Marquis Enrique de Villena Pseudo-Henry of Villena
This text has come down to us through a single manuscript copy from the 15th century kept in the National Library of Madrid, falsely attributed to the famous Marquis Enrique de Villena (1384-1434). Contemporary studies have shown that the date of writing given in the colophon (1428) is completely false, citing later historical events such as the capture of Huelma by the Marquis of Santillana in 1438 or the partial eclipse visible in Spain on 19 September of that same year. The possibility that the treatise was written using materials from some supposed Villena writing dedicated to astrology has also been discarded, for reasons that are fully explained in the excellent critical edition produced by Julio Samsó and Pedro M. Cátedra, to which we refer you.
Jose Rodriguez
Bibliography: " Treaty on Astrology attributed to Enrique de Villena", Humanitas Publishing House, Barcelona, 1983, (Critical edition by Julio Samsó and Pedro M. Cátedra).
Part One
Alan, a famous doctor and speculative poet, speaking of idleness in the prelude to his Astrological Commentary on Tholomeo, says: "Life without fruit is worse than death." So does Isidore, De sumo bono, say: "He is a servant who lives according to himself." Also, Aristoxenus says: "He who pleases others more than himself, makes himself a servant." Also, in the Book of Love, Tullius says : "It is the passion proper to love to serve the beloved of the lover." Therefore, according to Resvalius, life without fruit was considered to be death; and to live according to oneself, servitude; and to please nobles to be dignity; and the love proper to a good servant is to imagine in what way he will serve his lord.
Therefore, I thought, through the goodness of God, to direct you through the service of the knight Don Enrique de Aragón, lord of Iniesta, who compiled for you this selected part of astrology with the many parts and steps of his invention, to be able to praise and taste you in our bishopric of Burgos. For I urge readers to pay attention and, although I do not transmit it, I submit it to the correction of the Holy Church.
And therefore this will be divided into two parts. In the first I will treat of the elements in general and of each one in particular. And in the second part I will treat of all the spherical bodies according to their movements. And for this purpose I will proceed first of all with two chapters: in the first I will say in what manner God created the world, to begin this treatise with my reason; in the second I will say of the principiated soul: it is perpetual and is half with the body, the composition of all the things that God created.
God, not having begun, created the world in four ways, that is to say: ideally, materially, formally, ordinally. I say first, that God created and formed the world ideally, which improperly speaking means by imagination or likeness, because before the world came into being, he was in his deity the image and figure of the world with all things; and this was eternally in his deity, so that his thinking had no beginning.
And if anyone were to say what God did before the world, it would be said that He made the world in likeness, because that thought was in itself such a thing apart from it that God could figure and fashion from it whatever He wanted. And this is what the Greeks called antiaros, which means world in likeness. And therefore Aristotle said that the world has no beginning, it is appropriate to know ideally.
Secondly, God created the world materially, because after He eternally imagined it, speaking improperly , He made from nothing a great matter without figure or likeness, which the Greeks call y1lé .
Thirdly, God created the world formally, for after He had made this great matter as His plan, He put it to work according to His good order; and He did it in six days, and in the seventh He rested, not because He was laborious, but because all things were finished. And some say that God made all things together, according to the saying: " Qui creavit simul omnia ," which means "He created all things together." And so these sayings seem to be contrary. To this it may be answered that a thing considered in different ways does not bring about a contradiction. An example is in the reason we speak; for, if we consider the world to be made formally or in an orderly manner, in this manner we say that Moses spoke; if we consider it in the first or second manner, this is the second authority, and thus the reason is not contrary to the literal meaning. And if anyone says therefore that such an ordinance and rule was in all things and celestial bodies that the earth was such as it is now, we say no, because as soon as God created the world, according to what the Master of the Scholastic Stories says above Genesis , in the second chapter, that the earth was vain and void, because it was like an abyss, without profit or appearance, and the Greeks called it chaos . And therefore the Jews said above that that part where it says, "the Spirit of the Lord was above the waters," that it was above them as a dove sits upon its eggs.
And from this we see that if anyone were to ask at the beginning of the world where the four elements were, we answer that they are now, since they are not in this manner as to their compositions, for on the sixth day the Lord adorned the earth with animals and created man in his own likeness; on the fifth day he enchanted the water with fish and the air with birds; on the fourth day he enchanted and composed the fire of fixed stars and planets; and therefore Moses says in the first chapter: "Let there be luminous days in the firmament of the heavens, so that day may separate from night and there may be times and years." Of which the Master of the Histories speaks in the sixth chapter and says: "The Holy Spirit did not only want the stars and planets to be for beauty and light, but also wanted them to be a sign of the good and bad times," which are known and divided by the twelve signs.
And if anyone says: It seems that man and beasts and animals were not made from the elements; to this we say that the stars thus created, being of the nature of fire, began to move and, moving, heated the air and the air heated the water and from the water the earth, and from this all animals were created by a mixture of the elements.
Here someone may say why they were not all of one condition; we say that those who took more of fire and air were lighter, just like birds, and those who took more of fire than air flew lighter, just like the hawk, the hawk or the swift, and the others who took more of air or water flew heavier, just like ducks or kites, herons and others like them. And of the others who took more of fire were choleric, like the lion, light and choleric; and those who took more of the earth were malenconic, like the ox and the donkey; and those who took of the element of water were phrematic, like fish, especially without scama.
And from that part, in which the elements were equally arranged, man was made. And for this reason Moses says in the first chapter: "God formed man from the slime of the earth." And from her rib he formed Eve and made their souls out of nothing. And therefore, if anyone were to ask what God made of greater dignity, the wise answer that he made man, and this for many reasons, especially for two: first, because the elements were already very well equalized and agreed among themselves and the planets were outside the places where they began to move, as all astrologers who treat of this subject affirm; the second reason was because God made only man and ordered all the other things to be made, for it is true that it is more to do the thing than to order it to be done. And if anyone says which things will last forever, we say that those things which were formed from nothing, like spirits, souls, magic , and all other things, will return to that from which they were composed. This is the testimony of Philosopher.
And therefore evil will have an end, and good will never end. And if anyone says why evil will have an end and good not, we say that the devil failed in evil and not because God did it, and therefore evil is nothing, because all things that exist without God are nothing, because God did not do evil, although some think that there are two natures, one of good and the other of evil, and that God did good and the devil did evil, which is false, because evil is not nature, although the devil failed in it when he sinned.
And that evil is not by nature may be shown by reason, for all nature is either without beginning or begun; if without beginning, so is God, who is not begun, but begins all things. And if it is begun, there are two ways, for it is either perpetual or not; if it is perpetual, so are things created from nothing, as has been said; if it is not perpetual and enduring, so are all things that can be resolved. And since evil is not any of these things, it follows that it is nothing. For if it comes upon a good creature, it corrupts it in its proper nature ; and when it departs from it the creature remains healthy. Again, evil does not have a certain place where it is as well as in its end. And if anyone says that this is how good is, that it is not in one place, but in many, I would tell him that good is only in God by chance and in other things by grace. And if anyone were to argue with me that the devil is such evil, I would tell him, save grace, because if evil were essentially in the devil, at that very moment that God created the devil, then evil would be in him and, even if he sinned, there would be no punishment, which is false.
And therefore, from these reasons two conclusions arise: the first is that to use well is nature; the second is that to use badly is against nature. For no one should be surprised that evil is so rebuked, for it has nothing of nature, on which the whole Holy Scripture is founded. And from this arises the common saying of the doctors, that one mortal sin weighs more than the whole world.
Fourthly, God created the world, putting order into all those things which he created. And this was when everything already created placed the nature of each thing in itself and established for them their certain bodies and rights, how they should beget, be born, grow, and die, according to the strength, property, and nature of each one of them. And thus the whole work of generation and destruction was entrusted from the beginning of the world to nature, according to the foundation of philosophy. And to know this well, the liberal sciences were failed, without which no one, however clever, can have knowledge of nature, because if we do not have perfect knowledge of all things through the sciences, it is due to a defect of our poor judgment, but not due to a defect of art, of which the Philosopher says in the second book of Methaphysica: "Just as the eyes of the owl respond to the clarity of the sun, so also is our understanding to all things that are very certain in nature, because, although we do not understand them, it is due to a defect of ours and not of nature, because in all things it is without any defect."
Praised be God, who up to this point speaks of the four ways in which God created the world. Now He will speak this chapter of man and his soul. And you know that all the things God did were done by man, and therefore the others God commanded to be done, and man made God. And therefore it is of greater dignity for the reverence that God made Him in what He alone did, because of all the other things God commanded and said, "be it so," and thus it was done. But when He created man, He said, "Let us make a man in Our image and in Our likeness." But man was brought into the power of the devil by his sin.
And if anyone asks what was the reason why the devil, when he sinned, fell and man had no space to repent, here the doctors of theology respond that it was for many reasons. And so as not to make a big deal out of it, I will tell you some of them.
The first reason is that Lucifer was the first creature that God created and placed very near to Himself and his glory was more than that of any other spirit, and because in him there was first a movement of sin and it was put into action, and therefore he fell later. And our father Adam was the last creature and was very far from God, and the more he was removed, the more space he had to repent. The second reason is that Lucifer sinned through malice on his own part; Adam, with the help of the broken matter of the flesh; and therefore, there was no space and Lucifer did not. Also, Lucifer was not moved by anything to sin, his malice removed, and our father Adam was moved by the great following of the woman, because she did not understand that he despised her. And so Adam had to see space to repent and Lucifer non.
But you must know that the good angels are kept by grace, not by nature. Also, man received forgiveness of his sin, because he had prepared to sin through the body, which is made of clay; but the devil, not having weakness of flesh to sin, sinned without cause and fell with reason, and for this reason he did not receive forgiveness; and after that the evil angels fell and the good ones were confirmed by grace to always do good. And of this Moses says: On the second day the firmament was established.
And the good angels know things before they are by the word of God; but the devils have lost all virtues, but have not lost their understanding. And what they can know before they are is in one of three ways: either by subtlety of nature, or by space of time, or by revelation of power which comes to them from above. In the same way, men know things by these three things aforesaid, it is worth knowing: either by subtlety of nature, which is what exceptional sciences deal with, which we commonly call necromancy, and even astrology interferes in this case, as I will say later. Or they know them for a long time, and therefore the Philosopher says: "By past things we judge things which are to come." Or we know them by revelation, like the prophets and many others, although their sayings have no place until experience proves them, as Aristoxenus says, on the Son of Scipio, when he says: "The saying of the poor wise man will not succeed until experience favors him."
