Castelli, Benedetto, Of the mensuration of running waters, 1661

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              ing therefore my above-ſaid conceit about the riſing of the wa­
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              ter in the glaſs tried before, it came into my minde, that the
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              forementioned rain having been very gentle, it might well be,
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              that if there ſhould have faln a Rain fifty, an hundred, or a thou­
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              ſand times greater than this, and much more intenſe (which
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              would inſue as oft as thoſe falling drops were four, ſive or ten
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              times bigger than thoſe of the above-mentioned rain, keeping
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              the ſame number) in ſuch a caſe its manifeſt, that in the ſpace
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              of an hour the Water would riſe in our Glaſs, two, three, and
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              perhaps more Yards or Braces; and conſequently, if ſuch a
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              Raine ſhould fall upon a Lake, that the ſaid Lake would
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              riſe, according to the ſame rate: And likewiſe, if ſuch a
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              Rain were univerſall, over the whole Terreſtriall Globe, it
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              would neceſſarily, in the ſpace of an hour, make a ri­
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              ſing of two, or three braces round about the ſaid Globe,
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              And becauſe we have from Sacred Records, that in the
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              time of the Deluge, it rained fourty dayes and fourty nights;
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              namely, for the ſpace of 960 houres; its clear, that if the ſaid
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              Rain had been ten times bigger than ours at
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              Perugia,
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              the riſing
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              of the Waters above the Terreſtrial Globe would reach and paſs
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              a mile higher than the tops of the Hills and Mountains that are
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              upon the ſuperficies of the Earth; and they alſo would concur
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              to increaſe the riſe. </s>
              <s>And therefore I conclude, that the riſe of
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              the Waters of the Deluge have a rational congruity with natural
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              Diſcourſes, of which I know very well that the eternal truths of
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              the Divine leaves have no need; but however I think ſo clear an
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              agreement is worthy of our conſideration, which gives us occa­
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              ſion to adore and admire the greatneſſe of God in his mighty
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              Works, in that we are ſometimes able, in ſome ſort, to meaſure
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              them by the ſhort Standard of our Reaſon.</s>
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              <s>Many Leſſons alſo may be deduced from the ſame Doctrine,
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              which I paſſe by, for that every man of himſelf may eaſily know
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              them, having once ſtabliſhed this Maxime; That it is not poſſi­
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              ble to pronounce any thing, of a certainty, touching the quantity
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              of Running Waters, by conſidering only the ſingle vulgar mea­
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              ſure of the Water wichout the velocity; and ſo on the contrary,
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              he that computes only the velocity, without the meaſure, ſhall
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              commit very great errours; for treating of the meaſure of Run­
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              ning Waters, it is neceſſary, the water being a body, in handling
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              its quantity, to conſider in it all the three dimenſions of breadth,
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              depth, and length: the two firſt dimenſions are obſerved by all
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              in the common manner, and ordinary way of meaſuring Running
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              Waters; but the third dimenſion of length is omitted; and hap­
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              ly ſuch an overſight is committed, by reaſon the length of Run­</s>
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