In article ,
John Hall writes:
Of course, 1663 was close to the peak of
the "Little Ice Age" which, though it may not have been a world-wide
phenomenon, was certainly a very chilly period in NE Europe.

That was supposed to read "NW Europe" of course.
--
John Hall
"Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history
that man can never learn anything from history."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)