ieee ob seed 
' Pee 
Natural Hiftory ; iii 
kee a 
'| Perception in other thingsto be difpofed elfwhere. Now itis true, that Di- 
| vination is attained by other means ; as if you Know the caufes, if you k now 
the Concomisants, youmay judge of the effed to follow ; and the like may be 
| faid of Difcovery. But we tyc our {elves here tothat Divination and Difcovery 
chiefly, which is caufed by anearly or fubtil Perceprion. < AO aL 
| . The aptnefs or propenfion of Air or Water ta corrupt or puirefie, 
}(no doubt) is to be found before it break forth into manifeft cffe@s of Dif. 
‘cafes, Blafting, orthelike. We willthcrefore fet down fome Prognofti “kg 
‘of Peftilential and unwholfomeyears. ss tte a 
ee — yininees 
| 
Sor. ‘The Wind blowing much from the South without Rain, and Worms’ : 
! 
in the'Oak-Apple, have been fpoken of before. Alfo theplénty of Frogs, | 
_Grafhoppers, Flies, and the like Creatures bred of Putrefa@ion,doth portend 
/Peftilential years. mre a 
| Great and early Heatsin the Spring, (and namely in May) without | 
Winds,portend the fame. And generally fo do years with little Wind or } 
Thunder. : a 
Great Droughts in Summer, lafting till towards the end of eAugus, | 
and fome gentle thowess uponthem, andthen fome dryweatheragain, do} 
‘portend a Peftilent Summer the year following : For abour the end o | 
Auguft, all the {weetnefs of the Earth which goeth into Plants or Trees is) 
exhaled ; (and much more if the Auguft be dry ) fo that nothing then 
can breath forth of the Earth but a grofs vapor, which is apt to corrupt } 
the Air; and that vapor by the firlt fhowers, if they begentle, is releafed, 
and cometh forth abundantly. ‘Therefore they that come abroad foon}) 
after thofefhowers are commonly taken with ficknefs. Andin 4frick no} 
Body will ftir out of doors after the firftfhowers. But if the firft fhowers |) 
come vehemently ,_ then they rather wath and fill the Earth, then give} 
it leave.to breath forth prefently. Butif dry weather come again, then} 
it fixeth and continueth the corruption of the Air upon the firft fhowers |) 
begun, and. maketh it of ill influence even to the next Summer, ex-} 
cepta very Frofty Winter difcharge it, which feldom fucceedeth fuch 
Droughts.. 5. 0: nae ot se: ra a 
The lefferInfe@tions of the Small-Pox, Purple Feavers, gues in the Sum- | 
mer precedent, and-hovering all Winter, ido portend a great Peftilence) 
in the Summer following: For Putrefation dothnot rife to its height at | 
once... 54 ealinds betas,” , — 
It were good'tolay apiece of raw Flefh or Fifh in the open Air | 
and ifit’putrefie quickly, it is'a fign of a difpofition in the Air to Par} 
trefa@ion. . And becaufe you cannotbe informed, whtherthe Putrefadi: 
on’ be ‘quick or late, | except you compare this Experiment with, 
like Experiment in another year 3 it were not amifs in the fame. 
and at the fame time; ‘to lay one piece of Flefh,or Fifh in the open 
and another:of the fame kinde and . bignefs within doors’: For 1 
that. if a general .di‘pofition be in the Air to putrefie, the Flefh o 
. | will feoner putrefiesabroad, -where the Air|hath more power then 
Houfe, where irhath lefs, being many ways corre@ed. And this Exper 
ment would be ngadeabout theend:of, March ;) for that feafon is likeftt 
difcover what the Winter hath done, and what. the Summer following 
| doupon theAir.: :Andbecaufethe Air: (no doubt) receiveth great 
and infufion from the Earth, it were good. to try that expofing o 
S02: 
803. 
\ 
804. 
305. 
+ 
\ 
Se a ndianeediininehanas ae a en ee 
ens tt} » 
PL 35th a 
i oe ; =o 
we — venta og at Rate senescent . ATES I a nt at = 
a > ee ° - — cs PE hese IN IFES 
