Miscellaneous Discourses, Chapter 5 · Section 1 · Subsection 1

Miscellaneous Discourses · Chapter 5 · Section 1 · Subsection 1

p. 56A Digreſsion concerning the D… luge in the Days of Noah.

BEfore I proceed to the Second Partic… lar, being as it were, led and invite thereto by what hath been ſaid, I ſhall mak… a Digreſſion, to diſcourſe a little concerni… the general Deluge in the days of Noah. … ſhall not enlarge much upon it, ſo as t… take in all that might be ſaid, but confir… my ſelf to Three Heads. 1. I ſhall confir… the Truth of the Hiſtory of the Deluge recorded in the Scripture, by the Teſtimonie of ſome ancient Heathen Writers. 2. I ſhal… conſider the Natural Cauſes or Means whereby it was effected. 3. I ſhall enquire concerning the Conſequents of it, what conſiderable effects it had upon the Earth.

Firſt then, I ſhall produce ſome Teſtimonies of Ancient Heathen Writers concerning the Deluge.

The Firſt ſhall be that of Beroſus, recorded by Joſephus, in the fifth Chapter of his firſt Book of Jewiſh Antiquities, foreign p. 57foreign, &c. That is, Beroſus the …aldaean relating the Story of the Deluge …ites thus. It is reported, that there is …he part of the Veſſel [the Ark] ſtill re…ining at the Mountain of the Gordyaeans; …d that certain perſons ſcraping off the Bi…nen or Pitch, carry it away; and that …n make uſe of it for Amulets, to drive …ay Diſeaſes.

A Second Teſtimony the ſame Joſephus …ords us in the ſame place, and that is, of Ni…aus Damaſcenus; who, ſaith he, gives us … Hiſtory of the [Ark and Deluge] in …ſe words, About Minyas in Armenia there a great Mountain called Baris; to which …s reported, that many flying in the time of Deluge were ſaved, & that a certain perſon …s carried thither in an Ark, which reſted the top of it; the reliques of the Tim… whereof were preſerved there a long …e. Beſides theſe, Joſephus tells us in the …e place, that Hieronymus the Egyptian, who …ote the Phoenician Antiquities, and Mna…s, and many others, whoſe words he al…ges not, make mention of the Flood.

Euſebius ſuperadds two Teſtimonies more. …e one of Melon to this effect. There de…ted from Armenia at the time of the De…e, a certain man, who together with his …ns had been ſaved; who being caſt out of p. 58his Houſe and Poſſeſſions, was driven aw… by the Natives. This man paſſing over t… intermediate Region, came into the mou… tainous part of Syria, that was then delate. This Teſtimony makes the Delu… Topical, and not to have reached … menia.

The other is of Abydenus an ancient W… ter in the ſame Euſebius, Praepar. Evang▪ lib. 9. cap. 4. foreign, &c. … ter whom others reigned, and then Siſith… (ſo he calls Noah.) To whom Saturn fo… told, that there ſhould be a great Flood Waters upon the Fifteenth Day of … Month Deſius; and commanded him to h… all Writings [or whatever was commi… to Writing] in Heliopolis of the Syppari…. Which Siſithrus as ſoon as he had perform preſently ſailed away to Armenia, wh… what God had predicted to him, imme… ately came to paſs [or came upon hi… The third day after the Waters ceaſed, ſent forth Birds, that he might try whe… they could eſpy any Land uncovered Water. But they finding nothing but S… and not knowing whither to betake the… ſelves, returned back to Siſithrus. In l… manner, after ſome days he ſent out oth… p. 59with like ſucceſs. But being ſent out the third time, they returned with their feet fouled with Mud. Then the Gods caught up Siſithrus from among men: But the Ship remained in Armenia, and its Wood afforded the Inhabitants Amulets to chaſe away many Diſeaſes. Theſe Hiſtories accord with the Scripture as to the main, of the being of a Flood, and Noah eſcaping out of it; only they adulterate the Truth, by the admixture of a deal of fabulous ſtuff.

Cyril in his firſt Book againſt Julian, to prove the Deluge, alledges a paſſage out of Alexander Polyhiſtor. Plato himſelf (ſaith he) gives us an obſcure intimation of the Deluge, in his Timaeus, bringing in a certain Egyptian Prieſt, who related to Silon out of the Sacred Books of the Egyptians, that before the particular Deluges known and celebrated by the Grecians, there was of old an exceeding great Inundation of Waters, and devaſtation of the Earth; which ſeems to be no other than Noah's Flood.

Plutarch in his Book De Solertia Animalium tells us, That thoſe who have written of Deucalion's Flood, report, that there was a Dove ſent out of the Ark by Deucalion, which returning again into the Ark, was a ſign of the continuance of the Flood, but flying quite away, and not returning any p. 60more, was a ſign of Serenity, and that the Earth was drained.

Indeed Ovid and other Mythologiſt… make Deucalion's Flood to have been univerſal: and it's clear, by the Deſcription Ovid gives of it, that he meant the genera… Deluge in the days of Noah. And that by Deucalion, the Ancients together with Ovid underſtood Noah; Kircher in his **L. 2. c. 6.Arca No… doth well make out. Firſt, For that the Poe… Apollonius makes him the Son of Prometheus in his third Book,

— foreign

foreign.

Where Prometheus the Son of Iapetus bega… the Renowned Deucalion. 2. Beroſus affirm… Noah to have been Scythian. And Luci… in his Book De Dea Syria tells us, tha… many make Deucalion to have been ſo too 3. The Scripture teſtifies, that men were generally very corrupt and wicked in the days o… Noah. And Andro Teius a very ancient Writer teſtifies, that in Deucalion's time ther… was a great abundance of wicked men, which made it neceſſary for God to deſtroy Mankind. 4. The Scripture ſaith, that Noah was a Juſt Man, and Perfect in his Generation. And Ovid ſaith of Deucalion, that

p. 61Non illo melior quiſquam, nec amantior aequi

Vir fuit, aut illâ [Pyrrhâ uxore ejus] reverentior ulla Deorum.

And a little after, Innocuos ambos, cultores numinis ambos.

5. Apollonius ſaith of Deucalion, foreign, the firſt ruled over men. Which may very well be attributed to Noah the Father and Reſtorer of Mankind, whoſe right the Kingdom was. 6. The ſending out of a Dove, to try whether the Waters were abated, and the Flood gone off, is (we have ſeen) by Putarch attributed to Deucalion. 7. Lucian in his Timon, and in his Book de Dea Syria, ſets forth the Particulars of Deucalion's, after the example of Noah's, Flood. foreign, &c. Deucalion was the only man that was left for a ſecond Generation, for his Prudence and Piety ſake: And he was ſaved in this manner. He made a great Ark, and got aboard it, with his Wife and Children: And to him came Swine, and Horſes, and Lions, and Serpents, and all other living Creatures, which p. 62the Earth maintains, according to their kind… by pairs; and he received them all, and they hurt him not; for there was by Divine Inſtinc… a great friendſhip among them; and they ſailed together in the Ark, ſo long as the W… ters prevailed. And in his Timon he ſaith that Noah laid up in the Ark plenty of a… Proviſions for their ſuſtenance.

