CHAP. IV.
By what Marks to find any hidden Water.
Let us now return to our Subject. Hid
den Waters are to be found out by cer
tain Marks. Theſe Marks are the Form and
Face of the Spot of Ground, and the Nature
of the Soil where you are to ſearch for the
Water, and ſome other Methods diſcovered by
the Induſtry and Diligence of Men. Accord
ing to the ordinary Courſe of Nature, a Place
which is ſunk down into a Hollow, or into a
Sort of concave Pit, ſeems to be a Kind of Veſ
ſel ready prepared for the retaining of Water.
In thoſe Places where the Sun has much Pow
er, all Humidity is ſo much dried up by the
Force of his Rays, that few or no Veins of
Water are to be found; or if any are diſco
vered in a very open Place, they are heavy,
thick and brackiſh. On the north Side of
Hills, and where-ever there is a very thick
Shade, you may very ſoon meet with Water.
Hills whoſe Tops are uſed to be long covered
with Snow, afford great Plenty of Springs. I
have obſerved, that Hills which have a flat
Meadow at the Top, never want Water; and
you will find almoſt all Rivers have their Riſe
from ſome ſuch Place. I have alſo obſerved,
that their Springs ſeldom flow from any other
Spot of Ground, but where the Soil beneath or
about them is ſound and firm, with either an
even Slope over them, or ſoft looſe Earth: So
that if you conſider the Matter, you will be of
Opinion with me, that the Water which has
been gathered there, runs out as from the Side
of a broken Baſon. Hence it happens that the
cloſeſt Soil has the leaſt Water, and what there
is, lies very near the Surface: But the looſeſt
Earth has the moſt Humidity; but then the
Water generally lies pretty deep. Pliny writes,
that in ſome Places, upon cutting down the
Woods, Springs burſt out: And Tacitus ſays,
that when Moſes journeyed through the De
ſart, and his Followers were fainting with
Thirſt, he diſcovered Springs of Water, only
by taking Notice where there were freſh Spots
of Graſs. Æmilius, when his Army ſuffered a
Dearth of Water near Mount Olympus, found
out a Supply by the freſh Verdure of the
Woods. Some Soldiers who were in queſt of
Water were directed to ſome little Veins by a
young Girl in the Via Collatina, where, upon
digging they found a very plentiful Spring, over
which they built a little Chapel, and in it left
the Memory of the Accident deſcribed in Paint
ing. If the Earth eaſily gives Way to the
Tread, or cleaves to the Foot, it ſhews that
there is Water under it. One of the moſt cer
tain Marks of concealed Water, is the Growth
and Flouriſhing of thoſe Plants which love
Water, or are uſed to be produced by it, ſuch
as Willows, Ruſhes, Withes, Ivy, or any others
which without Plenty of Moiſture could never
have attained the Perfection in which we find
them. Columella tells us, that the Ground
which produces Vines very thick of Leaves,
and eſpecially that which bears Dwarſ-elder,
Trefoil and wild Plumbs is a good Soil, and
does not want Veins of ſweet Water. More
over great Quantities of Frogs, Earth-worms,
with Gnats and other ſmall Flies ſwarming
together in the Air, are Tokens of Water con
cealed beneath. The Methods for finding
Water invented by the Diligence of Men are
as follows: The curious Searchers into Nature
have obſerved, that the Earth, and eſpecially
the Hills, conſiſt of different Coats or Layers,
ſome cloſer, ſome looſer, and others thinner;
and they have found, that the Hills were com
poſed of theſe Coates placed one above the
other, in ſuch a Manner that towards the Sur
face or outſide theſe Layers or Coats, and their
ſeveral Junctures lie level from the Right to
Left: But on the Inſide, towards the Center
of the Hill the Layers incline downwards in an
oblique Line, with all their upper Superficies
inclining equally, but then the ſame Line does
not continue on, quite to the Center of the
Hill, for, ſuppoſe at the Diſtance of every
hundred Foot the Line is broken off by a Kind
of tranſverſe Step, which makes a Diſcontinu
ance in the Layer; and ſo with theſe Breaks
and Slopes the Coats run from each Side to the
Center of the Hill. From an Obſervation of
theſe Particulars, Men of acute Underſtanding
ſoon perceived that the Waters were either en
gendered, or rather that the Rains gathered
between theſe Strata, and in the Junctures of
the ſeveral Coats, by which means the Middle
of the Hill muſt needs have Water in it.
