468 SCIENTIFIC RECREATIONS. 



certain comet, and the date of the king's death was also correctly prophesied. 

 Astrology, therefore, held a very considerable influence over the human race 

 during the Middle Ages. 



We can only give a very brief historical summary of the science. We 

 know that the destinies of individuals and nations were at a very early period 

 attributed to the influence of the stars. We read that " the stars in their 

 courses fought against Sisera," and many expressions surviving to the present 

 time serve to remind us that the stars were at one time paramount in men's 

 minds. Thus we have the phrases " unlucky star," " born under a lucky 

 star," "mark my stars," "moonstruck," etc. Even the common term "consider'* 

 to take counsel of the stars is thus accounted for, and many men have a 

 habit of looking up to the ceiling of a room or to the sky when thinking 

 deeply con-sidering with the stars. "Contemplate" is another term signifying 

 the same thing ; for templum, a temple, was formerly a space marked upon 

 the sky in imaginary lines, and traced on the ground in accordance with the 

 supposed diagram. Thus temple became a place for heavenly " contempla- 

 tion," and by an easy transition to a place of worship. In our old poets' 

 writings we have many allusions to the influences of the stars. 



" Now glowed the firmament 

 With living sapphires ; Hesperus, that led 

 The starry host, rode brightest, till the moon, 

 Riding in clouded majesty, at length 

 Apparent queen, unveiled her peerless light. 

 And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw." MILTON. 



Although from Thales, who lived B.C. 610, the real science of astronomy 

 may be allowed to date, there can be no doubt that the ancients were 

 acquainted with many phenomena. The Chaldeans were, doubtless, the first 

 to place on record the rising and setting of the celestial bodies and eclipses, 

 and used the water-clock (clepsydra). A list of eclipses from 2234 B.C. 

 is stated to have been found at Babylon by Alexander the Great. The 

 Chaldeans also divided the ecliptic into twelve equal parts, and the day and 

 night into twenty-four hours. The Chinese, again, have recorded astrono- 

 mical phenomena as far back as 2857 B.C. ; and the Egyptians also were 

 well versed in the science, although no records of much importance remain 

 to us, unless the zodiac signs were their invention. 



Thales predicted the eclipse of the sun B.C. 610. Aristarchus and Era- 

 tosthenes also made important observations. Hipparchus (160-125 B.C.) 

 discovered the precession of the equinoxes, calculated eclipses, determined 

 the length of the year, etc., etc. 



Ptolemy, of Alexandria, A.D. 130-150, was the founder of a theory 

 called the Ptolemaic System, which recognized the earth as the centre of all 

 the sun, moon, stars, etc., all revolving in very complicated courses around 

 it, as figured in the diagram herewith. Even though his theory turned 

 out to be untenable, he paved the way for his successors in other ways, and 



