nge of Weather, and as such they have been thought
worthy of Notice by _Aristotle_, _Virgil_, _Pliny_, and all the wisest
and gravest Writers of Antiquity.

BUT still a few slight and trivial Observations of this Kind, and such
as are in the Power of every Man to make, go but a very little Way in
furnishing us with a useful Knowledge of the Indications of the
Weather. To supply these, and to have constantly at Hand the Means of
judging of these Alterations, Men of great Genius have invented, and
wonderful Inventions they are! Instruments for measuring the Heat, the
Cold, the Weight, the Dryness, and the Humidity of the Air, with great
Exactness, and upon these they reason as to the changes of Weather with
great Accuracy and Certainty. It would undoubtedly be a great Folly to
pretend to question either the Truth of their Observations, or the
Usefulness of them: but then we may have leave to consider how far, and
to how great a Degree they are useful. The Thermometer measures exactly
the Degrees of Heat, but the Air must be hot to such or such a Degree
before it is discerned by this Instrument. The barometer indicates the
Weight of the Air, and the rising and falling of the Quicksilver
expresses the Alterations in its Weight with wonderful Nicety, but then
those Alterations are the Cause of this. In like manner the Hygrometer,
or Hygroscope, measures the Dryness or the Humidity of the Air very
plainly and very exactly, but the Weather must alter, must become dryer
or moister than it was, before these Alterations are visible; and
therefore, however ingenious, however curious, however useful these
Instruments may be in other Respects, they undoubtedly contribute very
little to the prognosticating a Change of Weather at a Distance; and it
is from the Experience of this, that they are so little esteemed, so
lightly regarded by the common People.

OUR Shepherd's Observations are of quite another Nature, most of them
give us a Day's Notice, many a Week's, and some extend to several
Months' Prognostication of the Changes of the Weather, and of how great
Use these may be to all Ranks and Degrees of People, to the sedentary
Valetudinarian, as well as the active Traveller, to the Sportsman who
pursues his Game, as well as to the industrious Husbandman who
constantly follows his Labour; in short, to every Man in every
Situation in some Degree or other, is so very clear and intelligible,
that it would, be a mere waste of Words, and