from whence the Names of the Conftellations are taken, are drawn upon the Celeftial Globe, over the feveral Parcels of Stars which are called by those respective Names *.

The Conftellations are divided into Northern and Southern; befides the twelvę Zodiacal Signs, which lie in the Middle betwixt both.

In the Northern Regions the Ancients formed twenty-one Conftellations, viz. Urfa Minor, or the little Bear; Urfa Major, the great Bear; Draco, the Dragon; C pheus; Caffiopeia; Andromeda; Triangulum, the Triangle; Perfeus, with Medusa's Head; Auriga; Bootes; Corona Septentrionalis, the Northern Crown; Hercules; Lyra, the Harp; Cygnus, the Swan; Pegafus, the flying Horfe; Equiculus, the little Horfe's Head; Delphinus, the Dolphin; Sagitta, the Arrow; Aquila, the Eagle or Vultur;Serpens, the Serpent; and Serpentarius,

the Man who holds it.

To these the Moderns have added feveral more, as Antinous, near the Eagle; Coma Berenices, or Berenice's Hair, near the Lion's Tail; Leo Minor, the little Lion, betwixt the Lion and the great Bear, &c.

*N. B The letters of the Greek and Latin Alphabets, which are placed by many of the Stars on Senex's Celestial Globe, are thofe by which Bayer has marked them in his Catalogue of the Stars.

South

South of the Zodiac the Antients numbered fifteen Conftellations, viz. Cetus, the Whale; the River Eridanus; Lepus, the Hare; Orion, which is the most glorious Conftellation of all; Canis Major, the great Dog; Canicula, the little Dog; Argo Navis, The Ship Argo; Hydra; Crater, the Cup; Corvus, the Crow; Centaurus, the Centaur; Lupus, the Wolf; Corona Auftralis, the Southern Crown; Ara, the Altar; and Pifcis Auftralis, the Southern Fish.

To these the Moderns have added twelve Constellations more, which lie fo near the South Pole, that they cannot be seen in our Northern Latitude.

There are ftill fome Stars fcattered about the Heavens, out of any of the Conftellations, which are called Unformed Stars.

Some remarkable Parcels of Stars, in fome of the Conftellations, have alfo obtained Names by themselves; as the Pleiades, or feven Stars *, in the Constellation Taurus; Charles's Wain, which are feven bright Stars in the hinder Part of the great Bear: the three in his Tail are fuppofed to represent the three Horfes, and the other four the Wain. The two hindermoft Stars in the Wain are alfo called the Pointers, because they point to the Pole Star, which is in the Tip of the Tail of the

* Of which only fix are now visible to the naked Eye, See Chap. XI.

C 4

little

little Bear; that is, a Line drawn thro' these two Stars, and protracted as far as the Pole, will nearly touch the Pole Star.

Many fingle Stars alfo, especially of the first and fecond Magnitude, have particular Names given them; as Sirius, in the great Dog; Aldebaran, or the Bull's Eye; Procyon, in the little Dog; Arcturus in Bootes; Regel, in Orion; the Lion's Heart; and Deneb, in his Tail; Spica Virginis, or the Ear of Corn in the Virgin's Hand; Caftor and Pollux, in the Conftellation Gemini; and feveral others.

The Galaxy, or Milky Way, is a broad, irregular, whitifh Circle, in fome Places double, but for the most part fingle, furrounding the whole Heavens. Modern Aftronomers have difcovered, by their Telescopes, that there is an innumerable Multitude of Stars in thofe Parts of the Heavens, which are too fmall to be diftinguished by the naked Eye, whofe united Rays occafion the fhining Whiteness of that Circle *. And to the fame Cause they ascribe fome other bright Spots in the Heavens, as particularly the Prafepe, or Affes and Manger, in the Conftellation Cancer.

As for the Connection betwixt the feveral Parcels of Stars, which form the Conftellations, and the Figures after which they are named, it can hardly be difco

*Thefe are called Stella Nebulafa,

vered

vered in the Constellations themselves; except perhaps in a very few of them, as Charles's Wain may be supposed be fuppofed a little to represent a Wain or Waggon with three Horses; but a very ftrong Imagination would find it extremely difficult to discover any fuch natural Refemblance, betwixt the Bulk of the Conftellations, and the Figures they are named by. The Author of Spectacle de la Nature, Vol. I. has an ingenious Conjecture on this Head, viz. He conceives it highly probable that the Zodiacal Conftellations were firft formed and named by the Egyptians, who dealt much in Hieroglyphics, or myftic Figures; by which they expreffed, in a covert Manner, The Doctrines and Secrets of their Religion, Philofophy and Politicks. Thus a Lion was the Hieroglyphic of Strength and Fortitude, a Horfe of Liberty, a Circle of Eternity, &c. Now this Author imagines the twelve Signs of the Zodiac were fuch Egyptian Hieroglyphics, by which they defigned to exprefs or reprefent fome remarkable natural Occurrence in each Month of the Year, as the Sun was paffing thro' the respective Constellations.

The first three Months, beginning from the vernal Equinox, were remarkable for the Production of thofe Animals which they most used and valued, viz. Sheep, Kine and Goats. The Lambs come first,

which are represented by their Parent the Ram; next the Calves, reprefented by the Bull; and then the Kids, which commonly come in Pairs, and which therefore gave the Name to the third Conftellation. But instead of the Twin Kids, the Greeks have fince fubftituted the Twin Brothers Caftor and Pollux.

When, in the fourth Month, the Sun ist arrived at the Summer Solstice, he discontinues his progress towards the North Pole, and begins to go back again to the Southward; which retrograde Motion the Egyptians expreffed by the Crab, which is faid to go backward.

The exceffive Heat that ufually follows in the next Month is fignified by the Lion, an Animal remarkable for his Strength and Fiercenefs.

Nothing could be more proper than the Symbol for the Harvest Month, viz. the Virgin Reaper or Gleaner with an Ear of Corn in her Hand. Our Author here Remarks by the Way that the Arabic Name for the Ear of Corn, viz. Sibbula or Sibbul, was probably given to the Virgin who carried it, and might give rife to the Fable of the Erythrean Sibyl, who was infpired to foretel Years of Plenty or Scarcity; and from whom fome other Women, who pretended to the Gift of Prophecy, were like

wife