352 Star-Shoioers of Former Times. 



it seemed to them as though all the stars left their appointed pla- 

 ces in the heavens, and descended towards the earth. But when 

 they came near the ground, they were one and all suddenly dissi- 

 pated without doing any damage whatever. Many assert that this 

 astonishing sight was witnessed throughout the whole world." 



^^ 2vvi]vixQ^] Y^Q Ti]vixavTa Oiafia qjo^egbv xal Teq&aiiov ^ivov i^ degiov 

 ysviadai av/LmrchfiKTog- onsg ttsqI Xv'/vav dq)&g nixKxg^aj', diu Tidaijg icpalpsTO 

 vvxTog, fy.TcXvj^iv xal deog /jsya ToTg dsafxivoig ifinoiovv anauiv. 'Eddy.st 

 yuQ ai)Tolg &g ol dare^sc anavTeg tov xsTay^ivov avTolg ovqaviov /wqov nag 

 * * * lovfisvob xaTCi yrig ^(psgovTO. 01 de nsglysioi ysjofievoi dcdgoov 8is- 

 XiovTO, r^Kiara rr^v olavovp 6X6i6-i]v nonja&jusi'Oi Tidmors, (Jjaal dh noXlol &g 

 dio. 7i&.rn]g Trjg olxovfiivrjg to toiovtov l^alauov disSetKPvcjo d-sa/ua.^^ — Sancti 

 Nicephori Pair. Constantinop. Breviarium Hist : Hist. Byz. Scr. 

 Corp. torn. 7, p. 33. 



(10.) A. D. 764. "In the same year, in the month of March, 

 stars were seen falling from heaven, so that all the beholders im- 

 agined that the end of the world had come. There was also a 

 great drought, and the fountains were dried up." 



<' Tw d' avTW ETet /Ltrjvl Magrla uarsgsg ix tov ovqavov TiinTOVTeg acpdi]- 

 (jav, d)c TT&vxag Tovg ogai'Tag T7]J' tov nagovTog alarog vnolafiSdvsiv slvac 

 avjniXsiav ai))(fx6g re noXvg yiyovev, (hg ^i-jgavdrivai xal nriyug.'''' — Stepha- 

 nis Chronographia : Hist. Byz. Scr. Corp. torn, 6, p. 291 — See also 

 Hist. Miscellce, lib. 22, Miiratori : Rer. Ital. Scr. torn. 1, p. 159:— 

 Calvisii Opus Chronol. fol. 1685, p. 634. 



This is the shower referred to A. D. 763, in Chaldni's Feiier- 

 Meteore, p. 88. 



(11.) A. D. 765. " On Saturday, the fourth day of January, 

 A. D. 765, stars were seen falling as it were from heaven." 



"Anno 1076, [Grsecorum ; Christi 765,] mense Canun posteri- 

 ori, (Januario,) die 4, feria 6, stellse quasi e coelo decidere visas 

 sunt." — Dionysius Patriarcha, in Assemanni Bihlioth. Orient., 

 torn. 2, p. 112. Roniffi, 1721, folio.* 



(12.) A. D. 829. "An Earthquake at Aix a few Days before 

 Easter, and a violent Hurricane. Another Comet in Aries. And 

 for several Days together, very many little twinkling Fires like 

 Stars, ran up and down in the Air ; great Tempests of Wind fol- 

 lowed. Chr. Magdeb. — General Chro7iological History of the 



* In the Saxon Chronicle, under date of A. D. 793, it is stated ihdit fiery dragons 

 [a common term for very brilliant meteoric fire-balls,] loere seenfiijmg throiigh the 

 air. It does not appear whether they were numerous. 



