BOOK II.
_Of the Terraqueous Globe it self in general._
In the foregoing Book having dispatch’d the Out-works, let us take a Survey of the Principal Fabrick, _viz._ the _Terraqueous Globe_ it self; a most stupendious Work in every particular of it, which doth no less aggrandize its Maker[a], than every curious, complete Work, doth its Workman. Let us cast our Eyes here and there, let us ransack all the Globe, let us with the greatest Accuracy inspect every part thereof, search out the inmost Secrets of any of the Creatures; let us examine them with all our Gauges, measure them with our nicest Rules, pry into them with our Microscopes, and most exquisite Instruments[b] still we find them to bear Testimony to their infinite Workman; and that they exceed all humane Skill so far, as that the most exquisite Copies and Imitations of the best Artists, are no other than rude bungling Pieces to them. And so far are we from being able to espy any Defect or Fault in them, that the better we know them, the more we admire them; and the farther we see into them, the more exquisite we find them to be.
And for a Demonstration of this; I shall,
I. Take a general Prospect of the Terraqueous Globe.
II. Survey its Particulars.
I. The Things which will fall under a general Prospect of the Globe, will be its _Figure_, _Bulk_, _Motion_, _Place_, _Distribution_ into Earth and Waters, and the great _Variety_ of all Things upon it and in it.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] _Licet——oculis quodammodo contemplari pulchritudinem earum rerum, quas Divinâ Providentiâ dicimus constitutas. Ac principio Terra universa cernatur, locata in media mundi sede, solida, & globosa——vestita floribus, herbis, arboribus, frugibus. Quorum omnium incredibilis multitudo, insatiabili varietate distinguitur. Adde huc Fontium gelidas perennitates, liquores perlucidos Amnium, Riparum vestitus viridissimos, Speluncarum concavas altitudines, Saxorum asperitates, impendentium Montium altitudines, immensitatesque Camporum: Adde etiam reconditas Auri——venas——Qua verò, & quàm varia genera Bestiarum?——Qui Volucrum lapsus, atque cantus? Qui Pecudum pastus?——Quid de Hominum genere dicam? Qui quasi cultores terra constituti, ~&c.~——Qua si, ut animis, sic oculis videre possemus, nemo cunctam intuens terram, de Divinâ Ratione dubitaret._ Cic. de Nat. Deor. l. 2. c. 39.
[b] _I cannot here omit the Observations that have been made in these later Times, since we have had the Use and Improvement of the ~Microscope~, concerning the great Difference, which by the help of that, doth appear betwixt ~Natural~ and ~Artificial~ Things. Whatever is Natural, doth by that appear adorned with all imaginable Elegance and Beauty.——Whereas the most curious Works of Art, the sharpest, finest Needle doth appear as a blunt, rough Bar of Iron, coming from the Furnace or the Forge. The most accurate Engravings or Embossments seem such rude, bungling, deformed Works, as if they had been done with a Mattock, or a Trowel. So vast a Difference is there betwixt the Skill of Nature, and the Rudeness and Imperfection of ~Art~._ _Bp._ Wilk. Nat. Rel. L. 1. Ch. 6.
CHAP. I.
_Of the Figure of the Terraqueous Globe._
This I suppose I may take for granted to be Spherical, or nearly so[a]. And this must be allowed to be the most commodious, apt Figure for a World on many Accounts; as it is most capacious, as its Surface is equi-distant from the Center, not only of the Globe, but at least (nearly) of Gravity and Motion too, and as some have thought, of the central Heat and Waters. But these, and divers other Things I shall pass over, and insist only upon two or three other Benefits of this globous Figure of the Earth and Waters.
1. This Figure is the most commodious in regard of Heat, and I may add of Light also in some measure. For by this means, those two great Benefits are uniformly and equally imparted to the World: They come harmoniously and gradually on, and as gradually go off again. So that the daily and yearly Returns of Light and Darkness, Cold and Heat, Moist and Dry, are Regular and Workman-like, (we may say,) which they would not be, especially the former, if the Mass of Earth and Waters were (as some fancied[b] it) a large Plain; or as others, like a large Hill in the midst of the Ocean; or of a multangular Figure; or such like.
2. This Figure is admirably adapted to the commodious and equal Distribution of the Waters in the Globe. For since, by the Laws of Gravity, the Waters will possess the lowest Place; therefore, if the Mass of the Earth was cubick, prismatick, or any other angular Figure, it would follow, that one (too vast a Part) would be drowned; and another be too dry. But being thus orbicular, the Waters are equally and commodiously distributed here and there, according as the Divine Providence saw most fit; of which I shall take notice by and by.
3. The orbicular Figure of our Globe, is far the most beneficial to the Winds and Motions of the Atmosphere. It is not to be doubted, if the Earth was of some other, or indeed any other Figure, but that the Currents of Air would be much retarded, if not wholly stopped. We find by Experience what Influence large and high Mountains, Bays, Capes, and Head-lands have upon the Winds; how they stop some, retard many, and divert and change (near the Shores) even the _general_ and _constant Winds_[c], that blow round the Globe in the Torrid Zone. And therefore, since this is the effect of such little Excrescences, which have but little Proportion to our Globe, what would be the Consequences of much vaster Angles, which would equal a Quarter, Tenth, or but an Hundredth Part of the Globe’s Radius? Certainly these must be such a Barricade, as would greatly annoy, or rather absolutely stop the Currents of the Atmosphere, and thereby deprive the World of those salutiferous Gales that I have said keep it sweet and clean.
Thus the Figure of our Globe doth manifest it to be a Work of Contrivance, inasmuch as it is of the most commodious Figure; and all others would be liable to great and evident Inconveniences.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] Although the Terraqueous Globe be of an orbicular Figure, yet it is not strictly so, 1. On account of its Hills and Vallies. But there are inconsiderable to the Earth’s Semidiameter; for they are but as the Dust upon a common Globe. But, 2. Our modern Astronomers assign a much greater Variation from a globous Form, namely, that of a prolate Sphæroid, making the Polar about 34 Miles shorter than the Equatorial Diameter. The Cause of which they make to be the centrifugal Force of the diurnal Rotation of the Globe.
