5^8 Phyfical Ohjervations &c. 



CHAP. III. 



PhvJicalOhfervattons &c. or anEJfay towards the Natural 

 Hiliory of ^yuB., Phoenice, ^«^^^f Holy Land. 



The Air ajid 

 Weather the 



TH E Air and Weather^ in thefe Countries, differ very 

 little from the Defcriptions that have been given of 

 them in the Natural Hiftory of Barhary \ For, among many 

 other Particulars, of the like Nature and Quality, which need 

 not be repeated, we find the wefterly Winds to be here attend- 

 ed with Rain ' ; whilft thofe from the Eaft, are ufually dry, 

 notwithftanding they are fometimes exceedingly hazy, and 



j'"'^J;'^^);-tempeftuous. Now, at thefe Conjunctures, the eafterly Winds 



WLevan- gj-g called , by the Sea-faring People, Levanters, being not 

 confined to any one fingle Point, but blowing, in all DireiSions, 

 from the N. E. to the S. E. 



donlTjl«- The Euroclydon\ which we read of in the Hiftory of St. 



\t!l ""' "^ Taulj (A6lsx7. 14.) was nothing more, as I conjecture, than 

 one of thefe ftrong Levanters. For it was (as St. Luke de- 

 fcribeth it) *»e/ws Tv^iavaos % a violent, ox tempe/luous IVind, bear- 

 ing away all before it ; and, from the Circumftances which at- 



1 Vid. p. 217, 218. &c. 2 This Branch of the Natural Hiftory is occifionally taken 

 Notice of in the Scriptures. When ye fee a. Cloud rife out of the Weft, Jlraightwaj ye faj, there 

 Cometh a. Shnver and fo it is. Luice 12. ^4. Elijah went up to the Top ofCarmel, ** and faid to 

 his Servant, go up now, look_towards the Sea, (i. e. to the WeftwardJ ** And he faid, behold 

 there arifeth a little Cloud out of the Sea, like a Mans Hand. And he faid. Go up, fay unto Ahab, 

 prepare thy Chariot and get thee down that the Rain flop thee not. yind it came to pafs in the mean 

 winle, that the Heaven was black^wtthClouds, and there was a great Rain. 3 EufoxAiIcfoi'j accord- 

 ing to the Annotations of Erafmus, Vatablus and others, is faid to be. Vox hinc duHa, quod 

 tngentes excitet fluctus ; as if thofe Commentators underftood it to have been, as P/;<ivon««i 

 writes it (in voce T<^^v) Ei^vtXuJhiv, and, as fuch, compounded of sJ^vf, (latus, amplus Sec.) and 

 rOiiSiiVy fiuiius. But rather, if an £r^7«o/o^7 is required, as we find xAiI./^i' ufcd by the LXXII. 

 (yoM. I. 4. 12.) inftead of IJ^D, which always denotes a Tempcft, asl conjcdure, proper- 

 ly fo called, EvpeiaJiAji' will be the fame with Ei/pn jauXif, i.e. anEafiern Tempeft, and fo far ex- 

 prefs the very Meaning that is affixed to z Levanter at this Time. 4 Though Tuifm or Tuip^t 

 may fometimes denote a Whirlwind, yet ic feems in general to be taken for any violent Wind 

 or Tempeft. According to an Obfervation oiGrotius upon the Place, Juditts Helleniflis Ti/^af 

 efl qu&vis violentior Procella. Tk 3SJ >MTcuyiJ6J^( h'ni.v! Jvp^ Hg.\*<!i, fays Sutdas. ^riflot. de 

 Mundo. cap. 4. feems to diftinguifh it from the n^^sTij, (which he calls a violent flrong Wind) 

 by not being attended with any Fiery Meteors. Eair ^i [■TtvcZiut) vi(A7iv^y i, ojpoJfov j h>M( hsh 

 ihp'ttov, npHr»p (jjaAHTtu) ieiy ■j ItTivefv ^ T:a.vT^5<, Ti/jar. Tufar as Olympiodorus , in his Comment upon 

 the foregoing Paflage inftrufts us, is fo called, a^ to tottw </>* tiJ wx"*' 'S wJjyufns ; or s/<i n 

 TUTiiny afoSfai, as we read it in C. a Lapide. Aft. 27. 14. Tv^v jap 'Siit « n Avifxts g^oSfa. mok "at 

 1^ f^pw^^!A)^ ng.KH7tu. Phavor. in Lex. One of thefe Levanters is elegantly defcribed by Virgil 

 (Geor. 2. 1. ro7.) in the following Lines. 



Ubi navigijs vistintior incidit Emus, 



NofTe, quot Jonii veniant ad litora fluilus. 



tended 



