308 An Attempt to ascertain the Animal 



a crocodile, and " levi," which, in Hebrew, signifies "joined, 

 lengthened, or extended," it would imply an animal a than 

 in form, but equal in size or extension to several thanim. At 

 all events, the root than, which Hurdis interprets a crocodile, 

 occurring in the name of \e\iathan, will rather confirm the 

 opinion I mean to maintain ; viz., that the leviathan was that 

 animal of the crocodilian family known to geologists by the 

 name of megalosaurus, an animal proved to have once ex- 

 isted even in this country ; of immense size, even 70 ft. long, 

 with limbs exceeding in size those of the elephant. 



In order that such of my hearers as have not paid atten- 

 tion to geology may properly understand my argument, I will 

 here extract a description of the megalosaurus from the works 

 of Professors Buckland and Cuvier ; and, having thus given 

 them an idea of the megalosaurus from authors who had 

 no theory like mine to maintain, we will next proceed to 

 examine the Scripture accounts of the leviathan, to see how 

 they coincide with the size, form, habitat, manners, and ge- 

 neral description of the megalosaurus ; in the course of which 

 I will show why they do not tally with that of the crocodile. 

 Buckland says, " The megalosaurus was oviparous, and be- 

 longed to the order of saurians, or lizards ; in length from 

 60 ft. to 70 ft., and of a height equal to our largest elephants: 

 it was an amphibious animal.*' Cuvier says, " We cannot 

 hesitate to pronounce it a lizard. It appears assuredly to 

 have exceeded in size the largest crocodiles known, and ap- 

 proached the size of a whale : from the trenchant form of the 

 teeth it was exceedingly voracious. All that accompanies its 

 remains announces that it was a marine animal. Judging 

 from the femur (sent to him), the dimensions of the animal 

 must have been (had it the proportions of the monitor, to 

 which its teeth are allied,) of the length of about 40 ft.; but, 

 from some of the other bones, a much greater length might 

 be calculated for this animal, even up to 70 ft." Thus it is 

 pretty certain the megalosaurus was in figure, &c, like a 

 crocodile from 60 ft. to 70 ft. long; that is to say, nearly 

 three times the length of the largest crocodile. 



Let us now turn to the Scripture account of the leviathan 

 in the 41st chapter of the Book of Job, and analyse it as 

 we proceed. It is the Almighty who is addressing Job upon 

 the wonders of the creation. 



" Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook ? or his tongue 

 with a cord, which thou lettest down? Canst thou put a 

 hook in his nose P or bore his jaw through with a thorn?" It 

 seems to me perfectly evident, that what is here put interro- 

 gatively is intended to imply the impossibility of doing the 



