seems not very consonant to the Mosaic history, which describes a gradual rise and abatement, and long continuance of the flood, not a violent transient shock, which would not have lasted many days, if hours; not to mention the little use our author makes of the rains, which he supposes, indeed, to have fallen throughout the earth, (though he does not know how that could proceed from natural causes) and to have contributed to the disruption of the abyss, by weakening the arch of the earth, and stopping its pores, which would make the vapours struggle the more violently; and that nothing but a miracle could save the ark in so prodigious a storm and convulsion of nature.

The expedient of the other learned theorist is, the trajection of a comet ", which, he supposes, passed so close by the body of the earth, at the time of the deluge, as to involve it in its atmosphere and tail. On which hypothesis, he proceeds to account for the deluge in this

manner:

He says, that when the earth had passed through the tail and atmosphere of the comet, which he supposes to consist of vapours rarefied and expanded in different degrees, and in which it would remain, on calculation, for about two hours, it must have acquired a large cylindrical column of vapours, whose basis was somewhat larger than one of the earth's greatest circles, and whose altitude was equal to the diameter of the comet's atmosphere; that these vapours would be impeded from descending towards the sun, by the earth's interposition, and attractive power; and so would fall down, with great violence, on its surface; a great part of which, being in a very rare and expanded condition, after their primary fall,

the primitive earth as are in ours; but as there was then twice the land, if there were no seas; so there must be allowed twice as many rivers to water it; and by such a double quantity the abyss would be emptied in half that time. * That a comet actually appeared at the deluge, is attested by several authors. Pliny mentions one which appeared in the reign of Typhon, that is, at the flood, or immediately before it; and speaks of the direful effects of it. And the above author has endeavoured to prove, that the last most remarkable comet, which was seen in these parts in the year 1680 (whose revolution he computes to be in about 575 years, and whose trajectory Sir Isaac Newton has delineated), was that very comet which came by the earth at the beginning: of Noah's deluge, and which was the cause of the same.

VOL. I.

would immediately be mounted into the air, and afterwards, on their condensation, descend, in violent and incessant rain, on the face of the earth, and very naturally occasion the forty days and forty nights rain mentioned by Moses.

That the presence of this comet, as it approached and came below the moon, would cause a double tide, as well in the seas above, as in the abyss below; that in the seas would be less considerable, but the other would be vastly great, and produce mighty effects. For on the nearest approach of the comet, the surface of the abyss would put on an elliptic or oval, instead of its former spherical figure; and the orb of earth, which rested on it, would be obliged to accommodate itself to that larger oval surface; which being impossible for it to do while it remained solid, it must of necessity enlarge itself, and by the violent force of the increasing surface of the abyss be stretched, cracked, and have innumerable fissures made quite through it; or rather the tide must open and enlarge those fissures, which were produced at the commencement of the diurnal rotation. Thus would the fountains of the deep be broken up, and sufficient gaps made for a communication between the abyss below, and the surface of the earth above; which was no sooner done, than the fall of the cometic waters began, and quickly covered the earth, and crowded the air with vast quantities thereof; which waters, being adventitious, and of a prodigious weight, must press downward's with a mighty force, and endeavour to sink the orb of earth deeper into the abyss, according as the entire weight of each column of earth, and its incumbent water together, did now require, agreeably to the laws of hydrostatics; which laws he supposes not to have been exactly complied with at the earth's first subsiding into the abyss; otherwise he could scarce have expected any elevation of the subterraneous waters. But since the lowest strata of the earth were, according to him, in a good measure settled and consolidated together, before the upper were all formed, the whole compages would archwise sustain itself much higher than the law of specific gravity would otherwise require; and so upon the disruption of the upper earth, its several columns, as there was room, would settle themselves lower than they were at first; and their weight, augmented by the additional waters of the comet, would squeeze and press on the surface of the abyss; which being a fluid mass, and in

capable of sustaining a pressure on one part, without equally communicating it to all the rest, must burst out, wherever such pressure was wanting, and throw itself up the fissures, through which it would ascend with a mighty force, and carry up with it whatever was in its way, whether earth or water; and thereby add to the quantity of water already on the face of the earth, and become a fresh augmentation of that deluge which began already to overwhelm and destroy the inhabitants thereof.

The abatement and decrease of the waters of the deluge, our author supposes, was first by a wind, which dried up some; and, sccondly, by their descent through those breaches and fissures (at which part of them had ascended) into the bowels of the earth, which received the rest. To which latter also the wind, by hurrying the waters up and down, and so promoting their lighting into the before-mentioned fissures, was very subservient. The air, he grants, could sustain a very inconsiderable quantity in comparison of the intire mass; but as he supposes the antediluvian earth, though it was not destitute of lesser seas and lakes, yet to have had no great ocean, separating one continent from another, and covering so large a portion of it, as the present earth has; he conceives the upper region of the earth, being generally dry and porous, and of a great thickness, was capable of receiving a much greater quantity of water than was on the earth at the time of the deluge.

