eternity of the world, seems a little precarious.

But here appears to be the foundation of a better argument. LUCULLUS was
the first that brought cherry-trees from ASIA to EUROPE; though that tree
thrives so well in many EUROPEAN climates, that it grows in the woods
without any culture. Is it possible, that throughout a whole eternity, no
EUROPEAN had ever passed into ASIA, and thought of transplanting so
delicious a fruit into his own country? Or if the tree was once
transplanted and propagated, how could it ever afterwards perish? Empires
may rise and fall, liberty and slavery succeed alternately, ignorance and
knowledge give place to each other; but the cherry-tree will still remain
in the woods of GREECE, SPAIN, and ITALY, and will never be affected by
the revolutions of human society.

It is not two thousand years since vines were transplanted into FRANCE,
though there is no climate in the world more favourable to them. It is
not three centuries since horses, cows, sheep, swine, dogs, corn, were
known in AMERICA. Is it possible, that during the revolutions of a whole
eternity, there never arose a COLUMBUS, who might open the communication
between EUROPE and that continent? We may as well imagine, that all men
would wear stockings for ten thousand years, and never have the sense to
think of garters to tie them. All these seem convincing proofs of the
youth, or rather infancy, of the world; as being founded on the operation
of principles more constant and steady than those by which human society
is governed and directed. Nothing less than a total convulsion of the
elements will ever destroy all the EUROPEAN animals and vegetables which
are now to be found in the Western world.

And what argument have you against such convulsions? replied PHILO.
Strong and almost incontestable proofs may be traced over the whole