Cliap. 22.] 
ACCOUNT OF THE WOBLD. 
55 
ris and Necepsos, supposes that each degree of the lunar 
orbit (which, as I have said, is the least) consists of little 
more than 33 stadia ; in the very large orbit of Saturn the 
number is double ; in that of the sun, which, as we have 
said, is in the middle \ we have the half of the sum of these 
numbers. And this is indeed a very modest calculation^, 
since if we add to the orbit of Saturn the distance from him 
to the zodiac, we shall have an infinite number of degrees^. 
CHAP. 22. (24.) — or the stabs which appear suddenly, 
OB OE C0METS^ 
A few things still remain to be said concerning the world ; 
for stars are suddenly formed in the heavens themselves ; of 
these there are various kinds. 
(25.) The Greeks name these stars comets^ ; we name them 
Crinitae, as if shaggy with bloody locks, and surrounded with 
bristles like hair. Those stars, which have a mane hanging 
down from their lower part, like a long beard, are named 
Pogonise^. Those that are named Acontise'' vibrate like a dart < 
with a very quick motion. It was one of this kind which the 
Emperor Titus described in his very excellent poem, as 
having been seen in his fifth consulship ; and this was the 
last of these bodies which has been observed. "When they 
are short and pointed they are named Xiphise^ ; these are the 
^ " Non inter Lunam et Saturnum, sed inter Lunam et coelum affixa- 
rum stellarum, medium esse Solem modo dixerat. Quam parum sui 
meminit ! " Alexandre in Lem. i. 291. 
2 " Qui computandi modus plurimum habet verecundise et modestise, 
quum ibi sistit, nec ulterius progreditur." Hardouin in Lemaire, i. 292. 
2 " .... ad Saturni circulum addito Signiferi ipsius intervallo, . . . . " 
^ We may remark, that our author, for the most part, adopts the 
opinions of Aristotle respecting comets and meteors of all kinds, while he 
pays but Uttle attention to those of his contemporary Seneca, which how- 
ever, on some poiats, would appear to be more correct. See the remarks 
of Marcus m Ajasson, ii. 244. Under the title of comets he includes, not 
only those bodies which are permanent and move in regular orbits, but 
such as are transient, and are produced from various causes, the nature of 
which is not well understood. See Aristotle, Meteor. Hb. i. cap. 6, 7, 
and Seneca, Nat. Qusest. hb. 7, and Manihus, i. 807 et seq. 
^ a KOfirj, coma. 
* a TTioycjvios, barbatus. Most of these terms are employed by Ari- 
stotle and by Seneca. 7 ab cikovtlov, jaculum. 
* a ^t^os, ensis. 
