form
of an arch atleaft/tfr/y/a?/ high, andyfo/jy broad at the
bottom j w the top part, and the fides of this arch, as
alfo the whole femi-cylindrical rock above, are very
fmooth, and apparently worn away by the gradual at-
trition of fome fuch Agent as water ; and had not one
fide of this tubular Hollow been broken down and
carried away by the Agent that firft formed this per-
pendicular Channel, it had refembled at the top and in
the infide a common well, and at firft fight would,
have been efteemed a Swattet-bole , and the not attend-
ing to this particular, has caufed great perplexity in ac-
counting for the origin of this Cave. From the
w If the reader has not feen the place, he may have a juil
idea of it from N- 8. of Mr. SMITH'S Prints of the profpefts iji
th& Mountainous parts of Derlyfeire , &c.
1 235 ]
mouth of this Hole to the diftance of one hundred yards
the roof gradually declines, till you are obliged to
bend and creep in order to proceed forward, and after
you have crept a little way, you enter into a fpacious
wide apartment-, which continues for about thirty
yards^ when the rock almoft clofes again, and after
you have palled (in a little boat) a river that runs
through the Cave, the rock widens again into a (till
greater Opening, till you come to a fecond ftream of
water, where it again contracts itfelf , but as foon as
you have paJGTed this Current, another fpaeious Open-
ing prefents itfelf, which continues in fome places
higher, in others wider, till the roof of the rock lies
upon the very furface of a third Current of water, and
puts an end to the traveller's journey ; but by agitating
this water with our feet, we heard a rumbling undulat-
ing noife in fome great cavern beyond. From the en-
trance to the end of this Cave is about feven hundred
yards. Where the larger Openings were, there v/ere
feveral leflfer lateral Cavities or rather Conduits, and
fome that defcended perpendicularly down from the
top, a*nd the fides of all, both large and fmall, are worn
' as ijnooth and as round or rather tubular as a conflant
paffage of water could poflibly wear them : and as this
Agent would exert itfelf ftronger and make more
room for itfelf where the greater number of ftreams
met, hence it is that where the Conduits for the water
appear to be larger and more numerous, there the
Openings within are wider and more fpacious ; and
where there appear to have been but one or two paf-
fages for the water, and thofe fmall, there the Cavi-
ties are proportion ably lefs. Not that I would fup-
pofe that the water tore thefe pafiages through the fo-
lid rock without any prior opening or fiilurc : no ;
there were proper cracks and chafms made for its de-
fccnt before, as I have me wed, p. 50, 184. But where
thcfe cracks were larger than in other places, there the
water would defcend in a fuller body and with greater
impetuofity, and would work and wind its way
through lefTer cracks to get into the greater Cavities,
and by its frequent paffages through both forts of thefe
Channels, would wear and tear away the rock to a great
degree, and fo vaftly widen the original openings.
And as thefe original Cracks would naturally be tf-
regular, according to the grain or different conftitu-
tion of the ftone or ftrata in which they were formed,
fo thefe irregularities, when opened and widened by
the pafTage of the water, would produce the rifings
and fallings in this and fuch-like Caverns. I have
been longer in defcribing and accounting for the ori-
gin of this Cave, than I need be with refpecl to any
other, for though there are fcarcely two that are ex-
actly alike in every thing, yet there are none, that I
have feen, but what agree in the chief and principal
particulars. Thus, at about the diftance of eight
miles South-Weft from Peak-hole there is another
fimilar Cavity known by the name of Poolis-hole (not
far from the village of Buxton] aboutyfo hundred yards
in length. In this alfo there are feveral rifings and
fallings, feveral lefTer and larger Openings, with col-
lateral conduits, and the fides of the rock in all much
worn, and in many places greatly torn, as appears from
the large fragments that lie loofe at the bottom. The
three above defcribed Caverns are indeed juftly
efteemed the principal in this County, but there are
many that are lefs, and equally demonftrative of the
opinion I have advanced -, and there are {till a greater
number that are, in a manner, undifcovered ; for
though they cannot be entered and examined, yet
thefe entrances or orifices are very vifible, and are
cafily diftinguifnable from the mouths of the pits from
whence they dig ore, for thefe latter have generally a
[2371
li^.p of rubbifh thrown out all around them, and dc-
fcend perpendicularly downright, whereas the ^wallet-
holes have no fuch matter round them, but the rubbilh.
lies in the bottom, and there is commonly a gradual
inclination or feeming finking in of the earth that leads
to them. It is not unuiual for miners in tracing veins
of ore to open fome of thefe concealed Cavities, and
when they do fo, they generally find as large Caverns
within them as either of the above defcribed. This
Country indeed abounds with thefe covered Swallows
(as they are called) efpecially upon the moor-lands, and
I have feen fome of the extenfive flats there fo perfo-
rated with them, that the face of the earth refembled,
(comparatively fpeaking) a Sieve. I have alfo feen
ieveral fuch upon the Mountains in Wales^ efpecially
upon thofe above Tenby in Pembroke/hire, and van:
numbers of them upon Mendip-bills in Somerfetfoire*
particularly in Charterhoufe-liberty and near Green-ore
Farm; and Ookey-hole, which is about four miles dif-
tant from the lafl mentioned place (of which and of
fome other Caverns near it, there is a particular account
in Pbilof. Tranf. N- 2) is evidently no other than a
Sw&ttet itfelf-, as alfo are the Caves lately difcovered at
Lockfton and Banwell^ about twelve miles to the North
Weft of Ookey ; all thefe being in every material cir-
cumftance exactly fimilar to thofe I have already de-
fcribed. There are alfo a few of thefe Swallet-boles
in and near St. Vincent's Rocks, about two miles dif-
tant from Briftol; and Penpark-hole (of which the
reader may fee a defcription, and a cut reprefenting
the infide of it, in N 0> 143, of Philof. Tranf.) which is
about four miles Northward from the aforefaid Rocks,
is manifeflly no other. Of the fame kind is the
Cavern mentioned by Sir Robert Atkyns, in bis ancient
and present State of Gloucefterflrire, p. 230, to have been
difcovered at Cold-AJhton^ ten miles to the Eaft of Pen-
park (which upon enquiry, I found has been fmcc
[238 ]
ftopped up) ; the defcription of which is fo natural
that it is worth reciting, ' As a perfon was plowing
with oxen, one of the oxen faltered in a hole, which,
* when the earth was removed from it, appeared like
* to the Tun of a Chimney -, through which feveral
* perfons have been let down ; where they found a
c Cavity, in which one might walk above half a mile
* one way, and it is not known how far the other :
and as they walked with candles, they obferved fe-
* veral fuch Tunnels afcending towards the furface of
c the earth.' An ingenious gentleman, in giving,
an account of his Journey over* Crcfs-fell Mountain in
Cumberland (which is part of that immenfe ridge of
mountains that reach from Derbyjhire to Scotland, and
are called the Britijh Alps) writes thus : The Swal-
* lows, thofe inconteftable remains of Noalfs Deluge,
c begin here [on Roderic heights] to be very frequent.
* Some of thefe are thirty or forty yards in diameter,
4 and near as much deep, perfectly circular, but con-
4 tain no water at any feafon, the ground having gra-
* dually fallen in at the finking of the waters ; but
c where they happened amid rocks, the holes 'are left
c open to incredible depths.' The lame Author fays,
* That on the top of the fame \Roderic} heights, is a
' pretty large Lake, called Greencaftle-lecb^ which re-
* ceives no vifible feeder, but emits a fmall ftream
c Northward to the faid burn;'* and this in all proba-
bility is no other than the mouth of a large Swallet.
Another gentleman gives the following defcription of
Ingleborough Mountain in the Weft-riding of Tork-
Jbire ; Y which as it contains not only an account of
* Gent. Mag. for Auguft, 1747.
i Gent. Mag. for March, 1761. This Mountain is reckoned
to be one of the higheft in England, according to an old faying in
the North,
P enHle -bill, Petti gent and Inglelorough
Are the higheft Hills all England thorough.
1 239 ]
Swallet-holes, but alfo fome other particulars relative to
the fubject I have been treating of, I mall infert it at
large. ' This mountain is fingularly eminent, whether
c you regard its height, or the immenfe bafe upon
' which it ftands. It is near twenty miles in circumfe-
' rence. In this mountain rife confiderable ftreams,
e which at length fall into the Irtfb Sea. The land
c round the bottom is fine fruitful pafture, interfperfed
e with many acres of lime-done rocks. As you afcend
* the mountain, the land is more barren, and under the
' furface is peat-mofs, in many places two or three yards
c deep, which the country people cut up, and dry for
' burning, inftead of coal. As the mountain rifes, it
* becomes more rugged and perpendicular, and is at
' length fo fteep that it cannot be afcended without
* great difficulty, and in fome places not at all. In
* many parts there are fine quarries of flate, which the
6 neighbouring inhabitants ufe to cover their houles ;
* there are alfo many loofe ftones, but no lime-Hones^
4 yet, near the bafe, no ftones but lime-Hones are to
* be found. The loofe flones near the fummit the
* people call greet-ftone. The foot of the mountain
* abounds with fine fprings on every fide, and on the
* weft- fide there is a very remarkable fpring near the
* fummit. The top is very level, but fo dry and bar-
* ren that it affords little grafs, the rock being but
* barely covered with earthi It is faid to be about a
4 mile in circumference. There are likewife difcover-
* able a great many other mountains in fPeftmoreland
* and Cumberland^ as alfo the town of Lancafter, from
* which it is diftant about twenty miles. The weft and
* north fides are moft fteep and rocky ; there is one
* part to the fouth, where you may afcend on horfe-
* back i but whether the work of nature, or of art, I
* cannot fay. A part of the faid mountain juts out to
6 the north-eaft near a mile, but fomewhat below the
[ 240 ]
e fummit ; this part is called Park-fell -, another part
' juts out in the fame manner, near a mile, towards
* the eaft, and is called Simon-fell , there is likewife
4 another part towards the fouth, called Little Ingh-
* borough ; the fummits of all which are much lower
6 than the top of the mountain itfelf. Near the bafe,
* there are holes or chafms, called Swllows, fuppofed
e to be the remains of Noah*s deluge ; they are among
* the lime-ftone rocks, and are open to an incredible
* depth. The fprings towards the eaft all come to-
* gethcr, and fall' in*j one of thefe fwallows, or holes,
* called Allan Pctf-, and after pafiing under the earth
* about a mile, they burft out again, and flow into
* the river Kibble, whofe head, or fpring, is but a
4 little further up the valley. The depth of this fwal-
* low, or hole, could never be afcertained ; it is
* about twenty poles in circumference, not perfectly
* circular, but rather oval. In wet foggy weather,
' it fends out a fmoak, or mifl, which may be feen a
* confiderable diftance. Not far from this hole,
c nearly north, is another hole, which may be eafily
' defcended. In fome places the roof is four or Jive
* yards high, and its width is the fame ; in other
f places not above a yard ; and was it not for the run
* of water, it is not to be known how far you might
c walk, by the help of a candle, or other light.
c There is likewife another hole, orchafm, a little weft
e from the other two, which cannot be defcended with-
c out difficulty : you are no fooner entered than you
c have a fubterraneous paflage, fometimes wide and
* fpacious, fometimes fo narrow you are obliged to
* make ufe of both hands, as well as feet, to crawl a
c confiderable way ; and as I was informed, fome per-
e fons have gone feveral hundred yards, and might
* have gone much further, durfl they have ventured.
6 There are a great many more holes, or caverns, well
[ 24' ]
c worth the notice of a traveller : fomedry, fomehav-
* ing a continual run of water; fuch as Elackfide Cove,
4 Sir William 9 s Co-ve, Atkinfoiis Chamber^ &c. all vvhofe
curiofities are more than I can defcribe. There is
4 likewife, partly fouth-eaft, a fmall rivulet, which
4 falls into a place considerably deep, called Long-Kin-,
4 there is likewife another fwallow, or hole, called
* Johnforfs Jacket-hole^ a place refembling a funnel in
* ihape, but vaftly deep ; a ftone being thrown into
it, makes a rumbling noife, and may be heard a
' confiderable time-, there is alfo another, called Ga-
4 psr-Gill, into which a good many fprings fall in one
4 ftream, and after a fubterraneous pafTage of upwards
'of a mile, break out again, and wind through, Clap-
4 ham\ then, after a winding courfe of feveral miles,
4 this ftream joins the river Lon, or Lune; and, pafs-
* ing by the town of Lam -after , it falls into the Irijh
' Sea: there are likewife, both on the weft and north
fides, a great many fprings, which all fall into fuch
' cavities, and burfting out again, towards the bafe of
4 the faid mountain, tall likewife into the Irijh Sea,
4 by the town of Lane after ; and what feemed very re-
4 markable to me, there was not one rivulet running
4 from the bafe of the mountain, that had not a confi-
4 derable fubterraneous paffage. All the fprings arofe
4 towards the lummit, " amongft the greet-ftoms and
' funk or fell into fome hole, as foon as they descended
4 to the lime-ftone rocks ; where pafling under ground
4 for fome way, they burft out again towards the bafe.
