[p. 91]
PART 8
VIII. Such are the facts about spring waters. I
will now proceed to speak of rain water and snow
water. Rain waters are the lightest, sweetest, finest
and clearest. To begin with, the sun raises and draws
up the finest and lightest part of water, as is proved
by the formation of salt. The brine, owing to its
coarseness and weight, is left behind and becomes
salt ; the finest part, owing to its lightness, is drawn
up by the sun. Not only from pools does the sun
raise this part, but also from the sea and from
whatever has moisture in it--and there is moisture
in everything. Even from men it raises the finest
and lightest part of their juices. The plainest
evidence thereof is that when a man walks or sits
in the sun wearing a cloak, the parts of his skin
reached by the sun will not sweat, for it draws up
each layer of sweat as it appears. But those parts
sweat which are covered by his cloak or by anything
else. For the sweat drawn forcibly out by the
sun is prevented by the covering from disappearing
through the sun's power. But when the man has
come into a shady place, his whole body sweats
alike, as the sun no longer shines upon it. For this
reason too rain-water grows foul quicker than any
other, and has a bad smell ; being a mixture gathered
from very many sources it grows foul very quickly.
Furthermore, when it has been carried away aloft, and
has combined with the atmosphere as it circles round,
the turbid, dark part of it separates out, changes
and becomes mist and fog, while the clearest and
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