And all these things are born from the understanding of the soul. Wherein you know that it is the life of man, and God is the life of the soul; and the soul of man is not man, but a union of body and rational soul, which is called man. And for this reason Saint Paul said that soul was formed in the flesh in the image of God. And for this reason those who think that by soul one understands body, erred, because when He said: "It is formed in the image" it is not understood that it is a thing that can be changed, but a thing without a body, like God and the angels. And you must know that we have surpassed all other animals, not by strength or by feeling, but by understanding, because reason and understanding are soul, and strength and feeling are body and soul.
And you know that the soul has many offices, and for each office it has received its name which suited that office, because as long as it remains in the body and creates it, it is called the soul; and as long as it wants, it is called the will or talent; and as long as it judges, it is called the reason; and as long as it feels, it is called the sentiment; and as long as it knows, it is called the knowledge; and because it understands, it is called the understanding, which is the greatest and highest part of all man, because through it we have reason and knowledge, and through it is called the image of God. And reason is the movement of the soul which gives subtlety to the life of the understanding, and separates truth from falsehood.
But the body has other offices, which are: to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, to touch. And just as one man surpasses another by understanding, so one mind surpasses another by virtue and activity, for smelling surpasses tasting by virtue, because it works from further away, and by activity it is higher, and so it is with each of the others. But all these things the soul surpasses by reason and understanding, and by work from further away than the senses, by which it has knowledge of God.
And so we say that the head is the seat of the soul. And it has three cells in itself: one for learning, another for knowing, and another for retaining; and for this reason there are many things in the imagination that no one would propose for language. And from this arises the reason that philosophers say, that young people are sometimes blameless in thinking bad thoughts and doing mischief, since they have no power to accomplish them.
Also, the soul is said to be memory, because it remembers, which is the treasure and guard of all the things that a man misses and from which he learns. Memory is thus retaining or, if something is seen before the sight of a man, it is all in memory. And, therefore, it is not surprising that in God all things fit, however they may be related to one another, since in the memory of a man all things fit, however seen. And you must know that memory does not remember the power of God by image like other things, but by itself, and just as one who remembers for joy, almost if it were not so, God would be forgotten. And, therefore, faith is necessary for salvation, because this word fides means as much as memory without a figure represented to the understanding. And, therefore, God said to Moses: "No one will ever see me." It is convenient to know, by similarity represented to the sensual eyes as to other corporeal things, although memory sees it by itself, understanding it by its effects.
And therefore it is said that although Adam did not sin, Jesus Christ took flesh, because that which we could not see corporeally, we would accept through the flesh. And furthermore we must know that memory falls on men and beasts, but understanding is only found in men and angels. And for this reason God made man raised up to face the heavens and the other animals face the earth, so that man would always use reason and not talent, just as brutal beasts do.
And now, praised God, since up to here I have said and finished the two chapters of the creation of all things, now I will speak of the elements in general and after each one. And thus, I will do five chapters.
Concerning which you should know that our Lord God, at the beginning of the world, made a great matter without form or figure; and it was of such a nature that He could do with it what He wanted. And this matter the Greeks called ylle . And from here the elements took their name, inasmuch as they were taken from this matter ylle . For it is convenient to know what element is, of which Plato says in the book Pachegni - Alan includes it in the Summa de Philosophia -, where he says: "Heelement is the simplest and smallest part of any part." Alan declares this saying, and says: " Alos is the simplest part, because element does not have several or contrary qualities, and is said to be the smallest as regards its quantity and greatness." And if anyone asks how many elements there are, we say that there are four: fire, air, water, earth. And if he asks what their substance is, we say that it is dryness of earth, coldness of water, humidity of air, and heat of fire.
And if anyone says where these elements are, we say that they are in the composition of any natural body of animals, since it is composed of these four elements. And if anyone argues that, as it appears from philosophy, fire is blue, air red, water green, earth black, which happen to be seen in what we call the iris , or arch, then it follows that the elements of the bodies of animals and creatures are outside. To this we say that such elements are not properly speaking simple elements, but are compound elements, of which Plato says: "The nobility and reason of God willed that the world, which he had composed with great power, much knowledge and good and loving will, of things invisible, should appear to the eyes of men by colors to be seen and known, and that they could touch and feel them, by the things that can be touched and felt."
And therefore God made the composite elements, visible of diverse qualities, where the earth that we see, water, air, fire that we feel, each one is composed of the four simple ones. And for this reason we say that it has four degrees of dryness - earth, and four of coldness - water, and four of humidity - air, and four of heat - fire. And for this well to know, you must notice that each of these composite elements has ten degrees of composition: the earth has four degrees of dryness, which is its essence, and three of coldness, which are water, and two of humidity, which are air, and one of heat, which is fire. This same water, a composite element, has four degrees of coldness, which is its essence , and three of humidity, which is air, and two of dryness, which is earth, and one of heat, which is fire. Also, air has four degrees of humidity, which is its substance, and three of fire, two of water, and one of earth. Likewise fire has four degrees of heat, which is its essence, three degrees of earth, two degrees of air, and one of water. All this is said by Alan and Albert the Great and the commentator Even Ruiz.
But someone may say to the contrary: It is true that the elements are converted into one another, just as water is converted into earth, and the earth is converted and converted into water, and the water into air, and the air into water; for I conclude that the elements are converted into one another and make their natural resolutions. To this we say that the simple elements are ice , which are neither convertible nor soluble, because they are considered to be of the first matter, but the compound elements are convertible and soluble, and not of that which is ice .
But some may still say against this that we see that man is composed of the four elements, but turns into earth; that is, the but when it is able; that is, the quintessence of wine, if it were really thrown into the air, would not fall into the earth, although all the four elements are there. To this we say that not only such things are turned into earth, but also into the others, each one takes what he put there. Example: we have said that the earth has four degrees of dryness, which are so proper and substantial of earth that they will never be turned into anything else. But the three that are of water turn into water, and the two degrees of humidity that are in the earth turn into air, and what is there of fire turns into fire; and so each one, according as he takes from each thing that is resolved, is more or less, in such a way that if he has little he takes little, if much, much. And speaking of this Aristotle says: "Each thing is resolved into that of which it was composed." And here the alchemists, who strive to convert one metal into another, see what it is that they convert or resolve.
And if any one asks why there are not more than four elements, to this we say that our Lord placed fire and earth in the manner of firm foundations; and since the earth is flat and settled and corporeal, and fire is sharp, movable and thin, and such contrary opposites, God willed to bring them together by some means. And therefore God created two means, namely, air and water; for if He created only air as a means, the means would be unequal, because it would be more helpful to fire than to earth. Again, if He created water as a means, it would be similarly an unequal means, because it would be more akin to earth than to fire. And therefore two means were and were necessary, namely, air and water; the water to help the earth and the air to help the fire; and thus they would be equal and not unequal. And since two contrary foundations and ends require two elements, and two and two are four, therefore there cannot be more or less than four elements.
But someone may argue, saying: "It is said that on earth there are ten degrees, the four are one element and the three another and the two another and one another, which make four by union or mixture; and so that four times four they make sixteen; then it follows from this that they are more than four elements." To this we say that you should know two distinctions: the first, that there is a great difference between union and mixture. Reason why Aristotle says: intermixture of opposites is when two opposites are joined or brought together so that the thing that results from them is neither one nor the other. Example: if we put very cold water on the fire, as soon as the great heat of the fire were equally joined with the great coldness of the water, neither the hot nor the cold would remain, but the lukewarm would remain.
Also, you should know that union is when two contraries join together in one, so that the contraries remain as of first. Example: just as the elements are joined together in their degrees, but are not intermixed, and, therefore, always in such union the element of water remains water and that of air air and so on with the others. And, therefore, the philosophers say that the intermixtures are in the qualities and the unions in the elements. And, therefore, the elements are matter and their properties are qualities, we say; that when they say that the earth has ten degrees, this is understood of the earth which is an element composed of the union of the four elements and by the intermixture of their qualities.
And if anyone asks why there are ten degrees and not more or less, to this we say that this is why the earth is called earth because it has more degrees of earth, that is to say, ten degrees thicker than water, and the water is ten degrees thinner than the earth, and the air is ten degrees thinner than water, and fire is ten degrees thinner than air. So it seems quite clear that fire is thirty degrees thinner than the earth, and twenty degrees thinner than water, and ten degrees thinner than air. And you must clearly understand that thin is taken for thickness or greatness, and thick for smallness. And so the earth is ten times smaller than water, and twenty times smaller than air, and thirty times smaller than fire; and this is the reason why there are ten degrees and they are not more or less - and this is Moses' understanding of the ten commandments.
But some may say that all this is true, but it is reasonable to know why this ordinance is more in the tenth tale than in any other tale. To this we say that only this tale signifies or represents all created and uncreated things, which no other tale does. And see how: thus you find in this tenth tale four tales which together make ten, and two are even and two are odd, that is to say, one and three, four and two, which are ten. One shows the eternal incomprehensible divine substance; in the three it shows the trinity, because comparing three to one it is a threefold proportion; also, the two show the two natures, that is to say, angelic and celestial; also, the four show the elements, from which all other things are produced. And since there are no other things in nature generally that can be presented to the understanding, it was fitting that they should be ordered in such a tale, so that by it they would be represented neither as excess nor as diminishing. And therefore, this is the reason why they were ordered in a tale of ten and not in any other tale.
And if anyone says: well, according to this, we can well know the roundness and length of the earth and, later, of the other rough areas; to this we say that it can be seen without defect, as I will explain later for a reason.
To you, consolation of sinners, be praise, Virgin Mother, who won me grace to declare in our language what the philosophers and astrologers spoke in general of the elements in Greek and Latin. And now, with your help, in this chapter I will treat of the dispute which the wise men make about astrology, whether or not we can use it in all things without sin. And then I will speak according to philosophy and astrology of each of the elements in singular.
And in support of the first, you must note four things, which are convenient to know: first, what astrology is; second, who failed in this science; third, what astrology means; fourth, into how many parts it is divided. In the first place, we say that astrology is science which shows that it knows the spaces of movement and revolutions of all celestial bodies in their due times. Second, who failed in this science; we say that Adam was the first, and then Noah, son of Noah, Moses, Habrahán, Plato, Aristoxenus, Tholomaeus and many others, as I will tell you.
The third thing is to know what astrology means; concerning which you must know that it is ordered in two Greek words that mean in our language science of the stars. The fourth thing I said is how many parts it is divided into; to this we say that it is divided into two parts, it is convenient to know, in astrology, which deals with the movement of all the heavens, judging the temporal ones before they come; and of this there is no doubt. The other is of elections; and this is more subtle and bad to see. And about this there is an opinion whether we can use it without sin or not. And from this part are known the births of men and the diseased epidemics, wars and deaths of kings, and many other things, according to what science exposes, which some doctors of the Holy Church disapprove of. And therefore, I wish here to recite the sayings of each of the doctors, and let the experts choose the best that God gives them to understand.