4 There is likewife, to the weft and north, a great
* many fwallows or holes, fome vaftly deep and
4 frightful, others more fhallow, all aftoniming, with
* a long range of the moft beautiful rocks that ever
'-_ adorned a profpecr., rifing in a manner perpendicular
' UD to an immenfe height.'
R
BEFORE I proceed to ihew, that thefe Swallet-bolss
are to be found in other parts of the world than Eng-
land^ it may be proper to fubjoin fome other particu-
lars (which could not well be reduced under the fore-
going heads, without breaking the narrative too much)
which will ferve further to prove, that thefe Cavities
were formed by the pafTage of water.
i. THEKT it is common to obferve in Caverns of this
kind where the Rock contains any extraneous foffils,
fuch as '(hells, corals, bones, &c. that thefe extra-
neous fubftances are all worn fmooth and fhaped to
the form of the rock. Now it is certain that thefe
bodies have naturally a determinate figure, each dif-
ferent from the other, and all diverfe from what we
can fuppofe the infide of a rock to be ; and when we
fee, that parts only of thefe bodies remain in the rock,
here an half, there a quarter, and in an.pther place a
third part,' and thefe remaining portions, not of their
natural figures, but fliaped and curved according to
the concavity of the rock, it is manifeft that fome
external force hath carried av/ay the deficient parts ;
and when we confider the regular fmoothnefs of the
rock, and the gradual wear or attrition that thefe
bodies have apparently undergone, we can attribute
this work to no other agent than Water ; and though
in thefe caverns there are generally drainings and
droppings of this fluid, yet die motion of it in this
cafe is fo (low and the quantity fo fmall, that the
above-mentioned effects can never be afcribed to it ;
nay, I haveobferved the above-mentioned phcenomena
in covered Swatiets., and even near the mouths of them,
when the mouths themfejves had been covered, for the
depth of feveral feet with rubble, and yet none of the
rubble in the infide of the SwaHst-boles, fo that the wear
and tear of thefe extraneous bodies could never have
1 243 ]
been owing to the fluggifh motion of the draining? of
water fro.n the furface of the earth. And befides,
thefe bodies themfelves exhibit full proof, that the water
pafled through the concavities in which they are, with
vaft violence and impetuofity ; for, it is common to
obferve in the natural and unworn fifiures of the eirth
(where the rock happens to contain extraneous bodies)
part of a fliell or of a branch of Coral flicking in the
rock on one fide of a fiffure, and the other part of the
fame Shell or Coral on the oppofite fide, fo that it is
plain that no force has been here ufed befides that
which made the original crack: but on the contrary
in Swalkt -holes I have often feen part of a large fhell or
the ftem of a fpreading branch of Coral on one fide of
the Cavity and no appearance of any fimilar fubftance
on the other-, fo that it is undeniable, that the original
fiflure has been torn, widened, and the rock carried
away, the whole face of the Cavity pointing out,
that Water was the Agent, which theulore mult have
parted through with great force and violence. Ano-
ther proof that thefe Caverns were formed by water,
or, that rapid currents of that fluid has pafled through
them, may be drawn from the multitude of in-land
pebbles that are to be found in molt of them. That
thefe pebbles obtained their fhape by being agitated in
water, and that wherever they arc now naturally found,
water has been, I have already fhewed at large (p. 193)
and that this water pafTed through the Caverns in a
full body, and brought down with it vafl quantities of
thefe pebbles, is evident from hence, that they are
not only to be found at the bottoms or in the lower
parts of thefe Caves, but even high up in the nitches
and covered cavities in the fides, and many of thefe
pebbles confift of a different kind of Hone from that of
the rock of the cavern, fo that they mtift have came
from far, and the flreams that brought them been ra-
- R 2
[ 2 44 3
pjd and ftrong. Another material circumftance
evincing that thefe Swallows were made by water, is,
that where great numbers of them occur together^
reaching over perhaps an extent of land ot fome miles
in circumference, there the land is nearly level and
fiat, without any of the Pivifions or breaks in the
earth caufed by Combs and Dales , and the reafon is
plain, for the water that would otherwife have torn
the ground into gills a.nd dales, patted off through
thefe S wallet holes, and fo tore inward and fubter-
ranean Cavities, inftead of outward and fuperficiai
Hollows. This, J fay, is the cafe where va.ft nym-
bers of thefe holes happen to be near each other, but
where there are few, not more than three or four, and
thofe very large, and fo clofe together as to make but
one, and no Swallows near them for the fpace of feve-
ral miles, there I ha.ve obferved two or three fmall
Combs, running in different, almoft opposite direction,
and meeting in the mouth of the Swallet as in a cen-
ter. - And -the reafpn of this is equally clear for the
point in. queftiqn.- For there being here a natural
drain for the waters, and that a very large one, and
no other fimilar cavity near it, npp only the waters
that were immediately, over this hole, but even thofe
that were at a diftance, would rufh towards it and in
their accefs wear and tear the ground into gulleys and
combs, and Jeave the prefent ftanding marks of its
courfe and agency. ' And wherever we fe.e three or
four Combs terminating, from oppofite fides, in a
point, and a deep finking in the earth in the center,
we may depend upon it there was a Swallet-hole , and
this I have frequently obferved to have been the cafe
in a low .wet marlhy bottom, or where there has been
a fmall lake or natural pond. And from the defcrip-
tion that I have already given of Lakes (p. 143, &c.)
jive, may conclude that moft, if not all of them, were
f 245 ]
briginally Swaff ft -boles, and alfo that the Cavities of
the Wb'irlpools, Under -currents, and Gulphs, treated of
(p. 136, Src.) were the fame, and therefore that thefe
holes are to be found all over the face of the earth,
and of courfe the water that palled through them
muft have been equally extenfive.
BUT befides what I have already faid, to mew the
extenfivenefs of thefe effecls, I may alfo add fome
other accounts from different countries. Mr. Smith
in his ancient and prefent ftate of the County of Kerry in
Ireland (p. 122) fpeaks ' of a large and deep Hole,
4 filled with water, called the D'fuiFs punch-bowl, on
4 the Weft- fide of the mountains called the Reeks-*
which certainly can be no other than a Swallow ; anct
the cave mentioned (p. 167) are of the fame fort, ' All
4 the lands about Killeehe are good lime-fidne grounds,
4 having, in fome places, confiderable Caverns , a thingj
' not uncommon in fuch kinds of Soil :" which lad
obfervation is fo true that I fcarce ever faw alime-ftone
country but what abounded with Swallet-holes. In
France, at a place called Roufgnac, about foe Leagues
from P'erigueux, is a famous Cavern called Grandville's
Hole, whkh has feveral deep cavities , collateral conduit s^
and circular holes in the vaulted roof, rifinglike regular
cupolas, fimflar to thofe in Ookey and in the Peak-
holes* Bifhop Pdntoppidan, in his hiftory of Norway
(p. 47) defcribes a rock or mountain, ' that has an
* aperture in it paflable throughout, one hundred and
' fifty dti m height, and three hundred in length ,' and
(p. 49, 50) he mentions other Caves, * in fome of
4 which he obferved fmooth beds of little ftones or a
4 gravelly bottom.' Dr. Behrens in his natural Hiftory
of Hartz-foreft, in Germany, gives a full and particular
- Gent. Ma?, for 1748, p. 581, tranflated from the French*
1 3
[ 246 ]
account of a great number of Caverns that are to be
found there ; and from the defcription it appears, that
there is fuch a fimilarity between them and thof - found
in England, that no doubt can be made that they w-re
all owing to the fame origin, or formed by the fame
means. In thePbilof. Tranf. (N 0< 109, and N ot 191)
there is a long account of a little Sea or rather a large
Lake, called the Zircbnitzer-Sea in Carniola, in the
South-Eaft part of Germany ; the water of which re-
tires under-ground through feveral great holes at the
bottom of it, once every year, and then thefe holes
are vifible, ' which are in the fhape of bafons or caul-
' drons, the breadth of them being from twenty to fixty
* cubits more or lefs ; and the depth from eight to
* twenty cubits ; and in the bottom of them are feverai
' leffer holes.' ' And befides thefe there are alfo di-
' verfe Caverns and deep places in this Country, even
' where there is no water , particularly in the moun-
' tain called Javorrick, near this lake, there are two
' Holes or exceeding deep precipices, in which many
' thoufand wild pigeons rooft all the winter; and on
* the top of this Hill is a Hole of an unknown depth,
' out of which there often proceed noxious fleams :
' and on another mountain are two great and terrible
c ftony caves, which though far diftant from each
' other, have yet the lame effect, viz. when it thun-
c cters and lightens, do emit water with an incredible
* force. Near this Lake is the natural Grotto Podpetf-
' cbio, with feveral channels in it, running di verfe
* ways, and all the channels are formed in a very hard
' rock, and are fmooth or poliflied as if cut by men's
* hands.' And the Author mews from feveral phoe-
nomena, that the Country is cavernous for feveral miles
in extent, and though water pafies through fome of
thefe caverns at prefent, yet it does not through all,
f 247 ]
though all have marks of its force. 'the farribuS
Grotto, in one of the Iflands of the Archipelago , called
Anti-paros, which is reputed to be nine hundred yards
deep, and has fl-veral collateral Cavities and profound
Abyfies in it, is certainly a great Swallet, as is abun-
dantly evident from the defcription, given at large of
it, by Monf. Tourmfort in his Voyage into the Levant $
Vol. I. p. 146, &c. Scbeucbzer in his Itinera Al-pina^
Vol. I. p. 281, fpeaking of a Lake upon one of the
mountains of the Alps, writes thus, ' Circa bfinc La-
' cum, &c. You may fee, on every fide, around this
e Lake* certain winding traces or furrows worn in the
6 hard rock, which perhaps were owing to the waters
' of the deluge.' Kircher in his Mundus fiilterraneu?
gives particular accounts of federal Caverns (too long
to be inferred here) and mews from a- variety of
Authors, that fuch like Cavities are to be found in
all parts of the world, both in Europe, . Afia, Africa,
and America; and as no doubt is to be made that
iimilar effects were owing to fimilar caufes^ fo we may
fafely conclude^ that the Caverns in other parts of
the earth were formed by the fame means and are of
the fame kind with thofe in England-, and a$ I have
already mewed, that thofe in England were owing tOj
or at leaft have been torn and widened by, the paffage
of ftrong currents of water } fo we muft determine of
the reft ; and of courfe that the water was as extenfive
as its forcej i. c. extended all over the earth, and
therefore that there has been an Unherfal Deluge.
I SHALL now fubjoin a corollary, or an obfervation
or two, to what has been above difcufled, by way of
general proof of fome of the particulars already
advanced.
Lib. ll; Cap. XX*
R
C 248 ]
1. As the regular defcent of Combs, Dales, and
Vallies, and the final union of all thefe in one large
furrow, even under the Sea, (hewed, that -the water
that excavated thefe hollows, defcended into fome
great cavity in the infide of the earth, even beyond
the bed of the Ocean, and there formed an Abyfs*
fo the collateral Conduits of the Swallet- holes, lead-
ing down into one great unfathomable Cavity in the
bowels of the earth, prove, that the Water that
formed them, defcended likewife even through the
fhell of the earth, and there conftituted a part of the
above-mentioned fubterranean 'Refervoir.
2. IT is not uncommon to find Swallets that have
fmail rivers running into them, and which have no
known exit; and when miners are digging very deep
in the earth, they fometimes break fideways into a
Swallet-hole, and when they do fo, they advan-
tageoufly turn all the water of the mine into it, and
moreover throw in all the rubbifh they dig out, and
yet can difcover no bottom. And it thofe Lake's men-
tioned p. 143, which receive one or more large rivers
into them, are alfo Swallets (as I have above-fhewed
they in all probability are) then this alfo is a proof that
there is a fubterranean refervoir of water. And left
any one mould imagine from this particular, that
therefore Swallets in general might have been formed,
by river-water, let it be remembered that they are com-
monly found upon the tops of the bigbeft Mountains
efpecially fuch as have extenfive flats y where neither
river nor rain-water could have any force to tear
fuch Cavities, and therefore they could not owe their
origin to fuch a Caufe. In thofe places indeed where
thefe holes lie at the bottoms of mountains, fuch ri-
b See Page 186, &c.
