No credit ha- h- r. toior'- bo'-n giveti to tradjtion.s

of ancic-rjt Lgyfiti;fns an'l (Miine^e, according to

which the.s.- ffOTiie f..rnjerly suid the sun’s di.-c

was almn.;t‘f'.'.r a : ... as large as we now .see it,

for they e=tin;..r d the a*.parent diameter of the

sun doutdo of what it is -een in our day.

^ If, however, we p:iy attention to the continued

diminution of the :ij.parent diameter of the sun,

according to the best observation of .several cen-

turie--. wo mu^t siippoif that the aneients were

not ijijsrakcn in th.* th

raitted to