THEORY OF THE EARTH. 197 



resemble those of the Arabians, they have the 

 same twelve constellations in the zodiac as the 

 Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Greeks * ; and, if we 

 refer to Mr Wilfort's assertions, their extra-zo- 

 diacal constellations are also the same as those of 

 the Greeks, and bear names which are merely 

 slight alterations of their Greek names f. 



It is to Yao that the introduction of astrono- 



* See the Memoir of Sir William Jones, on the Anti- 

 quity of the Indian Zodiac, Calcutta Memoirs, vol. ii, 

 p. 289 of the 8vo edition. 



f The following are Mr Wilfort's own words, in his 

 memoir on the Testimonies of Ancient Hindoo Books, re- 

 specting Egypt and the Nile, Calcutta Memoirs, vol. iii. 

 p. 433 of the 8vo edition; 



ct Having desired my pundit, who is a learned astro- 

 nomer, to point out in the heavens the constellation of 

 Antarmada, he directed me immediately to Andromeda, 

 which I had taken care not to shew him as a constellation 

 that I knew. He afterwards brought me a very rare and 

 curious book, in Sanscrit, in which there was a particular 

 chapter on the Upanacshatras, or extra-zodiacal constella- 

 tions, with figures of Capeya, of Casyape, seated, and hold- 

 ing a lotus-flower in her hand ; of Antarmada, chained, 

 with the fish near her ; and of Parasica, holding the head 

 of a monster, which he had killed, dropping blood, and 

 having snakes for hair." 



Who does not recognise in this, Perseus, Cepheus, and 

 Cassiope? But we must not forget that this pundit of 

 Mr Wilfort's has become much suspected. 