By all this it appears, that the Notion o… a general Flood was every where curren… among the people, eſpecially in thoſe Cou… treys where the Ark reſted, and where Noa… afterward lived. And hence it was, that th… Apameans, whether of Meſopotamia, or Syri… or Bythinia, (for there were three Cities … Name) coined Moneys in honour of th… Emperours Septimius Severus, and Philipp… Arabs, having on the Reverſe the Figure … an Ark, with a Man and a Woman ſtandin… before it; and a Man and a Woman lookin… out of it; and two Doves above it, one fl… ing with a Branch of a Tree in its Mout… another reſting upon it. The Figur… whereof, and a Learned Diſcourſe thereupo… out of Falconerius, may be ſeen in Kirche… **L. 2 c. 6.Arca Noae. Which Moneys though the… were coined long after our Saviour's time, an… the divulgation of the Scriptures; yet bein… done by Ethnicks, do ſhew that the Story … the Deluge was known, and famous, an… p. 63generally credited among them, as being near the place where Noah lived and converſed after the Flood.

Howbeit I do not deny, that there was ſuch a particular Flood in Theſſaly, as they call Deucalion's, which happened Seven Hundred and Seventy Years or thereabouts after the general Deluge. I acknowledge alſo a more ancient Flood in Attica in the time of Ogyges, about Two Hundred and Thirty Years before Deucalion's, by which the Countrey was ſo marred, that it lay waſte and uncultivated without Inhabitants for almoſt Two Hundred Years.

Other particular Deluges, and Irruptions, or Inundations of the Seas, beſides theſe, we read of in Hiſtories; which I ſhall not ſtand to enumerate. He that deſires an Account of them, may conſult Sr. Walter Raleigh's Hiſtory of the World, p. 89. Howbeit the Conſideration of them may be of uſe to us, when we ſhall come to treat of the Effects of the Flood upon the Earth. So I diſmiſs this firſt particular, and proceed to the ſecond: What were the inſtrumental Cauſes or Means of the Flood? Whether was it effected by natural or ſupernatural Means only? Whether was God no further concerned in it, than in ſo ordering ſecond p. 64Cauſes at firſt, as of themſelves neceſſarily to bring it in at ſuch a time?

Firſt, Thoſe that hold this Deluge was altogether miraculous, and that God Almighty created Waters on purpoſe to ſerve this occaſion, and when they had done their work deſtroyed them again, diſpatch the Buſineſs, and looſe or cut the Knot in a few words. And yet this Hypotheſis is not ſo abſurd and precarious, as at firſt ſight it may ſeem to be. For the World being already full, there needed not, nor indeed could be any Creation of Water out of nothing, but only a Tranſmutation of ſome other body into Water. Now if we grant all natural Bodies, even the Elements themſelves, to be mutually tranſmutable, as few men doubt, and ſome think they can demonſtrate; why might not the Divine Power and Providence bring together at that time ſuch natural Agents, as might change the Air or Aether, or both together into Water; and ſo ſupply what was wanting in Rains, and extraordinary Eruptions of Springs▪ To them that argue the Improbability o… ſuch a change, from the great quantity o… Air requiſite to the make of a little Water; it may be anſwered, That if Air, and al… Bodies commixt with it, were together changed p. 65into Water, they muſt needs make a bulk of Water of equal quantity with themſelves, unleſs we will grant a Peripatetical Condenſation and Rarefaction; and hold that the ſame Matter may have ſometimes a greater, ſometimes a leſſer quantity or extenſion.

This Cauſe [the converſion of Air into Water] the Learned Jeſuite Athanaſius Kircher, in his Book De Arca Nooe, alledges as the undoubted inſtrumental Cauſe or Means of the Deluge in theſe words, Dico totum illud aereum ſpatium uſque ad ſupremam regionem aeris, praepotentis Dei virtute, in aquas, per inexplicabilem nubium coacervatarum multitudinem, quâ replebatur, converſum eſſe; cujus ubertas tanta fuit, ut Aer ſupremus cum inferiori in Oceanum commutatus videri potuerit, non naturae viribus, ſed illius cujus voluntati & imperio cuncta ſubſunt. That is, I affirm, That all that Aereal ſpace that reaches up to the ſupreme Region of the Air, was, by the power of the Omnipotent God, and inſtrumentality of an inexplicable multitude of Clouds amaſſed together, wherewith it was filled, changed into Water, ſo that the upper and lower Air might ſeem to be tranſmuted into an Ocean, not by the ſtrength of Nature, but of him to whoſe Will and Power all things are ſubject. And he is ſo confident p. 66**Arcae Noael l. 2. c. 4.that this Deluge, in which the Water was raiſed fifteen Cubits above the higheſt Mountains, was not, nor could be effected by natural Cauſes; but by the right hand of the Moſt High God only; that he ſaith, No man can deny it, but he who doth not penetrate, how far the power of Nature can extend, and where it is limited. To conclude, this Hypotheſis hath the Suffrages of moſt Learned Men. But becauſe the Scripture aſſigning the Cauſes or Means of the Inundation, makes no mention of any converſion of Air into Water, but only of the breaking up the Fountains of the Great Deep, and the opening of the Windows of Heaven, I ſuppoſe thoſe Cauſes may be ſufficient to work the Effect, and that we need not have recourſe to ſuch an Aſſiſtance.

As for thoſe that make the Deluge Topical, and reſtrain it to a narrow compaſs of Land; their Opinion is I think ſufficiently confuted by the fore-mentioned ingenious Author, to whom therefore I refer the Reader.

I ſhall not undertake the Defence or Confutation of any other Hypotheſis: only tell you which at preſent ſeems to me moſt probable, and that is theirs, who for a partial cauſe of the Deluge, aſſign either a change of the Center of the Earth, or a violent depreſſion p. 67of the Surface of the Ocean, and a forcing the Waters up from the ſubterraneous Abyſſe through the Channels of the Fountains that were then broken up and opened.

