BOREAS, a Greek name, now in common use for the
the north-wind. Pezron observes, that anciently Boreas signified the north-east wind, blowing at the time of the summer solstice. Boreas is represented in painting like an old man with a horrible look, his hair and beard covered with snow or hoar frost, with the feet and tail of a dragon. M. Spierlingius has a treatise in praise of Boreas, wherein he shews the honours paid to him by antiquity. Boreas, according to this author, purifies the air, renders it calm and salubrious, preserves buildings from decay, drives away the plague and other noxious diseases, and expels locusts and other vermin hurtful to the grounds.