THE Earth. 19 



body of waters, 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 antediluvian 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 in- 

 cipient vegetation ; it was a 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 plane of the ecliptic, or, in other words, it turned 

 directly opposite to the sun, so that it enjoyed 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 ciack and open in fissures ; a circumstance which always suc- 

 ceeds when the sun exhales the moisture from rich or mai'shy 

 situations. The crimes of mankind had been for some time 

 preparing to draw down the wTath of Heaven; and they, at 

 length, induced the Deity to defer repairing these breaches in 

 natiu-e. 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 man- 

 kind, except ei£ht 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 ; and, by dashing against each other, and breaking 

 into small parts by the repeated violence of the shock, they, at 

 length, left between them large cavities, filled with nothing but 

 air. These cavities naturally offered a bed to receive the influent 



