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fallen to earth, and the great moisture within the cloud is
dried up, it has lost the dark color that it had before
and the obscurity by which it blocked the day. Then the
cloud appears clear and white, lightweight, and risen
into the heights, so that in the end it is totally evaporated
by the heat of the sun on high, which dries it up completely.
Then the air once again becomes pure and clear, and
the sky becomes as blue as azure. Rain and clouds are
engendered from the earth like a piece of damp fabric that
dries by the fire. It creates a moisture that rises upward
like smoke. If one should extend his hand into this
smoke, he would feel a vapor that would moisten his
entire hand. And if he should leave it there he would
say clearly that his hand had become entirely wet and it was
dripping water. I tell you that clouds and rains are often
formed in the same way. Our Lord increases their number
when He wishes to, inorder to cause his creations on this earth
to grow. [rubric:] Of frosts and great snowfalls [/rubric]
Great snowfalls and frosts are due to a great
cold in the air, which