if v.ever

[hhtt21]

"But the weather was bad, the roads were heavy with mud, he was overtaken by a storm of rain, and ere he could find shelter he was soaked to the skin."

I would like to ask you this question. Ever/ere does not make sense to me as used in the source. I think that it should have been "if". If it was "if" instead of "ere" I would easily have understood the sentence. Would you please explain it?

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/soaked+to+the+skin

Thank you.

[GoesStation]

The obsolete word ere means "before" in the quoted sentence. It can't be replaced with "if".

[Piscean]

The sentence would make no sense with 'if'.