I06 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



Night, retiring to the Poles of the World, attempt 

 to fet bounds to his majeftic career: In vain do 

 they raife out of the bofom of the polar Seas of 

 the North and of the South, new Continents with 

 their vallies, their mountains, and their icy coruf- 

 cations : the Father of Day, with his fiery (hafts, 

 overturns the fantaftic fabric ; and without de- 

 fcending from his throne, refumes the empire of 

 the Univerfe. . Nothing can fcreen itfelf from his 

 prolific heat. 



From the bofom of the Ocean, he raifes into 

 the Air, the rivers which are afterwards to flow 

 through the Old and New Worlds. He gives 

 commandment to the Winds to diftribute them 

 over iflands and continents. Thefe invifible chil- 

 dren of the Air tranfport them, from place to place, 

 under a thoufand capricious forms. Sometimes 

 they are fpread over the face of Heaven like veils 

 of gold and flreamers of filk ; fometimes they are 

 rolled up in the form of frightful dragons, and 

 roaring lions, vomiting out torrents of fire and 

 thunder. They pour them out on the mountains 

 in as many different ways, in dews, in rains, in 

 hail, in fnow, in impetuous torrents. 



However extravagant the mode of performing 

 their fervices may appear, every part of the Earth 

 annually receives from them neither more nor lefs, 



than 



