20 HISTORY OF 



cipient vegetation : it was an uniform plain, every 

 where covered with verdure ; without mountains, 

 without seas, or the smallest inequalities. It had 

 no difference of seasons, for its equator was in 

 the plain of the ecliptic, or, in other words, it 

 turned directly opposite to the sun, so that it en- 

 joyed one perpetual and luxuriant spring. How- 

 ever, this delightful face of nature did not long 

 continue the same, for, after a time, it began 

 to crack and open in fissures : a circumstance 

 which always succeeds when the sun dries 

 away the moisture from rich or marshy situa- 

 tions. The crimes of mankind had been for some 

 time preparing to draw down the wrath of 

 Heaven ; and they, at length, induced the Deity 

 to defer repairing these breaches in nature. Thus 

 the chasms of the earth every day became wider, 

 and at length they penetrated to the great abyss 

 of waters ; and the whole earth, in a manner, fell 

 in. Then ensued a total disorder in the uniform 

 beauty of the first creation, the terrene surface of 

 the globe being broken down : as it sunk, the 

 waters gushed out in its place ; the deluge became 

 universal ; all mankind, except eight persons, were 

 destroyed, and their posterity condemned to toil 

 upon the ruins of desolated nature." 



It only remains to mention the manner in which 

 he relieves the earth from this universal wreck, 

 which would seem to be as difficult as even its first 

 formation. " These great masses of earth falling 

 into the abyss, drew down with them vast quanti- 

 ties also of air j and by dashing against each other, 

 and breaking into small parts by the repeated 



