THE PEACOCK BUTTERFLY. 123 
The explanations of the appearance of blood on 
the earth, are historically divided into four distinct 
periods,—namely, first, the theocratic, or period of 
miracles; second, the period of the Hippocratic 
school; third, the physical, or natural historical ; 
and fourth, the atmospherical, or cosmical. 
The first of these periods extends from the com 
mencement of history, down to the time of Cicero, 
the Roman orator. In the second, the admissibility 
of miracles began to be questioned ; and a belief in 
a crude and veiled condition of atmospherical and 
terrestrial moisture became prevalent. The third 
period was commenced by Peirese of Aix. And the 
fourth was established by Chladnei, who was afraid 
of the encroachments of natural historians, in ac- 
counting for these phenomena. 
In the first period, we have recorded in the Books 
of Moses the most ancient accounts of these miracles, 
—that of the blood-coloured water from Egypt, 
which was an immediate operation of the Almighty, 
and performed by Moses in the presence of Pharaoh. 
The Nile became red and fetid, the fishes died, and 
all the waters of Egypt were changed in the same 
manner.* 
Homer took advantage of appearances of a similar 
kind—the showers of bloody rain which had been 
observed previous to, and at his time—alluding to 
* Exodus, chap. vii. verses 19, 20, 21. 
VOL. I. I 