This Figure they imagine is in _Jupiter_, his Polar being to his Equatorial Diameter, as 39⅗ to 40⅗. But whether it be so or no, I confess I could never perceive, although I have often viewed that Planet through very good, and long Glasses, particularly a tolerable good one of 72 Feet in my Hands: And although by Reason of cloudy Weather, and (at present) _Jupiter_’s Proximity to the Sun, I have not been of late able to take a review of that Planet; yet _Saturn_ (so far as his Ring would permit,) and _Mars_ appear perfectly round thro’ Mr. _Huygens_’s long Glass of 126 Feet, which by Will he bequeathed, with its whole Apparatus, to our _R. S._ by whose Favour it is now in my Hands. And moreover, I believe it difficult, next to impossible, to measure the two Diameters to a 40ᵗʰ Part, by reason of the smallness of _Jupiter_’s apparent Diameter, and by reason he is moving all the time of measuring him.
As to what is alledged from lengthening the Pendulums of Clocks, to make them keep the same Time under the Equator, as they do in our Climes; I have shewn from the like Variations in the Air-Pump, that this may arise from the rarity of the Air there, more than here. _V._ _Phil. Trans._ Nᵒ. 294. But if the Degrees of a Meridian grow larger, the more we go towards the Line, (as Mr. _Cassini_ affirms they do, by an 800ᵗʰ Part in every Degree, in _Phil. Trans._ Nᵒ. 278.) then there is great reason to conclude in behalf of this Sphæroidal Form.
The natural Cause of this Sphericity of our Globe, is (according to Sir _Isaac Newton_’s Principles) that _Attraction_, which the infinite Creator hath stamp’d on all the Matter of the Universe, whereby all Bodies, and all the Parts of Bodies mutually attract themselves and one another. By which means, as all the Parts of Bodies tend naturally to their Center, so they all betake themselves to a globous Figure, unless some other more prevalent Cause interpose. Thus Drops of Quick-silver put on a spherical Form, the Parts thereof strongly attracting one another. So Drops of Water have the same Form, when falling in the Air; but are Hemispherical only when they lie on a hard Body, by reason their Gravity doth so far over-power their self-attracting Power, as to take off one half of their Sphericity. This Figure is commonly attributed to the Pressure of the circumambient Air: But that this can’t be the cause, is manifest from the Air-Pump; the case being the very same in an exhausted Receiver, as in the open Air, and not any the least Alteration of the Figure that I could perceive, in all the Trials I have made.
[b] It would be frivolous as well as endless to reckon up the various Opinions of the Ancients about the Figure of the Terraqueous Globe; some of them may be seen in _Varen. Geogr._ l. 1. _c. 3. init._ or _Johnston’s Thaumat. c. 1. Artic. 3._ But among the variety of Opinions, one of the principal was, That the visible Horizon was the Bounds of the Earth, and the Ocean the Bounds of the Horizon, that the Heavens and Earth above this Ocean, was the whole visible Universe; and that all beneath the Ocean was _Hades_, or the _invisible World_. Hence, when the Sun set, he was said _tingere se Oceano_; and when any went to _Hades_, they must first pass the Ocean. Of this Opinion were not only the ancient Poets, and others among the Heathens, but some of the Christian Fathers too, particularly _Lactantius_, St. _Augustine_, and others, who thought their Opinion was favoured by the Psalmist, in _Psal._ xxiv. 2. and cxxxvi. 6. See _Bp. Usher’s Ans. to a Jes. Chall._ p. 366. _&c._
[c] _Neither do these constant ~Trade-Winds~ usually blow near the Shore, but only on the Ocean, at least 30 or 40 Leagues off at Sea, clear from any Land; especially on the West Coast, or Side of any Continent: For indeed on the East Side, the Easterly Wind being the true Trade-Wind, blows almost home to the Shore, so near as to receive a check from the Land-Wind._ Dampier’s Winds, Ch. 1.
And not only the _general Trade-Winds_, but also the _constant coasting Trade-Winds_, are in like manner affected by the Lands. Thus, for Instance, on the Coast of _Angola_ and _Peru_. But this, saith the curious Captain _Dampier_, the Reader must take notice of, _That the Trade-Winds that blow on any Coast, except the North Coast of ~Africa~, whether they are constant, and blow all the Year, or whether they are shifting Winds, do never blow right in on the Shore, nor right along Shore, but go slanting, snaking an acute Angle of about 22 Degrees. Therefore, as the Land tends more East or West, from North or South on the Coast; so the Winds do alter accordingly._ Ibid. Ch. 2.
CHAP. II.
_Of the Bulk of the Terraqueous Globe._
The next Thing remarkable in the Terraqueous Globe, is the prodigious Bulk thereof[a]. A Mass of above 260 Thousand Million of Miles solid Content. A Work too grand for any thing less than a God to make. To which in the next Place we may add,
FOOTNOTES:
[a] It is not difficult to make a pretty near Computation of the Bulk of the Terraqueous Globe, from those accurate Observations of a Degree made by Mr. _Norwood_ in _England_, and Mr. _Picart_, and Mr. _Cassini_ in _France_. Whose Measures do in a surprizing manner agree. But Mr. _Cassini_’s seeming to be the most accurate (as I have shewn in my _Astro-Theology_, _B. 1. Ch. 2. Note (a)._) I have there made use of his Determinations. According to which the Diameter of the Earth being 7967,72 _English_ Miles, its Ambit will be 25031½ Miles; and (supposing it to be Spherical) its Surface will be 199444220 Miles; which being multiplied into ⅓ of its Semidiameter, gives the Solid Content, _viz._ 264856000000 Miles.
CHAP. III.
