162 THEORY OP THE EARTH. 



quite sufficient to reconcile the two zodiacs with 

 each other. 



It may be inquired also, whether our zodiac may 

 not contain some internal proofs of its antiquity, 

 and whether the figures which have been employ- 

 ed to represent its signs or constellations, may not 

 have some reference to the colures at the epoch 

 when they were adopted. All, however, that has 

 been advanced on this subject, is founded on alle- 

 gories, supposed to be contained in the several 

 figures. Thus it has been supposed, that Libra, or 

 the balance, indicated the equality of the days 

 and nights ; Taurus, or the bull, the season of la- 

 bouring the earth ; Cancer, or the crab, a retrogra- 

 dation of the sun; Virgo, the season of gathering 

 in the fruits of the earth ; and so of the rest. All 

 this is mere bold conjecture : But besides, these 

 explanations must necessarily vary for every coun- 

 try ; and it would be requisite to assign a different 

 epoch to each separate zodiac, according to the 

 climate of the country in which it is supposed to 

 have been invented ; nay, perhaps, there may be 

 no climate and no epoch in conformity with which 

 rational explanations could be devised for all the 

 signs. It is also possible, that these names may 

 have been given at a very remote period, without 

 reference at all to the divisions of time or space, 

 or to the different states of the sun in its course, 

 just as they are now given by astronomers : and 

 may Jiave been applied to the constellations or 



