domain material from the ,google ,print 
project47       ,,the  ,,shepherd  ,,of 
,,banbury',s ,,rules  ,to judge of the  
,,changes of the ,,weather1  ,grounded  
on ,forty ,years' ,,experience2  ,by    
which you may know  ,the ,,weather for  
several ,days to come1 and in some      
,cases for ,months4  ,to which is added 
,a ,rational ,,account of the ,,causes  
of such ,alterations1 the ,nature of    
,wind1 ,rain1 ,snow1 c4    ,by ,,john   
,,claridge1 ,shepherd4    ,a ,,new      
,,edition1 ,corrected4   ,l ,o ,n ,d ,o 
,n3 ,printed for ,,thomas ,,hurst1      
,,edward ,,chance1  ,co41 #fe1 ,st4     
,paul's ,church-,yard4 #ahbg4  ,j4      
,m',creery1 ,tooks ,court1 ,chancery    
,lane1 ,london4     ,,introduction4     
,,as we very justly esteem it a fit     
,tribute of ,admiration to adorn natural
 ,curiosities1 by setting them as richly
 and as advantageously as art can       
direct1 so the following ,observations  
of the ,shepherd of ,banbury have       
appeared to me worthy of being presented

 to the ,eye of the ,public1 with all   
the ,lustre that it was in my ,power to 
give them4 ,it is one thing to observe1 
and another to reason upon              
,observations1 and it very rarely       
happens that both can be taken into the 
,compass of one ,man's ,life4 ,we ought 
therefore to consider it as a very lucky
 ,incident1 when the ,observations of   
another ,man1 upon whom we can depend1  
fall into our ,hands1 and enable us to  
add natural ,experience to the ,notions 
derived to us from ,books of            
,philosophy4  ,,there is a ,degree of   
,pedantry in ,desarts as well as        
,colleges4 ,men who derive their        
,knowledge entirely from ,experience are
 apt to despise what they call ,book    
,learning1 and ,men of great ,reading   
are as apt to fall into a less excusable
 mistake1 that of taking the ,knowledge 
of ,words for the ,knowledge of ,things2
 whereas there are not any two points   
more opposite in ,nature1 since we very 
rarely see1 that either true ,scholars  

are talkative1 or that talkative ,men   
are true ,scholars4  ,,the ,shepherd1   
whose sole ,business it is to observe   
what has a ,reference to the ,flock     
under his ,care1 who spends all his     
,days and many of his ,nights in the    
open ,air1 and under the wide spread    
,canopy of ,heaven1 is in a ,manner     
obliged to take particular ,notice of   
the ,alterations of the ,weather1 and   
when once he comes to take a ,pleasure  
in making such ,observations1 it is     
amazing how great a ,progress he makes  
in them1 and to how great a ,certainty  
at last he arrives by mere dint of      
comparing ,signs and ,events1 and       
correcting one ,remark by another4      
,every thing in ,time becomes to him a  
,sort of ,weather-,gage4 ,the ,sun1 the 
,moon1 the ,stars1 the ,clouds1 the     
,winds1 the ,mists1 the ,trees1 the     
,flowers1 the ,herbs1 and almost every  
,animal with which he is acquainted4    
,all these ,i say become to such a      
person ,instruments of real ,knowledge4 

,,there are a ,sort of half wise        
,people1 who from the ,consideration of 
the ,distances of ,things1 are apt to   
treat such ,prognostications1 as they   
phrase them1 with much ,contempt4 ,they 
can see no ,connexion between a ,cat's  
washing her ,face1 and the ,sky's being 
overspread with ,clouds1 and therefore  
they boldly pronounce that the one has  
no ,relation to the other4 ,yet the same
 ,people will readily own that the      
fluttering of the ,flame of a ,candle is
 a certain token of ,wind1 which however
 is not discernible by their ,feeling2  
because it lies within the ,compass of  
their ,understanding to discern that    
this ,fluctuation of the ,flame is      
caused by the ,wind acting upon it1 and 
therefore they are inclined to believe  
this1 though it does not fall actually  
under the ,cognizance of their ,senses4 
,but a ,man of a larger ,compass of     
,knowledge1 who is acquainted with the  
,nature and ,qualities of the ,air1 and 
knows what an ,effect any ,alterations  

in the ,weight1 the ,dryness1 or the    
,humidity of it has upon all animal     
,bodies1 easily perceives the ,reason   
why other ,animals are much sooner      
sensible of any ,alterations that happen
 in that ,element than ,men1 and        
therefore to him the cawing of ,ravens1 
the chattering of ,swallows1 and a      
,cat's washing her ,face are not        
superstitious ,signs1 but natural tokens
 7like that of the ,candle's fluttering7
 of a ,change of ,weather1 and as such  
they have been thought worthy of ,notice
 by ,aristotle1 ,virgil1 ,pliny1 and all
 the wisest and gravest ,writers of     
,antiquity4  ,,but still a few slight   
and trivial ,observations of this ,kind1
 and such as are in the ,power of every 
,man to make1 go but a very little ,way 
in furnishing us with a useful          
,knowledge of the ,indications of the   
,weather4 ,to supply these1 and to have 
constantly at ,hand the ,means of       
judging of these ,alterations1 ,men of  
great ,genius have invented1 and        

wonderful ,inventions they are6         
,instruments for measuring the ,heat1   
the ,cold1 the ,weight1 the ,dryness1   
and the ,humidity of the ,air1 with     
great ,exactness1 and upon these they   
reason as to the changes of ,weather    
with great ,accuracy and ,certainty4 ,it
 would undoubtedly be a great ,folly to 
pretend to question either the ,truth of
 their ,observations1 or the ,usefulness
 of them3 but then we may have leave to 
consider how far1 and to how great a    
,degree they are useful4 ,the           
,thermometer measures exactly the       
,degrees of ,heat1 but the ,air must be 
hot to such or such a ,degree before it 
is discerned by this ,instrument4 ,the  
barometer indicates the ,weight of the  
,air1 and the rising and falling of the 
,quicksilver expresses the ,alterations 
in its ,weight with wonderful ,nicety1  
but then those ,alterations are the     
,cause of this4 ,in like manner the     
,hygrometer1 or ,hygroscope1 measures   
the ,dryness or the ,humidity of the    

,air very plainly and very exactly1 but 
the ,weather must alter1 must become    
dryer or moister than it was1 before    
these ,alterations are visible2 and     
therefore1 however ingenious1 however   
curious1 however useful these           
,instruments may be in other ,respects1 
they undoubtedly contribute very little 
to the prognosticating a ,change of     
,weather at a ,distance2 and it is from 
the ,experience of this1 that they are  
so little esteemed1 so lightly regarded 
by the common ,people4  ,,our           
,shepherd's ,observations are of quite  
another ,nature1 most of them give us a 
,day's ,notice1 many a ,week's1 and some
 extend to several ,months'             
,prognostication of the ,changes of the 
,weather1 and of how great ,use these   
may be to all ,ranks and ,degrees of    
,people1 to the sedentary               
,valetudinarian1 as well as the active  
,traveller1 to the ,sportsman who       
pursues his ,game1 as well as to the    
industrious ,husbandman who constantly  

follows his ,labour2 in short1 to every 
,man in every ,situation in some ,degree
 or other1 is so very clear and         
intelligible1 that it would1 be a mere  
waste of ,words1 and a very idle display
 of ,rhetoric1 to attempt the making it 
clearer4 ,every ,man living would be    
glad to foresee the ,alterations of     
,weather if he could1 and consequently  
to most ,people1 if not to all1 these   
,observations1 grounded on no less than 
forty ,years' ,experience1 cannot but be
 acceptable4  ,,to make the best use of 
one's ,talent1 and to employ the ,lights
 derived from the ,station in which     
,providence has placed one for the      
,benefit of ,mankind1 is undoubtedly    
discharging one's ,duty1 answering the  
,end of our ,creation1 and corresponding
 with the ,o,economy of ,nature1 which  
does nothing in vain4 ,this ,proposition
 is equally true1 let a ,man's ,station 
be what it will4 ,it is the ,manner in  
which we perform1 and not the           
,character1 that makes the ,player1 and 

in this ,sense what ,man is not a       
,player8 ,here then is an ,instance of  
one who has for many ,years studied his 
,part1 and now communicates his         
,discoveries freely4 ,in a ,physician1  
in a ,philosopher1 in a ,mathematician1 
this would be highly commendable1 and   
why not in a ,shepherd8 ,we do not cast 
our own ,parts in the ,drama of ,life2  
no1 this is performed by the great      
,author of ,nature4 ,he who adjusted    
every ,thing on ,earth with such ,beauty
 and ,harmony1 he who taught the        
,heavenly ,bodies to move2 the same     
distributed their several ,offices to   
,men4 ,may we not therefore suppose that
 every ,man's ,part is well cast1 and   
that our ,abilities are exactly         
proportioned to our ,stations8 ,if so1  
he who does all he can1 does all that   
ought to be expected from him1 and      
merits from impartial ,judges the most  
general and just ,applause4 ,to be      
convinced of this1 we need not only     
reflect on the narrow and selfish       

