, 1560, so
greatly disturbed our ancestors' peace of mind as to make them idiotic.
Preparations were made for assisting at an alarming phenomenon that
threatened Humanity with deadly consequences! The unhappy eclipse had
been preceded by a multitude of ill omens! Some expected a great
revolution in the provinces and in Rome, others predicted a new
universal deluge, or, on the other hand, the conflagration of the world;
the most optimistic thought the air would be contaminated. To preserve
themselves from so many dangers, and in accordance with the physicians'
orders, numbers of frightened people shut themselves up in tightly
closed and perfumed cellars, where they awaited the decrees of Fate. The
approach of the phenomenon increased the panic, and it is said that one
village _cure_, being unable to hear the confessions of all his flock,
who wanted to discharge their souls of sin before taking flight for a
better world, was fain to tell them "there was no hurry, because the
eclipse had been put off a fortnight on account of the number of
penitents"!

[Illustration: FIG. 76.--Eclipse of the Moon at Laos (February 27,
1877).]

These fears and terrors are still extant among ignorant peoples. In the
night of February 27, 1877, an eclipse of the Moon produced an
indescribable panic among the inhabitants of Laos (Indo-China). In order
to frighten off the Black Dragon, the natives fired shots at the
half-devoured orb, accompanying their volley with the most appalling
yells. Dr. Harmand has memorialized the scene in the lively sketch given
on p. 269.

During the solar eclipse of March 15, 1877, an analogous scene occurred
among the Turks, who for the moment forgot their preparations for war
with Russia, in order to shoot at the Sun, and deliver him from the
toils of the Dragon.

The lunar eclipse of December 16, 1880, was not unnoticed at Tackhent
(Russian Turkestan), where it was received with a terrific din of
saucepans, samovars and various implements struck together again and
again by willing hands that sought to deliver the Moon from the demon
Tchaitan who was devouring her.

In China, eclipses are the object of imposing ceremonies, whose object
is to reestablish the regularity of the celestial motions. Since the
Emperor is regarded as the Son of Heaven, his government must in some
sort be a reflection of the immutable order of the sidereal harmonies.
As eclipses were regarded by astrologers as disturbances of the di