Rains, as fome of the most eminent modern Philo

fophers

Together with the Rain we might take notice of other Meteors, particularly Snow; which although an irksome Gueft, yet hath its great Ufes, if all be true that the famous T. Bartholin faith of it, who wrote a Book de Nivis ufu Medico. In which he fhews of what great Ufe Snow is in fructifying the Earth, preferving from the Plague, curing Fevers, Colicks, Head-Aches, Tooth-Aches, Sore Eyes, Pleurifies, (for which Ute he faith his Country-Women of Denmark keep Snow-Water gathered in March), alfo in prolonging Life, (of which he inftanceth in the Alpine Inhabitants, that live to a great Age,) and preferving dead Bodies; Inftances of which he gives in Perfons buried under the Snow in paffing the Alps, which are found uncorrupted in the Summer, when the Snow is melted; which fad Spectacle he himself was an Eye-Witnefs of. And at Spitzberg in Greenland, dead Bodies remain entire and uncorrupted for thirty Years. And lastly, concerning fuch as are fo preferv'd when flain, he faith they remain in the fame Pofture and Figure: Of which he gives this odd Example, Vifum id extra urbem noftram [Hafniam] quum, 11 Feb. 1659. oppugnantes hoftes repellerentur, magnáque ftrage occumberent; alii enim rigidi iratum vultum oftendebant, alii oculos elatos, alii ore diducto ringentes, alii brachiis extenfis Gladium minari, alii alio fitu proftrati jacebant. Barthol. de ufu

Niv. c. 12.

But although Snow be attended with the Effects here named, and others fpecified by the learned Bartholin; yet this is not to be attributed to any peculiar Virtue in the Snow, but fome other Caufe. Thus when it is faid to fructify the Earth, it doth fo by guarding the Corn or other Vegetables against the intenfer cold of the Air, especially the cold piercing Winds; which the Husbandmen obferve to be the most injurious to their Corn of all Weathers. So for Conferving dead Bodies, it doth it by conftipating fuch Bodies, and preventing all fuch Fermentations or internal Conflicts of their Particles, as would produce Corruption.

Such an Example as the preceding is faid to have happened fome Years ago at Paris, in digging in a Cellar for fuppofed hidden Treasure; in which, after digging fome Hours, the Maid going to call her Master, found them all in their digging Poftures, but dead. This being noised abroad, brought in not only the People, but Magiftrates alfo, who found them accordingly; Ille qui ligone terram effoderat, & focius qui palâ effoffam terram removerat, ambo pedibus ftabant, quafi fuo quifque operi affixus incubuisset ; uxor unius quafi ab opere defeffa in fcamno, folicita

fophers (b) have done, we fhould have another Inftance of the great Ufe and Benefit of that Meteor.

And now, if we reflect upon this neceffary Appendage of the Terraqueous Globe, the Atmosphere; and confider the abfolute Neceffity thereof to many Uses of our Globe, and its great Convenience to the whole: And in a Word, that it anfwereth all the Ends and Purpofes that we can fuppofe there can be for fuch an Appendage: Who can but own this to be the Contrivance, the Work of the great Creator? Who would ever fay or imagine fuch a Body, fo different from the Globe it ferves, could be made by Chance, or be adapted fo exactly to all thofe forementioned grand Ends, by any other Efficient than by the Power and Wifdom of the infinite Go D! Who would not rather, from fo noble a Work,

folicito quodam vultu, fedebat, inclinato in palmam manûs ge nibus innitentis capite; puerulus laxatis braccis in margine excavata fovea defixis in terram oculis alvum exonerabat; omnes in naturali fitu, carnea tanquam ftatue rigidi, apertis oculis vultu vitam quafi refpirante, exanimes ftabant. Dr. Bern. Connor, Differt. Med. Phyf. p. 15.

The Doctor attributes all this to Cold; but I scarce think there could be Cold enough to do all this at Paris, and in a Cellar too. But his following Stories are not improbable, of Men and Cattle killed with Cold, that remained in the very fame Pofture in which they died; of which he gives, from a Spanish Captain, this Inftance, that happened two Years before, of a Soldier who unfortunately ftraggled from his Company that were foraging, and was killed with the Cold, but was thought to have fallen into the Enemies Hands. But foon after their return to their Quarters, they faw their Comrade returning, fitting on Horfeback, and coming to congratulate him, found him dead, and that he had been brought thither in the fame Pofture on Horfeback, notwithstanding the jolting of the Horfe. Ibid. p 18.

(b) Of this Opinion was my late moft ingenious and learned Friend, Mr. Ray, whofe Reafons fee in his Phyfico-Theolog. Difcourfes, Difc. 2. ch. 2. p. 89, ec. So alfo my no lefs learned and ingenious Friends, Dr. Halley, and the late Dr. Hook, many of the French Vertuofo's alfo, and divers other very confiderable Men before them, too many to be fpecified here.

readily

readily acknowledge the Workman (c) and as easily conclude the Atmosphere to be made by GOD, as an Inftrument wrought by its Power, any Pneumatick Engine, to be contrived and made by Man!

T

CHA P. IV.

Of Light.

