of great Reading are as apt to fall
into a less excusable mistake, that of taking the Knowledge of Words
for the Knowledge of Things; whereas there are not any two points more
opposite in Nature, since we very rarely see, that either true Scholars
are talkative, or that talkative Men are true Scholars.

THE Shepherd, whose sole Business it is to observe what has a Reference
to the Flock under his Care, who spends all his Days and many of his
Nights in the open Air, and under the wide spread Canopy of Heaven, is
in a Manner obliged to take particular Notice of the Alterations of the
Weather, and when once he comes to take a Pleasure in making such
Observations, it is amazing how great a Progress he makes in them, and
to how great a Certainty at last he arrives by mere dint of comparing
Signs and Events, and correcting one Remark by another. Every thing in
Time becomes to him a Sort of Weather-Gage. The Sun, the Moon, the
Stars, the Clouds, the Winds, the Mists, the Trees, the Flowers, the
Herbs, and almost every Animal with which he is acquainted. All these I
say become to such a person Instruments of real Knowledge.

THERE are a Sort of half wise People, who from the Consideration of the
Distances of Things, are apt to treat such Prognostications, as they
phrase them, with much Contempt. They can see no Connexion between a
Cat's washing her Face, and the Sky's being overspread with Clouds, and
therefore they boldly pronounce that the one has no Relation to the
other. Yet the same People will readily own that the fluttering of the
Flame of a Candle is a certain token of Wind, which however is not
discernible by their Feeling; because it lies within the Compass of
their Understanding to discern that this Fluctuation of the Flame is
caused by the Wind acting upon it, and therefore they are inclined to
believe this, though it does not fall actually under the Cognizance of
their Senses. But a Man of a larger Compass of Knowledge, who is
acquainted with the Nature and Qualities of the Air, and knows what an
Effect any Alterations in the Weight, the Dryness, or the Humidity of
it has upon all animal Bodies, easily perceives the Reason why other
Animals are much sooner sensible of any Alterations that happen in that
Element than Men, and therefore to him the cawing of Ravens, the
chattering of Swallows, and a Cat's washing her Face are not
superstitious Signs, but natural tokens (like that of the Candle's
fluttering) of a Cha