Firſt then, let us conſider what Cauſes the Scripture aſſigns of the Flood; and they are two: 1. The breaking up the Fountains of the great Deep: 2. The opening of the Windows of Heaven. I ſhall firſt treat of this laſt. By the opening of the Windows of Heaven, is (I ſuppoſe) to be underſtood the cauſing of all the Water that was ſuſpended in the Air to deſcend down in Rain upon the Earth; the effect hereof here mentioned being a long continuing Rain of Forty, nay, perchance One Hundred and Fifty Days. And that theſe Treaſuries of the Air will afford no ſmall quantity of Water, may be made appear, both by Scripture and Reaſon. 1. By Scripture, which oppoſes the Waters that are above the Heavens or Firmament, to thoſe that are under them; which if they were not foreign, and in ſome meaſure equal, it would never do. Gen. 1.6. God is ſaid to make a Firmament in the midſt of the Waters, and to divide the Waters which were under the Firmament, from the Waters which were above the Firmament. And this was the work of a whole day, and conſequently p. 68no inconſiderable thing. By the Heavens or Firmament in this place, is to be underſtood the inferiour Region of the Air, wherein the Fowls fly: who Gen. 1.20. are ſaid to fly above the Earth, in the open Firmament of Heaven; though elſewhere it be taken for the Celeſtial Regions, wherein the Sun, and Moon, and Stars are placed.

2. The ſame may be made appear, by Reaſon grounded upon Experience. I my ſelf have obſerved a Thunder-Cloud in paſſage, to have in leſs than two hours ſpace powred down ſo much Water upon the Earth, as beſides what ſunk into the parched and thirſty ground, and filled all Ditches and Ponds, cauſed a conſiderable Flood in the Rivers, ſetting all the Meadows on flote. [And Dr. Wittie in his Scarborough Spa… tells us of great Spouts of Rain that ordinarily fall every year ſome time or other in Summer, that ſet the whole Countrey in a Flood.] Now had this Cloud, which might, for ought I know, have moved Forty Miles forward, ſtood ſtill and emptied all its Water upon the ſame ſpot of ground it firſt hung over, what a ſudden and incredible Deluge would it have made there? and yet what depth or thickneſs of Vapours might remain uncondenſed in the Air above this Cloud, who knows? Now it is to p. 69be conſidered, that not only the Air above the Dry Land, but alſo all that covers the whole Ocean, is charged with Vapours, which are nothing elſe but diffuſed Water: all which was brought together by Winds, or what other Means ſeem'd good to God, and cauſed to diſtil down in Rain upon the Earth. And you may eaſily gueſs that it was no ſmall quantity of Water that was ſupplyed this way, in that it ſufficed for a Rain that laſted more than Forty Days, as I ſhall afterwards ſhew, if I underſtand the Text a right. And that no ordinary Rain neither, but Catarracts or Spouts of Water; for ſo the Septuagint interprets the words, foreign, And the Catarracts or Spouts of Heaven were opened.

I return now to the firſt Cauſe or Means of the Deluge aſſigned by the Scripture, and that is the breaking up of all the fountains of the great Deep. By the great Deep in this place, I ſuppoſe, is to be underſtood the Subterraneous Waters, which do and muſt neceſſarily communicate with the Sea. For we ſee, that the Caſpian and Mediterranean Seas, to mention no others, receive into themſelves many and great Rivers, and yet have no viſible Out-lets; nay, this latter, receives alſo abundance of Waters from the great p. 70Ocean, running in at the Streights of Gibraltar: and therefore by Subterraneous Paſſages, muſt needs diſcharge their Waters into the Abyſs of Waters under the Earth, and by its intervention into the Ocean again. By the breaking up of the Fountains of the Great Deep, is I conceive meant, the making great Iſſues and Apertures for theſe Subterraneous Waters to ruſh out. You will ſay▪ how could that be, ſith the Water keeps its level, and cannot aſcend to a greater height above the common Center, than the Superficies of the Sea is, much leſs force its way▪ remove Obſtacles, and break open Paſſages?

I anſwer, According to them that hold that all Rivers come from the Sea by Subterraneous Paſſages, it is no more than daily happens. For they muſt needs grant, tha… the Water in the Subterraneous Channels, is raiſed as far above the level of the Ocean▪ as are the Heads and Fountains of great Rivers. Which conſidering the height of their firſt Springs up the Mountains, the length of their Courſes, and ſwiftneſs of their Streams for a great part of the way, is very conſiderable, a conſtant declivity being neceſſary to their deſcent. And therefore … can by no means aſſent to the Learned Doctor Plot, (if I underſtand him alright) **Hiſt. Nat. Stafford, p. 79.That the Valleys are as much below the Surface p. 71of the Sea, as Mountains are above it. For how then could Rivers deſcend down to the Sea through thoſe Valleys; the Sea would rather run into them, and make Si…uſes; or elſe, if they were encloſed, the Water would ſtagnate there, and make Pools. If this be done by way of Filtration (which ſeems to be the moſt likely Means of raiſing the Water) I do not ſee, but theſe Filtres may ſuck up the whole Ocean; and, …f Apertures and Out-lets large enough were made, powre it out upon the Earth in no …ong time. But I cannot be fully reconciled …o this Opinion, though it hath great Advocates, eſpecially the fore-mentioned very Learned and Ingenious Perſon Doctor Robert Plot. I acknowledge Subterraneous Waters: I grant a Confluence and Communication of Seas by under-ground Channels and Paſſages. But this inferiour conſtant Circulation and perpetual Motion of Water ſeems to me not yet ſufficiently proved and made out. I think that the Patrons and Abettors of this Opinion, have not ſatisfactorily demonſtrated, how it is, or can be performed. To what is offered concerning the Center of Gravity being nearer to our Continent, by reaſon of the Preponderancy of the Earth, and the Waters lying as it were on an heap in the other Hemiſphere, I p. 72anſwer, 1. That though Earth be inde… ſpecifically heavier than Water, yet conſidering that Water is a cloſe imporous Body (I underſtand greater Pores) but the Earth… every where full of great and ſmall Pores and Cavities, I know not but taking a bulk thereof equal to the Ocean, the Water may be as heavy as it. 2. In the preſent terraqueous Globe, the New World which lye… between the two great Seas, and almoſt oppoſite to our Continent, doth in ſome meaſure counterpoiſe the Old, and take off a great part of the advantage, which by reaſon of its Preponderancy, it might otherwiſe have. Moreover, I am of Mr. Brierwood… Opinion, that there may be, and is a va… Continent toward the Southern Pole oppoſite to Europe and Aſia, to counterpoiſe the… on that ſide; nay, I do verily believe, tha… the Continents and Iſlands are ſo proportionably ſcattered and diſpoſed all the Worl… over, as if not perfectly and exactly, yet very nearly to counterballance one another; ſ… that the Globe cannot walter or reel toward… any ſide: and that the Center of the conve… Superficies of the Sea, is the true Center o… the whole Terreſtrial Sphere, both of Motio… and of Gravity. 3. The Sea being no wher… above a German Mile deep. (for which w… have good Authority) in moſt places no… p. 73…alf ſo much, taking then as a middle term …alf a Mile. Suppoſe it every where half … Mile deep, (the Earth below the Sea, we …ave no reaſon to ſuppoſe of different Gra…ity) What proportion hath this two Miles …hickneſs of Water, to the whole Terraque…us Globe, whoſe Semidiameter, is by the …ccount of Mathematicians Three Thouſand Four Hundred and Forty Italian Miles. What …ittle advantage then can it have of the Earth oppoſite to it, in point of Preponde…ancy? 4. Granting the Center of Gravity ſhould be nearer our Continent: The Cen…er being the loweſt place, and the Water … fluid Body, unleſs ſtopped, where it found …declivity, it would deſcend as near as it could to it, without any regard of the Earths Preponderancy. And though we ſhould grant, that the drineſs of the Shoars might ſtop it, and cauſe it to lye on a heap, yet would it run up the Channels of Rivers, …till it came as near as poſſible to the Center of Gravity. Indeed the Rivers themſelves could not deſcend, but muſt run towards the middle of the Continent. All this I think will follow from this Hypotheſis by as good conſequence, as the Waters being forced through the Subterraneous Channels out at the Springs. Again, I do not peremptorily affirm, that all Fountains do p. 74proceed from Rain; only I contend, th… Rain may ſuffice to feed them, and that pr… bably it doth feed ordinary Springs. Th… the Ingenious French Author doth well d… monſtrate in the River Seine, and I believe is demonſtrable in moſt other Rivers.

