4^ The Natural Hijiory Part L 



cited Opinions: and partly becaufe I 

 am more efpecially obliged by my ge- 

 nerd defign to look into all Pretences 

 of Changes in the Globe we inhabit^ 

 and I faw very well, that icarce any, 

 of all thefe alledged, had the leaft coun- 

 tenance either from the prefent face of 

 the Earth, or any credible and authen- 

 tick Records of the ancient ftate of it, 

 I refolved to purfue this Matter fbme- 

 what farther, and to fliew that, al- 

 though there do indeed happen fbme 

 Alterations in the Globe, yet they are 

 very flight and almofl: imperceptible, 

 *i>/i;-M. ^ and fuch as tend rather to the bene- 

 r^.i.&c. confervation of the Earth and 



its Produftions, than to the diforder 

 and deftru£^ion both of the one and 

 the other, as all thefe fuppofititious 

 ones moft manifeftly would do, were 

 there really any fuch ; but from clear 

 and inconteftible Monuments of Anti- 

 quity : from Hiftory and Geography : 

 and from attentive Confideration of 

 the prefent ftate of thofe Countries 

 where thefe Changes were fuppofed 

 to have been wrought, I prove that 

 they arc imaginary and groundlefs, 

 and that fuch in earneft never happen- 

 ed ; but that the bounds of Sea and 



Land 



