42 NATURAL HISTORY. 



Experiment solitary touching the scarcity of rain in 

 Egypt! 



767. It is strange, that the river of Nilus overflowing, 

 as it doth, the country of Egypt, there should be never 

 theless little or no rain in that country. The cause must 

 be either in the nature of the water, or in the nature of 

 the air, or of both. In the water, it may be ascribed 

 either unto the long race of the water ; for swift-run 

 ning waters vapour not so much as standing waters ; 

 or else to the concoction of the water ; for waters well 

 concocted vapour not so much as waters raw ; no more 

 than waters upon the fire do vapour so much after 

 some time of boiling as at the first. And it is true 

 that the water of Nilus is sweeter than other waters 

 in taste : and it is excellent good for the stone, and 

 hypochondriacal melancholy ; which sheweth it is len- 

 ifying ; and it runneth through a country of a hot 

 climate, and flat, without shade either of woods or 

 hills ; whereby the sun must needs have great power 

 to concoct it. As for the air, (from whence I conceive 

 this want of showers cometh chiefly,) the cause must 

 be, for that the air is of itself thin and thirsty ; and as 

 soon as ever it getteth any moisture from the water, it 

 imbibeth and dissipateth it in the whole body of the 

 air ; and suffereth it not to remain in vapour, whereby 

 it mi;ht breed rain. 



O 



Experiment solitary touching clarification. 



768. It hath been touched in the title of percola 

 tions (namely, such as are inwards), that the whites 



l The substance of this and the next paragraph is taken from Sandys, 

 p. 78. 



