﻿H. 
  A. 
  Newton 
  — 
  The 
  Worship 
  of 
  Meteorites. 
  9 
  

  

  very 
  early 
  attained 
  a 
  wide 
  celebrity. 
  About 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   years 
  before 
  Christ, 
  in 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  Punic 
  war, 
  the 
  

   stone 
  was 
  transported 
  to 
  Rome. 
  The 
  detailed 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  

   transfer 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  several 
  writers 
  in 
  varied 
  terms. 
  It 
  forms 
  

   one 
  of 
  Livy's 
  charming 
  stories, 
  it 
  is 
  told 
  in 
  poetic 
  terms 
  by 
  

   Ovid, 
  it 
  is 
  given 
  as 
  a 
  tradition 
  by 
  Herodian. 
  For 
  every 
  detail 
  

   of 
  the 
  history 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  ask 
  confiding 
  belief, 
  but 
  the 
  principal 
  

   event 
  is, 
  I 
  suppose, 
  historically 
  true. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  year 
  205 
  before 
  Christ 
  Hannibal 
  had, 
  since 
  crossing 
  

   the 
  Alps, 
  been 
  holding 
  his 
  place 
  in 
  Italy 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  dozen 
  

   years, 
  threatening 
  ,the 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  Roman 
  State. 
  The 
  

   fortunes 
  of 
  war 
  were 
  now 
  somewhat 
  adverse 
  to 
  the 
  Cartha- 
  

   genian 
  general. 
  A 
  shower 
  of 
  stones 
  alarmed 
  the 
  Romans. 
  

   The 
  decemvirs 
  consulted 
  the 
  Sybilline 
  books, 
  and 
  there 
  found 
  

   certain 
  verses 
  w 
  T 
  hich 
  imported 
  that 
  whensoever 
  a 
  foreign 
  enemy 
  

   shall 
  have 
  carried 
  war 
  into 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  Italy 
  he 
  may 
  be 
  

   expelled 
  and 
  conquered 
  if 
  the 
  Idsean 
  mother 
  be 
  brought 
  from 
  

   Pessinus 
  to 
  Rome. 
  These 
  words 
  were 
  reported 
  to 
  the 
  Senate. 
  

   Encouraging 
  responses 
  came 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  from 
  the 
  Pythian 
  

   oracle 
  at 
  Delphi. 
  

  

  The 
  Senate 
  set 
  about 
  considering 
  how 
  the 
  goddess 
  might 
  be 
  

   transported 
  to 
  Rome. 
  There 
  was 
  then 
  no 
  alliance 
  with 
  the. 
  

   states 
  of 
  Asia. 
  But 
  King 
  Attalus 
  was 
  on 
  friendly 
  terms 
  with 
  

   the 
  Romans 
  because 
  they 
  had 
  a 
  common 
  enemy 
  in 
  Philip 
  II. 
  

   of 
  Macedon. 
  The 
  Senate, 
  therefore, 
  selected 
  an 
  imposing 
  

   embassy 
  from 
  the 
  noblest 
  Romans. 
  A 
  convoy 
  of 
  five 
  quin- 
  

   queremes 
  was 
  ordered 
  for 
  them, 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  make 
  an 
  

   appearance 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  grandeur 
  of 
  the 
  Roman 
  people. 
  The 
  

   embassy 
  landed 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  and 
  made 
  inquiry 
  of 
  the 
  oracle 
  

   at 
  Delphi, 
  and 
  were 
  informed 
  " 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  attain 
  what 
  

   they 
  were 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  King 
  Attalus, 
  and 
  that 
  

   when 
  they 
  should 
  have 
  carried 
  the 
  goddess 
  to 
  Rome 
  they 
  were 
  

   to 
  take 
  care 
  that 
  whoever 
  was 
  the 
  best 
  man 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  should 
  

   perform 
  the 
  rite 
  of 
  hospitality 
  to 
  her." 
  The 
  king 
  received 
  

   them 
  kindly, 
  but 
  refused 
  their 
  request, 
  whereupon 
  an 
  earth- 
  

   quake 
  tremor 
  shook 
  the 
  place 
  and 
  the 
  goddess 
  herself 
  spoke 
  

   from 
  her 
  shrine, 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  my 
  will, 
  Rome 
  is 
  a 
  worthy 
  place 
  for 
  

   any 
  god 
  ; 
  delay 
  not." 
  The 
  king 
  yielded 
  ; 
  a 
  thousand 
  axes 
  

   hewed 
  down 
  the 
  sacred 
  pines, 
  and 
  a 
  thousand 
  hands 
  built 
  the 
  

   vessel. 
  The 
  completed 
  and 
  painted 
  ship 
  received 
  the 
  stone 
  

   and 
  bore 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Tiber. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  year 
  before 
  the 
  ship 
  

   arrived. 
  Meanwhile 
  new 
  prodigies 
  frightened 
  the 
  people. 
  A 
  

   brilliant 
  meteor 
  had 
  crossed 
  Italy 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west, 
  a 
  little 
  

   south 
  of 
  Rome, 
  and 
  a 
  heavy 
  detonation 
  followed. 
  From 
  this, 
  

   or 
  from 
  some 
  other 
  meteor, 
  another 
  shower 
  of 
  stones 
  had 
  

   fallen. 
  In 
  expiation, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  custom 
  of 
  the 
  # 
  country 
  

  

  