THE PREFACE, H AVING, in the Effay it felf, given fome Intimation both of the Defign of it, and the Reasons which induced me to make it pub lick, I fhall not here keep the Reader in Sufpenfe much longer than while I acquaint him that, propofing to draw a confiderable Number of Materials into fo narrow a Compass that they might all be contain'd in this fmall Volume, I was obliged to be very brief and concife. And therefore, as Pieces of Miniature, Sculpture, or other Workmanship in Little, must be allow'd a clofer Inspection, fo this Treatife A 2 will will require fome Care and Application in the Perufal NOT but that I have endeavour'd as far as was practicable in this short Compass, fo to difpofe and orderThings, by interweaving with the Affertions fome of the Proofs whereon they depend, and occafionaly Scattering feveral of the more important Obfervations throughout the Work, that it will be no very hard Task for any. one to difcover the main Grounds whereon all that I here advance is founded. THAT this may be the more clearly apprehended, I fball beg Leave to illuftrate it by one or two Inftances. It will perhaps, at firft Sight, feem very frange, and almost shock an ordinary Reader to find me afferting, as I do, that the whole TerreBell, Princeps ftrial Globe was taken all to Pieces 4 and diffolved at the Deluge, the Particles of Stone, Marble, and all other folid Foffils being diffevered, taken up into the Water, and there fuftained together with Sea-Shells and other A nimal and Vegetable Bodyes and that the prefent Earth confifts, and was formed out of that promifcuous Mafs of Sand, Earth, Shells, and the reft, falling down again, and fubfiding from the Water. But whoever fhall duely attend to what I elsewhere lay down, viz. That there. are vaft Multitudes of Shells, and other Marine Bodges, found at this Day incorporated with and lodged in all Sorts of Stone, in Marble, in Chalk, and to be short, in all the other ordinary Matter of the Globe which is clofe and compact enough to preferve them: that thefe are found, thus repofited amongst this Terrestrial Matter, from near the Surface of the Earth downwards to the greatest Depth we ever dig or lay it open, and this in all Parts of it quite round the Globe that the faid.Terreftrial Matter is difpofed into Strata or Layers, placed one upon another, in like Manner as any earthy Sediment, fetling down from a Fluid in great Quantity, will naturaly be that thefe Marine Bodyes are now found lodged in those Strata according to the Order of their A 3 Gravity, Gravity, thofe which are heavyeft ly ing deepest in the Earth, and the lighter Sorts (when there are any fuch in the fame Place) fhallower or nearer to the Surface: and both those and thefe amongft Terreftrial Matter which is of the fame fpecifick Gravity that they are, the heavyer Shells in Stone, the lighter in Chalk, and fo of the reft; I fay, whoever shall but rightly weigh all this, he'll have no Need to go further for Proof that the Earth was actualy fo diffolv'd, and afterwards framed anew, in fuch Manner as I have fet forth. if to this he shall think fit to add the other Arguments of the fame Thing which he will meet with in their Place, they alfo will, I hope, not fail of doing their Part in convincing him ftill more of the Truth and Certainty of this Matter. And THE other Inftance I make Choice of shall be of the Univerfality of the Deluge, which is another Propofition that I infift upon. And for this, let but the Reader pleafe to confider, what I deliver from authentick Relations, that |