2 49
vers as take their rife near the tops, would naturally
flow into them ; and where the Swallet-holes are fu-
$erfitial, or even run for a confiderable way under the
Earth, but not deep into it, would flow out again ; in
the fame manner as the rivers run down the bottoms of
Combs and Dales, or any natural declivity or hollow;
but as thefe latter were not formed by river-water,
fo neither were the former.
3. As Swallet-holes are extended all over the earth,
and the water that formed them defcended down-
wards from every fide towards the center and paffed
through the fhell of the earth, it would naturally re-
pofit at the center all the matter that it tore out in ex-
cavating thefe Hollows, which would there conftitute
a nucleus or inner-globe.
4. AFTER the drifted fearch and examination I could
make, either from books or obfervation, 1 could
never learn that there had ever been any natural fea-
fhell, coral, or coralline difcovercd in any of the ca-
verns at land in the manner they are frequently found
in the caves and cavities in the rocks on the fea-fhore,
the fides of which are ufually lined, and the fmalier
cracks and crevices filled, with them; but no fuch
being to be difcovered in the Caverns and Swallet-
holes at land, we may fafely conclude, that the parts
of the earth where thefe in- land Cavities are, were
never the bottom of the Sea or for any confiderable
time covered with the Ocean, and therefore that the
hypothecs, (lately renewed and refitted by fome
French philolbphers, and favoured by feveral Eng-
lilh) is falfe, which attributes the manif eft appearances
of this Globe's having been covered by water, to the
primeval inundation of the Sea, by which it is fup-
pofed that at the fird fettiement of things, the water
would naturally cover the whole furface of the globe,
[ ijo]
and conflitute a Sea over every part ; but after a long
time (by fome means or other) it receded and permit-
ted the Sea to retire into the lower and hollow parts of
the earth'; and to this original inundation or difpofi-
tion of things are to be attributed all the marks of an
inundation on tke furface and in the infide of the earth ;
but had this been the cafe, thefe in : land Caves would
have been filled with the fpoils of the Ocean, and we
fhould fee Shells, Corals and Corallines, in their na-
tural ftate, flicking on to the fides and filling the cre-
vices of the rocks ; xvhereas all the fHells and corals
that ever I difcovered in thefe caverns were in an ex-
traneous ftate, either filled with (lone or immerfed in
the folid body of the rock, which could never have
been their natural ftate; and therefore they could
never have been placed in this manner according to the
common laws of nature.
5. AND from the fame arguing and circumfta'nces
of things we may have undeniable marks how far the
Sea, in any place for any confiderable time, has
covered the land ; for if in the holes and caves of the
earth, in any fuch fuppofed place* there be found
iriells and corals in their natural ftate, efpecially if
they be of the kinds with thofe ufually growing in
the neareft adjoining Sea, we may then juftly fuppofe$
that the Sea has covered thefe parts ; but if no fuch
fhells or corals be difcovered in thefe caverns* then
we may depend upon it> that the Sea has never reach-
ed thefe parts, or covered them in the manner it novr
covers and overflows its ufual and well known bed$
or the Sea-fhore,
1 251 ]
IV.
ANOTHER general and comprehenfive Proof of an
UNIVERSAL DELUGE may be drawn from the nume-
rous and various fpoils of fea and land animals and ve-
getables that are now found in every part of the earth.
* HERE then [to make ufe of the words of a learned
' and ingenious Author 6 ] we appeal once more to Na-
4 ture , and find that, in faft, there are, at this day,
* as evident, as demonftrative, as incontestable proofs
* of the deluge, over the face of the whole Earth, at
4 the diftance of about four thoafand years, as if it had
' happen'd but laft year. And whereas Mofes allures
' us, that the waters prevailed fifteen cubits above the
4 tops of the higheft mountains, let the mountains them-
4 felves be appealed to for the truth of this affertion :
* examine the highefl eminences of the earth, and they
4 all, with one accord, produce the fpoils of the ocean
4 depofited upon them on that occafion ; the fhells and
' fkeletons of fea-fifh, and fea-monfters of all kinds.
* The Alps* the Apennine, the Pyrenees, Libanus, and
' Atlas, and Ararat, every mountain of every region
4 under heaven, (where fearch hath been made) from
' Japan to Mexico, all confpire in one uniform, one
* univerfal proof, that they all had the fea fpread over
4 thieir higheft fummits. Search the" earth ; you {hall
4 find the moufe-deer, natives of America, buried in
4 Ireland-, elephants, natives of Afia and Africa, bu-
4 ried in the midfl of England; crocodiles, natives of
4 the Nile, in the heart of Germany, mell-fim, never
4 known but in the American leas, together with entire
' fkeletons of whales, in the moft in-land regions of
c Revelation examined with Candour, Vol. I, p. 192; and for
the truth of the fubfequent particulars, and many more equally
furprifing, the reader may confult Dr. Wood-Mard'*, Dr.
Scfouckzcr's or Darggm'tlle's Writings, or indeed any other emi-
nent Author on the Subjeft.
4 England ; trees of vaft dimenfions, with their roots
* and tops, and fome alfo with leaves and fruit, at
4 the bottoms of mines and marks ; and that too, ih
4 regions where no tree of that kind was ever known to
4 grow ; nay, where it is demoriftrably impoffible they
* could grow.'
THIS has beeri thought by feveral to be the chief,
and indeed the only argument, that could be brought
in proof of an Univerfal Flood, and hence it has been
oppofed by every objection; that the infidel could
think of. About a century or two ago it was urged,
that thefe foffil Animals and Vegetables were not
really what they appear to be, but Only Mock-forms,
or reprefentations of fuch things, caufed by a lufus
nature or an accidental Sporting of Nature under-
ground. But fince this affair has been more accu-
rately inquired into, and collections of fea and land
Productions been made from every part of the globe,
and compared with the foffils of the fame kind, fuch
a nice refemblance and exact agreement has been found
between them, * The foffil ones being ofthe fame fiz6
4 that the others are of, and of the fame fhape pre-
4 cifely ; ofthe fame fubftance and texture; as confift-
4 ing ofthe fame peculiar Matter, and this conftituted
' and difpofed in the fame manner, as that of their ref-
4 pective fellow-kinds at Sea: the tendency of the
4 fibres and Stride the fame : the compofition of the
4 Lamella, conftituted by thefe fibres, alike in both :
4 the fame Veftigia of Tendons (by means whereof the
4 Animal is faften'd and join'd to the fhell) in each :
4 the fame Papilla : the fame Sutures, and every thing
4 elfe, whether within or without the fhell, in its ca
4 vity or upon its convexity, in the fubftance, or upon
4 the furface of it: anfwering all Chymical tryals in
4 like manner as fea-lhells do; their parts when dif-
4 foiv'd have the fame appearance to view, the fame
* imell and tafte , they have the fame vires and effedli
4 in medicine, when inwardly adminifter'd, to animal
* bodies , Aqua-fort is, Oil of Vitriol, and other like
* Menjlrua, have the very fame effecls upon both.'*
Such an exaCl agreement as this, I fay, being found
between thefoflli and natural bodies of the animal and
vegetable kind, it is now univerfally allowed that the
foflil are, what they appear to be, the Remains of de-
ftroyed Animals and peri/hed Vegetables.
AND at prefent a prevailing opinion is, that though
thefe bodies are what they appear to be, yet thofe, that
feem to have belonged to the fea, were never of ma-
rine production, nor the vegetables, the growth of
the earth, but both forts were produced and formed
in the places where they are now found, the femina
qf thefe things having been placed in and difperfed
throughout the whole globe of the earth at the time of
its Creation, when all things were confufedly mixt
together: and ftnce that time thefe femina have occa-
fionally (hot out, grown and increafed by fome plaftic
virtue or power.
BUT till this plaftic virtue or power be further
fhewn, and proved to exift, it will be looked on by
all fenfible perfons to be no other than the lufus nature,
or an occult Quality of the Ancients. And with
regard to the Semina of thefe bodies being placed in
the earth at the time of the Creation, v/hen the whole
earth was in a diffoived chaotic ftate, it muft be re-
membered (if we follow the Mofaic account, which I
have already mewed is the only true, p. 78, &c.) that
the femina of thefe things were not made till after the
earth was confolidated and dry land had appeared (Gen. i.
12, 20, &c.) fo that they could never have funk
through the earth at that time : and if it be fuppofed
that fome of them funk through after, it muft have
* WOODWARD'^ Nat, His. p. 23,
[ 254 .1
been through the cracks and crevices, not the folicj
body, of the earth ; but unfortunately for this opinion
there are fcarce ever any of thefe bodies, even in a
foffii flate (never any in a natural) to be found in the
cracks and crevices, but commonly all fixed in the
iblid ftrataj and as that part of the flrata which
immediately furrounds thefe animal and vegetable
bodies, has the exprefs image of the outfides of thefe
bodies delineated upon it to the niceft exactnefs, it
is certain that the Rock, Stone, Clay, &c. that con-
tains thefe bodies, was formed and hardened after
thenH as certain as that the impreffion of a Seal upon
Sealing-wax was pofterior to the feal ; and both formed
after a different manner, at different times, and in
different places. Befides, as Fabius Columna argues,
Natura nihil facit fruftra^ Nature makes nothing in
vain ; but thefe teeth, bones, mells, &c. were they
thus formed in the earth, would be in vain ; for they
could not have been of any life as teeth, neither
could the bones have been of ufein fupporting of any
animal. Nature never made teeth without a jaw,
nor mells without an animal inhabitant, nor fingle
bones, much lefs pieces of bones, teeth, &c. no not
in their own proper element, much lefs in a flrange
one.* Therefore the places where thefe bodies are
now found, couid never have been their original. And
in order to fhew that the fcffil mells, bone?, teeth,
&c. that fo exactly refemble the marine ones of the
fame fpecies, were really the product of the fea, and
not formed in the places where they are now found,
I fhall make life of a few arguments as they are
judicioufly drawn up by Dr. Woc&ixard in his Nat. Hi ft.
of the Eartb illujlrated, p.- 151. " Firft, the (foffii) fliells,
which are digged up in places, and found lodg'd in
matter, fit to preferve them, and which therefore are
firm, found, and have lefs felt the injuries of time,
yield ftill a true marine fait fuch as recent fhells taken
[S5l
out of the fea, or cafl on t}ie mores, are wont to yield.
2 a:/. j nere are a if 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 fifhes, taken at
fea, ufually are, by chewing their food. 3 dly - The
fhell-fifh called the Purpura^ has a tongue of a con-
fiderable length, terminating in a hard boney fharp
point, with which, as with an augre, he bores holes
through the fhells pf other mell-fiih, and feeds on the
Jubilance of them drawn forth through thofe holes.
Now there are commonly found in the earth, among
others, fhells bored thorow in the manner above de-
fcribed, whence it is certain that thofe fhells had once
living fifhes in them, and that thofe fifnes formerly
lived in fome place, where allb there were Purpur<e to
feed on them : and that place could be no other than
the fea. 4 thl> ' It is common to dig up the fhells of
Oyflers, Concha, Peftims, and other Bivalves, which
retain plain marks of tendons, and other figns which
undoubtedly fhew that they had once living creatures in
them. 5 th ly< Laftly, The Echinit*, Conchit<e y Chocb-
Iif<e, and other bodies of that kind, confiiling of flone,
flint, fpar, and other mineral matters, which every*
way match the fize, and exhibit the perfect refem-
blance of the interior part of thofe fhells, from which
they have deriv'd their names, could never have been
fo formed, moulded and fliaped, had not thofe fhells
been quite empty. But there are other bodies alib,
of which I have famples by me, formed likewife of
flone, flint, and fpar, which reprefent only pieces, or
fome particular parts of the Ecbimt<e, Conchit<e, and:
Cochlit. Thefe, any one, at firfl fight, may
plainly difcern were formed in the fhells, while they
had yet their fifhes actually in them : and therefore
could receive only fo much of the Honey, flinty or
fparry matter, as would fill up the parts which were
empty or vacant, and not pofleflcd or taken up by the
fifh. Thence it is, that thofe ftoney, flinty and fparry
bodies bear only the refemblance of that vacancy, as
having been moulded in it. Now thefe bodies
plainly mew thofe fhells to have had fimes for-
merly in them : and at the fame time point forth to us
the true origin of them, viz. that they were not pro-
duced in the places where they are now found, but
were at fome time brought all from the fea."
OTHERS indeed allow that the fo fill animal and vege-
table bodies are really what they appear to be, and
that the marine ones were produced and bred at Sea ,
but then they fuppofe that they were brought to land
by "partial deluges, or occafional inundations of the
fea. But certain it is, there are no records in hiftory
of any fuch inundations that can by any means be
applicable, either with refpeCl to their Antiquity or
Extent, to the phoenomena of this kind obfervable
throughout the whole body of the Earth. The Py-
ramids of Egypt are reckoned to be fome of the moft
ancient ftrutures in the known World, and fituated
alfo in a Country that is frequently overfiooded by
the Sea, and yet the Stones, of which thefe Pyramids
confift, abound with foffil marine Jhells and corals ;
(as I have feen in feveral famples of thefe ftones, and
have fome fpecimens by me, given me by Dr. Sbaiv]
and thefe fhells and corals are of the fame kind with
thofe that are now found in the regular ftrata of the
earth in the neighbourhood ot theie buildings. So
that it is evident that thefe marine bodies were brought
to land before the time of erecting thefe Pyramids.