,conduct of some1 who either by ,study  
or by ,chance1 have acquired certain    
valuable ,secrets1 which with the utmost
 ,industry they conceal in order to be  
the more admired1 or that they may      
render them beneficial to themselves4   
,how contrary the ,conduct of our       
,shepherd6 ,his ,pains were all his own1
 but the ,fruit of them he thus         
generously offers to the ,public4 ,good 
,sense and the dictates of ,nature      
taught him this ,maxim1 ,that what might
 benefit many1 should not be concealed  
by one from ,views of ,profit or of     
,pride4  ,,in my ,remarks upon the      
,shepherd's ,rules1 ,i have sometimes   
endeavoured to support them by          
,authorities1 which ,i must confess     
would have been of little ,use if the   
,author had been a ,person of ,learning2
 but when it is considered that these   
,observations were purely the ,effect of
 his own ,attention and ,experience1 it 
certainly strengthens them1 and adds    
greatly to their ,credit that they have 

been esteemed evident ,signs of the same
 ,effects1 by the greatest ,masters in  
this ,kind of ,science4 ,the ,art of    
prognosticating the ,weather may be     
considered as a ,kind of decyphering1   
and in that ,art it is always allowed a 
point of great ,consequence1 when       
several ,masters therein agree as to the
 meaning of a ,character1 and it is from
 thence very justly presumed that this  
,character is rightly decyphered4  ,i   
have also endeavoured to explain most of
 his ,observations1 according to the    
,rules of the new ,philosophy1 which1 as
 it is grounded upon4 ,experiments1 so  
it generally speaking enables us to give
 a fair and rational ,account of almost 
all the ,phnomena taken notice of by the
 ,shepherd of ,banbury4  ,i likewise    
have added some other ,rules in         
,relation to the ,weather1 taken from   
the common sayings of our ,country      
,people1 and from old ,english ,books of
 ,husbandry1 but ,i have distinguished  
all these from the ,observations        

themselves1 so that the ,reader will    
have no ,trouble to discern the ,text   
from the ,commentary1 or to know what   
belongs to the ,shepherd of ,banbury1   
and what to the ,editor of his          
,observations4 ,this ,i think may serve 
by the ,way of ,introduction1 let us now
 proceed to the ,rules themselves4      
,,the  ,country ,calendar1  ,,or ,,the  
,,shepherd ,,of ,,banbury's             
,,observations4   ,i4  ,,sun4 ,if the   
,sun rise red and firey4  ,wind and     
,rain4  ,,the ,reason of this           
,appearance is1 because the ,sun shines 
through a large ,mass of ,vapours1 which
 occasions that red ,colour that has    
been always esteemed a ,sign of ,rain1  
especially if the ,face of the ,sun     
appear bigger than it ought1 for then in
 a few ,hours the ,clouds will grow     
black1 and be condensed into ,rain1     
sudden and sharp1 if in the ,summer1 but
 settled and moderate if in ,winter4    
,,the old ,english ,rule published in   
our first ,almanacks agrees exactly with

 our ,author's ,observation4      ,if   
red the ,sun begins his ,race1     ,be  
sure that ,rain will fall apace4  ,,if  
the ,reader would see this elegantly    
described1 the ,master of ,poets hath it
 thus4a      ,above the ,rest1 the ,sun1
 who never lies1     ,foretels the      
,change of ,weather in the ,skies2      
,for if he rise unwilling to his ,race1 
,clouds on his ,brow1 and ,spots upon   
his ,face1     ,or if thro' ,mists he   
shoots his sullen ,beams1     ,frugal of
 light1 in loose and straggling         
,streams1     ,suspect a drizzling ,day 
and southern ,rain1     ,fatal to       
,fruits and ,flocks1 and promis'd       
,grain4        ,footnote a3        ,sol 
quoque  exoriens1  cum se condit in     
undas1       ,signa dabit3 ,solem       
certissima signa sequuntur1       ,et qu
 ,mane refert1  qu surgentibus ,astris1 
,ille ubi nascentem maculis variaverit  
,ortum       ,concavus in ,nubem1       
medioque refugerit ,orbe2               
,suspecti tibi sint ,imbres4 ,namque    

urget ab alto       ,arboribusque       
satisque ,notus ,pecorique sinister4    
,virgil4 ,georgic4 lib4 i4 v4 #dch4     
,,ii4  ,if cloudy1 and it soon decrease4
  ,certain fair ,weather4  ,i ,conceive 
the ,reason of this to be1 that the     
,vapours being then specifically lighter
 than the ,air1 are still rising        
upwards1 in which they are assisted by  
the ,heat of the ,sun ,beams1 agreeable 
to the ,notion of ,dr4 ,derham1 who     
observes1 that after much cloudy        
,weather1 it is always fair before it   
rains1 because the watery ,vapours are  
not condensed till they reach the cold  
upper ,region1 agreeable to the common  
,english saying1      ,the ,evening red1
 and ,morning grey1     ,is a ,sign of a
 fair ,day4  ,,it is also an            
,observation1 of ,pliny's in his natural
 ,history4b        ,footnote b3 ,nat4   
,hist4 lib4 xviii4 cap4 #ce4  ,,si ab   
ortu solis repellentur ,nubes1  ad      
occasum abibunt1 ,serenitatem           
denunciabunt1                           

,that is1  ,,if at ,sun rising the      
,clouds are driven away1 and retire as  
it were to the ,west1 this denotes fair 
,weather4  ,,there is an old ,adage to  
this ,purpose1 which1 because it is very
 prettily expressed1 deserves our       
notice1 viz4      ,a red ,evening and a 
grey ,morning1     ,sets the ,pilgrim a 
,walking4                            ,in
 ,french thus4      ,le rogue ,soir1    
blanc ,matin2     ,font rejouvir le     
,pelerin4                       ,the    
,italians say the same4      ,sera rosa1
  nigro ,matino2     ,allegra il        
,peregrino4   ,,iii4  ,,clouds ,small   
and round1 like a    ,dappley-grey1 with
 a ,north-,wind4  ,fair ,weather for #b 
or #c ,days4  ,,this is differently     
expressed by other ,authors4 ,my ,lord  
,bacon tells us1 that if ,clouds appear 
white1 and drive to the ,n4 ,w4 it is a 
,sign of several ,days fair ,weather4   
,,our old ,english ,almanacks have a    
,maxim to this ,purpose4      ,if woolly
 ,fleeces spread the ,heavenly ,way1    

,be sure no ,rain disturbs the ,summer  
,day4  ,,and ,pliny to the same         
,purpose4c        ,footnote c3 ,ubi     
supra4  ,,si ,sol oriens cingetur ,orbe1
  postea totus defluxerit qualiter1     
,serenitatem dabit4                     
,that is1  ,,if the rising ,sun be      
incompassed with an ,iris1 or ,circle of
 white ,clouds1 and they equally fly    
away1 this is a ,sign of fair ,weather4 
,,there is another ,english ,proverb    
worth remembering4      ,in the ,decay  
of the ,moon1     ,a cloudy ,morning    
bodes a fair ,afternoon4   ,,iv4  ,large
 like ,rocks4----,great ,showers4  ,,in 
the old ,almanacks we have this ,sign of
 the ,weather thus expressed4      ,when
 ,clouds appear like ,rocks and ,towers1
     ,the ,earth's refresh'd by frequent
 ,showers4  ,,the ,reason of this seems 
to be1 that the watery ,vapours are then
 condensed1 or condensing1 which gives  
them this rough and ragged ,appearance1 
and as soon as the thin ,films that     
retain the ,water are broke by this     

,pressure1 these heavy ,clouds descend  
in ,rain4  ,,these ,observations1 as    
well as some that follow1 are agreeable 
to all ,climates1 which is the ,reason  
that they appear in so many different   
,authors1 and have been taken notice of 
in so many ,ages4 ,this however does not
 at all diminish the ,credit1 or the    
,merit of our ,shepherd's ,observations1
 who certainly drew them not from       
,books1 but from his own ,experience1   
and therefore their agreeing so well    
with the ,rules of other great ,masters1
 ought to establish his ,authority in   
such ,cases as are not supported by     
alike concurrence from ancient or modern
 ,writers1 the ,testimony of ,nature is 
always sufficient ,evidence4   ,v4  ,if 
small ,clouds increase----,much ,rain4  
,,this and the following ,observation   
cannot well be understood1 without      
giving some ,account of ,clouds in      
general4 ,the ,atmosphere is supposed to
 extend itself about five ,miles round  
this ,globe of ,earth1 and within that  

,space move all kind of ,vapours exhaled
 by the ,sun's ,force1 or protruded by  
the subterraneous ,heat4 ,the ascending 
of these ,vapours into the ,air1 depends
 upon many things1 and therefore as     
different as its ,causes2 for instance1 
their ascent depends in the first place 
on the degree of ,heat with which they  
are drawn up or forced out2 next upon   
the ,lightness of the ,vapours          
themselves2 thirdly1 on the ,density or 
,rarity of the ,air through which they  
pass2 and lastly1 on the ,force and     
,direction of the ,winds1 which they    
encounter in their ,passage4            
,,according to the ,nature of these     
,vapours1 and the ,circumstance         
attending their ,passage1 they appear to
 us differently below4 ,for if they be  
extremely subtile they mount very high1 
and there1 according to the ,sentiment  
of ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 form by         
,refraction the ,azure1 or blue ,colour1
 that over-spreads the ,sky in serene   
,weather4 ,clouds1 while they remain    

visible1 do not rise above the ,height  
of a ,mile2 and we always observe1 that 
the highest are of a very light ,colour1
 and hardly seen4 ,if1 therefore1 small 
,clouds increase1 it shews1 that the    
,disposition of the ,air is such1 as    
that these ,clouds cannot rise therein1 
either from their own ,weight1 the want 
of a protrusive ,force1 or from the     
falling of the ,wind1 which in cloudy   
,weather is always a ,sign of ,rain4    
,,vi4  ,if large ,clouds                
decrease----,fair ,weather4  ,,the same 
kind of ,reasoning accounts very clearly
 for this ,prognostick1 since it shews1 
that the ,vapours are either exhaled by 
the ,sun's ,heat1 or are driven off by  
,winds1 and so resolved into smaller    
,clouds1 capable of ascending higher in 
the ,atmosphere2 all which are          
,circumstances that secure us from      
,rain1 and afford us a certainty of fair
 ,weather4  ,,it is1 however1 to be     
observed1 that large black ,clouds are  
frequently1 in a ,summer ,evening1      

melted into ,dews2 and this much more   
frequently happens in the ,autumn1      
because the ,evenings are then cooler1  
and the ,vapours more easily condensed  
for that ,reason4 ,in all ,observations 
of this ,sort1 there is a great degree  
of ,prudence and good ,sense required to
 apply them1 and hence it very          
frequently happens that such            
,observations are condemned as          
treacherous and abusive1 merely because 
those who would employ them want the    
,sagacity which is requisite to         
understand them clearly4   ,,vii4       
,,mists4 ,if they rise in low ,ground   
and soon vanish4  ,fair ,weather4       
,,this is a sure ,sign and very well    
expressed1 that is1 clearly1 and1 in few
 ,words1 which is the ,excellency of    
such ,aphorisms4 ,in order to be        
convinced of its good ,sense and        
,certainty1 we must consider a little   
what ,mists are1 whence they rise1 and  
what becomes of them4  ,,mists are1     
strictly speaking1 uncompacted          

