both comprehend various Bodies of Different Natures. To the Earth belong, 1. Sand, Gravel, Clay, and Mineral Earth; alfo Chalk, Minium, Oker, Terra Sigillata, Earth of Samos, Bole-Armeniac, and several other Kinds of Earth. 2. Stones of various forts. 3. Metals; as Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Lead, Mercury or Quick-filver, &c. 4. Sulphur, Salt, Nitre, Allum, Bitumen, Vitriol, Antimony, &c. 5. Herbs, Animals, &c.

TO the Water belong, 1. The Ocean and Seas. 2. Rivers and fresh Waters. 3. Lakes and Marshes. 4. Mineral Waters, as Hot Baths, Spaw Waters, &c.

THE Atmosphere is a fubtile Body which furrounds the whole Globe of the Earth, and includes the Air, Clouds, and Rain, &c. So that the Earth is beft divided into these three Parts.

PROPOSITION III.

To explain how the Earth and Water cleave one to another; and conftitute the Terraqueous Globe,

THE Earth, that is the dry Part of the Globe, is not terminated by an even and fmooth Surface; but is here and there hollowed into Cavities, and in other Places elevated into Protuberances. In the Cavities found all over the Earth is contained the Ocean or Sea; fo that this Part of the fuperficies of the Earth is covered with Water, and the other Part is raised and appeareth above the Waters. Thefe Cavities are not depreffed into an equal hollowness, but are in fome Places rugged and rocky; and in others funk down into Gulphs and WhirlPools. Alfo thofe Places of the Earth which are raifed above the Waters, have in the middle of them, as it were, certain Navels or Eminences; and fome Parts are either raised or depreffed more than others. Hence the Water furrounding the

whole

whole Globe is hindred from covering the higher Parts which appear above the Surface of the Ocean; and are called lands: whereof fome are great and others are small.

BESIDES that continued Cavity or Chanel in the Surface of the Earth, there are also within it's Bowels innumerable Openings, Receffes, Fiffures, Chafms, Mazes, Swallows, Water Paffages, and vaft Receptacles; fome of which are filled with falt Water, viz. fuch as are joined by fubterraneous Paffages to the Main Ocean; others with fresh Water, Rivers and Brooks; in fome alfo are fulphureous Vapours, and fmoaking Subftances. So that Seneca feems to be in the right when he fays, That he trufts too much to bis Sight, who does not believe that there is a large Quantity of Sea in the bidden Receffes of the Earth. Nor do I perceive why there fhould not be much Sea Water received by thefe fubterraneous Swallows; and formed into Bays by Banks or Bounds. And from the following Obfervations we cannot doubt, that there are a great many Cavities in the Bowels of the Earth, For feveral fubterraneous Rivers are found in Places where the Earth is dug to a confiderable Depth; as is common in Mines. 2. The Depth of the Sea is in fome Places unfathomable. 3. There are in feveral Places, Caverns difcovered near the Surface of the Earth, Thus in the Weft part of the Inland of Hifpaniola, there is a Mountain of a vaft Height all hollowed within, into feveral Dens and Openings, in which Rivers rufh precipitantly with fuch a violent Torrent and Noife of Waters, that they may be heard at five Miles diftance. 4. Several Whirl-Pools are found in the Sea, and called in the Dutch Language Maelstroom. 5. Earthquakes alfo fhew that there are fuch fubterraneous Caverns. 6. Several Rivers hide themfelves under the Earth, as the Niger, Tigris, &c. 7. Brackifh Fountains

SECT. II. Fountains are obferved in feveral Places, most of which certainly flow from the Sea. 8. In many Places the Ground trembles when People walk upon it, as at the Abby of S. Omer in Flanders; and in the Province of Brabant upon Peel Marifh.

