ri certis legibus, nondum intelligi? multae sunt gentes quae tantum de
facie sciunt coelum, veniet, tempus fortasse, quo ista quae, nunc latent in
lucem dies extrahat longioris aevi diligentia, una aetas non sufficit,
posteri_, &c., when God sees his time, he will reveal these mysteries to
mortal men, and show that to some few at last, which he hath concealed so
long. For I am of [3141]his mind, that Columbus did not find out America by
chance, but God directed him at that time to discover it: it was contingent
to him, but necessary to God; he reveals and conceals to whom and when he
will. And which [3142]one said of history and records of former times, "God
in his providence, to check our presumptuous inquisition, wraps up all
things in uncertainty, bars us from long antiquity, and bounds our search
within the compass of some few ages:" many good things are lost, which our
predecessors made use of, as Pancirola will better inform you; many new
things are daily invented, to the public good; so kingdoms, men, and
knowledge ebb and flow, are hid and revealed, and when you have all done,
as the Preacher concluded, _Nihil est sub sole novum_ (nothing new under
the sun.) But my melancholy spaniel's quest, my game is sprung, and I must
suddenly come down and follow.

Jason Pratensis, in his book _de morbis capitis_, and chapter of
Melancholy, hath these words out of Galen, [3143]"Let them come to me to
know what meat and drink they shall use, and besides that, I will teach
them what temper of ambient air they shall make choice of, what wind, what
countries they shall choose, and what avoid." Out of which lines of his,
thus much we may gather, that to this cure of melancholy, amongst other
things, the rectification of air is necessarily required. This is
performed, either in reforming natural or artificial air. Natural is that
which is in our election to choose or avoid: and 'tis either general, to
countries, provinces; particular, to cities, towns, villages, or private
houses. What harm those extremities of heat or cold do in this malady, I
have formerly shown: the medium must needs be good, where the air is
temperate, serene, quiet, free from bogs, fens, mists, all manner of
putrefaction, contagious and filthy noisome smells. The [3144]Egyptians by
all geographers are commended to be _hilares_, a conceited and merry
nation: which I can ascribe to no other cause than the serenity of their
air. They that live in the Orcades are