262 NATURAL HISTORY 



are for the most part engendered) nobody hardly looks for 

 them : such is the custom of men to inquire after things 

 which are obscure, and omit those things which lie, as it 

 were, in their way. This is certain, that winds are either 

 inbred or strangers ; for winds are as it were merchants of 

 vapours, which being by them gathered into clouds, they 

 carry out and bring in again into countries, from whence 

 winds are again returned as it were by exchange. But let 

 us now inquire concerning native winds, for those which, 

 coming from another place, are strangers, are in another 

 place natives. There are three local beginnings of them : 

 they either breathe or spring out of the ground, or are cast 

 down from above, or are here made up in the body of the 

 air. Those which are cast down from above are of a double 

 generation; for they are either cast down before they be 

 formed into clouds, or afterwards composed of rarefied and 

 dispersed clouds. Let us now see what is the history of 

 these things. 



1. The poets feigned Eolus his kingdom to be placed 

 under ground in dens and caves, where the winds prison 

 was, out of which they were at times let forth. 



2. Some philosophical divines, moved by those words of 

 scripture, &quot; He brings forth the winds out of his treasures,&quot; 

 think that the winds come out of some treasuries ; namely, 

 places under ground amongst the mines of minerals. But 

 this is nothing ; for the scripture speaketh likewise of the 

 treasures of snow and hail, which doubtless are engendered 

 above. 



3. Questionless in subterraneal places there is great store 

 of air, which it is very likely sometimes breathes out by 

 little and little, and sometimes again, upon urgent causes, 

 must needs come rushing forth together. 



An indirect experiment. 



In great droughts, and in the middle of summer, when 

 the ground is cleft and chopped, there breaks out water 

 many times in dry and sandy places; which if waters 

 (being a gross body) do, though it be but seldom, it is pro 

 bable that the air (which is a subtile and tenuous body) 

 may often do it. 



4. If the air breathes out of the earth by little and little, 

 and scatteringly, it is little perceived at the first ; but when 

 many of those small emanations or comings out are come 

 together, there is a wind produced, as a river out of several 

 springs. And this seems to be so, because it hath been 

 observed by the ancients, that many winds in those places 



