60 



History of Nature. 



[BooK II. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

 The Geometry of the World. 



A STADIUM maketh of our Paces 125, that is to say, 625 

 Feet. Posidonius saith, that from the Earth it is no less than 

 forty Stadia to that Height wherein thick Weather, Winds, 

 and Clouds are formed. Above this, the Air is pure, clear, 

 and light, without any troubled Darkness. But from the 

 cloudy Region to the Moon is 2,000,000 Stadia : from thence 

 to the Sun, 5000. By means of which Interval it cometh to 

 pass, that so exceeding great as the Sun is, he burneth not 



the order and distances of the planets, the motions of which he appears to 

 have compared to the graceful and measured dances of the ancients to 

 the sound of the harp. But, as often happens, when philosophers confine 

 their views of Nature to a single aspect, what has a shadow of truth in 

 itself becomes, when thus interpreted, egregious trifling. The supposition 

 enounced is, that not only are the motions performed according to musical 

 time, but the intervals between the chords (of each planet's path) are 

 properly measured by their relative tones. The following diagram, taken 

 from the notes to Dalechamp's edition of Pliny, will more clearly repre- 

 sent the ideas of this eminent Greek philosopher : 



12THESPH, 



TERRA THE EARTH 



The tone or unit of Pythagoras is taken for 125,000 stadia, or 15,625 

 miles. Wern. Club. 



