Sunt et alia ventorum nomina Apeliotes, Argestes, Olympias, Scyron, Hellespontius, Iapyx.' Ea ni moramur. Satis sit nomina ventorum ex ordine et distributione plagarum cœli fixa imposuisse. In interpretatione authorum non multum ponimus, cum in ipsis authoribus parum sit.

Venti Liberi.

Ad Art. 6. 1. Non est plaga cœli, unde ventus non spiret. Quin si plagas cœli in tot partes dividas quot sunt gradus in Horizonte, invenias ventos aliquando alicubi a singulis flantes.

2. Sunt regiones totæ in quibus non pluit, aut raro admodum. At non sunt regiones ubi non flent venti, et sæpius.

Venti Generales.

Ad Art. 2. De ventis Generalibus phænomena rara. Nil mirum, cum intra Tropicos præcipue perspiciantur, loca damnata apud antiquos.

1. Constat navigantibus inter tropicos, libero æquore, flare ventum constantem et jugem (Brizam vocant nautæ) ab oriente in occidentem. Is non ita segnis est, quin partim flatu proprio, partim regendo currentem maris, id efficiat, ut nequeant navigantes versus Peruviam eadem redire qua proficiscuntur via.2

2. In nostris maribus Europa, percipitur cœlo sereno et sudo, et cessantibus ventis particularibus, aura quædam lenis ab oriente, solisequa.

3. Recipit observatio vulgaris, nubes sublimiores ferri plerumque ab oriente in occidentem; idque cum, iisdem temporibus, circa terram aut tranquillitas sit aut ventus diversus. Id si non semper faciant, poterit in causa esse, quod venti particulares quandoque flant in sublimi, qui ventum istum generalem obruunt.

Monitum. Si quis sit talis Ventus Generalis ex ordine motus cœli, is non adeo firmus est, quin Ventis Particularibus cedat. Manifestior autem est intra Tropicos, propter circulos quos

All these names of winds may be found in Pliny, ii. 44. except Iapyx; for which see Seneca, Nat. Quæst. v. 17. The identification of Eurus with Subsolanus is sanctioned by Aulus Gellius, ii. 22. Generally speaking, Eurus is made to correspond with Vulturnus, Gilbert, in his Physiologia, iv. 4, proposes to give a table of winds which apparently would have been similar to Bacon's; but the MS. is imperfect, and Gruter supplies the lacuna by a transcript of the latter.

See, as to the identification of Eurus with Subsolanus, Smith, Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul, p. 59., and the appendix.

2 In Acosta's History of the Indies (I use Regnault's French translation, 1600), the trade wind is called brise, which corresponds to Bacon's briza. Acosta mentions the difference between the course followed in going to Peru and in returning from it. See Hist. des Indes, iii. 4.

conficit majores; etiam in sublimi, propter eandem causam et propter cursum liberum. Quamobrem, si hic extra Tropicos et juxta terram (ubi mollis admodum et segnis est) eum deprehendere voles, fiat experimentum in aëre libero, et in summa tranquillitate, et in locis altis, et in corpore valde mobili, et tempore pomeridiano, quia per id tempus ventus orientalis particularis parcius flat.

Mandatum. Fiat diligens observatio circa pinnacula, et ejusmodi flabella, in fastigiis turrium et templorum, annon in maximis tranquillitatibus stent perpetuo versus occidentem? 4. Constat Eurum, in Europa nostra, esse ventum desic

Phænomenon

obliquum.

cantem et acrem, Zephyrum contra humectantem et almum. Annon hoc fit, quia (posito quod aër moveat ab oriente in occidentem) necesse est ut Eurus, qui moveat in eadem consecutione, aërem dissipet et attenuet; unde fit aër mordax et siccus; Zephyrus autem, qui in contraria, aërem in se vertat et condenset; unde fit obtusior, et demum humidus. 5. Consulito inquisitionem de motu et fluxu aquarum,

Phænomenon obliquum.

utrum illæ moveant ab oriente ad occidentem. Nam si extrema hoc motu gaudeant, cœlum et aquæ, parum abest quin aër, qui intermedius est, ex eodem participet.

Monitum. Phænomena duo, proxime posita, obliqua appellamus, quia rem designatam non recta monstrant, sed per consequens; id quod (cum deest copia phænomenorum rectorum) etiam avide recipimus.