_The Motions of the Terraqueous Globe._
The Motions the Terraqueous Globe hath, are round its own Axis, and round its Fountain of Light and Heat, the Sun[a]. That so vast a Body as the Earth and Waters should be moved at all[b], that it should undergo two such different Motions, as the Diurnal and Annual are, and that these Motions should be so constantly and regularly[c] performed for near 6000 Years, without any the least Alteration ever heard of (except some Hours which we read of in _Josh._ x. 12, 13. and in _Hezekiah_’s Time, which, if they cannot be accounted for some other way, do greatly encrease the Wonder[d]; these Things, I say,) do manifestly argue some divine infinite Power to be concerned therein[e]: But especially, if to all this we add the wonderful Convenience, yea absolute Necessity of these Circumvolutions to the Inhabitants, yea all the Products of the Earth and Waters. For to one of these we owe the comfortable Changes of Day and Night; the one for Business, the other for Repose;[f] the one for Man, and most other Animals to gather and provide Food, Habitation, and other Necessaries of Life; the other to rest, refresh, and recruit their Spirits[g], wasted with the Labours of the Day. To the other of those Motions we owe the Seasons of Summer and Winter, Spring and Autumn, together with the beneficial Instances and Effects which these have on the Bodies and State of Animals, Vegetables, and all other Things, both in the Torrid, Temperate, and Frigid Zones.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] With the _Copernicans_, I take it here for granted, that the Diurnal and Annual Revolutions are the Motions of the Terraqueous Globe, not of the Sun, _&c._ but for the Proof thereof I shall refer the Reader to the Preface of my _Astro-Theology_, and _B. 4. Chap. 3._
[b] _Every thing that is moved, must of Necessity be moved by something else; and that thing is moved by something that is moved either by another Thing, or not by another Thing. If it be moved by that which is moved by another, we must of Necessity come to some ~prime Mover~, that is not moved by another. For it is impossible, that what moveth, and is moved by another, should proceed_ in infinitum. Aristot. Phys. l. 8. c. 5.
_Solum quod seipsum movet, quia nunquam deseritur à se, nunquam ne moveri quidem definit; quinetiam cæteris quæ moventur, hic fons: hoc principium est movendi. Principii autem nulla est origo: nam ex principio oriuntur omnia; ipsum autem nullâ ex re aliâ nasciepotest: nec enim esset id principium, quod gigneretur aliunde._ Cicer. Tusc. Quest. l. 1. c. 23.
_Cogitemus qui fieri possit, ut tanta magnitudo, ab aliquâ possit naturâ, tanto tempore circumferri? Ego igitur assero Deum causam esse, nec aliter posse fieri._ Plato in Epinom.
[c] Among the Causes which _Cleanthes_ is said in _Tully_ to assign for Men’s Belief of a Deity, one of the chief is, _Æquabilitatem motûs, conversionem Cœli, Solis, Lunæ, Siderumque omnium distinctionem, varietatem, pulchritudinem, ordinem: quarum rerum aspectus ipse satis indicaret, non esse ea fortuita. Ut siquis in domum aliquam, aut in gymnasium, aut in forum venerit; cùm videat omnium rerum rationem, modum, disciplinam, non possit ea sine causâ fieri judicare, sed esse aliquem intelligat, qui præsit, & cui pareatur: multo magis in tantis motibus, tantisque vicissitudinibus, tam multarum rerum atque tanrarum ordinibus, in quibus nihil unquam immmensa & infinita vetustas mentita sit, statuat necesse est ab aliquâ Mente tantos naturæ motus gubernari._ Cir. de Nat. Deor. l. 1. c. 5.
_Homines cœperunt Deum agnoscere, cùm viderent Stellas, tantam concinnitatem efficere; ac dies, noctesque, æstate, & hyeme, suos servare statos ortus, atque obitus._ Plutarch de placit. l. 1. c. 6.
[d] We need not be sollicitous to elude the History of these Miracles, as if they were only poetical Strains, as _Maimonides_, and some others fancy _Joshua_’s Day to have been, _viz._ only an ordinary Summer’s Day; but such as had the Work of many Days done in it; and therefore by a poetical Stretch made, as if the Day had been lengthened by the Sun standing still. But in the History they are seriously related, as real Matters of Fact, and with such Circumstances as manifest them to have been miraculous Works of the Almighty; And the Prophet _Habakkuk_, iii. 11. mentions that of _Joshua_ as such. And therefore taking them to be miraculous Perversions of the Course of Nature, instead of being Objections, they are great Arguments of the Power of God: For in _Hezekiah_’s Case, to wheel the Earth it self backward, or by some extraordinary Refractions, to bring the Sun’s Shadow backward 10 Degrees: Or in _Joshua_’s Case, to stop the diurnal Course of the Globe for some Hours, and then again give it the same Motion; to do, I say, there Things, required the same infinite Power which at first gave the Terraqueous Globe its Motions.
[e]
_Nam cùm dispositi quasissem fœdera Mundi,_ _Præscriptosque Maris fines, Annique meatus,_ _Et Lucis, Noctisque vices: tunc omnia rebar_ _Consilio firmata Dei, qui lege moveri_ _Sidera, qui fruges diverso tempore nasci,_ _Qui variam Phœben alieno jusserit igne_ _Compleri, Solemque suo; porrexerit undis_ _Littora; Tellurem medio libraverat axe._
Claudian in Rufin. L. 1. initio.
[f] _Diei noctisque vicissitudo conservat animantes, tribuens aliud agendi tempus, aliud quiescendi. Sic undique omni ratione concluditur, Mente, Consilioque divino omnia in hoc mundo ad salutem omnium, conservationemque admirabiliter administrari._ Cicer. de Nat. Deor. l. 2. c. 53.
[g] The acute Dr. _Cheyne_, in his ingenious _Philos. Princ. of Natural Religion_, among other uses of Day and Night, saith, the Night is most proper for Sleep; because when the Sun is above the Horizon, Sleep is prejudicial, by reason the Perspirations are then too great. Also that Nutrition is mostly, if not altogether, performed in Time of Rest; the Blood having too quick a Motion in the Day: For which Reason, weak Persons, Children, _&c._ are nourished most, and recruit best by Sleep.
CHAP. IV.