Again, Steno (who was an Italian, and wrote about a
Century ago; in his Prodromus to a DirTertation De Solido,
intra Solidum naturaliter content '0, i.e. Concerning Solids
See SHAW'S Travel's, p. 416.
naturally contained within Solids (p. 87) fays, That in
the foundation-ftones and walls of the City of Vdaterra,
(the ancient Seat of the Etrurians') there are various
forts of/Wfrj and the fhells are of the fame fpecies
with thofe that are found in the ftone and natural beds
of the Hill on which the City formerly ftood. Now it
is certain that Vdaterra was a place of great note and
power, long before the foundation of Rome, It is
now fomewhat more than two thoitf and five hundred
years fince Rome was firft founded. And certainly
feveral centuries muft have pafied from the time that
the Etrurians firft fettled there* till their City had
gained the character and fize it Had, when. Rome was
firft began to be built. Now if we allow but jive of
fix hundred years for the completion of this, it will
then follow, that thefe fhells have remained there for
at lead three tboufatid years. And when we confider
that this will advance the proof of their etfiftence to
within one thoufand years of the very time when the
Deluge of Noah happened, furely norie will be at a
- fland to attribute the time of their tranfpo'rtatibn to
this Caufe, which in every refpect was anfwerable
thereunto, and prior to all accounts of partial Floods.
But when we take in the additional circumfta'nce of
the exten/ivenefs of the Effetts of that Deluge in which
thefe things happened, the matter will foon appear
inconteftably clear. Let any one read the argument
in proof of an Unive rfal Deluge as dated and dcfcribed
p. 251, and he can never, with the leaft mew of rea-
fon, attribute the EffeRs there related to -partial Floods.
Befides ^ I have already laid down fuch marks as will
demonftrably mew, how far the Sea in any place has
occafionally covered the landj and that the effects of
an Universal Flood are vifible where partial inunda-
tions never reached (p. 230,; and alfo have fhewed,
that the marine bodies that are difcovered at land are
S
[ 253 j
found in fucb places, viz. in the folid fuljlame of the
ftrata, where partial floods or any mere inundation
of the Sea, how extenfive foever, could never have
placed them, and that thefe bodies are fcarceever found
in thofe par ts^ viz. in the cracks andjiffures of the earth,
where fuch floods would moft naturally have thrown
them (p. 254)-, which is an unanswerable argument
againft this hypothecs : and other particulars, to (hew
the weaknefs of this Suppofition, will occafionally oc-
cur in the procefs of this treatife.
BUT betore I fmifh this head, it may be proper to
take notice of Monf. Le Cat's argument, againft the
opinion of the fcfiil animal and vegetable bodies be-
ing placed in the earth at the time of that Deluge
which is recorded in Scripture : ' The waters of the
'Deluge, faith he, according to the aiTertion of Scrip-
* ture itfelf, exceeded the higheft mountains by fifteen
' cubits-, whence it muft follow, that thefe mountains
' were before the Deluge. Now in the bowels of thefe
4 mountains are found animals inclofed in the (tones
' and quarries of which they confift. Therefore thofe
' animals, inclofed in the bafes of thefe mountains,
' muft have exifted, together with thofe mountains
* before the Deluge. The Deluge then is a Revolu-
1 tion which does not account for thefe phcenomena.'
But Monf. Le Cat feems not to have confidered, or
not to have known, that the mountains that were be-
fore the flood and thole that were after, were not one
and the fame, but formed at two different times, and
with refpect to the point in queftion, vaftly different.
The mountains that were before the flood were formed
by the retrtat of thofe waters that frft covered the fur-
face of the earth, and permitted dry land to appear^ on
the third day after the Creation, and before any animal
or vegetable body was made j and therefore no fuch
could poffibly have been found in thofe mountains.
The mountains that were formed after, or at the end
of the Flood, had their origin at a time when the
earth was replete with animal and vegetable bodies j
and as all the folid ftructure of the earth had juft be-
fore been totally diffolved (and fo all the ante-dilu-
vian mountains wholly deftroyed) but thefe animaj
and vegetable bodies preferved entire, it could not but
be that in the fettlerr.cn t of this diflblved earth thefe
bodies would be found involved therein* and buried
at the loweft depths ; which could not have been the
cafe with regard to the mountains before the flood*
for the reafons above-given : and therefore Mohf. Le.
Gz/'s argument which hie is pleafed to fay is founded
upon a ' Reafon which admits of no reply/ is, in
fhort, founded upon a falfe matter of f aft, and fo de-
ft roys itfelf.
THUS I have mewed, by feveral general and exten-
five arguments, the certainty of an Univerfal Flood* or
that this earth has been covered to an immenfe heighc
by an inundation of water, and moreover have prov-
ed, that this water was brought from the Abyfs be-
neath) and have Ihewed that in feveral other refpects
the effects of the Flood, fo obfervable on and in every
part of the earth, are exactly confonant to, and can-
not with propriety be attributed to any fuppofed Event
of this kind, other than that Deluge which happened
in the time of Noah, and is defcribed by Mcfes in hi$
writings. And
IN the pirocefs of thefe arguments the reader can-
not but have obferved that I have been very careful
and induftrious in collecting a variety of testimonies
(befides my own) from different Authors, who lived
at different times and in different places, in order to
confirm and eftablifh the chief particulars upon which
each argument depends j fo that it appears, that there
S 2
[ 260 )
is fcarre a region under heaven but what bears tefti-
mony co the UNIVERSALITY of the flood: buc left the
reader fhould fufpect thefe evidences, or rather,
would be fatisfied in this cafe by nothing lefs than
ocular dsniortftratiori) I would defire him to afcend the
neareft high mountain to the place where he lives, and
carefully examine the upper parts of it, and in all pro-
bability he will foon find fome marine extraneous fo-
flil, either a fhell, tooth, bone, coral, coralline, or
elfe fome in-land pebbles, trains of ftone, &c. or at
leaft perceive fome one or other of the marks already
given, whereby he will foon be fatisfied that this
mountain has been covered to a confiderable height
by an inundation of water : and if this Mountain was
thus covered, certainly the Combs, Dales, and Val-
lies benea:h, (which were formed by Currents of wa-
ter from this mountain; were equally inundated: or
rather, fince the parts of water have no tie or con-
nection with each other,, but naturally fall away or
are carried to the loweft places firft, it could not but
be that every Comb, Dale and Valley, nay Hill and
Mountain over the whole furface of the earth, that
was of equal height with this, muft have been equally
covered. So that, in fhort, any perfon, at this day, by
giving himfelf only the trouble of vifiting the neareft
high mountain may have full proof that that moun-
tain was covered, nay, formed by water-, and if any
one mountain upon the earth was thus covered and
formed, he will readily conclude that they all have
been fo-, and hereby have, Iromany fingle Mountain,
undeniable teftimony that all the high hills and moun-
tains under the izhok heaven have been covered by an in-
of water.
[ 2 6r J
THIRDLY,
I AM now come to the third Divifion of this
Section, wherein I am to fhew, that, during the
above-mentioned Flood, the Earth, was not only
covered by water, but totally diffohed, all the mineral
and metallic matter being reduced to its original cor'
pufctes ; and ajjumed up into the water ; fo that ihe whole
terraqueous globe wee cpnftituted one fluid Mafs or
Colluvies.
THE Effects of this Diffolution are vifible on, in,
and throughout the whole body of the earth. For
i. THE very outward form of the earth indicates as
much. I have already (hewed that all the Cavities
upon the earth's furface, fuch as Combs, Daks, Val-
lies, &c. were once filled up with beds of matter of
the fame kind, and placed in the fame manner, as
their correfponding ftrata in the fides of the adjacent
hills or eminences-, fo that the earth was once regularly
round without any of the inequalities of hills and
dales. But this torm could never have been the re-
fult of matter fetcling in large feparate maffes or de-
tached rocks : had the parts of the earth fubfided in
fuch enormous fragments as thefe, the furface of the
earth would have been almoft as irregular as it is at
prefent. But as the earth, when the parts of it firft
fettled, was perfectly fpherical and all the ftrata lay
upon each other, with the niceft exactnefs, in parallel
circular lines ; fo it muft follow, in order that fuch a
regular difpofition of things might take effect, that
the whole was diflblved, and fubfided in the minuted
parts or primogenial atoms.
ir. THE fpherical rnape of the earth alfo may be
juftly efteemed as the natural refult of the equal pref-
fure of the Air upon its once fluid, diflblved parts.
S 3
It is certain that whatever is in a fluid ftate, and is 1
furrounded and lupported by the air, is of a globular
form -, and as the earth is not only buoyed up, but
at prefent prelTed on all fides by the air, and was at
firft formed by its circumambient force, and as this
force is not fufficient to reduce Solids (if of a different
figure) into a regular fpherical fhape, unlefs the parts
thereof are fo intimately m;xed with a fluid, as to be
equally lufceptible of motion, fo the earth, unlefs it
had been dilTolved, and the parts of it blended with a
fluid, could never have been modelled to a globu-
lar form,
in. THE Solidity, or Coheilon of the folid parts of
the earth, is another proof that the whole has been
diflblved and immerled in a fluid. It you take any
of the fclid fubftances of which the earth confifts,
though reduced to rj^e minuted fize polLble, and
Erefled ever fo clofe together, yet if the mafs is free
om all moift or fluid particles, the whole will ftilj
remain in a manner difunited and the parts thereof
eafily feparablc from each other, being no other than
a congeries ot fine duft or dry Sand prelTed together ;
and in order to bring the parts into fuch a dole contadt
and cohefion with each other as to form a compact
Solid, there is a neceffity of adding, or rather ot in-
timately mixing with thefe fubftances, fome fluid
body-, in which and by which (on account of the
lubricity of its parts) the particles of the Solids might
be fo moved and fhifted every way, till at laft fimilar
furfaces might meet, prefs out the fluid between them
and come into clofer contact with each other than
they were before ; and this compreflure and union
ftill continuing and encreafing by the farther expulfion
of the moift particles, the mafs would at laft be
brought into a much narrower compafs th'an it at firft
occupied, ;'. e. the parts would be brought into a
clofer contact with each other, and fo the (before)
loofe, feparate, detached Solids be united into one
firm compact body. And if this is the general
procefs of Confolidation in the various fubftances of
the earth that we can make any trials or experiments
upon, we may reafonably conclude the fame of the
whole ; and alfo that the firmer, finer, and clofer any
body is at prefent, the greater has been the diffoluticn
and divifion of its parts.
iv. A FOURTH argument that the earth has been in
a loofe fluid (late may be drawn from the confideratica
of the Veins in fome forts of ftone, particularly in the
harder!: and moft beautiful marbles. It is common
to obferve in fuch, a great variety of matter in the
greateft variety of forms and directions ; in fome part
matter that was lighter (to fpeak in the common ac-
ceptation of worcis) than .the neighbouring, pi efied
down below the place due to its fpecific gravity, and
afterwards elevated to a confiderable height, till at
laft meeting with matter that was heavier and making
its way downwards, the whole (hall be curved, by the
afcent of the one and the defcent of the other, into a
vaft variety of arches, confiding of the fined and molt
delicate lines : in other parts you may fee ftreaks or
feams of different fubftances proceeding on, as ir were,
horizontally, in nearly ftreight lines, till they have
been met and oppofed by other matter in a contrary
direction ; and at the point of conflux both fpecies of
matter turned back and deflected in all the variety of
wave- like difpofitions that can well be imagined to
have happened to two dreams of water, meeting each
other in oppofite currents : and in fhort you may ffe
all the diverfities of forms and figures in the Solid
that any kind of agitation in a fluid could poflibly dif-
S 4
play : and therefore we cannot but conclude, that the
Solid was once in as great a date of fluidity as if it
had been a Fluid itfelf. And though indeed thefe
greatly variegated beds of ftone are but few in com-
panion of the flrata that compofe the whole body of
the earth, yet there are very tew ftrata but what have
fome fuch wave like ftreaks or learns , and as thefe
beds of ftone are fometimes found at confiderable
depths in the earth, and confiii of layers of equal
thicknefs throughout, it had been impotflble that they
fhould have been in a (late of fluidity, unlefs all the
iuperincumbent ftrata had been equally fluid, or not
formed : nay, when we confider that theie veined
beds of ftone generally conftitute the hardeft fpecies
of marble, we may reafonably conclude, that if they
were diffolved, all the other flrata of the earth were
equally in 4 date of djfTolution.
v. IT is coromon to obferve in places where dif-
ferent ftrata meet, that there has been fuch an inti-
mate mixture of both, as could not pofiibly have
happened without a free and eafy interchange between
each, and confequently not without a Diffolution.
