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CHAPTER  XXVIII.

ON   THE   DEFINITION   OF   THE   TEN  DIRECTIONS.

The extension of bodies in space is in three directions:
length, breadth, and depth or height. The path of any
real direction, not an imaginary one, is limited; there¬
fore the lines representing these three paths are limited,
and their six end-points or limits are the directions.
If you imagine an animal in the centre of these lines,
i.e. where they cut each other, which turns its face
towards one of them, the directions with relation to
the animal are before, behind, right, left, above, and
below.

If these directions are used in relation to the world,
they acquire new names. As the rising and setting of Page 145.
the heavenly bodies depend upon the horizon and the
first motion becomes apparent by the horizon, it is the
most convenient to determine the directions by the
horizon. The four directions, east, west, north, south
(corresponding to before, behind, left, and right), are
generally known, but the directions which lie be¬
tween each two of these are less known. These
make eight directions, and, together with above and
below, which do not need any further explanation, ten
directions.

The Greeks determined the directions by the rising
aud setting places of the zodiacal signs, brought them
into relation to the winds, and so obtained sixteen
directions.

VOL. I.                                                                 T