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Philosophical Discourse

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EARTH

I A M call'd upon, by Command from your Lordstip y and theCouncil, who direct the Progress of the Royal Society , ( and asin course it falls) to entertain this Illustrious Assembly withsomething, which being either deduced from, or leading to Phi-losophical Experiments may be of real use, and suitable to theiefign of its Institution.

1 am highly sensible, as of the Honour which is done me; so of thejreat Disadvantages I lie under, for want of Abilities to carry methrough an Undertaking of this Importance, and before such acute andearned Judges; but I hope, my Obedience to youk Commands, and,

*t least, Endeavours, will cover those defects for which I can make noother Apology,

There are sew here, I presume, who know not upon how innocentnd humble a Subject I have long since diverted my thoughts; and there-ore I hope, they will not be displeased, or think it unworthy of theirpatience, if from their more sublime and ’noble Speculations (and'vhich do often carry them to converse among the brighter Orbs, andHeavenly Bodies) they descend a while, and fix their eyes upon theEarth y which I make the present Argument of my Discourse. I hadonce indeed pitch’d upon a Subject of somewhat a more brisk and livelynature; for what is there in Nature, so sluggish, and dull as Earth ?What more spiritual and active than Vegetation , and what the Earthproduces ? But this y as a Province becoming a more steady Hand, andpenetrating Wit, than mine to cultivate, (unless where it transitorilyc °mes in my way to speak of Salts and Ferments j I leave to those oftflis learned Society , who have already given such admirable Essays of^hat they will be more able to accomplish upon that useful and curious1 heme; and therefore I beg leave, that I may confine my self to my^ore proper Element the Earth, which though the lowest, and mostmterior of them all, is yet so subservient, and necessary to Vegetationas without it there could hardly be any such thing in Nature. '

£ ?» begin > 1 shall in the first Place then describe, what I mean byar ™\ then I shall endeavour to Ihew you the several sorts and kinds

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