6. And lastly, That it is to the Hills that the Fountains owe their Rise, and the Rivers their Conveyance. As it is not proper, so neither shall I here enter into any Dispute about the Origine of Springs, commonly assigned by curious and learned Philosophers. But whether their Origine be from condensed Vapours, as some think[]; or from Rains falling, as others; or whether they are derived from the Sea by way of Attraction, Percolation, or Distillation; or whether all these Causes concur, or only some, still the Hills are the grand Agent in this prodigious Benefit to all the Earth: Those vast Masses and Ridges of Earth serving as so many huge Alembicks or Cola in this noble Work of Nature.
But be the Modus, or the Method Nature takes in this great Work as it will, it is sufficient to my Purpose, that the Hills are a grand Agent in this so noble and necessary a Work: And consequently, that those vast Masses and lofty Piles are not as they are charged, such rude and useless Excrescences of our ill-formed Globe; but the admirable Tools of Nature, contrived and ordered by the infinite Creator, to do one of its most useful Works, and to dispense this great Blessing to all Parts of the Earth; without which neither Animals could live, nor Vegetables scarcely grow, nor perhaps Minerals, Metals, or Fossiles receive any Increase. For was the Surface of the Earth even and level, and the middle Parts of its Islands and Continents, not mountainous and high, (as now it is) it is most certain there could be no Descent for the Rivers, no Conveyance for the Waters; but instead of gliding along those gentle Declivities which the higher Lands now afford them quite down to the Sea, they would stagnate, and perhaps stink, and also drown large Tracts of Land.
But indeed, without Hills, as there could be no Rivers, so neither could there be any Fountains, or Springs about the Earth; because, if we could suppose a Land could be well watered (which I think not possible) without the higher Lands, the Waters could find no Descent, no Passage through any commodious Out-lets, by Virtue of their own Gravity; and therefore could not break out into those commodious Passages and Currents, which we every where almost find in, or near the Hills, and seldom, or never in large and spacious Planes; and when we do find them in them, it is generally at great and inconvenient Depths of the Earth; nay, those very subterraneous Waters, that are any where met with by digging in these Planes, are in all Probability owing to the Hills, either near or far distant: As among other Instances may be made out, from the forcible Eruption of the subterraneous Waters in digging Wells, in the lower Austria, and the Territories of Modena, and Bologna in Italy, mentioned by my fore-named learned Friend Mr. Ray[k]. Or if there be any such Place found throughout the Earth, that is devoid of Mountains, and yet well watered, as perhaps some small Islands may; yet in this very Case, that whole Mass of Land is no other than as one Mountain descending, (though unperceivedly) gently down from the Mid-land Parts to the Sea, as most other Lands do; as is manifest from the Descent of their Rivers, the Principal of which in most Countries have generally their Rise in the more lofty Mid-land Parts.
And now considering what hath been said concerning this last Use of the Hills, there are two or three Acts of the divine Providence observable therein. One is, that all Countries throughout the whole World, should enjoy this great Benefit of Mountains, placed here and there, at due and proper Distances, to afford these several Nations this excellent and most necessary Element the Waters. For according to Nature’s Tendency, when the Earth and Waters were separated, and order’d to their several Places, the Earth must have been of an even Surface, or nearly so. The several component Parts of the Earth, must have subsided according to their several specifick Gravities, and at last have ended in a large, even, spherical Surface, every where equi-distant from the Center of the Globe. But that instead of this Form, so incommodious for the Conveyance of the Waters, it should be jetted out every where into Hills and Dales, so necessary for that purpose, is a manifest Sign of an especial Providence of the wise Creator.
So another plain Sign of the same especial Providence of God, in this Matter, is, that generally throughout the whole World, the Earth is so dispos’d, so order’d, so well laid; I may say, that the Mid-land Parts, or Parts farther from the Sea, are commonly the highest: Which is manifest, I have said, from the Descent of the Rivers. Now this is an admirable Provision the wise Creator hath made for the commodious Passages of the Rivers, and for draining the several Countries, and carrying off the superfluous Waters from the whole Earth, which would be as great an Annoyance, as now they are a Convenience.
Another providential Benefit of the Hills supplying the Earth with Water, is, that they are not only instrumental thereby, to the Fertility of the Valleys, but to their own also[l]; to the Verdure of the Vegetables without, and to the Increment and Vigour of the Treasures within them.
Thus having vindicated the present Form and Fabrick of the Earth, as distributed into Mountains and Valleys, and thereby shewn in some Measure the Use thereof, particularly of the Mountains, which are chiefly found fault with: I have, I hope, made it in some Measure evident, that God was no idle Spectator[m], nor unconcerned in the ordering of the terraqueous Globe, as the former bold Charges against it do infer; that he did not suffer so grand a Work, as the Earth, to go unfinish’d out of his almighty Hand; or leave it to be ordered by Chance, by natural Gravity, by casual Earthquakes, &c. but that the noble Strokes, and plain Remains of Wisdom and Power therein, do manifest it to be his Work. That particularly the Hills and Vales, though to a peevish weary Traveller, they may seem incommodious and troublesome; yet are a noble Work of the great Creator, and wisely appointed by him for the Good of our sublunary World.
And so for all the other Parts of our terraqueous Globe, that are presumed to be found fault with by some, as if carelessly order’d, and made without any Design or End; particularly the Distribution of the dry Land and Waters; the laying the several Strata, or Beds of Earth, Stone, and other Layers before spoken of; the Creation of noxious Animals, and poisonous Substances, the boisterous Winds; the Vulcano’s, and many other Things which some are angry with, and will pretend to amend: I have before shewn, that an infinitely wise Providence, an almighty Hand was concerned even in them; that they all have their admirable Ends and Uses, and are highly instrumental and beneficial to the Being, or Well-being of this our Globe, or to the Creatures residing thereon.
So also for humane Bodies, it hath been an ancient[n], as well as modern Complaint, that our Bodies are not as big as those of other Animals; that we cannot run as swift as Deer, fly like Birds, and that we are out-done by many Creatures in the Accuracy of the Senses, with more to the same Purpose. But these Objections are well answered by Seneca[o], and will receive a fuller Solution from what I shall observe of animal Bodies hereafter.