_Of the Place and Situation of the Terraqueous Globe, in respect of the Heavenly Bodies._
Another Thing very considerable in our Globe, is its Place and Situation at a due Distance from the Sun[a], its Fountain of Light and Heat; and from its neighbouring Planets of the solar System, and from the fixt Stars. But these Things I have spoken more largely of in my Survey of the Heavens[b], and therefore only barely mention them now; to insist more largely upon,
FOOTNOTES:
[a] It is a manifest Sign of the Creator’s Management and Care, in placing the Terraqueous Globe at that very Distance it is from the Sun, and contempering our own Bodies and all other Things so duly to that Distance. For was the Earth farther from the Sun, the World would be starved and frozen with Cold: And was it nigher we should be burnt, at least the most combustible Things would be so, and the World would be vexed with perpetual Conflagrations. For we see that a few of the Rays of the Sun, even no more than what fall within the Compass of half an Inch or an Inch in a Burning-Glass, will fire combustible Bodies, even in our own Climate.
[b] _Astro-Theology_, Book vii. Chap. 7.
CHAP. V.
_The Distribution of the Earth and Waters._
The Distribution of the Waters and the dry Land, although it may seem rude and undesigned to a careless View, and is by some taxed as such[a], yet is admirably well adjusted to the Uses and Conveniences of our World.
For in the first Place, the Distribution is so well made, the Earth and Waters so handsomely, so Workman-like laid, every where all the World over, that there is a just æquipoise of the whole Globe. The _Northern_ balanceth the _Southern Ocean_, the _Atlantick_ the _Pacifick Sea_. The _American dry Land_, is a Counterpoise to the _European_, _Asiatick_ and _African_.
In the next Place, the Earth and the Waters are so admirably well placed about in the Globe, as to be helpful to one another, to minister to one another’s Uses. The great Oceans, and the lesser Seas and Lakes, are so admirably well distributed throughout the Globe[b], as to afford sufficient Vapours[c] for Clouds and Rains, to temperate the Cold[c] of the Northern frozen Air, to cool and mitigate the Heats[d] of the Torrid Zone, and to refresh the Earth with fertile Showers; yea, in some measure to minister fresh Waters to the Fountains and Rivers. Nay, so abundant is this great Blessing, which the most indulgent Creator hath afforded us by means of this Distribution of the Waters I am speaking of, that there is more than a scanty, bare Provision, or mere Sufficiency; even a Plenty, a Surplusage of this useful Creature of God, (the fresh Waters) afforded to the World; and they so well ordered, as not to drown the Nations of the Earth, nor to stagnate, stink, and poison, or annoy them; but to be gently carried through convenient Chanels back again to their grand Fountain[e] the Sea; and many of them through such large Tracts of Land, and to such prodigious Distances, that it is a great Wonder the Fountains should be high enough[f], or the Seas low enough, ever to afford so long a Conveyance. Witness the _Danube_[g] and _Wolga_ of _Europe_, the _Nile_[h] and the _Niger_[i] of _Africk_, the _Ganges_[k] and _Euphrates_ of _Asia_, and the _Amazons River_[l] and _Rio de la Plata_ of _America_, and many others which might be named; some of which are said to run above 5000 Miles, and some no less than 6000 from their Fountains to the Sea. And indeed such prodigious Conveyances of the Waters make it manifest, that no accidental Currents and Alterations of the Waters themselves, no Art or Power of Man, nothing less than the _Fiat_ of the Almighty, could ever have made, or found, so long and commodious Declivities, and Chanels for the Passage of the Waters.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] The most eminent Author I have met with, that finds fault with the Distribution of the Earth and Waters, and indeed with the whole present Structure of the Globe, is the learned and eloquent Theorist, Dr. _Burnet_, who frequently exclaims on this Point, _Tellus nostra, si totam simul complectamur, non est ordinata & venusta rerum compages——sed moles aggesta vario, incertoque situ partium, nullâ ordinis aut venustatis habitâ ratione._ Theor. Sacr. l. 1. c. 7. _Ecquis autem à Deo hæc ita facta? ~&c.~_ ib. _Quo autem Herculeo labore opus effet ad excavandum terram in tantum hiatum?——Si immediatè à causâ primâ effectus fuisset hic alveus, aliquem saltem ordinem, mensuram, & proportionem notare voluisset in ipsius formâ, & partium dispositione;——sed confusa omnia, ~&c.~_ ib. c. 8. _Tellus nostra cùm exigua sit, est etiam rudis: Et in illâ exiguitate multa sunt superflua, multa inelegantia. Dimidiam terræ superficiem inundat Oceanus; magnâ ex parte, ut mihi videtur, inutilis._ And then he goes on to shew how this Part of the Creation might be mended, _ib._ c. 10. All this is to me surprizing from an Author of great Ingenuity, who seems in his Book to have a just Opinion of, and due Veneration for God. But certainly such Notions are very inconsistent with the Belief of God’s creating, especially his governing and ordering the World. But suppose the Terraqueous Globe was such a rude, confused, inconvenient Mass, as he pretends, yet it is well enough for a sinful World. But besides, what others have long ago abundantly answered, the following Survey, will, I hope, sufficiently manifest it to be the Work of a wise and beneficent, as well as omnipotent Creator.
[b] Some have objected against the Distribution of the Earth and Waters, as if the Waters occupied too large a part of the Globe, which they think would be of greater Use, if it was dry Land. But then they do not consider that this would deprive the World of a due Quantity of Vapours and Rain. For if the Cavities which contain the Sea, and other Waters, were deeper, although the Waters were no less in Quantity, only their Surfaces narrower and lesser, the Evaporations would be so much the less, inasmuch as those Evaporations are made from the Surface, and are, consequently, in proportion to the Surface, not the Depth or Quantity of Water.
[c] I took notice before in _Book I. Chap. 3. Note (a)._ That the Vapours constituting Clouds and Rain, are _Vesiculæ_ of Water detached by Heat. The manner of which I conceive to be thus; Heat being of an agile Nature, or the lightest of all Bodies, easily breaks loose from them; and if they are humid, in its Passage, carries along with it Particles, or little Cases of the Water; which being lighter than Air, are buoyed up thereby, and swim in it; until by knocking against one another, or being thickened by the Cold, (as in the Note before-cited,) they are reduced into Clouds and Drops.
