The worlds olio written by the Right Honorable, the Lady Margaret Newcastle.

Of the Corruptions of the Air.

THE Air is more corrupted in the Spring and the Autumn, than in the Winter and Summer; for in the Winter it is less corrupted by reason it is more united, as being congealed by Cold; neither hath the Sun that Force, to draw more Vapours than it can digest; besides, for want of Heat the Pores of the Earth are shut, where by less Vapours issue out; and in Summer it hath a sufficient heat to concoct what it draws up, or at least it contracts it so, as to keep it from running into corruption; and the Spring, at the Suns return, opens the Pores of the Earth, suo∣king out Vapour there from, which V pour is like the first milk of a Cow, or the like Udder'd Creature, when they have new cast forth their Birth, which Milk is all corrupted with Blood and Matter, by reason it hath been so long in the Udder; so like∣wise the Vapour is corrupted when it is first drawn as it were by the returning Sun, by reason it wanted Vent and Agitation to purify it, and as it is ascending it mingles with those Crea∣tures that live upon the Earth; for the Pores of the Creatures that live upon the Earth, also open by the springing heat, from whence Vapours like wise do issue from their Bodies; yet they live by the Air that encompasseth them, as Fishes do in Water, which if the Water be corrupted, the Fishes dye, caused by the Malignity they draw in; for though they are not smotherd or choaked, as in Frosty weather; yet could the thinnest Air be so hard and so solidly froze as water which is of a grosser Body, Man and Beast would be smothered for want of Breath, as Fishes are in great Frosts; yet many Creatures of the Earth are frozen to death, not only by having their Limbs Conjealed, Benummed, and Dead, destroying the Natural Motions therin; for surely the thinnest Air being congealed, they can get none to serve for Breath; that is, there is none fit to move the Lungs; for though some Creatures Lungs require grosser Air than others, and some a finer, yet Man and Beast I observe, require a middle temper or mixture; for too thin Air is as unusefull as too grosse; so for the Temper, too hot is as hurtfull as too cold; the one scalds or burns the Lungs, the Brain, and the rest of the inward parts, or

sets the Spirits on fire; the other benumbs and stupifies them, at least obstructs them; but when the Air is putrified and corrup∣ted, it mingles with the thinner Parts, as the Humours, the Blood and the like, causing corrupted Diseases and putrifyed Limbs: but as I said, the Spring Vapour, which is the rising Va∣pour, is like the Beesting Milk; so the Vapour in Autumn, which is the falling Vapour, is like Cheese that is ill prest, or too moist kept, which corrupts and breeds Maggots; so Vapour being not well clarified or concocted by the Sun, becomes Malignant.