ECLIPSE. 



it is as the point of view. Before me 

 lay the vast plain where that celebrated 

 work stands, and I knew that the eclipse 

 would appear directly over it; besides, I 

 had the advantage of a very extensive 

 prospect every way, this being the high- 

 est hill hereabouts, and nearest the mid- 

 dle of the shadow ; full west of me, and 

 beyond Stonehenge, is a pretty copped 

 hill, like the top of a cone, lifting itself 

 above the horizon ; this is Clay-hill near 

 Warminster, 2u miles distant, and near 

 the central line of darkness, which must 

 come from thence, so that I could have 

 notice enough before hand of its approach. 

 Abraham Sturgis and Steven Ewens, 

 both of this place, and sensible men, were 

 with me. Though it was very cloudy, yet 

 now and then we had gleams of sunshine, 

 rather more than I could perceive at any 

 other place around us. These two per- 

 sons, looking through smoked glasses, 

 while I was taking some bearings of the 

 country with a circumferentor, both 

 confidently affirmed the eclipse was be- 

 gun, when by my watch I found it just 

 half an hour after 5 ; and, accordingly, 

 from thence the progress of it was visi- 

 ble, and very often to the naked eye, 

 the thin clouds doing the office of glasses. 

 From the time of the sun's body being 

 half covered, there was a very conspicu- 

 ous circular iris round the sun, with per- 

 fect colours. On all sides we beheld the 

 shepherds hurrying their flocks into fold, 

 the darkness coming on ; for they ex- 

 pected nothing less than a total eclipse 

 for an hour and a quarter. 



" When the sun looked very sharp 

 like a new moon, the sky was pretty 

 clear in that spot ; but soon after a 

 thicker cloud covered it, at which time 

 the iris vanished, the copped hill before- 

 mentioned grew very dark, together 

 with the horizon on both sides, that is to 

 the north and south, and looked blue ; 

 just as it appears in the east at the de- 

 clension of day. We had scarce time to 

 tell, then, when Salisbury steeple six 

 miles offsouthward became very black ; 

 the copped hill quite lost, and a most 

 gloomy night with full career came upon 

 us: at this instant we lost sight of the 

 sun, whose place among the clouds was 

 hitherto sufficiently distinguishable, but 

 now not the least trace of it to be found, 

 no more than if really absent : then I saw 

 by my watch, though with diffiulty, and 

 only by help of some light from the 

 northern quarter, that it was 6 hours 35 

 minutes: just before this the whole com- 

 pass of the heavens and earth looked of 



a lurid complexion, properly apeaking'; 

 for it was black and blue, only in the 

 earth upon the horizon the blue prevail- 

 ed; there was likewise in the heavens 

 among the clouds much green interspers- 

 ed,^) that the whole appearance was 

 really very dreadful, and as symptoms of 

 sickening nature. 



'* Now I perceived us involved in total 

 darkness and palpable, as I may aptly call 

 it; though it came quick, yet I was so in- 

 tent that I could perceive its steps, and 

 feel it as it were drop upon us, and fall 

 on the right shoulder (we looking west- 

 ward) like a great dark mantle or cover- 

 let of a bed thrown over us, or like the 

 drawing of a curtain on that side ; and 

 the horses we held in our hands were 

 very sensible of it, and crouded close to 

 us, startling with great surprise ; as 

 much as I could see of the men's faces 

 that stood by me had a horrible aspect ; 

 at this instant I looked around me, not 

 without exclamations of admiration, and 

 could discern colours in the heavens, but 

 the earth had lost its blue, and was 

 wholly black; for some time among the 

 clouds there was visible streaks of rays, 

 tending to the place of the sun as their 

 centre ; but immediately after, the whole 

 appearance of earth and sky was entirely 

 black : of all things I ever saw in my life, 

 or can by imagination fancy, it was a 

 sight the most tremendous. 



" Toward the north-west, whence the 

 eclipse came, I could not in the least find 

 any distinction in the horizon between 

 heaven and earth, for a good breadth of 

 about 60 degrees or more ; nor the town 

 of Amsbury underneath us, nor scarce 

 the ground we trod on : I turned myself 

 round several times during this total 

 darkness, and remarked at a good dis- 

 tance from the west, on both sides, that 

 is to the north and south, the horizon 

 very perfect : the earth being black, the 

 lower part of the heavens light ; for the 

 darkness above hung over us like a ca- 

 nopy, almost reaching the horizon in 

 those parts, or as if made with skirts of a 

 lighter colour ; so that the upper edges 

 of all the hills were as a black line, and 

 I knew them very distinctly by their 

 shape or profile ; and northward I saw- 

 perfectly that the interval of light and 

 darkness in the horizon was between 

 Martinsal hill and St. Ann's hill; but 

 southward it was more indefinite : I do 

 not mean that the verge of the shadow 

 passed between those hills, which were 

 but 12 miles distant from us : but so far 

 I could distinguish the horizon, beyond 





