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OV THE DRUIDS. 213ridges of mountains, the neighbourhood of vastlakes or marches, winds blowing from places cover'dwith snow, or the like. Thus Britain andIreland are known, not onely to be much moretemperate than the places on the continent of thesame position with them, but even than some ofsuch as are mere southerly; by reason of the saltvapors and continual agitationsof the surroundingocean, which dissolve, allay,and mitigate thefrosts and winds blowing from the continent.This holds as true with regard towhich by experience are allow'd totemperate ;the Hebrides,be yet morethe snow not lying near so long as inBritain, and a tepid vapor being very sensiblethere in the midst of winter.to fillThis was enou2:hthe Greec sailors with admiration, which tous ought to be none ; since their learned men oftenspoke of many places, not asthey actually werein themselves, but as in their speculations theyimagin'd they ought to be: without consideringwhether there might not occur some of the diversifyingcircumstances we have just now hinted, orany others begetting the like influence?.But thatmost sagacious interpreter of nature, Hippocrates,knew better things, when he taught what he learntby experience (having been an ilander himself)that ilands situated far* in the sea, are kindly* Tail S'e vns-asv, ai fxsv eyyvg ruf UTrEtpafr, Ju3-;3^e