dusky region, pointing his toe with timid and unsteady step, feel- down in the group the manes or ghost is received by a beautiful (To be continued.) AN ASTRONOMICALL DESCRIPTION This OF THE LATE COMET FROM THE 18. OF NOUEMB. 1618, HE 27. of Nouember in the morning the Comets 2 C3 or Eleusinian emblem, of MORTAL LIFE, that is, the lethum, or death, mentioned by Virgil amongst the terrible things exhibited at the beginning of the mysteries. The inverted torch shows the fi gure to be emblematic; if it had been designed to represent a real person in the act of dying, there had been no necessity for the expiring torch, as the dying figure alone would have been sufficiently intelligible;-it would have been as absurd as to have put an inverted torch into the hand of a real person at the time of his expiring. Besides, if this figure had represented a real dying person, would not the other figures, or one of them at least, have stretched out a hand to support her, to have eased her fall among loose stones, or to have smoothed her pillow? These circumstances evince that the figure is an emblem, and therefore could not be a representation of the private history of any particular family or event. "The man and woman on each side of the dying figure must be considered as emblems, both from their similarity of situation and dress to the middle figure, and their being grouped along_with it. These, I think, are hieroglyphic or Eleusinian emblems of HUMAN KIND, with the backs towards the dying figure of MORTAL LIFE, unwilling to associate with her, yet turning their serious and attentive countenances, curious indeed to behold, yet sorry to contemplate, their latter end. These figures bring strongly to one's mind the Adam and Eve of sacred writ, whom some have supposed to have been allegorical or hieroglyphic persons of Egyp tian origin, but of more ancient date, amongst whom I think is Dr. Warburton. According to this opinion, Adam and Eve were the names of two hieroglyphic figures representing the early state of mankind; Abel was the name of an hieroglyphic figure representing the age of pasturage, and Cain the name of another hieroglyphic symbol representing the age of agriculture, at which time the uses of iron were discovered. And as the people who cultivated the earth and built houses would increase in numbers much faster by their greater production of food, they would readily conquer or destroy the people who were sustained by pasturage, which was typified by Cain slaying Abel. 2. On the other compartment of this celebrated vase is exhibited an emblem of immortality, the representation of which was well known to constitute a very principal part of the shows at the Eleusinian mysteries, as Dr. Warburton has proved by va riety of authority. The habitation of spirits or ghosts after death was supposed by the ancients to be placed beneath the earth, where Pluto reigned, and dispensed rewards or punishments. Hence the first figure in this group is of the MANES or GHOST, who having passed through an open portal is descending into a dusky dusky region, pointing his toe with timid and unsteady step, feeling as it were his way in the gloom. This portal Æneas enters, which is described by Virgil,-Patet atri janua Ditis, Æn. vi. 1. 126; as well as the easy descent,-facilis descensus Averni. Ib. The darkness at the entrance to the shades is humorously described by Lucian. Div. Legat. Vol. 1. p. 241. And the horror of the gates of hell was in the time of Homer become a proverb; Achil les says to Ulysses, "I hate a liar worse than the gates of hell;" the same expression is used in Isaiah, ch. xxxviii. v. 10. The MANES or GHOST appears lingering and fearful, and wishes to drag after him a part of his mortal garment, which however adheres to the side of the portal through which he has passed. The beauty of this allegory would have been expressed by Mr. Pope, by "We feel the ruling passion strong in death." A little lower down in the group the manes or ghost is received by a beautiful female, a symbol of IMMORTAL LIFE. This is evinced by her fondling between her knees a large and playful serpent, which, from its annually renewing its external skin, has, from great antiquity, even as early as the fable of Prometheus, been esteemed an emblem of renovated youth. The story of the serpent acquiring immortal life from the ass of Prometheus, who carried it on its back, is told in Bacon's Works, Vol. v. p. 462. Quarto edit. Lond. 1778. For a similar purpose, a serpent was wrapped round the large hieroglyphic egg in the temple of the Dioscuri, as an emblem of the renewal of life from a state of death. Bryant's Mythology, Vol. 11. p. 359, sec. edit. On this account also the serpent was an attendant on Esculapius, which seems to have been the name of the hieroglyphic figure of medicine. This serpent shows this figure to be an emblem, as the torch showed the central figure of the other compartment to be an emblem ; hence they agreeably correspond, and explain each other, one representing MORTAL LIFE, and the other IMMORTAL LIFE.' (To be continued.) AN ASTRONOMICALL DESCRIPTION OF THE LATE COMET FROM THE 18. OF NOUEMB. 