Thus, for inftance, in a country that abounds with
chalk, where the chalk ends, and a different foil and
different ftrata begin, (fuppofe) that of Free- ftone,
there is commonly to be feen upon the edge of thefe
two countries a kind of fubftance between Chalk and
Free-ftone, confiding chiefly of Chalk upon the
Chalk fide of the Country, and principally of Free^
ftone upon that of the Free-ftone Country j fo that
on the on- fide, there is a coarfe fort of Chalk, on the
otuer a fine fott fpecies of Free-ftone : the former
fort gradually coarkr and coarfer the nearer it ap-
proaches the Free 'ftone, the latter finer and finer the
nearer it is fituated to the Chalk. And this I have ob^
1 265 ]
ierved for leveral hundred yards upon the furface of
the earth, and for a confiderable depth Within it.
A fimilar kind of Conjunction or Intercovrfe I have
feen alfo between the ftrata of Sand-ftone and Lime-
flone, between Flag-ftone and Iron-ftone, and indeed
every kind of ftrata, where they happen to meet
in conflderable quantities, or large tracts ^of land
abound with them. And generally, the greater the
quantities that meet, the more extenfive the int-r-
change appears to have been, and of courfe the Dif-
fplution the greater.
vi. THE Formation and Situation of Nodules
plainly evince that the Earth has been in a fluid, dif-
folved (late. What thefe are I have already in part
mewed, and alfo how to diftinguifh them from fea
or in-land pebbles (p. 196). But befides the fpecies
of Nodules principally there fpoken of, viz. Thofe
of a ftoney or mineral nature, there are others of the
metallic or iemi-metallic kind, fuch in particular as
the Pyrites. This body is found in great plenty ; ef-
pecially in chalky countries ; and commonly of a
round form outwardly ; and its inward texture mews,
that itfelf and all the matter around it has been in a
fluid (late-, for it confifts of a multitude of long and
extremely fine fpiculae, clofely united together, and
all driven to a center ; and the fubftance of which it is
formed, is of a quite different nature and kind from the
matter or ftratum in which it is ufually found, and
bears but a very fmall proportion to the ftratum.
Now this body muft either have been formed out of
the ftratum, and afterwards have fettled in it, or elfe
been originally formed where 'tis now found : and in
either cafe there muft have been a diffblution or fe-
paration of the parts of both. For wherever the body
was formed (either in the ftratum where it now lies,
[ 266 ]
or in any other above it) as it confifts of matter of
fuch a peculiar kind, and is of fuch a particular
ihapc*, as plainly to (hew, that its atoms, during its
formation, were collefled togecher from above, from
beneath, and trom each fide (otherwife it could never
h ,v- b^en of a radiated globular form), fo it muft
follow that there muft have been a feparation of its
own parts and alfo of the matter around it, in order
to permit a free and eafy pafiage for the accefs of one
and recefs.of the other lort of matter. Other
Nodules there are that were undeniably formed out
of the ftratum where they now lie, and afterwards
fettled in it-, efpedally thcfe of the coated kind, and
in particular where the coats or crufts of the nodules
confiit of the fame kind of fubftances, reflectively,
wi:h thole that conftitute the Itrata immediately above
the bed where they are now found. Now it is certain
that thefe bodies could never have obtained teguments
of the fame fpecies of matter, and placed in the fame
order trom the center, with the fuperincumbent ftrata,
unlefs they had pa/Ted "through them; for the beds
wherein they are now found have no fuch matter in
them (except what immediately furrounds thefe bodies
themfelves), and the ftrata underneath are frequently
of a very different kind from either; fo that they
muft have pafied through the fuperior ftrata, and
have procured their coats in their pafiage; and if fo,
thofe Itrata muft undeniably have been foft and fluid,
otherwife they could never have pafled through them
and have collected coats frorn each, as alfo muft the
bed have been fo, where they are now found, other-
wife they could never have fubfided and fettled in
it : fo that the whole was once in a ftate of Fluidity.
vu. BUT the moft ftriking proof of this kind may
be drawn from the extraneous foffils or thofe bodies
1 267 ]
that are now found in the earth, and which do not
properly belong to the places where they are now
found, fuch as corals, fea-fhells; the bones, teeth,
&c. of fea and land animals , plants, trees, &c.
Now t have already {hewed (p. 254) that the former
fort of thefe bodies were produced at lea, and the lat-
ter, at land , that the broken parts of thefe bodies
once conftituted complete forms ; that the bones,
teeth and fhells once belonged to living animals, fur-
viving in their proper elements ; that the leaves and
branches pt the vegetables once grew upon their pro-
per plants and trees : fo that the marine productions
were originally bred and formed at the bottom of the
fea ; the terrene, upon the furface of the land : but
at prefent thefe bodies are found lying promifcuofly
throughout the whole folid body of the earth; fome
at the tops of the higheft mountains, others at the bot-
toms of the deepett cavities that were ever dug; and
lying too in fuch a manner as to make but one com-
mon mafs with the ftrata in which they are found ;
andjhis, not only in the fofter kinds of ftrata, as thofe
of clay, chalk, &c. but in the inmoft fubltances of
the hardeft and clofeft marbles; and generally, the
harder and more compact the matter is, the clofcr and
more intimately united is the extraneous foffil ; which,
if a tooth or a fhell, has not only the exterior furface
or outward lineaments moft nicely delineated in the,
rock, but the infide totally replete with the fame fub-
flance, every, even the fmalleft vacuity and flighteil
indenture being filled up with floney matter; and in
fome cafes, where the Ihell has been doled, the ca-
vity through which the matter palled or entered into
the Ihell is inconceivably fmall ; in others the various
convolutions and different concamerations are fo many
and yet fo minute, and the paffage leading through
them fo extremely fmall, as not to exceed in fize the
[ 268 J
orifice of a capillary tube in the human body, and
yet each and every one of thefe totally filled up with
the ftoney fubftance; fo that the matter contained
within the fheil exactly refembleth any liquable fub-
ftance caft fluid into a mould. If the extraneous fof-
fii be a Leaf, then not only the upper and under-fides
are molt accurately imprefied in the rock, but the
very pores filled to the inmoft recefles, and the leaf
as turgid and as much fwelled by fhe penetration of
the itoney matter, as if it had been for a long time
foaked in, and moil intimately permeated by, the
particles of water. Now for a fubftance, The tex-
ture of which is inconceivably delicate and compli-
cated, and even its largeft pores invifible to the
naked eye, and which once grew uppn the furface of
the earth, to be thus immerfed in, and penetrated
by, the folid rock, and to have lunk through the folid
body of the earth to the greateil depths we ever dig,
is an undeniable teftimony that the Earth was once as
fluid as water itfelf. And thefe extraneous bodies
point out alio the time when this Diffolution happened,
viz. at the Deluge, and not at the Creation, as fome
have imagined (fee p. 253).
vni. THE eighth argument I fhall mention in proof
of the DiiTolution is drawn from the internal Structure
of the /bell of the earth. It is well known to thofe that
are in the lead converfant with philofophical matters,
that all the various fubftances of which the main body
of the earth confifts, are difpofed (as theChymifts caJJ
it) (Iratafuperftrata, or layer upon layer; and it is alfo
well known that fuch a Difpofition of things could na-
turally be the refult of nothing but ihefetttementof
thefe bodies in a dijfolvedjlate through fuch a Fluid as
Water. If, for inftance, you take a certain portion
of thefe bodies, and pulverize them to the fineft de-
269 J
gree imaginable and mix them as confufedly together
as pofiible, and let them fall through a dry Fluid,
fuch as the Air, they will fettle juft in the fame con-
fufed ftate as they were at firft, and without the leafi;
appearance of forming Jlrata : if, on the contrary,
you permit them to fubfide through water, they will
fettle more or fefs in parallel ftrata. Indeed it re-
quires twenty or thirty times the Quantity of water to
earth to make this layer-like fubfidence tolerably ap-
parent, even in the mixture of but three or four bo
dies. But the greater quantity of water you ufe, and
the finer you pulverize the fubftances, the more ap-
parent and regular the ftrata will be : yet after all
the Trials that can be made, the diftinction of ftrata
will never be fo exact as they are in the body of the
earth. It is not uncommon to fee in .the earth vaftly
large beds of ftone, coal, clay, &c. lying each upon
the other, at one depth the ftone above the coal, at
another depth the coal above the ftone, in one part
the clay above each, in another under all, &c. and
yet each of thefe ftrata fo diftinct in themfelves, and
fo nicely forted, that the ftone contains none of the
coal, nor the coal any of the ftone, nor does the clay
partake of either (^only each ftratum a little tinged on
the fides next to the adjoining ftrata). Now the
quantity of water requifite for effecting this mufl
have been immenfely great^ and the whole body of the
earth muft have been dijfohed to its very elements or
primogenial atoms, to produce fuch a regular affort-
ment of ftrata.
HAVING thus proved that the whole ftructure of
the earth has been unhinged, the conftituent parts
thereof feparated one from another, and aflumed up
into a large body of water -, I (hall now draw fome
conclufions from what has been advanced.
f 270]
1. SINCE the quantity of water requifite for thfi
aflumption of the dillolved parts of the earth, and the
fubfidence of them in regular ftrata, muft be vaitly
greater than what appears of this Fluid on the furtace
of the earth or in the Seas or Ocean, there muft be an
immenfely large body of water in the infide. I have ob-
ferved already indeed (p. 100.) that the water on the
furface of the terraqueous Giobe occupies more than
two thirds of the earth's fuperficies : butthen it muft
be remembered, that the land is ftill continued, in a,
great meafure, under this water : and from the ap-
pearance of iflands in the midft of large feas, at a great
diftance from the fea-fhore, and irom the many known
ridges of mountains that run under the fea, and front
the time, that, according to fcripture, the waters of
the deluge were retreating from the furface of the
earth, we muft conclude that the apertures in the
feas thro* which the water defcended are, comparative-
ly fpeaking, but ftfiall : fo that the Ihell of the earth
is in a manner continued quite under the feas (except
where the above apertures occur). And probably the
iand under any fea equals in bulk that fea itfelf. So
that upon a thorough infpection of the whole fhell of
the earth, the terreftrial parts vaftly exceed the waters*
And though there appears water enough upon the
furface of the globe abundantly fufficient for lardy
covering the dry- land ; yet there by no means appears
a quantity fufficirnt for dijfching or ajfuming up the
diffofoed parts of the earth, and permitting them to fubjide
in the manner we now find them : and fmce this quan-
tity does not appear upon the furface or within our
reach, it muft be in the infide, and there conftitute
an abyfs of water.
2. FROM the quantity of water neceffary for the
fublevation of the diifolved parts of the earth, we fee,
['7' J
that all folutions of a deluge, without having recourfe
to an Abyfsj muft fail or not anfwer the effects vifible
throughout the whole body of the earth. And hence,
I am furp'rized, that a modern ingenious Writer/
(whofe works I have made fome quotations from in
this Trad) mould attempt to folve it without the in-
troduction of fuch means. He imagines, that the
water of the Sea only would be fufficient for the work.
And in order to account for the elevation of this wa-
ter over the tops of the higheft mountains, he fup-
pofes, That the Omnipotent hand of GOD orfrft Al-
mighty Caufe lifted up the bottom or bed of the'fea, and
by that means poured its water all over the earth ;
and by letting it drop down again, reftored all things to
their former fituation : and fo the deluge was over.
This he is pleafed to call the eafieft and moft eligible
method of tranfacting this event : But I fuppofe that
all methods are equally eafy to Omnipotence ; and I
could mention an hundred other methods by which
GOD might have deluged the world, and yet neither
of them the true, though all equally eafy to the firfl
Caufe. The point to be decided is, What was the
method GOD did ufe ? If we can difcovrer this, we may
depend upon it, that 'That was the moft eligible. Now
GOD himfelf tells us, that in order to dejiroy the earth
by a flood of water, he broke up the Fountains of the
Ab_fs, and opened the windows of heaven (or the pa/agcs
of the air through the (hell of the earth) and fo unhinged
and dijjohed the whole globe. This I have (hewed to
be the Cafe from the ftate of the earth, from the Center
to the Circumference , and all nature bears ample tefti-
mony to the truth of the Word of GOD : and yet Mr.
