[ i88 ] 
higheft importance to attend particularly to the two 
quaternions of the expiring and the incipient moiith^^^ 
[that is to the four lail days of the month going out, 
“ and the four firft of that which is fetting in], for they 
“ comprife the extremities of the two months, where 
they meet : and the weather [or the hate of the air] 
‘‘ is then particularly uncertain [difficult to guefs at] for 
eight nights, for want of the lilver-coloured Moon. 
‘‘ If you attend to all thefe put together, all through the 
year, you will never form a random guefs about the 
“ weather.” The uncertainty of the weather for thefe 
eight nights camrot be an uncertainty of the effect de- 
pending upon the moon’s afpedt ; but it is an uncertainty 
of fore-knowledge, the poet fpeaks of, for want of the 
Moon as an index. For though the word (r(poi?^e^dj7ocjoc 
by itfelf would be ambiguous, as it might be taken either 
in the fenfe of or the words 
are decilive for the firft interpretation. 
The moon exifts during thefe eight months as at other 
times. There is no want of her therefore as a phyfical ■ 
agent : the only want there can be, is the want of her ' 
(k) And it will be tf the. highijl importance to attend to^,- 6cc. {xaXoj ^ upxtoy 
^px^i<r9xi. I l^iave fometimes thought thefe words might he rendered thus : 
“ This w ill be of great importance [that is, this joint obfervation of the general > 
“ indications of feafon and of particular prognoftica will be of great importance^ 
in order to form a conjeiiure about the two quaternions, &c.” This interpreta- 
tion would make the inofl conned.ed meaning for the whole paffage ; but I do not 
recollefl, nor can I find upon the ftri£left fearch, aijy inftance, wherein the verb 
is tifed in the fenfe of conj^dJuring^ or forming a judgement or opinion 
about. 
appearance 