And in order to proceed with this, we must first know what opinion is. In this regard, it is important to know that opinion is the consent of one person in a thing that is doubtful to another, with the consent of another person who understands the truth. Opinion is nothing else except something that can be defended in many ways, and each person follows his own understanding. Also, secondly, we must know what seta is. Where it is to be noted that seta is anything that totally deviates from the ordinances of the Holy Church, just like the Moors. And now it is to be noted that our understanding is opinion and not seta, because there are many reasons and proofs with which it can be defended.
And now, in our case, you must know that, according to astrology, the body of man takes on the condition in customs and complexions of the seven planets and twelve signs and takes vital spirit from the platform of the firmament, which is the rough octave, and took knowledge of the science of good and evil from our Lord God. I say first, that the soul of the man created by God took knowledge of good and evil from God, because knowing evil he avoided it and knowing well he followed it. And therefore, Saint Augustine says, above all in Genesis , that God put all knowledge in Adam. And therefore we say that the first grammarian, logician, rhetorician, geometrician, arismetician, musician, astrologer, philosopher, physicist, physician, theologian, canonist, legist, metaphysician, mechanic, monastic, ethist, and politician was Adam; and therefore he was the teacher of teachers.
But since the laws and teaching of natural philosophy and astrology are to be declared in this book, two things will be declared in this chapter: first, how God taught this science to the ancient fathers; second, that this knowledge of the stars came into the world from God and not from the devil, as some say, mistakenly mixing false astrology with true astrology. For I say first and second, that this science was taught to the friends of God, according to what the approved Master of the Scholastic Stories says , above Genesis , in the thirty-fifth chapter, of the dispersion of Noah's children throughout the world, where he says thus: "Noah, son of Noah, born in the likeness of his father Noah, holy and just man and chosen friend of God, was born with grace and wisdom by our Lord God and acquired the knowledge of astrology, which is natural philosophy; to whom there came a giant, by name Nemiroht, ten cubits tall, and was expert in this knowledge of the stars, and took advice from Noah on how, in what manner he should begin to reign and have dominion in the world. This Noah judged and knew many things of what was to come, and thus he declared them and made them known to the nations before they came, and how such nations would reign and where, and how other nations would come and reign, these things and sayings were prophesied by Daniel, who came three thousand or more years later.
All this is said by the Master of Scholastic Stories , which is why it seems that the knowledge of the stars and the ability to judge by them and to use this knowledge did not come into the world from the devil, but came from God the creator. And if anyone says: it is contrary, for Saint Augustine, Saint Jerome, and many other saints, as Gratian says in the Decree and as the Master of the Scholastic Stories reasons above Genesis , in the sixth chapter of the work of the fourth day, where he says: "Inasmuch as antiquity with great care marked and considered and even mark and pay attention to the fixed stars and the planets and the signs of men in respect of the temporals - which is good and approved by holy Church - yet with this it is not to say as the geneticists say, who pass judgment above the births of men, for these say, dreaming that the planets and the signs and the fixed stars are placed as signs and demonstrations of the events of our works, or that they mark and make demonstrations of our life...; Therefore we ought not to believe of heaven or of the stars those who do not belong to our Father who is in heaven." All this says the Master.
Now, according to his judgment, it seems that astrologers can judge of temporal matters, but they cannot judge of events, or of the life of men, or of their works. Here the astrologers say against this reason that, saving the dignity of his teaching, he himself amends this reason and responds in kind and gives a contrary judgment in chapter thirty and five already alleged, where he says and proves that Noah, Noah's son, judged and made known many events that were to come and which were to reign and which were not, which are judgments of our events and our works. And as for what he says that we should not believe in heaven those who are not of the Father of heavens, this is what the astrologers say, who please them very much, for it is certain that Adam was and is of the Father who is in heaven. So too, Noah, Noah's son, was just and holy, as this Master says in the text of his letter, where he says: "And he was like his father and his mother, of whom God says by his mouth, 'You only have I seen just.'" Now that Noah, Noah's son, was just and taught in holiness and from the Lord, and used this knowledge, then it follows that not using it is a sin.
But to confirm or affirm this conclusion we will bring proof from the Bible by many authorities: first, because the holy Habrahán is manifest to all that he is from the Father, in whose generation the nations of the world are blessed. Of this holy person the Master of the Scholastic Stories says above Genesis , in the fortieth chapter, in the chapter of the birth of the jubilee, he says thus: "There was a wise man and master in the knowledge of the stars, in which knowledge some worthy of trust say that he made Horus a wise man, who failed in the magical art, of which Apollonius speaks many times in his Notorious Treatise ; Furthermore, this Haberan knew that every fifty years there is a detempering of the air, caused by the elements and the abaxed planets, and then they return to tempering every fifty years; and, therefore, what he saw in the stars he only wanted to teach people so that they would use it on earth. This is what the Master says above.
For it seems that the stars make signs and demonstrations of that which we must follow and use on the face of the earth. And therefore we must believe the sentence of the stars and their doctrine, because we know that the first teachers were saints and friends of God. Also, this reason is confirmed because the holy man Moses used this wonderful and high science and used magical art, which is to make images in precious stones under constellations of certain planets, which are of very great virtues. And everything that he did in the tabernacle and the ordinance of the priestly vestments all he did to represent the principles and realities of astrology.
And that this be so is proven by the Master himself and by Gracian, who made the Decree , and by the Master of the Sentences . Where the Master of the Scholastic Stories relates , above the Exodus , the second book of the law, in chapter five, the Scholastic Story relates that the Ethiopians, people of arms, had destroyed a great part of the land of Egypt, for which reason those of the land of Egypt, being badly affected, asked their gods what regiment they should take; and the gods told them to take as their helper and captain a Jewish man, because those of Egypt took Moses as their leader. And Moses, as he was skilled in arms, defeated the Ethiopians and surrounded them in the royal city, which was called Sabba. And because the city was very strong, so that it could not be entered or fought against, it came to pass, that the daughter of the king of Ethiopia, named Thereris, gave the city to Moses on condition that he take her for a wife, and so he did. But when Aaron and Miriam, Moses' brothers, had quarreled because Moses had taken a wife of another lineage from the Gentiles of Ethiopia, Moses was willing to return to Egypt, but the woman would not let him. Therefore Moses, being a man wise in the art of star-making, made two images in two precious stones of this virtue, one that would engender and give to man memory and remembrance of God, and the other that would engender and bring about forgetfulness in man. And he put them in two gold rings. And he gave the woman the ring of forgetfulness, and he took the ring of the memory of God, because as they were brought together by equal love, so were they separated by unequal love. And as soon as she took the ring of forgetfulness, at the same hour she began to forget her husband. And so Therebis let Moses leave Ethiopia for Egypt. And so freely, through the knowledge of astrology and magic, Moses came to Egypt. All this is said and held by the Holy Church. For it seems quite true and is very well proven, since Moses, friend of God, used not only astrology, but also magic, which we ought to do.
Also, the same Master says, in the sixty-third chapter, of those things which represented the tabernacle: "The holy sanctuary of the tabernacle showed the imperial heaven, which is assigned to the holy Trinity and to its angels; and the sanctuary of the tabernacle, which was twice as large, showed and demonstrated the earth and the sea, because it was common to the priests; the white roof of the tabernacle showed the Christian heaven; the skins, through the red, showed the starry sky of the firmament; the four colours of the veils of the tabernacle showed the four elements, according to Josephus: by the colour of the bissopetus represented the element of the earth, and by the hyacinth-green colour the water, and by the purple-red colour the air, and by the saffron colour the fire; The table of the tabernacle showed the time or the year; the twelve loaves on top signified the twelve months; the crown of the fingers showed the solar year, and the seven candles of the candelabrum showed the seven planets. In the tabernacle it was shown that all things that are under the seven planets are governed and moved by the path of the seven planets; and by its seventy parts the ten-year dignities of the planets were taught, for ten times seven make seventy, for every planet has ten virtues, five natural and five incidental, in which proportionally the seven planets agree with each other equally. And, consequently, all the effects and paths and natural movements that these things have in aid have been taken from the seven planets. All this says the Master of the Scholastic Stories .
It seems, then, from what has been said above, that this science was given by God and not by the devil, as some say; and that to use it well is a virtue and a grace which God gives to the creature. Likewise, the vestments of the sanctuary signify the same science, as the Master himself says in the above-mentioned chapter, which I wish to leave out for the sake of brevity.
And this is how man takes knowledge of the living God in the knowledge of astrology. But someone might say that it was for this reason that the holy doctors say the contrary in the judgments of astrology. Concerning which you should note that the astrologers here say that man is considered in one of two ways: first, as regards the body; second, as regards the soul.
If it is considered as to the body, in this manner they say that its habits, birth, growth, and death, and all other things of nature, are governed and ruled, along with all the movements of man, by the twelve signs and seven planets, as will be shown by natural reason and even by experience, for it often happens that men are sad without cause and happy without reason, which could not be if it were not caused from above. And of this reason is the opinion of astrologers; and this is as to the first.
The second thing may be considered as regards the soul, which was not created from heaven , nor under a constellation of planets nor of signs, but was created anew by God, not subject to nature, but above nature, which was created by the soul, and not the soul by nature. And therefore neither sin nor virtue comes to it on the part of the planets and signs, for everything falls to their deliberation. And therefore David says in the psalm: "My soul is always in my hands." For, although some movements come to man on the part of the planets and signs, for this reason God gave him reason to rule over all, with which he should choose the good, avoiding the evil.
And this is what Tholomeo says, and Mossela alludes to in the seventh On Elections , where he says that, although a man is begotten and born under a good and very beneficial constellation, his continuance in evil customs would turn into nature and would deprive him of virtue, because evil, if it comes upon the creature, corrupts its nature, as I said above. And so it is on the contrary, because by virtue and continuance of good behavior it is preserved, and for this reason Aristotle says: "Usuality turns into nature."
And now, in conclusion, the holy fathers and doctors understood the soul in their own way, and the astrologers understood the body. And if reason is well considered, they are not contrary. And so, the use of this science does not come from the devil, but from God, according to what the holy fathers mentioned above said.
Now let us speak of the earth, concerning which you must know four things: first, what is the earth; second, why did it take this name rather than another; third, into how many parts is it divided; fourth, how great is its size. To the first I say, as Plato says in the Pacheni, that the earth is a thing composed of ten degrees, four of dryness, three of coldness, two of humidity and one of heat, which is established in the meatat of all the seasons, just as the point in the meatat of the compass. And know that nature was provident and very wise in making the sky round, for there is nothing that so encloses the others as is the round and that can best revolve around. And since it is necessary for the heaven to move and to change, for if it were not round, it would not return to the same point from which it first rose, and would not have the same number of days, that is to say, the twenty-four hours, which is one revolution of the zodiacal heaven. Therefore it was necessary for the heaven to be round and flat within, so that it equally enclosed within itself all forces, so that one might support and the other be sustained, for without support it could not last. And so it was necessary for it to be round, so that all things enclosed within it might be enclosed roundly, in such a manner that one was near another. And so he enclosed them so well and so evenly that they do not come closer to one side than to the other. And therefore we must understand that the earth is round.
