because the water that we drink is not simple in its proper nature but is mingled with earth and air but by the fire the windinesse is exhaled into vapour the earthy parts by the nature of the fire which doth refine and separate the divers natures descends to the bottome and there rests By this means water that is boiled becomes lesse windie than raw water because the windy quality that it had at the first is evaporated it is also more subtile and light being purified from the earthy parts and so much more easie to be kept and preserved so that it cool again and competently kept without much altering And by this we may know that Well-water is not so good as others because it participates more of the earth and is not purified by the heat of the Sun and therefore is more easie to corrupt yet the more water is drawn out of a Well the lesse hurtfull it is because the continuall moving hinders the accustomed corruption that fastens to waters inclosed and have no course and then nature sends new and fresh water according to the measure that hath been drawn out For this reason the waters of Lakes and standing Pools is the worst of all because for want of running they corrupt and breed evill things and many times infect the air which breeds diseases to those that live near them We must again consider that those waters which have their course towards the South are not so good as those which run towards the North because in the South parts the air is more mingled with vapours and moisture which spoils the water and endamages it And in the North parts the air is more subtile and lesse moist whereby it swels not nor is made so heavy For this cause the water that is most clear most light most subtile and most purified is the best because as we have said before it is less mingled with other elements and again being set over the fire it heats sooner then other water So it is a singular triall between two sorts of water to see which will be first hot in the same quantity by the same fire and the same space of time And also to see which will be the foonest cold for those are two arguments of the penetrable and subtile substance and forasmuch as the mingling of the earth among the water argues the weight of it it is good to choose the lightest which may be done by this experiment Take two pieces of linnen cloath both of the same weight and put one piece in one of the waters and the other in the other water and let them so remain till they be throughly wet then take them out and spread them in the air where the Sun comes not and when they are dry weigh them again and that piece that weighs most shews that water to be the heaviest Others weigh them in two neat glasse viols both of a weight Aristotle and Plinie say that the greatest cause that diversifies the quality of waters is from the substance of the earth from Stones Trees Minerall and Mettals by which Fountains and Rivers passe and this makes the one hot the other cold one sweet the other brackish Wherefore it is a certain rule that that water which hath neither smach nor smell is known to be the best All those that have writ of water maintain that that which pasteth through the Mines of gold is the best And that those Rivers are the most excellent in the world whose fine sands engender and preserve gold And now that we have spoken of Fountain and River it is fit we should speak something of rain water which is praised by some and censured by others Vitruvis Collumellus and some other Physitians give great praise of rain water when it falis clear and neat because say they it is light and not blended for so much as it proceeds of vapour which by its subtilty is mounted into the Region of the air and it is to be believed that the weighty and earthy part remains upon the earth And although some say that water that falls from the clouds corrupts presently as we see in standing pools which ingenders much impurity yet we must not say it is the fault of the water but that it is receaved in some place where either mud or some other pollution is and again by the means of that filth it carrieth along with it as it fals upon the ground when it rains aboundantly Wherefore the cause of its suddain corruption proceeds from that it is subtile and delicate and by the heat of the Sun and moisture of the water with the mixture of much filthinesse Yet if this water so subtile purged and clear were received falling from the tops of houses that were clean or at least when it falls from the clouds through the air before it touch any thing and if it were so received in clean vessels it would be better than others and would keep longer time There are some of the contrary opinion as Plinie who saith it is so unwholsome that one ought not to drink it because the vapours from whence it issues proceeds from many causes and places whence it receives much different qualities as well bad as good And shewing yet further reasons he answers those which we have before alledged and saith that the triall is not sufficient to say therefore it is good because it is lighter for being drawn out of the region of the air for such an evaporation is drawn on high by a secret violence of the Sun and by the same reason that is also vapour whereof the stonie hardnesse of hail is formed in the air which water is pernitious and likewise that of snow he saith further that besides this defect this rain water is made unwholsome by the vapour and heat of the earth than when it Rains And for an argument of its impurity we cannot but see how soon it will corrupt whereof is made a true experience at Sea where