Borlafe is pleafed to ridicule this method and cha-
racterize it as attended with ' the egregious abfurdities cf
{ Rev. Mr. BORLASE in his Natural Hijfory of Cornwall, p. 78.
an Abyfs, apertures, difruptibns of the Jhell, atid tht
' like :' I was forry to fee fuch words fall from fuch
an Author, and as he gives us reafon to think that he
will write fomething farther upon the fubjecl:, I hopb
he will kindly take this friendly hint* and re-confider
the affair.
3. FROM the certainty that the whole globe was
diffolved during the deluge we may fee the impro-
priety of his Lordfhip's opinion, that the fuperficial
parts only were affected during that cataftrophe* and
that the Rubble and Slutch left by the deluge on the
furface of the earth are the only marks of its devafta-
tion i s but we have feen that the Very form of the
earth throughout, its internal conftitution, its difpo-
fition in ftrata, and thefe ftrata abounding with the
exuviae of land and fea animals, &c. manifeftly de-
jmonflrate its DifTolution in every part. Though
indeed there is one circumftance even in the Rubble and
Slutch that indicates the DiJJoluticn of the whole earth,
and therefore may not improperly be mentioned in this
place. After all the refearches I could make, Or the
bed teftimonies I could procure, I could never learn
that there was ever any ante-diluvian artificial thing ,
either utenfil or weapon of ftone, iron, or brafs, &c.
found in the Rubble as naturally left there by the
waters of the deluge. All things of this kind that I
have feen were evidently found in places where the
Rubble had been diflurbed, fuch as in old caftles,
camps, &c. and therefore the things themfelves might
have been pofterior to the Deluge. And, though the
Rubble itfelt lies in an irregular manner (with refpecl
to the regularity of Strata) yet it is not fo irregular,
but that had it been diflurbed or broken through by
digging, &c. the rupture would have been vifible :
* See of this Traft p. 14, &c.
['73 1
F&r as it confifts of ftreaks and feams extended length-^
ways or inclined in wave-like directions, any perpen-
dicular irruption muft have been difcernible. So that
if the Rubble, left by the deluge, naturally contains-
no metallic or mineral fubftance worked by the art of
man or engraven by his device, we may then juftly.
conclude that all fuch inftruments, and of courfe all
matter of the fame kind with them, -/'. e. all the me-
tallic and mineral fubftances in the whole body of the
earth, were diffblved during the deluge.
4. IT may feem ftrange to fome, how it was pofli-
ble that all the diffblved parts of the earth mould float in
or be fupported by fuch a thin fubftance as Water.
But to folve this difficulty, let it be remembered,
that they were diffohed, and alfo to their fineft parts or
original atoms. Salt and Sugar, when in maffes, will
both fmk in water, but v'hen the parts thereof are dif-
united and feparated one from another, they are eafily
fuftained thereby : and the quantity of Salt that is 1
fwimming in the waters of the Ocean is inconceivably
great, and if collected in one mafs would be immenfe-
ly weighty. Then too, there is no water whatever,
even the moil limpid, but what contains a great va-
riety of earthy particles, a? chymical experiments un-
deniably mew : Nay, that there is a fpecies of water
Or of a fluid (Aqua regia) that will difiblve and fup-
port the dirlblved parts of the heavieft of terreftrial
bodies, Gold; and though the particles of the gold
fhall be fwimming in or difperfed through every pare
of this fluid, yet the whole mail be as clear as chryftal.
Or, wh.lt is more to the purpofe, a Thunder-cloud.,
big with a deluge of rain, and containing a vaft varie-
ty of terreftrial fubftances, is yet fupported, at a con-
fiderable diftance from the earth, by fuch a thin fluid
as the air : now according to Scripture, at the time
of the deluge there was a large body of expanding
T
[274]
air" in the infide of the earth, acting or prelling from
beneath upwards, i. e. from the centre to the circum-
ference, which therefore would counter-act and in
fome degree abate the force of the perpendicular
preffure of the air or expanfe upon the furface of
the earth^ and by this means leflen the power, of,
what is called, the Gravity of bodies , and fo make them
lighter ; as is the cafe in rainy or mifty weather, when
bodies do not weigh fo heavy as at other times, and
when, on account of thcfe afcending fleams impeding
the preffure of the atmofphere, the mercury alfo irr
the barometer fubfides and finks.. Such being the
ftate of the earth during the time of the deluge, it
was really no more wonderful, that the water of the
terraqueous globe (which in all probability exceeds in.
bulk feveral thoufand times the quantity of earth)
fhould fuftain all the diffolved ftrata thereof, with
the exuviae of animals and vegetables then deftroyed,
than that a thunder- cloud fhould contain and fupport
a vaft variety of mineral and metallic effluvia, inter-
mixt with hail-ftones of various fizes , for in both
cafes a body of expanding air was the bafis and prop :
and Air, as i have already mewed (p. 34), will keep
water above as well as under it. That the ftate
of the Earth and Air, during the time of the deluge,
was really different from what it is at prefent, is very
manifeft from feveral effects, then tranfacted, and now
viable, in the terraqueous globe. Certain it is, that
neither the ftrata of the earth, nor the heterogeneous
bodies enclofed therein, do lie according to the Lawz
of fpecific Gravity^ or as bodies would fettle at prefent.
It is as common to find heavier ftrata above lighter
as lighter above heavier : and the fame kind of ftrata
(after the interpofition of both heavier and lighter.
ones) repeated ; and remitting the whole in a retro-
grade order. So that this phenomenon feems plainly
[ 275 i
to point out the actions of two Agents, one that acted
from above downwards, the other, from beneath up-
wards : from whence it mould follow, that at the fame
time as the downright perpendicular preffure of the
Air feparated and precipitated any fpecies of terreftrial
atoms through the waters of the deluge and formed
them into a ftratum, the fame alfo did the Air from
beneath, with refpect to the fame fpecies on the' op-
pofite fide. , To effect which alfo there muft have
been a total diffolution of the terreftrial Globe, other-
wife there could never have been fuch a free and eafy
accefs for the Air to and from the Center. And
what further mews, that there was a body of Air or
fome Agent at the center of the earth during the time
of the deluge, which counter- acted the force of Gra-
vity, is, the manner in which the diluvian Spars and
Cryftals are at prefent found ; the moots of fuch be-
ing in fome places perpendicularly upright, in others
varied in all kinds of direction, but generally fpeaking
they are in an horizontal pofition^ fo that the angles
and columns meet in and interfect each other from the
fides of the vein or fiffure. But as the Spar that has
been formed fince the deluge, or, as the Miners call
it, that is forming at this day, is always pointed down-
wards, (unlefs where the rock intervenes, and diverts
its natural courfe) hanging like icicles from the tops
and arches of caverns, grotto's, &c. in form of Sta-
laftitx ; it is evident that the preffure Of the Air down-
ward is at prefent ftronger than it was at the time of
the Deluge : and as many of the diluvian Spars and
Cryftals are pointing perpendicularly upright, it mews
that the force of the air from beneath upwards was
then ftronger than it is now : and of courie that the
gravity of bodies Was lefs, and fo more eafily fuitain-
able in the waters of the flood than fuch bodies would
be now.
T 2
FOURTHLY,
HAVING thus proved that all the folid ftructure of
the earth has been diffolved, and the diffolved parts'
thereof affumed up into, and fupported by, a large
iphere of water.
I AM now to mew, that all this diffolved matter, to-
gether with the animal and vegetable bodies indofed within
it, fubjided again, and formed the prefent folid ftrata of
the earth.
I HAVE obferved already (p. 156) that there is fuch
a clofe Connection between the feveral parts of the
Subject I have been treating, or the Heads I have
been naturally led to divide it into, that very often
one and the fame argument would prove feveral of
thefe heads ; and fo it has come to pafs that the dif-
cuffion of the former articles of this Section has in a
manner exhaufted thisiaft. For, infhortthis laft de-
pends entirely upon the truth of the Cafe as repre-
fented in the former. All the arguments that 1 have
there brought in proof of the Hood, the Dijfolution,
&c. were entirely taken from the prefent ftate of the
earth. If therefore the foundation, on which thofe
arguments were built, was found, or the ftate of the
Earth juftly given, little more need be faid in this
place. And in order that the reader mould not rely
barely upon my teftimony, I have fubjoined, under
each of the former articles, the teftimonies of a variety
of authors, who lived in different times, and in very
diftant places : fo that in a manner the voice of all
mankind, and the face of the whole earth, fpeaks the
truth of what I have endeavoured to prove.
' WHAT weight thefe teftimonies ought to have (to
* fpeak in the words of the celebrated Author of Reve-
' lation examined with Candour) the reader will beft
' J ac ^S e: Teftimonies fo numerous, fo various, fo
' difconcerted, and yet fo connected, is it poifible,
[ *77 3
-that they can deceive ? Could all nations confpire
with all nations, and all ages with all ages, to im-
pofe upon themfelves, and their pofterity ? Could
the religion of the true GOD, and the religion of
the Syrian goddefs ! the Jews and the Heathens,
that hated them ! Mofes and Melo his enemy ! tra-
dition confpire with hiftory, and hiftory with my-
thology ! men of all characters, complexions, con-
ditions, and perfuafions ! Plutarch with Berofus^
Benjamin the Jew with Chryfoftom^ and Lttcian with
both ! Plato with Pliny, and Dio with Fakonerius !
the imaginations of poets, and the experiments of
naturalifts ! antiquity, poetry, philoibphy, and
philology ! wifdo-m, and folly ! truth, and fiction !
regions unknown ta' one another ! and regions that
never heard of one another ! the Greeks , and the Hot-
tentots! the Perfians, and the Banians! Afia, with the
ides of the G.entilcs ! and America with both ! all con-
fpire to eflabiim one univerfal delufion! And ALL
NATURE join in the atteftation , produce all her ani-
mals, and all her vegetables, all her heights, and all
her depths, her mountains, her vales, her levels,
to vouch one univerfal lye, with all the IRRESISTIBLE
EVIDENCE OF TRUTH.'
SURELY thofe who fee not the Force of the Evidence
in this particular muft wilfully ftiut their eyes againft
the truth ; and may juftly be characterifed with a fet of
people (if they are not themfelves the very people)
fpoken of by St. PetersIn the LAST DAYS/M// come
SCOFFERS walking after their own lufls, and faying,
where is the promife of bis (Chrift'jJ Coming; for fince
[or as it mould be rendered, except that' 1 } the fathers
2 Epift. iii. 3.
See Hammond on the text.
i 278 3
fell ajleep, [faye only-, that our fathers or all the men
.that have lived upon the earth are dead, and others
now live in their fteacf] all things continue as they
were from th: beginning of the Creation-, i. e. there ha_th
been no material alteration in heaven or earth that
can evidence the Interpofition of Providence in the
affairs of men, either to puniih the wicked or reward
the good, and therefore we may do as we pleafe,
walk after our own lufts, &c. For this (continues the
Apoille) they are WILLINGLY IGNORANT OF, T'hat by
the Word of GOD the heavens were of old, and the earth
ftanding out qf the water and in the water: whereby the
World that then was, being overflowed with water, pe-
rijhed: that is, the Eyes of their underflandings are fo
blinded by a wilful purfuit after their pajjions and lufts
that they cannot fee, or will not acknowledge, (if
they do) the plaineft truths in Nature -, they will not
own, what all the world befides confefleth, what all
ages have maintain'd, what is faithfully recorded in
the written word of GOD, and what is engraven in the
deepeft characters all over the face of the earth, and
what they may have (which infidels fo often demand)
ocular demonjlration of the truth of, viz. THAT THERE
HAS BEEN AN UNIVERSAL DELUGE, and that the Threat-
fling pronounced by GOD, four thoufand years ago,
on a wicked, race of mortals was really accomplished,
viz.' And GOD faid unto Noah, the end ofallflejh is come
before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them,
'and I will deftroy them* i. e, the inhabitants, -with the
earth that bare them : and which through its abundant
Fertility (abufed by them) furnifhes provifion only For
their lufts, luxury, and idolatry. The Evidences of
this Deflruction are fuch, that the very bodies or
bones of the perfons thus deftroyed, together with the
* Gen. vi. 13.
[ 279 !
animal creation that perimed with them, are flill re-
maining as {landing, ftriking Monuments of this ex-
ecution of Divine Wrath upon a wicked world, and
.are to be feen in every part of the Earth, not only
upon the furface, hut in die very folid fubftance
of it, not only in vallies and dales, but upon the
tops of the higheft mountains and eminences, and
buried alfo to the greateft depths that human art
or labour has ever penetrated. Certain then it is
that this whole earth has been deflroy'd, all the folid
ftructure of it unhinged, broken to pieces, and re-
duced to its original loofe chaotic flate, and afterwards
formed anew into its prefent folid, beautiful and con-
venient fhape. Effects thefe fo great ! that they could
never have happened of themfelves, never have been
the performance of blind inanimate matter. Matter
cannot even deftroy itfelf, much lefs, when deftroyed,
form itfelf anew. Thefe tranfactions therefore muft
have been effected by a Being fuperior to all the
Powers of Nature : and they carry in themfelves fuch
.evident marks of Wifdom y Power, Goodnefs and Jufltce^
that they not only prove that there is a GOD, but
alfo that He GOVERNS the World.
