And each world-builder advances plausible reasons for 

 his own hypothesis. But none of those reasons are de^ 

 fnonstrative : higher than probability they cannot go. 



That the earth is round, manifestly appears from the 

 elipsesof the moon, in all which the shadow appears 

 circular, v hich way seever it be projected. The natural 

 cause of its roundness, is the great principle of attrac- 

 tion, which the creator has stamped on all the mat- 

 ter of th~ universe, whereby all bodies, and all the 

 parts of bodies continually attract each other. By this 

 means, as ail the parts of bodies tend naturally to their 

 centre, so they take a gk>bous figure, unless some other 

 more prevalent cause interpose. Hence drops of quick- 

 silver put on a spherical form, the parts strongly attract- 

 ing each other. Drops of water Jjave the same form 

 when falling in the air, but are only half round when 

 they lie on a hard body, because their gravity o^ 7 erpow- 

 ers their attraction. Yet the earth is not exactly round, 

 but swells out towards the equator, and is flutter to- 

 wards the poles, which is supposed to be occasion- 

 ed l-\ the diurnal rotation of the earth on its axis. 

 By tliis means the ?rea1er diameter exceed** the less 

 about 34 wiles. V*nat the earth loses of its sphericity 

 x by mountains and vales is nothing considerable : the 

 highest eminence ben?g scarce equivalent to the smallest 

 pro* '.Iterance on the surface f ar orange. The diame- 

 ter of ihe earth is suppi s; d to b< 79^7 ? -i'^- 



Tn the terraqueous globe are, ]. TLe external part, 

 from which vegetables grow, and asiiuii-.'su-e lu^r isii-ed : 

 2. The middle part, which is possess* d by l^sils, and 

 extends l;ii.l' r \\i.\n human labour ran pe tt ate: 

 5. The inte -nal, whic'u -o^:^ svpose to l>e a orrat load- 

 stone : some a large miusj of fire : some :: collection of 

 waters : aiul others, a hollo VN ap,:e iuiv. bited b\ 

 mals, v hich have their sun, moon, and . .i other couve.* 

 nienCt-s, t ^ culiar to themst5ves. But inoaed of that we 

 know nothing. The deepest cavities natural or artifi- 

 cial, known to us, scarce penetrating a mile below the 

 surface. 



la the external part we meet with various strata, which 