Hence they concluded that in order to come at
den Waters are to be found out by cer
tain Marks. Theſe Marks are the Form and
Face of the Spot of Ground, and the Nature
of the Soil where you are to ſearch for the
Water, and ſome other Methods diſcovered by
the Induſtry and Diligence of Men. Accord
ing to the ordinary Courſe of Nature, a Place
which is ſunk down into a Hollow, or into a
Sort of concave Pit, ſeems to be a Kind of Veſ
ſel ready prepared for the retaining of Water.
In thoſe Places where the Sun has much Pow
er, all Humidity is ſo much dried up by the
Force of his Rays, that few or no Veins of
Water are to be found; or if any are diſco
vered in a very open Place, they are heavy,
thick and brackiſh. On the north Side of
Hills, and where-ever there is a very thick
Shade, you may very ſoon meet with Water.
Hills whoſe Tops are uſed to be long covered
with Snow, afford great Plenty of Springs. I
have obſerved, that Hills which have a flat
Meadow at the Top, never want Water; and
you will find almoſt all Rivers have their Riſe
from ſome ſuch Place. I have alſo obſerved,
that their Springs ſeldom flow from any other
Spot of Ground, but where the Soil beneath or
about them is ſound and firm, with either an
even Slope over them, or ſoft looſe Earth: So
that if you conſider the Matter, you will be of
Opinion with me, that the Water which has
been gathered there, runs out as from the Side
of a broken Baſon. Hence it happens that the
cloſeſt Soil has the leaſt Water, and what there
is, lies very near the Surface: But the looſeſt
Earth has the moſt Humidity; but then the
Water generally lies pretty deep. Pliny writes,
that in ſome Places, upon cutting down the
Woods, Springs burſt out: And Tacitus ſays,
that when Moſes journeyed through the De
ſart, and his Followers were fainting with
Thirſt, he diſcovered Springs of Water, only
by taking Notice where there were freſh Spots
of Graſs. Æmilius, when his Army ſuffered a
Dearth of Water near Mount Olympus, found
out a Supply by the freſh Verdure of the
Woods. Some Soldiers who were in queſt of
Water were directed to ſome little Veins by a
young Girl in the Via Collatina, where, upon
digging they found a very plentiful Spring, over
which they built a little Chapel, and in it left
the Memory of the Accident deſcribed in Paint
ing. If the Earth eaſily gives Way to the
Tread, or cleaves to the Foot, it ſhews that
there is Water under it. One of the moſt cer
tain Marks of concealed Water, is the Growth
and Flouriſhing of thoſe Plants which love
Water, or are uſed to be produced by it, ſuch
as Willows, Ruſhes, Withes, Ivy, or any others
which without Plenty of Moiſture could never
have attained the Perfection in which we find
them. Columella tells us, that the Ground
which produces Vines very thick of Leaves,
and eſpecially that which bears Dwarſ-elder,
Trefoil and wild Plumbs is a good Soil, and
does not want Veins of ſweet Water. More
over great Quantities of Frogs, Earth-worms,
with Gnats and other ſmall Flies ſwarming
together in the Air, are Tokens of Water con
cealed beneath. The Methods for finding
Water invented by the Diligence of Men are
as follows: The curious Searchers into Nature
have obſerved, that the Earth, and eſpecially
the Hills, conſiſt of different Coats or Layers,
ſome cloſer, ſome looſer, and others thinner;
and they have found, that the Hills were com
poſed of theſe Coates placed one above the
other, in ſuch a Manner that towards the Sur
face or outſide theſe Layers or Coats, and their
ſeveral Junctures lie level from the Right to
Left: But on the Inſide, towards the Center
of the Hill the Layers incline downwards in an
oblique Line, with all their upper Superficies
inclining equally, but then the ſame Line does
not continue on, quite to the Center of the
Hill, for, ſuppoſe at the Diſtance of every
hundred Foot the Line is broken off by a Kind
of tranſverſe Step, which makes a Diſcontinu
ance in the Layer; and ſo with theſe Breaks
and Slopes the Coats run from each Side to the
Center of the Hill. From an Obſervation of
theſe Particulars, Men of acute Underſtanding
ſoon perceived that the Waters were either en
gendered, or rather that the Rains gathered
between theſe Strata, and in the Junctures of
the ſeveral Coats, by which means the Middle
of the Hill muſt needs have Water in it.
Hence they concluded that in order to come at
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