IT may not be unentertaining nor uninftructive to
the reader, with refpect to the fubject of this book,
if (before I conclude) I prefent him with a paraphrafe
in verfe of the iO4th Pfalm, as compofed by my fa-
ther from the true fenfe of the Original *, fince that
Pfalm contains, among other things, a defcription of
the two principal Particulars difcufled in this Tract,
viz. tbe Manner ', in which the Earth was at firjl formed^
and tbe Manner in which it was deftroyed and formed
anew-, at the time of the Deluge.
T ?
The Hundred and Fourth PSALM
PARAPHRASED
By the late Rev. Mr. A. S. CATCOTT.
TT^XERT thy reas ? ning powers, my vital Frame,
*-' And grateful praife the great JEHOVAH's name ;
Hail thou who ART ! refiftlefs in thy might,
Array'd in glory and majeftick light !
As a wide tent, extended over -head,
Thy forming hands the vaft Expanfe out-fpred,
Whofe binding force the fluid Orb reftrain'd,
And reach'd thofe atoms the loofe ma-fs contain'd.
Whence the firm ftrata, which the Globe compofe,
Each over each in mounting flories rofe.
Onward it mov'd, impell'd by grains of air ;
The wings of winds the floating Orb upbare.
With J double impulfe pufh'd the Spirit's force,
And Light primeval fteer'd it in its courle.
1 As mnn being in the plural number, indicates. The
Wind or Spirit and the Light or a Flame of Fire were the Agents or
Ministers that GOD made ufe of in garni/hing the Heavens and in
forming the Earth, as I have <hewed p. 26, &c. of this Tract.
As the Works 6f Nature are here fpoken of, it is certainly more
natural to fuppofe the material Angds or Agents are here meaijt
than immaterial 'j&dfh-iiual Beins.
[ 28l ]
On th' Airs, as bafes, he machin'd the Sphere,
And firmly bid the folid parts cohere.
As yet the Shell beneath the waters lay,
And future mountains had not leen the day.
At thy command th' affrighted waters fled,
And fought, tumultous,- their appointed bed.
O'er hills they roll'd, and followed the defcent,
Deep channels tore, and the fplit valleys rent.
There lodg'd, in Earth's capacious Womb, they reft,
By the ftrong Heav'n's expanfivepow'r.comprefs'd.
Their bound'ries ftill their raging waves confine,
Bound'ries unmov'd by any pow'r but thine.
Hence rais'd in {team, they work their fecret way, -*
In lowly vales thro' openings meet the day,
Or trickling 'twixt the winding mountains ftray.
Here haunt the Beafls, and find a cool retreat, - ,-
And parch'd wild Aflfes quench their thirfly heat.
In neighb'ring trees, amidft the leafy fprays,
Birds build their nefts, and chaunt their chearful lays.
The oozing fprings bedew the moffy hills,
And thence glide down the fertile vale in rills :
Hence new in ftrength the fatu rated Soil
With verdant grafs fupports the cattle's toil ;
With various herbs for human ufe is crown'd,
Or yellow harveftsload the fruitful ground,
[ 282 ]
Hence 'rife th* effects of induftry and art ;
Hence bread is form'd the ftrength'ner of the heart.
From fwelling grapes the foaming wine is prefs'd,
Diffufmg gladnefs o'er the penfive bread.
Oil with youth's bloom renews each fading grace.
And iheds frefh glories o'er the beauteous face.
Trees, facred emblems, and once Edtn\ pride,
From the fame ftorehoufe are with fap fupply'd \
Cedars, which Lebanon's high fummits grace,
Set there by GOD, coeval with their place :
Lodg'd in whofe branches Fowls fecurely reft ;
And tow'ring firs which yield the ftork a neft.
On higheft hills the fhy Chamois are found ;
And delving Conies bore the rocky ground.
The Moon's fair Light (her Orb by dated force
Impell'd) determines periods by its courfe :
The Sun more glorious runs its known career.
And gilds by turns each mifting hemifphere.
The light goes off, and night fucceeds the day ;
The beafts come forth, and proul in fearch of prey.
With hunger pinch'd the whelps of lions roar,
And from their Maker's hand their meat implore.
Again the Light irradiates on the Sphere ;
The Beafts retire to dens, and difappear.
m i. e . Set there by Nature or the Author of Nature y in oppoft-
tion to thofe//a/^ by the Art of Man.
f 283 3
Men -iffuing forth their daily toils attend,
'Till ev'ning-twilight bids their labours end,
O great JEHOVAH 1 dreadful, glorious name!
What wonders fill this univerfal frame !
In ALL thy fovereign wifdom mines exprefs'd j
But thou profufely kind this globe haft blefs'd :
How yaft the Sea ! magnificently fpred !
Of Creatures numberlefs the fpacious bed !
.O'er the wide level mips purfue their way,
And huge fea-monfters tofs the deep in play.
All wait on thee, and thou fupremely good,
In proper feafon giv'ft to all their food :
Thou giv'ft, They take, thine hand thou open'ft wide,
Whence all, that live, with plenty are fupply'd.
When once from earth thy prefence difappear'd,
Man's impious race impending vengeance fear'd.
The world's great courfe was chang'd j no more fupply'd
With vital fpirit; all expir'd, and dy'd.
Ev*n Nature's adamantine chain was loos'd,
And things to their primaeval ftate reduc'd.
Soon as thou bad'ft the Spirit work again,
And as at firft the fluid Orb reftrain;
New forms appear'd refemblant of the old,
And Earth was cloath'd with vegetable Mold.
t 2*4 ] .
But he whofe mbkm GLORY is, whole name
JEHOVAH is, for ever IS the fame.
When e'er his works propitious he furveys,
Nature proceeds fuccefsful in her ways ;
But when in wrath his flaming bolts are hurl'd,
The mountains fmoke, and tremblings make the world,
So long as Life fupports this breathing frame,
I'll fing my Saviour, great JEHOVAH'S Name.
When Thought of him my ravifh'd foul employs,
I feel a foretafte of immortal joys.
While fliort on earth the pleafures are, that flow
From Sin, and lollow'd by eternal Woe :
My vital frame ! the great JEHOVAH blefs,
Adore his Goodnefs, and his Pow'r confefs.
* *
APPENDIX.
JUST after I had printed the fheet, relating to the
manner in which I apprehend America was >y
peopled, I had occafion to go to Oxford^ and took that
opportunity of carrying the fheet with me, in order
to have the opinion of a friend upon it. He deferred
reading it while I was prefent, and promifed to fend
me an anfwer by the poft. In the mean time he fent
it to the Rev. Mr. Jones, of Wadenho in Nortbampton-
Jhire, (a common friend to us both) as having heard
that that gentleman had particularly confidered the
fubjeft, and had difcovered a method of fblving the
difficulty. Soon after which I received the following
letter from Mr. Jones, containing a folution of the
affair in the very fame manner as that propofed in this
Tradt : and as his letter has feveral corroborating proofs,
I thought proper to affix it here, as alfo an extract
from a Spanijb Writer, containing/^* other Jlrengthen-
ing circumftances, which I did not difcover 'till I had
printed the above-mentioned meet.
The Rev. Mr. JONES'S Letter.
s I R,
T HAVE lately been favoured with a fight of fome
printed Pages, containing that part ot your work,
in which you account (or the peopling of the American
Continent. The point docs well deierve to be ex-
[ 2 86 1
amined and cleared up; many writers, of little know-
kdge and lefs Faith, having made the obfcufe ftate in
which that part of the globe remained for fo many
Ages* an handle for perplexing weak minds with
doubts about the authenticity of fome Articles related
in the Holy Scripture.
I WAS much pleafed to find, that, without knowing
it, you are come to the fame conclufion with myfelf,
and, in part, by the fame premifes too. A$ we have
both fallen upon the fame fcheme, without confulting
one another, it is to be prefumed, that neither of us
can be very far from the truth.
THAT the Weftern Continent did once communicate
more nearly with Europe and Africa, than it does at
prefent, I was firft inclined to believe on reading the
following account of Teneriffe, one of the Canary
Iflands. That the whole Ifland is deeply impreg-
nated with Brimftom, and is fuppofed in former ages to
have taken fire, and blown up all at the fame time.
That many mountains of huge Stones, calcined and
burnt, which appear every where about the Ifland,
were raifed and heaved up out of the bowels of the
Earth at the time of that general conflagration ; and
that even the Pico Teneriffe itfelf was raifed up by this
means to that amazing height at which it is now feen.
Huge heaps of thefe calcined rocks, or pumice {tones,
are fpread for three or four miles round the bottom of
the Pico, in fuch a manner, as to perfuade any be-
holder that it muft have been generated by the fudden
eruption of a Volcano: and even to this day, the
mountain fmoaks and burns perpetually, and there re-
main the very tracts of the burning rivers of Sulphur,
as they ran all over the South- weftern parts of the
Ifland, and deftroyed the ground pait recovery.
There is a Volcano in another of the Canaries, called
the Palme Ifland, which raged fo about twelve years
before this account was written, that it caufed a vio-
lent Earthquake in Teneriffe, though at the dtiiance of
near twenty leagues, and the people ran out of their
houfes, fearing they would have fallen upon their
heads/
Now as it appeared to me, from this relation, that
the Pico was certainly thrown up by the eruption of a-
Volcano, and an Earthquake, in all probability the
moil violent that ever happened in the world, and
fuch as muft have made ftrange havock. The monu-
ment of this Cataftpophe being ib fingular in its height,
a Thought fuddenly ftruck me, that in fome very
remote age, a great alteration might have been made
in this part of the globe, and a vaft tract of land fw al-
lowed up in doe Ocean, of which the -Canaries, Azores.,
and perhaps the great banks of Newfoundland alfo, are
fo many remaining fragments, Handing like pieces of
a wreck above the waves, and ftill exhibiting to us
fome foot-fteps, as it were, of the ancient path that
once led from Africa to the Weft-Indies. I was fo
poffeffed with this notion, that I could not help propof-
ing it to fome learned friends, long before I had
heard of Plato's tradition, as a probable conjecture*
n For thefe particulars, fee Dr. Sprat's Hift. of the Royal So-
ciety, p. 200.
This Suppojition will not at all invalidate the Account given of
the Formation of Mountains, p. 159; for the Pico is no other than a
formlefs Maj's or huge Heap of Rubbijb, confifting of&urnt Stones and'
Cinders, and was as certainly thrown out by a Volcano as the fa-
mous Monte di Cinere in the Lucrine Lake was, or as thofe little^
Iflands or rather Moles in the bay of Sant-Erini in the Archipelago,
were raifed by fubterranean fires and combuftible Explofions in
the year 1707 [fee N' 314. of Pbilof. Tranf,}. As neither of
thefe Eminences have any thing fimilar to the horizontal Jhata or
internal Conftitution of Mountains ; fo they cannot come under the
denomination of fuch, nor ought they to be called Mountains or
IJla.ndsy as fome writers have named them.
whereb^ the peopling of America might be accouhtea
for i and endeavoured to recommend it to their con-
fideration, by placing a terreftrial Globe before them.
You may imagine then, with what fatisfaclion I
found this opinion confirmed even beyond my hopes,
when the paffage you have extracted from Plato's Ti-
m<us firft occurred to me. This paftage is referred to
by Pliny the natural hiftorian,? and it is hafdly to be
imagined, that fuch a curiofity in its kind mould
efcape the notice of fo indefatigable a Compiler;
though it was of much lefs value to him then, than
to us now. America was then unknown ; and there
was no profpect, that the tradition, which Solon pickt
up in Egypt, would ever be confirmed as an article
ot true hiftory by the difcovery of a new world.
Therefore Pliny fpeaks of it with fome doubt, inferring
the words -fi Platoni credimus : and fome of the anci-
ent Commentators on the works of Plato, did for thd
fame reafon convert the whole into an Allegory. And
fome excufe may be made for the Critics who did ic
in thofe days, but none at all for thole who would do
it now ; as it muft appear to any perfon that will con-
fult the judgment of Serranus in this matter, who, in
in his preface to the Tim^us, is very fevere upon thefe
unfeafonable allegorizers, and refutes them copioufly
from the words of P/tf/0himfelf. It was very ill-judged
in Acofta, therefore to mention this (lory from Plato,
and put it off with the obfolete pretence of it's being
an allegorical difcourfe.i He hath indeed urged fome
reafons in defence of what he fays, but they are too
trivial to deferve any particular confideration. We
p Intotum (mare fcil.) abftulit terras, primurn omnium uii Atlan-
ticu:;i mare eft, Ji Platoni credimus, immenfo fpatio. Plin. Nat.
