REQUIRED FOR THE ELUCIDATION OF ANCIENT AUTHORS. 65 



of the eclipse witnessed by Agathocles, became merely inci- 

 dentally connected. In that history we have found an ex- 

 ample of the benefits which Classical Literature may confer, 

 in a direct manner, on the Physical and Mathematical Sci- 

 ences ; while in the circumstances we are about to relate, we 

 shall perceive that the reciprocal advantages to be derived 

 from those sciences, in the pursuits of the Chronologist and 

 the Historical Antiquary, are not less considerable. 



" There is probably no fact in ancient history," Mr. Baily 

 observes, " that has given rise to so many discussions, and to 

 such a variety of opinions, as the solar eclipse, which (accord- 

 ing to Herodotus) is said to have been predicted by Thales, 

 and which, owing to a very singular coincidence, put an end 

 to a furious war that raged between Cyaxares king of Media 

 and Alyattes king of Lydia. 



" According to the account given by that celebrated histo- 

 rian, ' the contest had continued during five years, with alter- 

 nate advantages to each party : in the sixth, there was a sort 

 of nocturnal combat. For, after an equal fortune on both sides, 

 and whilst the two armies were engaging, the day suddenly be- 

 came night. Thales the Milesian had predicted this phaeno- 

 menon to the lonians, and had ascertained the time of the 

 year in which it would happen. The Lydians and the Medes, 

 seeing that the night had thus taken the place of the day, de- 

 sisted from the combat ; and both parties became desirous of 

 making peace.' The fact is here very clearly (and probably 

 very justly) related : but, unfortunately, there is nothing, 

 either in the statement itself or in the contiguous passages of 

 the work, that will enable us to determine, with any degree 

 of accuracy, the exact time wherein this singular phenomenon 

 took place. And this is the more to be regretted, because the 

 dates of several other events, recorded by the same historian, 

 might be more easily ascertained, if the aera of this eclipse 

 were correctly known ; but which are now involved in much 

 obscurity*." 



Deprived of all information from the body of the work 

 itself, chronologists have called in the aid of Astronomy to 

 assist them in fixing the date of this remarkable phenomenon. 

 For it must be evident, that if we could ascertain, by this means, 

 that in any solar eclipse, which happened about that period, 

 the centre of the moon's shadow passed over the country bor- 

 dering on the two contesting empires where the battle was pro- 

 bably fought, (for Herodotus has likewise omitted to mention 

 the place where the action occurred,) we might reasonably and 



* Phil. Trans. 1811 ; or Phil. Mag. vol.xxxviii. p. 357-8. 

 F 



