CHAPTER VII
WATER
In the legends of ancient times running water was proof against all sorcery and witchcraft:
No spell could stay the living tide
Or charm the rushing stream.[48]
There was much truth as well as beauty in this idea.
Flowing waters, moreover, have not only power to wash out material stains, but they also clear away the cobwebs of the brain—the results of over incessant work—and restore us to health and strength.
Snowfields and glaciers, mountain torrents, sparkling brooks, and stately rivers, meres and lakes, and last, not least, the great ocean itself, all alike possess this magic power.