4 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



reached us is that which occurred in the year 584 B.C. 

 It took place, Herodotus relates, while the Medians and 

 Lydians were engaged in battle. He thus describes 

 the occurrence : ' The war had continued between the 

 two nations with balanced success for five years. In 

 the sixth year of the war another battle took place ; 

 and after both sides had fought with great advantage, 

 and when the engagement was growing warm, the 

 day was suddenly turned into night. This had been 

 foretold to the lonians by Thales the Milesian, who 

 predicted the time of the year in which it would happen. 

 The Lydians and Medes, seeing that the day had given 

 place to night, desisted from combat, and were equally 

 anxious to make peace.' Astronomers and historians 

 had for a long time been in doubt respecting the date 

 of this remarkable eclipse. The astronomical difficulty 

 of the question is connected with an interesting pecu- 

 liarity of lunar motion, into which we need not now enter. 

 Until this peculiarity had been mastered, which has 

 only happened quite recently, Baily's supposition that 

 the eclipse must have occurred in the year 609 B.C. 

 was accepted as the best solution of the difficulty. But 

 Sir G. Airy has now proved beyond a doubt that the 

 eclipse took place on May 28, in the year 584 B.C., the 

 very year assigned to the event by Cicero and Pliny. 



Xenophon mentions a remarkable eclipse which led 

 to the capture of Larissa by the Persians. During the 

 retreat which was so ably conducted by Xenophon, the 

 Greeks passed 'a large deserted city called Larissa, 

 formerly inhabited by the Medes. Its walls were 



