8.

7.

that they might thereby the better accommodate them felves to their new Center; as others.

That they were not left upon the Sea's being protruded forwards, and conftrained to fall off from certain Coafts, which it formerly poffeffed, by the Mud or Earth which is difcharged into it by Rivers; the faid Mud being repos'd along the Shores near the Oftia of thofe Rivers, and by that Means making continual Additions to the Land, thereby excluding the Sea, dayly invading and gaining upon it, and preferving thefe Shells as Trophies and Signs of its new Acquefts and Encroachments; which Others have imagined; they concluding that the Ilands Echinades, the Lower Egypt, Theffaly, and many other Countries, were thus rais'd out of the Mud brought down by Achelous, the Nile, Peneus, and other Rivers.

Laftly. That they were not left by the Sea's continual flitting and fhifting its Chanel, this Progreffion being occafion'd by the Sea's wearing and gaining upon one Shore, and flinging up Mud, and, together with it, thefe Shells,

Shells, upon the other, or oppofite Coafts, thereby making perpetual Additions unto them; which is the Opinion of other Authors.

These Propofitions (which are no other than fo many Confectaries drawn from the Obfervations) are, we fee, all Negative, as being directed against the Miftakes of fome who have formerly engag'd in this Refearch. The Ways they have taken to account for the Conveyance of these Marine Bodies to Land, are very many, as well as different from each other. For fo eager and follicitous hath the inquifitive and better Part of Mankind been to bring this Matter to a fair Ijue and Determination, that no Stone hath been left unturned, no Way, whereby thefe Things could ever poffibly have been brought forth of the Sea, but one or other of them hath pitch'd upon it. So that, by this Refutation of all thefe, I might prove my own (which is the only one remaining) by Induction, but this kind of Proof is not needfull, where more cogent and pofitive Arguments are not wanting.

And

And thus much of this Part I get over by the fole Guidance of my Senfes. A View of the prefent State of thefe Bodies alone convinced me fufficiently that the Means, propofed by thefe Authors, were not the true ones that they were both levell'd wide, and fell all short of the Mark. Now tho' this was enough for my prefent Purpofe; and when I had evinced that, although fuch Alterations, as thofe which these Gentlemen fuppofe, Tranfitions, and Migrations of the Center of Gravity : Elevations of new Iflands: whole Countries gain'd from the Sea and other like Changes, had actualy happen'd, yet thefe Shells could never poffibly have been repofited thereby in the Manner we now find them I fay, when I had proved this, I was not immediately concerned to inquire whether fuch Alterations had realy ever happen'd or not. Yet, partly for a fuller and more effectual Difproof of the recited Opinions and partly because I am more especialy obliged by my general Defign to look into all Pretences of Changes in the Globe we inhabit, and I faw

very well that fcarce any, of all
thefe alledged, had the least Coun-
tenance either from the prefent Face
of the Earth, or any credible and
authentick Records of the ancient
State of it, I refolved to pursue
this Matter fomewhat farther, and
to fhew that, although there do in-
deed happen fome Alterations in the
Globe, yet they are very flight and
almoft imperceptible *, and fuch as *
Confer
tend rather to the Benefit and Con- Part 5.
fervation of the Earth and its Pro- Conf.1.&c
ductions, than to the Disorder and
Destruction both of the one and the
other, as all these fuppofititious ones
moft manifeftly would do, were
there realy any fuch. But from

clear and inconteftible Monuments of
Antiquity from Hiftory and Geogra-
phy and from attentive Confidera-
tion of the prefent State of those
Countries where thefe Changes were
fuppofed to have been wrought, I
prove that they are imaginary and
groundless, and that fuch in earnest
never happened; but that the
Bounds of Sea and Land have been
more fix'd and permanent: and, in
fhort, that the Terraqueous Globe is

to

to this Day nearly in the fame Condition that the Univerfal Deluge left it; being alfo like to continue fo till the Time of its final Ruin and Diffolution, preferved to the fame End for which 'twas firft formed, and by the fame Power which hath fecur'd it hitherto. But, with refpect to my present Defign, I more particularly make out,

That although Rain-water be indeed (as thefe Writers fuppofe) very plentifully faturated with Terreftrial Matter, and (as I fhall make appear) that peculiar Matter out of which the Bodies of Vegetables, and confequently of Animals, are formed, nourif'd, and augmented, Water being the common Vehicle and Diftributer of it to the Parts of thofe Bodies, and all Water (efpecialy that of Rain) being, more or lefs, ftored with this, it being light in comparison of the common mineral earthy Matter, and therefore eafyly affumed into Water, and moved along with it; yet that this Matter being all originaly derived from the Surface of the Earth, .either by the Vapour that continualy iffues out,

and