| i 406 | The one and thirtieth Booke 
.- fabtile, pure, and cleare, and bythat meanes they get their goodneffé, Which confidereds1 G 
*;,Rain water, Marveile verie much at thofe who make moft account of the *water gathered and kept ince. 
fternes : But they ground their opinion upon this reafon, becauferaine water is of all others — 
lighteft, as confilting of that fub{tance which wasable torife and mount up aloft, andthereto 
hang above in the aire. Which is the caufe alfo, that they preferre Snow water before that 
which commeth downe in {howers:and the water of yce diffolved, before the other of melted 
Snow; as if the water were by yce driven together and reduced to the utmoft point of finenefle., 
They collect hereby, that thefe waters, to wit,taine, fnow, and yce,bee all of them lighter than 
thole that {pring our of the earth: and yce among the reft farre lighter than any water, in pro- 
portion. Buc this opinion of theirs is to beereputed as erronious, and forthecommon good 
and profit of mankind to be refured : For firft and formoft, that levitie whereof theyfpeakecam py 
hardly or unneath bee found and knowne by anie other meanes than bythe fence and feeling 
of the itomacke : for if you goe to the weighing of waters, you {hall perceive little or no difte- 
rence atall in their ponte. Neitheris ira futficient argument to proove raine water to be light, | 
becaufe it afcendeth on high into the aire, for wee may fee ftones likewifedrawne up into the agi 
clouds : and befides, as the raine falleth downe againe, it cannot chute but be infected withthe 
grofle vapours of the earth, Whereby itcommeth to pafle, that wee findraine water ordina- 
rilycobee moft charged and corrupted with ordure and filthinefle: and by reafon thereof it 
heateth moft quickly, and corrupteth fooneft . As for {now and yce, that they fhould bee. 
thought to be compofed of the moft fubiile parts of this Element, and yeeld the fineftwarer, — 
I wonder much, confidering the neare affinitie which isberweene them and haile, which mighe 4 
induce us alfo to thinke the fame of it: bu all men confeffe and hold, that the fame ismofk 
peftilent and pernicious for to bee drunke. Moreover, there are amongft thenrnota few, who 
contrarie unto the opinion of other Phyficians their fellowes, affirme flatly and confidently 
the water of fnowand yce to bee the unwholefomett drinke thatis, for that all the puritieand 
finene{f< thereot hath beene drawne and fucked out . And inverie roth, wee find it by exe 
perience, that any liquour whatfoever dooth deminifh and confume greatly by beeing fro- 
acn or congealed into an yce. Wee fee befides, That over-grofle and foggie deawes breed a 
kind of {cuit orfeab in plants : whire frofts burneand fendge them: and both of thefe, the 
hore froft as well as the deaw, proceed from the fame caufes in a manner that fnowes does _ 
Certes, all Philofopbers agree inthis one point, That raine water putrifieth fooneft of amie 
other, and leatt while conunueth good in ahip, as faylers know full well. Howbeit, Epzge- 
wes avoucheth and aflirmeth, That the water which hath beene feven times putrified and as 
often purified againe, istubje@ no more unto purrifaction, And as foréefterne waters, the 
; Phyfictans alio tuemielves confeffe , That they breed obftruGtions and {chirrhofities in the 
bellie, yea,and otherwife bee hurttuli tothe throat. Asalfo, that there is not anie kind of wa» 
tex whatfocver, which gathereth more mud orengendereth more filthie and illfavoured vers 
mine than it dooth . either followeth it by and by, that all great river watersinditferently are 
the beft: no more than thofe of any brooke, or the moft part of ponds and pooles are to 
bee counted and efteemed moft wholefome. But of thefe kinds of water wee muft conclude ; 
and: refolve with making diftin@ion, namely, Thatthere be of everie fort thereof thofewhich g 
are fingular and very convenient, howbeit, moreia one place than in another. The kingsand ( 
princes of Perfia bee derved with no other water for their drinke bur from the tworivers, Cho- 
afpes and Eulzus onely : And looke how farre foever they make their progrefle or voyage 
from them two rivers, yet the water thereof they carrie with them. And what might the rea- 
fon bee thereof? Certes, itis not becaufe they bee rivers which yeeld this water, that they like 
the drinke fo well : for neither out of the two famous rivers, Tygrisand Euphrates, nor yet 
out of manie other faire and commodious running ftreames doe they drinke . Moreover, 
when you fee or perceive anie river to gather abundance of mud and filth, wote well, that ordi- 
narily the water thereof is not good nor holefome : and yet if the fame river orrunning {treame 
bee given tobreed great ftore of yee!es, the water is counted thereby wholefome and good [4 
_*Which fome ynough. And as this isa token of the goodnefle, fothe woormescalled *Tinez, engendered — 
takefor Sows. Abouc the head or {pring of any river, is as great afigne of coldneffle. Bitter waters of alljo- 
thers bee moft condemned : like as thofe alfo which toone follow the fpade in digging, and 
by reafon that they lie fo ebbe, quickly fill the’pit. And fuch be the waters cine 
; j a ALOQCZEN, 
af ’ A La « ' 7 | . -.7 
y <p Rio. . ee 
Behe SNe Tiel cet ing = esi 2 
