THE EARTH. 1? 



races, the most celebrated are Burnet, Whiston, Woodward, and 

 Bufibn. As speculation is endless, so it is not to be wondered that 

 all these differ from each other, and give opposite accounts of the 

 several changes, which they suppose our earth to have undergone. 

 As the systems of each have had their admirers, it is, in some measure, 

 incumbent upon the natural historian to be acquainted, at least, with 

 their outlines ; and, indeed, to know what others have even dreamed 

 in matters of science, is very useful, as it may often prevent us from 

 indulging similar delusions ourselves, which we should never have 

 adopted, but because we take them to be wholly our own. However, 

 as entering into a detail of these theories, is rather furnishing a history 

 of opinions than things, I will endeavour to be as concise as I can. 



The first who formed this amusement of earth-making into system, 

 was the celebrated Thomas Burnet, a man of polite learning and rapid 

 imagination. His Sacred Theory, as he calls it, describing the changes 

 which the earth has undergone, or shall hereafter undergo, is well 

 known for the warmth with which it is imagined, and the weakness with 

 which it is reasoned ; for the elegance of its style, and the mean- 

 ness of its philosophy. " The earth," says he, " before the deluge, 

 was very differently formed from what it is at present : it was at 

 first a fluid mass ; a chaos composed of various substances, differing 

 both in density and figure : those which were most heavy sunk 

 to the centre, and formed in the middle of our globe a hard solid 

 body ; those of a lighter nature remained next ; and the waters, 

 which were lighter still, swam upon its surface, and covered the 

 earth on every side. The air, and all those fluids which were 

 lighter than water, floated upon this also ; and in the same manner 

 encompassed the globe ; so that between the surrounding body of wa- 

 ters, and the circumambient air, there was formed a coat of oil, and 

 other unctuous substances, lighter than water. However, as the air 

 was still extremely impure, and must have carried up with it many 

 of those earthy particles with which it once was intimately blended, 

 it soon began to defecate, and to depose these particles upon the oily 

 surface already mentioned, which soon uniting, the earth and oil 

 formed that crust, which soon became a habitable surface, giving life 

 to vegetation, and dwelling to animals. 



" This imaginary antideluvian abode was very different from what 

 we see it at present. The earth was light and rich ; and formed of a 

 substance entirely adapted to the feeble state of incipient vegetation : 

 it was a uniform plain, every where covered with verdure ; without 

 mountains, without seas, or the smallest inequalities. It had no dif- 

 ference of seasons, for its equator was in the plane of the ecliptic, or, 

 in other words, it turned directly opposite to the sun, so that it enjoy, 

 ed one perpetual and luxuriant spring. However, this delightful face 

 of nature did not long continue in the same state ; for, after a time, 

 it began to crack and open in fissures ; a circumstance which always 

 succeeds when the sun exhales the moisture from rich or marshy situ- 

 ations. 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 



VOL. I. B 



