60 D E L 
creep up the deeped rocks, march into the flat country, 
affemble in the niarlhy grounds, and bring defolation 
every where, efpecially in the night. Men can fcarcely 
fleep for them, and are obliged to roll themfelves in 
fuch things as may bed fecure them from their bitings. 
It was the fame in the Ifle of Bourbon, which was as 
much infeded with them at fird, till it became more fully 
peopled. “ We have good reafon therefore (fays Mr. 
Cockburn) to conclude, that there was but one pair of 
animals created at fil'd, that they might not increafe too 
fad for mankind; and though they would multiply much 
more, and increafe fader than men could do, they had 
room to fpread themfelves for a long time without much 
annoyance to man ; and as men increafed in number, and 
extended their habitations, they would be able to drive 
them further off, or defend themfelves from their depre¬ 
dations.” The fame mode of reafoning is by this author 
made ufe of with regard to aquatic animals. The mul¬ 
titude of thefe indeed, however great, could be no detri¬ 
ment to man, who lived on land ; but if we conlider how 
large and numerous a fpawn filhes cad at once, and in 
how fhort a time they multiply to immenfe numbers, he 
thinks it reafonable to conclude, that only one pair was 
created at once ; and that the command to the waters to 
bring forth abundantly both fijh and fowl, related only 
to the variety of fpecieSj not to a number of each. 
Though at the redoration of the world it was to be re¬ 
peopled by fix perfons indead of two, and though at the 
fame time animal food was given to man, yet Noah was 
Commanded only to take a fingle pair of each of the ani¬ 
mals, clean beads, which are but few in number, only 
excepted. It is further obfervable, that notwithdanding 
this fcanty fupply of animals, they had increafed fo much 
by the time of Nimrod, that it then became neceffary to 
hunt and dedroy them ; and Nimrod was celebrated for 
his courage and (kill in that neceffary employment. “ So 
numerous (adds he) were the animals before the flood, 
though but two of a kind were created, that Dr. Wood¬ 
ward, from the remains of that earth, as well the animal 
as vegetable productions of it dill preferved, concludes, 
that * at the time the deluge came, the earth was fo 
loaded with herbage, and fo thronged with animals, that 
fuch an expedient was even wanting to eafe it of the 
burden, and to make room for a new fucceflion of its 
productions.” 
Mr. Cockburn is of opinion, that America mud have 
been peopled before the flood, as the old continent could 
not be fuppofed able to hold the number of inhabitants. 
V/ith regard to the main difficulty, viz. how the animals 
peculiar to different countries could travel to fuch dif- 
tances to and from the ark, Mr. Cockburn replies, that 
America, which biffiop Stillingfleet chiefly infids upon, 
has nothing peculiar to it, but what may equally well be 
urged both with refpedt to Ada and Africa; each of them 
having animals peculiar to themfelves. It is alfo pofli- 
ble, that there might formerly be a more eafy communi¬ 
cation between the Afiatic and American continents than 
there is now. He likewife obferves, that though the ark 
reded on mount Ararat, yet we are not told where it was 
built, which might be far enough from the place where 
it is commonly fuppofed ; fo that thefe animals which 
are peculiar to America might not have fo far to travel 
to the ark as is commonly imagined. This argument, 
however, feems to be very inconclufive ; for, though we 
ihould fuppofe the ark to have been condrudted in Arne, 
jica itfelf, the animals of Mefopotamia would have had 
as far to travel from thence to America, as the American 
animals from their own country to Mefopotamia, accord¬ 
ing to the common opinion. But in whatever part of the 
earth Noah lived and the ark was built, it was at God’s 
command that the feveral kinds of animals came thither 
in order to their prefervation ; and his command could 
bring them from the farthed parts of the earth during 
the one hundred and twenty years that all the world lay 
»mder condemnation. Though after all, none of the ani- 
U G E. 
mals might have very far to travel to the ark; for, if 
only one pair of each kind was created at fird, and all of 
thefe in or near one place, fince they were all brought 
before Adam, and received names from him, there is no 
abfurdity in fuppofing that fome of every kind might re¬ 
main in the country where they were fird produced, from 
whence Noah’s habitation might not be very didant. 
Neither can any objection be brought from the extinc¬ 
tion of fome fpecies of animals in -certain countries of the 
world, dnce they might have been hunted and dedroyed 
either by the human race or by other creatures. Thus 
it is faid, that there are now few or no deer in Swifler- 
land, though formerly there were a great many when it 
was full of woods. In Britain alfo there are no wolves 
now to be found, though the idand was infefted with 
them in former times. 
In confidering the. fubjedt of the deluge, among other 
quedions which occur, one is, by what means were rave¬ 
nous animals, which feed only upon flefli, fupporied in 
the ark ? For this fome authors have fuppofed, that 
Noah, bcfides thofe animals which he took into the ark 
for prefervation, took likewife a great number for daugh¬ 
ter. For this purpofe bidiop Wilkins has allowed no 
fewer than 1825 ffieep, though he was of opinion, that 
there were no carnivorous animals before the flood; and 
this latter opinion is adopted by Mr. Cockburn. T-he 
idea indeed of llaughtering a number of harmlefs animals 
to fatisfy a few vile rapacious ones, and that too in a place 
defigned for the common afylum of the animal creation, 
feems inconfldent with that fcheme of mercy difplayed 
in the whole tranfadlion. It is by much the more pro¬ 
bable fuppofition then, that though fome animals had 
been accudomed to live on fledi in their natural date, 
they could neverthelefs fubdd upon vegetable food. This 
feems the more probable, as fome animals naturally car¬ 
nivorous, particularly dogs and cats, may be fupported 
in their domedic date by vegetable food alone. If we 
extend this to the whole canine and feline genera, we 
filial 1 take in mod of the beads of prey ; as lions, tigers, 
leopards, panthers, wolves, foxes, hyaenas, &c. Bears 
are well known lometimes to feed on berries ; fnakes 
will eat bread and milk ; and there is no reafon to fup- 
pofe that even the mod carnivorous birds could not be 
kept alive by grain or other vegetable food. By thus 
excluding fuch a number of ufelefs animals, a very con- 
fiderable fpace will be allowed for the circulation of air 
in the ark, the want of which feems to be the mod inex¬ 
plicable difficulty, if we may judge from the prefent 
conditution of things. It feems indeed to be certain, that 
no equal number of animals could fubfid for a twelve- 
month in an equal fpace, fo clofely fhut up as they were. 
The ark, it is true, contained near two millions of cubic 
feet ; but confidering the number of its inhabitants, the 
great fpace neceffary for the food with which they were, 
to be fupplied, and the continual pollution of the air by 
their dung and filth, as well as the effluvia from their 
bodies, there feems little probability that even fuch a 
vad bulk of air could fuffice for any length of time. This 
difficulty will appear the greater, when we condder that 
any ventilation was impoilible, as this could not have 
been done without both opening the door and window ; 
and the former, we are certain, was not opened until the 
time that the command was given to come forth out of. 
the ark. Neither is there the fmalled.probability that 
the opening of a fingle window could renew the air in. 
fuch a manner as to make it fit for breathing throughout 
the whole extent of the ark. I11 this particular there¬ 
fore, we mud have recourfe to the immediate interpod- 
tion of divine power, and fuppofe that the air was mira- 
culoudy preferved of a fufficient degree of purity, as the 
garments of the Ifraelites were preferved from turning 
old, and their feet from being aftedted by the journey 
through the defert in which they wandered fo long. 
Many other quedions concerning the economy of the ark. 
nlight be prcpofed - 3 as } how they fupplied themfelves.. 
with 