The little Brook that runs near my Dwe… ling, and hath its Head or Source not abo… Four or Five Miles off, where there is … extraordinary Eruption of Water, all alo… its Courſe receives ſmall Rivulets on bo… ſides; which though they make a conſid… rable Stream at Five Miles diſtance from t… Fountain-head, yet ſingly are ſo ſmall, th… they may very well be conceived to dra… down from the higher Grounds that ly… about them. And taking the whole tog… ther, it is a very conſiderable length a… breadth of Land, that contributes to the mai… tenance of this little River. So that it ma… eaſily be believed, that all its Water ow… its original to Rain: Eſpecially if it be con… dered further, that in Winter-time after t… Rains are fallen, the Ground ſated, and th… Ditches full, the Stream of this River durin… the whole Winter following, is for the mo… part, unleſs in Froſts, double of what it wa… in Summer. Which Exceſs can procee… from nothing but Rain; at leaſt it woul… be raſhneſs to aſſign any other Cauſe, whe… p. 75there is ſo obvious and manifeſt an one. Moreover, that Rain affords no ſmall quantity of Water, is clear alſo from great Floods, wherein it might be proved, that in few days there deſcends more Water than would ſupply the ordinary Stream for a good part of Summer. Now to compare great things with ſmall: I have ſeen many of the biggeſt Rivers in Europe, the Danow, Rhine, Rhoſne and Po; and when I conſider the length of their courſes, the multitude of conſiderable Rivers and Brooks they receive; and all theſe from their firſt riſe, made up by degrees by little Rivulets and Gills, like my neighbouring Brook; the huge Mountains and vaſt extent of higher Grounds they drain: To me it ſeems (and I have ſeen all their Streams near their Out-lets, except the Danows, and it's after Four Hundred Miles deſcent) that they do not bear any greater proportion to the Rivers and Rivulets they receive, and the immenſe Tracts of Land that feed them, than my Brook doth to its ſmall Rills and compaſs of Ground.

But in this, I confeſs, I do not deſcend to the niceneſs of Meaſuring and Calculation, but ſatisfie my ſelf with rude conjectures, taking my meaſures, as the Ceſtrians ſay, by the Scale of the Eye.

p. 76It will here be objected, That the Rain never ſinks above Ten Foot deep at moſt into the Earth, and therefore cannot ſupply the Springs.

Anſw. This indeed, if it were true, would much enervate, nay, quite overthrow our Opinion: And therefore we muſt fortifie this Point, and effectually demonſtrate beyond all poſſibility of denyal or contradiction, That Rain-water doth ſink down, and make its way into the Earth, I do not ſay Ten, or Twenty, nor Forty, but an Hundred, nay, Two or Three Hundred Foot or more.

Firſt then, in Pool-hole in the Peak of Darbyſhire, there are in ſome places conſtan… droppings and deſtillations of Water from the Roof: under each of which (to note that by the by) riſes up a Stone Pillar, the Wate… precipitating ſome of thoſe ſtony Particles which it had waſhed off the Rocks in paſſing through their Chinks. Theſe droppings continue all the Summer long. Now i… ſeems clear to me, that the Rain-water making its way through the Veins and Chink… of the Rocks above it, and yet but ſlowly by reaſon of the thickneſs of the Mountain, and ſtraitneſs of the paſſages, ſupplie… that dropping all the year round; at leaſt this is much more rational than any different p. 77Hypotheſis. If the Water diſtills down faſter in Winter-time and wet Weather, than it doth in Summer (which I forgot to ask) the experiment would infallibly prove our Aſſertion. In confirmation of this Argument, Albertus Magnus (as I find him quoted in Dr. Wittie's Scarborough Spaw) tells us, That at the bottom of a ſolid Rock One Hundred and Thirty Fathoms deep he ſaw drops of Water diſtilling from it in a rainy ſeaſon.

Secondly, It is well known, and atteſted to me by the people at Buxton when I was there, that out of the Mouth of the ſame Poole-hole, after great and long continuing Rains, a great Stream of Water did uſually iſſue forth. And I am ſure it muſt make its way through a good thickneſs of Earth or Rocks, before it could come in there.

Thirdly, What becomes of all the Water that falls on Newmarket Heath and Gogmagog Hills, I preſume alſo Salisbury-Plain, and the like Spungy Grounds all Winter long, where we ſee very little run off any way? It muſt needs ſink into the Ground more than Ten Foot deep.

Fourthly, Many, Wells, whoſe Springs lye at leaſt Twenty Foot deep, we find by experience, do often fail in great Droughts in Summer time.

p. 78Fifthly, In Coal Delfs and other Mines, in wet Weather the Miners are many times drown'd out (as they phraſe it) though no Water runs down into the Mouths of their Pits or Shafts. Nay, Dr. Wittie tells us in his Deſcription of the Vertues of the Scarborough Spaw, pag. 105. That after great Inundations of Rain, the Miners find the Water frequently diſtilling through the ſolid Earth upon their Heads; whereas i… Summer or dry Seaſons, they find no interruption from thence at all.

