the Earth, whereby it keeps its axis always parallel to it felf, for this is rather the effect of reft than any new motion; for it is not the parallelifm, but the declination of the axis from exact parallelifm, (by which the Stars feem to move tho very flowly according to the series of the figns) which ought to be called a new motion.

But I will pass from this Subject, and con fider the Theorifts Argument for the right pofition of the Earth drawn from its aquilibration which he fays is the immediate refult and common effect of gravity or libration. For a Body fays he freely left to its felf in a fluid medium will fettle it felf in such a posture as will beft answer to its gravity, and the Earth being uniformly ballanced, there is no reason why it fhould incline at one end more than at the other towards the Sun. This he illustrates by the fimilitude of a Ship equally ballanc'd, and placed North and South under the equator. But after all this Argument and Similitude, I can fee as yet no reason why the axis of the Earth fhould be perpendicular to the plane of the Ecliptick more than any other of its diameters, for it is demonftrated by the writers of Hydroftaticks, that a fphere whofe centre of Gravity is the fame with its centre of Magnitude if put in a fluid of the fame fpecifick gravity with it felf, will retain any given pofition, and therefore there can be no reafon drawn from the earths gravity

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gravity or equilibration why the pofition of its axis fhould be perpendicular to the plane of the Ecliptick rather than any other of its diameters.

T

CHA P. V.

Of Rivers.

HE Theorist having reprefented to us the first Earth as a fmooth regular and uniform body without Mountains and without a Sea; In the 5th Chap. of his fecond book he starts a great difficulty how it was watered, from what caufes, and in what manner, how could Fountains rife or Rivers flow in an Earth of that form and nature? he has fhut up the Sea with thick walls on every fide, and taken away all communication that could be 'twixt it and the external earth, he has removed all the Hills and Mountains where the Springs ufe to rife, and whence the Rivers defcend to water the face of the ground, and lastly, he has left no iffue for thefe Rivers, no Ocean to receive them, or any place to disburthen themselves into. So that his new found World is like to be a dry and barren wilderness, and fo far from

being

being Paradifaical that it would scarce be Habitable.

These indeed are great difficulties, and the Theorist has acknowledged them to be fuch, for he fays there was nothing in his whole Theory that gave fo rude a stop to his thoughts as that part of it concerning the Rivers of the first Earth. But as the difficul ties are great, and as one would think infuperable, fo no doubt the glory that redounds to the Theorist must be nothing lefs, if they be clearly taken away.

To understand therefore what the ftate of the primitive Rivers and waters would be, he finds it neceffary to confider and examine how the rains fell in the firft Earth, and he tells us that the order of nature in the Regions of the air would be very different from what it is now; there could be no violent motions there, nor any thing that proceeded from extremity of cold, as Ice, Snow, or Hail, and as for Winds, they could neither be impetuous nor irregular in that Earth of his, feeing there were no Mountains, nor any other inequalities to obftruct the course of the vapours, nor any unequal feafons, nor uneqal actions of the Sun, but as for waters, meteors, dews and rains, there could not but be plenty of these in fome part or other of that Earth ; for the action of the Sun in raifing vapours was very strong, and very conftant, and the Earth was at first moift and foft, and accord

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ing

ing as it grew more dry, the rays of the Sun would pierce more deep into it, and reach at length the great abyfs which lay underneath and was an unexhausted storehouse of new vapours. Now the fame heat which extracted these vapours fo copiously, would also hinder them from condenfing into rain in the warmer parts of the Earth, and there being no mountains or contrary winds or any fuch caufes, to ftop or comprefs them, they would take their course where they were leaft refifted, which is towards the Poles and the colder regions of the Earth; for Eaft and Weft, they would meet with as warm an air, and vapours as much agitated as themfelves, which therefore will not yield to their progrefs that way, but North and South they will find a more eafy paffage fo that the concourse of vapours which were raised chiefly about the Equinoctial and middle parts of it would be towards the extreme parts or the Poles. When these vapours thus driven by the heat of the Sun were arrived in the cooler Regions near the Poles they would be condensed into rain, for wanting there the cause of their agitation, namely the heat of the Sun, their motion would foon begin to languish, and they would fall clofe to one another in the form of water.

Thus he thinks he has found a fufficient fource for waters in the firft earth, which would never fail, neither diminish nor over

flow.

flow. But tho' he esteems this an inexhauftible ftore-house, and an eafy way to furnish Waters, yet if it be narrowly examined he will find it not in the leaft fufficient for fuch an effect.

For firft according to his own hypothesis there could be no Rivers for a long time after the formation of the Earth till the Sun had crackt the outward cruft thereof, and its heat had reacht the great abyfs which the Theorist must needs own will require a very confiderable space of time, one would think it would be feveral hundreds of years before the Suns heat could perform fuch an effect, during all which time the inhabitants of the Earth must be without waters and rivers, and lead very fad and uncomfortable lives. Is this the fruit of the Golden Age? or is this confiftent with the happiness of the antediluvian Fathers? in my opinion it is directly contrary to the Scriptures, for they give us an account of rivers immediately after the formation of the Earth.

But 2dly, I will hereafter prove that the Suns Beams did never yet reach fo deep in the Earth as the thickness of the first cruftation must have been, and confequently there never could arife any vapours from the abyss to furnish the rivers.

3dly, Suppofing the heat of the Sun to have crackt the cruft, and to have raised vapours from the abyfs, yet it is certain it could not

do