Fart VL of the Bank 



The Method I take may perhaps be 

 cenfured by fome as prepofterous, be- 

 eaufe I thus treat laft of the Antedilu^ 

 wan Earth, which was firft in order 

 of Nature. But they will, I hope^ 

 let fall that Cenfurey when they are 

 acquainted that 'tis a thing of Con- 

 flraint, and not of Choice : and that 

 'tw^as for want of Footing, and good 

 ground to go upon, that I did not take 

 that Earth under Confideration fboner* 

 The truth is^ there was no way for me 

 to come to any competent Knowledge 

 of it, or to give any fure Judgment 

 concerning it^ but meeily by Indudi- 

 on : and by Contemplation of the 

 Shells, Bones, and other Remains of 

 it, which are ftill in being. Now be- 

 fore I could inferr any thing from 

 thefey it lay upon me to make out that 

 t[hey all belonged to the Earth, and 

 were the genuine Produfts of it: to 

 fhew likewile how they became bu- 

 ried and difpofed in the manner we 

 now find them : and by what means 

 they were prefer ved till now- And 

 that is what I have been hitherto 

 about ; fb that this is indeed but the 

 proper place for this Difquifition con- 

 cerning the JmediluvU^ Earth : and 



R 2 It 



