221 
Mr. Baily on the Solar Eclipse. 
I^olttIvvis vw\ a yevscrOui. rvjv Ss peTCiWctyijv to,vtv]v T%g ypegi yg QaXvjg 
M iXytnog TOitn’'lu<ri 7 T^otjyo^eu(r£ etrecrdoa, bugov Tr^odepevog evtuvrov Tourov t 
ev u J17 noli lyevero vi ft STOij 3 oXvj . el $e A v$ol re aca ol MvjSoi evirel ts etHov 
vwroi dvri ype()i jg yivopevvjv, rqg [juxxflg re e7 ravcavTo, xou ^nXXov 
Tt e(T7nv<ruv hoc) d.[jt,<poT£oot eigyvijv luvroicri yive<rQai. HERODOTUS, 
Lib. I. §. 74. 
The fact is here very clearly (and probably very justly) 
related : but, unfortunately, there is nothing, either in the 
statement itself, or in the contiguous passages of the work, 
that will enable us to determine, with any degree of accuracy, 
the exact time wherein this singular phenomenon took place. 
And this is the more to be regretted, because the dates of 
several other events, recorded by the same historian, might 
be more easily ascertained, if the era of this eclipse were cor- 
rectly known ; but which are now involved in much obscurity. 
Deprived of all information from the body of the work it- 
self, chronologists have called in the aid of astronomy to 
assist them in fixing the date of this remarkable appearance. 
For it must be evident, that if we could ascertain, by this 
mean, that in any solar eclipse, which happened about that 
period, the centre of the moon's shadow passed over the 
country bordering on the two contesting empires where the 
battle was probably fought (for Herodotus has likewise 
omitted to mention th q place where the action occurred), we 
may reasonably and very fairly conclude, that that eclipse only 
was the one alluded to by the historian. — In this attempt, 
however, a great diversity of opinion has arisen ; the origin 
of which it may be useful and entertaining here to trace. But, 
in order to render my subsequent remarks the more intelli- 
gible, I shall previously state the various dates that have 
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