Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charltoniana, or, A fabrick of science natural, upon the hypothesis of atoms founded by Epicurus repaired [by] Petrus Gassendus ; augmented [by] Walter Charleton ...

MORGANA RHEGINORUM.

In the midst of Summer,* 1.1 when the Sun boyls the Tyrrhene Ocean with most fervent rayes, then is it, that wanton Nature entertains the wondring eyes of the inhabitants of Rhegium, a Town in Calabria most ancient and no less famous for having been the seat of many Philosophers, with a pro∣digious spectacle in the aer. There may you, whether with more delight, or wonder, is not soon determined, behold a spacious Theatre in the vapo∣rous aer, adorned with great variety of Scenes, and Catoptrick represen∣tations; the Images of Castles, Palaces, and other Buildings of excellent architecture, with sundry ranges of Pillars, praesented according to the rules of Perspective. This Scene withdrawn, upon the sayling by of the Cloud, there succeeds another, wherein, by way of exquisite Landskip, were ex∣hibited spacious Woods, Groves of Cypress, Orchards with variety of trees, but those artificially planted in Uniform rows like a perfect Phalanx, large Meadows, with companies of men, and herds of beasts walking, feed∣ing, and couching upon them: and all these with so great variety of respon∣dent Colours, so admirable a commixture of Light and Darkness, and all their motions and gestures counterfeited so to the life, that to draw a Land∣skip of equal perfection seems impossible to human industry.

It may well be conceived, though not easily exprest,* 1.2 how much this Parastatical Phantasm (which the Inhabitants of Rhegium call Morgana) hath excruciated the greatest Wits of Italy, while they laboured to explore a reason for the apparence of such things in the Cloud, as were not found either on the shore, or adjacent fields. This much encreased the ardor of Curiosity in me, so that crossing over from Messana to Rhegium, at the usual time of the Apparition, I examined all the Circumstances thereof, together with the situation of the place, the nature and propriety of the soyl, and the constitution of the vapours arising from the Sea: and examining my obser∣vations by Physical and Optical reasons, I soon detected the Causes of the whole Phaenomenon. First I observed the Mountain called Tinna, on the Sicilian side, directly confronting Rhegium, to run along in a duskish obscure tract upon Pelorus; and the shores subjacent, as also the bottom of the Sea, to be covered with shining sand, being the fragments of Selenites, Antimo∣ny, and other pellucid Concretions, devolved from the eminent parts of the land, the contiguous Hills, that are richly fraught with veins of those Mine∣rals. Then I observed that these translucid sands, being, together with va∣pors from the Sea and Shore, exhaled into the aer, by the intense fervor of the Sun; did coalesce into a Cloud, in all points respondent to a perfect Polyedrical, or Multangular Looking-glass: the various superficies of the resplendent Granules, making a multiplication of the species; and that these, being opacated behind by crass and impervious vapours, directly fa∣cing the Mountains, did make reflection of the various Images of objects re∣spective to their various positions to the eye. The several Rows of Pil∣lars in the aereal Scene are caused by one single Pillar, erected on the Shore; for being by a manifold reflection from the various superficies of the tralu∣cent particles, opacated on the hinder part by dense Vapours, in the specu∣lary Meteor, it is multiplyed even to infinity. No otherwise then as one single Image, posited betwixt two polyedrical Looking-glasses, confront∣ingly

disposed, is so often repercussed or reflected from superfice to super∣fice, that it exhibiteth to the eye almost an infinite multitude of Images ex∣actly consimilar. Thus also doth one man standing on the shore, become a whole Army in the Cloud; one Beast, a whole Herd, and one Tree a thick-set Grove. As for the vanishing of this first Scene, and the succession of a second, adorned with the representations of Castles, and other magni∣ficent structures; the Cause hereof is this: since the eye of the Spectator hath its sight variously terminated in the several speculary superficies of the Cloud, that is in perpetual motion according to the impulse of the Wind; it comes to pass, that according to the rules of the Angles of Incidence and Reflection, divers Species are beheld under the same constitute Angle, and as the speculary Vapour doth reflect them toward the eye, which divers species are projected from objects conveniently situate; and particularly from the Castle on the ascent towards Rhegium from the place of our pro∣spect.

Some, perhaps, may judge our affirmation, of the Elevation of those shi∣ning Grains of Vitreous Minerals into the aer, by the meer attraction of the Sun; and the Coalition of them there with the Cloud of Vapours: to be too large a morsel, to be swallowed by any throat, but that Cormorant one of Credulity. If so, all we require of them, is only to consider; that Hairs, Straws, grains of Sand, fragments of Wood, and such like Festucous Bodies, are frequently found immured in Hailstones: which doubtless, are sufficient arguments, that those things were first elevated by the beams of the Sun, re∣coyling from the earth, into the middle region of the aer, and there coag∣mentated with the vapours condensed into a Cloud, and frozen in its descent.

Now this solution of the Morgana, acquires the more of Certitude and Auctority from hence;* 1.3 that in imitation of this Natural Prodigious Ostent, or Aereal Representation, Kircher invented a way of exhibiting an Artificial one, by the Fragments of Glass, Selenites, Antimony, &c. stewed in an iron trough, and vapours ascending from Water superaffused, and terminated by a black Curtain superextended. The full description of which Artifice, He hath made the Subject of his 2. parastasis in Magia Parastat. cap. 1.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Art. 4. Kirchers De∣scription of that famous Apparition at Rhegium, cal∣led Morgana Rheginorum: &
• * 1.2

  Art. 5. Most ingeni∣ous Investiga∣tion of the Causes thereof.
• * 1.3

  Art. 6. His admirable Artifice, for the exhibition of the like a••real Representati∣on, in Imitati∣on of Nature.