And so are the other elements, which have one another, for when something is closed within another, it is fitting that which encloses should hold that which is enclosed, and that which is enclosed should support that which encloses it. For example, if the white of the egg which encloses the yolk did not have it enclosed within itself, the yolk would fall on the shell; and if the yolk did not support the white, then the white would fall to the bottom. And therefore it is fitting that the heaviest and hardest thing should always be in the middle for support, for the harder and stronger its substance is, the better it supports and bears all the other things which are around it; and the heavier it is, the more fitting it should be at the bottom of the things which are near it. And therefore the earth can no longer rise or fall, nor go to one part or another.
And this is why the earth, which is the heaviest element and of the hardest substance, is in the middle of all the things that surround it; and that is, at the bottom of everything. And thus you may understand that the earth is the lowest place of all the elements; and that is, in the middle of the firmament. And therefore it is round, because, if it were otherwise, it would be closer to heaven in one part than in another, which could not be.
And if anyone should ask why, I would tell him because, if here, in the noble city of Baeça, I could find a carpenter who, with a drill, could drill the whole body of the earth from end to end, we should see, eye to eye, that the sky and the stars and planets pass above the apex of our heads, as they pass once in that natural day under our feet. But if we were to put a very large apple of gold through such a hole, we should see and know that it descended to the very center of the earth, point by point. And if anyone asks why it will not go to the other side, we say that this descending beyond the point would be against nature, because, even if by the force of the fall something were to go forward, it would immediately return, because that would not be descending, but rather rising. We say this because if three hundred and sixty armed men were at the top of the starry sky, each one in his own degree, and were all overthrown, they would fall to the middle point of the earth, in such a way that neither one would go there nor the other on this side, although above one could not see the other because of the great distance. And, therefore, we will say the universal measure of all this in the fourth member of this chapter. And that is as to the first.
Secondly, why I have this name earth more than any other. Concerning this you should know that the Greeks say gehos for the earth, which means in our language the same as the support of all things, because it supports all the other elements, as has been said. Also, we grammarians call it earth, which means in our language the same as broken by the feet. And this statement is verbal and not speculative, although it is quite apparent. But we can give it a better and speculative one, as Apollonius the astrologer puts it; John Abat alleges it in the book of his Diffusions, where he says: "Earth is not except something that rightly has the other things on it without error or defect."
And so, therefore, these two convenient names, according to the Greeks and Latins, and, although we have other names on earth, are all special to these two general ones. And if any other better interpretation is given, let us not forget that, "quia Spiritus Sanctus ubi vult inspirat." And that is as to the second point.
Thirdly, I say, into how many parts the earth is divided. Concerning which you should know that the earth can be divided into four parts, according to the eclipsatic line, which is between the two signs Cancer and Gemini and descends into the middle of two other signs, Sagittarius and Capricorn. The other line is equinoctial, which begins between the two signs Pisces and Aries and crosses through the other and goes between the two signs Virgo and Libra. Also, the sea divides the earth into three parts, Asia, Europe, Africa. And these three parts are divided into seven climates, according to the seven planets, according to the twelve signs in triple and quadruple proportion. This understanding belongs to the musician or the arismetician, but I will say something about it. It is to be known that every odd number is imperfect and every even number is perfect, so that the number of the planets is imperfect and the number of the signs is perfect and proportionate. The number of the planets in triple and quadruple is brought to perfection. And this is one reason why proportions were faulty in philosophy, so that the imperfect was brought to perfection. But, so that all this may be better understood, I will here depict the earth and then I will speak of the seven climates of the earth.
The first climate has its beginning from the equinox line in twelfth degrees of length and meatat of one degree. And here is the city of Arim, where the days and nights are always equal; and this is in the meatat of this climate. But the parts of the equinox line are ten degrees and twenty-seven minutes. And the eclivity of one part makes its longest day in thirteen hours and the shortest in eleven hours; and it begins from the eastern part until where the river Ganges rises; and it goes through India and Asia and through all its terms, from the part of Curio up to the island Thaprobana, which is in the Ocean. And in this island there are ten general cities and many others, which all will be one hundred or more. The people here were those of whom Lucan of Cordova speaks that they came to the aid of Pompey against Julius Caesar.
And so this climate extends as far as the Red Sea at about noon. And it has Antiochia and Arisiata and Bithynia, Persia and some cities of Assyria, Alexandria, Persia, the south sea and land of Arabia, as far as Ethiopia and Egypt and as far as the river Nile and as far as the island of Merois, where this first climate took its name. And then it goes through the parts of Africa at midday by the Garamatians and by the river Gion and the African mountain and by the sandy desert land and other parts, and by the Maurians and Matabienses, until it ends in the west in the city of Cepti or Cepta. So there is in this climate 1,350 miles, which is a journey of 67 and a half days.
The 2nd climate has its beginning from the equinoctial line at twenty degrees and a quarter. And on one side and the other the longest day is thirteen and a half hours and the shortest ten and a half. And its beginning is in the eastern parts of the Ocean, from the island of Costra, and goes through some parts of Persia towards the north, through Mount Sinai it makes half a day in the great desert land, which is the scorched zone, where no one lives because of the great heat of the sun. It includes Sodom and Gomorrah, through the parts of Alexandria and the greater Egypt, the people of Libya, part of Egypt the lower part; and it goes through Tripolitana to Mauritania; and it extends from the west to the Ocean Sea. And in this climate there are 1014 miles and four ninths of a mile, which is a journey of 60 days and nine tens of a day.
The third climate begins at the equinox and is twenty-seven degrees and a half. And on both sides the longest day is fourteen hours and ten hours less. It begins at the Ocean, near Mount Tivianus, and runs through all the borders of Antioch and the border of the river Phison. And it has Aracusana and Almea and part of Mesopotamia, Got and Thogoras; and it has Damascus. It passes through the Dead Sea and has part of Cyrenean Libya. And it proceeds through other diverse borders that would be long to say; and it ends in the western Ocean. And to this climate 2222 miles and the third part of a mile.
And the fourth climate of the equinox line is thirty-three degrees and a third of a degree. And on both sides the longest day is fourteen and a half hours and the shortest nine and a half hours. It begins at Capua, begins with Titus and goes to a fifth of Scia; passes Mount Caucasus and takes in a third of Mesopotamia and the five parts of Cappadocia; and passes to the Jordan River and Galilee and part of Jerusalem with all its boundaries. And it goes against the west and goes to Cyrene and a third of the great Leptin and part of Trumedia and Tincatua, and other boundaries up to the Ocean, where it ends. And it has 2,566 miles and two thirds of a mile, a journey of 123 days and a third of a day.
The fifth climate is of the same equatorial line of the day. And this is at thirty-eight degrees and a half. And on one side and the other the longest day is fifteen hours and the shortest nine hours. And it begins in the east. It has the Caspian Sea and part of Sicily and part of Armenia; it passes the Carian Mountains and part of Galilee. In the fourth part it has Samaria and Mount Carmel; it comes to the Mediterranean Sea and the island of Sardinia and ends in Cartagena. And it takes part of Numedia and thus goes through Urgitania and through the towns of the Mediterranean Sea to the Ocean, where it ends. And it has in this climate 2866 2/3 miles, in a journey of 143 days and more two thirds.
The sixth, our climate, is of the same line. It is forty-three degrees; and on both sides the longest day is fifteen and a half hours and the shortest eight and a half. Its beginning is from the East and the Caspian Sea; it starts in Armenia, has all of First Macedonia with all its borders and all the islands of the Great Sea. It crosses the Mediterranean Sea and takes in seven parts of Arcadia and goes against noon; it takes in Salerne and Naples and Romania, Rome, and goes through Italy and Germany, seven parts, France the largest. And it takes in all the lands of the West with all of Spain and ends in the deepest part of the Ocean Sea. In this climate of ours there are 3,122 miles and eighteen parts of a mile, which is a journey of 156 days and eighteen parts of a day. But since I am in this natural climate and in the city of Amora, I will speak of the cities of the kingdom of Castile and the towns as far from the sun as possible, according to our climate and horizon. And since at the time of the translation of this book my lord Íñigo López de Mendoza won the noble town of Huelma, I will begin there.
And whoever has any doubts about this, check it with the astrolabe and you will be right.
The seventh climate is forty-six degrees and fifty-three minutes from the above-mentioned line. And on both sides the longest day is sixteen hours and the shortest eight. But there is much uninhabited land in this area because of the great cold, since the longest day is four hours. It begins in the eastern ocean against the north, Albania, Thrace and the Giorgio fields; it passes the Pontic Sea and the Aegean Sea and Constantinople, the parts of Greece against midday; part of Archadia and all of Thesalia; against the north it has Dacia and the barbarian people, part of France and England, Gaul, from the west to the tomb of Santiago, and ends in the dark ocean. And it has in total 3366 miles, which is a journey of 158 days. And this is all that Mesealat and Friar Sancho Augustine, master of arts, and other astrologers say when discussing climates. And others tell their story in another way, but they all have the same goal. And this is as for the third point.
The fourth follows from the measurement of the earth, and consequently from the other dimensions. Concerning this you should know what Alfragano and Mesehalat, Albertus Magnus and Apollonius say about the text of Tholomeus, where they say that we can well have a measurement or number not only of the earth, but of all dimensions with the imperial sky, since we know that the earth is one hundred and twenty degrees long or high. And if anyone asks why they are not more or less, to this we say that it is true that the signs are twelve and, thus, there are twelve periods, it is convenient to know: four elements and seven planets in the zodiacal sky, which are twelve, in which there are three hundred and sixty degrees, which is very well known to all of us, according to the revolution that it makes in twenty-four natural hours, so that each sign takes two hours to pass our horizon or any other, and therefore each hour takes fifteen degrees, which all together add up to three hundred and sixty degrees.
Now, as far as our purpose is concerned, it is true that we naturally find all hopes to be round; for if a large wheel were three hundred and sixty points round, certainly a third of this is its height, since anyone who knows it can easily determine it by a compass. And, as philosophers and astrologers say, each sign has ten virtues, five essential and five accidental; and therefore Pacubius says that as there are twenty-four precious stones, each has two virtues, one essential and one accidental, and each one according to its sign. And therefore the magicians, who know how to make images in stones of constellations of planets and signs, and the astrologers say that when this happens they lose their own virtue and take on that of the constellation. For which reason each sign takes ten degrees from the earth in height, which are one hundred and twenty degrees, and in roundness each sign takes thirty degrees, which are in total three hundred and sixty degrees. For if we give to each sign ten double, multiplying also according to how they are superimposed in order, we shall know its true measure.
