AEROLITES. 589 



which was followed three or four times by a noise like a 

 cannon and a rattle of muskets, mixed with a number of 

 drums. At each explosion parts of the vapour, of which the 

 cloud consisted, were removed. No appearance of light was 

 visible in this instance. There fell at the same time upon an 

 elliptical surface, whose major axis, from S.E. to N.W., had 

 a length of 6 miles, a great number of meteoric stones, the 

 largest of which weighed only 17 pounds. They were hot 

 but not red,* smoked visibly, and, what is very striking, 



servo, si aliquando ad nos veneris." " From these prodigies 

 Italy has furnished us with many a marvel of superstition, 

 physic, and theology; what they portend, and how they are 

 to come to pass, you will learn whenever you come to us." 

 (Written from Burgos to Fagiardus.) Cardanus (Opera, ed. 

 Ludg. 1663, torn. iii. lib. xv. cap. Ixxii. p. 279,) affirms still 

 more accurately, that 1200 aerolites fell among them, one of 

 120 pounds weight, iron grey, of great density. The noise is 

 said to have lasted two hours : " ut mirum sit. tamtam molera 

 in acre sustineri potuisse;'' " it is marvellous that such a mass 

 could be supported in the air." He considered the tailed fire- 

 ball to be a comet, and errs in the date of the phenomenon 

 by a year: "Vidimus anno 1510." Cardanus was at that 

 time nine or ten years old. 



* Recently, on the occasion of the fall ot aerolites at 

 Braunau (July 14th, 1847), the fallen masses of stone were 

 so hot, that after six hours they could not be touched with- 

 out causing a burn. I have already treated (Asie Cen- 

 trale. torn. i. p. 408) of the analogy which the Scythian 

 myth of sacred gold presents with a fall of meteors. "5. As 

 the Scythians say, theirs is the most recent of all na- 

 tions; and it arose in the following manner. The first 

 man that appeared in this country, which was a wilderness, 

 was named Targitaus : they say that the parents of this Tar- 

 gitaus, in my opinion relating what is incredible, they 

 say. however, that they were Jupiter and a daughter of the 

 river Bor\ sthenes ; that such was the origin of Targitaus : 

 and that he had three sons, who went by the names of Lipox- 

 ais, Apoxuis, and the youngest, Colaxuis; that during their 



