Ah, yet another rainy day here. I was watching the weather report last evening and the weatherman said that we have had over 10 inches of rain in the month of October, with more to come this week.
It has been so gray and dark, it is hard to keep from getting depressed.
Speaking of weather, I have added another book to the website. This one is called “The Shepherd of Banbury’s Rules to Judge of the Changes of the Weather, Grounded on Forty Years’ Experience”
It is a pretty cool book on weather forecasting and weather folklore, written by a man who was a shepherd in the English countryside. He was out in it all day every day so he studied the weather. Interesting. He uses a lot of quotations from English writers and others so it is really a good read, not just boring observations. Here is a sample from the first chapter:
I.
SUN. _If the Sun rise red and firey._ } Wind and Rain.
THE Reason of this Appearance is, because the Sun shines through a
large Mass of Vapours, which occasions that red Colour that has been
always esteemed a Sign of Rain, especially if the Face of the Sun
appear bigger than it ought, for then in a few Hours the Clouds will
grow black, and be condensed into Rain, sudden and sharp, if in the
Summer, but settled and moderate if in Winter.
THE old _English_ Rule published in our first Almanacks agrees exactly
with our Author's Observation.
If red the Sun begins his Race,
Be sure that Rain will fall apace.
IF the Reader would see this elegantly described, the Master of Poets
hath it thus.[_a_]
Above the Rest, the Sun, who never lies,
Foretels the Change of Weather in the Skies;
For if he rise unwilling to his Race,
Clouds on his Brow, and Spots upon his Face,
Or if thro' Mists he shoots his sullen Beams,
Frugal of light, in loose and straggling Streams,
Suspect a drizzling Day and southern Rain,
Fatal to Fruits and Flocks, and promis'd Grain.
[Footnote _a_:
Sol quoque & exoriens, & cum se condit in undas,
_Signa_ dabit: _Solem_ certissima signa sequuntur,
Et quæ Mane refert, & quæ surgentibus _Astris_,
Ille ubi nascentem _maculis_ variaverit Ortum
Concavus in Nubem, medioque refugerit Orbe;
Suspecti tibi sint _Imbres_. Namque urget ab alto
Arboribusque satisque Notus Pecorique sinister.
Virgil. Georgic. lib. i. v. 438.]
I hope that you take the time to check this little gem out.
It is a project Gutenberg book that has no copyright in the United States.
You can get the download link Here
