38 PLnrr's nattjeal histoet. [Book IL 



events or the destruction of tlie stars. This alarm is freely 

 acknowledged in the sublime strains of Stesichorus and Pin- 

 dar, as being produced by an eclipse of the sun^ And with 

 respect to the eclipse of the moon, mortals impute it to 

 witchcraft, and therefore endeavour to aid her by producing 

 discordant sounds. In consequence of this kind of terror it 

 was that Nicias, the general of the Athenians, being ignorant 

 of the cause, was afraid to lead out the fleet, and brought 

 great distress on his troops^. Hail to your genius, ye in- 

 terpreters of heaven! ye who comprehend the nature of 

 things, and who have discovered a mode of reasoning by 

 which ye have conquered both gods and men^ ! For who is 

 there, in observing these things and seeing the labours'' 

 which the stars are compelled to undergo (since we have 

 chosen to apply this term to them), that would not cheer- 

 fully submit to his fate, as one bom to die ? I shall now, 

 in a brief and summary manner, touch on those points in 

 which we are agreed, giving the reasons where it is necessary 

 to do so ; for this is not a work of profound argument, nor 

 is it less wonderful to be able to suggest a probable cause for 

 everything, than to give a complete account of a few of 

 them only. 



CHAP. 10. (13.) — O-^ THE EECTTRRENCE OF THE ECLIPSES OP 

 THE SUN AND THE MOON. 



It is ascertained that the eclipses complete their whole 

 revolution in the space of 223 months^ that the eclipse 

 of the sun takes place only at the conclusion or the com- 

 mencement of a lunation, which is termed conjunction^, 



^ Seneca, the tragedian, refers to this superstitious opinion in some 

 beautiful verses, which are given to the chorus at the termination of the 

 fourth act of the Thyestes. 



2 We have an accoimt of this event in Thucydides, Smith's trans, ii. 

 244, and in Plutarch, Langhorne's trans, iii. 406. It is calculated to 

 have happened Aug. 27th, 413 B.C. ; Brewster, ut supra, p. 415, 421. 



3 The elegant lines of Ovid, in his Fasti, i. 297 et seq., express the 

 same sentiment : " FeUces animos, quibus hoc cognoscere primis," &c. 



■* I have aheady remarked upon the use of this term as apphed to the 

 eclipses of the moon in note ^, p. 31. 



* According to the remarks of Marcus, it appears probable that this 

 Bol-lunar period, as it has been termed, was discovered by the Chaldeans j 

 Ajaeson, ii. 306, 307. ^ " coitus." 



