Northern Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 1 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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[Sidenote: Riuers Of Island In Sommer Season Lukewarme.] The Second Is
Extremely Cold.
As for the second fountaine, here is none to any mens
knowledge so extremely cold:
In deed there be very many that bee
indifferently coole, insomuch that (our common riuers in the Sommer time
being luke-warme) wee take delight to fetch water from those coole springs.
It may be that there are some farre colder in other countries: for Cardane
maketh mention of a riuer (streaming from the top of an hill in the field
of Corinth) colder then snow, and within a mile of Culma, the riuer called
Insana seeming to be very hote is most extremely cold, &c.
The third is sweeter than honie. Neither is this altogether true. For there
is not any fountaine with vs, which may in the least respect be compared
with the sweetnesse of honie. And therfore Saxo wrote more truly, saying,
that certaine fountaines (for there be very many) yeelding taste as good as
beere, and also in the same place there are fountains & riuers not onely of
diuers tasts, but of diuers colours.
And albeit naturall Philosophers teach, that water naturally of it selfe
hath neither taste nor smel, yet it is likely (as we haue touched before,
which other call per accidens) that oftentimes it representeth the
qualities of that earth wherein it is engendred, and through the veines
whereof it hath passage and issue: and from hence proceed the diuers &
sundry smels, colours and sauours of all waters. Of such waters doeth
Seneca make mention, whereof some prouoke hunger, others make men drunken,
some hurt the memory, & some helpe it, & some resemble the very qualitie
and taste of wine, as that fountaine which Plinie speaketh of [Sidenote: In
lib. de mirab.] in the Isle of Andros, within the temple of Bacchus, which
in the Nones of Ianuary vsed to flow ouer with wine. And Aristotle
reporteth, that in the field of Carthage there is a fountain which yeeldeth
oile, & certaine drops smelling like Cedar. Also Orcus a riuer of Thessalie
flowing into Peneus, swimmeth aloft like oile. Cardane reporteth, that
there is in Saxonie, neere vnto the town of Brunswic, a fountaine mixed
with oile: and another in Sueuia neere vnto the Abbey called Tergensch.
Also in the valley of the mountain Iurassus. He supposeth the cause of this
thing to bee very fattie pitch, which cannot but conteine oile in it. The
same author saieth: It is reported that in Cardia neere to the place of
Daschylus, in the white field, there is water sweeter then milke. Another
also neere vnto the bridge which we passe ouer going to the towne of
Valdeburg. Propertius likewise in the third booke of his Elegies mentioneth
certaine waters representing the sauour of wine in these words.
Amidst the Isle of Naxus loe, with fragrant smels and fine
A freshet runs; ye Naxians goe fill cups, carouse, there's wine.
This Naxus is one of the Islands called Cydades lying in the Agaan sea.
Cardane giueth a reason hereof, namely, because Hydromel or water-hony, in
long continuance will become wine.
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