CENTURY VIII. 53 



ous disposition of the year ; but with rain, not. 1 The 

 cause is, for that southern winds do of themselves qual 

 ify the air to be apt to cause fevers ; but when showers 

 are joined, they do refrigerate in part, and check the 

 sultry heat of the southern wind. Therefore this 

 holdeth not in the sea coasts, because the vapour of 

 the sea, without showers, doth refresh. 



Experiment solitary touching wounds. 



787. It hath been noted by the ancients, that 

 wounds which are made with brass heal more easily 

 than wounds made with iron. 2 The cause is, for that 

 brass hath in itself a sanative virtue ; and so in the 

 very instant helpeth somewhat : but iron is corrosive 

 and not sanative. And therefore it were good, that 

 the instruments which are used by chirurgeons about 

 wounds were rather of brass than iron. 



Experiment solitary touching mortification by cold. 



788. In the cold countries, when men s noses and 

 ears are mortified and (as it were) gangrened with 

 cold, if they come to a fire they rot off presently. 

 The cause is, for that the few spirits that remain in 

 those parts are suddenly drawn forth, and so putre 

 faction is made complete. But snow put upon them 

 helpeth : for that it preserveth those spirits that re 

 main, till they can revive; and besides, snow hath in 

 it a secret warmth : as the monk proved out of the 

 text, qui dat nivem sicut lanam, gelu sicut cineres spar- 

 git ; s whereby he did infer, that snow did warm like 

 wool, and frost did fret like ashes. Warm water also 



1 Arist. Prob. i. 23. 2 Id ib. i. 35. 



Ps. cxlvii. 16. 