rain-water cannot be preserved For this cause we find fault with Wells and Cisterns Upon all these opinions every one may give his own as he thinks good as for me I approve lesse of rain-water then other although it be more necessary and that Plinie who finds fault with it saith That Fishes grow fat in Pools Lakes and Rivers and that when it rains they grow better and that they have need of rain-water Theophrastas saith that Garden hearbs and all others water them never so much they grow not so well as with rain-rain-water CHAP. XXI Of divers Lakes and Fountains whose waters have great proprieties IN this Chapter the first that we will speak of shall be the Lake of Judea called Asfaltide which since hath been named Mare Mcriunm The dead-Dead-sea Of this water is reported wonderfull things by Plinie â—oâ—umel and Diodoras First They say there is not any fish breeds in it nor any other living thing and that no living thing sinks into it So that
if a man be cast in or any other creature they can not swim in it nor move Plinie and Aristotle reports so much to give a reason of this and of its effect they say The water of this Lake is grosse very salt and thick Cornelius Tacitus adds to it this property That for any great wind whatsoever it stirs not nor makes any waves at all The same Authors and also Solon in his Pâ—lihistor saith that at certain times there conglutinates in this Lake a certain kind of thick substance or slime which is a very strong Cyment or glew more strong than any other which is called Bitumen and Asfalta We read also of other Lakes that bring forth the like kind of Cyment As one in Babylon with which Cyment Semeramis caused the stones of the great and renowned Walls of Babylon to be joined Into this Lake of Judea falls the River Jordan whose water is excellent but falling thereinto this excellent water looses its great virtue by the unaptnesse of this Lake It is said that Domitian sent to make experience of this Lake and it was found as is aforesaid Plinie writes of another in Italy named Avernus near the Sea in the Gulf of Bagas And that Lake hath this property that no bird flies over it that drops not dead into the water The Poet Lucretius gives a naturall reason for it saying that for the thicknesse of Trees that are there and because of the great shade there comes forth such a grosse and infected vapour that it stifles the birds And he saith further that this proceeds from the Mines of Sulphire that are there Theophrastus and Plinie reports of another Fountain called Licos in Judea and an other in Ethiopia whose water have a like efficacy and are of the property of oil because being put in Lamps they wil burn Pomponius Mela and Solon writing of Ethiopia say That there is a Lake there whose water is very sweet and clear yet if any one bath himself in it he cometh out as greasie as if he had come out of a bath made of oil The same Vituvius reports and saith further that in Cicilie there is a River and near to Carthage a Fountain that have these properties also Solon Theophrastus and Isioâ—â—rus speaking of two Fountains the one whereof if a woman should drink of it she would become barren And on the contrary if a barren woman should drink of the other it would make her become fruitfull They write also of another in Arcadia which whosoever drinks of dies immediately Aristotle in his naturall questions speaks of one in Thrace that hath the like effect and another in Sarmatie Likewise Heroditus saith in his fourth Muse and Plinie and Solon affirms it That the River Hippenis which is great its water is very sweet and good yet neverthelesse there is a little Fountain which comes into it and the bitternesse of that Fountain is so great that it makes all the rest of the River so bitter that it is not possible to drink a drop of it The same Authors and also Isiodorus writes of two other Fountains which are in Boecia the one of which make one totally loose the memory the other strengthens it and makes those thar drink of it remember what the had forgotten and of one that qualifies the prickings of the Flesh and another that provokes them There is one in Cicily called Aretuse of which besides as one writes it hath an infinit abundance of Fish they write on marvellous things that is that within this Spring there hath been many times found many notable things which have been cast into the River Alfice which is in Achaye a Country in Greece For this cause they all maintain that the water of this rivet goeth through the bowels of the earth to this Fountain under the sea which is between Câ—cilie and Achaye The Authors that treat of it are such great persons and so worthy of credit that it makes me bold to recite them Seneca astirms it Pline and Pomponius Mela Strabo and Servius upon the tenth Eglogue of Virgâ—l Solâ—n and Isiodore reports of a Fountain upon which if he put his hand whom we would have to swear and take an oath if he affirm by it a thing contrary to truth the eies of the perjured drie up and grows blind And Plinio saith the like of a River which burneth the hands of the perjured who had sworn by it by laying his hands upon the water of it Philostratâ—s in his second book of the life of Apollo Tianc saith That there is a River that if he that had washed his hands and feet in it had perjured and sworn false he would have been incontinent turned to a Leaper Dâ—odorus saith as much of an other River And if it seems to any one that these things are hard to be believed he must know that Istoâ—orus was a holy and a learned man and hath written of them and followed in many