A goodly gallerye with a most pleasaunt prospect, into the garden of naturall contemplation, to behold the naturall causes of all kynde of meteors, as wel fyery and ayery, as watry and earthly, of whiche sort be blasing sterres, shooting starres, flames in the ayre &c. tho[n]der, lightning, earthquakes, &c. rayne dewe, snowe, cloudes, springes &c. stones, metalles, earthes &c. to the glory of God, and the profit of his creaturs.

¶ Of Wyndes.

THe wynd is an Exhalation whote and drie,* 1.1 drawne vp into y^e aire by y^e pow¦er of y^e sunne, & by reason of y^e wayght therof being driuen down, is laterally or sidelongs caried about the earth, & this diffinition is to be vnderstāded, of gene∣rall wyndes, y^e blowe ouer al y^e earth, or els som great regions, but beside these, there be particular wyndes, whiche are knowen but only in som coūtries, & thē not very large,* 1.2 these wyndes oftētimes haue another maner of generatiō. And that is on this maner. It must néedes be cōfessed, y^e w^tin the globe of the earth, be wōderful great holes, caues, or dōgeōs, in which whē ayer abondeth (as it may by diuerse causes) this ayer, y^t cannot a∣bide to be pined in, findeth a litle hole in or about those countries, as it weare a mouth to break out of: & by this meanes, bloweth vehemētly, yet y^e force & vehe∣mens extendeth not far, but as y^e wynde that cōmeth forth of bellowes, neare the comming foorthe, is stronge, but farre of, is not perceiued: So this particular wynd, in y^e countrye, where it breaketh forth, is very violēt & strong, in somuch, y^t, it ouerthroweth both trées, & houses,

yet in other countries, not very farre di∣stant, no part of that boisteous blast is felt. Wherfore this wynde differeth frō the generall wyndes, both in qualities & substaunce or matter, for the matter of them is an Exhalation, and the qualities suche as the nature of the Exhalation is, very ayery, but not ayere in deade: but of this particular wynde, the matter and substaunce is moste commonly ayer.

There is yet a thyrde kynde of wynde,* 1.3 whiche is but a softe gentle and coole mouing of the ayre, and commeth from no certaine place (as the generall wynd doth) yea it is felt in the shadowe vnder trees, when in the whote lyght and shi∣ning of the sunne, it is not perceiued. It commeth whisking sodenly, very plea∣saunt in the heate of the sommer, and ceaseth by and by. This properly is no wynde▪ but a mouing of the ayre by som occasion. As for the generall wyndes, thei blowe out of diuerse quarters of the ayre, nowe East, nowe West, nowe South, nowe North, or els inclininge to one of the same quarters. Amonge whiche the East wynde followyng the nature of the fyre, is whote and drie, the

South wynde expressing the qualitie of the ayre,* 1.4 is whote and moyste, the We∣sterne blast, agreing with y^e waters pro∣pertie is colde and moyst. The Northe that neuer was warmed with the heat of the sunne, being cold and drye, parta∣keth the conditions of the earth. The midle wyndes haue midle & mixed quali¦ties after y^e nature, of those fowre princi∣pall wyndes more or lesse,* 1.5 as they en∣cline toward them more or lesse.

Generally the profit of all wyndes,* 1.6 by the wonderfull wysdome of the eter∣nall God, is wonderfull great, vnto his creatures. For besydes y^t these wyndes, alter the weather, some of them bryn∣gyng rayne, some drynes, some frost and snowe, whiche all are necessary, ther is yet an vniuersall comoditie, that ryseth by the only mouyng of the ayre. Which were it not continually styred, as it is, would soone putrifie, and beyng putry∣fied, would be a deadly infection to all y^t hath breath vpon the earth. Wherfore this wynde whose sounde we heare,* 1.7 and knowe not from whence it cōmeth nor whether it goeth (for who can affirme from whence it was raysed, or where it

is layde downe) as al other creaturs be∣syde doth teach vs, the wonderfull and wyse prouidence of God, that we maye worthely crie out, with the Psalmist, & saye: O Lorde, howe manyfolde are thy wordes,* 1.8 in wysdome hast thou made them all, &c. Let this be sufficient, to haue shewed the generation of the wyndes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Wynde.
• * 1.2

  The secōd kinde of wyndes.
• * 1.3

  the thirde kynd of wynde.
• * 1.4

  the quali¦ties of the wyndes and the fow•• quar¦ters of the worlde.
• * 1.5

  the quali¦tie of mid¦le wyndes
• * 1.6

  the profit of wynde.
• * 1.7

  Ioan. 3.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 104.