of the Earth. 



the ftate of thefe Bodies m other Coun- 

 tries ; even in ahnoft: all parts of the 

 World wherewith the Engli{h main- 

 tain any Commerce or Correfpon- 

 dence : and learn'd from all hands, that 

 the ftate of them there was conforma- 

 ble to that of ours here^ in the main, 

 and as far as I fliall lay any ftrefs upon 

 it in my Conclufions ; which indeed 

 are not built upon any Niceties, or 

 folitary and uncommon Appearances, 

 but on the moft fimple and obvious 

 Circumftances of thefe terreftrial Bo* 



As to the Certainty and Accurate- 

 nefs of my Obfervations, thus much 

 may modeftly and very truly be faid, 

 that I do not offer any one before I had 

 firll: thoroughly and clearly informed 

 my felf in all material Circumftances 

 of it, and had opportunity of obfcr- 

 ving it in more places than one, that 

 I might be fatisfied there was nothing 

 cafiial or contingent in any of thole 

 Circumftances. This will not be 

 thought an over-great exafioels j or 

 any thing more than was needful, by 

 thofe who have noted how much Phi- 

 iofophy hath fuffered by the negleft 

 and overfight of fome Naturalifts in 



B 4. ■ " i\m 