Having mentioned the manner how Vapours are raised, and there being more room here than in the Note before-cited, I shall, for the Illustration of Natures Process, take notice of three Things observable to our purpose, in Water over the Fire. 1. That the Evaporations are proportional to the Heat ascending out of the Water. A small Heat throws off but few Vapours, scarce visible: A greater Heat, and ascending in greater Quantities, carries off grosser, larger, and more numerous _Vesiculæ_, which we call a _Steam_: And if the Heat breaks through the Water with such a Fury, as to lacerate and lift up great Quantities or Bubbles of Water, too heavy for the Air to carry or buoy up, it causeth what we call _Boyling_. And the Particles of Water thus mounted up by the Heat, are visible Sphærules of Water, if viewed with a Microscope, as they swim about in a Ray of the Sun let into a dark Room, with warm Water underneath; where some of the Vapours appear large, some smaller Sphærules, according (no doubt) to the larger and lesser Quantities of Heat blowing them up and carrying them off. 2. If these Vapours be intercepted in their Ascent by any Context, especially cold Body, as Glass, Marble, _&c._ they are thereby reduced into Drops, and Masses of Water, like those of Rain, _&c._ 3. These Vapours in their Ascent from the Water, may be observed, in cold frosty Weather, either to rise but a little above the Water, and there to hang, or to glide on a little above its Surface: Or if the Weather be very cold, after a little ascent, they may be seen to fall back again into the Water; in their Ascent and Descent describing a Curve somewhat like that of an Arrow from a Bow. But in a warmer Air, and still, the Vapours ascend more nimbly and copiously, mounting up aloft, till they are out of Sight. But if the Air be warm and windy too, the Vapours are sooner carried out of Sight, and make way for others. And accordingly I have often observed, that hot Liquors, if not set too thin, and not frequently stirred, cool slower in the greatest Frosts, than in temperate Weather, especially if windy. And it is manifest by good Experiments, that the Evaporations are less at those times than these; less by far in the Winter than the warmer Months.
[c] As our Northern Islands are observed to be more temperate than our Continents, (of which we had a notable Instance in the great Frost in 1708/9, which _Ireland_ and _Scotland_ felt less of, than most Parts of _Europe_ besides; of which see _Book IV. Chap. 12. Note (c)._) so this Temperature is owing to the warm Vapours afforded chiefly by the Sea, which by the preceding Note must necessarily be warm, as they are Vapours, or Water inflated by Heat.
The Cause of this Heat I take to be partly that of the Sun, and partly Subterraneous. That it is not wholly that of the Sun, is manifest from Vapours, being as, or more copiously raised when the Sun Beams are weakest, as when strongest, there being greater Rains and Winds at the one time than the other. And that there is such a thing as _Subterraneous Heat_, (whether Central, or from the meeting of Mineral Juices; or such as is Congenial or Connatural to our Globe, I have not Time to enquire; but I say, that such a Thing is,) is evident not only from the Hot-Baths, many fiery Erruptions and Explosions, _&c._ but also from the ordinary Warmth of Cellars and Places under Ground, which are not barely comparatively warm, but of sufficient Heat to raise Vapours also: As is manifest from the smoking of perennial Fountains in frosty Weather, and Water drawn out of Pumps and open Wells at such a Time. Yea, even Animals themselves are sensible of it, as particularly _Moles_, who dig before a Thaw, and against some other Alterations of the Weather; excited, no doubt, thereunto by the same warm Vapours arising in the Earth, which animate them, as well as produce the succeeding Changes of the Weather.
[d] Besides the _Trade-Winds_, which serve to mitigate the excessive Heats in the Torrid Zone; the Clouds are a good Screen against the scorching Sun-Beams, especially when the Sun passeth their Zenith; at which Time is their Winter, or coolest Season, by reason they have then most Clouds and Rain. For which Service, that which _Varene_ takes notice of, is a great Providence of God, _viz._ _Pleraque loca Zonæ Torridæ vicinum habent mare, ut India, Insulæ Indicæ, Lingua Africæ, Guinea, Brasilia, Peruvia, Mexicana, Hispania: Pauca loca Zonæ Torridæ sunt Mediterranea._ Varenii. Geogr. l. 2. c. 26. Prop. 10. §. 7.
[e] That Springs have their Origine from the Sea, and not from Rains and Vapours, among many other strong Reasons, I conclude from the Perennity of divers Springs, which always afford the same quantity of Water. Of this sort there are many to be found every where. But I shall, for an Instance, single out one in the Parish of _Upminster_, where I live, as being very proper for my purpose, and one that I have had better Opportunities of making Remarks upon above twenty Years. This in the greatest Droughts is little, if at all diminished, that I could perceive by my Eye, although the Ponds all over the Country, and an adjoining Brook have been dry for many Months together; as particularly in the dry Summer Months of the Year 1705. And in the wettest Seasons, such as the Summer and other Months were, preceding the violent Storm in _November_ 1703. (_Vid._ _Philos. Trans._ Nᵒ. 289.) I say, in such wet Seasons I have not observed any Increment of its Stream, excepting only for violent Rains falling therein, or running down from the higher Land into it; which discoloureth the Waters oftentimes, and makes an increase of only a Day’s, or sometimes but a few Hours Continuance. But now, if this Spring had its Origine from Rain and Vapours, there would be an increase and decrease of the one, as there should happen to be of the other: As actually it is in such temporary Springs as have undoubtedly their Source from Rain and Vapours.
But besides this, another considerable Thing in this _Upminster_ Spring (and Thousands of others) is, that it breaks out of so inconsiderable an Hillock, or Eminence of Ground, that can have no more Influence in the Condensation of the Vapours, or stopping the Clouds, (which the Maintainers of this Hypothesis suppose) than the lower Lands about it have. By some Critical Observations I made with a very nice portable Barometer, I found that my House stands between 80 and 90 Feet higher than the Low-Water Mark in the River of _Thames_, nearest me; and that part of the River being scarce thirty Miles from the Sea, I guess, (and am more confirmed from some later Experiments I made nearer the Sea) that we cannot be much above 100 Feet above the Sea. The Spring I judge nearly level with, or but little higher than where my House stands; and the Lands from whence it immediately issues, I guess about 15 or 20 Feet higher than the Spring: and the Lands above that, of no very remarkable Height. And indeed, by actual Measure, one of the highest Hills I have met with in _Essex_, is but 363 Feet high; (_Vid._ _Phil. Trans._ Nᵒ. 313. _p. 16._) and I guess by some very late Experiments I made, neither that, nor any other Land in _Essex_, to be above 400 Feet above the Sea. Now what is so inconsiderable a rise of Land to a perennial Condensation of Vapours, fit to maintain even so inconsiderable a Fountain, as what I have mentioned is? Or indeed the High-lands of the whole large County of _Essex_, to the maintaining of all its Fountains and Rivulets?