COROLLARY

Hence it is evident, that the Opinion of those old Philofophers, who maintained that the Earth at first floated upon the Waters, is falfe; for by this Means there would be no Chanels in the Sea, but it would be every where of an immense Depth. Some indeed of the Antients (efpecially Democritus) are faid to have been of the following Opinion, viz. that the Waters were formerly mixed with the Earth; and that the whole Mafs being perfectly fpherical, was foft and of an indifferent Confistence betwixt wet and dry: But afterwards when the Particles of Water were gathered into one Body, according to the natural Property obferved in Water, the earthly Particles, being separated from the watery, came together and were curdled into Earth and wrought into Chanels by the Water in feveral Places. The fame Hypothefis is embraced by many modern Chriftian Philofophers, who think thefe Words of Mofes (or rather of GOD -delivered to us by Mofes) Let the Waters be gathered together into one Place, and let the dry Land appear, ought to be thus understood. But the Fathers of the Primitive Church thought otherwise about this for they judged that the Waters were separated from the earthy Particles [before the Creation] and covered the Face of the whole Earth; and fo occupied their natural Place; and then miraculously receded, and uncovered the Earth by the Power of these words of Jehovah; and that to this day they are hindred and restrained, by the efpecial Providence

;

Providence of God, from flowing back and covering the Face of the whole Earth as before; fo that the present Constitution of the Earth and Sea is by them accounted a perfect Miracle. But that there is no great Occasion to think it fo much a Miracle we shall prove in Chap. xiii. where we fhall fhew, that the Inundation of the Waters, or Ocean, upon the adjacent Land, is hindred by the Altitude and Confistence of the Earth, which if removed by fome certain Caufes, whereof there are many, the Ocean will foon overflow the dry Land and cover it whence there is manifeftly, no need of a Miracle in the matter. Neither does the beforementioned Opinion of the Antients want it's Defects; for if the Earth and Water had been once mixed into one Mafs; why did not the earthly Particles rather fubfide, and the Waters, being of lefs Gravity, cover the whole Earth? This they are forced to ascribe to a fortuitous Motion and Conjunction of the watery and earthly Particles. These things are faid, by the way, to gratifie fome that earnestly enquire into fuch matters; tho' they do not fo properly belong to Geography; which hath no Regard to the Opinions of the Ancients, nor need fly to Miracles in explaining the Properties of the Earth (c).

PROPOSITION IV.

The Superficies of the Earth is continued, but not that of the Waters.

THE Superficies of that Part of the Earth which is raised above the Waters, is continued to the Superficies of the Chanel of the Sea, and that again to other elevated Parts of the Earth. Alfo

(4) See Dr Woodward's Effay towards a Nat. Hift. of the Earth, &c.

the

the Ocean, Bays and Rivers have one continued Superficies; but all Waters have not: for there are fome Lakes whofe Superficies are not joined with that of the Ocean, as the Lake Parime, and the Cafpian Sea, &c.

PROPOSITION V.

The Conftitution of the Earth, far within the Sur face (which is our Habitation) towards the Center, is uncertain.

SOME think that Water taketh up the lowest Place about the Center; but it is more likely that dry Earth fhould occupy that Place (d). Gilbert

(d) The learned and fagacious Dr Halley, to account for the Changes of the Needle's Variation, hath fhewed a Poffibility that the exterior Parts of the terraqueous Globe are formed inwardly like the concave Surface of a petrified Shell; and the internal as a Nucleus, or inner Globe, included within ours, with a fluid Medium between, which moves along with it, as having the fame common Center, without fenfibly approaching one Side or another, like the Globe of Saturn environed with his Ring. And tho' (fays be) these included • Globes can be of very little Service to the Inhabitants of this outward World, nor can the Sun be of Service to them: yet fince we fee all Parts of the Creation abound • with animate Beings, why

And tho' without Light there can be no living, yet there are many Ways of producing Light which we are wholly ignorant of: The Medium itself may be always luminous after the Manner of our Ignes Fatui: The concave Arches may in feveral

fhould we think it strange • Places fhine with fuch a Sub

• ftance