Chap. 5.] Mijts, Dews, &c. 137 



obferved in marfhy grounds. If a hole is broken in 

 ice, we may obferve a mift rife from it j the water be- 

 ing warmer than the air, emits a vapour, which the 

 cold condenfes and renders vifible. It is the fame va- 

 pour which, when condenfed by the cold of the night, 

 forms the dew which is obferved in fmall globules, 

 like pearls, upon the leaves of plants *. When the 

 weather has been intenfely cold, if a thaw fuddenly 

 comes on, the walls of houfes are all covered with 

 dew ; for thefe thawing winds, coming from a hotter 

 part of the world, bring with them a quantity of va- 

 pour, which is condenfed by the cold fubftances, when 

 it comes into a more northern climate. 



Various theories have been propofed to account for 

 the afcent of vapour. One of the moft plaufible is 

 that which attributes it to the attraction of the air; but 

 this theory is in a great meafure deftroyed, by the 



* This beautiful appearance has not efcaped the poets; the 

 Hebrew poets in particular have made the belt advantage of the 

 beauties of nature. The following is Buchanan's paraphrafe of a 

 part of the cxxxiii Pfalin. 



" Ut aura fuavis balfami, quum funditur 



Aaronis in facrum caput, 

 Et imbre lano proluens barbam & finus 



Limbum pererrat aureum: 

 Ut ros, tenella gemmulif argentiis 



Pingens Sionis gramina ; 

 Aut verna dulci inebrians uligine 



Hermonis intonfi juga." 



Sweet as the od'rous balfam pour'd 



On Aaron's facred head ; 

 Which o'er his beard and down his bread 



A breathing fragrance flied. 

 As morning dew on Sion's mount 



Beams forth a Jther ray ; 

 Or Jludt nvith gems the verdant pomp 



That Hermon's tops difplay. 



ccnfideracio- 



