BOOK
IX.

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but from no superstition, but because the ancients had taught that the torrid zone was uninhabitable and impassable. Yet he seems to admit, that between this and the parts about the south pole, which he thought was a mass of congelation, there was some habitable land. 11

It was the probability of human existence in such circumstances, not such a local part of the earth, which Bede discredited. 12

For the credit both of Bede and the AngloSaxons, I should have been glad to have been convinced that the four books De Elementis Philosophiæ, printed as his in his works, were actually his composition; for they display a spirit of investigation, a soundness of philosophical mind, and a quantity of just opinions on natural philosophy, that would do credit to any age before that of friar Bacon. But its merit compels us to suspect the possibility of its belonging to the eighth century.

Their astronomy was such as they could comtronomy. prehend in the Greek and Latin treatises which

fell into their hands on this subject. Bede was indefatigable in studying it, and his treatises were

13

Their as

I! De Temporum Ratione, p. 132. St. Austin had also denied the Antipodes, or persons with their feet below us, and their heads in the sky, as an incredible thing. He thought that this part of the globe was either covered with sea, or, if dry land, was not inhabited. De Civ. Dei. L. 16. c. 9.

CHAP.
VII.

translated into the Anglo-Saxon, of which some MSS. exist still in the Cotton Library. He appropriated all the practical results and reasonings of the Roman world, but did not cultivate the mathematical investigations of the Alexandrian Greeks. All the studious men applied to it more or less, though many used it for astrological superstitions. It was indeed then studied by all men of science in two divisions, and that which we call astrology, the legacy of the Chaldeans, was for a long time the most popular. It was, perhaps, on this account, rather than from a love of the nobler directions of the science, that our ancient chroniclers are usually minute in noticing the eclipses which occurred, and the comets and meteors which occasionally appeared."

The astronomical opinions which they had imbibed from their classical masters were probably as good as their books could supply, or their scholars understand. Elfric has transmitted to us, out of

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says of

14 Even Bedle says, the comet portends change of kingdoms, or pestilence, or wars, or tempest, or drought." De Nat. Rer. p. 30. Alcuin thus describes an astronomical table sent to him by Charlemagne : A round form like a table, resembling the sun, was brought to me. It had twenty-seven semicircles, which, if doubled, would make fifty-four. These were for the hours of the lunar course, which is accustomed to run through every sign. It had a round circle in middle for the perpetual rotundity of the sun," p. 1490. He astronomy, “ Philosophers were not the founders of these arts, but the finders of them ; for the Creator of all things, has concealed them in nature as He pleased. They who have been wisest in the world have discerned those sciences in the nature of things, which you may easily understand of the sun, moon, and stars. But what else ought we to admire in these bodies, but the wisdom of their Creator, and their natural movements ? But if the wise have found out these things, it would be a great disgrace to us if we should suffer them to perish in our days,” p. 1492. He answers Charlemagne's questions about them. From his Epist. 5. we find that Charlemagne had read our Bede's work De Temporibus. VOL. 111.

F F

IX.

BOOK Alcuin, their acquired opinions on the motions of

the heavens, which may be thus translated :

“ The earth consists of four creatures, or elements; fire, air, water, and earth. The nature of fire is hot and dry; of air, warm and wet; of water, cold and wet; of earth, cold and dry. Heaven is of the nature of fire, and it is always turning the stars. Foreign writers have said that it would fall, on account of its swiftness, if the seven wandering stars (dweligendan steorran) did not resist its course. The stars of heaven are always turning round the earth from east to west, and strive against the seven wandering stars. These are called erring or wandering stars, (dweligende or worigende), not because of any error, but be. cause each of them goeth on in its own course, sometimes above, sometimes below, and are not fast in the firmament of heaven, as the other stars are. The farthest the heathen calls Saturnus; he fulfilleth his course in thirty years. The one beneath Saturn they call Jove, and he fulfilleth his course in twelve years. The third, that goeth beneath Jove, they call Mars; and he fulfilleth his course in two years. The fourth is the Sun; he fulfilleth his course in twelve months; that is, three hundred and sixtyfive days. The fifth is called Venus; she fulfilleth her course in three hundred and sixty-eight days. The sixth is Mercury, great and bright; he fulfilleth his course in three hundred and twenty-nine days. The seventh is the Moon, the lowest of all the stars; she fulfilleth her course in twenty-seven days and eight hours. These seven stars move to the east, in opposition to the heavens, and are stronger than they are.” 15

