1 48 History of Nature. [ BOOK 1 1 . 



yet so exquisitely calculated, that it were a Shame not to be- 

 lieve him. Hipparchus, a wonderful Man, both for con- 

 vincing him, and for all his other Diligence, addeth more- 

 over little less than 25,000 Stadia. 



CHAPTER CIX. 

 The harmonica! Measure of the World. 



ANOTHER Kind of Faith may be given to Dionysodorus ; 

 for I will not withhold a very great Example of Grecian 

 Vanity. This Man was a Melian, famous for his Skill in 

 Geometry : he died very aged in his own Country : his near 

 Kinswomen, who were his Heirs, solemnised his Funerals. 

 These Women, as they came some few Days after to perform 

 the Obsequies thereto belonging, are said to have found in 

 his Monument an Epistle of this Dionysodorus, written in his 

 own Name, To them above ; to this Effect : that he had gone 

 from his Sepulchre to the Bottom of the Earth, and that it 

 was thither 42,000 Stadia. Neither wanted there Geome- 

 tricians who made this Interpretation, that this Epistle was 

 sent from the Centre of the Earth ; to which Place down- 

 ward from the uppermost, the Way was longest; and the 

 same was just half the Diameter of the Ball : whereupon 

 followed this Computation, that they pronounced the Circuit 

 to be 255,000 Stadia. The harmonical Proportion which 

 forceth this Nature of Things to agree unto itself, addeth 

 unto this Measure 7000 Stadia, and maketh the Earth to be 

 the 96,000th Part of the whole World. 