,exhalations1 which while they fleet    
near the ,earth are styled ,mists1 but  
when they ascend into the ,air1 are     
called ,clouds4 ,if therefore1 rising   
out of low ,ground1 they are driven     
along the ,plain1 and are soon lost to  
the ,sight1 it must arise from some of  
these ,causes4 ,that there is an ,air   
abroad sufficient to divide and resolve 
them1 or the ,heat of the ,sun has been 
strong enough to exhale them1 that is1  
to rarify them1 so as to render them    
lighter than the ,air through which they
 were to pass4 ,whichever way this      
happens the ,maxim remains unimpeached4 
,,viii4  ,if they rise to the           
,hill-tops4  ,rain in a ,day or two4    
,,when ,mists are very1 heavy in        
themselves1 and rise only by the ,action
 of that protrusive ,force1 exerted by  
the subterranean ,fire1 they can rise no
 higher than where the ,gravitation     
becomes superior to that protrusive     
force1 for then they descend again by   
their own ,weight1 and this occasions   

the ,appearance mentioned in the        
,observation of their hanging upon      
,hill-tops1 where they are very soon    
condensed1 and fall down in ,rain4      
,,there was formerly a very idle and ill
 grounded ,distinction between moist and
 dry ,exhalations1 whereas in ,truth all
 ,exhalations are moist1 or in other    
,words are watery ,steams thrown off by 
,bodies respectively dry1 and the former
 ,distinction was invented only to solve
 these ,phnomena of which we have been  
speaking1 that is1 the ,mist rising and1
 dispersing without ,rain1 and the ,mist
 condensed and resolved into ,rain1     
which as ,i have shewn may be much      
better explained without any such       
,distinction4   ,,ix4  ,a general ,mist 
before the ,sun  rises1 near the full   
,moon4     ,fair ,weather4  ,,this is a 
general and a very extensive            
,observation1 which enables us to judge 
of the ,weather for about a ,fortnight1 
and there is very great ,reason to      
believe that it will very rarely deceive

 us4 ,in order to convince the ,reader  
of this1 it will be necessary to        
explain1 as far as we are able1 the     
,causes of this4  ,,mists are observed  
to happen when the ,mercury in a        
,barometer is either very low of very   
high4 ,they happen when it is high after
 the ,region of the ,air has continued  
calm a good while1 and in the mean time 
a great ,abundance of ,vapours and      
,exhalations have been accumulated1     
making the ,air dark by their quantity1 
and the disorderly ,disposition of their
 parts4 ,they happen when the ,mercury  
is low1 sometimes because the ,rarity of
 the ,air renders it unable to sustain  
the ,vapours1 which therefore descend   
and fall through it4  ,,but none of     
these ,cases agree with the ,observation
 at the ,head of the ,page1 and         
therefore to form a true judgment of the
 ,weather1 we must distinguish between  
them and the ,case which explains the   
,observation4   ,x4  ,if in the new     
,moon4----,rain in the old4  ,,when     

,exhalations rise copiously from the    
,earth into the ,region of the ,air1 and
 the ,air itself is in a proper         
,disposition1 they ascend to a great    
,height1 and continue a long ,time      
before they are condensed1 which        
accounts very clearly and               
philosophically for the ,interval of    
fair ,weather between the rising of     
these ,mists1 and their falling down    
again in ,showers4 ,their ascending     
about ,sun-rise is a ,proof that the    
,air is thin1 but at the same time of a 
,force sufficient to sustain them1 since
 if the ,mists were not specifically    
lighter than the ,air itself they could 
not ascend4  ,,when the ,moon is at the 
full1 and such ,exhalations rise        
plentifully1 the time necessary for them
 to float in the ,atmosphere1 before    
they are condensed into ,clouds and     
,rain1 extends1 generally speaking1     
beyond the ,period of that ,moon1 and   
therefore the ,observation directs us to
 expect fair ,weather4   ,,xi4  ,if in  

the old4----,rain in the ,new4  ,,but as
 it is observed not only in this        
,climate1 but all the ,world over1 that 
great ,changes of ,weather happen near  
the ,change of the ,moon1 it follows    
that this is the ,season when these     
,exhalations that ascend so plentifully 
at ,sun-rising are condensed1 and       
consequently is the ,season when we     
ought to expect ,rain4  ,,if therefore  
the ,exhalations rise in the new ,moon1 
it is a ,sign that the ,air is in a fit 
disposition to sustain and support them 
for a considerable ,time1 and therefore 
we have ,reason to expect that they     
should continue floating till the next  
regular change of ,weather1 that is1    
till the old of the ,moon1 or rather    
till towards the next ,change1 and      
therefore the ,observation is very      
cautiously and very properly worded1    
directing us to expect ,rain in the old1
 and in the new1 and not at the old or  
new1 because it is observed that these  
,changes of ,weather happen not exactly 

at the ,change of the ,moon1 but a ,day 
or two before or after1 of which the    
,reader will meet with many ,examples in
 ,captain ,dampier's ,history of ,winds 
and ,storms at ,sea4   ,,xii4  ,,winds4 
,observe1 that in eight ,years' ,time   
there is as much ,south        ,west    
,wind1 as ,north ,east1 and consequently
 as many wet ,years        as dry4      
,,this must be allowed a very           
extraordinary ,aphorism from a ,country 
,shepherd1 but at the same ,time it is  
very agreeable to the ,observations of  
,dr4 ,hooke1 ,dr4 ,derham1 ,dr4 ,grew1  
and other able ,naturalists1 who with   
unwearied ,pains and ,diligence have    
calculated the ,quantity of ,rain       
falling in one ,year1 and compared it   
with what fell in another4 ,lord ,bacon1
 that ,honour to our ,nation and the    
,age which produced him1 informs us1    
that it was an old ,opinion there was a 
total ,revolution of the ,weather once  
in forty ,years1 and wishes it was      
inquired into4 ,i cannot tell whether   

this has ever been done or not1 but ,i  
think there is good ,reason to conclude 
that there is a natural ,balance        
established of wet and dry ,weather1 as 
of ,light and ,darkness1 ,heat and      
,cold1 and other such like ,variations4 
,,it may not be amiss to caution the    
,reader against a ,mistake into which   
the ,manner of this ,rule being stated  
may easily lead him4 ,it is this1 that  
,south ,west ,winds cause ,rain1 and    
,north ,east ,winds fair ,weather1 which
 however is not a ,thing clear or       
certain by any means4 ,this indeed is   
true1 that ,south ,west ,winds and      
,rain1 ,north ,east ,winds and fair     
,weather come together1 generally       
speaking4 ,but the ,question is1 which  
causes the other1 and a more difficult  
,question cannot easily be stated1      
because there seems to be ,facts on both
 sides4 ,south ,west ,winds seldom      
continue long without ,rain1 this seems 
to prove the affirmative1 but on the    
other ,hand1 when in hard ,weather1     

,rain begins to fall1 the ,wind commonly
 veers to the ,south ,west1 this looks  
as if the ,rain caused the ,wind4  ,,but
 to keep close to the ,shepherd's       
,observation4 ,there is one ,thing seems
 strongly to confirm it1 which is this1 
that in any given ,place the ,quantity  
of ,rain one ,year with another is found
 to be the same by ,experience1         
according to which the following ,table 
has been calculated1 for the mean       
,quantity of ,rain falling one ,year    
with another in those ,places that are  
mentioned1 and on this ,proportion the  
other seems to be founded4      ,at     
,harlem      #bd ,inches        ,delf   
#bg        ,dort        #dj             
,middleburg  #cc        ,paris       #bj
        ,lyons       #cg        ,rome   
#bj        ,padua       #cg-a_/b        
,pisa        #cd-a_/d        ,ulm       
#bg        ,berlin      #ai-a_/b     ,in
 ,lancashire  #dj        ,essex         
#ai-a_/b   ,,xiii4  ,when the ,wind     
turns to ,north ,east1 and it continues 

two ,days without ,rain1 and does not   
turn ,south the third ,day1 nor ,rain   
the third ,day1 it is likely to continue
 ,north ,east for eight or nine ,days1  
all fair2 and then to come to the ,south
 again4  ,,in my ,opinion this and the  
subsequent ,remarks depend entirely upon
 ,observations1 and may serve rather to 
found an ,hypothesis1 than seem be      
deduced from one4 ,that the ,variations 
of the ,wind depend on certain ,causes1 
and may consequently be reduced to      
,rules1 is highly probable1 and such    
,observations as these render it in a   
manner certain4 ,but to explore these   
,causes1 and to explain them in such a  
manner as to account for these ,phnomena
 in a satisfactory manner1 requires not 
only great ,sagacity but much           
,experience1 and many ,years'           
,observation1 which1 however1           
considering the great ,benefits that    
would result to ,mankind from           
establishing such a ,,theory1 would be  
,time well bestowed4  ,,we may however  

easily conceive that a constant ,north  
,east ,wind must be accompanied with    
fair ,weather4 ,for whatever the causes 
of ,winds may be1 yet on this side the  
,equator1 a strong and settled ,north   
,east always buoys up the ,clouds and   
keeps them suspended4 ,this has been    
long observed by1 and passes for a      
settled point amongst ,seamen4 ,the     
,reason of it however cannot be so      
easily assigned1 at least a satisfactory
 ,reason1 for as to ,suppositions1 every
 fanciful ,man can furnish them at      
,pleasure4  ,,this1 as well as the      
following ,observations1 very plainly   
and clearly prove1 that in this ,part of
 the ,world fair ,weather attends one   
,wind1 and wet another1 but which is the
 ,cause and which the ,effect1 or       
whether both are not the ,effects of    
some other ,cause1 ,i pretend not       
absolutely to determine4 ,but inasmuch  
as it is certainly known1 that ,rains   
attend in other ,climates those ,winds  
that are here attended with fair        

