166 



APPENDIX. 



ing several ages, it was deemed a donative of 

 such value, that he offered it on the altar pro re- 

 medio animassuae, in order to obtain the forgive 

 ness of his sins. In the eleventh century, the art 

 of making paper, in the manner now become 

 universal, was invented ; by means of which, not 

 only the number of manuscripts increased, but 

 the study of the sciences was wonderfully facili 

 tated. 



No. II. Foolish and Superstitious Opinions re 

 specting Comets and Eclipses. P. 18. 



Aristotle held comets to be fiery exhalations, 

 rising from the lower atmosphere to the upper or 

 fiery region, condensing during their rapid de 

 scent, kindling on their near approach to the 

 Empyreum, and burning until exhausted. .Leo 

 nard Digges, an Almanack maker of the four 

 teenth century, affirmed of comets &quot; That they 

 signifie corruption of the ayre ; they are signesof 

 earthquake, of warres,chaunging of kingdomes, 

 great dearth ofcorne,yea a common deathofman 

 and beast.&quot; Bodin supposed them spirits,which, 

 having lived on the earth innumerable ages, and 

 having at last completed their term of existence, 

 celebrate their last triumphs, or are recalled to 

 heaven in the form of shining stars. In the re 

 cords of former ages, we read of a comet &quot; com 

 ing out from an opening in the heavens, like to a 

 dragon with blue feet, and a head covered with 

 snakes.&quot; And we are told, that &quot; in the year 

 1527, about four in the morning, not only in the 

 Palatinate of the Rhine, but nearly over all Eu 

 rope, appeared for an hour and a quarter, a most 

 horrible comet in this sort. In its length it was of 

 a bloody colour, inclining to saffron. From the 

 top of its train appeared a bended arm, in the 

 hand whereof was a huge sword, in the instant 

 posture of striking. At the point of the sword 

 was a star. From the star proceeded dusky rays, 

 like a hairy tail ; on the side of them other rays 

 like javelins, or lesser swords, as if imbrued in 

 blood ; between which appeared human faces of 

 the colour of blackish clouds, with rough hair and 

 beards. All these moved with such terrible spark 

 ling and brightness, that, many spectators swoon 

 ed with fear.&quot; Rosenburgi &quot; Exampla Come- 

 tarum.&quot; 



The comet of 1454, seen at Constantinople, 

 seemed there to be moving in the firmament, from 

 west to east, and to present the aspect of a Ham- 

 ing sword. From its great magnitude, it is said 

 even to have eclipsed the moon, and created 

 among the Turks the utmost consternation, as 

 it was thought to prognosticate nothing less than 

 a crusade from all the kingdoms of Christendom, 

 and forbode the certain overthrow of the cre 

 scent. Only two vears afterwards, when, not 

 withstanding these direful omens, the Turkish 

 anns had proved eminently victorious, and were 

 spreading dismay over all Euroue, Halley s co 



met, in 1456, with a long tail turned towards th* 

 east, created reciprocal and still greater alarms 

 on the part of the Christians. Pope Calixtus be 

 lieved it to be at once the sign and instrument ol 

 divine wrath ; he ordered public prayers to be 

 offered up, and decreed, that, in every town, the 

 bells should be tolled at mid-day, to warn the peo 

 ple to supplicate the mercy and forgiveness of 

 heaven : &quot; ut omnes de precibus contra Turca- 

 rum tyrrannidem fundendis admonerentur. 

 That all people may be admonished to pour out 

 supplications against the tyranny of the Turks. 

 See Milne s Essay on Comets. 



Even in modern times, many foolish and pre 

 posterous opinions have been entertained respect 

 ing these anomalous bodies. In a late periodi 

 cal publication, the writer of an article on comets, 

 when alluding to the comet of 1811, proceeds to 

 state &quot; some singular changes and circumstan 

 ces,&quot; which its influence occasioned. &quot; The 

 winter,&quot; says he, &quot; was very mild, the spring 

 was wet, the summer cool, and very little ap 

 pearance of the sun to ripen the produce of the 

 earth ; yet the harvest was not deficient, and 

 some fruits were not only abundant, but delicious- 

 ly ripe, such as figs, melons, and wall-fruit. Ve 

 ry few wasps appeared, and the flies became 

 blind, and disappeared early in the season. No 

 violent storms of thunder and lightning, and little 

 or no frost and snow the ensuing winter. Veni 

 son, which has been supposed to be indebted foi 

 its flavour to a dry and parched summer, was by 

 no means deficient in fat or in flavour. Bui 

 what is very remarkable,&quot; continues this sage 

 observer, &quot; in the metropolis, and about it, was 

 the number of females who produced twins ; some 

 had more ; and a shoemaker s wife, in White- 

 chapel, produced four at one birth, all of whom,&quot; 

 &c. &c. And all such &quot; sinaular changes and 

 circumstances,&quot; it would appear, according to 

 the fancy of this sapient Essayist, &quot; were occa 

 sioned by the influence of the comet which ap 

 peared in the autumn of 1811 ! !&quot; 



The poets, likewise, by their bombastic de 

 scriptions, have tended to perpetuate supersti 

 tious feelings. The following is Du Barta s 

 description of one of these visiters. 



&quot;Here, in the night, appears a flaming spire, 

 There, a fierce dragon, fokieu all on fire ; 

 Here, with long Woody hairs, a blazing star 

 Threatens the world with famine, plague, and war; 

 To princes death, to kingdoms many&quot;crosses; 

 To all estates inevitable losses ; 

 To herdsmen rot, to ploughmen hapless seasons; 

 To sailors storms, to cities civil treasons.&quot; 



The following extract from &quot; Tully s Letters 

 from Tripoli&quot; contains a picturesque descrip 

 tion of a solar eclipse, and the effects it produced 

 on the inhabitants of Barbary. 



&quot; I cannot here omit describing what an extra 

 ordinary impression an eclipse makes on the un 

 informed part of the inhabitants of this country 



