Part 1. of the Earth. 



the face of the whole Earth i no tole- 

 rable Foundation for fuch a Belief ei- 

 ther in Nature or Hiftory. But I fbon 

 faw very well, that the Moderns ge- 

 nerally entertained it meerly upon the 

 Credit and Tradition of the Ancients, 

 and that without due Examination, or 

 Enquiry into the Truth and Probabili- 

 ty of it 5 and 'twas not long eVe I dil- 

 covered what it was that fb generally 

 mifled the Ancients into thefe Miftakes. 

 But of that more by and by. 



Thofe ancient Pagan W riters were 

 indeed very much excufabie as to this 

 matter. Philofbphy was then again in 

 its Infancy : there remaining but few 

 marks of the old Tradition^ and thole 

 much obliterated and defaced by Time; 

 fb that they had only dark and faint 

 Ideals, narrow and fcanty Concepti- 

 ons, of Providence : and were igno- 

 rant of its Intentions, and of the me- 

 thods of its Conduft in the Government 

 .and Prefervation of the Natural World. 

 They wanted a longer Experience of 

 thefe things : a larger ftock of Obferva- 

 tions, and Records of the ftate of the 

 Earth before their times ^ having, as 

 things then ftood, nothing to afEft 

 them in their Enquiries befides their 



E 4 own 



