438 COSMOS. 



The hypothesis of yet unknown members of the planetary 

 series, calls to mind the opinion of Hellenic antiquity, that 

 there were far more than five planets ; these were, indeed, all 

 that had been observed, but many others might remain unseen, 

 on account of the feebleness of their light and their position. 

 Such a doctrine was especially attributed to Artemidorus of 

 Ephesus.* Another old Hellenic, and perhaps even Egyptian 

 belief appears to have been, that " the celestial bodies which 

 we now see, were not all visible in earlier times." Connected 

 with such a physical or much rather historical myth, is the 

 remarkable form of the praise of a high antiquity which 

 some races ascribed to themselves. 



Thus the pre-Hellenic Pelasgian inhabitants of Arcadia 

 called themselves Proselenes; because they boasted that they 

 came into the country before the Moon accompanied the 

 Earth. Pre-Hellenic and pre-lunarian were synonymous. 

 The appearance of a star was represented as a celestial event, 

 as the Deucalionic flood was a terrestrial event. Apuleius 

 (Apologia, vol. ii. p. 494, ed. Oudendorp ; Cosmos, vol. ii. 



ac Rubedinem, colorum extremitates, qualis inter octaves 

 terminos (qui pro unisonis quodammodo haberi possunt) 

 reperitur." " I preferred employing the divisions of the 

 musical chord, not only because they harmonize best with 

 the phenomena [of light], but because it is possible there 

 may be some latent analogy between the harmonies of colours 

 (with which painters are not altogether unacquainted) and 

 the concords of sounds. This will appear more probable to 

 any one who shall notice the similarity of relations between 

 violet and red, the extreme colours [on the spectrum], and 

 the highest and lowest notes of the octave, which somehow 

 may be considered as in unison." Compare also Prevost, in 

 the M6m. de lAcad. de Berlin, for 1802, pp. 77 and 93. 



29 Seneca, Nat. Quasi. VII. 13: " Non has tantum Stellas 

 quinque discuirere, sed solas observatas esse : ceterum innu- 

 merabiles ferri per occultum." "Not that these five stars 

 only moved, but that they only had been observed, for a 

 countless number are borne along beyond the reach of vision.** 



