76 History of Nature. [BooK II. 



the Dog-Star when it riseth, looking wistly upon it, and tes- 

 tifieth by sneezing, a Kind of Worship. As for Dogs, no 

 Man doubteth but all the Time of the canicular Days they 

 are most ready to run mad. 



CHAPTER XLI. 



That the Stars have their several Influences in sundry Parts 

 of the Signs, and at divers Times. 



MOREOVER 1 , the Parts of certain Signs have their peculiar 

 Force, as appeareth in the autumnal Equinox, and in Mid- 

 Winter ; at which Time we perceive that the Sun maketh 

 Tempests. And this is proved, not only by Rains and Storms, 



Egyptians, will appear less absurd than at the first mention would 

 appear. For a similar reason Pliny ascribes religion to elephants, and 

 even poultry. 



In his 28th book, the Author (ch. 2) has some observations on the 

 superstition of the Romans, relative to the act of sneezing ; and it is 

 not a little remarkable, that a similar practice, of imprecating a bless- 

 ing in such case, is not even now uncommon among ourselves. Wern. 

 Club. 



1 In this chapter there is a confusion of cause and effect that is diffi- 

 cult to unravel ; and which can only be accounted for by involving what 

 are undoubtedly natural influences in modern times easily explained 

 with occult causes, the bounds of which the ancients were not able to 

 define. The influence of the sun's heat on currents of air, constituting 

 winds and tempests, and even its simple action on the texture of a 

 membrane, are thus confounded with the powers which the Signs of 

 the Zodiac were supposed to exert on the functions of the organs or re- 

 gions of the human body. According to this philosopy, each of the 

 twelve signs exerted a peculiar influence on a distinct portion ; beginning 

 with the head, which was governed by Aries; and proceeding downward 

 by regular spaces, each opposite sign in the Annual Circle became the 

 monarch of its season, until the Twins, opposite to Aries, displayed their 

 power over the feet. To the reproach of modern science, these imaginary 

 influences, which derived their origin in popular opinion, from a supposed 

 sympathetic connexion of the spirit pervading these signs a portion of 

 the great soul of the world (Note to ch. 1), and therefore a portion of 

 a very ancient idolatry maintains its place in the popular almanacs, 

 published under the superintendence of a public company especially 

 instituted for the promotion of an improved literature. Wern. Club. 



