Mr. Whiston feems to allow the waters at the Deluge, I will fuppofe the Hills no higher; and from thence I will Calculate what water would be neceffary to make an Universal Deluge.

It is evident, upon fuch a fuppofition, that the waters must be raised beyond three Miles perpendicular height that they may be as high as the tops of the Hills. Now it is eafy to Calculate how much water would be neceffary to raise the Surface of the Sea to fuch an height. The Ocean being by Hypothesis a quarter of a mile deep, there are twelve fuch quarters in three Miles, and confequently there must not be lefs than twelve Oceans of water lying on the Surface of the Sea, that it may be of the fame height with the water which covered the Land.

Let me in the next place fuppofe the whole furface of the Land thickly befet with Mountains, every one of which was three Miles perpendicularly high: now because three Miles has but a very finall proportion to the femidiameter of the Earth, it is evident, that the Orb, or rather part of an Orb, confifting of waters and Mountains, would be alfo equal to a Cylinder, whofe height is three Miles, and its base a Circle equal to the Surface of the Land. But because the Hills are fuppofed to be of a conical Figure, and cones by the 10th of the 12th of Euclid, are the third part of a Cylinder on the fame base and of

the

the fame height, it is evident that the Hills would make but one third part of the former Cylinder; that is, all the Mountains if they were levelled, would raise the Surface of the Earth a milé higher than it is: from thence it follows, that the water, which lay on the Surface of the Land at the time of the Deluge, was equal to a Cylinder, whose base was equal to the Surface of the Land, and its height two miles. And because in two miles there are eight quarters of one mile, it is plain, that the water, which was neceflary to cover the Land, must be equal to eight Oceans of water; which together with the other twelve, makes twenty Oceans of water. But because the whole Land is not fo thickly covered with Hills as I have fuppofed, (it being indeed not poffible that it fhould be) and because there are but few Hills fo high as I have fuppofed them all to be, we must at leaft allow two Oceans more on these two accounts: fo that the whole amounts to two and twenty Oceans of water, which together with the water that doth now compose the prefent Ocean, makes three and twenty Oceans of water, which is the least that can be neceffary for an Univerfal Deluge. If the height of the greatest hills were four miles above the Surface of the Ocean, as most probably it is by Varenius's Calculation, the water, that must be required to drown the whole Earth, must be no less than twenty

eight Oceans of water. But I will here fuppofe there was no more water, than what was required by the former fuppofition.

Tho' it be easy for Mr. Whifton to fuppofe all this, or even a much greater quantity of water to be derived from the Atmosphere of a Comet; yet I believe he will not find it fo eafy a task to remove it again from the Earth. He himself acknowledges, that the Air could receive and fuftain but very inconfiderable quantities of it in comparison of the entire Mafs of waters, which then lay on the Earth. It is not poffible, that this water could defcend through the Cracks and Fiffures of the Earth, which of neceffity muft have been all full at the time of the Deluge: for water cannot lye on the Surface of the Earth, till all the Cracks, Holes and Fiffures in it be firft filled. This is fo evidently certain both to fenfe and experience, that I think it beyond all contradiction true; it being as impoffible to make water lye on the Surface of the Earth, before all its Cracks, Pits, and Holes are filled, as it is to make a Veffel retain water, whose bottom is bored through with holes.

But tho' I fhould fuppofe that the Cracks and Fiffures remained empty during the Deluge (which is indeed an impoffible fuppofition;) yet it is certain, that these Fiflures could receive but little more water than what was at firft derived from them. For the

Cruft

Cruft of the Earth according to Mr. Whifton, lying immediately on the denfe and heavy Abyls, and water being lighter than it, it is abfolutely impoffible, that ever water should fettle it felf between the Cruft and the Abyss. It is therefore clear, that no more water could defcend through the Cracks and Fiffures of the Earth than what they were able to contain, or what had firft afcended through them to the surface of the Earth; which Mr. Whiston fuppofes to be half the water neceffary for making the Deluge, and must be according to the former Calculation, at least eleven Oceans of water: Tho' indeed I cannot easily understand, how 'tis poffible for them to contain and receive fo much. What then can we imagin would become of the reft? for after that the Channel of the Sea was compleatly filled, there would remain eleven Oceans more to be difpofed of; which there is no imaginable place in the Earth able to receive. And therefore it is clear even to a demonstration, that all this water could never be removed by natural means.

These are the chief and moft fubftantial points I have confidered in Mr. Whifton's New Theory; I might have made feveral objections against other parts of it, and particularly I might have taken notice of fome mistakes he has made in Geometry; but because the Truth of his Theory doth not depend upon them, I have paffed them over. If Mr. Whiston will

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be pleased to make any anfwer to the Objections, I have here made; I would defire of him, that, whatfoever difficulties he defigns to remove, he will do it by clear and diftinct reafoning from Mechanical Principles. If he finds himself preffed with any objection, which he cannot anfwer, I doubt but not, that he will have the Ingenuity to own it. I know there are fome Philofophers, that never mifs to tell their Readers, they reafon clearly and diftinctly, when no body elfe can dif cover the confequence but themselves. And when they are fo preffed with any difficulty, they make a long difcourfe about fome thing the Reader knows not what, and endeavour to get off in a mift of words; but I expect no fuch dealing from one of Mr. Whifton's Candour and Sinceriy.

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