16 



ON THE PERIODICITY OF THE AURORA BOREALIS. 



Dr. G. R. Noyes translates these verses thus : 



" Men cannot look upon the light, 

 When it is bright in the skies, 



AVhen the wind hath passed over them and made them clear, 

 And a golden brightness cometh from the sky, — 

 But with God is terrible majesty." 



On this passage Dr. No}-es has made these comments in a note : 



"And a golden brightness: literally gold; — from the sky: literally, from the North. Hence some have supposed the 

 northern lights, or aurora borealis, to be referred to. But it is more probable that the Northern, or upper hemisphere, 

 stands for the whole firmament here, as in Chap. xxvi. 7. I suppose the reference is to the dazzling brightness reflected 

 from the skies when the sun is in the meridian. The light, mentioned without any special application, seems naturally to 

 refer to the light of the sun. This light also dazzles the eve more than that of the aurora borealis." 



GENERAL CATALOGUE OF AURORAS. 



B. C. 



502. 

 465. 



U 



4C3. 



it 



4G1. 

 460. 

 443. 

 394. 

 350. 

 334. 

 237. 

 223. 



U 



217. 



Obsequens, 1 Lycosthenes, 2 and Frobes. 3 

 Livy, Obsequens, Frytschius, 4 Frobes. 

 Lycosihenes, Chasles, 5 Boguslawski. 

 Livy, Obsequens, and Lycosthenes. 

 Frobes, Chasles, and Boguslawski. 

 Obsequens, Lycosthenes, Frobes, 6 and Chasles. 

 Lycosthenes, Chasles, Boguslawski.' 

 Alliens. Nihusius, 8 Frobes. 

 Pliny, 9 Calvisius, 10 Frobes. 

 Frytsehius, 11 Frobes, Chasles, Lycosthenes. 

 Egypt. Lycosthenes, Frobes, 12 and Chasles. 

 Thuscia. Lycosthenes, 13 Frobes, and Chasles. 

 Thuscia. Obsequens and Lycosthenes. 

 Fiytschius, Frobes, Chasles, and Bogusl. 

 Rome, Sicily, Prceneste. Obsequens. 

 " Livy, Lycosthenes, 14 and Frobes. 



1 DeProdigiis, Cap. IX. 



2 Prodigioium ac Ostentoram Chronicon, p. 70. 



8 Nova et antiqua Lurainis atque Aurora; Borealis Spectacula. 

 4 Catalogus Prodigiorum. 



6 Compt. Rend., XII. 499. Nouv. Me'm. de l'Acad. Brux., XV. 

 51. 



6 Boguslawski says they were in the years 463, 461, and 460. 



7 Pogg. Ann. Bd. XC. Erganzungsband IV. p. 62. Livy, III. 

 10. Boguslawski says it was in the year 458. 



8 De Divinatione Sacra et Profana, Lib. VII. Cap. VII. 



9 Historia Nat. Mundi, Lib. II. Cap. XXVII. 

 10 Opus Chronologicum. 



" Pliny, Historia Nat. Mundi, Lib. II. Cap. XXVII. 



12 Vincentius, Speculum Naturale ['.), Lib. V. Cap. LV. 



13 He quotes Cassiodorus. Boguslawski gives the year 236. 



14 Boguslawski gives the year 214. 



B. C. 



208. Lycosthenes, 15 Chasles, and Boguslawski. 



204. Selia. Livy and Obsequens. 



" Lycosthenes, Peucer, 16 and Frobes. 



203. Anagnia. Livy, Obsequens, Peucer, Frobes. 



" Lycosthenes, Chasles, and Boguslawski. 



202. Nihusius and Frobes. 



200. Lvcania. Obsequens and Lycosthenes. 17 



" Frobes, Chasles, and Boguslawski. 



175. Gabii. Livy and Obsequens. 



" Lycosthenes and Boguslawski. 



173. Lunuvium. Livy, Obsequens, and Frobes. 



" Lycosthenes and Boguslawski. 



160. Anagnia. Obsequens and Lycosthenes. 



" Peucer, Frobes, and Boguslawski. 



168. Seneca, Lycosthenes, and Frobes. 18 



167. Lavinium. Obsequens, Lycosthenes, and Frobes. 



166. Lanuvium. Obsequens and Lycosthenes. 



" Frobes and Boguslaw ki. ? 



163. Capua. Formia. Obsequens. 



" Lycosthenes, Frobes, and Boguslawski. 19 



162. Anagnia. Obsequens and Lycosthenes. 



" Frobes and Boguslawski. 



136. Prceneste. Obsequens, Lycosthenes, Peucer. 



1 5 He quotes Diodoius Siculus, VII. 161. Bibliothecse His- 

 torical, Lib. XVI. 



16 Commentarius de Pracipuis Divinationum Generibus, p. 345. 

 i" Boguslawski gives the year 197. 



18 Maccab. Bk. II., Ch. 5, verses 2 and 3. Edin. New Phil. 

 Journ., XLVII. 148. 



i 9 Bogcslawski gives the year 160. 