Further, to confirm this Particular, wrote to my Honoured Friend Sr. Thom… Willughby Baronet, deſiring him to examin… his Colliers concerning it, and ſend me wo… what report they make; and from him received this account. If there be Springs ly… before you come at the Coal, they carry the Water away; but if there be none, it falls into the Works in greater or leſs quantity according as the Rains fall. Which anſwer is ſo much the more conſiderable, in that it gives me a further clear proof, that Springs are fed by Rain water, and not by any communications from the Sea; their original being above the Beds of Coal, they receiving the Rain-water into their Veins, and deriving it all along to their Fountains or Eruptions, above the Coals.

p. 79I might add out of him, Fifthly, pag. 85. That the Scarborough Spaw, notwithſtanding it breaks out of Ground within Three or Four Yards off the Foot of the Cliff, which is near Forty Yards high, and within a quarter of a Mile there is another Hill, that is more, than as high again as the Cliff, and a deſcent all the way to the Cliff, ſo as the Rain-water cannot lye long upon the Ground, yet it is obſervable, that after a long Rain, the Water of the Spaw is altered in its taſte, and leſſened in its operation whereas a rainy day or two will not ſenſibly hurt it. And now I am tranſcribing out of this Author, give me leave to add an Obſervation or two in confirmation of Rains being the Original of Springs. The firſt is (pag. 97.) this;

In England, in the years 1654, 55, and 56. when our Climate was dryer than ever it had been mentioned to be in any Stories, ſo as we had very little Rain in Summer, or Snow in Winter, moſt of our Springs were dried up, ſuch as in the Memory of the eldeſt men living had never wanted Water, but were of thoſe Springs we call fontes perennes, or at leaſt were eſteemed ſo. He inſtances alſo out of a parallel Story out of Heylin's Geography, in the Deſcription of Cyprus, where the Author relates; That in p. 80the days of Conſtantine the Great, there was an exceeding long drought there, ſo as in Thirty Six Years they had no Rain, in ſo much as all the Springs and Torrents, or Rivers, were dried up; ſo that the Inhabitants were forced to forſake the Iſland, and to ſeek for new Habitations for want of freſh Water.

The Second is, pag. 84. That in the Wolds or Downs of Yorkſhire they have many Springs break out after great Rains which they call Gypſies.

Neither is this Eruption of Springs after long Rains, proper and peculiar only to the Wolds of Yorkſhire, but common to othe… Countreys alſo, as Dr Childrey witneſſet… in theſe words: Sometimes there breaks out Water in the manner of a ſudden Land-flood, out of certain Stones, that are like Rocks ſtanding aloft in open Fields, near the riſing of the River Kynet [in Kent] which is reputed by the Common people a fore-runner of Dearth. That the ſudde… eruption of Springs in places where they uſe not always to run, ſhould be a ſign o… Dearth is no wonder. For theſe unuſua… Eruptions, (which in Kent we call Nailbourns) are cauſed by extreme gluts o… Rain, or laſting wet weather, and never happen, but in wet years; witneſs the year p. 811648. when there were many of them: —and to our purpoſe very remarkable it was, that in the 1654. ſeveral Springs and Rivulets were quite dryed up, by reaſon of the precedent Drought, which raged moſt in 1651, 1652, and 1653. As the Head of the Stour, that riſes near Elham in Kent, and runs through Canterbury, was dry for ſome Miles ſpace: and the like happened to the Stream that croſſeth the Road-way between Sittingburn and Canterbury at Oſpring near Feverſham, which at other times ran with a plentiful current, but then wholly failed: So we ſee that it is not infrequent for new Springs to break out in wet years; and for old ones to fail in great Droughts.

I cannot alſo here forbear to add, the probable account he gives of the Supply of the Spring-well on the Caſtle-hill at Scarborough; at which, I confeſs, I was ſomewhat puzzled. This Well, ſaith he, though it be upon the top of the Rock, not many Yards deep, and alſo upon the edge of the Cliff, is doubtleſs ſupplied by ſecret Channels within the ground, that convey the Rain and Showers into it, being placed on a dependent part of the Rock, near unto which there are alſo Cellars under an old ruinated Chappel, which after a great Rain p. 82are full of Water, but are dryed up in a long Drought.

As for what is ſaid concerning the River Volgas pouring out ſo much Water into the Caſpian Sea, as in a years time would make up a maſs of Water equal to the Globe of the Earth; and of the hourly effuſions of the River Po in Italy, which Ricciolus hath computed to amount to 18000000. Cubical Paces of Water. Whence a late Learned Writer hath probably inferred, that all the Rivers in the World together, do daily diſcharge half an Ocean of Waters into the Sea, I muſt confeſs my ſelf to be unſatisfied therewith. I will not queſtion their Calculations, but I ſuſpect they are out in their Hypotheſes.

The Opinion of Mr. Edmund Halley, that Springs and Rivers owe their Original to Vapours condenſed on the ſides of Mountains, rather than unto Rains, I acknowledge to be very ingenious, grounded upon good Obſervations, and worthy of its Author; and I will not deny it to be in part true in thoſe hot Countreys in the Torrid Zone, and near it; where, by reaſon of the great heats, the Vapours are more copiouſly exhaled out of the Earth, and its likely carryed up high in the form of Vapours. The inferiour Air at leaſt is ſo charged with them, and by that means ſo very moiſt, that in ſome places p. 83their Knives ruſt even in their Pockets; and in the Night, ſo very freſh and cold, partly alſo by reaſon of the length of the Nights; that expoſing the Body to it, cauſes Colds and Catarrhs, and is very dangerous: Whence alſo their Dews are ſo great, as in good meaſure to recompence the want of Rain, and ſerve for the nouriſhment of Plants; as they do even in Spain it ſelf.