And this is so true, but we wish to give sensual lines, that is, sensual degrees by intellectual degrees, with everything divided by three hundred and sixty degrees. But because the liberal sciences, according to their order, must be understood or learned in this way, because it is necessary to understand something of arismetica to know this account, but good understanding with good speculation can see something of this measure. And as long as the measure of the first meatat of the first wheel is large, we can very slightly see the other meatat, because the smaller the account is, the better it is to retain, therefore I will give an example of the northern declination. Of which I put this figure here divided with its enclosures and accounts, as it is given by laws.
And now if a man were above all the earth at the foot of the equinox line, according to the line of eclipse, he will be deemed to be sixty degrees above the point of the centre of the earth, and to his right he has ninety degrees up to the point which cuts the equinox line. And to the other hand up to the equinox line another ninety degrees, which all together make one hundred and eighty, which is the sum of the length of our horizon at the center of the earth. Also, this man has above himself ten times twice as much water in length and height, that is to say, according to the line of eclipse, seven hundred degrees. And he has nine hundred degrees of water to his right, and as many to his left, which adds up to the center of our horizon of water one thousand eight hundred degrees.
And if anyone says that the water is much higher than the earth, what is the reason why it does not fall on the earth with its weight? To this we say that the power of God works here against the nature of the waters, which may appear from Bible authorities. Moses says in Genesis that the earth appeared without impediment, in which reason he gives us to understand two or three things: first, an enclosure as it says it appeared, because what appears first is hidden; and, thus, it was the earth under the waters, since it says it appeared. Second, it shows us a wetting of the earth, as it says dryness, because what is dry is not said except out of respect for what is wet or humid, because it seems that the waters had covered the earth and it was all wet, since he said dry land appeared. Thirdly, it shows us a rising of the waters or separation, in that it says without occupation, because that is without occupation that can be occupied; and because the earth could be occupied by the waters, therefore it says dry land appeared without occupation. Of this David says in the psalm: "You set a boundary for the waters, which they shall not pass over nor turn to cover the earth." And so, if they do not cover the earth it is by God's command, but not by nature.
Also, this man has to rise from the eclipsatic line ten double platforms of air, which are six thousand degrees, and he has on the right hand nine thousand degrees, and on the left hand another nine thousand degrees, so that they all add up to eighteen thousand degrees in the radius of the air. Also, this man has in the same right to rise up to the top of the fire ten double platforms, which are sixty thousand degrees, and each part ninety thousand degrees, which add up to the radius of the circle of fire, and are all one hundred and eighty thousand degrees. And so we must also make ten doublings up to the zodiacal sky. And there the whole count of the starry sky adds up to the roundness of its entire orb of three hundred and sixty million thousand degrees; and the height of this entire globe is one hundred and twenty million thousand thousands of degrees.
But someone may say here that we have said in this chapter above all this contrary to what we said, for we said that in the zodiacal heaven there were three hundred and sixty degrees, since there are so many million degrees, so what was one hundred and twenty degrees became million, and what was three hundred and sixty degrees became million, so the account returns to where it came from in its own species. To this we say that it must be so naturally, but in this manner it must be understood, for we can here give two rules: the first rule is that a degree cut on earth says in the astrolabe or in the quadrant that high in the zodiacal sky it is a degree in its own distribution, since we all start from three hundred and sixty degrees by its intellectual lines, but with this it is that the straightness and greatness of the degree on earth is very small besides and in the starry sky it is very large and unequal, for a degree on earth says above in the zodiac a thousand thousand degrees in the same quantity.
An example of this: as the baeça in comparison with the whole world. And since we see that the starry sky rotates equally in twenty-four hours, we rightly equate the unequal with the equal. And, therefore, by the course of the sun, which it makes in a year in three hundred and sixty-five days a little more, by it we take the ascendant and straighten the knowledge of the other planets. The second rule is that on the horizon of the earth we consider the table of the story of the degrees and on the horizon of water we consider the minutes and in the air the seconds, in fire the terçias, on the moon the fourths, on the horizon of Mercury the fifths, and on Venus the sestas, on the sun the sevenths, and on Mars the otavas, and on Jupiter the ninths, on Saturn the tenths, and in the zodiac the undens. as. And you should know that a degree says sixty minutes and a minute sixty seconds, and a second 60 3 os and a 3º 60 4 os and a 4º 60 5 os and a 5º 60 6 os and a 6º 60 and os , and a seventh 60 8 os and a 8º 60 9 os and a 9º 60 10 os , and a 10 6 0 undenas.
And most astrologers do not disperse the count, but, as a student and lesser degree than a master, I wish to declare the quantity of the undenas in a straight order. Thus an undena in the starry sky is like a degree on earth, and a degree on earth is fifty-six miles and seven hundred and forty-one steps and three feet and four inches. And you must know that three miles is a league and a thousand steps a mile, and five feet a step, and one foot twelve inches, according to geometry. And thus a man, starting straight along the eclipsatic line and walking eight leagues each day, which are three miles of a league, would arrive at the top of the starry sky
in sixty tales of years a little less, I say less, making the year of three hundred and sixty days and more, as I will say later. And it is no wonder why the stars seem so small to us, although they are very much large, because the distance is great. And therefore Alfragano and Meseala say that the height is so great that, if a large apple of steel were thrown from above, it would not reach us in seven years. And whoever is an aristhetist very cleverly will be able to see all the calculations and measurements of what has been said.
We have spoken so far of the earth, from here on we will speak of the element of water. Concerning which you should know that the water is settled on the earth. And this is the great sea, from which all the seas and rivers and fountains that run through the earth return later to this sea. And this you can understand in this way: thus the whole earth is perforated from within and full of veins and caverns, through which the waters that come out of the sea go and pass and come and go through the earth from inside and outside to one part or another, according to the veins in the body of the man. And the sea is above the earth, as you hear, so it is higher than the earth. And therefore it is not surprising that the fountains come out on the highest mountains of the earth, because it is the nature of the waters that they rise as much as they descend.
Also, know that the waters change their taste, their color, their smell and their goodness according to the nature of the land through which they flow. For the earth is not all of one kind, but of many and of diverse colors and qualities, for in one place it is sweet and in another not; and in one place white and in another green and in another dark and in another reddish or of another color; and in one place they are veins of sulfur and in another of gold or of another metal; and some land is hard and another soft. And just as the veins of the earth are, so are the waters that come through them. And it happens that in some part of the earth there are caves rotten by their nature or by poisoned waters that lie there; and therefore the water that passes through such places is poisoned and bad. The same thing happens when it passes through the hot river and the hot waters come out, as if they came from a fire, and in some lands there are baths without fire.
Also, when the wind corrupts the heat that is locked up within the caves and throws it out and drives it down to the bottom of the earth, it is necessary, by the force of that thrust, that the earth should open up and the air should fall and escape. And if the earth is so thick and strong that it cannot sink or fall, it is necessary that, by that great thrust of the air, which is closely enclosed within the veins of the earth, the earth should move around until it fails to escape. And for this reason it often happens that the earth trembles, especially near large seas.
You have already heard of the earth and of the water, now we will speak of the air and of the things that are done there. Concerning which you have already heard how the air surrounds the waters and the earth and encloses them and has them within itself. And its resistance is ten times greater than that of the water and twenty times greater than that of the earth. Now you should know that all animals receive their breath from the air, which could not be the case if the air were not humid and thick. And someone may say that if the air were thick as we say we would not see, as we do, the earth or the water. To this we say that the air is certainly thick, although it is not seen as corporally as the earth or the water. And whoever wishes to understand this well, let him take a thin stick and shake it very vigorously, and he will hear the sound and see how the stick bends, which could not happen if the air were not thick. Also, this reason seems very well applicable to birds, for if the air were not thick they could not be controlled or kept. Also, you should know that the air is twenty times thinner than the earth, ten times thinner than water, and ten times thinner than fire. And know that clouds and all rains are born from the air and are engendered there, and lightning and thunder and hail and similar things.
And now let us see how you should know, as has been said, that the earth is all full of water. And when the heat of the sun, which is the head of all heat, strikes hard on the humidity of the earth, the wet things yoke and take away their moisture, just as it happens on the wet canvas, and a vapor comes out and goes up through the air until it gradually joins together. And with the thickness of the air and humidity it thickens and becomes corporeal and dark, so that it blocks our sight of the sun. And these vapors, raised by virtue of the sun, thickened in the air, we call clouds, which means as much as a covering, because it deprives the sun of its rays, although not its clarity. And the thicker and thicker the cloud, the more dark it becomes. And this happens to be just as a candle when it burns in a lantern that shines from outside, even if no one sees the candle, so is the sun with the clouds. And when the cloud is so thick that it cannot withstand the swelling of the waters that are thus swollen with many vapors, it is necessary that they fall on the earth, and this is what we call rain.
But you must know that if anyone says what the cause is, it is because naturally it rains more with one wind than with another; we say that this causes the great humidity and thickness of the air that comes through very humid places, just as the south wind, according to Boethius and Emembriz. Also, it can be said that why one time there is wind and another time the air is still; we say that this is what causes the planets and signs.
And after the rain falls and the humidity decreases or changes, the sun scatters its rays through the clouds and makes from its brilliance an arc of four divided colors, since any element, placing its color there, clearly demonstrates the ordinance that is caused colorfully among all four. And it often happens that, when the moon is full and when the rain is a little agitated and light, it rises so high that the heat of the sun displaces it and wears it away, so that man can see the air pure, clear, and of beautiful color.
Also, know that the air which is above us is colder than that which is below. And if anyone says that it must be the other way round, since it is closer to the sun, to this we say that this can be and is in this way: it is certain that the thickest and densest thing is hotter than the thinnest when the sun or fire shines on it; and because the air which is below is thicker and thicker than that which is above; and therefore heat is felt more in that which is below than in that which is above. And all things which move are often hotter than those which are upright or still above, which is why Aristotle says that motion is the cause of heat.
And so it happens very often that the humidity, before it is thickened, falls into the cold air and freezes and falls on the frozen ground, and this is the snow; and so it happens and is thus that the very high mountains always have snow because of the great coldness there by reason of the great altitude. But when the sun turns in the summer near the cold air, if it misses some sealed vapors, it encloses them and hardens them and makes hailstones and very large stones and the sun throws them out by its great heat to the earth; and when they fall because of the thickness of the air, they break up and become smaller; and it often happens that before they fall to the ground they are destroyed.
