OF WINDS. 279 



swelling of waters into waves in this, that in waters after 

 the waves are risen on high, they of themselves, and their 

 own accord, do again fall to the place of them ; whence it 

 comes that (whatsoever poets say when they aggravate tem 

 pests, namely, that the waves are raised up to heaven, and 

 again sink down to hell) the descent of the waves do not 

 precipitate much below the plane and superficies of the 

 water. But in the swelling of the air, where the motion 

 of gravity or weight is w r anting, the air is thrust down 

 and raised almost in an equal manner. And thus much of 

 undulation. Now we must inquire of the motion of conflict 

 or striving. 



19. The conflicts of winds and compounded conflicts we 

 have partly inquired already. It is plain that winds are 

 ubiquitary, especially the mildest of them. Which is like 

 wise manifest by this, that there are few days and hours 

 wherein some gales do not blow in free places, and that in 

 constantly and variously enough. For winds which do not 

 proceed from greater nurseries are vagabond and voluble, 

 as it were, playing one with the other, sometimes driving- 

 forward, and sometimes flying back. 



20. It hath been seen sometimes at sea, that winds have 

 come from contrary parts together, which was plainly to 

 be perceived by the perturbation of the water on both sides, 

 and the calmness in the middle between them ; but after 

 those contrary winds have met, either there hath followed 

 a general calm of the water every where, namely, when the 

 winds have broken and quelled one another equally ; or the 

 perturbation of the water hath continued, namely, when 

 the stronger wind hath prevailed. 



21. It is certain that, in the mountains of Peru, it hath 

 often chanced that the wind at one time hath blown on the 

 tops of the hills one way, and in the valleys the clean con 

 trary way. 



22. It is likewise certain here with us, that the clouds 

 are carried one way, when the wind near us hath blown the 

 contrary way. 



23. It is likewise certain, that sometimes the higher 

 clouds will outfly the lower clouds, so that they will go 

 diverse, yea, and contrary ways, as it were in contrary 

 currents. 



24. It is likewise certain, that sometimes in the higher 

 part of the air winds have been neither distracted nor 

 moved forward ; when here below they have been driven 

 forward with a mad kind of violence, for the space of half 

 a mile. 