I ſhall firſt of all propoſe this Opinion in the Words of the Author, and then diſcourſe a little upon it. After he had enumerated many of the high Ridges and Tracts of Mountains in the four Quarters of the World, he thus proceeds: Each of which far ſurpaſs the uſual height to which the Aqueous Vapours of themſelves aſcend, and on the tops of which the Air is ſo cold and rarified, as to retain but a ſmall part of thoſe Vapours that ſhall be brought thither by the Winds. Thoſe Vapours therefore that are raiſed copiouſly in the Sea, and by the Winds are carried over the Low Lands to thoſe Ridges of Mountains, are there compelled by the Stream of the Air, to mount up with it to the tops of the Mountains, where the Water preſently precipitates, gleeting down by the Crannies of the Stone; and part of the Vapour entring into the Cavities of the Hills, the Water thereof gathers, as in an p. 84Alembick, into the Baſons of Stone it finds … which being once filled, all the overplus o… Water that comes thither, runs over by the loweſt place, and breaking out by the ſide… of the Hills forms ſingle Springs. Many o… theſe running down by the Valleys or Guts between the Ridges of the Hills, and coming to unite, form little Rivulets or Brooks. Many of theſe again meeting in one commo… Valley, and gaining the plain ground, being grown leſs rapid, become a River: and many of theſe being united in one common Channel, make ſuch Streams, as the Rh…e the Rhoſne, and the Danube, which latter on… would hardly think the Collection of Wate… condenſed out of Vapour, unleſs we conſide… how vaſt a Tract of ground that River drains and that it is the ſumm of all thoſe Springs which break out on the South ſide of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Northſide of the immenſe Ridge of the Alps, which is one continued Chain of Mountains from Switzerland to the Black Sea. And it may almoſt paſs for a Rule, that the magnitude o… a River, or the quantity of Water it evacuates, is proportionable to the length and height of the Ridges, from whence its Fountains ariſe. Now this Theory of Springs, i… not a bare Hypotheſis, but founded on Experience, which it was my luck to gain in my p. 85abode at St. Helena; where, in the night time on the tops of the Hills, about Eight Hundred Yards above the Sea, there was ſo ſtrange a condenſation, or rather precipitation of the Vapours, that it was a great impediment to my Celeſtial Obſervations; for in the clear Sky the Dew would fall ſo faſt, as to cover each half quarter of an hour my Glaſſes with little drops, ſo that I was neceſſitated to wipe them off of ſo often; and my Paper, on which I wrote my Obſervations, would immediately be ſo wet with the Dew, that it would not bear Ink: by which it may be ſuppoſed, how faſt the Water gathers in thoſe mighty high Ridges I but now named.—At laſt he concludes: And I doubt not but this Hypotheſis is more reaſonable, than that of thoſe who derive all Springs from the Rain-waters, which yet are perpetual, and without diminution, even when no Rain falls for a long ſpace of time.

This may, for ought I as yet ſee or know, be a good account of the Original of Springs in thoſe fervid Regions, though even there, I doubt, but partial; but in Europe, and the more temperate Countries, I believe the Vapours in this manner condenſed, have but little intereſt in the production of them, though I will not wholly exclude them. For,

p. 86Firſt, The Tops of the Alps above the Fountains of four of the greateſt Rivers i… Europe, the Rhine, the Rhoſne, the Dano…, and the Po, are for about Six Months in the Year conſtantly covered with Snow, to a great thickneſs; ſo that there are no Vapours all that while that can touch tho…e Mountains, and be by them condenſed into Water; there falls nothing there but Snow, and that continuing all that while on the ground without Diſſolution, hinders all acceſs of Vapours to the Earth; if any roſe, o… were by Winds carried ſo high in that form as I am confident there are not. And yet for all that, do not thoſe Springs fail, but continue to run all Winter; and it is likely too▪ without diminution; which is a longer time than Droughts uſually laſt; eſpecially if we conſider, that this want of ſupply, is conſtant and annual; whereas Droughts are but rare and accidental. So that we need not wonder any more, that Springs ſhould continue to run, and without diminution too, in times of Drought. True it is, that thoſe Rivers run low all Winter, ſo far as the Snow extends, and to a good diſtance from their Heads; but that is for want of their accidental Supplies from Showers. Nay, I believe, that even in Summer, the Vapours are but rarely raiſed ſo high in a liquid form in the p. 87free Air, remote from the Mountains, but …e frozen into Snow, before they arrive at …at height. For the Middle Region of the …ir, where the Walk of the Clouds is, at …aſt the ſuperior part of it, is ſo cold as to …eez the Vapours that aſcend ſo high, …ven in Summer time. For we ſee that in …e height and heat of Summer in great …hunder-Storms for the moſt part it hails: …ay, in ſuch Tempeſts I have ſeen mighty …howers of great Hail-ſtones fall, ſome as …g as Nutmegs or Pigeons Egs; and in ſome, …laces ſuch heaps of them, as would load Dung Carts, and have not been diſſolved in day or two. At the ſame ſeaſons I have …bſerved, in ſome Showers Hail-ſtones fall …f irregular Figures, and throughout pellu…id, like great pieces of Ice, with ſeveral …nags or Fangs iſſuing out of them: which …ow they could be ſupported in the Air till …hey amounted to that bulk and weight, is a …hing worthy to be more curiouſly conſi…ered. For either they muſt fall from an …ncredible height, the Vapours, they encoun…red by the way, condenſing and as it were …ryſtallizing upon them into Ice, and in time …ugmenting them to that bulk; or elſe there muſt be ſome ſtrange and unknown faculty …n the Air to ſuſtain them. But to leave …hem, it is certain, that the Vapours after p. 88they are mounted up to a conſiderable height in the Air, are congealed and turne… into the immediate component Principles … Snow, in which form I conceive they acqui… a lightneſs, and are apt to aſcend high… than they could do, ſhould they retain t… form of a humid Vapour; as, we ſee, Ice i… lighter than Water, out of which it is froz… But whether this be the reaſon of th… aſcent or not, I am ſure of the matter of fa… that theſe Snow-Clouds do aſcend far abo… the higheſt Tops of the Alps, in the Griſ… Countrey, in the beginning of the Sprin… it ſnowed very faſt during my whole paſſa… for ſix hours; and yet the Clouds ſeemed … be as far above my head, as they do here i… England; and a great height they muſt b… for the Snow to gather into ſo great flake and to continue ſo long falling; nay, it ma… be three times ſo long. Moreover, we ſ… that the higheſt Pikes and Summits of the Mountains are covered with Snow.

2. In the Spring-time, when the Snow diſolves, ſome of theſe Rivers that flow do… from the Alpine Mountains, run with a f… Stream, and overflow their Banks, in cle… Sun-ſhine Weather, though no Rain falls, … I my ſelf can witneſs; and therefore I pr… ſume, that all the reſt do ſo too, as the I… habitants affirmed. But in the Summer tim… p. 89after the Snow hath been ſome time melted, their Streams decay again, notwithſtanding any Vapours condenſed upon them, proportionably to the Droughts; neither are there any Floods, but upon falls of Rain.

3. That the Snow diſſolved and ſoaking into the Earth, is the Original of the Alpine Springs; a probable Argument may be taken from the colour of the Water of thoſe Rivers which deſcend from the Alps, at leaſt on this Northern ſide, which I obſerved to be of a Sea-green, even to a great diſtance from their Heads; which whence can it proceed, unleſs from the Nitrous Particles of the Snow-water, of which they conſiſt? Another alſo from the Bronchocele, or **Swoln Throats.gutturine tumour, an Endemial Diſeaſe of the Natives of thoſe parts, which Phyſicians and Naturaliſts atrribute to the Water they drink, not without good reaſon; becauſe, ſay they, it conſiſts of melted Snow, which gives it that malignant quality, ††De Subtilit. Exerc. 60. Sect. 2.Scaliger ſpeaking of this Diſeaſe, ſaith, Id ab aqua fit è nivibus liquefactis, quae multum terreſtris & crudi continet. But becauſe Julius Palmarius may poſſibly be in the right, who imputes this Diſeaſe to the Steams of the Minerals, eſpecially Mercurial, wherewith theſe Mountains abound, which infect the Waters, and p. 90render them noxious to the nervous part I ſhall not inſiſt upon this particular.

