48 the Natural Bifiory Part L 



pour that continually iflues out, and 

 t P^^'t 3- afcends from all parts of it, f or walliM 

 cow/s! off by Land-floods, and conveyed into 

 Rivers and the Sea, and thence eleva- 

 ted up, together with the Vapour, 

 which, as the former, conftitutes the 

 Rain that foils: I fay, it being thus 

 originall)/ all raisM from the Earth, 

 when reftored back again thereunto, 

 'tis but where it was before, and does 

 not enlarge the Dimenfions of the 

 Globe, or augment the furface of the 

 Earth, and only lye idly and unfervice- 

 ably there, but part of it is introduced 

 into the Plants which grow thereon, 

 for their Nutrition and Increment, and 

 the reft, which is fuperfluous, either 

 remounts again, with the afcending 

 Vapour, as before, or is wafli^d down 

 into Rivers, and tranfmitted into the 

 Sea, and does not make any fennble 

 Addition to the Earth, as fbme have 

 believed. 



That the terreftrial Matter, which 

 is thus carried by Rivers down into 

 the Sea , is fufl-ained therein , partly 

 by the greafter Craffitude and Gravity 

 of the Sea- water, and partly by its 

 conftant Agitation, occafioned by the 

 Tides, and by its other Motions, and 



