I observ'd nothing extraordinary in the Intestines. The Ureters and Kidneys were full of Gravel, so that no wonder the poor Man was always complaining, and that he died in the flower of his Age when he was but 34 Years old. We bury'd him in the Counterscarp.

'Twas scarce six Weeks after, that we had a horrid Earthquake, which was follow'd with as furious a Tempest as I ever saw in my Life. The Mountain to the West of our Fort, rent in twain from Top to Bottom, and at the same time there gush'd out a Torrent of muddy Water with extraordinary Impetuosity. By good Luck it did not come down directly upon us, otherwise our Works would have run a very great Risque. This Inundation lasted 'till next Day. All our Valley was under Water, and we were three Days without being able to get Abroad. When the bad Weather was over, and our Meadows dry, we ascended the Mountain to see part of the Damage done by it. We found that the Cleft made in the Mountain was at least 120 Foot wide below, and above 50 towards the Top. There was a Fountain near the Top of it, which after this was never more seen, and I was the first who observ'd that it was gone. This surpriz'd us all, but what astonish'd us more, was that half of the Forest which was below on the other Side, was swallow'd up, and that instead of Trees which were there before, there appear'd a very great Lake. These prodigious Events gave us Occasion to admire the Works of Providence.

Le Grand was sorry for the Loss of this Fountain, because we often went that Way to divert ourselves, and were very fond of its Water, which was wonderfully fine and clear. He could not comprehend what Relation this Fountain had with the cleaving of the Rock, and the others were even more astonish'd at it than he. Don't you see, said I, that there could not have been such a Gap in this great Body, unless the Particles of which 'tis compos'd had met together, and that consequently the Channels thro' which the Water pass'd that form'd the Fountain were stopp'd up, just in the same manner as the Pores of a Spunge close in Proportion as 'tis squeez'd. I am not sure whether you don't banter, said one of 'em, one would think so by your Looks, tho' what you say seems probable enough. No doubt I banter, said I, for there's a Natural and Physical Reason for what you admire, which they are not ignorant of who have the least Notion of Philosophy. We know nothing of Philosophy, said Le Grand, but if you think we are capable of understanding you, it will be a Pleasure to us to philosophize with us concerning our Fountain. I will, said I, with all my Heart, because we have nothing else to do now, provided you won't think me a Pedant.

The Globe we inhabit, said I, is compos'd of an infinite Number of various Particles, the chief of which are Terrestrial and Aqueous. This compound Body turns in 24 Hours round its proper Center. What, said Le Grand, does the Earth turn round? Yes, yes, reply'd La Foret, I heard him explain this Phœnomenon before so clearly, that there's no room to doubt of it. Let him explain it ever so clearly, said Le Grand, I will never believe any thing contrary to my Senses and the Holy Scriptures, in which there are a great many plain Passages that positively contradict what you advance. That your Senses often deceive you is very easy to prove, continued I, and as to the Scriptures, 'tis certain that the Design of the Holy Ghost was never to make us Mathematicians and Philosophers, or else he would have taken care to explain those Passages of Genesis concerning the Creation, which puzzle a great many People, and which a Priest of the Country where La Foret and I have been, observ'd that he had heard talk of. Nor would he have fail'd to have told us the true Proportion of the Circumference of a Circle to its Diameter, when he treats of the Sea of Copper which Solomon caus'd to be plac'd in his stately Temple, and which is pretended according to the Vulgar Opinion to be from 30 to 10, or from 21 to 7, whereas it is as from 22 to 7, or at least there does not want much of it, as is demonstrable from the Mathematics. God, in order to render himself intelligible, condescends to talk with us in our own Jargon, and accommodates himself to our Phrase; for when he speaks after his own Manner, 'tis impossible for us to understand him, and what he says is mysterious beyond our Penetration. Now all this is easy to be comprehended, and is liable to no Objection.

Granting therefore that the Earth turns, the Parts of it which are in greatest Agitation must be those which are farthest from its Centre, as is easy to prove from several curious Experiments. This being so, the Water which besides the Motion of the whole Body wherewith it is carry'd, has a particular one that renders it liquid, must by consequence lead the Van. Then comes the Air which is another Liquid compos'd of Parts much more subtle, and more agitated than those of the Water, which also makes it go before it, and form a sort of Down round the terrestrial Globe, which composes our Atmosphere, and extends about 2 Leagues distance round the Surface of the Earth; and 'tis in this Atmosphere, by the Way, in which are form'd Rain, Snow, Lightning, Thunder, and all the Meteors in general.

Hold, said Le Grand, according to your Philosophy the Bodies that have the least Motion must be the nearest to the Center of our Globe: Now the Aqueous Parts move faster than the Terrestrial, therefore the Water must consequently cover the whole Surface of the Earth, and we should have a perpetual Flood, which is not the Case.

The Objection is good, said I, and 'tis certainly true, that if God by his Almighty Power should level the Mountains, and lay all the Hills in general even with the Valleys, there would be no Appearance of dry Land. 'Tis an Argument which perhaps might very well be made use of also to favour the Notion of the universal Deluge, were it not that the Scripture speaks of Mountains before and after. But you ought to consider that Nature cannot always have its free Course, by reason of Obstacles which hinder it. The Water of a River ought according to the Laws which are prescrib'd it, to follow the Course of its Channel, yet it often happens that an impetuous Wind stops it, and drives it back even to its Source. The Mountains and Rocks form'd by Providence are Barriers which the Ocean cannot go over, just as Liquor which is in a Vessel cannot surpass the Brims, but bring the Brims lower, as I said just now of Mountains, and you will see it quickly run over.

I return therefore to my Subject, and say that there being no Vacuum in the World; No Vacuum in the World! said Le Grand, interrupting me. Alas! I submit, said I. No, reply'd he, I am in the wrong to interrupt you so often: Go on, I beg; you did well to check me, for I am sensible I should have talk'd idly; from this time I won't speak a Word more. The Moment, continued I, that any Particles of Air or Fire more subtile and agitated than others rise, an equivalent Portion of others must necessarily descend at the same time to supply their Place. Now you must know that most Mountains are hollow towards the Bottom as you see this is now 'tis open, and for as much as the Earth is porous, and full of Crevices and Channels, it happens that the Sea forces into those Passages, and fills those hollow Mountains to the same height as the Ocean.

I understand you, said Le Grand, you need say no more, you mean that the Sea being as high as the highest Mountains, which all the World acknowledges, and is easy to perceive when one is upon the Coast, the Air which presses the Water upon the Ocean, forces it to pass thro' the low Conduits of the Earth, and to rise to the Top of the Rocks, from whence it runs out by Streams, which form the Fountains or Springs, just as the Liquor which is pour'd into a Vessel where there's a Pipe or an Arm, rises in that Arm to the same Height as it is in the Vessel, and there runs out of it if there be the least Hole. This is reasoning exactly like a Philosopher, said I, your Conclusion is very good, 'tis pity that your Principles are bad. For 'tis not true, that the Sea is so high as the Shore, if it were, we should soon be drown'd; so that 'tis a vulgar Error, the Reason of which is very well known to those who have only learnt the first Elements of Opticks. But the Case is thus.

When the Water comes to the Foot of those hollow Mountains, 'tis heated by the Sun-Beams, and rises in Vapours to the Roofs, which when collected like the Water of a boiling Pot against the Lid, form Drops, and those Drops, Streams which run out at the first Out-let they meet with, and form what we call Springs, as several Springs form a Brook, and several Brooks a River, which carries back to the Sea the Water that came from it, and by consequence only circulates it like the Blood in the Veins of a living Animal.