hus speaks of the work:

"The far-famed shepherd of Banbury is only an apocryphal
personage. In 1744 there was published {374} _The Shepherd of
Banbury's Rules to judge of the Changes of the Weather, grounded
on forty Years' Experience. To which is added, a rational
Account of the Causes of such Alterations, the Nature of Wind,
Rain, Snow, &c., on the Principles of the Newtonian Philosophy.
By John Claridge. London: printed for W. Bickerton, in the
Temple Exchange, Fleet Street. Price 1s._ The work attracted a
large share of public attention, and deserved it. A second
edition appeared in 1748.... It is stated in Kippis's
_Biographia Britannica_ that, the real author was Dr. John
Campbell, a Scotchman."

In 1770 there appeared _An Essay on the Weather, with Remarks on "The
Shepherd of Banbury's Rules, &c."_: by John Mills, Esq., F.R.S. Mr.
Mills observes:

"Who the shepherd of Banbury was, we know not; nor indeed have
we any proof that the rules called his were penned by a real
shepherd. Both these points are, however, immaterial; their
truth is their best voucher.... Mr. Claridge published them in
the year 1744, since which time they are become very scarce,
having long been out of print."

Now all these blundering attempts at annihilating the poor shepherd may,
I think, be accounted for by neither of the above-mentioned writers
having a knowledge of the original edition, published in 1670, of the
real shepherd's book (the title of which I will presently give), which
any one may see in the British Museum library. It has on the title-page
a slight disfigurement of name, viz. John _Clearidge_; but it is
_Claridge_ in the Preface. The truth is, that Dr. John Campbell
_re-published_ the book in 1744, but without affixing his own name, or
giving any information of its author or of previous editions. The part,
however, which he bore in this edition is explained by the latter
portion of the title already given; and still more clearly in the
Preface. We find authorities added, to give weight to the shepherd's
remarks; and likewise additional rules in relation to the weather,
derived from the common sayings and proverbs of the country people, and
from old English books of husbandry. It may, in short, be called a
clever scientific commentary on the shepherd's observations. After what
has been stated, your readers will not be surprised to learn that one
e