But I shall no farther prosecute this Argument, but refer to the late learned, curious and industrious Dr. _Plot_’s _Tentamen Phil. de Orig. Font._ in which he hath fully discussed this Matter.
As to the manner how the Waters are raised up into the Mountains and Higher Lands, an easy and natural Representation may be made of it, by putting a little Heap of Sand, Ashes, or a little Loaf of Bread, _&c._ in a Bason of Water; where the Sand will represent the dry Land, or an Island, and the Bason of Water the Sea about it. And as the Water in the Bason riseth to, or near the top of the Heap in it, so doth the Waters of the Sea, Lakes, _&c._ rise in the Hills. Which case I take to be the same with the ascent of Liquids in capillary Tubes, or between contiguous Planes, or in a Tube filled with Ashes: Of which the industrious and compleat Artificer in Air-Pumps, Mr. _Hawksbee_, hath given us some, not contemptible Experiments, in his _Phys. Mech. Exp._ pag. 139.
Among the many Causes assigned for this ascent of Liquors, there are two that bid the fairest for it, _viz._ _the Pressure of the Atmosphere_, and the _Newtonian Attraction_. That it is not the former, appears from the Experiments succeeding, as well, or better in _Vacuo_, than in the open Air, the ascent being rather swifter in _Vacuo_. This then being not the Cause, I shall suppose the other is; but for the Proof thereof, I shall refer to some of our late _English_ Authors, especially some very late Experiments made before our most famous _R. S._ which will be so well improved by some of that illustrious Body, as to go near to put the Matter out of doubt.
[f] See _Book III. Chap. 4._
[g] _The ~Danube~ in a sober Account, performs a Course of above 1500 Miles, ~(_i.e._ in a strait Line)~ from its Rise to its Fall._ Bohun’s Geogr. Dict.
[h] _Tractus_ sc. _Longitudo ~[Nili]~ est milliarium circiter 630 Germ. sive Ital. 2520, pro quibus ponere licet 3000 propter curvaturas._ Varen. Geogr. l. 1. c. 16. p. 27.
[i] _Varene_ reckons the Course of the _Niger_, at a middle Computation, 600 _German_ Miles, that is 2400 _Italian_.
[k] That of the _Ganges_ he computes at 300 _German_ Miles. But if we add the Curvatures to these Rivers, their Chanels are of a prodigious Length.
[l] _Oritur, flumen (quod plerumque Amazonum, ~&c.~) haud procul Quito in montibus——Cùm per leucas Hispanicas 1356. cursum ab occidente in orientem continuârit, ostio 84 leucas lato——in Oceanum præcipitatur._ Chr. D’Acugna Relatio de flumine Amaz. in Act. Erud. Aug. 1683.
CHAP. VI.
_The great Variety and Quantity of all Things upon, and in the Terraqueous Globe, provided for the Uses of the World._
The last Remark I shall make about the Terraqueous Globe in general is, the great Variety of Kinds, or Tribes, as well as prodigious Number of Individuals of each various Tribe, there is of all Creatures[a]. There are so many Beasts, so many Birds, so many Insects, so many Reptiles, so many Trees, so many Plants upon the Land; so many Fishes, Sea-Plants, and other Creatures in the Waters; so many Minerals, Metals, and Fossiles in the Subterraneous Regions; so many _Species_ of these _Genera_, so many _Individuals_ of those _Species_, that there is nothing wanting to the Use of Man, or any other Creature of this lower World. If every Age doth change its Food, its way of Cloathing, its way of Building; if every Age[b] hath its Variety of Diseases; nay, if Man, or any other Animal, was minded to change these Things every Day, still the Creation would not be exhausted, still nothing would be wanting for Food, nothing for Physick, nothing for Building and Habitation, nothing for Cleanliness and Refreshment, yea, even for Recreation and Pleasure. But the Munificence of the Creator is such, that there is abundantly enough to supply the Wants, the Conveniencies, yea, almost the Extravagancies of all the Creatures, in all Places, all Ages, and upon all Occasions.
And this may serve to answer an Objection against the Excellency of, and Wisdom shewed in the Creation; namely, What need of so many Creatures[c]? Particularly of so many Insects, so many Plants, and so many other Things? And especially of some of them, that are so far from being useful, that they are very noxious; some by their Ferity, and others by their poisonous Nature, _&c._?
To which I might answer, that in greater Variety, the greater Art is seen; that the fierce, poisonous, and noxious Creatures serve as Rods and Scourges to chastise us[d], as means to excite our Wisdom, Care, and Industry, with more to the same purpose. But these Things have been fully urged by others; and it is sufficient to say, that this great Variety is a most wise Provision for all the Uses of the World in all Ages and all Places. Some for Food, some for Physick[e], some for Habitation, some for Utensils, some for Tools and Instruments of Work, and some for Recreation and Pleasure, either to Man, or to some of the inferior Creatures themselves; even for which inferior Creatures, the liberal Creator hath provided all Things necessary, or any ways conducing to their happy, comfortable living in this World, as well as for Man.
And it is manifest, that all the Creatures of God, Beasts, Birds, Insects, Plants, and every other _Genus_ have, or may have, their several Uses even among Men. For although in one Place many Things may lie neglected, and out of Use, yet in other Places they may be of great Use. So what hath seemed useless in one Age, hath been received in another; as all the new Discoveries in Physick, and all the Alterations in Diet do sufficiently witness. Many Things also there are which in one Form may be pernicious to Man; but in another, of great Use. There are many Plants[f], many Animals, many Minerals, which in one Form destroy, in another heal. The _Cassada Plant_ unprepared poisoneth, but prepared, is the very Bread of the _West-Indies_[g]. _Vipers_ and _Scorpions_, and many Minerals, as destructive as they are to Man, yet afford him some of his best Medicines.
