82 flint's ISTATrRAL HISTOET. [Book II. 



to the heavens, at other times almost contiguous to the 

 mountains ; now elevated in the north, now depressed in the 

 south ; all which circumstances having been noticed by En- 

 dymion, a report was spread about, that he was in love with 

 the moon^ We are not indeed sufficiently grateful to those, 

 who, with so much labour and care, have enlightened us with 

 this light^ ; while, so diseased is the human mind, that we 

 take pleasure in writing the annals of blood and slaughter, 

 in order that the crimes of men may be made known to those 

 who are ignorant of the constitution of the world itself. 



Being nearest fco the axis^, and therefore having the small- 

 est orbit, the Moon passes in twenty-seven days and the one- 

 third part of a day^, through the same space for which Saturn, 

 the highest of the planets, as was stated above, requires thirty 

 years. After remaining for two days in conjunction with the 

 sun, on the thirtieth day she again very slowly emerges to pur- 

 sue her accustomed course^. I know not whether she ought 

 not to be considered as our instructress in everything that can 

 be known respecting the heavens ; as that the year is divided 

 into the twelve divisions of the months, since she follows the 

 sun for the same number of times, until he returns to the 

 commencement of his course ; and that her brightness, as 

 well as that of the other stars, is regulated by that of the 

 sun, if indeed they all of them shine by light borrowed from 

 him, such as we see floating about, when it is reflected from 

 the surface of water. On this account it is that she dissolves 

 so much moisture, by a gentle and less perfect force, and 

 adds to the quantity of that which the rays of the sun con- 



^ We have some interesting remarks by Marcus respecting Endymion, 

 and also on the share which Solon and Thales had in correcting the lunar 

 observations ; Ajasson, ii. 288-290. 



2 " Lucem nobis aperuere in hac luce." 3 « Cardo." 



■* Astronomers describe two different revolutions or periods of the 

 moon ; the synodical and the sidereal. The synodical marks the time 

 in which the moon passes from one conjunction with the sun to the next 

 conjimction, or other similar position with respect to the sun. The side- 

 real period is the time in which the moon returns to the same position 

 with respect to the stars, or m which it makes a complete revolution roimd 

 the earth. These numbers are, for the synodical period, 29^^ 12'' 44™ 2*87*, 

 and for the sidereal, 27"^ 7'' 43'" ll-S" ; Herschel, pp. 213, 224. 



^ Our author, as Marcus remarks, " a compte par nombres ronds ; " 

 Ajasson, ii. 291 ; the correct number may be found in the preceding note. 



