66 pliny's NATTJEAL HISTOET. [Book II. 



ment with clouds^ This is the region of the winds. Here 

 their nature principally originates, as well as the causes of 

 almost all other things^; since most persons ascribe the 

 darting of thunder and lightning to their violence. And to 

 the _ same cause are assigned the showers of stones, these 

 having been previously taken up by the wind, as well as 

 many other bodies in the same way. On this account we 

 must enter more at large on this subject. 



CHAP. 39. (39.) — OF THE STATED SEASONS. 



It is obvious that there are causes of the seasons and of 

 other things which have been stated, while there are some 

 things which are casual, or of which the reason has not yet 

 been discovered. Eor who can doubt that summer and 

 winter, and the annual revolution of the seasons are caused 

 by the motion of the stars ^ ? As therefore the nature of the 

 sun is understood to influence the temperature of the year, 

 so each of the other stars has its specific power, which pro- 

 duces its appropriate effects. Some abound in a fluid re- 

 taining its liquid state, others, in the same fluid concreted 

 into hoar frost, compressed into snow, or irozen into hail ; 

 some are prolific in winds, some in heat, some in vapours, 

 some in dew, some in cold. But these bodies must not be 

 supposed to be actually of the size which they appear, since 

 the consideration of their immense height clearly proves, 

 that none of them are less than the moon. Each of them 

 exercises its influence over us by its own motions ; this is 

 particularly obser^cable with respect to Saturn, wliich pro- 

 duces a great quantity of rain in its transits. Nor is this 

 power confined to the stars which change their situations, 

 but is found to exist in many of the fiLxed stars, whenever 



* "sed assidue rapta (natura) convolvitur, et circa terram immense rerum 

 causas globe estendit, subinde per nubes eoelum aliud obtexens." On the 

 words " immense globo," idexandre has the following comment : " Im- 

 mensis coeli fomicibus appicta sidera,dumcirciimvolvitm% terris ostendit;" 

 and on the words "eoelum ahud," "obductse sciHcet nubes falsum quasi 

 eoelum vere preetexunt." Lemaire, i. 313. 



2 The author probably means to speak of all the atmospheric phaeno- 

 mena that have been mentioned above. 



^ Marcus has made some remarks on this subject which may be read 

 ■with advantage j Ajasson, ii. 245-6. 



