CENTURY II. 75 



meteors, as &quot; stella cadens,&quot; &c. yield no noise. And 

 if it be thought, that it is the greatness of distance 

 from us, whereby the sound cannot be heard ; we 

 see that lightnings and coruscations, which are near 

 at hand, yield no sound neither : and yet in all these, 

 there is a percussion and division of the air. The 

 winds in the upper region, which move the clouds 

 above, which we call the rack, and are not perceived 

 below, pass without noise. The lower winds in a 

 plain, except they be strong, make no noise ; but 

 amongst trees, the noise of such winds will be per 

 ceived. And the winds, generally, when they make 

 a noise, do ever make it unequally, rising and falling, 

 and sometimes, when they are vehement, trembling 

 at the height of their blast. Rain or hail falling, 

 though vehemently, yieldeth no noise in passing 

 through the air, till it fall upon the ground, water, 

 houses, or the like. Water in a river, though a 

 swift stream, is not heard in the channel, but runneth 

 in silence, if it be of any depth ; but the very stream 

 upon shallows, of gravel, or pebble, will be heard. 

 And waters, when they beat upon the shore, or are 

 straitned, as in the falls of bridges, or are dashed 

 against themselves, by winds, give a roaring noise. 

 Any piece of timber, or hard body, being thrust 

 forwards by another body contiguous, without 

 knocking, giveth no noise. And so bodies in weigh 

 ing one upon another, though the upper body press 

 the lower body down, make no noise. So the motion 

 in the minute parts of any solid body, which is the 

 principal cause of violent motion, though unob- 