Or if there be many Things of little, immediate Use to Man, in this, or any other Age; yet to other Creatures they may afford Food or Physick, or be of some necessary Use. How many Trees and Plants, nay, even the very Carcases of Animals, yea, the very Dust of the Earth[h], and the most refuse, contemptible Things to be met with; I say, how many such Things are either Food, or probably Medicine to many Creatures, afford them Retreat, are Places of Habitation, or Matrixes for their Generation, as shall be shewed in proper Place? The prodigious Swarms of Insects in the Air, and in the Waters, (many of which may be perhaps at present of no great Use to Man) yet are Food to Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, Insects themselves, and other Creatures[i], for whose happy and comfortable Subsistence, I have said the bountiful Creator hath liberally provided, as well as for that of Man.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] _Non dat Deus beneficia? Unde ergò ista qua possides?——Unde hæc innumerabilia, oculos, aures & animum mulcentia? Unde illa luxuriam quoque instruens copia? Neque enim necessitatibus tantummodò nostris provisum est: usque in delicias amamur. Tot arbusta, non uno modo frugifera, tot herba salutares, tot varietates ciborum, per totum annum digestæ, ut inerti quoque fortuita terræ alimenta præberent. Jam animalia omnis generis, alia in sicco, ~&c.~——ut omnis rerum naturæ pars tributum aliquod nobis conferret._ Senec. de Benef. l. 4. c. 5. ubi plura vide.
_Hic, ubi habitamus non intermittit suo tempore Cœlum nitescere, arbores frondescere——cum multitudinem pecudum partim ad vescendum, partim ad cultus agrorum, partim ad vehendum, partim ad corpora vestienda; hominemque ipsum quasi contemplatorem cœli ad deorum, ipsorumque cultorem.——Hæc igitur, & alia innumerabilia cùm cernimus, possumusne dubitare, quin his præsit aliquis vel Effector, si hæc nata sunt, ut Platoni videtur: vel si semper fuerint, ut Aristoteli placet, Moderator tanti operis & muneris?_ Cicer. Tusc. Quæst. l. 1. c. 28, 29.
[b] _Sunt & gentium differentiæ non mediocres——quæ contemplatio aufert rursus nos ad ipsorum animalium naturas, ingenitasque iis vel certiores morborum omnium medicinas. Enim verò rerum omnium Parens, nullum animal ad hoc tantum ut pasceretur, aut alia satiaret nasci voluit: artesque salutares iis inseruerit._ Plin. N. H. l. 27. c. 13.
[c] This was no very easy Question to be answered by such as held, that _all Things were made for Man_, as most of the Ancients did; as _Aristotle_, _Seneca_, _Cicero_ and _Pliny_, (to name only some of the chief). And _Cicero_ cites it as the celebrated _Chrysippus_’s Opinion, _Præclare enim Chrysippus, Cætera nata esse Hominum Causâ, & Deorum._ _De fin. bon. & mal. l. 3._ And in his _De Nat. Deor. l. 2. fin._ he seriously proves the World it self to have been made for the Gods and Man, and all Things in the World to have been made and contrived for the Benefit of Man (_parata & inventa ad fructum Hominum_, are his Words). So _Pliny_ in his Preface to his 7ᵗʰ Book saith, Nature made all Things for Man; but then he makes a doubt, whether she shewed her self a more indulgent Parent, or cruel Step-Mother, as in _Book IV. Chap. 12. Note (b)._ But since the Works of God have been more discovered, and the Limits of the Universe have been found to be of infinitely greater Extent than the Ancients supposed them; this narrow Opinion hath been exploded. And the Answer will be found easy to these Questions, Why so many useless Creatures? In the Heavens, Why so many fixt Stars, and the greatest part of them scarce visible? Why such Systems of Planets, as in _Jupiter_, _Saturn_, &c. (See my _Astro-Theology_.) In the Earth and Waters, Why so many Creatures of no use to Man?
[d] _Nec minùs clara exitii documenta sunt etiam ex contemnendis animalibus. M. Varro author est, à cuniculis suffossum in Hispaniâ opidum, à talpis in Thessaliâ: ab ranis civitatem in Galliâ pulsam, ab locustis in Africâ: ex Gyaro, Cycladum insulâ, incolas à muribus fugatos; In Italiâ Amyclas à serpentibus delatas. Citra Cynamolgos Æthiopas latè deserta regio est, à scorpionibus & solpugis gente sublatâ: & à scolopendris abactos Trerienses, author est Theophrastus._ Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 29.
To these Instances may be added, the Plague they sometimes suffer from a kind of Mice (they call _Leming_, _Leminger_, _Lemmus_, &c.) in _Norway_, which eat up every green Thing. They come in such prodigious Numbers, that they fancy them to fall from the Clouds; but _Ol. Magnus_, rather thinks they come from some of the Islands. _Hist. l. 8. c. 2._ If the Reader hath a mind to see a large Account of them, with a Dispute about their Generation, a handsome Cut of them, with the Prayers, and an Exorcism against them used in the Church of _Rome_, I shall refer him, (it being too tedious to recite in these Notes) to _Musæum Wormian._ l. 3. c. 23.
_Quare patimur multa mala à creaturâ quam fecit Deus, nisi quia offendimus Deum?——De pœnâ tuâ peccatum tuum accusa, non judicem. Nam propter Superbiam instituit Deus creaturam istam minimam & abjectissimam, ut ipsa nos torqueret, ut cùm superbus fuerit homo, & se jactaverit adversus Deum,——cùm se erexerit, Pulicibus subdatur. Quid est, quòd te inflas humanâ superbiâ?——Pulicibus resiste, ut dormias. Cognosce qui sis. Nam propter superbiam nostram domandam——creata illa quæ molesta sunt: populum Pharaonis superbum potuit Deus domare de Ursis, de ~&c.~ Muscas & Ranas illis immisit, ut rebus vilissimis superbia domaretur. Omnia ergo per ipsum——facta sunt; & fine ipso factum est nihil._ August. Tract. 1. in S. Johan.
