62 NATURAL HISTORY 
pared to pafs into the (till more curious and highly organized parts 
of animals. It is eafy to fee that this is rather a detail of the feve- 
ral materials and well-known inftruments conducing to fertility, 
than the caufe ; fertility is owing to the concert, fitnefs, and agree- 
ment of all thefe (with perhaps fome volatile, a&ive principle, of 
which we know nothing at all); but whence that agreement does 
refult, how the materials ferment, replace, connect, and invigorate 
one another, how the veflels chufe and refufe (if I may fay fo) in 
order to produce the fertility defired, is known only to the infinitely 
wife Difpofer of all things, ever attentive to the nurture and fup- 
port of what he has created. 
But to whatever caufe the fertility of Earth is to be afiigned, 
Earth, it muff be owned, is a moll fruitful, univerfal element; 
animals, plants, metals, and ftones, arife out of it, and return to 
it again ; there, as it were, to receive a new exiftence, and form 
new combinations ; the ruins and diffolution of one fort affording 
Hill more and more apt materials for the more plentiful production 
of others : in ftones and metals, we admire the continuity, hardnefs, 
and luftre of Earth ; in plants, the foftnefs, variety, colours, and 
odour; in animals, the flefh, the bone, and yet an infinite number of 
different fluids, in which this fupple element can take place ; but 
the greateft wonder is, that Earth is capable of being fubtilized to 
fuch an exquifite degree, as by uniting and communicating with 
Ipirit to perform all animal functions given in charge to it by the 
foul. This is the higheft and utmoft refinement which, in this 
ftate of being, Earth is capable of ; but that it may be ftill farther 
refined, in order to be qualified for a future, incorruptible, and more 
glorious ftate, is one of the great truths which we owe to Revelation. 
sect. vn. In our mines, we often find the Ochrous Earths of metals, the 
Chlk d ru % Ochre of iron, which we, in Cornwall, call Gojjan , the green 
brown’ an and blue Ochres of copper, the pale yellow Ochre of lead k , the 
Earth. brown yellow of tin, and the red Ochre of Bifmuth ; thele Earths we 
call the feeders of the metals they belong to, and where they are 
found, the metals are generally, and very juftly reckoned not to be far 
off'. Chalk is fcarcely yet difcovered any where in Cornwall, but I 
have fuch a fample by me (though of a coarfe gritt), brought from 
the parifh of St. Clare, as may convince us that more may be found 
than is imagined upon a diligent fearch ; a lump of fmooth Earth, 
brought me from the parifh of Illogan, of a chocolate colour, was 
k I have fome lumps of this from Gwynier 
downs, which, in its natural ftate, mixes well 
with oil, and makes a (hade betwixt the com- 
mon light and brown Ochre ; neither fo bright as 
the former, nor fo ruddy and warm as the latter ; 
but more upon the pink. This therefore might 
probably be introduced into painting with advan- 
tage, as it is folid, and will not fly off (as the 
painters fay) as the brown pink, being a tranfpa- 
rent colour, will. 
fpeckled 