Also, it happens that with the great thickness of the clouds the winds meet above the clouds and push each other violently. And from such a push a fire is born in the air. And this fire above the thickened vapors lights them and makes them burn. And this is what we call lightning, because with the strong push of the winds it speeds up the lightning and throws it out so strongly and so strongly that it splits and passes through the clouds and makes thunder; and it is dispersed from the air so strongly that nothing can protect it.
And you know for a fact that when it moves to come, it is wonderfully very large, but it is dispersed by the great force of the winds that is between the clouds. And therefore, many times two or three or more fall at once. And you must know that when it is born it is neither large nor very hard, but because the clouds are very thick and humid and loaded with water, the lightning is not able to pass through and its fire destroys the cloud. And when the winds fight with each other very strongly and with the great force, it makes them enter inside. And, since they are inside, that body moves them and makes them fight with each other. And, as the nature of the winds does not permit them to be enclosed, it breaks the clouds by force and then thunder is made, since it is the nature of things that can be wounded or pushed that often fire comes out. And when this strong push is from the clouds or from the winds, the breaking of the thunder makes fire of great clarity to be born. This is what we often see when lightning flashes. And thus for this reason it is proven why there are thunder and lightning.
And if anyone says that, according to these sayings, the thunder comes before the lightning, which we see on the contrary, to this we say that this is the truth, that the thunder comes before the lightning, so that first we see the clarity. And this is what sight does, because it works from farther away and, consequently, we see faster than we hear. And thus the doubt is raised.
Also, whenever it happens that some vapor is so strong against the air that everything is set alight by the heat that is there, and as soon as it is set alight, it descends to the earth in such a way that everything is consumed and consumed, and the more it is, the longer it lasts; and this is what appears as a running star. And some would say that it is a falling star, but that is not the case.
Also, you should know that four principal winds move from the air in the four directions of the world, which are called east, south, west and north. But you should know that air is genus and wind is species, which is less than air. And this reason is well understood by the logician, but let me explain it: because air is and means the element of air, but wind means something coming out of the air, just as less is more, because what is most common the logician says is genus , and what is least and most special he says is species.
And you must know that each of these winds has its nature and its function which it must follow. This is very well treated in the Marian letter or doctrine. And of these winds and of the clouds I will say no more, for it would be a very long scripture, but in order not to leave the reason unexplained, I will say something summarily. About which it is to be known that sometimes we find that a wind makes rain on one land and not on another. And this is according to the wind coming from the part of the sea which is closer to the land. And many wise men say that the east wind and the west wind are not very dangerous, because they are greater on the land than at sea; but the south and north are very dangerous, because they come from the cross. And from each of these two are born, which are twelve, according to this figure.
Fire is the fourth element, which is like air and of a fiery nature. It extends to the moon and near the other elements and separates the pure air, in which the seven planets are seated, for all are of a fiery nature. And this air of fire that is above the four elements is simple and without intermixture. And here the planets are seated in their circles, said to be interposed one within the other, just as the elements, one orb being ten times double the other, as they are each hovering over its circle, all having their center with the point of the earth in its roundness, which is in the middle of the earth and is called the abyss.
And thus they are all proportioned around the earth, so that they do not come closer to it on one side than on the other. Of these, the first is that of the moon, the second that of Mercury, the third that of Venus, the fourth that of the sun, the fifth that of Mars, the sixth that of Jupiter, the seventh that of Saturn, of which we will speak in detail in this fourth part of this book.
Here begins the fourth part of the book. Praised be God, we have now said the three parts of this summary treatise and now we will speak of each of the seven planets. And since the paths of the other planets are equalized by the sun, I will therefore begin with the sun.
Concerning this we must note four things principally. First, how many circles or passes there are in which the sun moves; second, what does this name sun mean; third, how it enters into each sign and how much is in its passage; fourth, in how much time it makes its course. And then I will speak of the moon and the dragon and of the eclipses of the sun and the moon and of their significations.
Concerning the first point, you should know that there are four circles in the sun, namely, orb, eccentric, epeticle, body of the planet. The first circle is the orb, around which the others revolve every day with the movement of the zodiacal orb. And this first circle has its center with the point of the earth, which does not come closer to it from one side than from the other. And it is seventy times larger than the earth. And here the other circles of the sun are established.
The second circle is the eccentric circle of the sun, in which the sun moves. And when it is high in the wheel it is summer and the days are longer. And it begins to rise from the beginning of Aries until the end of Gemini, entering the sign of Cancer. And as it goes down, so do the days until the end of Sagittarius, entering Capricorn, where the sun begins to rise in its wheel and makes night and day equal at the beginning of Aries, ending the sign of Capricorn, as has been said.
And those who say this declare that eccentric means a wheel that does not have its center with the earth. The third circle is the epiculus, in which the body of the sun moves and tilts. And this circle causes the sun to turn towards us. The fourth circle is the whole body of the planet, of which we give a figure here, according to this reason and statement.
About this figure you should know that the first circle where you see the signs is the starry sky. And the white circle where the other wheel is is the orb through which the sun passes every day. And the paper wheel is eccentric. And the round, where the body of the sun is, is the epicenter.
Others declare in another way. They say that the sun moves in its orbit, which they call the eccentric circle, and this because it does not leave the center of the roundness of the world. And it is known that the center is a point settled in the meatus of the wheel of the world or of the circle. And from this we have another figure from this part. And you must know that the greater circle is of the world and the circle of the lesser paper, which is above, is the eccentric circle of the sun. And the small wheel of red stripes shows the body of the sun how it always goes around inside the small circle, which they call the epiculus of the sun. Example: just as the head moves by its own movement in the body of an animal and the eye moves in the eye socket by another natural movement, so it is of the direction of the sun.
And therefore in its platform we have three rings or three circles, that is to say the circle of the world, which is the platform of the octagonal ring, which moves from east to west. The second ring or slope is the eccentric circle, which has no center with the center of the world, as it appears in this figure, because each point says its center, because just as there are three rings, so there are three centers shown in three points, of which two are two edges and the other is the meatat, where the cross of the greater ring is made. The third is the epiculus: it is the revolution of the small globe, the center of which makes its platform and movement upwards above the surface of the eccentric from west to east. Thus it is understood that the circle of the sun and its body in its circle form a double platform from west to east. And these three circles or platforms form a platform in the tables, agreeing and examining. And this is as for the first thing.
The second thing, according to its name, is why there is this word sun, which is the second member of the four. Concerning which you should know that this name sun has many expressions, and generally three, one according to the Greeks and the others according to the Latins. And concerning the first you should know that the Greeks call it solon , which means in our language as much as something common to all creatures, of which Ovid says in Faust , or festivals of the gods: "Four things are common, namely, birth and death, water, the sun and clarity." Also, the Latins say sol , which means as much as something that shines above all things. And this is the antonomasic reason. Also, they say sun, because only it shines. And these declarations suffice us. And this is as for the second.
About the third, you should know that on the first day of the century the sun began in the sign Aries, which is the first sign that we give to March; and this is fourteen days, so the sun lasts in each sign thirty days and ten and a half hours, which are thirty degrees. And for this to know well in all the months, according to the fact that the sun enters each sign for all the months, I put here this table to know the month and the day and the sign; and it begins in January. And you should know that there are four houses: the first has the days, the second the months, the third the degrees, the fourth the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Concerning the fourth, you should know that we can consider four platforms in the sun. The first is from east to west and this one is from the starry sky, which carries the sun and the other planets by force with it in a space of twenty-four hours. The second platform is the one that the sun makes in thirty days and ten and a half hours, which is in each sign, as we have said. The third is the one that it makes in a whole year, which is three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours, in which it passes through all the signs. And this platform brings the sun from west to east in its epicule.
But here someone may say that how can it be that the sun goes from east to west and that it follows another opposite path, which is from west to east? To this we say that just as the ant, placed on a great wheel which moves from east to west, goes from west to east on the same wheel, going against the motion of the wheel, so it is with the planets, that, although the eighth heaven brings with it all the planets by force of its motion, the sun and others move contrary to it.
And if anyone asks what caused the planets to take a course contrary to the starry heaven, we say that this was for two reasons: first, as Tholomeo says in the Almagesti, and Abumasar alleges in the Book of the Course of the Planets, it was because they tempered the great motion and lightness of the zodiacal heaven, for, if it were not for the planets, their course would be so hasty that it would confuse everything. And therefore they have taken a course contrary to each other. The other reason is musical, says Boethius, and Master Johannes alleges in the Micrologus of the same: " Comodo fieri potest quod et cetera." About which to say you must know that there are four kinds of music: one is instrumental, another artificial, another human, and another heavenly, of which the authority says in our language: "How could it be that such large bodies and of such rapid course could move without sound?" And, therefore, of their movement he says that very sweet symphonic harmonies are born and caused, which could not be if the signs and planets had a platform, because then everything would be one sound.
And therefore some planets have their movements later than others, in such a way that each one has its movement more or less, just as the points in the organ song are, some pass more quickly than others. And therefore, just as there are seven planets, so we can give in the organ song seven kinds of points, namely: maxima, longo, breve, minor or semibreve, minima, semiminima and minima of proportion or cursia. The maxim is compared to Saturn, because just as Saturn is later in its course than the other planets, so does the maxim in the song. And so with the others, more or less. And this is as for the third.
About the fourth, you must know that the sun is more beautiful and more worthy than the other planets, since all receive clarity from it. And, therefore, it is in the middle, since it has the three right and the three left, and it travels each day a little less than one degree of the zodiac, as we have said. Thus the sun travels in all the degrees three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours, as has been said. And for the six hours that are in each year, after four years there are twenty-four hours, which make a day; and, when that day occurs, the year has three hundred and sixty-six days. And we call it a leap year, which means as much as two days in a letter. And this letter is the fifth letter to travel in the month of February. And when the sun has made seven leap years, on each day of the week on its own, it has completed the course of the fourth circle, and that is in twenty-eight years, and then returns to the first point where it rose. And on this account Julius Caesar lived a great deal, according to Lucan.
Also, you should know that the heat of the sun is its movement from east to west. And you know that in all the lands of the world its due east until the sun rises and west until it sets, and this is wherever a person is throughout the earth. And, therefore, you should know that from the point in the sky that is right above our head where we are to our east it is ninety degrees and as many degrees to the west. And so in the other lands. So it is still day and night, almost if the sun is above us it is day to us and a luminary; and then it cannot shine from the other side. And when it shines there, it cannot shine here, because of the land that is between us and them, which does not let the light through from the other side, because our west is their east and their west is our east, because they are at our feet; and their day is our night and our day is their night.