Mandatum. Quod Briza illa inter Tropicos luculenter spiret, res certa, causa ambigua. Possit ea esse, quia aër, more cœli, movetur; sed extra Tropicos, quasi imperceptibiliter, propter circulos minores; intra, manifesto, propter circulos majores quos conficit. Possit alia esse, quia calor omnem aërem dilatat, nec se priore loco contineri patitur. Ex dilatatione autem aëris necessario fit impulsio aëris contigui, quæ brizam istam pariat prout progreditur sol. Sed illa intra Tropicos, ubi sol est ardentior, insignior est; extra, fere latet. Videtur esse Instantia Crucis, ad ambiguitatem istam tollendam, si inquiratur, utrum briza noctu flet, an non? Rotatio enim aëris etiam noctu manet, at calor solis non item.

6. At certum est illam noctu non flare, sed mane, aut etiam

aurora adulta. Nihilominus non determinat illa Instantia quæstionem. Nam condensatio aëris nocturna, præsertim in illis regionibus ubi nox et dies non magis pares sunt spatiis quam differentes calore et frigore, possit motum illum naturalem aëris (qui lenis est) hebetare et confur dere.

7. Si aër participet ex motu cæli, sequitur non tantum quod Eurus cum motu aëris concurrat, Zephyrus concertet; verum etiam quod Boreas tanquam ab alto spiret, Auster tanquam ab imo, in hemisphærio nostro, ubi Polus Antarcticus sub terra est, Arcticus elevatur; idque etiam ab antiquis notatum est, sed titubanter et obscure1; optime autem convenit cum experientia moderna, quia briza (quæ possit esse motus aëris) non est Eurus integer, sed Euro-aquilo.2

Ad Art. 3.

Venti Stati.

Ut in inquisitione de ventis Generalibus hoConnexio. mines scototomiam passi sunt, ita in illa de ventis Statis vertiginem: de illa silent, de hac sursum et deorsum sermones faciunt inconditos. Ignoscendum hoc magis, quod varia res est: quia Stati Venti cum locis permutantur, ut non iidem in Ægypto, Græcia, Italia spirent.

1. Esse alicubi Statos Ventos, etiam nomen impositum declarat; ut et nomen alterum Etesiarum, quod Anniversarios sonat. 2. Apud antiquos inter causas inundationis Nili ascripta est, quod eo anni tempore Venti Etesiæ (Aquilones scilicet) flarent, qui cursum fluvii in mare inhibebant et retrorsum volvebant.3

3. Inveniuntur in mari currentes, qui nec naturali motui oceani, nec decursui ex locis magis elevatis, nec angustiis ex

1 Bacon means that in our hemisphere there is a constant cause tending to make north winds more common than south, as well as one which tends to make east winds more common than west. These causes combined make the trade wind blow from the north-east. That north winds predominate over south, arises in his opinion from this: that the north wind blows straight down from the North Pole; whereas wind from the South Pole, which is below our horizon, can only reach us by a devious course. The confusion of thought in this passage is the same as that which has given rise to the names vent d'amont and vent d'aval, for the north and south winds respectively. See Ideler, Meteorol. Græc. et Lat. p. 111., who refers, among other passages, to Pliny, ii. 48., in illustration of the notion of the north wind's coming from above.

2 Euro- Aquilo is the reading of the Vulgate, where the received Greek text of the Acts has Euroclydon. It would be curious to know whether Bacon took it from the Vulgate or only formed it, as previously he had formed to denote the same wind the word Euro-boreas. There can be little doubt that the reading proposed by Bentley, evρakúλwv, is correct. Acts, xxvii. 14.

3 Herod. ii. 20. and Plin. v. 10.

litoribus adversis aut promontoriis excurrentibus attribui possint; sed plane reguntur a Ventis Statis.

4. Columbum qui nolunt a relatione naucleri Hispani, et levius putant ab obscuris antiquitatis vestigiis et auris, tam certam et fixam de Indiis Occidentalibus opinionem concepisse, huc se convertunt, quod a Statis Ventis ad litora Lusitaniæ conjecerit Continentem esse a parte occidentis1: res dubia, nec admodum probabilis, cum ventorum itinerarium ad tam longos tractus vix attingat. Magnus interim honos huic inquisitioni, si uni axiomati aut observationi, ex iis quas multas complectitur, inventio Novi Orbis debeatur.

5. Ubicunque siti sunt montes alti et nivales, ab ea parte flant Venti Stati ad tempus quo nives solvuntur.

6. Arbitror et a paludibus magnis quæ aquis cooperiuntur hieme, spirare Ventos Statos, sub tempora quibus a calore solis siccari cœperint; sed de hoc mihi compertum non est.