places the Authors here alledged and speaks of many others As of the Fountain of Iacob in Idumea saying that four times a year it changeth its color And of a Lake that is amongst the Troglodites which three times a day and three times a night changeth its sweet tast into bitter and the bitternesse into sweet again And also of a Brook in Judea which every Sabboth day was dry which is affirmed by Plinie Writing again of another Fountain which is in the Country of the Garamonts the which in the day time is sweet and so cold that it is impossible for any one to drink of it And in the night so hot that whosoever puts his hand into it would be burned and was called the Fountain of the Sun Of this Fountain hath written for truth Arian Diodoras and Quintus Curstus Lucrecia the Poet gives the reason of it It is a wonderfull thing of the Fountain of Elusine which is very clear and still yet if any one sound any instrument very near it it will fall a boiling that the water will leap above the brinks as though it rejoiced at the sound of the Musick This is certified by Aristotle in his book of the wonders of nature by Solon and the old Poet Ennius Vitruvius speaks also of a River named Chimere which water is very sweet neverthelesse parting it self into two streams the one is sweet the other is bitter wherefore it is supposed that it draweth that bitternesse from the earth by which it passes and therefore that seems no wonder Albeit it be not easie to believe the divers qualities of other waters whereof we have spoken before let us not wonder any more when we shall know the reasons The same Authors make mention yet of another River named Silar which turns to stone whatsoever branch or twig is thrown into it In Illirica there is a Fountain of sweet water which burns any thing that is put into it There is another in Epire in which if you put a burning
without waiting for confirmation of the Emperour Lowes son to Charls the great wherefore he sent his Ambassadours to excuse it and say that he was constrained by the people not to stay for his confirmation the Emperor Lewes accepted this excuse and nevertheless sent them word that he would that the ancient customes should be retained and kept A long time after during which the malice of men increased there were divers scandals and disorders found in the Elections which to remedie Pope Nicholas the second of that name in the year One thousand seventy nine being in publick Councel made a Decree which begins In nomini Domini in the three and twentieth distinction by which he gives the authority of choise onely to Bishops Priests and Cardinals following which Ordinance even to this day is made a worthy and Canonical Election without seeking or waiting for the Imperial confirmation for this Priviledge proceeds not so much from reason as from the grace and permission of the Church and Pope to which all Emperours and Kings submit and humble themselves as their Superiour and Head over all Vicar and Lievtenant of Christ the toleration and permission whereof ceasing the use likewise ceaseth to Kings and Emperours CHAP. XI Of Men that are bred in the Sea and some other things of note IT is one marvelous thing and that which draws men into a deep contemplation of the works of God the great diversity of Fishes in the Sea and likewise of the Beasts of the Earth Plinie Albertus Magnus Aristotle and divers other Philosophers treat much of them I know very well that a reasonable man is found no where but upon the earth and men inhabit not in the water Nevertheless I have read there are fishes in the sea that have the shape of a man amongst which there are male and female and the female hath the very form of a woman and are called Nereides and the male Tritons whereof I will not recite many things in reckoning up a great number of men of light and small authority which I have heard report to this purpose things strange and variable Yet nevertheless I will say that which hath been written by men of authority grave and worthy of credit Amongst the which Plenie saith That in the time of the Emperour Tiberius the inhabitants of Lisbon a Town in Portugal then famous and is yet sent Ambassadors to the Emperour to certifie him that they had seen one of these Tritons retire and hide himself sometimes in a Cave near the Sea and that there he made Musick with the shell of a fish and sayes yet further that Octavius Augustus was certified that they had seen upon the coast of France divers Nereides or Mer-maids but indeed they were dead upon the sea-shote And so hath Nero that amongst many fishes that the sea had cast up upon the sands there were found Nereides and other sorts of sea-beasts of the likeness of many beasts that are upon the earth Elian writes as much and besides what the Ancients write of these things and mony other such like modern writers declare also marvelous things and amongst others Theodore Gaze a man very learned in divers Sciences and lived in our times of whom some have writ and in especial Alexander of Alexandria who sayes that Theodore Gaze being in Greece upon the sea-coast he saw after a great tempest the sea had cast up upon the sands a great number of fishes amongst which was one Nereide or fish with a perfect humane face and a very fair woman even to the girdle and the rest downwards was the shape of a fish ending in the tail sharp like an Eel just like that which we see painted which we call a Mer-maid and that this Syren was upon the sands shewing by her gesture that she was in great pain and sorrow Alexander says further that this Theodore Gaze caught it