108 THE WINDS. 



LIB. in. an( j subtile, for that it suffereth no vapours to congeale. And 

 in this manner wee may discourse of other windes, giving 

 them the qualities of the region where they blowe. But, 

 looking more precisely into it, this reason can not satisfie 

 me. I will therefore demaund, What doth the region of 

 the aire by which they passe, if it doth not give them their 

 qualities ? I speake it for that in Germanie the Southerne 

 winde is hote and moist, and in Affrike the Northerne is 

 cold and drie. Notwithstanding it is most certaine that in 

 what region soever of Germanie the Southerne winde is 

 ingendred, it must needes be more cold then any part of 

 Affrike where the Northerne is ingendred. And if it be so, 

 why is the Northerne winde more cold in Affrike then the 

 Southerne in Germany, seeing it proceeds from a hotter 

 region ? Some may answer me that the reason is for that 

 it blowes from the North, which is colde j but this is neither 

 sufficient nor true, for if it were so, whenas the Northerne 

 winde blowes in Affrike, it should also runne and continue 

 his motion in al the Region, even vnto the North, the which 

 is not so. For at one instant there blowe Northerno windes 

 very colde in countries that are in fewer degrees, and South - 

 erne winds, which are very hotte, in countries lying in more 

 degrees, the which is most certaine, vsuall, and well knowne. 

 Whereby (in my opinion) wee may inferre that it is no per 

 tinent reason to say that the places by which the winds do 

 passe give them their qualities, or that they be diversified, 

 for that they blowe from divers regions of the ayre, although 

 the one and the other have some reason, as I have said. 

 But it is neeclefull to seeke further to knowe the true and 

 originall cause of these so strange differences which we see 

 in the windes. I cannot conceive any other, but that the 

 same efficient cause which bringeth foorth and maketh the 

 winds to grow dooth withall give them this originall qualitie, 

 for in trueth the matter whereon the windes are made, 

 which is no other thing (according to Aristotle) but the 