,weather1 it seems more agreeable to    
suppose that rainy ,weather is          
occasioned chiefly by ,west ,winds1     
because loaded with moist ,vapours from 
the ,sea4   ,,xiv4  ,if it turn out     
again out of the ,south to the ,north   
,east with ,rain1 and continues in the  
,north ,east two ,days without ,rain1   
and neither turns ,south nor rains the  
third ,day1 it is like to continue      
,north ,east for two or three months4   
,the ,wind will finish these ,turns in  
three ,weeks4  ,,this ,observation is of
 the same nature with the former1 and is
 plainly deduced from long experience4  
,our ,author seems to contradict himself
 in saying that these ,winds finish     
their ,turns in three ,weeks1 but his   
true ,meaning certainly is1 that they   
are about three ,weeks in turning from  
the ,south to the ,north ,east again4   
,some very great men have laid it down  
as a thing certain1 that the ,variations
 of the ,wind are to be accounted for by
 the ,alteration of the ,balance of the 

,air1 occasioned by the different       
,effects of ,heat and ,cold2 but other  
,writers again insist very copiously on 
the ,effects which ,winds have upon the 
,air1 and thus confound us in a ,circle 
of ,causes and ,effects1 whence it is   
plain that they do not thoroughly       
understand the ,subject themselves1 and 
therefore it is no ,wonder that they are
 not able to explain it to others4  ,,in
 some ,parts of the ,world1 and         
especially between the ,tropicks1 the   
,winds are regular1 and therefore our   
,philosophers seem to talk more         
rationally about them4 ,but in our      
,northern ,countries the ,alterations of
 the ,wind are so frequent1 sudden1 and 
often so little agreeable to the        
,season1 that such general ,reasonings  
will by no ,means serve to explain them4
 ,it is however very reasonable to      
suppose that the same general ,cause    
prevails here as between the ,tropics1  
but with less ,certainty1 because the   
,power of the ,sun is not so great1 and 

the ,determinations of the ,winds depend
 on the ,situation of ,mountains1       
,rocks1 and ,woods1 which direct the    
,air driving against them into certain  
,courses1 so that it is impossible to   
explain1 or indeed to judge of the      
,course of the ,winds till the ,country 
is thoroughly known1 and all those      
,eminences that can affect the ,winds   
are well considered4  ,,from these      
,reflections the ,value of our          
,shepherd's ,observations will clearly  
appear4 ,he was not ,philosopher enough 
to talk in this ,style1 but by a long   
and steady ,attention he came to know1  
experimentally1 what perhaps few        
,philosophers1 with all their ,sagacity1
 would have been able to have found out4
   ,,xv4  ,s4 ,w4 ,,winds4 ,after a     
northerly ,wind for the most ,part two  
months              or more1 and then   
coming ,south1 there are usually        
three or four fair ,days at first1 and  
then1 on the fourth              or     
fifth ,day1 comes ,rain1 or else the    

,wind turns ,north              again1  
and continues dry4  ,,this is likewise a
 very judicious and very useful         
,observation1 and yet it is not a       
difficult matter to account for it4 ,it 
is a common ,observation1 and a very    
true one1 that there is usually fair    
,weather before a settled course of     
,rain4 ,the ,winds that bring the dark  
rainy ,clouds that obscure the ,sky1 and
 cause dull cloudy ,weather1 often raise
 these ,vapours to such a height1 that  
they are attracted into the cold ,region
 above our ,sight1 till being condensed 
there1 they fall down upon us again in  
,snow or ,rain1 according to our        
,author's ,observation4  ,,but if1 after
 a seeming ,tendency to ,rain1 there    
follow several ,days of fine ,weather1  
it is a certain ,indication that the    
,temper of the ,air is altered1 and that
 these ,vapours had been driven off     
before they had time to condense1 which 
is confirmed by the ,change of the ,wind
 on such ,occasions4  ,,all these       

,observations are to be understood in a 
proper ,latitude1 and not strictly and  
according to the very ,letter4 ,for     
,rain may fall the sixth or seventh     
,day1 or the ,wind may change the second
 or third4 ,besides1 a ,man who would   
make use of these ,observations in the  
,country1 must consider attentively the 
,situation of the ,place where he lives1
 the bearing of the ,sea1 ,marshes1     
,ponds1 ,lakes1 ,woods1 ,mountains1     
,rocks1 c4 ,for without making proper   
,allowances for these1 all such         
,observations on the ,weather will be   
apt to fail him4   ,,xvi4  ,if it return
 to the ,south within a ,day or two     
without ,rain1 and turn ,northward with 
,rain1 and return to the ,south1 in one 
or two ,days1 as before1 two or three   
,times together after this ,sort1 then  
it is like to be in the ,south1 or      
,south ,west1 two or three ,months      
together1 as it was in the ,north       
before4  ,the ,winds will finish these  
,turns in a ,fortnight4  ,,this may     

appear a little perplexed to an ordinary
 ,reader1 but a little ,attention will  
make it very clear and plain2 and       
whoever considers what mighty ,uses may 
be made of the ,foresight of ,weather   
for a ,month or two1 will not think this
 ,labour ill bestowed4 ,i must confess  
,i look upon these three ,rules in      
,relation to the ,wind as the most      
useful in the whole ,collection4        
,especially to ,farmers and ,country    
,people1 to whom they are of the        
greatest ,consequence4  ,,but it is a   
common ,thing for such ,people to say1  
what ,certainty is there that these     
,rules will prove true1 what            
,probability is there that the ,wind    
should continue so long in one ,quarter1
 and then so long in another1 how shall 
we be satisfied that there is any truth 
in this2 or1 if we cannot be satisfied  
as to the ,truth of it1 why should we   
depend upon any such like ,observations8
  ,,to this ,i answer1 that they may    
have reasonable ,satisfaction given them

 on this ,head4 ,some of our great      
,naturalists1 who had kept ,journals of 
the ,weather for many ,years1 have found
 that the same ,wind blows every ,year  
very near the same number of ,days1 and 
that there is a regular ,continuance of 
different ,winds annually in every      
,country4 ,for ,instance1  ,at ,utrecht 
they blow thus1      ,the ,n4 ,wind     
#db ,days4     ,the ,n4 ,w4       #cc   
,the ,w4          #gg     ,the ,s4 ,w4  
#eh     ,the ,south       #cc     ,the  
,s4 ,e4       #bf     ,the ,e4          
#ec     ,the ,n4 ,e4       #dc          
---                    #cfe  ,,it is a  
,thing plain to every ,capacity1 that a 
,journal or ,diary of the ,winds may be 
kept any where1 and if from such a      
,journal it appears that a given ,wind  
blows for a certain ,number of ,days1   
then it follows1 that if these can be   
determined with ,certainty1 the ,time of
 their blowing may also be determined1  
at least with great ,probability1 which 
is as satisfactory an ,answer as can be 

justly expected1 because it shews that  
there is just and rational ,ground for  
confiding in such ,observations1 when   
confirmed by long ,experience4   ,,xvii4
  ,fair ,weather for a ,week1 with a    
,southern ,wind1 is like to produce a   
great ,drought1 if there has been much  
,rain out of the ,south before4 ,the    
,wind usually turns from ,north to      
,south1 with a quiet ,wind without      
,rain1 but returns to the ,north1 with a
 strong ,wind and ,rain2 the strongest  
,winds are when it turns from ,south1 to
 ,north by ,west4  ,n4 ,b4 ,when the    
,north ,wind first clears the ,air      
7which is usually once a ,week7 be sure 
of a fair ,day or two4  ,,observations  
of this ,nature upon ,winds have        
employed the ablest ,heads in all ,ages4
 ,pliny the great ,naturalist has left  
us a great deal upon this ,subject1     
which plainly proves that it has been   
the ,opinion of the ablest and wisest   
,men that ,study and ,experience might  
reduce even ,things of such seeming     

,incertainty under stated ,rules1 and   
within the ,bounds of a regular ,system4
 ,for ,instance he tells us4      ,,in  
,africa the ,south ,wind is serene1 the 
,north ,east cloudy4     ,all the ,winds
 have their ,turns4 ,to judge rationally
 of their     ,changes1 the fourth ,day 
of the ,moon is to be regarded4--,the   
,south     ,wind blows stronger than the
 ,north ,east1 because the former rises 
from the ,bottom1 whereas the latter    
comes from the ,surface of the     ,sea4
 ,it is for this ,reason that those     
,earthquakes are most     dangerous that
 follow after a ,south ,wind4  ,,in     
order to understand this ,notion of     
,pliny1 we need only advert to the      
,account given us by the ,reverend ,mr4 
,robinson1 in his natural ,history of   
,westmoreland1 which is exceedingly     
curious1 and well worthy of the         
,reader's perusal4 ,this ingenious      
,gentleman is of ,opinion that ,winds   
have their original from the ,sea1 of   
which he gives the following very       

probable ,account4      ,,it1 that is1  
the ,wind1 proceeds from vast swarms of 
nitrous     ,particles arising from the 
,bottom of the ,sea1 which being put    
into     ,motion1 either by the central 
,fire1 or by the ,heat and ,fermentation
     which abound in this great ,body of
 the ,earth2 and therefore the     first
 ,commotion excited by the said         
,fermentation1 we call a ,bottom        
,wind1 which is presently discovered by 
,porpusses and other ,sea     ,fish1    
which delight in sporting and playing   
upon the ,waves of the     ,sea1 and by 
their playing give the ,mariners the    
first ,notice of an     approaching     
,storm4      ,,when these nitrous swarms
 are risen towards the ,surface of the  
,sea     in a dark ,night1 they cause   
such a shining light upon the ,waves1 as
     if the ,sea was on fire4 ,and being
 delivered from the brackish     ,water1
 and received into the open ,air1 those 
fiery and shining     ,meteors which fix
 upon the ,masts and ,sides of the      

