did the Sun fhine always in the Equator, whereby the action of the Sun in our Latitude, would be little more than half of what it is at prefent in a Summers day, which therefore could never be fufficient for the growth and perfection of Vegetables. But (fays he) bow does this appear, fuppofing the beat conftant? Are there no Vegetables in Jupiter which has ftill the pofition the Theorist gave the Primitive Earth, and which is vaftly further diftant from the Sun, and by confequence must bave much less of his heat? Whether there are Vegetables in Jupiter, neither the Theorift nor I can determine, for we were never there to fee, and I believe it was never revealed to him or any body elfe, that there are.

But fuppofing there are vegetables there, what is that to us? Does he think them of the fame nature and texture of parts that ours are of? Or that ours, if they were tranfplanted thither could grow and ripen in fuch a cold foil, when it is certain, that they require at least twenty five times a greater heat or influence from the Sun, than is in that Planet? Befides, it is requifite (as I fhew'd in the Examination) that our plants and vegetables fhould have very different degrees of heat, and therefore there must be fuch changes and alterations in the seasons, as are neceflary to produce the defign'd effect; for that heat which is requir'd for the firft growth and vegetation of a plant, will not be

fufficient

fufficient for the ripening and perfecting of the feed thereof, and that which is neceffary for the bringing the feed to perfection would quite wither the green and tender herb; and therefore, fince this variety of feasons and alterations of heat, cannot be obtain'd either in Jupiter or in the Theorift's Antediluvian Earth; it is plain, that our plants could never have been brought to perfection in either of thofe places.

But it seems this Defender is of the opinion, that the plants and vegetables of the Primitive Earth, were of a different nature and conftitution from thofe we have now; fo that he muft think, that the nature of all our plants was perfectly alter'd and chang'd, or that God Almighty having deftroy'd the old, was pleas'd to give us a quite new fpecies of vegetables and plants; this is a miracle that is recorded no where in Scripture, or any where elfe that I know of, and I hope he will not think us oblig'd, on his word to believe it.

I affirm'd alfo, that if the Earth had fuch a pofition as the Theorift affign'd it, that the greatest part of it wou'd not be habitable. For he himself acknowledges, that the Torrid Zone was uninhabitable in that Earth; and I am fure, that the greateft part of the two temperate Zones would not have fufficient heat to ripen their Corn and Fruits, and confequently would be nothing elfe but a Defart. To this he replys with this question, How

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much

much less habitable would it be than the present Earth, where the open Sea which was not then, takes up half its furface? I anfwer, that upon the fame confideration I cannot fee how any part of it should be habitable; for there being no open Sea, whofe furface is expos'd to the heat of the Sun, I cannot imagine how there could be vapours enough drawn up to furnish the Earth with Waters, Dews, and Mifts. For when it is requifite that one half of the Earths furface should be cover'd with water, on purpofe to furnish vapours enough for Rain and Rivers, how can it be fupply'd if there were no Sea at all? Can any Man fuppofe that the Sun acted as freely thro' a Cruft of an immenfe thickness to raife vapours, as it does now upon the furface of the open Sea? This by the way, I think is a very good argument against the Theorift, who afferted, that the Primitive Earth had no Sea.

But the Defender thinks, that it would be very hard, if the feasons of the Year were the fame as they are now; that the Inhabitants of the Earth fhould be confin'd to Herbs, Fruits and Water, efpecially in the colder Climates, where the Winters are fo long, and the cold vehement; this he thinks, would be a moft unmerciful impofition. Really as hard and unmerciful as it is, there are a very confiderable number of people in these cold Countries, the greatest part of whofe Food, is Bread, Herbs, Roots, Milk,

Milk, Cheese, and the like; and who feldom taft any Flefh-meats. And why might not the Antediluvians lead the fame kind of life? I cannot fee that the impofition is harder upon one than the other.

The Defender fays, that the change of the pofition of the Earth's Axis, is matter of fact, and must be prov'd from Hiftory. And he wishes the Examiner would confult Antiquity, which would give him a more favoura¬ ble opinion of the Theory as to this point. One would imagine by this, that this Gentleman had the Obfervations of fome Antediluvian Aftronomers to produce, who had found, that the inclination of the Earths Axis was chang'd from a perpendicular, into the prefent oblique pofture: But instead of those, he only quotes fome Philofophers, that did not live within fome thousands of Years of the time, when this change was suppos'd to be made. What credit is there to be given to fuch a Tradition? Can we imagine, that there can be any thing certainly known from Authors that liv'd fo long after the time of this change? Efpecially, when these men have faid a thousand other things, that neither the Theorift nor any body elfe can believe? And yet, if we confider what they have faid, we fhall find it but very little to his purpose. Diogenes, Anaxagoras, Empedocles and Leucippus, talked of the inclination, declination, or depreffion of the World towards the South,

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South, fo that the Northern parts were rais'd higher, while the oppofite parts flid towards the South. We may easily obferve, that thefe Philofophers from their way of speaking, were no great Aftronomers; it is hard to guess what they mean't by fuch fentences: But if we fhould take their meaning as the words at first feem to import, that one Pole of the Earth was more depreffed, or inclined towards the Sun or the Ecliptick, than the other; the thing is abfolutely falfe, for both the Poles are equally inclined to the Sun, or the Plane of the Ecliptick: (as I have fuffi*Pages ciently fhew'n in the Examination *) But 66, 67, whatever their meaning may be, I am fure, it is eafier to draw any other confequence, than that which the Theorift has deduced from their words; nay it is probable, that they mean't the direct contrary to what he says they did, namely, that the Sun formerly came more towards the North, than it does at prefent, and that its diftance from them towards the South, is now greater than it was at first. This, one may eafily deduce from the words of Leucippus as they are quoted by Plutarch, Λακίππω παρεκπεσεῖν ἢ γῆν εἰς τὰ με σεμβεινὰ μέρη διὰ ἢ ἐν τοῖς μεσεμβεινοῖς ἀραιότητα ἅτε δὴ πεπηγότων ἢ βορείων διὰ τὸ καταψύχθαι τοῖς κρυ μοῖς, ἢ ἢ ἀπιθέτων πεπυρωμένων. Leucippus terrame in partes auftrinas prolabi putat ob iftarum raritatem, quippe gelu concretis partibus Septentriona libus, dum oppofita interim ardent. So that it

68.

feems