But although the infinitely wise Creator hath put it in the Power of such vile Animals to chastise us, yet hath he shewed no less Wisdom and Kindness in ordering many, if not most of them so, as that it shall be in the Power of Man, and other Creatures to obviate or escape their Evils. For, besides the noble Antidotes afforded by Minerals, Vegetables, _&c._ many, if not most of our _European_ venemous Animals carry their Cure, as well as Poison, in their own Bodies. The Oil, and I doubt not, the Body of _Scorpions_ too, is a certain Remedy against its Stroke. A _Bee_, _Wasp_, or _Hornet_ crushed and rubbed, and bound upon the Place, I have always found to be a certain Cure for the Sting of those Creatures. And I question not, but the Flesh, especially the Head of _Vipers_, would be found a Remedy for their Bites.
_Our Viper-Catchers have a Remedy in which they place so great Confidence, as to be no more afraid of the Bite ~[of a Viper]~, than of a common Puncture, immediately curing themselves by the Application of their Specifick. This though they keep a great Secret, I have upon strict Enquiry found to be no other than ~Axungia Viperina~, presently rubbed into the Wound._ This Remedy the learned Doctor tried himself with good Success in a young Dog that was bitten in the Nose. _Vid._ _Mead of Poisons_, p. 29.
And as to the means to escape the Mischief of such noxious Animals, besides what may be effected by the Care, Industry and Sagacity of Man; some of them are so contrived and made, as to give Warning or Time to Creatures in danger from them. Thus, for Instance, the _Rattle-Snake_, the most poisonous of any Serpent, who darts its poisonous Vapours to some distance, and in all Probability was the _Basilisk_ of the Ancients, said to kill with its Eyes, this involuntarily gives warning by the Rattle in its Tail. So the _Shark_, the most rapacious Animal of the Waters, is forced to turn himself on his Back, (and thereby gives an Opportunity of Escape) before he can catch his Prey.
[e] _Hæc sola Naturæ placuerat esse remedia parata vulgo, inventu facilia, ac sine impendio, ex quibus vivimus. Posteà fraudes hominum & ingeniorum capturæ officinas invenire istas, in quibus sua cuique homini vœnalis promittitur vita. Statim compositiones & misturæ inexplicabiles decantantur. Arabia atque India in medio æstimantur, ulcerique parvo medicina à Rubro mari imputatur, cùm remedia vera quotidie pauperrimus quisque cœnet._ Plin. l. 24. c. 1.
_Non sponte suâ ex tellure germinant Herbæ, quæ contra quoscunque morbos accommodæ sunt; sed eæ voluntate Opisicis, ad nostram utilitatem producta sunt._ Basil. Ascet. Tom. 2.
Consult here, _Book X. Note (z), (aa), (bb)._
[f] Among poisonous Vegetables, none more famous of old than _Hemlock_, accounted at this Day also very dangerous to Man, of which there are some dismal Examples in our _Phil. Trans. Wepfer_, &c. But yet this Plant is Food for _Goats_, and its Seeds to _Bustards_; and as _Galen_ saith, to _Starlings_ also. Neither is this, so pernicious a Plant, only Food, but also Physick to some Animals. An Horse troubled with the _Farcy_, and could not be cured with the most famed Remedies, cured himself of it in a short Time, by eating _Hemlock_, of which he eat greedily. _Vid._ _Phil. Trans._ Nᵒ. 231. _And a Woman which was cured of the Plague, but wanted Sleep, did with very good Effect eat ~Hemlock~ for some time; till falling ill again of a Fever, and having left off the Use of this Remedy, he ~[Nic. Fontanus]~ endeavoured to procure her Rest by repeated Doses of ~Opium~, which had no Operation, till the Help of ~Cicuta~ was again called in with desired Success._ Mead of Pois. p. 144.
And not only _Hemlock_, but many other, if not most Plants accounted poisonous, may have their great Use in Medicine: Of which take the Opinion of an able Judge, my ingenious and learned Friend Dr. _Tancred Robinson_, in a Letter I have of his to the late great Mr. _Ray_, of Nov. 7. 1604, viz. _According to my Promise, I here send you a few Observations concerning some Plants, seldom used in Medicine, being esteemed poisonous, which if truly corrected, or exactly dosed, may perhaps prove the most powerful and effectual Medicines yet known._ Having then given an Account of some of their Correctives, he gives these following Examples, _viz._ _1. The Hellebores incorporated with a Sapo, or Alkaly-Salts alone, are successful Remedies in Epilepsies, Vertigo’s, Palsies, Lethargies, and Mania’s. Dos. a ℈j. to ʒss. 2. The Radic. Assari, Cicutæ, and the Napellus, in Agues and periodical Pains. Dos. ℈j. to ʒss. 3. The Hyoscyamus in Hæmorrhagies, violent Heats and Perturbation of the Blood, and also in all great Inflammations. Dos. ℈j. to ʒss. 4. The Semen Stramonia is a very good Anodyne, useful in Vigilia’s, Rheumatisms, Hysterick Cases, in all the Orgasms of the Blood or Spirits, and where-ever there is an Indication for a Paregorick. Dos. ℈j. to ʒss. 5. Elaterium thus corrected, may be given from gr. x. to xv. in Hydropical Cases, without any sensible Evacuation or Disturbance. So may the Soldanella and Gratiola in greater Doses. 6. Opium corrected as afore-mentioned, loses its Narcotick Faculty, and may be given very safely in great Doses, and proves more than usually prevalent in Convulsive Cases, Fluxes, Catarrhs, and all painful Paroxysms, ~&c.~_
[g] _It is of the most general Use of any Provision all over the ~West-Indies~, especially in the hotter Parts, and is used to Victual Ships._ _Dr. ~Sloan~’s_ Nat. Hist. of _Jamaica_, Vol. 1. Chap. 5. §. 12.
[h] I have shewn in the _Phil. Trans._ that the _Pediculus fatidicus_, _Mortisaga_, _Pulsatorius_, or _Death-Watch_ there described, feedeth upon Dust; but that this Dust they eat, is powdered Bread, Fruits, or such like Dust, not powdered Earth; as is manifest from their great Diligence and Curiosity in hunting among the Dust. See more in _Phil. Trans._ Nᵒ. 291.
[i] _Vid._ _Book IV. Chap. 11._
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