NOTES. Civ 



.Adda has been described with great liveliness, but unfortunately in too rheto- 

 lical a manner, and with a great want of clearness, by the celebrated Petrus 

 Martyr, of Anghiera (Opus Epistolarum, Amst. 1670, No. cccclxv. pag. 245 

 246). The fall of stones was immediately preceded by an almost total 

 obscuration of the Sun at noon, on the 4th of September, 1511. "Famaest, 

 Pavouem immensura in aerea Cremensi plaga fuisse visum. Pavo visus in 

 pyramidem convert], adeoque celeri ab occidente in orientem raptari cursu, ut 

 in horse mornento magnam hemisphseri partem, doctorum inspectantium sen- 

 tentia, pervolasse credatur. Ex nubium illico densitate tenebras ferunt 

 surrexisse, quales viventium nullus unquam se cognovisse fateatur. Per earn 

 noctis faciem, cum formidolosis fulguribus, inaudita tonitrua regionern circum- 

 sepserunt." The temporary illuminations were so intense as to enable the 

 inhabitants round Bergamo to see the whole plain of Crema during the dark- 

 ness which otherwise prevailed. " Ex horrendo illo fragore quid irata natura 

 in earn regionem pepererit, percunctaberis. Saxa demisit in Cremensi planitie 

 (ubi nullus unquam sequans ovum lapis visus fuit) immensse magnitudinis, 

 ponderis egregii. Decem fuisse reperta centrilibralia saxa ferunt." Birds, 

 sheep, and even fish, were killed. Among all these exaggerations, we can still 

 recognise that the meteoric cloud from which the stones fell must have been 

 of uncommon blackness and density. The " Pavo" was doubtless a bail of 

 fire with a train or tail both wide and long. The tremendous noise issuing 

 from the meteoric cloud is here described as the thunder accompanying the 

 lightnings (?). Anghiera received himself, in Spain, a fragment the size of a 

 man's fist (ex frustis disruptorum saxorum), and shewed it to the King, Fer- 

 dinand of Arragon, in the presence of the celebrated warrior, Gonzalo de 

 Cordova. His letter concludes with the words " mira super hisce prodigiis 

 conscripta fanatice, physice, theologice ad nos missa sunt ex Italia. Quid 

 portendant, quomodoque gignantur, tibi utraque servo, si aliquando ad nos 

 veneris" (written from Burgos to Fagiardus). Cardanus, speaking still more 

 precisely (Opera, ed. Lugd. 1663, T. iii. lib. xv. cap. 72, p. 279), states that 

 there fell 1200 aerolites, and that among them was one weighing 120 pounds, 

 very dense, and of a blackness like that of iron. He also says that the noise 

 lasted two hours : " ut mirum sit, tantam molem in acre sustineri potuisse." 

 He takes the ball of fire with a tail or train for a comet, and makes the mis- 

 take of a year in the date of the phaenomenon : " Vidimus anno 1510 " 



Cardanus was between nine and ten years old when it occurred. 



( 704 ) p. 439. Recently, in the fall of aerolites at Braunau (July 14, 1847), 

 the masses of stone which fell were, six hours afterwards, still so hot that 



