18 Of the Chaos

and composed of great lumps or majses, an /-jland of twelve furlongs circumference .

And Pliny tells us, that the Island Hieranear Italy, in the time of the Social War,together with the Sea it self, did burn forseveral days. His words are, Inmedio MariHiera injula juxta Italiam cum ipfo Mari ar-fit per aliquot dies.

And Stra&oWb. i. reports, That aboutMethone in the Bay ot Hermione , there wasEarth railed, and as it were blown up to theheight of seven Furlongs by a fiery breathor exhalation,which by day time was unac-ceslible by reason of heat and sulphureousstench, but smelling sweet by night, andshining so as to be seen afar off, likewise cast-ing such a heat, as to cause the Sea to boilfor five Furlongs, and to render it troubledfor the space of twenty ,* raising up thereina Baich or Bank of Stones as big as Towers.

These Instances I alledge principally be-cause they seem to demonstrate a possibilityof the accension of fire in the Earth whenit was wholly covered with Water, and hadno entercourse or communion with the fupe-riour Or external Air : which is the main andmost material Objection against the elevati-on of the dry Land at the beginning by sub-terraneous fires.

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