To this theory objections have been made, as well as to the former: for though there are some surprising co-incidents, which make it indeed probable, that a comet did really come very near, and passed by the earth when the deluge began, and might cause a pro. digious tide in the sea, and in the abyss; yet it has been thought somewhat strange, that the swelling of the abyss should have such an effect as to make convenient fissures in the solid crust of earth which inclosed it, without shattering its whole frame. Nor has the theorist's account of draining off the waters from the surface of the earth been judged satisfactory; it being difficult to conceive, that those subterraneous cavities, which he supposes could contain but a small proportion of the waters requisite to make the deluge, should yet be capable of receiving the greatest part of them when it was over. These difficulties, however, might possibly receive a solution; but the greatest objection of all is, that it is far from being clear, whether the atmosphere of a comet be a watery substance or

no; or if it were, that it should afford such a vast quantity of water as the theory has occasion for, on the earth's bare passing through it. For it is said, the observations of the most curious inquirers make it not improbable, that the circle about the body of the comet is nothing but the curling and winding round of the smoke, rising at first to a determinate height from all parts of the comet, and then making off to that part of it which is opposite to the sun. And if this opinion be true, the earth, by passing through the atmosphere of the comet, ran a greater risk of a conflagration than a deluge.

It seems, therefore, after all, that the divine assistance must be called in, on this occasion. For though the waters, which covered the earth at the creation, might be sufficient to cover it again; yet how this should be effected by mere natural means, cannot be conceived. The waters which were suspended in the clouds might, indeed, descend upon the earth, and that in cataracts, or spouts of water (as the Septuagint interpret the windows of heaven), like those in the Indies, where the clouds frequently, instead of dropping, fall with a terrible violence, in a kind of torrent; and this alone might cause a great inundation in the lower grounds: but as the clouds could pour down no more water than they had, which would soon be exhausted at this rate, it seems, from the length of the rain's continuance, that the showers were rather moderate and gradual. The subterraneous stores would afford a much more plentiful supply to complete the deluge, and probably contain more water than enough to drown the world, to a greater height than Moses relates: the only difficulty is, to draw it out of the abyss on the surface of the earth. And here, since we can assign no natural canse, we apprehend we may, not unphilosophically, resolve it into the divine power,

Though Sir W. Raleigh allows thirty miles for the height of the mountains, yet the highest in the world will not be found to be above five direct miles in height. Olympus, whose height is so extolled by the poets, does not exceed a mile and an half perpendicular, and about seventy paces. Mount Athos, which is said to cast its shade into the isle of Lemnos (according to Pliny, eighty-seven miles) is not above two miles in height; nor Caucasus much more; nay, the pike of Teneriff, reputed the highest mountain in the world, may be ascended in the three days (according to the proportion of eight furlongs to a day's journey), which makes it about the height of a German mile perpendicular. And the Spaniards affirm, that the Andes, those lofty mountains of Peru, in comparison of which, they say, the Alps are but coltages, may be ascended in four days compass.

which might, on this occasion, so far controul (no greater a miracle than that of continuing) the usual course of nature, as to effect its purpose. And, indeed, the event was so extraordinary, and the consequences thereof so considerable, that it is very reasonable to believe God did, in an especial manner, interpose therein. The Stoics, who supposed alternate destructions of the earth by fire and water, made no doubt of the possibility of a general deluge. "There are vast lakes,” says Seneca," which we do not see; great part of the sea lies hidden and concealed, and many rivers glide in secret; so that there may be causes of a deluge on all sides, wheu sóme waters flow in under the earth, others flow round about it, and being long peut up overwhelm it; and as our bodies sometimes dissolve into sweat, so the earth shall melt, and without the help of other causes, shall find in itself what shall drown it; there being in all places, both openly and secretly, both from above, and from be, neath, an eruption of waters, ready to overflow and destroy it." [Ancient Universal History, Vol. I,]

CHAP. III.

THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED, WITH THE THEORY OF EDWARD KING, ESQ. F. R. S,

AFTER so many conjectures, as have been already formed con, cerning the cause of the universal deluge, it may perhaps appear both impertinent to attempt a new solution, and also useless, as theories formed on mere hypothesis are always uncertain, and little to be depended upon. But if we give them no more weight than they deserve, and, considering them only as small steps towards the investigation of truth, do not desire any further assent to our conclusions than the probability on which they are founded demands, even such kind of enquiries may be of service, and open a door to new discoveries.

Where we cannot arrive at demonstration, we must be content with probability. Our despair of attaining the one ought not to