In the early months of 1472 appeared a large comet, which historians agree in saying was very horrible and alarming. Belleforest said it was a hideous and frightening comet, which threw its rays from east to west, giving great cause for fear to great people, who were not ignorant that comets are the menacing rods of God, which admonish those who are in authority, that they may be converted. Pingre, who has told us of so many of the comets that were seen before his time, wrote of this epoch: "Comets became the most efficacious signs of the most important and doubtful events. They were charged to announce wars, seditions, and the internal movements of republics; they presaged famines, pestilence, and epidemics; princes, or even persons of dignity, could not pay the tribute of nature without the previous appearance of that universal oracle, a comet; men could no longer be surprised by any unexpected event; the future might be as easily read in the heavens as the past in history. Their effect depended on the place in the heavens where they shone, the countries over which they directly lay, the signs of the zodiac that they measured by their longitude, the constellations they traversed, the form and length of their tails, the place where they went out, and a thousand other circumstances more easily indicated than distinguished; they also announced in general wars, and the death of princes, or some grand personage, but there were few years that passed without something of this kind occurring. The devout astrologers--for there were many of that sort--risked less than the others. According to them, the comet threatened some misfortune; if it did not happen, it was because the prayers of penitence had turned aside the wrath of God; he had returned his sword to the scabbard. But a rule was invented which gave the astrologers free scope, for they said that events announced by a comet might be postponed for one or more periods of forty years, or even as many years as the comet had appeared days; so that one which had appeared for six months need not produce its effect for 180 years." [Illustration: FIG. 55.--REPRESENTATION OF A COMET, 16TH CENTURY.] The most frightful of the comets of this period, according to Simon Goulart, was that of 1527. "It put some into so great a fright that they died; others fell sick. It was seen by several thousand people, and appeared very long, and of the colour of blood. At the summit was seen the representation of a curved arm, holding a large sword in its hand, as if it would strike; at the top of the point of the sword were three stars, but that which touched the point was more brilliant than the others. On the two sides of the rays of this comet were seen large hatchets, poignards, bloody swords, among which were seen a great number of men decapitated, having their heads and beards horribly bristling." A view of this comet is given in the _History of Prodigies_.