38 pliitt's natueal histoet. [Book II. events or the destruction of tlie stars. This alarm is freely acknowledged in the sublime strains of Stesichorus and Pin- dar, as being produced by an eclipse of the sun And with respect to the eclipse of the moon, mortals impute it to witchcraft, and therefore endeavour to aid her by producing discordant sounds. In consequence of this kind of terror it was that Nicias, the general of the Athenians, being ignorant of the cause, was afraid to lead out the fleet, and brought great distress on his troops^. Hail to your genius, ye in- terpreters of heaven! ye who comprehend the nature of things, and who have discovered a mode of reasoning by which ye have conquered both gods and men^ ! Eor who is there, in observing these things and seeing the labours'* which the stars are compelled to undergo (since we have chosen to apply this term to them), that would not cheer- fully submit to his fate, as one born to die ? I shall now, in a brief and summary manner, touch on those points in which we are agreed, giving the reasons where it is necessary to do so ; for this is not a work of profound argument, nor is it less wonderful to be able to suggest a probable cause for everything, than to give a complete account of a few of them only. CHAP. 10. (13.) — OS THE EECTJEEENCE OF THE ECLIPSES CJl* THE SUIf AlfD THE MOOIf. It is ascertained that the eclipses complete their whole revolution in the space of 223 months^, that the eclipse of the sun takes place only at the conclusion or the com- mencement of a lunation, which is termed conjimction^,
- Seneca, the tragedian, refers to this superstitious opinion in some
beautiful verses, which are given to the chorus at the termination of the fourth act of the Thyestes. 2 We have an account of tlais event in Thucydides, Smith's trans, ii. 244, and in Phitarch, Langhorne's trans, iii. 406, It is calculated to have happened Aug. 27th, 413 B.C. ; Brewster, ut supra, p. 415, 421. 3 The elegant lines of Ovid, in his Fasti, i. 297 et seq., express the same sentiment : " Fehces animos, quibus hoc cognoscex*e primis," &c. ■* I have ah-eady remarked upon the use of this term as apphed to the echpses of the moon in note ^, p. 31. ^ According to the remarks of Marcus, it appears probable that this sol-lunar period, as it has been termed, was discovered by the Chaldeans j Ajasson, ii. 306, 307. ^ " coitus."
