But when Lyell was young and the idea of the "Principles" began to germinate in his mind, popular prejudice against the free exercise of inquiry in geology was still strong; this diluvial hypothesis still hampered, if it did not fully satisfy, the majority of scientific workers. Here and there, it is true, some isolated pioneer demonstrated the impossibility of referring the fossil contents of the earth's crust to a single deluge, or protested against the singular mixture of actual observation, patristic quotation, and deductive reasoning which commonly passed current for geological science. Chief and earliest among these men, Vallisneri, also an Italian, about a century before Lyell's birth, was clearsighted enough to see "how much the interests of religion as well as those of sound philosophy had suffered by perpetually mixing up the sacred writings with questions in physical science"; indeed, he was so far advanced as to attempt a general sketch of the marine deposits of Italy, with their organic remains, and to arrive at the conclusion that the ocean formerly had extended over the whole earth and after remaining there for a long time had gradually subsided. This conclusion, though inadequate as an expression of the truth, was much more philosophical than that of an universal and comparatively recent deluge. Moro and Generelli, in the same country, followed the lead of Vallisneri, in seeking for hypotheses which were consistent with the facts of Nature, Generelli even arriving at conclusions which, in effect, were those adopted by Lyell, and have been thus translated by him: "Is it possible that this waste should have continued for six thousand and perhaps a greater number of years, and that the mountains should remain so great unless their ruins have been repaired? Is it credible that the Author of Nature should have founded the world upon such laws as that the dry land should be for ever growing smaller, and at last become wholly submerged beneath the waters? Is it credible that, amid so many created things, the mountains alone should daily diminish in number and bulk, without there being any repair of their losses? This would be contrary to that order of Providence which is seen to reign in all other things in the universe. Wherefore I deem it just to conclude that the same cause which, in the beginning of time, raised mountains from the abyss, has down to the present day continued to produce others, in order to restore from time to time, the losses of all such as sink down in different places, or are rent asunder, or in other ways suffer disintegration. If this be admitted, we can easily understand why there should now be found upon many mountains so great a number of crustacea and other marine animals."