190 HiSToaif OF 



and herbage ; its beiiutif'ul sliades, and wbolsome .lir. But the 

 sea, breaking in upon the land, overwhehned the whole country, 

 took possession of the soil, and totally destroyed one of the 

 most fertile valleys in the world. Its air, from being dry and 

 healthful, from that time became most unwholesome, and clog- 

 jied with vapours ; and the small part of the country that, by 

 being higher than the rest, escaped the deluge, was soon render- 

 ed uninhabitable, from its noxious vapours. Thus this country 

 continued under water for some centuries: till at last the sea, 

 by the same caprice which had prompted its invasions, began to 

 abandon the earth in like manner. It has continued for some 

 ages to relinquish its former conquests ; and although the inhabi- 

 tants can neither boast the longevity nor the luxuries of their 

 former pre-occupants, yet they find ample means of subsistence ; 

 and if they happen to survive the first years of their residence 

 there, they are often known to arrive at a good old age. 



But although history be silent as to many other irmndations of 

 the like kind, where the sea has overtlovved the coimtry, and after- 

 wards retired, yet we have numberless testimonies of another 

 nature, that prove it beyond the possibility of a doubt : I mean 

 those innnerous trees that are found buiied at considerable 

 depths in places where either rivers or the sea have accidentally 

 overflown.' At the mouth of the river Ness, near Bruges, in 

 Flanders, at the depth of fifty feet, are found great quantities of 

 trees lying as close to each other as they do in a wood j the 

 trunks, the branches, and the leaves, are in such perfect preser- 

 vation, that the particular kind of each tree- may instantly be 

 known. About five hundred years ago, this very ground was 

 known to have been covered by the sea ; nor is thei'e any history 

 or tradition of its having been diy ground, which we can have no 

 doubt must have been the case. Thus we see a country flourishing 

 in verdure, producing large forests, and trees of various kinds, over- 

 wlielmed by the sea. We see this element depositing its sedi. 

 nicnt to a height of fifty feet ; and its waters must, therefore, 

 have risen much higher. SVe see the same, after it has thus 

 overwhelmed and sunk the land so deep beneath its slime, 

 capriciously retiring from the same coasts, and leaving that hiibit- 

 able once more, which it had formerly destroyed. All this is 



) lii.lii.n, vol. ii. p 103. 