And you must know that the course of the sun is near the point we call midday, which are the three houses of Aries, Taurus, Gemini, which are neither low nor high above our heads, nor do they make the middle of the sky, nor do they make the northern transmountain, but rather it is between both in the middle. And therefore, when the sun is there all things open and come to fruition.
And if anyone says what is the cause why, when the sun rises through these three signs, making things more fruitful than when at another time on the other side it makes the days and nights equal, we say that this causes generation and corruption. And it must be understood in this way: thus it is that when the days grow, the fever increases, which is said action, and when they wane, the coldness increases, which is said passion. And because action is generation, and passion corruption, therefore, the question is solved.
And you should know that this rule fails in three places: first, at the end of the burnt zone, where the earth cannot produce fruit because of the great heat that exists there and because the days and nights are never equal; second, it is lacking on the other side in the cold zone for the opposite reason; third, it is lacking in Arim , where the days and nights are always equal, and there the trees bear fruit twice. And so when it is summer for us, it is winter for Antipedes and on the contrary for us, because it is no wonder what Lucan says of those people who came to help Pompey, who were amazed because the sun cast a shadow on the left hand at noon when a man was facing where the sun rises. And no more of this micrology
Praised God, we will now speak of the moon, concerning which four things are worth noting: first, what circles it has or in what it moves or how; second, why it has this name more than another; third, how it enters each sign and how much it is there; fourth, how long it takes for it to make its course.
About the first, I say that the moon on its platform, since it has the circles like the sun agreed and examined in the Alphonsian Tables of the platform of the starry sky from east to west and of the platform of its eccentric and of its epicenter, but with this it is necessary to know that the dispositions of the platforms are reversed, for having said that the center of the eccentric of the sun is on the line of the eclipse above above the center of the world, and the eccentric center of the moon is on the same line separated from the center of the world. And this is the first diversity of the platform of the sun and of the moon. Also, they have another difference between them, that the eccentric circle of the sun has no other platform except the diurnal platform, which is the one that it always conquers moving from west to east, and the platform of the rough corner that takes it from east to west. And, although the epiculus of the sun has a platform in itself, but not reversed, the eccentric of the moon takes the moon from east to west in the space of a day about eleven degrees above the center of the orb of signs. And the center of the epiculus moves and takes the moon from west to east about thirteen degrees. And the center of the epiculus of the sun moves from west to east barely one degree in one day.
Also, they have another diversity, that the epicule of the sun passes once in the year all its eccentric, and the moon passes twice every month its eccentric. And the reason is that the moon passes once in the month by its own motion its eccentric, and another time by virtue of its eccentric. And to better understand these circles, let us put here a similar figure to that of the sun, as here.
The second, of the name of the moon. Concerning which you should know that the moon means both light born from the sun, and receives all its clarity from the sun. And see how: thus some say that the moon is all round and that one part of the body of the moon is light and the other part is dark. And as she runs around the world, she shows her lightness and her darkness, one time more and another time less, as she turns. But, as Abumasar and William and Alfragano and many other astrologers say, certainly she has no light in herself, but she shines and receives light from the sun, just as a sharp sword or crystal or other similar things. And thus the moon does not shine by itself in such a way that we can see its clarity, but when the sun sees it, it illuminates it and makes it shine in the way that appears to us.
And this may be shown thus: the moon is made new in the same sign where the sun is, and passes thirteen degrees every day; and we have already said that each sign has thirty degrees, so that the moon passes a sign in two days and a little less than a third. And when it comes into a sign like the sun, it shines in the same direction as the sun sees it, because it is separated from the sun, and for this reason we cannot see it until it rises from that sign and is slightly elongated from the sun. And as the sun sees it, it appears to us as a crescent with two horns; and as the sun lengthens, so it gradually turns to face the sun; and the more it stands in front of it and straightens, the more it grows until it comes to the seventh sign on the other side of the circle, directly facing the sun. And this is after fourteen days, for then the sun sees it straight and it appears all clear and round. And as it begins to lower itself from the other side, it then begins to lean towards the sun; and the closer it comes, the more it diminishes, contrary to the first, until it comes to the sign where the sun is and makes its connection with it as if it were first.
For which reason it is quite clear that the moon takes its light from the sun, and for this reason the Latins gave it this name. And, therefore, although there are others, they are all special, although I do not speak here properly, according to us logicians, but it is enough to understand the reason. And that is as for the second point.
Thirdly, how it enters into each sign and how much it is in the past. Concerning which you should know that the moon is new every month in the same sign where the sun is, and it travels every day thirteen degrees of the sign in which it is, so that it spends in each sign two days and eight hours a little more. And since the moon has two computations, one is astrological and the other ecclesiastical, the first is very subtle and speculative and the second crude and material, therefore, here in this member we will give evident doctrine by its tables in which month and on what day, at what hour and in what part of the hour it makes conjunction with the sun, according to the first computation. Also, in the fourth member of this chapter we will give a rule of the concurrent, and then we will give a table, according to the Church.
Regarding the first thing you should know that in this first table there are four lines, and furthermore you should know which letter of them is the first letter of the lunation for the years of Jesus Christ, according to what is written here in an almanac.
The uppermost letter of the new Martylogy of Master Pedro, you will look for among the names at the head of this small table a name similar to the years of our Lord; and those that are less than the years of our Lord, if you do not find the completed years, you will take the closest name or number less than the years of our Lord. And complete them and make them equal to the years of our Lord from the letters that are written separately, counting each letter for a year. And the letter in which the years of our Lord where you are end will be the letter of the primacy of the moon in that whole year. And, if you find the years of our Lord finished and completed, then will be the last letter of the line that is in front, it is convenient to know t , and this will be the letter of the primacy of the moon of that year. And in whatever line you find the letter of the primacy of the moon, you will find it in that line in your martyrology. And the name that you find written above that one shows you the hours at the primacy of the moon; and the point shows you the part of the hour. And if the point is high on the left side, this means that it is that part of the first hour. And if the point is high on the right side, this is in the second part. And if the point is low on the right side, it means that it is in the third part of that written hour. And if the point is low on the left side, it means that it is in the fourth part of that hour. And if there are two points and two pairs of letters and two pairs of names, it means all double. And so by this rule and table you can know the conjunction of the sun and the moon without any error and it should be detected with study.
And you will see that each line has nineteen letters, which make a course. And then it turns from end to end until four times, which is a leap year of the sun, almost in comparison. And this makes it sufficient for the first astrological computation and completion of the third member.
By extension of the fourth, we must know that in the moon we can consider four platforms: the first is the one that it makes in a space of twenty-four hours by virtue of the orb or zodiacal sky, always continuing day and night; the second course is the space that the moon is in each sign, as stated above; the third course or platform is that of the epiculus and lasts a lunation, which is twenty-eight days and eight hours and a third, in which space passes through all the twelve signs, just as the sun makes in a year. And therefore we have two years, it is convenient to know solar year and lunar year. The solar year is three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours, and the lunar year is when the moon has passed through the twelve signs twelve times. And this she does in three hundred and fifty-four days and nine hours a little less, which make eleven parts of thirty parts of a day, as we will say later. The fourth course or platform the moon makes in nineteen years.
And to understand this well we must note three things: first, the concurrent, how to know the state of the moon; second, the epithets and embolisms; third, knowing in which sign the moon is.
Concerning the first, you should note that anyone who wants to know how to taste the contestant must take the years of Jesus Christ and take ten out of every hundred, so that out of a thousand we take one hundred and out of the one hundred and ten and out of the four hundred and forty and ten out of the one hundred, which are fifty, and thirty-nine that are now running, which make eighty-nine.
But you must observe two rules: the first, that when the number does not reach one hundred, from which we can take ten, and is more than sixty, we take the extra and leave the sixty; so that, taking from eighty-nine sixty, there are twenty-nine left. The second rule is that for every number that goes up to thirty and does not reach sixty we must take out thirty and leave the others until they reach thirty. And then through the three joints that are in the thumb we must put in that number that is left over. But you must notice that in the first joint that makes the arm we say five, in the second fifteen, in the third twenty-five points. And thus having counted the whole sum, what remains of the years of Jesus Christ we must put in through the said joints of the same finger. And there where the account of the collected years ends, you must take into account which joint is the one that ends that surplus amount, and then you must take into account which amount is in the joint, as stated, and joined with the surplus and, if the amount does not exceed thirty, adding one, that will be the concurrent; and if there are more than thirty, we must leave the number of thirty and take the rest, adding one of the author. So that what remains with that one is that concurrent year beginning from the first day of March until the end of February.
And to better understand it, we will give an example of this year in which we are. Concerning which you should know that the years of our Lord Jesus Christ are one thousand four hundred and thirty-nine years. And, as has been said, out of a thousand we have one hundred and one hundred and ten and four hundred and forty, which are fifty, and thirty-nine are eighty-nine. And because the count is above sixty, we leave the sixty and twenty-nine remain. And these twenty-nine we must count by the joints of the finger beginning where it says five. And you will find that the twenty-nine end at the second joint, where it says fifteen. And so joining fifteen to nineteen they would be a total of forty-four. And since the count is more than thirty, we leave the thirty and take fourteen that remain, and with one that we add it is fifteen. And these fifteen will be concurrent this year. And thus we will be able to know by this way each year the concurrent of the moon without defect.
Also, we must obtain the hedat of the moon in this way: you take the competitor, and keep in mind what month you are in for how many days; and the days passed, join together with the competitor, adding everything up, and from each month we must add a day, counting from March to the month where we are or want to know. And if the number thus added up exceeds thirty, taking out thirty, what remains will be the days of the moon. And if the number does not exceed thirty, those are the days of the moon.
And we will give an example here so that it is better understood:
In regard to which it is to be noted that today, the first day of March, the participant is in fifteenths, and one of the months and another of the month, which are seventeen days of the moon. But since the conversation is an example of what a man wants to know, we have put it here as a figure, as it appears here.
Concerning the second point, what are epita and embolisms, you must know that, according to the rule of the Holy Church, the moon is said to be first when we can see it rising outside the first sign where it was with the sun, as we have said. And, therefore, the Church makes one moon of thirty days and the other of twenty-nine. And thus the year of the sun is eleven days longer than that of the moon. And for these eleven days less the embolism occurs, which means a year that increases moons.
And now hear how: thus it is that because of the eleven days in three years, which are thirty-three days, they make one moon and three days more, and so every three years another, until it completes seven embolisms for the seven days of the week; and this is done in eighteen years and nine months and sixteen days, according to the Arabs. But, according to the tale of holy Church, which wishes to correct all faults, they are nineteen years. And then it returns to the first point where it moved, so that each of these nineteen years is less than the year of the sun eleven days. And, therefore, it happens that where the moon this year is first, it will be another year eleven days before or behind in the calendar; and of the year of this same there are eleven days less.
