These blazing starres that the Greekes call Cometas, our Romanes Crinitas, dreadfull to be seene, with bloudie haires, and all over rough and shagged in the top like the bush of haire upon the head. The same Greekes call those starres Pogonias, which from the nether part have a maine hanging downe, in fashion of a long beard. As for those called Acontiœ, they brandish and shake like a speare or dart, signifying great swiftnesse. This was it, whereof Tiberius the Emperour wrote an excellent Poeme in his fift Consulship, the last that ever was seene to this day: the same, if they be shorter and sharpe pointed in the top, they use to call Xiphia; and of all other palest they be, and glitter like a sword, but without any raies or beames….
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Lampadias is like to burning torches and Hippeus to horse maines, most swift in motion and turning round. There is also a white Comet with silver haires, so bright and shining, that hardly a man can endure to looke upon it, and in man’s shape it sheweth the verie image of a God. Moreover, there be blazing starres that become all shaggie, compassed round with hairie fringe and a kind of maine. One heretofore appearing in the form of a main, changed into a speare, namely in the hundred and eight Olympias, and the 398 yeare from the foundation of Rome. Noted it hath ben, that the shortest time of their appearance is a seven night, and the longest eightie daies. Some of them move like the wandering planets: others are fixed fast, and stir not. All in manner are seene under the very North star called Charlemagne’s Wain…. There are of them seene in winter season, and about the Antarticke South pole: but in that place without any beames. A terrible one likewise was seene of the people in Ethiopia and Egypt, which the King who raigned in that age, named Typhon. It resembled fire, and was plaited and twisted in maner of a wreath, grim and hideous to be looked on; and no more truly to be counted a starre, than some knot of fire.
Sometimes it falleth out, that the Plannets and other stars are bespread all over with haires. But a Comet lightly is never seen in the west part of the heaven….
A fearefull starre for the most part this Comet is, and not easily expiated: as it appeared by the late civile troubles when Octavius was Consull: as also a second time by the intestine war of Pompey and Casar. And in our daies about the time that Claudius Casar was poysoned, and left the Empire to Domitius Nero, in the time of whose raigne and government, there was another in manner continually seene, and ever terrible….