Astro-meteorologica, or, Aphorisms and discourses of the bodies cœlestial, their natures and influences discovered from the variety of the alterations of the air ... and other secrets of nature / collected from the observation at leisure times, of above thirty years, by J. Goad.

CHAP. IV.

Some Determinate Dayes, which have a peculiar Character and Disposition produc'd from the Antient Kalender. Some Critical Dayes. The Obser∣vation upon S. S within no Superstition.

§ 1. THE Ancient Diary of the Egyptians, Chaldees, yea the Ancient Philoso∣phers and Mathematicians of the Greeks and Latines, Democritus, Me∣ton, Euctemon, Eudoxus, Calippus, Conon, Hipparchus, Caesar, Columel, Pliny, and Ptolemy for the Africanes, do incourage us in our Principle. For as we see some Months Regularly, and therefore Naturally incline to Cold, Warm, Dry, Moist, in like manner some Dayes of the Month, even of the same Month, have their proper individual Inclination to Cold, Drought, Moisture, Heat; of which the Kalendars inform us, not yet out of Date to our purpose.

§ 2. We will consider the Excesses of Weather throughly noted therein: e. g. Much Rain Dec. XVII. Much Wind Jan. XXII. Great Heat Aug. XV. Horrid Tempest from the South Oct. ult. From the North Dec. XI, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. windy Weather, stormy Constitution: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. None of which could pass into ob∣servation upon a single Accident.

§ 3. But least a single Accident should be pleaded, as unreasonable as it is, the frequency of the Constitution, with its Contrary, is happily expressed: as in Febr. X. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, West-wind sometimes, but otherwise Jan. IX. for the most part South-winds, and Dec. I. for the most part Turbulent. See Ptolem. opusc. de stell. sign. In the Ʋranologion of Petavius, pag. 71. where you also meet with Geminus his Diary for the whole year, according to the Degrees of the Zodiac; That Geminus, we care not who knows it, who disputes against our Pretensions, even in Him notwithstan∣ding occur these Memorands. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, ad ♍ 19, fair for the most part. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Cold Winds, and ruffling for the most part, ad ♏ 4.

So at ♈ 23, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Hail often; and ♐ 16 it uses to thunder, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; as ♏ 4 also, it uses to blow, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Agreeable to this is That in Columel, X Cal. Sept. Tempestas plerumque, oritur & pluvia; and all these Kalen∣dar-men, whenever they speak absolutely without terms of Diminution, there they are to be understood as to the most part, otherwise the Observation were ridicu∣lous.

§ 4. Shall we take Observation nearer Home, and that from an Enemy, within less than 200 years? Mirandula himself hath given us some account of Dayes con∣fessed Hazardous at Sea, contr. Astrol. III. c. 13. p. 482. such as Feb. VI. XII. XV. XVII. XIX. XX. Mart. I. VII. XV. XVII XIX. XXV. April II. (for so it should be read) V. VI. XII. XX.

§ 5. Yea not Italians, or Seamen only, but all Nations and Functions have so much Interest in seasonable Weather, that they take the same notice of Dayes extra∣ordinary: Dies quidam apud Belgas (our Neighbours of Brabant) pluviarum atri, & infames sunt, saith Fromond. Meteor. lib. 5. and he names us one, viz. IV or July, which he saith they call S^t Martin the Dripper, quem S. Martini bullientis, aut pluvii appellant: This Day I find not in every Kalendar, but in our English only, and not without the Inclination specified. Fromond would have pleasured us therefore, if he had named the Rest.

§ 6. But the old Verses help us, June VIII, S. Medard's day, Humida Medardi pluvias, lux usque minatur;

And such dayes amongst us are St. John Baptist, June XXIV. St. Peter's Eve, XXVIII. Mary Magdal. July XXII. who is therefore said, in the homely Coun∣try Proverb, to wash S. James's Shift, while dripping S. James himself (saith the same Dialect) Christens the Fruit. Add, such are St. Bartholmew, August XXIV. St. Simon and Jude, Oct. XXVIII, with the day following, XXIX. the Powder-Treason, Novemb. V. &c.

§ 7. All which Dayes being Festival, or notable, for the Annex of some Mart, Fair, or other Solemnity, could not chuse but come under notice, with their Cha∣racter.

§ 8. Nor have our Ancestors given us days obnoxious to Moisture only; we find other Constitutions also noted, St. Mark's day, April XXV; with his Neigh∣bour St. Walburg's, April XXVII; and St. Philip, and James, are marked with an Obelisk for dangerous times of nipping Winds, and Blasting,

Nunc caret aura fide, nunc est obnoxia ventis, saith one Verse: and again, Si friget, segetes subeunt plerumque perîclum. St. Margaret, July the XX, noted for Thunder, —Reboat mugitibus Aether. St. Matthias, for uncertain Air, in this remarkable Distich,

Matthiae, glaciem frangit, si invenerit illam, Ni frangat glaciem, tum mihi crede facit.

As the Satyr thought it strange, that a man should with the same breath blow hot, and cold; so the character of this Day seems as strange.

§ 9. Yea the returns of Constitutions are not always confin'd to single dayes, but to series of Dayes; whence it comes to pass, that some peculiar Dayes, in this affair pass into Critical, enabling to pronounce somewhat concerning the future Harvest, Vintage, or Winter: for what have we to do with the frivolous Observati∣on of the XII dayes in Christmass, as if they were a compendious representation of the Months in the Year, or with the Prognosticks on St. Paul's day? sure no one Day can give crisis for a whole Year; but for a month, or a week, a shorter term it may. Four dayes then there are, whose serenity gives fair hopes of a Vintage: Vineent, Apr. V. Ʋrban, May XXV. Assumption, Aug. XV. and what Origanus inter∣poses, St. Bartholmew Aug. XXIV. For Winter, Purification, Feb. II. and Cathed. Petri, Feb XXII are also Critical. If it be fair on the former of these, Major erit gla∣cies

post festum,—is in every bodies mouth: if in the latter it freezeth, the same constitution holds a Fortnight. Again, Rain on Mid-summer day speaks fears of a wet Harvest; if on July II. Visit. B. Virg. wet must be expected for a Month, saith Origanus, though the old Verse speaks more cautelous:

Si pluit, haud poter is coelum spectare serenum, Transivêre aliquot ni prius antè Dies.

If on St. Swithun's day, the cry of England is, it rains 40 dayes after; if on St. Mar∣tin's day in Novemb. XI, a wet winter is portended, saith the Verse; vid. Alsted. Ʋranom, p. 490. yea there is one critical Day recorded in Aetius the Physician's time, and that must be many hundred years ago, concerning the then first day of Decemb. on which if it rained for the most part (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,) it held on for 37 dayes. Petav. Ʋranolog. p. 421.

§ 10. Some that shoot without aim, may abandon these Observes for supersti∣tious, as that of St. Swithuns, in Mr. Parkinson's judgment is; but where there is Ex∣perience, and innocent Reason, there is no ground for superstitious conceits.

§ 11. For the Experience we have said, the most of these dayes were Festival and so observable for the annex of some Solemnity, and thence came in the publick Experience, for the reason we shall give it in due place: in the mean while asserting the truth of St. Swithun's crisis for some dayes after, more, or less, (which the Vul∣gar made a shift to call fourty) to hold good 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as the Greek Kalendars have it, and That's enough.