,ships1 and are     only nitrous        
particles condensed by the circumambient
 ,cold1 and     like that which the     
,chymists call ,phosphorus1 or          
artificial     ,glow-worm1 shine and    
cast a ,light but have no ,heat3 ,this  
gives the     ,mariners the second      
,notice that the ,storm is rising1 for  
upon the     first breaking out of the  
,wind1 the ,sea begins to be rough1 and 
the     ,waves swell and rise1 when at  
the same time the ,air is calm and      
clear4      ,,this boiling ,fermentation
 of the ,sea causes the ,vapours to     
rise1     which by the ,intenseness of  
the circumambient ,cold are condensed   
into thick ,clouds1 and fall down in    
,storms of ,wind and ,rain1 first       
upon the ,sea1 from whence they rose1   
and then the attractive ,power     of   
the ,mountain-cold1 by a secret         
,magnetism between ,vapour and          
,cold1 attracts the waterish ,vapours1  
intermixt with nitrous     ,particles1  
to the high ,tops of ,mountains and     

,hills1 where they hang     hovering in 
thick ,fogs and waterish ,mists1 until  
the atmospherical     ,heat rarefies the
 nitrous ,part of the ,fog 7which is    
always     uppermost1 and appears white 
and translucent7 into brisk ,gales of   
,wind1 and the ,intenseness of          
atmospherical ,cold having attracted    
the ,vapours into the colder ,regions of
 the ,air1 where being     condensed    
into ,clouds1 the ,wind breaks1         
dissipates1 and drives them     before  
it1 till they fall down in ,rain1 and   
water the ,surface of     the ,earth4   
,and this seems to be the ,reason why1  
in ,egypt1 and     those level          
,countries where they have no           
,mountains1 they have     little ,wind  
and less ,rain4   ,,xviii4  ,,clouds4   
,in ,summer or ,harvest1 when the ,wind 
has been ,south two or         three    
,days1 and it grows very hot1 and you   
see ,clouds rise with         great     
white ,tops like ,towers1 as if one were
 upon the ,top of         another1 and  

joined together with black on the nether
 ,side1         there will be ,thunder  
and ,rain suddenly4  ,,we may very      
easily account for this ,observation1   
because in ,fact the ,signs here        
mentioned are no other than ,nature's   
apparatus for a ,storm of ,thunder and  
,lightning1 which will be perfectly     
understood by attending a little to the 
,causes of these ,meteors4 ,lightning is
 a great flame1 very bright1 extending  
every way to a great distance1 suddenly 
darting upwards1 there ending1 so that  
it is only momentaneous4 ,the ,matter   
which produces the ,fire1 is the ,oil of
 ,plants1 attenuated by the heat of the 
,day1 and raised on high4 ,then whatever
 has exhaled from the ,earth that is    
sulphureous or ,oily1 which is dispersed
 up and down in the ,atmosphere1 and is 
not continuous1 is set on ,fire by      
,turns1 and the ,flame dilates itself as
 far as the ,tract of that ,exhalation  
reaches4 ,some other ,substance pendant 
and floating in the ,air meets with this

 also1 with which it excites an         
effervescence1 takes ,fire and flashes  
along with it4 ,thunder is another      
bright ,flame1 rising on a sudden1      
moving with great ,velocity through the 
,air1 according to any ,determination   
upwards from the ,earth horizontally1   
obliquely1 downwards in a right ,line1  
or in several right ,lines as it were in
 serpentine ,tracts joined at various   
,angles1 and commonly ending with a loud
 ,noise or ,rattling4  ,,it is observed 
that it thunders most when the ,wind    
blows from the ,south1 and least when it
 blows from the ,east4 ,the great       
,principle of ,thunder is ,sulphur1 as  
is evident from the ,smell it leaves    
behind it2 but in order to occasion such
 an ,explosion1 there must be other     
,ingredients mixed therewith1 especially
 ,nitre1 of which the ,air is always    
full1 besides other ,things1 of which it
 is impossible to give any ,account4    
,the ,tracts of this ,sort of ,matter   
fly about in the ,air1 and are as it    

were ,lines of ,gunpowder1 and as in the
 firing of that ,powder1 the ,fire      
begins at one ,end1 and pursuing its    
,aliment proceeds to the other          
,extremity1 and so the whole ,mass of   
,powder is fired2 we may from thence    
account for the ,phnomenon of ,thunder4 
,for in like ,manner those inflamed     
,tracts which are suspended in the ,air1
 flash from a ,flame that runs from one 
,extreme to the other1 wherever the     
,vein of ,nourishment leads it4 ,hence  
those ,rays of ,thunder1 which seem to  
be brandished through the ,air1 and     
sometimes to be split in two or more    
,tracts1 and sometimes to return back1  
at other ,times to be projected in      
,lines that are joined by various       
,angles1 and this only because the      
,flame meets with ,tracts lying in      
various ,situations that cohere one with
 another4 ,therefore ,thunder seems now 
to run horizontally1 now from above     
downwards1 now upwards from the ,earth1 
for if the ,matter of ,thunder pressing 

out of the ,earth is enflamed near the  
,ground1 the ,flame darting upwards1 the
 ,thunder will seem to be projected out 
of the ,earth4 ,if the same ,tract be   
set on ,fire at its upper end1 the      
,flame will move downwards1 and the     
,thunder will seem to descend out of the
 ,sky4  ,,hence we easily understand how
 it comes to thunder oftener in one     
,place than another1 but most frequently
 in those where the ,soil produces      
odoriferous ,herbs1 and abounds with    
,sulphur1 and where the ,people are much
 exposed to the extreme ,heat of the    
,sun4 ,thunder is less frequent in      
,places where there are few odoriferous 
,herbs1 very little ,sulphur1 or where  
the ,climate is watery and moist4 ,for  
,instance1 it thunders very much in     
,italy and ,sicily1 and very rarely in  
,egypt1 and the adjacent ,countries4 ,if
 it be demanded how it comes to thunder 
in the midst of the ,ocean8 ,the ,answer
 is easy1 because from the ,bottom of   
the ,ocean vast ,tracts of sulphureous  

,matter are cast up through the ,waters2
 as it happens to spring ,waters in     
several ,places1 the ,streams of which  
will take ,fire from a lighted ,candle4 
,for sulphureous ,exhalations bursting  
out together with the ,waters1 the      
fulmineous ,matter in the ,air is set on
 ,fire when it meets with ,exhalations  
or ,vapours with which it can excite a  
vehement ,effervescence4 ,it is very    
clear from this ,account1 that the      
,clouds mentioned at the ,top of the    
twenty-eighth ,page are thunder ,clouds1
 or ,clouds big with the ,materials of  
,thunder4   ,,xix4  ,if two such ,clouds
 arise1 one on either ,hand1 it is ,time
 to make haste to shelter4  ,,as this   
,observation is of the same ,nature with
 the former1 we shall continue our      
,remarks4 ,the ,reason why it seldom    
thunders in ,winter is1 because the     
exterior ,parts of the ,earth are so    
contracted by the cold ,snow and ,ice1  
that ,sulphur cannot perspire in any    
great ,quantities1 but as soon as the   

,earth begins to be opened by the ,sun  
in the ,spring1 something expires in the
 ,month of ,april which takes ,fire4    
,but by the greater ,heat of the ,sun   
penetrating deeper into the ,earth1 the 
,cortex is more opened in ,may1 and now 
there is a more copious ,expiration of  
the fulminating ,matter1 and whatever   
was collected and shut up in ,winter1 is
 now released and snatched up in the    
,air1 and thence proceeds the most      
frequent ,thunders in the ,month of     
,may1 and chiefly when a very hot ,day  
or two has gone before4 ,a less         
,quantity of the same ,matter remains in
 the upper ,cortex of the ,earth for the
 ,month of ,june1 but in the mean ,time 
a ,stock arises out of the deeper       
,bowels of the ,earth1 which is         
attenuated and prepared1 so that by the 
very fervent ,heat of ,july it is       
elevated1 as it were in heaps1 and set  
on ,fire4 ,hence ,thunder is as frequent
 in ,july as in ,may4 ,and the ,heat    
decreasing in the succeeding ,months1   

the ,exhalation of the fulminating      
,matter out of the ,earth is more       
sparing1 and thence1 also1 the thunder  
is less frequent1 till in ,october1 and 
the other winter months1 the earth is   
bound up with us1 and hardly expires any
 more4 ,hence we see why it very seldom 
thunders when the northerly winds blow2 
for these winds constringe the earth    
with their cold1 and so hinder the      
fulminating matter from bursting forth2 
and when they are burst forth and       
floating in the air1 they hinder their  
effervency4 ,but on the contrary1 when  
the warm and moist south winds blow1    
which open every thing1 the earth       
likewise is opened1 and abundance of    
fulminating matter is expired and       
ascends on high1 which is there easily  
inflamed4  ,,as the flame runs very     
swiftly1 it seems to carry along with it
 particles1 which it could not so easily
 set on fire1 and when any of these     
particles are drawn together1 and heated
 to a certain degree1 they at last take 