Hift. Lib. 2. cap. 90.
Cs Nat, and Moral Htf. of the Indies, p. 72.
fa??]
are obliged then to underftand it as an hiftorical tradi-
tion. Thofe who are inclined to flight it, and think
the Earthquake Plato has defcribed is incredible, be-
caufe fome fabulous circumftances are blended with
the account, Ihould endeavour to (hew us, what could
pofiibly give rile to fuch a Report in the eafterrt
world : for that Plato fhould fo exprefly defcribe an
oppofite continent '1w KoclocflMgv rpru^bv} fuch as is aclu*
ally now difcovered, together with the way that led
to it from the Streights of Gibraltar^ and that this
ftrange report fhould be grounded on no antient know-
ledge of the American continent, and prove to be true
afterwards only by accident all this would be more
incredible than the matter reported, which, if the
natural monuments of this great Earthquake, frill
fubfifting, are taken into the account^ has all the ap-
pearance of truth that can be defired.
The celebrated Abbe le Plufche, Author of the Spefta-
cle de la Nature? tells us, it has been aflerted by many
learned men, that there was formerly a communication
between Africa and America: but he unfortunately
fuppofes this opinion to have been wholly derived
from a miftake in Ptolomy\ antient Chart of the then-
known world, which ftretches out the continent of
Africa too far to the Weft; and obferves withal, -that
the pretenfion is defeated by what Herodotus relates, of
the voyage that was frequently made from the Red Sea,
round the Cape of good hope, to the Pillars of Hercules 5
which could not have been, had the continent of
Africa been extended to the Weft-Indies. This Objec-
tion will not in the leaft affect any thing you have laid
upon the Subject : ior Herodotus is fpeaking of what
was done long after the Divifion of the continents had
U
I Vol. 4. p. 43-
[ 2 9 ]
taken place ; and even before that divifion, according
to the Geography of Plato ^ there was a gulf which af-
forded a pafiage round the weftern coaft of Africk, to
the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea.
No reaibnable Objection, therefore, can be made to
your Solution of this difficulty. Every candid In-
quirer into Antiquity and Phyfical Knowledge, will
hold himielf obliged to you for the curious Obferva-
tions you have thrown in by the way ; and the piety
of your defign muft recommend it to every fmcere
friend of Divine Revelation.
BEFORE I conclude, it may not be impertinent to
add, that although the more Southerly parts of the
continent of America were originally peopled, in your
way, from the countries that lie near the Mediterra-
nean ; it is by no means improbable, that the Northern
parts may have received inhabitants from fome other
quarters of the Globe,
IN a Natural Hiftory of Greenland, written fo lately
as the year 1 741, by Hans Egidius, a Danijh Miflionary,
we are informed, that it is yet undetermined whether
Greenland does not join to America, on the North- well
fide, round Da-vis's Streights. The Hiftorian himfelf
inclines to the affirmative. He adds moreover, that
the Norwegians, who difcovered it in 982, were not
the firft inhabitants -, fcr that they found 'wild people on
the Weft-fide of the country, whom he takes to have been
Americans. Now the Country of Greenland, to. the
South- eafl, is not fo far, either from Iceland, Lapland,
or Norway, but that various accidents in former ages
may have occafioned fome communication between
them. And thus much for the Norib-wefterly parts of
America. If we go to the North-eajlerly parts, it is ftill
more probable, that fome colonies may have been
transplanted thither from Tartary. Father Avril^ a
Jefuit-Miffionary of France, who with fome others
[ 2 9 I
undertook the difcovery of a new way by land into
China, met with a famous Naturalift among the Muf-
covites, who gave him the following account.
* That in the extreme parts ofTartary, to the North-
* eaft, there is a great River, called Kawoina, at the
* mouth of which is a fpacious Ifland well peopled.
4 The Inhabitants go frequently, with their wives and
4 families, upon the frozen Sea, to hunt the Behemoth,
* an amphibious animal, whofe Teeth are in great re-
4 queft. It happens many times, that being furprized
4 by a fudden Thaw, they are cut off from all commu-
* nication with the land, and carried away, no-body
4 knows whither, on huge floating Iflands of Ice, For
* my own part (added this philofopher) I am perfuaded,
4 feveral of thefe Hunters have been carried to the
* mod Northern parts of America, which are not far
4 off: and what confirms me in this, the Americans of
4 thofe parts have the fame countenance and com-
4 plexion with thofe unfortunate Iflanders, whom a
4 violent thirft after gain, expofesin that manner to be
* tranfported into a foreign region.' 1 The Hiftorian
adds trom his own Oblervation, that there are alfo,
in that part of America, feveral of thofe creatures
which are fo common in Mufeovy, and efpecially
Beavers, which might have been conveyed by the fame
means. But to determine a matter of fuch impor-
tance, it mould be enquired, whether there is any af-
finity between their languages ; for if that fhould ap-
pear, there would remain no farther doubt.
As to the Author you have undertaken to confute,
he, itfeems, would have America to have been exempt
from that Deluge, by which the reft of the world was
overflowed. This, as you juftly obfcrve, is con-
T 2
d-vril's Travels, p. 176,
[ 292 ]
futed by a tradition among the Americans themfelves
concerning the Flood : and it is certainly put out of
all difpute by the natural Evidence afforded by the
country itlelf, in which the fpoils of the Sea are found
as plentifully as in other parts of the world. If I re-
member right, I once communicated to you fome
fpecimens ot Fofill bodies that came from thence.
Since that time, you muft undoubtedly have enriched
your Collection wifh a great many more from the
I am, Sir,
(Heartily wifhing you all fuccefs in your laudable Undertaking,)
Tour very fine ere Friend,
W A D E N H o, Jlnd obedient bumble Servant,
June 20, I/6l, W. y.
AN EXTRACT FROM
L'Hifloiredela Decouverte et dela Conquet
Traduite de L'Elpagnol D'Aucusriw DE ZARATE,
Par. S. D. C.
A AMSTERDAM; Ann. 1700.
ANY doubts and objections have been formed
' concerning the firft people who fome ages
* fince dwelt in Peru^ and it has been often afk'd,
' How could they get thither, feeing this country is
' (as it really is) parted by luch an extent of ocean
"from that where the firft inhabitants of this world
'lived? It feerns to me that this difficulty may be
* folv'd by an account given by Plato in his Tiat<eMS or
c Dialogue on Nature, and which he fets down more
' fully in the following (the Atlantic) Dialogue.
T% /T
J[VJL
[293 ]
* There he relates, that ' the ^Egyptians faid in honour
" of the Athenians, that, after the defeat of fome cer-
<l tain kings who carne by fea with a numerous army,
" they had part of a vaft ifland called Atlantique, juft
" beyond the pillars of Hercules. That this ifland was
<c larger than all AJia and Africa together, and that
" it was divided into ten kingdoms by Neptune, one
*' of which he allotted to each of his ten fons, beftow-
<c ing the largeft and bed on his eldeft fon Atlas.' To
c this he adds divers particulars concerning the cuf-
* toms and the wealth of this ifle, but above all about
* a fumptuous temple in the metropolis, the walls of
c which were entirely deck'd and covered with gold
* and filver, and the roof covered with copper, with
* many other particulars too long to enumerate here,
' and which may be feen in the original. It is certain
4 that many of the cuftoms and ceremonies mention'd
' by this author are yet to be feen in the provinces of
* Peru. From this ifle one may pafs to other large
* iflands beyond, and which are not far from the firm
c land, near which is the true fea. But hear the words
4 of Plato in the beginning of his Timteus, where So-
' crates thus harangues the Athenians, ' It is look'd OH
" as a faft that in times paft your city refilled a great
" number of enemies who came from the Atlantic Sea,
" and had taken and poffeffed almoft all Europe and
" Afia ; for then this flrait was navigable, and near
" it was an ifland juft beyond the pillars of Hercules^
" which they. faid was larger than Afia and Africa put
*' together : from this ifland was an eafy paflage to
*' others that were near it, and oppofite the Continent
" or the main land bordering on the true fea , for one
"may juftly call that fea the true fea or ocean, and
" the land I mentioned the Continent or main Land.'
* Juft below Plato adds, ' Nine thoufand years ago
" happened a great change, the fea furrounding this
L 294 J
* ifle fwell'd fo high by a prodigious increafe of water,
* fc that in one day and night it cover'd the whole ifland,
" and fwallow'd and totally cngulph'd it , and that
" the fea in this place has been ever fmce fo filPd
" with mud and fands, that no one can fail over it,
* c or pafs by it to thofe other iflands on the firm land.'
* Some deem this relation an allegory as Marftlius Ft-
* cinus tells us in his notes on Tim^us. Neverthelefs
* mod commentators on Plato, even Platinus and Fi-
* ttj himfdf look on this account not as a fiction but
' an bifterical Truth. Befides ; one can by no means
* think that the 9000 years which he mentions is a
* proof of its being a fable, becaufe according to Eu-
doxus one muft count them after the ^Egyptian man-
< ner, not as folar, but as lunar years, that is to fay,
9000 months, anfwering to 750 years. On this
< fubject one may obferve, that all Hiftorians and Col-
mographers antient and modern, call that Sea in
which this ifland was engulph'd the ATLANTIC O-
CEAN, retaining even the very Name the ifland bore ;
which feems a fufficient proof that there had been
fuch an ifland. Admitting then the truth of this
* hiftory, no one can deny this ifland (beginning near
* the ftraits of Gibraltar) to have been of that extent,
* from the north fouthward and from the eaft weft-
c ward, as to be more than as large as Afia and Africa.
4 By the other neighbouring iflands are doubtlefs meant
* Hifpaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, St. Johns, and thofe on
* the Coaft. By the Continent or Firm-land, (oppofite
* to thofe ifles) mentioned by Plato, is certainly meant
That land which is even to this day called Terra Fir-
* ma, with the other provinces, which from Magellan
< northward comprife Peru, Popfiyan, Cas-del-oro, Pa-
' raguay, Nicaragua, Guatimala, New-Spain, Se-ven-
' towns, Florida, the Bacullaos, and north up to Nor-
* way. Without doubt this vail tract of land is
1 295]
c larger than the three quarters of the then known
world. And one mufl not be furprized at this new
c world's not having been difcover'd by the Rowans,
' or any of thofe other nations that at different times
6 abode in Spain , becaufe one may reafonably imagine
' that the 'fore- mentioned fuppofed difficulty of na-
vigating this fea then remained. This indeed I
c have heard faid, and can fee no difficulty in believ-
ing that this mould eafily prevent the difcovery of
< this new-world mentioned by Plato. The authority
c of this philolbpher is enough to convince me of
< the truth of this affair, and I make no queflion
* but our new found world is the fame as that main
Land or Continent of which he fpeaks , as whatever
c he has faid of it perfectly correfponds with our mo-
* dern Difcoveries ; particularly in what he fays of
c this land, that it is adjacent to the true fea y which
' is what we now call the Great South Sea ^ in com-
1 parifon of the vail extent of which, the Mediterranen
* Sea and Northern Ocean are but as rivers. Having
' cleared up this difficulty thus far it feems no way
* hard to fuppofe, that men could eafily pafs from the
c Atlantic and its neighbouring TJles to what we call the
c Continent or Terra Firma, and thence by land or
' even by the South Sea to Pent.
' THUS I have declared what feems to me tnoft
c probable on a fubjecl fo perplexed, on account of its
* antiquity, and alfo becaufe one can get no intelli-
' gence from the inhabitants of Peru , who know not
* the ufe of letters or writing to preferve the memory
c of things paft. In New Spain indeed they have
' certain pictures which ferve them for letters and
' books ; but in Peru they have nothing but knotted
' firings of various colours : It is true, by means of
thefe knots, and the diftance they are fet at from
' each other they comprehend (though butconfufedly)
[296]
* any thing, as I fhall mew at large in this hiftory of
* of Peru. In regard to the difcovery of thefe vafb
* tracts of land, what Seneca fays, as it were in a pro-
phetical fenfe, in his Medea, feems to me to be not
* unapplicable,
" Venient annis Ssecula feris,
" Quibus Oceanus vincula rerum
" Laxet, novoique Tiphys detegat orbes.
" Atque ingens pateat tellus,
" Nee fit terris ultima Thule.*
" In lateft times our hardy fons mall brave
" Stern Oceans' rage, and ftem the diftant wave,
" In them reviv'd lhall Vtybys wond'ring fee
" The new-found world, emerging from the fea ;
" No more (hall fhule be the utmoft bound,
*' But earth from pole to pole be fearched round."
FINIS.
*,#*#,,#,,*#*#.*
* A I
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