to what I have here advanc'd upon thofe Subjects, I am obliged particularly to confider them. That therefore they may not remain as Obftacles to those who are less skilfull in thefe Things, I fhall weigh their Arguments, detect the Invalidity of them, and prove, against them,

That the Sand-Stone, now in Being, is not as old as the Earth it self: nor hath it been confolidated ever fince the Creation of the World, as fome Authors have believed.

That Sand-Stone does not now grow by Juxtapofition, as they fpeak; that is by continual Addition of new Matter; in like Manner as the Bodyes of Animals and of Vegetables grow, and are augmented; as others were of Opinion.

That Sand-Stone does not ftill confolidate: i. e. that Matter which was, a few Years ago, lax, incoherent, and in Form of Earth; or of Sand, does not become daily more hard and confiftent, and by little and little acquire a perfect Solidity, fo as to turn to Stone; as others have afferted.

Sect. I.

That the Mountains of our Earth have not had Being ever fince the Creation and ftood as long as the Earth it felf; as fome Writers have thought.

That the faid Mountains were not raifed fucceffively, and at feveral Times, being flung up or elevated by Earthquakes, fome at one Time, and fome at another, as thofe Earthquakes happened. That these are fo far from raifing Mountains, that they overturn and fling down, foine of those which were before ftanding : and undermine others, finking them. Confer into the Abyfs underneath *. That Part III. of all the Mountains of the whole Globe, which are very numerous, and many of them extremely large, and confequently cannot be fuppofed to have been all thus raised without the Notice of Mankind, yet there is not any authentick Inftance, in all Hiftory, of fo much as one fingle Mountain that was heaved up by an Earthquake. That the new Mountain in the Lucrine Lake, not far from Pozzuolo in Italy, called Monte di Cinere, which is alledged, by the Favourers of this Opinion, as an In

Conf. 12.

ftance

as alfo

ftance in Behalf of it, was not raifed thus; the Relators of that Accident, as well those who were then living, as they who wrote fince, unanimously agreeing that this is not a Mountain confifting, as others do, regularly of Strata *, but a meer * Confer confufed Heap of Stones, Cinders, pag. 55: Earth, and Afbes, which were fpued Part 2. up out of the Bowels of the Earth, Confect. 3. by the Eruption of a Volcano, which fupra. happened there, in the Year 1538. And though this Eruption was preceded by several Earthquakes (the Country all round having been frequently fhaken for almoft the Space of two Years before) as thofe of Etna, Vefuvius, and Hecla ufualy are, yet this Hill was not elevated or heaved up by any of thofe Earthquakes, but the Matter, whereof 'tis compiled, difcharged out of the Volcano, as aforefaid; in like manner as Etna, Vefuvius, and the reft, fling forth Stones, Cinders, &c. upon any extraordinary Eruption of them.

That there have not been any Iflands of Note, or confiderable Extent, torn and caft off from the Continent by Earthquakes, or fever'd

from

the Name

.

from it by the boisterous Infults of the Sea. That Sicily, Cyprus, the Negropont, and many more, which have been fuppofed by fome to be only difmembred Parcels of the Main-Land, and anciently parted from it by one or other of these Means, yet realy never were so: but have been Islands ever fince the • Time of the Noetick Deluge.

Unto this Second Part I fhall annex,

A Difcourfe concerning the Trees, which are commonly called Subterranean Trees, or Foffil Wood, and which are found in great Plenty buried amongst other Vegetable BoMofs is dyes in Moffes*, Fens, or Bogs, not ufed all only in feveral Parts of England, over the but likewife in. many Foreign CounNorth of tries; wherein I fhall fhew, from inftead of Obfervations made upon the Places Morals, or where thefe Trees are digg'd up: Marsh; of which in- upon the Trees themselves: their deed Mofs Pofition in the Earth, and other Cirhave been cumftances, that they were lodged a Corrup- thus by the Deluge, and have lain tion. bere ever fince. That there are

England

feems to

found various Kinds of thefe Trees, and feveral of confiderable Bulk, fo

buryed

buryed in Islands where no Trees at all do, or will now grow; the Winds being fo fierce, and the Weather fo fevere, as not to fuffer any thing to profper or thrive beyond the Height of a Shrub, in any of all thofe Islands, unless it be protected by Walls, as in Gardens, or other like Coverture. That the faid Trees are in fome Places found inclofed in the Stone of Quarries and of Rocks buryed amongft Marle, and other Kinds of Earth, as well as in this Peat or Mofs-Earth. That they were originaly lodged indifferently amongst all Sorts of Terreftrial Matter, which lay near the Surface of the Earth and that * Confer they are at this Day found very Confect. 3. feldom unless in this Peat-Earth, is meerly accidental; this Earth being of a bituminous and mild Nature; fo that the Trees lay all this while, as it were, embalm'd in it, and were by that Means preferved down to our Times; whilft thofe which chanced to be lodged in other Earth, that was more lax and pervious, decayed in tract of Time, and rotted at length, and therefore do not now appear

at

fupra.