OF THE ECLIPSES OF THE

39 °

in Portugal, observes, that the obscurity wasgreater, or at least more striking and sensible,than that of the night. It was so dark for sometime, that he could scarcely see his hand; someof the largest stars made their appearance forabout a minute or two, and the birds were soterrified that they fell to the ground. These "eclipses, however, happen but seldom at any !.particular place; and annular ones are much 1-less common : the last remarkable one of this |kind was that of the ist of April 1764, which |was seen at Rennes, Calais, and Pello in Lapland. fDionysius of Halicarnassus mentions two total £eclipses of the fun that happened, one at the f.birth of Romulus, and the other at his death, fin each of which the obscurity was as great as 1in the middle of the darkest night. Rut this Iaccount, like that of the prodigies which wereseen at the death of Cæsar, deserves but littlecredit. In ancient times, every great event wassaid to have been accompanied with comets orother portentous appearances, and eclipses ofthe fun in particular were always regarded ascalamitous omens, presaging the death of Kings,or some illustrious character. This superstitionis frequently alluded to by the Poets, and is thefoundation of one of the noblest similes in theParadise Lost.

_“ As when the sun new risen

Looks through the horizontal misty air

Shorn