Section I, Book 5, chapter 10: Winds, clouds, fountains, lightning and thunder

CHAP. X. That the actions of contraction and dilatation, and consequently of attraction and expulsion of aire in the Weather-glasse, with the effects of the elevation and depression of the water which are caused thereby, are most conveniently applyed unto the aire and water in the world.

WE must consider, (as I have said before) that the catholick air and water in the world, filleth the whole vaulty cavity thereof no otherwise, then the air in the Weather-glasse filleth the hollowness thereof; so that the fountains of all the world issuing from one sea, do seem to penetrate into the bowells of the earth, and fill the generall veines thereof, being sucked and drawn up unto them by that self-same reason, by the which the water is exalted into the uppermost part of the neck of the glasse; and by this reason there is an evident relation between the fountaines of the northern hemisphear, and those of the southern, forasmuch as it is expressed before, that the southerly aire, which is on that side the Aequinoctiall line, is continued in his homogeneall nature with that on this side the line: So that the flying dilated aire passeth from the south, and is condensed into clowds in the north. Wherefore it is apparent, that the matter which feedeth the fountains in the north, are more or lesse continuated unto those of the south, as the waters that are raised up into the highest degree of the glasse are continued with them in the lower all which is fed and maintained with the pot of water, which we compare unto the sea.

We conclude therefore thus, when the hot spirit of the Sun in the depth of Summer, doth marvellously rarifie the aire in our northern hemisphear, then that aire seeking every where to make place for her enlarged spirits, (as we see in the extracting of the spirit of Vitriol, it breaketh the Receiver, to seek a larger place to abide in) doth no otherwise depresse and beat down the northern fountains, by dilating it self, than the aire included in the glass doth the water that is therein. And again, the cold which at that season doth domineer in the southern part, by reason of the absence of the Sun, doth as fast suck, attract, or draw up the fountaines of that part, by the contracting of that aire, no otherwise, then the externall cold doth contract the aire in the Weather-glass, and by contraction attracteth and sucketh or draweth up the water therein. So that here we have two means of raising and depressing of fountains, for as the spirits calefying act doth strike them down over all the northern hemisphear in the Summer; so the spirits cold act doth raise them up in the southern hemisphear, in which winter hath his dominion. So that there are two agents to pull it down, or to depress it in the northern parts, namely, the present northern Sun, or divine positive act, and the absent southern cold, or divine privative act. Again, when the Sun is removed from the northern regions into the southern, having passed the Aequinoctiall barr, the self-same effects will happen, but in contrary parts, namely, then the cold of the north will help to raise them in the north, and pull them down in the south; and again, the southern heat will depresse them in the south, and consequently help to raise them up in the north. This is demonstrated thus:

[Figure]

In which figure, EFG is the northern hemisphear, where the Sun is absent, and therefore winter inhabiteth there, and cold hath his dominion. EHG is the southern hemisphear, where the Sun is present, and therefore summer dwelleth there, and heat hath dominion. EG is the Aequinoctiall line, which is as it were the barr, that divideth the northern region from the southern. A and B is the hollow vein in the earth, which continueth from the northern region to the southern, that there might be a relation between, or continuation in some measure, of the northern and southern waters, as well as of the northern and southern aire of heaven; for being the wide sea D. which stretcheth from north to south, is the head, from whence all springs and rivers do originally arise, I see no reason that it should seem strange to any man, that I say, the northern fountains have relation by a continuity of substance unto the southern, and therefore the southern unto the northern. Wherefore I conclude, that when the catholick northern aire of the hemisphear EFG is cold, it sucketh or contracteth unto it the aire in the vein of the earth A, the which aire being contracted, elevateth of the water out of the wide sea D, as is evidently demonstrated by the Weather-glasse; for when the cold externall aire hath contracted by congelation the aire in the head and neck of the glasse, (which head and neck I compare unto the veine in the earth; for the vein of the earth is close, and expireth no way) then the water is drawn up by the contraction of the aire, out of the vast water in the pot or basin, which I compare unto the sea. On the other side, in the summer or southern hemisphear EHG, where the Sun is present, the catholick aire is subtiliated or rarified; and dilating of the aire about the fountain, and in the cavity of the vein, beateth down and abaseth the water in the southern mouth of the vein in the earth B, towards C: so that oftimes in the summer, the springs are found either dried altogether, or at the least-wise much depressed. Now therefore I say, that by reason of the depression of the waters in the summerly south, by way of subtiliation of the aire, and exhausting or drawing them up in the winterly north by the cold, the water is the apter to be raised in the cold north. Again, the elevation of the waters in the north, which were the summer before depressed, is effected by the empty aire's contraction, which possesseth the place in the summer time in the vein of earth where the water was, as we see in the Weather-glasse, and by the dilation of the aire in the south, the water is easily there hid in the earth. So that it appeareth, that it is partly driven and pressed down in the south by heat, and consequently with the greater ease drawn up at the north, and partly elevated in the north by the cold winter: as if a chord were put into a hole of a great piece of timber, downward at one end, and did ascend upward at the other, thus:

If from the north A the chord be strongly

[Figure]

pulled up; and again from the south B it be as strongly pushed or depressed down, it will the easier sink by the south B, and mount in the north A.