What Mr. Halley ſaith of Springs, th… they are perpetual and without dimi… tion, even when no Rain falls for a lon… ſpace of time. If he underſtands it genera… ly of all Springs, I add, that are accounte… quick ones too, I deny his aſſertion: th… ſome there may be of that nature, I gran… a reaſon whereof may be given, viz. th… the out-let is too ſmall to empty the Wa… of all the Veins and Earth that lye above in a long time. In our Native Countr… of England there are living and laſti… Springs riſing at the feet of our ſmall H… and Hillocks, to which I am ſure the V… pours contribute very little; which is ſo o… vious to every man, that I think I need … ſpend time to prove it.

Yet muſt I not diſſemble or deny, that the Summer-time the Vapours do aſcen… or are carried up in that form by the ſid… of the Mountains to their higheſt tops, a… above them; for there falls no Snow the… in the heat of Summer; and that which lye there, is for the moſt part diſſolved. B… that Rain falls plentifully there, I my ſ… can witneſs; having been on the two highe… Tops of the Mount Jura, (which keeps th… p. 91Snow all Winter) on the one called Thuiri …n a Thunder Shower; and on the other cal…ed la Dolaz, in a ſmart and continuing Rain. So that I will not deny, but in Summer-…ime the Vapours may contribute ſomewhat …o the Springs; as I have elſewhere intimated.

And now that I am diſcourſing of theſe …hings, give me leave to ſet down an Obſervation I made in the laſt Great Froſt, the biggeſt that was ever known in the memory of Man, which I had before met with in Books, but did not give firm credit to, that …s, that notwithſtanding the violence of the Froſt, all the Springs about us, brake out …nd ran more plentifully, than uſually they did at any other time: which I knew not what to impute to, unleſs perchance the cloſe …topping the Pores of the Earth, and keep…ng in that part, which at other times was …ont to vapour away; which Account, I neither then could, nor can yet fully ac…uieſce in.

To this I will here add an Abſtract of … Letter written by my Honoured Friend, Dr. Tancred Robinſon.

p. 92YOƲ may peradventure meet with ſom… oppoſition againſt your Hypotheſis … Fountains, tho indeed I am more and more co… firm'd in your Opinion of them, and the … of the Mountains. Father Tachart in his Second Voyage to Siam, ſays, when he went up the Top of the Table Mountain at the Cap… of Good Hope, the Rocks and Shrubs we perpetually dropping and feeding the Spri… and Rills below, there being generally Clo… hanging on the ſides near the Top. The ſ… obſervation hath been frequently made by … Engliſh Merchants in the Madera and Can… Iſlands, eſpecially in their Journies up to … Pike of Teneriff, in which, at ſuch and ſ… heights, they were always wet to the skin, the droppings of the great Stones, yet no R… over head; the ſame I have felt in pa… over ſome of the Alps. The Trees, which the Iſlands of Ferro and St. Thomas, are ſ… to furniſh the Inhabitants with moſt of t… Water, ſtand on the ſides of vaſt Mountai… Voſſius in his Notes on Pomponius Mela, firms them to be Arboreſcent Ferula's; I … lieve there is ſomething in the many Relati… of Travellers and Voyagers concerning th… Trees; but then I fancy they are all miſtak… when they ſay, the Water iſſues out of … p. 93Trees: The Vapors ſtop't by the Mountains condenſe and diſtil down by the Boughs. There being no Mountains in Aegypt, may be one reaſon, why there is little or no Rain in that Countrey, and conſequently no freſh Springs; therefore in their Caravans they carry all their Water with them in great Borracio's. This may be the cauſe that the vaſt Ridge and Chain of Mountains in Peru, are continually water'd, when the great Plains in that Countrey are all dry'd up and parch't. This Hypotheſis concerning the Original of Springs from Vapours, may hold better in thoſe hot Regions within and near the Tropicks (where the Exhalations from the Sea are moſt plentiful, moſt rarify'd, and Rain ſcarce) than in the Temperate and Frigid ones (where it rains and ſnows generally on the Vertices of the Mountains) yet even in our European Climates I have often obſerv'd the Firs, Pines, and other Vegetables near the Summits of the Alps and Appennines, to drop and run with Water, when it did not rain above; ſome Trees more than others, according to the denſity and ſmoothneſs of their Leaves and Superficies, whereby they ſtop and condenſe the Vapours more or leſs. The Beams of the Sun having little force on the high parts of Mountains, the interrupted Vapours muſt continually moiſten them, and (as in the head of an Alembick) p. 94condenſe and trickle down; ſo that we owe part of our Rain, Springs, Rivers, and conveniencies of Life, to the operation of diſtillation and Circulation by the Sun, the Sea, and the Hills, without even the laſt of which, the Earth would ſcarce be habitable. This preſent year in Kent they have had no Rain ſince March laſt; therefore moſt of their Springs are dry at this very day, a… I am aſſur'd from good hands. The high ſpouting of Water even to three Fathoms perpendicul… out of innumerable holes on the Lake Zirkni… in Carniola after Rains on the adjacent Hills, exceeds the ſpirting Gips or natural Jet d'ea… we have in England.

Novemb. 12. 1691. Tancred Robinſon

I have read of ſome Philoſophers, wh… imagined the Earth to be a great Animal, an… that the ebbing and flowing of the Sea, w… the reſpiration of it: and now methinks, i… this Doctrine be true, we have found on… the Circulation of its Blood, or ſomethin… like it. For the Water muſt upon this ſuppoſition▪ move, in proportion to its bul… faſter through the Veins of this round An… mal, than the blood doth through thoſe … other living Creatures.