fire1 with a sudden and great explosion1
 and thereby produce what we call a     
thunder ,clap4 ,now1 though this be only
 a single sound1 yet it is often heard  
in the form of a great murmuring noise  
of a long continuance2 sometimes for    
thirty or forty seconds1 because of its 
various repercussions by the clouds and 
terrestrial obstacles4 ,hence it is1    
that in vales1 which are surrounded by  
mountains of a different ,height1 there 
is a terrible and long continued        
,bellowing of thunder ,claps4 ,whereas  
for one ,explosion it has been observed 
that there is but one ,clap4 ,yet       
however if the ,flame set ,fire to two1 
three1 or more fulmineous ,tracts1 each 
of them at last will end in a ,clap1 and
 thus several ,sounds may be heard      
together1 or quickly succeeding one     
another4   ,,xx4  ,if you see a ,cloud  
rise against the ,wind or side ,wind1   
when that ,cloud comes up to you1 the   
,wind will blow the same ,way that the  
,cloud came4 ,and the same ,rule holds  

of a clear ,place1 when all the ,sky is 
equally thick1 except one clear ,edge4  
,,this seems to arise from hence1 that  
,wind being nothing more than ,air in   
motion1 the ,effects of it first        
discover themselves above1 and actually 
drive such ,clouds before them4 ,this   
was long ago observed by ,pliny4 ,when  
,clouds1 says he1 float about in a      
serene ,sky1 from whatever ,quarter they
 come1 you may expect ,winds4 ,if they  
are collected together in one ,place1   
they will be dispersed by the approach  
of the ,sun4 ,if these ,clouds come from
 the ,north ,east1 they denote ,winds2  
if from the ,south great ,rains4 ,but   
let them come from what ,quarter they   
will1 if you see them driving thus about
 ,sunset1 they are sure signs of an     
approaching ,tempest4  ,,if the ,clouds 
look dusky1 or of a tarnish silver      
,colour1 and move very slowly1 it is a  
,sign of ,hail4 ,but to speak more      
plainly1 those very ,clouds are laden   
with ,hail1 which if there be a ,mixture

 of ,blue in the ,clouds will be small1 
but if very yellow1 large4 ,small       
scattering ,clouds that fly very high1  
especially1 from the ,south ,west1      
denote ,whirlwinds4 ,the shooting of    
fallen ,stars through them1 is a ,sign  
of ,thunder4 ,we meet with many         
,observations of this sort in our old   
,writers on ,husbandry1 and we have     
abundance of ,proverbs relating to this 
,subject which are worth observing1 and 
the rather1 because most of them are not
 peculiar to our ,language only1 but    
common to us with many of our           
,neighbours4 ,it is the ,remark of ,lord
 ,bacon1 and a very judicious ,remark   
too1 that ,proverbs are the ,philosophy 
of the common ,people1 that is to say1  
they are trite ,remarks founded in      
,truth1 and fitted for ,memory4 ,i must 
confess that there are some of them that
 seem either false1 or of no great      
,consequence1 but then ,i am apt to     
suspect1 that by various ,accidents we  
have lost their true ,meaning1 or else1 

that in length of ,time1 they have been 
altered and corrupted1 till they have   
little or no meaning at all4  ,i cannot 
help taking ,notice in ,regard to the   
,rule before us1 that ,captain ,dampier 
tells us in the ,east-,indies1 they have
 always ,notice of a ,tuffoon by the    
,skies being first clear and calm1 and  
then a small white ,cloud hanging       
precisely in the ,point from whence the 
,storm comes1 where he observes that it 
remains sometimes twelve ,hours or more1
 and adds1 that as soon as it begins to 
move1 the ,wind presently follows it4   
,when ,sir ,john ,bury1 who died an     
,english ,admiral1 had the ,command of a
 small ,frigate in the ,west-,indies1 he
 escaped a ,hurricane in the ,leward    
,islands by taking the ,advice of a poor
 ,negro1 who shewed him a small white   
,cloud at a ,distance1 and assured him  
that when it came to the ,zenith1 the   
,hurricane would infallibly begin1 as   
indeed it did4   ,,xxi4  ,sudden ,rains 
never last long3 ,but when the ,air     

grows thick by ,degrees1 and the ,sun1  
,moon1 and ,stars shine dimmer and      
dimmer1 then it is like to rain six     
,hours usually4  ,,rain is1 properly    
speaking1 a ,multitude of small watery  
,drops1 falling from the upper ,air at  
different ,seasons4 ,when the upper     
,regions become cold of a sudden1 the   
watery ,clouds are condensed and fall in
 hasty ,showers4 ,it is observed that   
mountainous ,countries have most ,rain1 
and the ,reason seems to be the ,winds  
driving the ,clouds against the ,rocks  
and ,hills1 and thereby compressing them
 in such a ,manner1 that they are       
immediately dissolved1 and fall as it   
were at once4 ,this is the ,reason that 
in ,lancashire there falls twice as much
 ,rain as in ,essex1 and it is probably 
from the same ,cause1 that in the       
,ocean1 over-against the mountainous    
,coast of ,guinea1 showers sometimes    
fall as it were by ,pailfuls4  ,,this   
,observation of our ,shepherd is very   
just and reasonable1 and ,i dare say    

will hardly ever fail such as observe   
it4 ,the ,dimness of the ,stars and     
other heavenly ,bodies1 is one of the   
surest ,signs of very rainy ,weather4   
,it is likewise to be observed that when
 the ,stars look bigger than usual1 and 
are pale and dull and without ,rays1    
this undoubtedly indicates that the     
,clouds are condensing into ,rain1 which
 will very soon fall2 and it has been   
observed that when the ,air grows thick 
by ,degrees1 and the ,light of the ,sun 
lessens so as not to be discerned at    
all1 and again when the ,moon or ,stars 
have the same ,appearances1 a continued 
,rain for at least six ,hours is sure to
 follow4  ,,to be the better informed in
 such ,cases1 it is best to have        
,recourse to a variety of ,signs1 for it
 is not only the ,clouds and ,sky1 or   
the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars1 that gives 
us previous ,notice of rainy ,weather1  
but almost every ,thing in the          
,creation1 and ,vegetables particularly4
 ,as for ,instance1 the ,pimpernel1     

which is a very common flower1 shuts    
itself up extremely close against rainy 
,weather4 ,in like manner the ,trefoil  
swells in the ,stalk against ,rain1 so  
that it stands up very stiff1 but the   
,leaves droop and hang down4 ,even the  
most solid ,bodies are affected by this 
,change of the ,atmosphere1 for ,stones 
seem to sweat1 and ,wood swells1 the    
,air driving the moist ,particles with  
which it is filled into the ,pores of   
dry ,wood especially1 makes it swell    
prodigiously1 and this is the ,reason   
the ,doors and ,windows are hard to shut
 in rainy ,weather4  ,,this is so true1 
that there has been a ,method found of  
dividing ,mill-stones by the mere ,force
 of the ,air1 which is done in this     
,manner4 ,they divide a ,block of this  
kind of ,stone as big as a large rolling
 ,stone1 into as many ,parts as they    
design to make ,millstones1 and in the  
,circles where this ,block is to be     
divided1 they pierce several ,holes1    
which they fill with allow ,wood dried  

in an ,oven1 and expose the ,stone to   
the ,air1 in moist ,weather2 when the   
,wood swells to such a ,degree as to    
split the ,stone as effectually1 as if  
it was by iron ,wedges driven by        
,sledge-,hammers4 ,this curious and     
extraordinary ,method of dividing       
,mill-stones is related by the famous   
,mr4 ,ozanam of his own ,knowledge4     
,,xxii4  ,if it begin to ,rain from the 
,south1 with a high ,wind for two or    
three ,hours1 and the ,wind falls1 but  
the ,rain continues1 it is like to rain 
twelve ,hours or more1 and does usually 
rain till a strong ,north ,wind clears  
the ,air4 ,these long ,rains seldom hold
 above twelve ,hours1 or happen above   
once a ,year4  ,,this depends entirely  
upon ,observation1 and ,experience shews
 us that whenever the ,wind falls1 ,rain
 follows4 ,it has been likewise         
observed1 that when the ,wind changes   
often there fall heavy ,rains4 ,all     
these ,alterations in the ,atmosphere1  
are less observed by ,men than by       

,animals1 for two ,reasons4 ,the first  
is1 that we live much within ,doors1 by 
which they are less obvious to us1 and  
it is for this ,reason that the         
,husbandman1 ,seamen1 ,fishermen1 but   
above all ,shepherds1 who are more in   
the open ,air than other ,men1 are      
better acquainted with1 and more able to
 distinguish and judge of the ,signs of 
the ,alteration of the ,weather1 than   
those who live altogether within ,doors1
 or go out but seldom4 ,another ,reason 
is our having so many ,things to mind1  
which takes off our ,thoughts1 and      
renders us less attentive to the        
,signals which would give up ,notice of 
such ,alterations4 ,it is for this      
,reason that we ought to serve ourselves
 of that ,sort of ,instinct which       
,nature has given to other ,animals1 and
 which as it is a ,gift of ,nature1 is  
in a ,manner infallible4  ,,thus if     
small ,birds prune themselves and duck  
and make a shew of washing4 ,if ,crows  
make a great ,noise in the ,evening1 if 

