worthy of very particular con&longs;ideration, which is, That the Sun <lb/>
drying up that mudde, e&longs;pecially in the times of hot Summers, <lb/>
doth rai&longs;e thence the putrified and pernicious vapours, fogs, and <lb/>
exhalations that infect the Air, and may render the City unha<lb/>
bitable.</s>

 <s>The &longs;econd Head is the great Stoppage that daily is grow<lb/>
ing in the Ports, e&longs;pecially of <emph type="italics"/>Venice,<emph.end type="italics"/> at <emph type="italics"/>Malamoco<emph.end type="italics"/>; concerning <lb/>
which matters I will hint certain general points, and then <lb/>
will proceed to the more particular and important affairs.</s>

 <s>And fir&longs;t, I &longs;ay, that I hold it altogether impo&longs;&longs;ible to effect <lb/>
any thing, though never &longs;o profitable, which doth not bring with <lb/>
it &longs;ome mi&longs;chief; and therefore the good and the hurt ought to <lb/>
be very well weighed, and then the le&longs;&longs;e harmful part to be im<lb/>
braced.</s>

 <s>Secondly, I propo&longs;e to con&longs;ideration, that the &longs;o notable di&longs;<lb/>
covery of Earth & Mud, hath not been long ob&longs;erved, as I under<lb/>
&longs;tand, from old per&longs;ons that can remember pa&longs;&longs;ages for fifty <lb/>
years pa&longs;t; which thing being true, as to me it &longs;eemeth mo&longs;t <lb/>
true, it &longs;hould appear that it could not but be good to reduce <lb/>
matters to that pa&longs;&longs;e that they were at formerly, (laying a&longs;ide <lb/>
all affection or pa&longs;&longs;ion that &longs;elf-flattering minds have entertained <lb/>
for their own conceits) or at lea&longs;t it &longs;hall be nece&longs;&longs;ary &longs;peedily to <lb/>
con&longs;ult the whole.</s>

 <s>Thirdly, I hold that it is nece&longs;&longs;ary to weigh, whether from the <lb/>
fore&longs;aid di&longs;covery of Land, it followeth, that onely the Earth ri<lb/>
&longs;eth, as it is commonly thought by all, without di&longs;pute; or whe<lb/>
ther the Waters are abated and faln away; or el&longs;e whether it <lb/>
proceedeth from both the one and other cau&longs;e. </s> <s>And here it would <lb/>
be &longs;ea&longs;onable to enquire, what &longs;hare the &longs;aid cau&longs;es may have, <lb/>
each con&longs;idered apart in the fore&longs;aid effect. </s> <s>For, in the fir&longs;t <lb/>
ca&longs;e, if the Earth have been rai&longs;ed, it would be nece&longs;&longs;ary to <lb/>
con&longs;ider of taking it down, and removing it: But if the Wa<lb/>
ters have failed or abated, I believe that it would be extreamly ne<lb/>
ce&longs;&longs;ary to re&longs;tore and rai&longs;e them: And if both the&longs;e rea&longs;ons have <lb/>
con&longs;pired in this effect, it will be nece&longs;&longs;ary to remedy them each <lb/>
apart. </s> <s>And I do, for my part, think, that the &longs;o notable appea<lb/>
rance of Shelves at the time of low Water, proceeds principally <lb/>
from the decrea&longs;e and abatement of the Waters, which may <lb/>
confidently be affirmed to need no other proof, in regard that the <lb/>
<emph type="italics"/>Brent<emph.end type="italics"/> hath been actually diverted which did formerly di&longs;charge <lb/>
its Water into the Lake.</s>

 <s>As to the other point of the great Stoppage of Ports, I hold, <lb/>
that all proceedeth from the violence of the Sea, which being <lb/>
&longs;ometimes di&longs;turbed by windes, e&longs;pecially at the time of the wa<lb/>
ters flowing, doth continually rai&longs;e from its bottome immen&longs;e