and as well as he could put it into the water where it was no sooner entred but it began to swim neatly slinking it self out of sight on a sudden and was never after seen Georgius Trapozensus a man of no less learning and authority affirms likewise passing by the sea-shore to have seen a fish raise it self above water and all that was seen from the middle upwards was the shape of a very beautifull woman whereat he stood no lesse affrighted then amazed with wonder and so hid himself to discover the shape till she perceived that she was espied by means whereof she put her self into the water and was never after seen All this is wonderfull and yet who would not believe such men being seconded with what I shall yet say Alexander of Alexandria saies that he was advertized for a certain truth that in Epire there is a fountain near the Sea to which children went often to fetch water and that near to that place came out a Triton and hid himself in a Cave and there kept himself close till he saw a young maid alone whom he would take away and carry with him into the sea which he had done oftentimes whereof the inhabitants being advertised set ambushes for him so that he was taken and brought before the Justice of the place where he was found in all his members agreeable to a man wherefore they assayed to keep him and gave him meat to eat but he would not touch a bit of any thing that was offered him and so he died as well of famine as that he was too many daies in an Element that was strange to him and altogether contrary to his own proper nature This History is also recounted by Peter Gellie a Modern Authour in his book that he hath written of beasts and saies that while he lived at Marsellus heard an old Fisher-man report that his father had told him for truth that he had seen a Tryton or Mer-man such a one as we have spoken of which was presented to King Renus A thing therefore so approved and by so many Authors and that all the world holds for a certain ought not to be reputed a lie but held for a truth CHAP. XII Of the division of the ages of the World and the notable things that hapned in them And also of the beginning of Kingdomes ALthough every one takes pleasure to speak of the ages of the world and of things that have hapned in the one and what hath been seen in the other yet there are many that know not how this division is made nor how many years is given to every of them The Age of the life of the world even unto this day is divided by the greatest part of Authors in six parts or Ages Though some would perswade us there are seven which is the division which the Hebrews make But as for me I will follow the opinion of Eusebius and the common opinion of all the Historians that name but six Afterwards upon the division of these ages there is yet so great confusion and difference amongst
Torch it puts it out and if you put it in unlighted it will light it and alwaies at midday it is dry then when the day darkneth it begins to encrease again that at midnight it will be so full that it runs over In Persia they say there is a Fountain which makes their teeth fall out that drinks of it In Arcadia there are certain Fountains which run from some hils which water is so cold that there is no vessel neither gold nor silver nor any other mettal could hold it for as far as they fill it it breaks in pieces nor can be held in any other vessel but such as are made of the hoof of a Mule We will scarce believe that amongst Rivers although very great there are some that run into the earth and then rise again a good way off if we would have examples even Vadian in Spain Tigris doth so likewise in Armenia and Licus in Asia There are also Fountains of sweet water which entring into the Sea keep above the salt water Of which number there is one in Sicilie and an Isle named Enarie upon the coast of Naples We know wel that in Egypt it rains not but that naturally the River Nilus overflows and waters all the ground leaving it moist and fit to bring forth fruit There are two Rivers in Beocia In the one of which all sheep that are dipt it makes their fleeces black the other makes them white In Arabia there is another Fountain that makes all beasts that drink of it vermilion red of all which waters that have these properties Aristotle speaks copiously The River Lyncestis hath this quality that it makes any that drinks of it drunk as if it were wine In the Island Cea according to Pliny there is a fountain which he that drinks of becomes sottish There is a Lake in Thrace which if any one drink of or if they but bathe in it they die incontinent There is also a River in Pontus which brings forth a kind of Stones that burn and when there is the least wind they light and the more they are in the water the more they burn They also write of divers waters which heal diseases whereof there is one in Italy called Zize which heals sore eys Another in Achaia which if a woman great with child drink of she shall have a good delivery Divers others also that heal other infirmities As the Stone the Leprosie and the Tertian Ague and the Quartan Ague whereof Therphrastus Plinie and Vitruvius speaks There is another River in Mesapotomia that sends forth a sweet odour Baptista Fulgosa saith in his collections That in our time there was a Fountain in England in which if you cast in a piece of wood in the space of a year it would become Stone Himself testifies that which Albertus Magnus speaks of which is That there is a Fountain in high-Germany and Albertus saith that with his own hands he put a piece of wood into that water which became