82 flint's ISTATrRAL 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 the constitution of the world itself. Being nearest fco 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 Endymion, 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 different 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 conjimction, or other similar position with 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 m which it makes a complete revolution roimd the earth. These numbers are, for the synodical period, 29^^ 12 44™ 2*87*, and for the sidereal, 27"^ 7 43'" ll-S" ; Herschel, pp. 213, 224. ^ Our author, as Marcus remarks, " a compte par nombres ronds ; " Ajasson, ii. 291 ; the correct number may be found in the preceding note.
