8 



company in its strange progress. At its first ernpfTom 



the whole magazine of sand could ot cover above 



eight or ten acres of land. But it increased inlo a 



thousand acres before the sand hivd travelled four 



miles Above thirty years since it rochet! the bounds 



of this town, where for ten or twelve years it did BO 



considerable mischief: because , its course was then 



down the bill, which sheltered it from the wind that 



gave it motion. But the valley once past, it went 



above a mile (uphill) hi two months-time. It over-run 



tv/o hundred acres of good corn that same year. It is 



now got into the body of this little town, where it has 



buried several houses ; and the remainder have been- 



preserved at more expcnce than they were wdlth. At 



the other uwl of the town divers houses are buried, 



aad our pastures and meadows destroyed. A branch 



of the river Ouse, upon which we border, for three 



* together is more thaa half filled up with sand* 



And had r.ofc this interposed to stop its passage into 



Norfolk, doubtless a considerable part of that county 



Lad e'er now been left a desolate trophy of this coa~ 



quericg enemy. 



4. One cf the most considerable parts of the earth f* 

 the nioantaics. There is a remarkable irregularity in 

 tfaeir figure, and (so far as we can judge) an entire- 

 neglect of order in their situation. The far greater 

 farf of them are hollow, and contain beds of stone* 

 ifret'ais or uiiiienjls. And doubtless such there were 

 ih ; ihfc ci-ealiov;, i-o though not so high, steep, or rugged 



For thee vast rmvs^es aren.t, ss s< vac have supposei\ 

 janere iiicumbiances cf the creatioii: rude and useless 

 excre&ceiises of ihegiole; but Uiiswer many excel t 

 oses.' They are contrived and ordered 6y the \v\ae 

 Creator for this grand use in particular, to dispense the 

 Kiost nef-i. i?ion of water to aii the parts o: 



'.tliout wbicli neitiHir auiau?ls could live, plants 

 grew, nor |trhaps fossils receive any increase. "For 

 tiie surface of tke earth even and level, there could be \ 

 no descent for the waters, but instead of gliding along 



