■lie ■-■■- ■■ ESSAY ON THE- 



island of 'the moon)' the secondary measures 177 : that is to say, every 

 sixth lunar month: for 354, the number of days 'in .a lunar year, is the 

 primary, and its half, or 177, is tlrte -secondary measure. When the Styx 

 rushes to v/ard (tlie island of) the moon, (like the boar or hygr m the 

 Severn) in the -secondary measureSj (that is to say at the equino^lial tides) 

 the souls then break forth into loud lam'entations, through fear : for 

 Pluto seizes lipon a great many, who happen to fall off: some, however, 

 who were broeght in by the raging flood, contrive, by dint of exertions 

 ■and good swimming, to reach the shores -of the moon; who raises them 

 up. These are the souls of those^ whose lot it is to die, about the time 

 appointed for their being born again, except such as are polluted with 

 crimes : the Styx thundering and bellov/ing in a most dreadful manners, 

 does not allow them to approach; but lamenting their fate^ they are 

 thrust headlong, and hurried away to another regeneration, as you see, 

 •" V/hy," says Timarchus, " I see nothing hut stars, some merging 

 ■" into the abyss, and others emerging out of it/' ^* These are Ge-- 

 ^' nil" answered his conductor ; " for such is. really the case." Plu- 

 tarch, in his diseoursje on the face seen in the orb of the moon/^) 

 adds that the 5/>yjr;, whilst raging, thrusts away many, whilst almost 

 within, reach of the shores of the moonr .and' even some, who had 

 already reached the wished for land^ are- suddenly dragged again 

 into the deep. Thos^, howeverj who have effe61:ed their escape, and 

 stand firrn on the beach^ are crowned with the plumes of constan- 

 cy. There are in this moon(-) three principal caverns, the largest 

 called the sanftuary of Hecate, where the wicked suffer the punish- 

 ments due to their crimes. The two other caverns, or rather out- 



$1) P. 943o <2) P. 944. 