But let us ſuppoſe, that the Rivers … daily carry down to the Sea half an Ocea… of Water, and that the Rain ſupplies all tha… as our Opinion is, and ſee what we can i… fer p. 95from thence: I think it will be granted that ordinarily (communibus annis) the Rain that falls in a whole year amounts not to above one quarters continual Rain. Now if this ſuffices for a daily effuſion of half an Ocean, it is clear, that if it ſhould rain without any intermiſſion all the year round, the Rivers would pour out two Oceans into the Sea daily. And ſo in forty days continual Rain there would diſtil down upon the Earth eighty Oceans of Water. A prodigious quantity indeed and ſcarce credible, which if the Water be carried off as faſt as it comes on, infers a Circulation of a quantity of Water equal to the whole Ocean twice in twenty four hours. Suppoſing then thar ſo much Water daily deſcends upon the Earth, I argue thus, The Water falling upon the Earth muſt have ſome time to run down to the Sea, and according to the ſmall declivity of the Continent, (ſuppoſe the Mountains pared off and the Land levelled) a conſiderable one too: and we ſee it actually hath, ſo that the Floods in great Rivers follow ſome days after the falls of Rain upon the higher grounds. And ſo tho at the time of the general Deluge the Waters haſtned down to the Sea as faſt as the declivity of the Earth would permit, yet they breaking out of the Fountains of the Abyſs, and falling down p. 96from the Clouds abundantly faſter than they could run down the gentle declivity of the Earth, it deſerves to be conſidered whether by the end of forty days there might not have been water enough amaſſed to cover the Mountains fifteen Cubits high. And yet rhe Scripture doth not in plain terms ſay, that ever the waters of the Flood aroſe fifteen C… bits above the tops of the higheſt Mountains, as Mr. Warren well obſerves. Moreover, to me it doth not ſeem clearly to limit the time of the Rains deſcent to forty days: but it may import that the Rain had continued ſo long before the Ark was lifted up above the Earth; and that it ceaſed not till one hundred and fifty days were over: for ſo long the Waters are ſaid to have prevailed upon the Earth, Gen. 7.24. that is continued and increaſed; whereas had the Rain ceaſed, and the Fountains been ſtopped at forty day… end, the declivity of the Land would in a… likelihood have ſunk the Waters much by the end of one hundred and fifty days: which it was ſo far from doing, that notwithſtanding the help of the Wind, the top… of the Mountains were not ſeen till the beginning of the tenth Month, that is till tw… hundred and ſeventy days were paſt. Neither yet did the Mountains help but rathe… hinder the deſcent of the Waters down to p. 97the Sea, ſtraitning it into Channels, obſtructing its paſſage, and forcing it to take Circuits, till it got above the Ridges and tops of them.

As to this Argumentation and Inference the caſe is the ſame, if we hold that the Water circulates through the Veins of the Earth. For ſuppoſing the Rivers pour forth half an Ocean daily, and granting that in times of Floods their Streams are but double of their uſual Currents (though I verily believe they are more than quadruple) and that the effuſions of the Fountains be in like meaſure augmented, it will follow that the daily diſcharge of the Rivers will amount to two Oceans. Now at the time of the general Deluge both theſe Cauſes concurred. For there being a conſtant Rain of forty eight days, there muſt on that account be a continual Flood, and the Fountains of the great Deep being broken up, they muſt in all likelihood afford as much Water as the Rain: which whither it would not ſuffice in forty natural days to produce a Flood as big as that of Noah, notwithſtanding the continual deſcent and going off of the Waters, I propoſe to the conſideration of the Ingenious. Eſpecially if we allow, as is not unreaſonable to ſuppoſe, that the Divine Providence p. 98might not firſt cauſe a contrary Wind to ſtop and inhibit the deſcent of the Waters, as afterwards he raiſed an aſſiſting one to carry them off.

I have but one thing more to add upon this Subject, that is, that I do not ſee how their Opinion can be true, who hold that ſome Seas are lower than others, as for Example, the Red Sea than the Mediterranean. For it being true that the Water keeps its level, that is, holds its ſuperfices every where equidiſtant from the Center of Gravity; or if by accident one part be lower, the reſt by reaſon of their fluidity will ſpeedily reduce the ſuperficies again to an equality. The waters of all Seas communicating either above, or under ground, or both ways, one Sea cannot be higher or lower than another: but ſuppoſing any accident ſhould elevate or depreſs any, by reaſon of this confluence or communication it would ſoon be reduced to a level again, as might demonſtratively be proved.

But I return, to tell the Reader what I think the moſt probable of all the Cauſes I have heard aſſigned of the Deluge, which is, the Center of the Earth being at that time changed, and ſet nearer to the Cente… or middle of our Continent, whereupon the p. 99Atlantick & Pacifick Oceans muſt needs preſs upon the Subterraneous Abyſs, and ſo, by mediation thereof, force the Water upward, and at laſt compell it to run out at thoſe wide mouths and apertures made by the Divine Power breaking up the Fountains of the great Deep. And we may ſuppoſe this to have been only a gentle and gradual Emotion, no faſter than that the Waters running out at the bottom of the Sea, might accordingly lowre the Superficies thereof ſufficiently, ſo that none needed run over the Shores. Theſe Waters thus powred out from the Orifices of the Fountains upon the Earth, the declivity being changed by the removal of the Center, could not flow down to the Sea again, but muſt needs ſtagnate upon the Earth, and overflow it; and afterwards the Earth returning to its old Center, return alſo to their former Receptacles.

If any ſhall object againſt this Hypotheſis, becauſe by it the Flood will be rendr'd Topical, and reſtrained only to the Continent we live in: though I might plead the Unneceſſarineſs of drowning America, it being in all probability unpeopled at that time; yet becauſe the Scripture uſeth general expreſſions concerning the extent of the Flood, ſaying, Gen. 1.19. And all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered; p. 100and again, Ver. 22. All in whoſe noſtrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land dyed. And becauſe the Americans alſo are ſaid to have ſome ancient Memorial Tradition of a Deluge; and the Ingenious Author of the Theory of the Earth hath by a moderate Computation, demonſtrated, tha… there muſt be then more people upon the Earth, than now: I will propoſe anothe… way of ſolving this Phaenomenon, and that is, by ſuppoſing that the Divine Power might at that time, by the inſtrumentality of ſome natural Agent, to us at preſent unknown, ſo depreſs the Surface of the Ocean, as to force the Waters of the Abyſs through the forementioned Channels and Apertures, and ſo make them a partial and concurrent Cauſe of the Deluge.

That there are at ſome times in the courſe of Nature extraordinary preſſures upon the Surface of the Sea, which force the Water outwards upon the Shores to a great height is evident. We had upon our Coaſts the laſt year an extraordinary Tide, wherein the Water roſe ſo high, as to overflow all the Sea-banks, drown multitudes of Cattel, and fill the lower Rooms of the Houſes of many Villages that ſtood near the Sea, ſo that the Inhabitants, to ſave themſelves, were forced to get up into the upper Rooms and Garrets p. 101of their Houſes. Now how this could be effected, but by an unuſual preſſure upon the Superficies of the Ocean, I cannot well conceive. In like manner that the Divine Providence might at the time of the Deluge ſo order and diſpoſe ſecond Cauſes, as to make ſo ſtrong a preſſure upon the face of the Waters, as to force them up to a height ſufficient to overflow the Earth, is no way unreaſonable to believe.

Theſe Hypotheſes I propoſe, as ſeeming to me at preſent moſt facile and conſonant to Scripture, without any concern for either of them; and therefore am not folicitous to gather together, and heap up Arguments to confirm them, or to anſwer Objections that may be made againſt them, being as ready to relinquiſh them upon better information, as I was to admit and entertain them.