PROGNOSTICS CO NT! N UED. 179 



venly bodies ; for as their rays pass through 

 the. atmosphere, the vapours in the air have the 

 same effect on each. 



When the farmer therefore sees the sun or 

 moon rise or set red and fiery, or sees the 

 clouds and horizon of that 'colour, he may ex- 

 pect wind and rain, owing to the unequal distri- 

 bution of the vapours, or to their being already 

 collected into watery globules by some preceding 

 cause. 



But if, according to the second rule, the sun 

 rises cloudy, and the clouds soon decrease, the 

 vapours are more equally distributed in the at- 

 mosphere; which equal distribution is also pro- 

 moted by the warmth of the rising sun* Hence 

 we may account for an observation adopted into 

 all languages. 



The evening red, the morning grey, 

 Are sure signs of ajlu't: day. 



For if the abundance of vapours denoted by 

 the red evening sky i alls down in dew, or fs 

 otherwise so equally dispersed in the air, that 

 the morning shall appear grey,, we may pro- 

 mise ourselves a fair day, from that equal 'state 

 of the atmosphere. 



If in the morning, some parts of the sky ap- 

 pear green between the clouds, while the sky 

 is blue above, stormy weather is at hand. 



The great Lord Bacon gives us the follow- 

 ing rules to jtfdge of the ensuing weather, from 

 the first appearance of the moon ; and it is said 

 that these rules of his have net er been known 

 to fail. 



if the new moon does not appear till the 