7. Ubicunque generationes vaporum fiunt in abundantia, idque certis temporibus, ibi scias Ventos Statos iisdem temporibus orituros.

8. Si Venti Stati flent alicubi, nec causa eorum reperiatur in propinquo; scias Ventos hujusmodi Statos peregrinos esse, et a longe venire.

9. Notatum est, Ventos Statos noctu non flare, sed tertia ab ortu solis hora insurgere. Sunt certe hujusmodi venti veluti ex longo itinere defessi, ut condensationem aëris nocturnam vix perfringant, at post exortum solis excitati paulisper procedant.

1 Bacon refers to a story first told by Oviedo, that a vessel going from Spain to England was driven out of its course so far as to reach the West Indies; that on their return home all the crew, which had been reduced to the pilot and three or four sailors, were sick, and shortly afterwards died; that the pilot died in the house of Columbus, and that from him Columbus obtained exclusive possession of the discovery, which had been accidentally made. Oviedo says that this story was commonly told, but that he would not vouch for its truth. Humboldt remarks that this story was not brought forward in the fiscal proceedings, and that Oviedo was the first to tell it (in 1535). He adds that it was not till 1609 that Garcilasso de la Vega ventured to give a name-Alonzo Sanchez de Hecelva-to the pilot, and a date-1484-to the story. The authority for Bacon's statement is Peter Martyr Anghiera, who says that Columbus had often remarked from the shore of Portugal, in certain times of the year, there blew from the west a steady wind which lasted for many days, and considered that it could only come from the earth which generated it on the other side of the It is remarkable that neither Ferdinand Columbus nor Herrera, who both speak of indications derived from wood and other things picked up off the Azores, mentions this indication derived from the wind; nor does Humboldt, in his Examen Critique de l'Histoire de Géographie. It is manifestly derived from the Aristotelian doctrine of the origin of winds, and not, as Bacon supposed, from the greater steadiness of land winds compared with those which blow from the sea. See Ramusio's Collection of Voyages, 1606, vol. iii. p. 1. a. and p. 64. c.; and Humboldt, l. c. vol. ii. p. 155.

sea.

10. Omnes Stati Venti (præterquam ex locis propinquis) imbecilli sunt, et ventis subitis se submittunt.

11. Sunt complures Venti Stati, quos nos non percipimus aut observamus, propter infirmitatem ipsorum, unde a ventis liberis obruuntur. Ideo vix notantur hieme, cum venti liberi vagantur magis; sed potius versus æstatem, cum venti illi erratici magis deficiant.

12. In partibus Europæ ex Ventis Statis hi potissimi sunt. Aquilones, a solstitio; suntque exortus caniculæ tum prodromi tum sequaces; Zephyri, ab æquinoctio autumnali; Euri a verno.1 Nam de brumali solstitio minus curandum propter hiemis varietates.

13. Venti Ornithii, sive Aviarii, qui nomen traxerunt quod aves a regionibus gelidis transmarinis regionibus apricis immittant, nihil pertinent ad Ventos Statos; quia illi tempore sæpius fallunt; aves autem eorum commoditatem, sive citius sive tardius flent, expectant; etiam non raro, postquam flare paululum inceperint et se subinde verterint, destituuntur aves et merguntur in pelago, aliquando in naves decidunt.

14. Præcisus reditus ventorum ad diem et horam, instar æstus maris, non invenitur. Designant quandoque authores nonnulli diem; sed potius ex conjectura, quam ex observatione constante.

Ad Art. 4. et 5.
Connexio.

Venti Assecla.

Ventorum Asseclarum vocabulum nostrum est; quod imponere visum est, ne aut pereat obSensus talis est.

servatio circa ipsos aut confundatur.

Divide, si placet, annum in tres, quatuor, quinque partes, in aliqua regione. Quod si ventus aliquis ibi flet duas, tres, quatuor portiones ex ipsis, ventus contrarius unam; illum ventum, qui frequentius flat, ejus regionis Asseclam nominamus. Sic de temporibus.

1. Auster et Boreas Assecla mundi sunt; frequentius enim per universum spirant illi, cum suis sectionibus, quam Eurus et Zephyrus cum suis.

2. Omnes venti Liberi (non Stati) magis assecla hiemis sunt, quam æstatis, maxime autem autumni et veris.

1 Compare Pliny, ii. 47.

2 The Ornithias of Pliny seems to be a westerly wind, so called because it blows for nine days after the swallows come. See Pliny, ii. 47. and 48.