perfect stone and that part that touched not the water remained wood as before The same Fulgosa reports another property of a Fountain which is very strange for if a man walk about it viewing of it and looking into it without speaking any word he shall find it clear and quiet but if he speak never so little when he is near or going away from it the water will be roubled and begin to bubble he himself witnesseth to have seen iâ— and to have tried the experience himself for looking into the Fountain intentivery without speaking he saw it fair and clear But when he spake the water was troubled and moved with such force as though one had been stirring in it with something In France there is one as he writes that is extream cold yet many times there is flames of fire seen to come out of it Plinie saith that divers make a conscience to join faith to these things But they may be well perswaded that the great effects of nature shew themselves more evidently in that element of water then in any other Though the wonders are so many yet ought we not to think any one of them impossible and especially those that are cerufied by such Authors as I have alledged here Again we are sufficiently certified by the testimony of those that have seen in our time in an Island in the Canaries called For in a place well inhabited with people which serve there selves with no other water but what they draw out of a Trough or Cistern into which distils and drains abundantly the juyce of a Tree which is in the middle of this Island at the foot of which Tree nor any place near it there is neither Fountain nor Prock and neverthelesse this Tree is alwaies so moist that from its leaves branches and boughs the water drops necessantly and runs into this trough or cistern in so great abundance that night and day they receive enough to serve for their necessiâ—ies throughout the Island which we should hardly believe if it were but onely put to writing Therefore none ought to think strange that which we have before recited for this element of water is so powerfull and so necessary that its forces and qualities are neverstrange As for the Sea it is said it is more hot in winter than in Summer and more salt in Autumn than at any other time And it is a thing of great wonder that casting oil into the Sea appeaseth the rage and fury thereof Again we know for certain that it never snows in the places near about the Sea that are far from firm land Of all these things many give divers reasons the greatest part of which is attributed to the propriety and quality of the earth and Mines whence Fountains spring and Rivers runs through That it is true it is proved by that which we see daily that Vines and other fruits of the earth are better in one place than in another because in one place they are sweet and in another sharp and sower the one good and profitable the other damageable and hurtfull The air it self is corrupted and becomes pestilential by passing through a naughty Country What marvel is it then if water which washes and penetrates the earth stones mettals hearbs roots and trees take their good or evil qualities be they as strange as may be especially being assisted by the force of the Planets and the Stars CHAP. XXII Of many things which happened at the Birth and Death of our Saviour recited by many Historians besides that which is recorded by the Evangelists ALthough the things certified by the Evangelists to be manifested by great wonder at the Birth and Death of our Saviour are most certain and worthy of all belief yet me thinks it convenient to make some mention of other wonderfull things that were seen by other persons that have writ them Paul Horatius and Eutropius Secretaries to Octavian and likewise Eusebius say That at the time that Jesus Christ
the use of his limbs and cast him to the ground tormenting him as if he were mad And he saith more that the Enchantment which it brings by the eys pierceth or striketh through one person to another by the imagination of him that causeth the charm So S. Thomas speaking after Avicon asks which soonest kills a body the melancholy imagination or the delectable imagination by the violence of the one or the other Joy expels and forceth out the spirits and leaves a man without life the other binds them in so strong that thereby grows a violent suffocation We saw in Sivile James Osorius who was taken by the Catholick King by the strong imagination of the fear which he conceived became old and white haired onely in one night being the day before strong and young Again we see that imagination many times makes men become fools and at such times so ill and crazie that its effects and power is wonderfull CHAP. XVII What Countrey-man Pilate was How he died And of the Lake called the Lake of Pilate and of its property And also of the Den of Dalmatia PIlate the most wicked and unjust Judge that ever was or ever shall be was according to common opinion born at Lyons in France yet some of that Nation will not have any such thing but say this name Pontius comes from a house in Italie and of Pontius Ireneas Captian of the Samnites which vanquished the Romans Be it how it will this Pilate either for respect to his person or to his parentage came to be of great note in Rome and being known to Tiberius successour to Octavius according to Josephus and Eusebius was sent by him in the twelfth year of his Empire to govern Jerusalem and stiled him with the dignity of Proctor of the Empire So then Pilate governed the holy City and all the Province of Judea which is called Palestina And he held this Officeren