32 
PLIKY's IS'ATTJRAL HISTOET. 
[Book II. 
to the heavens, at other times almost contiguous to the 
mountains ; now elevated in the north, now depressed in the 
south ; all which circumstances having been noticed by En- 
dymion, a report was spread about, that he was in love with 
the moon\ We are not indeed sufficiently grateful to those, 
who, with so much labour and care, have enlightened us with 
this light^ ; while, so diseased is the human mind, that we 
take pleasure in writing the annals of blood and slaughter, 
in order that the crimes of men may be made known to those 
who are ignorant of fche constitution of the world itself. 
Being nearest to the axis^, and therefore having the small- 
est orbit, the Moon passes in twenty-seven days and the one- 
third part of a day^, through the same space for which Saturn, 
the highest of the planets, as was stated above, requires thirty 
years. After remaining for two days in conjunction with the 
sun, on the thirtieth day she again very slowly emerges to pur- 
sue her accustomed course^. I know not whether she ought 
not to be considered as our instructress in everything that can 
be known respecting the heavens ; as that the year is divided 
into the twelve divisions of the months, since she follows the 
sun for the same number of times, until he returns to the 
commencement of his course ; and that her brightness, as 
well as that of the other stars, is regulated by that of the 
sun, if indeed they all of them shine by light borrowed from 
him, such as we see floating about, when it is reflected from 
the surface of water. On this account it is that she dissolves 
so much moisture, by a gentle and less perfect force, and 
adds to the quantity of that which the rays of the sun con- 
^ We have some interesting remarks by Marcus respecting Endjmion, 
and also on the share which Solon and Thales had in correcting the lunar 
observations ; Ajasson, ii. 288-290. 
2 " Lucem nobis aperuere in hac luce." 3 " Cardo." 
^ Astronomers describe two ditferent revolutions or periods of the 
moon ; the synodical and the sidereal. The synodical marks the time 
in which the moon passes from one conjunction with the sun to the next 
conjunction, or other similar position vnth. respect to the sun. The side- 
real period is the time in which the moon returns to the same position 
with respect to the stars, or in which it makes a complete revolution round 
the earth. These numbers are, for the synodical period, 29^ 12^ 44*" 2'87*, 
and for the sidereal, 27^ 1^ 43"^ 11-5* ; Herschel, pp. 213, 224. 
* Our author, as Marcus remarks, "a compte par nombres ronds 
Ajasson, ii. 291 ; the correct number may be found ia the preceding note. 
