Chap. 22.] ACCOUNT OP THE WOELD. 55 



ris and Necepsos, supposes tliat each degree of the lunar 

 orbit (which, as I have said, is the least) consists of little 

 more than 33 stadia ; in the very large orbit of Saturn the 

 number is double ; in that of the sun, which, as we have 

 said, is in the middle \ we have the half of the sum of these 

 numbers. And this is indeed a very modest calculation^, 

 since if we add to the orbit of Saturn the distance from him 

 to the zodiac, we shall have an infinite number of degrees^ 



CHAP. 22. (24.) — OF THE STAES WHICH APPEAE SUDDENLY, 

 OE OF COMETS^ 



A few things still remain to be said concerning the world ; 

 for stars are suddenly formed in the heavens themselves ; of 

 these there are various kinds. 



(25.) The Greeks name these stars comets^ ; we name them 

 CrinitsD, as if shaggy with bloody locks, and surrounded with 

 bristles like hair. Those stars, which have a mane hanging 

 do\\ni from their lower part, like a long beard, are named 

 Pogoniae^ Those that are named AcontisB^ vibrate like a dart 

 with a very quick motion. It w^as one of this kind which the 

 Emperor Titus described in his very excellent poem, as 

 ha\TQg been seen in his fifth consulship ; and this was the 

 last of these bodies which has been observed. AVhen they 

 are short and pointed they are named Xiphiae^ ; these are the 



1 " Kon inter Lunam et Satui-nmn, sed inter Lunam et coelum aflixa- 

 nim stellai'um, medium esse Solem modo dixerat. Quam parum sui 

 meminit ! " Alexandre in Lem. i. 291. 



2 " Qui computandi modus plurimimi habet verecundise et modestice, 

 quum ibi sistit, nee ulterius progreditm-." Hardouin in Lemaire, i. 292. 



3 " .... ad Satumi cii-culum addito Signileri ipsius intervallo, . . . . " 

 ^ We may remark, that our author, for the most part, adopts the 



opinions of Ai-istotle respecting comets and meteors of all kinds, while he 

 pays but httle attention to those of his contemporary Seneca, wliich how- 

 ever, on some points, would appear to be more corx'cct. See the remarks 

 of Marcus in Ajasson, ii. 244. Under the title of comets he includes, not 

 only those bodies which are permanent and move in regular orbits, but 

 such as are transient, and are produced from various causes, the natui'e of 

 which is not weU understood. See Aristotle, Meteor, hb. i. cap. 6, 7, 

 and Seneca, Nat. Quajst. Ub. 7, and Manihus, i. 807 et seq. 



^ a Ko/x?;, coma. 



6 a TTioyiovios, barbatus. Most of these terms are employed by Ari- 

 stotle and by Seneca. ^ ab aKovrioVy jacidum. 



* a ^i^os, ensis. 