,geese gaggle more than usual1 these are
 all ,signs of ,rain1 because these     
,animals love wet ,weather1 and rejoice 
at the approach of it4 ,on the other    
,hand1 if ,oxen lie on their ,right     
,sides1 look towards the ,south1 and    
lick their ,hoofs1 if ,cows look up in  
the ,air1 and snuff it1 if ,asses bray  
violently1 and if ,cocks crow at unusual
 ,hours1 but especially when a ,hen and 
,chickens crowd into the ,house1 these  
are sure ,signs of ,rain4  ,,insects    
also are very sensible of such ,changes 
of ,weather4 ,frogs croak more than     
ordinary1 ,worms creep out of the       
,ground1 ,moles throw up more ,earth    
than usual1 because such ,weather is    
more agreeable to them2 ,hornets1       
,wasps1 and ,gnats1 sting more          
frequently against wet ,weather than in 
fair4 ,spiders are restless and uneasy1 
and frequently drop from the ,wall1 the 
humid ,air getting into their ,webs and 
making them heavy4 ,but the surest and  
most certain ,sign is taken from ,bees1 

which are more incommoded by ,rain than 
almost any other ,creatures1 and        
therefore1 as soon as the ,air begins to
 grow heavy1 and the ,vapours to        
condense1 they will not fly from their  
,hives1 but either remain in them all   
,day1 or else fly but to a small        
,distance4   ,,xxiii4  ,if it begins to 
rain an ,hour or two before ,sun-rising1
 it is like to be fair before ,noon1 and
 so continue that ,day1 but if the ,rain
 begin an ,hour or two after            
,sun-rising1 it is like to ,rain all    
that ,day1 except the ,rainbow be seen  
before it rains4  ,,this is a short1    
clear1 and easy ,observation1 and       
therefore ,i shall not dwell long upon  
it1 but rather entertain the ,reader    
with a few ,observations on the         
,rainbow4 ,whenever it appears1 things  
are thus circumstanced4 ,the ,spectator 
has the ,sun behind him1 and ,clouds    
with the ,bow in them before him4       
,sometimes there are two and even three 
,bows seen1 but this is very rare4 ,the 

,colours in the ,bow are ranged in this 
,order1 viz4 ,violet1 ,purple1 ,blue1   
,green1 ,yellow1 ,orange1 ,red4 ,after a
 long ,drought the ,bow is a certain    
,sign of ,rain1 if after much ,wet fair 
,weather4 ,if the ,green be large and   
bright it is a ,sign of ,rain1 but if   
the ,red be the strongest ,colour1 then 
it denotes ,wind and ,rain together4 ,if
 the ,bow breaks up all at once there   
will follow serene and settled ,weather4
 ,if the ,bow be seen in the ,morning   
small ,rain will follow4 ,if at ,noon1  
settled and heavy ,rains2 if at ,night1 
fair ,weather4 ,the ,appearance of two  
or three ,rainbows shews fair ,weather  
for the present1 but settled and heavy  
,rains in two or three ,days' ,time4    
,,lunar ,rainbows are sometimes1 but    
very seldom seen1 they are extremely    
beautiful1 but much less than those that
 appear in the ,day time1 and a yellow1 
or rather a straw ,colour prevails most4
 ,as they happen so seldom1 they cannot 
well be reckoned amongst the ,signs of  

,weather4 ,but now1 after speaking of so
 many different ,methods of judging when
 rainy ,weather will be of a short or   
long ,continuance3 ,give me leave to    
describe two or three ,instruments      
easily made1 which will shew the        
,alterations of the ,weather certainly1 
constantly1 and early enough for most   
,uses4  ,,there were some ,years ago a  
,sort of ,toys sold1 with a ,man and a  
,woman so fixed before the ,door of a   
,house1 that at the ,approach of wet    
,weather the ,woman entered it1 and when
 the ,weather grew fair the ,man4 ,this 
was done by the ,help of a ,bit of      
,catgut1 which shrinks in wet ,weather1 
and stretches again when it is fair4    
,this appears better by a ,line and     
,plummet1 especially if the ,line be    
made of good ,whipcord1 that is well    
dried1 for then if it be hung against a 
,wainscot1 and a ,line drawn under it   
exactly where the ,plummet reaches1 in  
very moderate ,weather it will be found 
to rise above it before ,rain1 and to   

sink below when the ,weather is like to 
become fair2 but the best ,instrument of
 all is a good ,pair of ,scales1 in one 
of which let there be a brass ,weight of
 a ,pound1 and in the other a ,pound of 
,salt1 or of ,salt-,petre well dried1 a 
,stand being placed under the ,scale1 so
 as to hinder its falling too low4 ,when
 it is inclined to rain the ,salt will  
swell1 and sink the ,scale1 when the    
,weather is growing fair1 the brass     
,weight will regain its ,ascendancy4    
,,xxiv4  ,,spring and ,,summer4 ,if the 
last eighteen ,days of ,february and    
ten ,days of ,march be for the most part
                    rainy1 then the     
,spring and ,summer ,quarters           
are like to be so too3 and ,i never knew
 a great                    ,drought but
 it entered in that ,season4  ,,it is   
easy to discover by ,observation whether
 this ,rule be well or ill founded1 that
 is to say1 whether our ,shepherd's     
,observation will serve for other       
,places or not1 and where it will serve 

and where not4 ,but it may not be amiss 
to remark that it is highly probable1 or
 rather absolutely certain1 that the    
,weather in one ,season of the ,year    
determines the ,weather in another4 ,for
 instance1 if there be a rainy ,winter  
then the ,autumn will be dry1 if a dry  
,spring1 then a rainy ,winter4 ,our     
,forefathers had abundance of odd       
,sayings upon this ,subject1 and some   
,proverbs for every ,month in the ,year1
 but ,i doubt they were indifferently   
founded1 however there can be no ,harm  
in observing them1 in order to discover 
whether there be any thing in them or   
not4      ,janiveer freeze the ,pot by  
the ,fire      ,if the ,grass grow in   
,janiveer     ,it grows the worse for't 
all the ,year4     ,the ,welchman had   
rather see his ,dam on the ,bier        
,than to see a fair ,februeer4          
,march ,wind and ,may ,sun     ,make    
,clothes white and ,maids ,dun4         
,when ,april blows his ,horn     ,it's  
good both for ,hay and ,corn4     ,an   

,april ,flood     ,carries away the     
,frog and her ,brood4     ,a cold ,may  
and a windy     ,makes a full ,barn and 
a ,findy4     ,a ,may ,flood never did  
good4     ,a ,swarm of ,bees in ,may    
,is worth a ,load of ,hay4     ,but a   
,swarm in ,july     ,is not worth a     
,fly1 c4   ,,xxv4  ,,winter4 ,if the    
latter ,end of ,october and ,beginning  
of ,november         be for the most    
,part warm and rainy1 then ,january and 
,february are like to be frosty and     
cold1 except after a         very dry   
,summer4  ,,it is very evident1         
supposing this ,observation to be true1 
as ,i am pretty confident it is1 that   
the ,reason of it is to be sought in    
that ,balance of the ,weather which     
,providence has established4 ,there is  
not only a ,time to sow1 and a ,time to 
reap1 but there is a ,time also for dry 
and a ,time for wet ,weather1 and if    
these do not happen at proper ,seasons1 
they will certainly happen at other     
,seasons2 for not only the ,wisdom of   

,philosophers hath discerned1 but their 
,experiments and ,observations have put 
it out of doubt1 that there is a certain
 ,rule or ,proportion observed between  
wet ,weather and dry in every ,country1 
so that it is nearly the same in every  
annual ,revolution1 neither is wet and  
dry ,weather only1 but hot and cold1    
open and frost1 that are thus regulated1
 from whence we see1 that when the      
,scripture represents to us ,god's      
settling ,things by ,weight and         
,measure1 it speaks not only elegantly1 
but exactly4 ,for we do not mean by     
,providence any extraordinary or        
supernatural ,interposition of almighty 
,power1 but the constant and settled    
,order established by the ,will of that 
almighty ,being which we commonly call  
,nature4  ,,there is nothing easier than
 for vulgar ,understandings to mistake  
the ,meaning of ,words1 and by a        
,superstition natural to weak ,minds    
convert1 what they imperfectly          
understand into ,notions that perplex   

and confound them4 ,hence it proceeds   
that in common ,conversation one hears  
,people speak of ,nature as of a ,being1
 or a ,kind of subordinate ,deity1      
whereas in ,reality the true ,meaning of
 ,nature is1 that ,order or ,law which  
,god has established in the ,universe1  
and the ,knowledge of ,nature is no more
 than the ,light we acquire by ,study   
into the ,connexion of those ,laws4 ,in 
this ,sense ,experience is a ,kind of   
,revelation1 that is to say1 it is a    
,sort of ,knowledge that comes to us    
from without1 and is infallible in      
itself1 we may indeed go on wrong and   
deceive ourselves in the ,arguments we  
raise from it1 but the ,knowledge       
grounded upon ,experiments never varies4
  ,,this is sufficient to shew us how   
much wiser a ,thing it is to trust this 
,sort of experimental ,knowledge1 then  
to put any ,faith in that ,kind of idle 
,science which amused our ,forefathers1 
and enabled ,almanac ,makers to delude  
and mislead them4 ,it is true we use the

