 — Star-Showers of Former Times. 
gensis.—Script. Rer. Bohem. pars II, p: 389. Prag. 1784. Quo- 
ted by Boguslawski, Jr. in Poggendorff’s Annalen der Physik 
und Chem. B. 48, s. 612, 1839. 
(32.) A. D. 1398. “Many stars of a fiery appearance fell 
down. At this time pestilence invaded. nearly the whole of 
Italy.” ‘ed 
“ Anno Domini mccctxxxxvin. Multe stelle ad modum ignis 
ceciderunt, quas Asub vocant. Tunc pestis totam fere [taliam 
invasit.”—Annales Forolivienses, in Muratori, Rer. It. Scr. tom, 
xxii, p. 200. w . 
(33.) A. D. 1399. “An eclipse of. the sun happened on the 
second of the Calendsof October. [Sept. 30.] Stars like fire 
were also seen falling from heaven in many parts of Italy.” 
“ Anno Domini mcccic. Eclipsis Solis facta est secundo Ca- 
lend. Octobris. Stelle quoque instar ignis de ccelo cadentes in 
plerisque Italie locis vise sunt.”—Annales Forolivienses, in Mu- 
ratori, Rer. It. Ser. t. xxii, p. 200. care! : 
(34.) A. D. 1635, 1636...“ During the whole summer of 1635, 
no less than during that of 1636, signs of this sort were seen, viz. 
burning stars running together in the heavens “in great numbers 
and falling tothe earth.” aq 4e li 
‘“Hujus quoque generis varia signa pestem Noviomagensem 
preenunciare visa sunt: Tota enim estate anni 1635, non minus 
quam anni 1636, hujusmodi indicia se prodiderunt : Nempe, stel- 
larum ardentium in ccelo oberrantium magnus concursus, et 12 
terram prolapsio.”——Diermerbroeck: Op.omnia: fol. Ultraj. 1685: 
De Peste, p. 10. Quoted in Webster's Hist. E'pidem. and Pes- 
tilen. Diseases, Vol. 2, p. | 
_ If this is to be interpreted literally, it must be considered an ¢%- 
travagant account. In (Short’s) Gen. Chron. Hist. of the Air, 
é&c., is the following statement, (the time of year being uncer 
tain, }—*“ From March to August, 1636, not one drop of rain. 
This Numigen plague raged most at new and full moon. It was 
presaged by great Justling and Falling of fiery Stars south . of 
west, many fewer birds than ordinary, é&c.’”’—Vol. I, p- 314." 
* Rev. W. B. Clarke, in Loudon’s Mag. Nat. Hist., 1834, Vol. 7, p. 2%; MT. - 
ae “On August 18, 1716, meteors were seen all over Europe, from 8 : The 
M.”’ : 
first case is probably a display of the aurora borealis: the latter was ee, 
lightning-bolt, or possibly a large meteoric fire-ball.—( Hist. de VAcad. de Frant’; 
1717, p. 8, II.) 