Their geographical knowlege must have been geography. much improved by Adamnan's account of his visit

to the Holy Land, which Bede abridged; and by the sketch given of general geography in Orosius, which Alfred made the property of all his countrymen, by his translation and masterly additions. The eight hides of land given by his namesake for a MS. of cosmographical treatises 16, of wonderful workmanship, may have been conceded rather to

Their

15 Elfric's Lives of the Saints, Ms. Cott. Julius, E. 7.
16 Bede, 299.

СНАР.
VII.

the beauty of the MS. than to its contents. But, notwithstanding these helps, the most incorrect and absurd notions seem to have prevailed among our ancestors concerning the other parts of the globe, if we may judge from the MS. treatises on this subject, which they took the trouble to adorn with drawings, and sometimes to translate. Two of these are in the Cotton Library; and a short

? notice of their contents may not be uninteresting, as a specimen of their geographical and physical knowlege.

The MS. Tib. B. 5. contains a topographical description of some eastern regions, in Latin and Saxon. From this we learn there is a place in the way to the Red Sea, which contains red hens, and that if any man touches them, his hand and all his body are burnt immediately: also, that pepper is guarded by serpents, which are driven away by fire, and this makes the pepper black. We read of people with dogs' heads, boars' tusks, and horses' manes, and breathing fames. Also of ants as big as dogs, with feet like grashoppers, red and black. These creatures dig gold for fifteen days. Men go with female camels, and their young ones, to fetch it, which the ants permit, on having the liberty to eat the young camels. 17

The same learned work informed our ancestors that there was a white human race fifteen feet high, with two faces on one head, long nose, and black hair, who in the time of parturition went to India to lie in. Other men had thighs twelve feet long, and breasts seven feet high. They were cannibals. There was another sort of mankind with no heads, who had eyes and mouths in their breasts. They were eight feet tall and eight feet broad. Other men had eyes which shone like a lamp in a dark night. In the ocean there was a soft-voiced race, who were human to the navel, but all below were the limbs of an ass. These fables even came so near as Gaul : for it tells us that in Liconia, in Gaul, there were men of three

17 This was probably a popular notion ; for it is said, among their prognostics, that if the sun shine on the fourth day, the camels will bring much gold from the ants, who keep the gold hoards. MSS. CCC. Cant. Wanl. 110.

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BOOK colours, with heads like lions, and mouths like the sails of a IX. windmill. They were twenty feet tall. They run away, and

sweat blood, but were thought to be men. Let us, however, in justice to our ancestors, recollect that most of these fables are gravely recorded by Pliny. The Anglo-Saxons were, therefore, not more credulous or uninformed than the Roman population.

The descriptions of foreign ladies were not very gallant. It is stated that near Babylon there were women with beards to their breasts. They were clothed in horses' hides, and were great hunters, but they used tigers and leopards insetad of dogs. Other women had boars' tushes, hair to their heels, and a cow's tail. They were thirteen feet high. They had a beautiful body, as white as marble, but they had camels' feet. Black men living on burning mountains; trees bearing precious stones; and a golden vineyard which had berries one hundred and fifty feet long, which produced jewels; gryphons, phænixes, and beasts with asses' ears, sheep's wool, and birds' feet, are among the other wonders which instructed our ancestors. counts in the MS. Vitellius, A. 15., rival the phenomena just recited, with others as credible, and are also illustrated with drawings.

We find from Alcuin's letter, that the students in Charlemagne's institutions began the year from the month of September. He says he wonders why they did so, p. 1496.

We cannot now get at the national opinions of the Anglo-Saxons on physical subjects in any other way than by observing what things they thought worthy to be committed to writing. They who could write were among the most informed part of the Saxon society, and as their parchment terials were scanty, it seems reasonable to suppose that what they employed themselves in writing stood high in their estimation. We will add a few things which are in Anglo-Saxon in a MS. in the Cotton Library

“ Istorius said that this world's length is twelve thousand miles, and its breadth six thousand three hundred, besides the islands. There are thirty four kinds of snakes on the earth;