 ,luminaries as well as they1 but then  
we use them in a rational ,manner1 and  
do not pretend to impose this or that   
,sign upon other ,people1 but barely set
 down our own ,observations1 which are  
to be examined and verified by the      
,experience of those to whom they are   
submitted4 ,the ,astrologer on the other
 ,hand insists on what are not in       
,nature2 the twelve ,houses are a mere  
,invention1 and so are all the          
,properties ascribed to the celestial   
,signs1 and to the ,planets2 mere       
,dreams and ,fictions devised by the    
,cunning to cheat and impose upon the   
,ignorant1 and which had been long ago  
exploded if ,people had brought them to 
the only ,test of which they are        
capable1 ,i mean that of ,experience2   
with which they never did1 never will1  
and indeed never can agree3 whereas the 
,rules given by our ,shepherd1 are such 
as we have shewn1 suit perfectly well   
with ,remarks of other studious ,persons
 in all ,ages4   ,,xxvi4  ,if ,october  

and ,november be ,snow and ,frost1 then 
,january and ,february are like to be   
open and mild4  ,,as this ,observation  
stands on the same ,foundation with the 
last1 we need not dwell upon it         
particularly1 and therefore ,i shall    
proceed with my former ,reflections4    
,the only ,way to be acquainted with    
,nature1 is to study ,nature4 ,all      
,systems of human ,invention that are   
not built upon ,experiments1 are sooner 
or later found to be false1 because1 to 
say the ,truth1 they are nothing better 
than ingenious ,contrivances invented by
 the ,wit of ,man1 to conceal his       
,ignorance4 ,in order to account for    
what we behold1 we must first of all    
take ,pains to be well acquainted with  
the ,fact1 and not suffer ourselves to  
be led away by ,opinion4 ,in order to   
explain what ,i mean1 ,i shall give an  
,instance4 ,all the ,world knows that   
not only the vulgar1 but the learned1   
were for many ,ages in a constant ,error
 about ,corruption1 and really believed 

that the ,heat of the ,sun1 and even    
animal ,heat produced ,worms1 ,maggots1 
and other living ,creatures4 ,many grave
 ,writers carried the ,thing farther1   
and told us of ,rats1 ,mice1 and other  
,creatures produced out of the ,slime of
 the ,river ,nile1 by the ,heat of the  
,sun in ,egypt1 which might very well   
pass for ,truth among those who fancied 
they saw every ,day something of the    
like ,nature3 ,i mean in the ,corruption
 of ,flesh and other ,things1 in which  
we behold ,thousands of living          
,creatures4  ,,an ,italian ,philosopher 
destroyed this whole ,doctrine at once1 
by a simple and easy ,experiment4 ,he   
exposed a ,piece of raw ,flesh in a     
glass ,vessel well covered with ,gauze  
to the ,air and ,sun1 and found that it 
putrefied without producing any living  
,creatures4 ,this shews how careful we  
ought to be with ,respect to ,facts2 for
 till this ,experiment was made1 no     
,body doubted that ,vermin were bred by1
 as well as in putrefied ,bodies2       

whereas we are now satisfied that the   
,heat of the ,sun can no more produce a 
,worm or a ,maggot1 than a ,horse or an 
,elephant4 ,by the same ,examination we 
might open the ,way to ,knowledge1 by   
driving out a ,multitude of other       
,errors4 ,but the ,humour of taking     
,things for granted without inquiring   
into them1 and then endeavouring to     
account for them by dint of ,reasoning1 
amuses us with a false shew of ,wisdom1 
and encourages us to persist obstinately
 in the ,maintenance of weak and foolish
 ,notions4  ,,to apply this to the      
,subject of which we are treating4 ,it  
is certainly a curious and a useful     
,thing to understand the ,nature of the 
,weather1 and to know how the ,changes  
that happen in it come to pass4 ,the    
,business is to find out the true ,way  
of coming at this kind of ,knowledge1   
and upon the ,principles that ,i have   
advanced1 it is very evident that the1  
only certain ,way of coming at it is by 
,observation4 ,this is a slow but a sure

 ,method of arriving at ,truth1 and the 
,specimen here given us1 of one ,man's  
,observations1 is enough to convince us 
that a little ,diligence and            
,application would soon go a great ,way 
towards forming a ,body of such         
,observations as might enable us to     
understand the ,weather thoroughly1 and 
to predict its ,changes and ,alterations
 with a great ,degree of ,certainty4 ,if
 we will not take this ,pains1 we must  
content ourselves with what hath been   
already discovered1 or if our           
,conditions of ,life exclude us from the
 ,opportunities of making such          
,observations1 it is certainly a right  
,thing to help ourselves by inquiring   
into1 and reasoning upon such           
,observations as other ,people have made
 and to facilitate this as far as       
possible1 ,i have taken the ,pains to   
write this ,commentary upon our         
,shepherd's ,rules2 which ,i hope will  
render them more useful1 or at least    
secure them that ,regard which they     

deserve4  ,,there remains therefore     
nothing more for me to do in order to   
recommend these ,observations1 but to   
say somewhat with ,respect to the       
,utility of the ,alterations of the     
,weather in general1 and in particular2 
in order to satisfy the ,reader that    
there is nothing of ,chance or ,accident
 in such ,alterations1 but that they are
 governed in every ,respect by the same 
unerring ,wisdom1 that at first framed  
and constantly preserves the ,universe4 
,all ,weathers are at sometimes         
reasonable1 which shews that they are   
good in themselves1 and only            
accidentally evil4 ,we ought not to     
measure ,things of a general ,nature1 by
 particular ,rules4 ,if by the          
,direction of ,providence the           
,succession of ,seasons be such1 as that
 they turn to the good of ,mankind in   
the whole2 it is no ,objection to1 or   
,diminution of ,providence that this    
,succession of ,seasons should at       
different ,times be injurious to certain

 ,countries1 because this may likewise  
be accounted for4  ,,as to ,particulars 
we will begin with the ,air1 which is   
composed of ,exhalations of all earthly 
,bodies1 as well solid as fluid1 as also
 of ,fire1 whether of the ,sun or the   
,stars1 or of earthly ,bodies burnt1 or 
of ,fire breaking out from the ,entrails
 of the ,earth1 and ascending1 and      
though it be thus compounded1 and hath  
swimming in it ,multitudes of other     
,things1 yet we find that it is         
perfectly wholesome1 is the ,spring of  
,motion1 and of ,life to ,men1 and all  
other ,animals2 so that though we cannot
 account for1 and perhaps have not a    
,power of comprehending how such a mixed
 ,body can be rendered salutary3 yet    
since it is certain1 that so it is1 we  
have no ,right to complain either of the
 evil ,consequences that sometimes      
attend the ,exhalations with which it is
 filled1 or the ,accidents that flow    
from the frequent ,alterations that     
happen therein1 because these have a    

visible ,tendency to the general good1  
and are apparently necessary to the     
,preservation of the ,universe1 so that 
before we can have any ,title to find   
fault1 we must first shew that we are   
capable of understanding them in their  
full ,extent1 and as this is impossible1
 it follows that must be unreasonable4  
,,but this appears still the more       
clearly1 when it is considered1 that all
 such ,alterations may be shewn even    
from the ,light of ,reason to be        
generally useful1 notwithstanding they  
sometimes appear troublesome and        
noxious4 ,for ,instance1 such quick     
,streams of ,air in ,motion as we call  
,winds1 though they sometimes swell into
 ,storms and ,tempests1 yet are they of 
great ,benefit to ,mankind1 by purging  
the ,air1 and many other ,conveniences4 
,it is a ,proverb at ,vienna1 that if   
,austria be not windy it is sickly2 and 
this ,saying is no less true in other   
,countries1 for by consulting the       
,history of the last great ,plague that 

raged here in #afff1 it will be found   
that there was in a ,manner a dead ,calm
 during the ,time of the ,sickness1 and 
it is known in ,egypt1 where they have  
,plagues annually1 that the ,change of  
the ,wind delivers them from that ,evil4
 ,add to this the great ,use of ,winds  
in ,navigation1 and reflect on the      
,benefits that accrue there from1 and we
 shall see no ,cause whatever to doubt  
that this ,motion of the ,air is a very 
wise ,contrivance4  ,,the ,condensation 
of ,vapours1 which is the ,cause of     
,rain1 is another great ,benefit to the 
,world1 in as much as this is very      
probably supposed to be the ,source of  
,fountains1 ,rivers1 ,lakes1 and other  
,magazines of fresh ,water1 without     
which the ,earth would be uninhabitable1
 and to which in a very great ,measure  
its ,fertility is owing4 ,we ought      
likewise to remember that though this be
 in itself so clear1 and at the same    
,time so certain1 yet there are         
,countries in the ,world where it very  

seldom rains1 as in ,egypt1 and others  
where it hardly ever rains1 as in ,peru2
 so that we see there is no raising     
general ,doctrines upon this ,subject1  
which ought to make us the more tender  
in disputing the ,will of ,providence1  
or repining when it happens to cross our
 own4  ,,the ,uses of ,snow are as great
 though less apparent1 of which ,i shall
 mention but three4 ,the first is its   
preserving ,herbs and ,grass in the     
,winter against the ,severity of ,frost2
 secondly1 its supplying ,water to      
,brooks and ,rivers2 and lastly1 its    
furnishing the ,earth with vast         
,quantities of ,nitre1 and thereby      
conducing greatly to its ,fertility1 and
 perhaps the same thing may be said of  
,frost1 hard ,winters being often       
succeeded by luxuriant ,summers1 and    
thus we find that what in ,appearance   
causes ,scarcity1 may in ,reality       
produce ,plenty4  ,,lastly1 even        
,thunder1 however terrible in its       
,appearance1 and sometimes fatal in its 

,effects1 is nevertheless very useful   
and beneficial upon the whole1 for this 
likewise purifies the ,air from         
sulphureous and oily ,exhalations1 and  
the ,rains that fall with it fertilize  
the ,earth exceedingly4 ,it also        
moderates the ,heat as ,experience      
teaches us1 for as it is always gloomy  
and sultry before ,thunder1 so it is    
afterwards generally cool and pleasant4 
,these ,remarks1 though very short1 may 
give the ,reader an ,opportunity of     
extending his ,observations throughout  
all the ,variations of ,weather1 and    
enable him to discern how useful and    
instructive a thing the ,study of its   
,alterations may be1 and how probable it
 is1 that by proper ,care and           
,attention1 we may arrive at a much more
 useful1 as well as a much more certain 
,knowledge in regard to the ,weather1   
than hitherto has been attained4        
,,finis4