years in the seventh of which and the eighteenth of the Emperor Tiberius according to Eusebius and Beda he gave sentence of death upon the Saviour and Redeemer of all mankind our Lord Jesus Christ God and Man at which time came to passe those things which are written by the holy Evangelists of his Death and Passion whose Resurrection was so publick in Jerusalem although they sought by all means to hide it that Pilate thought although he were wicked that such Resurrection and Miracles were not of humane power but of God For this cause as Eusebius and Tertullian recites he advertised the Emperour Tyberius for it was the custome of Consuls and Pro-consuls to advertise the Emperour or the Senate what things happened in their Provinces This news marvellously amazed the Emperour which made him refer it to the Senate to sit ill Councel to know if it mighâ— seem good that this Prophet should be worshipped for a God which he did because they could not without the authority of the Senate worship any new God in Rome without the slighting of their other Gods But as the divinity of Christ hath no need to confirm it self by the approbation of men onely God suffered that the Senators would do nothing in it On the contrary as these Authours say they were displeased that Pilate had not writ to them as well as to Tyberius yet for all this Tyberius forbad the further persecution of Christians After these things Pilate coming to live in Rome and confirmed by the Devil for his loyal servant did never after do any thing in his Office but unjust and unlawfull acts Whereof being accused before Cajus Caligula Successour to Tyberius And also to have profaned the Temple by putting in Statues and Images and to have robbed the common Treasury and other grievous crimes was banished to the town of Lions some say to Vienna in Dauphenie and because this place was assigned for his banishment some say that this was the place of his birth he was so handled that he killed himself with his own hands which was by divine permission that he might die by the hand of the most wickeddest man in the world Eusebius saith that he killed himself eight years after the death of our Saviour of which this accused Pilate made no profit to himself forasmuch as he died in despair For the goodnesse of God is so great that although he had condemned his son to death yet if he had repented him of his sin him whom he had condemned to die would have given him eternall life And now we speak of Pilate I remember of a Lake so called this Lake is in Suisse near a Town called Lucerna in a Plain environed with very high Mountains from the highest of which as some say he casts himself into the water And the common report is that every year he shews himself there in his Judges habit but whosoever it be that by chance happens to see him either man or woman dies within the year Over and beyond this I will bring upon the stage to witnesse it Ioachin Vadian a learned man who expounded Pomponius Mela he writes also an other notable thing of this Lake very true and wonderfull he saith it hath such a property that if any one cast a stone into it or a piece of wood or any other thing this Lake swels and grows into such a boisterous Tempest that it runs beyond its bounds in great fury in such sort that sometimes it drowns a great part of the Country from whence proceeds great losse and damage as well to trees and Plants as to beasts and neverthelesse if these things are not cast in expresly it swels not at all And this Ioachin saith further that there are Edicts that forbids upon pain of life for any one to cast any thing into this Lake and that divers that have transgressed this edict have been executed whether this proceeds of a naturall cause or by a miracle I know not howsoever some waters have great and wonderfull properties part whereof there may be reasons given for and for others none Plinie recites a thing like to this and saith that in Dalmacia there is a very deep Pit or Den into which if one cast a stone or any other heavy thing there arises such a boistrous and furions air out of it that it breeds a dangerous tempest to the neighbours thereabout It may very well be but I am not certain of it that Pilates body was cast into it and that Devil by divine permission because of his ignominie executes such effects in that place CHAP. XVIII Of a strange thing that happened to one of the sons of Cresus King of Lydia and to the child of another King amongst which there in a discourse That is to say whether speech be a thing natural to man and whether man onely hath speech HErodotus writes a wonderfull thing that hapned to a son of Cresus King of Lydia and so it is reported by Aulus Gelius This Cresus was a rich King and he which Cyrus destroyed as
