Chap. 22.] ACCOUNT OP THE WOELD. 65 



ris and Necepsos, supposes that each degree of the lunar 

 orbit (which, as I have said, is the least) consists of little 

 more than 33 stadia ; in the very large orbit of Saturn the 

 number is double ; in that of the sun, which, as we have 

 said, is in the middle \ we have the half of the sum of these 

 numbers. And this is indeed a very modest calculation*, 

 since if we add to the orbit of Saturn the distance from him 

 to the zodiac, we shall have an infinite number of degrees*. 



CHAP. 22. (24.) — OF THE STABS WHICH APPEAB SUDDENLY, 

 OE OP COMETS\ 



A few things still remain to be said concerning the world ; 

 for stars are suddenly formed in the heavens themselves ; of 

 these there are various kinds. 



(25.) The Greeks name these stars comets^ ; we name them 

 Crinitae, as if shaggy with bloody locks, and surrounded with 

 bristles like hair. Those stars, which have a mane hanging 

 down from their lower part, like a long beard, are named 

 Pogonia)^. Those that are named Acontiae' vibrate like a dart 

 with a very quick motion. It was one of this kind which the 

 Emperor Titus described in his very excellent poem, as 

 having been seen in his fifth consulship ; and this was the 

 last of these bodies which has been observed. When they 

 are short and pointed they are named Xiphiae' ; these are the 



* " Non inter Lunam et Satumum, sed inter Lunam at ccelum affixa- 

 rum stellarum, medium esse Solem modo diierat. Quam parum sui 

 meminit ! " Alexandre in Lem. i. 291. 



2 " Qui computandi modus pluriraum habet verecundiae et modestise, 

 quimi ibi sistit, nee ulterius progreditur." Hardouin in Lemaire, L 292. 



3 " .... ad Satxxmi circulum addito Signiteri ipsius intervallo, . . . . " 



* We may remark, that our author, for the most part, adopts the 

 opinions of Aristotle respecting comets and meteors of all kinds, while he 

 pays but little attention to those of his contemporary Seneca, which how- 

 ever, on some points, woidd appear to be more correct. See the remarks 

 of Marcus in Ajasson, ii. 244. Under the title of comets he includes, not 

 only those bodies which are permanent and move in regular orbits, but 

 such as are transient, and are produced from various causes, the nature of 

 which is not well understood. See Aristotle, Meteor, hb. i. cap. 6, 7, 

 and Seneca, Nat. Qusest. hb. 7, and ManiHus, L 807 et seq. 



* a Kont], coma. 



^ a TTwywvtos, barbatus. Most of these terms are employed by Ari- 

 stotle and by Seneca. 7 ab clkovtiov^ jaculum. 



* a ^t^os, ensis. 