The self-same will happen, but in contrary order, when the Sun, and consequently summer is in the northern hemisphear EFG, for then the springs will be there depressed, and in the southerly parts exalted. The seas draining or soaking into the bowells of the earth D, being the commune medium, or cistern of both extreams, as well to receive the water pressed down, and distributing upward of that superfluity unto the surging, increasing, or winter fountaines.

Thus therefore do you see evidently, how Solomon's saying is proved true, All rivers run into the sea, and the sea is not the greater; they return into the place from whence they came, that they may run or flow again.

But let us examine Aristotles opinion a little better, that we may the more plainly expresse the absurdity thereof: If that it were a vapour which was sent up out of the bowells of the earth, it must proceed from some mighty heat which must alter that great mass of cold water, which is in the bowells of the earth, into that vapour; but admit that this were so, then mark what absurdities would follow: First, he confesseth, that the fountaines are colder in the summer than in the winter, because the externall heat doth per Ant peristasin, or by a contrary act preserve and keep in, and therefore multiply the inward cold of the earth; which being so, as it appeareth by the coldness of fountaines in the summer, then by that self-same reason, this fortified cold of the earth in the summer season, must needs also keep in, preserve, and fortifie in the center of the earth, that inward heat which causeth those vapours, which are the originall of fountains. Mark the conclusion, for if that be so, namely, that the centrall heat in the summer should be greater, then would the vapours be in greater abundance in summer, for the greater the fire is, the more will be the smoak. And again, by reason of the great cold in the caverns of the earth, those vapours would be more suddenly condensed into watry drops, and consequently by that means, we should have higher Fountains, greater Floods, and more swelling Rivers in the Summer time then in the Winter; all which experience teacheth us to be erroneous; and, to conclude, Aristotle's assertion in this must needs be false. But it will be (I know) objected, that it is manifested unto the eye, that standing ponds, and such like humid places, are dried by the Summer heat, and how can that be, but because the Sun doth attract the moisture and consumeth it by converting it into vapours? I answer: For the first, that the Sun doth not draw but onely rarify, and then the thing rarified doth tend upward. But that the Sun should spend all those moistures of Lakes and Ponds that way, namely by converting in into aire; If that were possible, I will tell you what absurdity would follow, namely that the Sun by reducing all the waters into vapours, should thicken the aire, when contrariwise our Weatherglass teacheth us by that model of aire, which is contained in it, that it doth attenuate and rarify the aire and not thicken it. Again, a greater errour would fall foul on the neck of Aristotle's Doctrine concerning the Generation of clowds, if this were so. For whereas his Opinion is, that a clowd is generated from vapours extracted out of the earth and water, by the attractive force of the Sun and Starrs; it would follow then, that in the Summer-time we should have more clowds and more rain then in the winter: But this is as false as the rest. But I say rather, that because the aire is more rare and thin in the Summer, by reason of the presence of the divine act in the Sun, which rarifieth and attenuateth the aire by his assidual action, and therefore we have fewer clowds in the Sommer, For (as I proved before) the clowds are made by the compression of aire, and the aire again is by a circular course renewed, by the resolution of those Meteors it produced into their first invisible matter which was but aire. I must confess that some part of the waters are subtiliated and by dilatation thrust into the winter Hemisphere, but the greatest part doth sink down by the insensible pores of the dry and thirsty earth, which drinketh it up, and keepeth it in her bowells, till it be sucked out by the contraction of the aire, which filleth the pores and cracks thereof: which contraction happeneth by the cold of the winter following. For we see that if there be but a Hogshead full of water, it will indure a long time before the hot Sun will exhale it by subtiliation. Moreover, it is certain that what the Sun doth rarify in the day time, so that it riseth in a vaporous form upon the earth; in the night time, it falleth commonly again in foggy mists and dew. So that it is removed out of a contracted place, and dilated and besprinkled in mist and dew over the wide and spacious fields. Now that this is so, it is made evident, because we shall ever observe, that the Summer mists and dew is most frequent about Lakes and Rivers. I will for a conclusion of this Book and whole Section, onely examine our princely Peripateticks Opinion, touching the Lightnings and the Thunders, that we may perceive therein also the validity of his Physicall Doctrine.