Varieties: or, A surveigh of rare and excellent matters necessary and delectable for all sorts of persons. Wherein the principall heads of diverse sciences are illustrated, rare secrets of naturall things unfoulded, &c. Digested into five bookes, whose severall chapters with their contents are to be seene in the table after the epistle dedicatory. By David Person, of Loghlands in Scotland, Gentleman.

CHAP. 7.

Of Windes, their true cause, matter and nature, &c.

IN the former part of this treatise, we have heard that there are two sorts of exhalations, whereof all Meteors above us, in the Ayre, are composed: one of them moist, called vapours; the other dry, called fumes or smoke; not that any of these are so either wholly dry or moist, or that they have no mixture of others, for that is not: but that the predominancy of the one above the other, in the compound, maketh the denomination.

Now as the heat of the Sun, extracting these two from the earth and waters is their efficient cause, so they againe are the materiall causes of the Meteors made up by them, viz. vapours, the causes of raine, haile, snow, dew, clouds and so forth. As the dry and fumous exhalations are the causes of winde in parti∣cular, as also of the hot Meteors above mentioned. Hot and dry exhalations then are matter and causes of the wind;* 1.1 and as they are elevated in the Ayre by the force of the Sunne; so no question but from that same Ayre, the winds begin to blow, and not from the Earth first; which in this may be discerned; be∣cause that the highest Mountaines (I meane, if they exceed not the first Region) Towres, Trees, Steeples, and so forth, are more agitated with winds, then the lower and baser are, as being neerer the ayre.

Feriunt summos fulmina montes. Saepius ventis agitatur ingens Pinus—

And the reason is, because straining to mount aloft conformable to their nature, they are reverberated a∣gaine by the middle region, their opposite (being cold and moist) to their hot and dry nature.

Now as the beginnings and first springs of Rivers are small, but by corrivation of other lesser ones they increase:* 1.2 Even so the first beginnings and principalls of windes are commenced but with few exhalations; no question but their increment floweth from the ad∣unition and combination of more exhalations; Whence it is, that some yeares are more windy and some seasons too, then others; and commonly the dryest Summers maketh the windiest and most tem∣pestuous winters.

It is said in Scripture, that the wind bloweth where it pleaseth, and that none knoweth, either whence it commeth or whither it goeth.* 1.3 And it is truth indeed to speake particularly, we feele it and find it, we know it evanish away into the many vast and spacious intur∣nings of the ayre; but from what particular place it floweth, we know not well: for as they are small in their principalls, so no doubt, but they receive aug∣mentations in their progresse. Here then it may be inferred, that winds and raine are not procreated of the selfe same matter, as some foolishly doe maintaine; which by this only may bee evidently confuted, that often times the windes are abated by raine; and commonly after raine we have windes:* 1.4 The first for this naturall reason, because that violence of winds blowing clouds together, and the invironing cold condensing and thickning them together, makes them dissolve into water.

The other is because of waters or raine falling from the clouds,* 1.5 by which meanes the Ayre is war∣med, and consequently the Earth; which maketh it yeeld aboundance of hot exhalations for the Sunnes rayes to transport upward to the Ayre, wherewith wind is framed againe.

And if it be objected,* 1.6 that exhalations are common causes of winds, and yet of the same winds, some are cold, as the North, and East, whereas the Southerly and Westerly are commonly hotter? To this may be answered, that the exhalations themselvs are not the occasion of that, but the disposition of the Climats from whence they flow; the Suns heat never aproach∣ing the North Climat, but afarre off, and obliquely, or side-wayes; occasioning the cold of it, and con∣sequently of the winds blowne from thence.

Whereas more perpendicularly it glanceth on the other Meridian and Westerne parts; by which means, as the Earth is warmed, so are the winds.

And if it be asked, why in the height of Summer (the Sun being in Cancer) that then are fewest and low∣est winds, as in the extremity and cold of Winter there are few likewise, as by experience may be seene:

To that may be answered,* 1.7 That as in all things ex∣tremities are vicious, even so in this matter; for great heat and drought in Iune, Iuly, and August, doe keepe back the winds and their matter, as extremity of cold doth in December and Ianuary.

The Earth in that time of Summer, being burnd up with scorching heate, hindereth the winds to rise; be∣cause the earth then is burningly dry w^thout any mix∣ture of moistnesse; out of which drougth of the earth,

without some moistnesse no fumes can be exhaled.

So the Ayre clogged with cold, thick, heavie, and lumpish clouds of raine and waters, holdeth (as it were) the winds within their Precinct; hindring them to blow then, till the Ayre be disburdened of that load, and doe give way to the winds to sport them∣selves in the spring, recompensing their long captivi∣ty with licencious unbridled blasts.

Or to know how the wind bloweth is this:* 1.8 First, the exhalations whereof it is composed, are carried from the Earth, high up to the middle Region of the Ayre, but so, that when it is there, it is encountered and repercussed, tossed and moved with cold and con∣densed Ayre; finally it is put aside, from whence a∣gaine by violence it is throwne downe by the cold predominating in that Region, so it striketh upon this lower Region of the aire, in the descent of it; not right and diametrically downe, but slentingly; which ayre againe beating the Earth, by the superiour impulsion, and the earths repelling it upward or back againe, maketh it (following the round circumference of the Ayre) to blow about, filling it with its noise.

As for the number of the winds, what Countries be subject to such or such winds, what maketh the Nor∣therly winds to blow dry, the Southerly moist; I re∣fer the first to Sea-men, whose experience is surer than our contemplation: the other are soone solved by a good Naturalist; for the Sunne shining upon the South Countries more kindlie and hotter than upon the North, maketh the winds conforme to the Ayre of the Countries, hotter there, than in the North, and moister.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The matter and cause of winde.
• * 1.2

  The beginning of wind is but small, but it en∣creaseth in blowing.
• * 1.3

  A place of Scripture con∣cerning winds solved.
• * 1.4

  What maketh raine com∣monly follow winde.
• * 1.5

  And what af∣ter raine.
• * 1.6

  What maketh some windes cold, other hot seeing one matter is com∣mon to both.
• * 1.7

  What maketh that in the heat of Sum∣mer there are fewest winds, seeing then there should be most.
• * 1.8

  The way how the wind bloweth.