West from Highworth, towards Cricklad, are stones as big, or bigger than one's head, that lie common even in the highway, which are petrified sea-mushromes. They looke like honeycombs, but the holes are not hexagons, but round. They are found from Lydiard Tregoze to Cumnor in Barkshire, in which field I have also seen them. [See page 9.-J. B.] ___________________________________
At Steeple Ashton are frequently found stones resembling the picture of the unicorne's horn, but not tapering. They are about the bignesse of a cart-rope, and are of a reddish gray colour.
In the vicaridge garden at Bower Chalke are found petrified oyster shells; which the learned Mr. Lancelot Morehouse, who lived there some yeares, assured me: and I am informed since that there are also cockle shells and scalop shells. Also in the parish of Wotton Basset are found petrified oyster shells; and there are also found cornua ammonis of a reddish gray, but not very large. About two or three miles from the Devises are found in a pitt snake-stones (cornua ammonis) no bigger than a sixpence, of a black colour. Mr. John Beaumont, Junr., of Somersetshire, a great naturalist, tells me that some-where by Chilmarke lies in the chalke a bed of stones called "echini marini". He also enformes me that, east of Bitteston, in the estate of Mr. Montjoy, is a spring,-they call it a holy well,-where five-pointed stones doe bubble up (Astreites) which doe move in vinegar.
At Broad Chalke are sometimes found cornua ammonis of chalke. I doe believe that they might be heretofore in as great abundance hereabout as they are about Caynsham and Burnet in Somersetshire; but being soft, the plough teares them in pieces; and the sun and the frost does slake them like lime. They are very common about West Lavington, with which the right honourable James, Earle of Abington, has adorned his grotto's there. There are also some of these stones about Calne.
CHAPTER VIII. AN HYPOTHESIS OF THE TERRAQUEOUS GLOBE. A DIGRESSION.
[THE seventeenth century was peculiarly an age of scientific research and investigation. The substantial and brilliant discoveries of Newton induced many of his less gifted contemporaries to pursue inquiries into the arcana and profound mysteries of science; but where rational inferences and deductions failed, they too frequently had recourse to mere unsupported theory and conjectural speculation.
The stratification of the crust of our globe, and the division of its surface into land and water, was a fertile theme for conjecture; and many learned and otherwise sagacious writers, assigned imaginary causes for the results which they attempted to explain.
The chapter of Aubrey's work which bears the above title is, to some extent, of this nature. It consists chiefly of speculative opinions extracted from other works, with a few conjectures of his own, which, though based upon the clear and judicious views of his friend Robert Hooke, do not, upon the whole, deserve much consideration; although to the curious in the history of Geological science they may appear interesting. Its author had sufficient diffidence as to the merits of this chapter to describe it as "a digression; ad mentem Mr. R. Hook, R.S.S."; and his friend Ray, in a letter already quoted, observes, after commending other portions of the present work, "I find but one thing that may give any just offence; and that is, the Hypothesis of the Terraqueous Globe; wherewith I must confess myself not to be satisfied: but that is but a digression, and aliene from your subject; and so may very well be left out". Ray's work on "Chaos and Creation" published in 1692, a year after the date of this letter, was a valuable contribution to the geological knowledge of the time. Some notes by Evelyn, on Aubrey's original MS., shew that he was at least equally credulous with the author.
Aubrey concludes that the universal occurrence of "petrified fishes' shells gives clear evidence that the earth hath been all covered over with water". He assumes that the irregularities and changes in the earth's surface were occasioned by earthquakes; and has inserted in his manuscript, from the London Gazette, accounts of three earthquakes, in different parts of Italy, in the years 1688 and 1690. A small 4to pamphlet, being "A true relation of the terrible Earthquake which happened at Ragusa, and several other cities in Dalmatia and Albania, the 6th of April 1667", is also inserted in the MS. Aubrey observes: "As the world was torne by earthquakes, as also the vaulture by time foundred and fell in, so the water subsided and the dry land appeared. Then, why might not that change alter the center of gravity of the earth? Before this the pole of the ecliptique perhaps was the pole of the world". And in confirmation of these views he quotes several passages from Ovid's Metamorphoses, book i. fab. 7. 8. He also cites the scheme of Father Kircher, of the Society of Jesus, which, in a section of the globe, represents it as "full of cavities, and resembling the inside of a pomegranade", the centre being marked with a blazing fire, or "ignis centralis". "But now", writes Aubrey in 1691, "Mr. Edmund Halley, R.S.S., hath an hypothesis that the earth is hollow, about five hundred miles thick; and that a terella moves within it, which causes the variation of the needle; and in the center a sun". Further on he says, "that the centre of this globe is like the heart that warmes the body, is now the most commonly received opinion". On the subject of subterranean heats and fires the author quotes several pages from Dr. Edward Jorden's "Discourse of Natural Baths and Mineral Waters; wherein the original of fountains, the nature and differences of water, and particularly those of the Bathe, are declared". (4to. 1632.) He also extracts a passage from Lemery's "Course of Chymistry", (8vo. 1686,) as the foundation of a theory to explain the heat of the Bath waters.
The difficulty of reconciling the various opinions that were advanced with the Mosaic account of the Creation, was a great stumbling-block to the progress of geological science at the time when Aubrey wrote. He was not however inclined to read the sacred writings too literally on this subject, for after giving a part of the first chapter of Genesis, he quotes (from Timothy, ch. iii. v. 15) the words, "from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation:" upon which he observes, "the Apostle doth not say, to teach natural philosophy: and see Pere Symond, where he says that the scriptures in some places may be erroneous as to philosophy, but the doctrine of the church is right". It is presumed that the above passages, which indicate the general nature of Aubrey's theory, will be sufficient, without further quotations from this chapter. - J. B.]