fair, fine, golden, serene, "weather", is said to "come out of the north"; agreeably to which, the north wind is by Homer called aiyrhgenethv, the producer of serene weather; and by Virgil "clarus aquilo", i.
e. what makes serene. The Arabic version reads it, "the south wind"; and that does bring rain, and, as that version has it, excites the clouds. But the first reading and sense of the words seem best , and agree with what follows:so [doth] an angry countenance a backbiting tongue; drives it away, discourages and silences it.
When a man puts on a stern countenance, a frowning and angry look, on such who bring him slanderous reports and idle tales of their neighbours, and reproach and backbite them, it checks them, and puts a stop to their practices; whereas listening to them, and especially with an air of pleasure, encourages them in them; were there not so many that take pleasure in hearing those talebearers and backbiters, were they more roughly dealt with, as the blustering north wind does with the rain, there would not be so much of this evil practised.
Dionysii Perieg. v. 532. llwxt "parturiet", Montanus; "gignit", Junius & Tremellius; "parturit", Schultens. Aristot. Metaphysic. l. 2. Iliad. 19. v. 358. Odyss. 5. v. 295. Georgic. l. 1. prope finem.
"Ventorum frigidissimi quos a septentrione diximus spirare, et reliquos compescunt, et nubes abigunt", Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 2. c.