that the being fituated more or less towards the South, in those countries that feldom have any rain all fummer, and expect none 'till autumn, makes very little, if any difference as to the time of the falling of thofe rains, the rain might overtake the Ægyptian Jews in paffing over that Defert, as well as those that lived in other countries, if the Feaft of Tabernacles was too long delayed for in all thefe different countries the rain, it fhould feem, falls much about the fame time.

In confirmation of which, I would add to the observations of Ruffell at Aleppo, and of Niebuhr at Bafra near 6 degrees more to the South, the account of what Pietro della Vallé found in the Defert by the Euphrates, in his way to Baghdad. Departing from Anna, October 11th, 1616, they purfued their voyage on the Mefopotamian fide of the river, and found rain for the first time in this their journey the evening of that day, which was attended with a wind fo violent and furious as that it overturned all their tents: but that form did not continue long, being over in less than an hour ‘.

Through this Defert great numbers of Jews must have had to pass in their way to Babylon, and many other towns in the fouthern part of Mefopotamia, and on the Tigris; and fuch ftorms of wind as fhould overturn their tents, in the midst of an heavy shower, must have been very inconvenient.

OBSERVATION VII.

That the froft and cold are, in fome winters, very severe at Jerufalem, and even in fome of the lower parts of Judæa, appears from Vinifauf, who confirms the account, that rain or fnow are not uncommon in the middle of winter at Jerufalem; that they are fometimes in very great quantities; and the cold very fevere.

For fpeaking of a confultation among the Crufaders, a few days after Epiphany (January 6th) 1192', whether they thould immediately make an attempt on Jerufalem, or poftpone it's recovery to a more advantageous time, he tells us the Turks, who had fhut themselves up in Jerufalem, were, at that time, in a very diftreffed ftate, oppreffed by exceffive fnow and hail, which, melting, occafioned great torrents from the mountains, fweeping away their horfes and cattle in droves, and killing others with the violence of the cold".

It appears from hence, that a bridge over the brook Kedron may be very requifite,

I

In the printed copy it is by miftake MCXXII, but it is certain that MCXCII is the year meant.

2 Turci quippe, qui intra Jerufalem civitatem fe cohibebant, perniciofiffimis anguftiabantur fuppliciis multimodis; nivium enim et grandium (grandinum) opprimebantur nimietate, ex quarum nihilominus refolutionibus aquarum diluvium à montanis defluens, equos eorum et jumenta catervatim involvit, vel certe frigoris afperitas necavit. P. 373:

though

though it's bed should be found to be often dry in winter as well as fummer, fince if the torrent was, at the time Vinifauf fpeaks of, fo very deftructive, it must be fuppofed to be often fo confiderable as to make a bridge very neceffary.

A few days after, it appears by the fucceeding page, the cold was fo fevere at Ramula, whofe fituation is lower and lefs expofed to the feverity of the weather, that the waters were fo frozen as to make the travelling of beasts of burden very troublesome. It was not, however, fo great as to prevent their finking in muddy places.

It appears in the next chapter, but fame page, that foon after, in removing from thence, King Richard found the ways fo dirty as to be extremely fatiguing. But the next morning's journey made them forget the difficulties of the preceding day for the frozen fnow driving in their faces, thick ftorms of bail defcended with fo much force as to rebound with violence, the rains occafioned fuch torrents, as that there feemed to be a concurrence of every circumftance that tended to overwhelm them, the boggy ground at the fame time giving way fo much as to occafion the borfes to fall, and many of them to perish'.

At

Feffi nimirum dum proficifcerentur, gelidæ nives impluunt vultibus, grandinum denfitates reverberant, pluviæ torrentes involvunt, ut tanquam ad examinandum omne cælum deputaretur affligendis, fed et terra pedibus

cedebat,

At length, after much diftrefs, they arrived at Afcalon the 20th January. This fharp weather then was in the lowlands, at Ramula, and the road from thence to Afcalon, and happened between the 6th and 20th of January.

It appears from circumstances, for the times are not diftinctly marked, that the following defcriptions relate to the preceding month of December, or at fartheft the last days of November. The first of them occurs in p. 369, where he tells us, that the army under King Richard being encamped between St. George's and Ramula, expecting more troops as well as provifions, they continued there 22 days, expofed not only to frequent attacks, but to the rains, which became fo heavy as to force them to retire, fome to St. George's, fome to Ramula.

Proceeding in his account, and defcribing their going to the foot of the hilly part of the country towards Jerufalem, he informs us, that at that time moft heavy rains fell, and the air was very fevere, fo that very many of their beafts perished; that the rains, forms of bail, and winds were fo vehement, that the fakes of their tents were torn up, and

cedebat ambulantium cœnulenta, locis paluftribus decidunt veredarii equi et homines, qui, dum folicitius toto conamine elaborant emergere, defperabilius revolvuntur in præceps, quamplurimi non amplius evafuri. O quis æftimaret illius amaritudinem diei?

! Or Lydda.

carried

carried to a distance; that by the extremity of the cold and wet their horfes perished, and the greatest part of their victuals was spoiledtheir bifcuit being foaked through, and their bacon decayed; their arms dreadfully rufted, and their clothes greatly damaged', p. 371.

Such is the defcription this writer gives us of the December of the year 1191, and of the following January, as they found the weather in that country; and as no intimation is given to the contrary, we are to suppose Vinifauf believed there was nothing very unusual in it, but that he apprehended fuch were the winters, very frequently, of that country.

So this writer describes the preceding winter as being very wet, which was the caufe of great fickness among the Pilgrims, unbeard-of rains pouring down very frequently, nay continually, and caufing inundations.

How agreeable would it be, if some accurate obfervers would examine, by means of exact

Tunc nobis ingruebant pluviæ graviffimæ, et aeris intemperies fæviffima; unde jumentorum noftrorum periere quamplurima, tanta quippe exorta eft tempeftas pluviarum, grandinum, ventorumque vehementium irruebant fragores, ut papilionum palos avellerent, et longius dejicerent; et equi, frigoris magnitudine, et nimietate aquarum perirent, et pars maxima victualium panis bifcoctus diftemperabatur in diffolutionem, et carnes fuillæ, vulgariter bacones, computrefcebant, &c.

P. 294. Præterea, ex nimia imbrium inundatione, quædam nimium vehemens excrevit in hominibus infirmitas; inaudita quidem pluviæ affidue, imo continue, exercitum tanta affecit injuria, &c. ombrometers,