y8 "kefi^fkons an th& new Vianet. 



The Greek name Hera is to be preftrred to the Latin name 

 Juno, id, Becaul'c the latter has been already applied to the 

 planet Venus. Pliny lays *, " Infra folcni ambit ingens 



fidus, appellatum Veneris Alii enini Jun'mis^ alii 



Ifuiis, alii matris Deum appellaverc." St, Auguftinef calls 

 Venus, Stellam Junonis ; and Apuleitis X fays, " Ji/jioiiia, 

 inimo Veneris ftella ccnfclur." Hera is always involved 

 in clouds, and our planet kept itfelf a long time concealed. 

 This name, tlierefore, will dill be appropriate even if the 

 new ftar fhould not be the fuppofed planet : in that cafe, 

 indead of the deitv xvc have embraced a clond §. 2d, Hera 

 IS at the fame time the name of a city in Sicily, by which 

 means the difcovery made on that ifland, and the celebrated 

 name of the difcovcrer of this eighth primary planet, will be 

 eternized and preferved as long as tradition and hidory exift 

 on the earth. The city of Hera, filnated, as well as Pa- 

 lermo, on the coad of Sicily, was called alfo Hybla Minor y 

 and is the fame mentioned by Paulanias, Cicero in his Let- 

 ters to Atticus, and Antoninus in his Itinerary. In the lad 

 place, Hera is the mother of Vulcan, who has his workfliop 

 in the burning mountain of ^tna in that ifland. 



The oljjeilion already made in regard to Uranus, that all 

 the planets have Roman and not Greek names, mud be of 

 kfs importance, as the Greek name OCpa-vo^ has been retained 

 to that difcovered by Herfchel, though it would have been 

 more agreeable to analogv to have called it Ccelus. All the 

 old planets, the difcovery of which is loft in the obfcurity of 

 lime, may retain their Latin nannes ; but the new planets, 

 the hidory of the difcovcrv of which will be handed down to 

 the lated poderitv, uith the names of the difcoverers, ought, 

 by way of diftinition, to have Greek names. What feems 

 lierean interruption of analogy will be only harmony. Since 

 the creation, like the Creator, has no bounds, (liould another 

 planet be difcovered beyond Uranus, its hieroglyphic ap- 

 pellation ought to be Greek. 



It will be neced'ary alfo to invent an appropriate charadlcr 

 for this planet. To a ncvi-7planet we may adign the character 

 ofa new metal. This idea has been followed in regard to 

 Uranus; but we have thereby committed an error, or rather 

 edablifljed a nionvmcntof our ignorance refpe^ling the com- 

 ponent parts of platina. It wus a much better propofal to 

 didingui.di this planet by J, the under pari of which repre- 



* Hid Na'. lib. ii. cap. 6. 



■\ 13;; Civiwt. Dei, lib. vii. cip. 15. 



J Dc Mundo, p. 252. edit. iJipont. 



§ N'ubts et inania cnptare. 



lents 



