582 HISTOEY OF GEOLOGY. 



The notion of a series of creations and destructions of worlds, whict 

 appears in the sacred volume of the Hindoos, which formed part of 

 the traditionary lore of Egypt, and which was afterwards adopted into 

 the poetry and philosophy of Greece, must be considered as a mytho- 

 logical, not a physical, doctrine. When this doctrine was dwelt upon, 

 men's thoughts were directed, not to the terrestrial facts which it 

 seemed to explain, but to the attributes of the deities which it 

 illustrated. The conception of a Supreme power, impelling and guid- 

 ing the progress of events, which is permanent among all perpetual 

 change, and regular among all seeming chance, was readily entertained 

 by contemplative and enthusiastic minds ; and when natural phenomena 

 were referred to this doctrine, it was rather for the purpose of fasten- 

 ing its impressiveness upon the senses, than in the way of giving to it 

 authority and support. Hence we perceive that in the exposition of 

 this doctrine, an attempt was always made to fill and elevate the mind 

 with the notions of marvellous events, and of infinite times, in which 

 vast cycles of order recurred. The " great year," in which all celestial 

 phenomena come round, offered itself as capable of being calculated ; 

 and a similar great year was readily assumed for terrestrial and human 

 events. Hence there were to be brought round by great cycles, not 

 only deluges and conflagrations which were to destroy and renovate 

 the earth, but also the series of historical occurrences. Not only the 

 sea and land were to recommence their alternations, but there was to 

 be another Argo, which should carry warriors on the first sea-foray, a 

 and another succession of heroic wars. Looking at the passages of 

 ancient authors which refer to terrestrial changes in this view, we shall 

 see that they are addressed almost entirely to the love of the marvel- 

 lous and the infinite, and cannot with propriety be taken as indications 

 of a spirit of physical philosophy. For example, if we turn to the 

 celebrated passage in Ovid, 3 where Pythagoras is represented as assert- 

 ing that land becomes sea, and sea land, and many other changes which 

 geologists have verified, we find that these observations are associated 

 with many fables, as being matter of exactly the same kind; the 

 fountain of Ammon which was cold by day and warm by night; 4 the 

 waters of Salmacis which effeminate men ; the Clitorian spring which 

 makes them loathe wine ; the Simplegades islands which were once 

 moveable ; the Tritonian lake which covered men's bodies with 

 feathers ; and many similar marvels. And the general purport of 



a Virg. Eclog. 4. 3 Met. Lib. XT. 4 V. 309, &c. 



