THE SUN 89 



himself. The sun is not only a sim^ he is a star also, 

 and that but a small one in comparison with individual 

 stars (one of which, Sirius, would make two or three 

 hundred of him); and among these glorious compeers he 

 moves on a path which is just beginning to become 

 known to us ; though in what orbit, or for what purpose, 

 will never be given to man to know. Yet we do know 

 almost to a nicety the direction in which that path is 

 leading ; and the rate of his travel (though this is less 

 exactly determined). Still this rate, at the very lowest 

 estimate, cannot be taken under four or five hundred 

 thousand miles a day; and yet this speed, vast as it is, 

 in the 2000 years which separate us from the observations 

 of Hipparchus (who made the first catalogue of the stars), 

 would not suffice to carry it (and of course our system 

 along with it) over one sixtieth part of the distance which 

 now separates it from the very nearest of the stars. 

 When we travel through a diversified country, we become 

 aware of our change of situation by the different group- 

 ing and presentation of the objects around us. But 

 though travelling at this amazing rate through space, 

 successive generatfons of mankind witness no change in 

 the order and arrangement of the stars ; and Hipparchus, 

 were he to come once more among us, would recognize 

 the old familiar forms of his constellations; and, without 

 better means of observation than he then possessed, 

 would be unable to detect, with certainty, any change in 

 their appearance ; though we, who are better provided 

 in that respect, are enabled to do so. 



(47.) Such, then, is the scale of things with which we 