HUS much for the first Thing miniftring to the Terraqueous Globe, the Atmosphere and its Meteors; the next Appendage is Light. (a) Concerning which I have in my Survey of the Heavens (b) fhewed what admirable Contrivances the infinitely wife Creator hath for the affording this noble, glo

rious,

(c) An Polycletum quidem admirabimur propter partium Statua-convenientiam ac proportionem? Naturam autem non modò non laudabimus, fed omni etiam arte privabimus, que partium proportionem non folùm extrinfecus more Statuariorum, fed in profundo etiam fervavit? Nonne & Polycletus ipfe Natura eft imitator, in quibus faltem eam potuit imitari? Potuit autem in folis externis partibus in quibus artem confideravit. With much more to the like Purpose, Galen. de Uf. Part. l. 17. c. I.

(a) It is not worth while to enumerate the Opinions of the Ariftotelians, Cartefians, and others, about the Nature of Light, Ariftotle making it a Quality; Cartes a Pulfion, or Motion of the Globules of the fecond Element, vid. Cartes Princip. p. 3. §. 55, c. But with the Moderns, I take Light to confift of material Particles, propagated from the Sun, and other Juminous Bodies, not inftantaneously, but in time, according to the Notes following in this Chapter. But not to infift upon other Arguments for the Proof of it, our noble Founder hath proved the Materiality of Light and Heat, from actual Experiments on Silver, Copper, Tin, Lead, Spelter, Iron, Tutenage, and other Bodies, expofed (both naked and closely shut up) to the Fire: All which were conftantly found to receive an Increment of Weight. I wish he could have met with a favourable Season to have tried his Experiments with the Sunbeams as he intended. Vid. Boyl Exp. to make Fire and Flame ponderable.

(b) Aftro-Theol. Book 7..

(c) Gen:

rious, and comfortable Benefit to other Globes, as well as ours; the Provifion he hath made by Moons, as well as by the Sun, for the Communication of it.

And now let us briefly confider the great Neceffity and Use thereof to all our Animal World. And this we shall find to be little lefs than the very Life and Pleasure of all thofe Creatures. For what Benefit would Life be of, what Pleasure, what Comfort would it be for us to live in perpetual Darkness? How could we provide our felves with Food and Neceffaries? How could we go about the least Business, correspond with one another, or be of any Use in the World, or any Creatures be the fame to us, without Light, and thofe admirable Crgans of the Body, which the great Creator hath adapted to the Perception of that great Benefit?

But now by the help of this admirable, this firstmade (c), because most neceffary, Creature of God, by this, I fay, all the Animal World is enabled to go here and there, as their Occafions call; they can tranfact their Business by Day, and refresh and recruit themselves by Night, with Reft and Sleep. They can with Admiration and Pleasure, behold the glorious Works of God; they can view the Glories of the Heavens, and fee the Beauties of the flowry Fields, the gay Attire of the feathered Tribe, the exquifite Garniture of many Quadrupeds, Infects, and other Creatures; they can take in the delightfome Landskips of divers Countries and Places; they can with Admiration fee the great Creator's wonderful Art and Contrivance in the Parts of Animals and Vegetables: And in a word, behold the Harmony of this Tower World, and of the Globes above, and survey GOD's exquifite Workmanship in every Creature.

(c) Gen. i. 3. And God faid, Let there be Light, and there was Light.

Το

To all which I might add the Improvements which the Sagacity of Men hath made of this noble Creature of God, by the Refractions and Reflections of Glaffes. But it would be endless to enumerate all its particular Ufes and Benefits to our World.

But before I leave this Point, there are two Things concerning Light, which will deserve an especial Remark; and that is, its fwift and almost inftantaneous Motion, and its vaft Extenfion.

1. It is a very great Act of the Providence of God, that fo great a Benefit as Light is, is not long in its Paffage from Place to Place. For was the Motion thereof no fwifter than the Motion of the fwifteft Bodies on Earth, fuch as of a Bullet out of a great Gun, or even of a Sound (d) (which is the fwifteft Motion we have next Light), in this Cafe Light would take up, in its Progrefs from the Sun to us above thirty two Years at the rate of the first, and above feventeen Years at the rate of the latter Motion.

The Inconveniencies of which would be, its Energy and Vigour would be greatly cooled and abated;

() It may not be ungrateful to the Curious, to take notice of the Velocity of thefe two Things.

According to the Obfervations of Mersennus, a Bullet-shot out of a great Gun, flies 92 Fathom in a Second of Time, (vid. Merfen. Balift.) which is equal to 589 Feet English, and according to the Computation of Mr. Huygens, it would be 25 Years in paffing from the Earth to the Sun. But according to my own Obfervations made with one of her Majesty's Sakers, and a very accurate Pendulum-Chronometer, a Bullet, at its firft Difcharge, flies 510 Yards in five half Seconds, which is a Mile in a little above 17 half Seconds. And allowing the Sun's Distance to be, as in the next Note, a Bullet would be 32 Years in flying with its utmoft Velocity to the Sun.

As to the Velocity of Sound, fee Book 4. Chap. 3. Note 28. according to which rate there mentioned, a Sound would be near 17 Years in flying as far as the diftance is from the Earth to the Sun. Confer here the Experiments of the cad, del Ciment. p. 140, 6.

() Mrg