in his description of the battle.

In 1598 an eclipse was total over Scotland and part of North Germany. It
was observed at Torgau by Jessenius, an Hungarian physician, who noticed
a bright light around the moon during the time of totality. This is said
to be the first reference to the corona since that of Plutarch, to which
we have already drawn attention.

Mention of Scotland recalls the fact that an unusual number of eclipses
happen to have been visible in that country, and the occult bent natural
to the Scottish character has traditionalised a few of them in such
terms as the "Black Hour" (an eclipse of 1433), "Black Saturday" (the
eclipse of 1598 which has been alluded to above), and "Mirk Monday"
(1652). The track of the last-named also passed over Carrickfergus in
Ireland, where it was observed by a certain Dr. Wybord, in whose account
the term "corona" is first employed. This eclipse is the last which has
been total in Scotland, and it is calculated that there will not be
another eclipse seen as total there until the twenty-second century.

An eclipse of the sun which took place on May 30, 1612, is recorded as
having been seen "through a tube." This probably refers to the then
recent invention--the telescope.

The eclipses which we have been describing are chiefly interesting from
an historical point of view. The old mystery and confusion to the
beholders seem to have lingered even into comparatively enlightened
times, for we see how late it is before the corona attracts definite
attention for the sake of itself alone.

It is not a far cry from notice of the corona to that of other
accompaniments of a solar eclipse. Thus the eclipse of 1706, the total
phase of which was visible in Switzerland, is of great interest; for it
was on this occasion that the famous red prominences seem first to have
been noted. A certain Captain Stannyan observed this eclipse from Berne
in Switzerland, and described it in a letter to Flamsteed, the then
Astronomer Royal. He says the sun's "getting out of his eclipse was
preceded by a blood-red streak of light from its left limb, which
continued not longer than six or seven seconds of time; then part of the
Sun's disc appeared all of a sudden, as bright as Venus was ever seen in
the night, nay brighter; and in that very instant gave a Light and
Shadow to things as strong as Moonlight uses to do." How little was then
expected of the sun is, however, shown by Flamsteed's words, when