of time even to the bottome of the water till the child made a sign to rise again In this solace and sport they spent many daies during which the Dolphin came every day to present himself to the brink of the Sea But at one time the child being naked swimming in the Sea and getting upon the Dolphin willing to hold fast one of the sharp pricks in the Fin of the Dolphin run into his belly which wounded him so that the child died immediately in the water which the Dolphin perceiving and seeing the bloud and the child dead upon his back he swam presently to the shore and as though he would punish himself for this fault swimming in great fury he leaped out of the water carrying with him as well as he could the dead child which he so much loved and died upon the shore with him This very thing is recited by Plinie and others with examples of Dolphins which have born love to men And particularly he saith that in the time of the Emperour Octavian another Dolphin in the same manner took love to a child upon the Sea-coast near to Pusoll and that every time this child called Simon they say this fish will run at that name it came presently to the Sea brink the child mounted upon the back of it and the Child was carried into the sea as little away as he would and brought back again safe He saith also that this child dying by accident of sicknesse and the Dolphin coming divers times to the accustomed place not finding the child there died also Plinie the second Nephew to the great Plinie recites marvellous things of the Dolphin in his ninth book of his Epistles in an Epistle which begins thus Incidi in materiam veram c CHAP. XXX Why Snow being covered with straw it preserves it in its coldnesse and hot water in its heat seeing they are two contrary effects by one and the same thing with some other secrets TO men of wit and lovers of the contemplation of the works of nature there shall not any thing present it self though never so slight or of little worth but they will find something of note in it which may yield them content when they have found it out We may find many men that if we should ask them the reason and what is the cause that Snow being covered with straw is preserved a long time in its cold nature of Snow without melting they could not tell what to say To this Alexander Aphrodise an excellent Parepatetick answers That straw hath no manifest or known quality it is neither hot nor cold so that some have named it without any quality for this cause because it is so singularly temperate and delicate even to such a degree as we cannot say whether it be hot or cold and so easily converts it self unto the qualitie of the thing whereunto it is adjoined so that putting it upon snow which is cold the straw pertakes of the cold quality of it and by the means thereof aids and maintains the coldnesse of the Snow as a thing of one quality helped by another without heating it at all because it hath none so the Snow being accompanied with cold and defended from heat which the straw keeps from it preserves it self in the same being a long time and longer than if it were not covered with straw By the same reason it works a contrary effect in warm-water because being covered with straw the straw receiveth immediately the quality of heat from the water and being so heat it aids and keeps the water in its heat and defends and keeps away the air that would cool it By this reason we may understand and find out other dificulties and doubts which curious persons may put unto us like unto this We know well that besides our naturall and inward heat that which causeth heat in us in Summer is the air which in that season is much more hot then at any other times in the year so the hotter the air is the more we feel the heat If then it be so now cometh it that we find more coldnesse and freshnesse and lesse heat in giving our selves air in summer by fanning and moving it when Aristotle saith motion causeth greater heat so that the air by this agitation ought to be hot it self and heat us more than if it were left quiet and unmoved The cause proceeds from this that we have more heat in our bodies then there is in the air as well naturally as what the air worketh in us For the air coming freshly I say freshly because it is more temperate then our selves it something tempers us but being at rest about us it heats it self by our heat as we have said before of the straw it preserves nay augments this heat howbeit if it be agitated and often renewed in coming upon us more temperate than we are our selves this temperature and difference which we find of lesse heat moderates that which we have from our selves This is the answer that Alexander and Aristotle gives to this question We must notwithstanding observe and note That if the air be more hot than the heat which we have from our selves the agitation and fanning of that air will not be so good because we shall find greater heat by so doing So let us see now to come again to hot water If we put our hands into it we shall have much ado to keep them in yet if we hold our hands still we may endure it better than if we stir them up and down because the water which surrounds the cold hand tempers a little that which is about it but in stirring it in the water the water renews its heat and begets every time new force We may ask again Why is it hotter in June and althrough July the Sun being then farther from us than at the beginning of June when we are in the Solstice and longest daies in the year beats more right upon us with his rays To which Aristotle answers in the second of his Meteors that the heat of the Sun is not the cause nor do we feel it the more by being near to us but when it hath the longer time to be over us because in June July it hath had a longer time to draw near unto us so in declining it causes a greater heat for it heats again in its descent the part and track of the air which it had before heat by its rising CHAP. XXXI In what part of the Zodiack the Sun the Moon and the rest of the Planets were placed when they were made And which was the beginning of years and times AS the Philosopher saith men are naturally curious to know and again in this case such is their covetousness greedy desire of human understanding that they content not themselves alone with the things that they comprehend with ease But beyond that they search and strive with great presumption to know and understand