1618, TO THE 16. OF DECEMBER FOLLOWING, &c. (Continued from page 272.) HE 27. of Nouember in the morning the Comets haire was spread ouer the faire starre Arcturus betwixt the thighes of Arctophylax or Bootes. Now the planispheare doth shew that a right line drawne from the Sunne then in the 15. degree of Sagittarie through the Comets body doth approach the said Starre. So the last of November about midnight following the 2c3 Comets The bushie lockes not of the same matter with the Comets head. What it is. ... Comets bush ouer-shadowed a starre of the third light in the left hinder knee of Vrsa maior. Which doth manifestly appeare in the planispheare by a line extended from the Sunne (then in 19. degrees of Sagittarie) through the Comets body; the like may be seene in other places. In-sooth this Comets forelock was a better Ephemeris for the Sunnes place then many in great request. Hence is detected the grosse ignorance of those writers who neuer or seldome cast vp their eies towards those glorious lights, but onely delighting in solitary contemplation doe much busie their wits in searching the cause of Cometary streamings; affirming them to be of the same matter (but more rare and thin) with the head." Which with many other absurdities may be refuted by this present obseruation which doth ἐξ ἀνάγκης γραμμικῆς by geometricall and lineall necessitie certainely demonstrate that the Comets taile is nothing else but an irradiation of the Sunne through the pellucide head of the Comet. For though the Sunne-beames be not of themselues conspicuous in the pure aëry or ætheriall regions, yet passing through the Comets more condensed substance and there by refraction recollected and more neerely vnited they did not onely illustrate the Comet it selfe, but also a long tract beyond him. According to the refraction and recollection of the Sunnes beames, so was the illustration and illumination of the Comet; which appeared to vs more or How the Co- lesse as the Comet was neerer or farther from the met vanished. earth; and these be the true reasons why the Comet (which at first was illustrate with a bright resplendence) did euery day more and more loose his radiant lustre till at length it appeared like a faint shadow, and quite vanished out of our sight: for neither could the Sun beames be any longer vnited by refraction in the Comets now dissolute and fluide substance, neither could that little glimpse (if any were) be perceiued, being so farre remote from the earth, as shall be anon remonstrate. By the same reasons did the Comets streaming bush also by little and little vanish away, and so much the rather, by how much the Sunne rayes were there alwayes more dissipate then in the Comet, and those Jocks euer lesse relucent then the head. The from whence. The dilatation of the Comets fore-locke was caused The forelockes by a second refraction of the Sunne beames, by which dilatation refraction they were brought to an intersection, after which they beganne againe to diverge, or display them selues in that forme which appeared in the heauens, and is delineate in the planispheare. This dilatation was nothing so strange, as the extent The exceedin length, being sometimes more then 45. degrees, and ing length of namely the 1. of December, ouershadowing the left it. hinder knee of Vrsa maior. Though in the end the Comet did as it were winde vp this long haire about his head. Some haue doubted, if this long streame of light had touched the earth, whether it would haue caused any combustion? Surely no: Indeede the Sun beames litie. may by reflection or refraction bee so concentred and It had no vnited, that (though it were through a peece of ice burning qua framed into a burning glasse) they shall easily set any combustible matter on fire; but that happens onely in the centre of vnion, or concourse of the recollected beames; but this Comets lockes being diverged, or displaied rayes, could haue no such power though they had touched the earth. conclusions From this one obseruation of the Sunnes irradia- Many strange tion through the Comet many more strange and excellent conclusions may be collected, which neither drawne from my leasure will suffer mee to examine particularly, the Sunnes ir neither can these pages well containe them. radiation Comet. Wherefore now I will tye vp this Comets radiant through the lockes with admiration of that glorious lampe, wherewith He that inhabits the light inaccessible doth illustrate, and enlighten this whole world. TλÍ "BETO TO σxývaμa avrov. Psal. 19. Hee hath set his The wonderTabernacle in the Sunne, and it as a Bridegroome the Sun. full light of commeth out of his chamber, and reioyceth as a Gyant to runne a race; his going forth is from the end of the heauen, and his circuits onto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heate thereof. This is the true πρυτανείον πυρὸς ταμεῖον, the onely harth of inquenchable fire, which so many thousand leagues off warmeth the earth, enlightneth these refulgent bodies, and with them this new Planet. I haue at large shewed the Comets places as they The Comets appeared in the surface of Heauen, both in his distance from owne circle, and also referred to the Ecliptick, and the earth, Equinoctiall; 2 c4 |