82 plint's natural HISTOET. [Book IT. 



suffering any injury \ Among tlie prognostics wliicli took 

 place at the time of Catiline's conspiracy, M. Herennius, a 

 magistrate of the borough of Pompeii, was struck by light- 

 ning when the sky was without clouds^. 



CHAP. 53. (52.) THE ETETJEIAlSr' AKD THE EOMAK 



OBSEEYATION'S ON THESE POINTS. 



The Tuscan books inform us, that there are nine Grods 

 who discharge thunder-storms, that there are eleven differ- 

 ent kinds of them, and that three of them are darted out by 

 Jupiter. Of these the Romans retained only two, ascribing 

 the diurnal kind to Jupiter, and the nocturnal to Summa- 

 nus"* ; this latter kind being more rare, in consequence of 

 the heavens being colder, as was mentioned above. The 

 Etrurians also suppose, that those which are named Infernal 

 burst out of the ground ; they are produced in the winter 

 and are particularly fierce and direful, as all things are which 

 proceed from the earth, and are not generated by or proceed- 

 ing from the stars, but from a cause which is near at hand, 

 and of a more disorderly nature. As a proof of this it is 

 said, that all those Avhich proceed from the higher regions 

 strike obliquely, while those which are termed terrestrial 

 strike in a direct line. And because these fall from matter 

 which is nearer to us, they are supposed to proceed from the 

 earth, since they leave no traces of a rebound ; this being 

 the effect of a stroke coming not from below, but from an 

 opposite quarter. Those who have searched into the subject 



^ This effect may be easily explained by the agitation into wliich the 

 female might have been thrown. The title of " princeps Eomanarum," 

 which is apphed to Marcia, has given rise to some discussion among the 

 commentators, for which see the remarks of Hardouin and Alexandre, in 

 Lemaire, i. 348. 



2 Sometimes a partial thunder-cloud is formed, while the atmosphere 

 generally is perfectly clear, or, as Hardouin suggests, the effect might 

 have been produced by a volcanic eruption. See Lemaire, i. 348. 



3 Seneca gives us an accoxmt of the opinions of the Tuscans ; Nat. 

 Qusest. ii. 32 ; and Cicero refers to the " hbri fulgurales" of the Etrurians ; 

 De Divm. i. 72. 



* According to Hardouin, "Summanus est Deus summus Manium, 

 idem Orcus et Pluto dictus," Lemaire, i. 349 ; he is again referred to 

 by our author, xxix. 14 ; Ovid also mentions him, Fast. vi. 731, with the 

 remark, " quisquis is est." 



