150 NORTHERN LIGHTS. [Lesson XXIV. 



From look to look, contagious through the crowd 



The panic runs, and into woudroas shapes 



Th' appearance throws; armies in meet array, 



Throng'd with aerial spears and steeds office, 



Till the long lines of full extended war, 



In bleeding fight commixt, the sanguine flood 



Rolls a broad slaughter o'er the plains of heav'u. 



As thus they scaii the visionary scene, 



On all sides swell the superstitious diii, 



Incontinent; and bnsy frenzy talks 



Of blood and battle, cities overturn'd, 



And late at night in swallowing earthquakes sunk, 



Or hideous wrapt in fierce ascending flame ; 



Of sallow famine, inundation, storm ; 



Of pestilence, and very great distress; 



Empires subvers'd, when ruling fate has struck 



Th' unalterable hour: ev'n Nature's self 



Is deem'd to totter on the brink of time. 



THOMSON. 



Though this waving brightness, which plays so 

 innocently over our heads, causes such astonish- 

 ment in ihe gazing throng, it has a very different 

 effect upon the philosopher: he feels stimulated to 

 inquire how so curious, and in great measure 

 pleasing, an appearance may be occasioned. In 

 order to arrive at the result of such inquiry, it will 

 be necessary to consider with attention the various 

 phenomena of this meteor, as they have been ac- 

 curately observed. 



It may be remarked, then, that the appearances 

 of the Aurora come under four different descrip- 

 tions : First, a horizontal light, like the morning 

 Aurora, or break of day; which horizontal light 

 tends to the magnetic east and west, and is bisected 

 by the magnetic meridian. Secondly, fine, splen- 

 did, 



