We shall find all through these legends allusions to the poisonous and deadly gases brought to the earth by the comet: we have already seen that the gases which are proved to be associated with comets are fatal to life.
[1. Faber's "Horæ Mosaicæ," vol. i, p. 72.]
{p. 135}
And this, be it remembered, is not guess-work, but the revelation of the spectroscope.
The traditions of the ancient Britons[1] tell us of an ancient time, when
"The profligacy of mankind had provoked the great Supreme to send a pestilential wind upon the earth. A pure poison descended, every blast was death. At this time the patriarch, distinguished for his integrity, was shut up, together with his select company, in the inclosure with the strong door. (The cave?) Here the just ones were safe from injury. Presently a tempest of fire arose. It split the earth asunder to the great deep. The lake Llion burst its bounds, and the waves of the sea lifted themselves on high around the borders of Britain, the rain poured down from heaven, and the waters covered the earth."
Here we have the whole story told briefly, but with the regular sequence of events:
1. The poisonous gases.
2. The people seek shelter in the caves.
3. The earth takes fire.