And this is a tale which is called the Epata. Because the tale of the moon fails, you will hear about the first year of the century; that the Epatas began their course on the same day, that nothing of the year of the moon or of the sun settled in it. And for this reason some calculators say that in the first year of the above-mentioned the Epatas are none. And that year the new moon is on the ninth day, since it is in March, just as it was at the beginning; and then the first Epatas are nine, because so much does the moon grow there where it was first. And in the second year, twelve days; and in the third year the stages are twenty-two; and in the fourth year they amount to thirty-three. But, because there is embolism, which is a moon, you must remove the thirty days, because all the moons of embolism have thirty days, and you must keep what is left, which are three days, and these are the stage of the fourth year.
And so you must keep the rules, that you must gather eleven days each year and, as the number increases by thirty, you must take the three and put them on those that are on it. And so you must do until nineteen years in the legs, and they are eighteen. And when they are finished, they are one day, as has been said, and they are called leaps of the moon. And then you must take that day and the eleven that were on it, which are twelve, and put them on fifteen and three, which are thirty. And this is a lunar embolism and must be placed in the year of nineteen and so that it does not end on a day so that the legs are not waned as before.
And it is known that the epita always change in September, but their date is ten days after March, because on that day when the moon does not appear the Church does not take it into account, just as we have said above. And its days were shown that that year the epita are none. And in that second year when the moon has eleven days on that day it shows that the epita are eleven, and so it is and will be forever; while the moon has the ages of that day, then they will be the epita of that year. And you know that in that first year of the century the moon began to have ten and a half days in March, and in the month of April it had eleven, and in May it had twelve, and in June it had thirteen, in July it had fourteen, in August it had fifteen, in September it had five, in October it had six, in November it had seven, in December it had eight, in January it had nine, in February it had ten. And all these began in the same month.
And this tale is called by some concurrent. And in this we must always have the first year when the epita are none. And from the first year onwards you must join the epita of that year with the concurrent of the month you wish and so much will the moon be on the first day of that month, taking into account that, if that tale comes out more than thirty, you must draw thirty and keep what remains. And you must keep in the nineteenth year from the leap of the moon, which is added to the day it grows of all nineteen years, as you heard above. And from this comes the error in the month of June, that there where the moon must be judged to have thirty days, according to the epita, it is the first moon. And thus it is convenient for us to keep the eighth year and the eleventh, because the reason for the epita is that a moon dies because of the embolism.
And whoever wishes to know in what year the tale of the sun is, let him take from twenty-eight years the years of our Lord Jesus Christ; and from that whole sum subtract twenty-eight by twenty-eight until the end. And what is established will be the tale.
Also, whoever wishes to know in which year of the moon the tale of nineteen, which is a golden number, runs, let him take the years of the Lord and divide them nineteen by nineteen. And what remains is what he demands. And this is as to the second point.
About the third, to know in which sign the moon is, you must do it in this way: know that the moon in each month is new in the sign in which the sun is. And, once you know in which sign it entered, give to each sign two days and eight hours and a little more; and then you can bring the story starting from Aries or phase Aries. So as if the moon were new in Aries, which is in the month of March, and were ten days old, we would give of these ten days to each sign two days and eight hours and a little more, we would conclude that it was in the sign of Cancer at seventeen hours a little more or less than nine degrees. Or if the moon were new in Cancer or had been there for fifteen days, we would conclude that it was in the sign of Sagittarius about a third of Capricorn.
Also, you should count the signs in this way, namely Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. In such a way that Aries is always the beginning and Pisces the end of the signs.
Also, whoever wishes to know the same reason according to the count of the Holy Church, must first know in what sign the moon has entered, and then give to each sign two and a half days to each sign, and then he will know in what sign it is. Just as if the moon were now entering Libra and were staying twenty days, giving two and a half days to each sign, counting as has been said, we will conclude that the moon is in the sign Taurus. But since this count can be better seen by a table, therefore let us put the figure here, having finished this chapter of the moon.
And this is as for the third of the third member of this chapter.
The fourth thing I said is how long it takes to make its course. Concerning this you should note well all that has been said, which we have already stated in the reasons above, but it is here necessary to put a canon or declaration of this table which is on this other side. Concerning this you should know how many days the moon has been since its proper conjunction; and enter with so many days in the count of the first line, and keep in mind what month you are in and descend along the right line until you are in the right count of the day in which you will determine the count of the moon and the sign that it studies in that house in the right of the month in which you are; and that will be the sign in which the moon is. And furthermore you should note that there are twelve houses in each line and in each house is its sign and in each line its month, as it appears from this table. This table on this other side is from the moon.
You should know that the eccentric of the moon deviates in two places from the eccentric of the sun, that is, in the part that is midday and in the part of the north, as it appears in this figure.
In which the red shows the centric of the sun and the green shows the centric of the moon. And the interweaving that the two centrics make are called the head and tail of the dragon. Thus the interweaving that begins in the east and at noon passes against the west and carries the path of the firmament and not the path of the planets, and is called the head of the dragon. And the interweaving that begins in the west and passes through the north against the east is called the tail of the dragon. And this head and tail of the dragon always move from east to west about two minutes a day.
And it is known that these two interweavings which we call the head and tail of the dragon carry with them a circle, which is called a concentric circle, equal in size to the eccentric circle of the moon. And we can call it an orb or declining orbit, because it declines and has a platform opposite to the orbs of the planets. Also, it is known that this interweaving forms like two half-moons, and each of these they called a dragon; and that of the sun they called a masculine dragon, and that of the moon a feminine dragon. And this is said because action and passion, generation and corruption, masculinity and femininity, day and night had division in the zodiac.
And therefore some say that these dragons make the galaxy of the sky. And one dragon has the six signs and the other dragon has the other six signs. Also, you should know that the tail of the sun dragon twists the mouth of the moon dragon; and the tail of the moon dragon twists against the mouth of the head of the sun dragon.
And, therefore, we put here the chapter of the eclipse of the sun and the moon and then we will talk about their meanings.
Now you must know that in the figure of the globe there is always a line made of two lines, a cross and a line coming across it. It is called equinoctial, because when the sun enters the month of September at the beginning of Aries in March and the sign of Libra in its first degree, then all hours are equal, and the day lasts twelve hours and the night twelve hours. The other line which comes along is called the eclipse, because an eclipse cannot be made except when the sun and the moon happen to be on this line which runs along the figure of the globe.
And from this we inform you that if in any sign the sun should be in direct contact with the dragon's head of the moon and with the moon in ten degrees, or ten degrees to this side, that will be the eclipse of the sun. And whenever this occurs, it will be when the moon is thirty days old or when the moon begins to be thirty days old. I say this because there is no moon of thirty days, as we have explained above. For then the moon placed in front of us will take away the light of the sun. And you must know that this does not happen every month, but whenever it does it will be when the moon takes the sun ten degrees to this side of the sign in which the sun is if the sun is in the ecclesiastical line, as we have said.
Also, we give an idea of the eclipse of the moon in this figure that we put here on the said line that goes along, because whenever the moon is in any sign with the sun and the tail of the dragon is ten degrees from them, it will be an eclipse of the moon, because in this case the sun is separated from the earth and the moon is above in that same line. And this cannot be excepted when the moon is fifteen days old or less. And I say that this does not happen every fifteen days of the moon, but when there is an eclipse of the moon the moon will be fifteen days old and will be above the earth and the sun below it, and so the earth is placed between the sun and the moon, preventing it from seeing the sun and obscuring it until it rises behind the earth.
Also, you should know that between one eclipse and another there must be six lunar months, or at least five, but not in all climates, as Alfragano says in the Book of Eclipses and Messealat, another who says so, and other astrologers.
Significance. Also, you should know that if the eclipse of the moon happens to be in cold signs, it means great coldness; and if it happens to be in water signs, it means abundance of waters, if it happens to be winter, and if it happens to be summer, temperate air, according to what Alfragano and other wise astrologers say.
Also, when an eclipse of the sun occurs in the signs of fire, it means dryness and great starvation of the earth. And if it occurs in the signs of water, it means great abundance of waters and the detriment of many things. And if it occurs in the other signs, it will have the middle of these two things. The reason and proof of which was demonstrated in this year of thirty-eight, that there was an eclipse of the sun in the sign of Libra. And why this reason is obscure, because I have not yet spoken of them, but it will be said of the condition of the signs.
Having said that eclipses are caused, we will now talk about the path of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, since these three move above the sun, as it appears in the shape of all the globes.
You should know that there are two separate movements or platforms: the first we call the rough octave, which is the starry sky; and this one always moves against the sky above from east to west. The second platform we call nighttime; and this one always moves against the earth straight from west to east. And this is the first thing you should know in this chapter.
Secondly, you should know that the night platform is called motus defferens, a movement that carries the planets from west to east. This is why this movement that carries and brings the planets in this way makes the epicules of the planets move around from west to east, like the wheel of a mill.
Also, the first platform of the rough corner is called the equalizing platform or movement, because it equalizes or arranges the platforms to natural concordance, and because the work is equalized high in the heavens and its effects here dispersed on earth.
Also, you should know that each of these three planets has two eccentrics, which are two flat circles on the surface of each of the planets. And one of these circles is called eccentric defferens, which means circle or slope that carries the planet from west to east. Reason because through this circle moves the epiculus, which carries the planet from west to east. And the other circle is an eccentric equalizer of the platforms, and is called circulus equans motum . Reason because above the center of this eccentric equalizer of the platforms also moves the center of the epiculus and for equal times makes equal platforms.
And you must know that these eccentric masters are equal in size, because they rise and move equally, but the one whose center is closer to the center of the earth is called the circle that brings the planet with it. And the other is called the equalizing circle, because its center is farther from the earth.
About which you should know that each of these has on its surface two eccentrics equal in size, except that the equalizing eccentric which carries the planet from east to west is closer to the earth. And the planet's own eccentric, which carries the planet and its epicenter from west to east, is closer to the earth, as appears from this figure.
But you must know that of these two eccentrics, one is the bearer of the west against the east. This one alone is movable and has its own movement, but the equalizing eccentric has no movement or platform by itself, but it has the zodiacal platform that carries the planets with it. Therefore, when it carries them from the east against the west, it is not by itself, but rather it moves them and carries them by virtue of the rough octave.
Also, you should know that the epiculus of Mercury moves along the circumference of its eccentric, which circumference is called a circumference, from west to east, just as the sun moves and revolves against the axis of the firmament. And therefore, just as the moon passes the circumference and circle of its eccentric twice every month, so Mercury passes the circumference of its eccentric twice in the year: once by its own motion, the other time by the motion of its equalizing eccentric axis.
And this we must understand in this way, since Mercury passes twice in the year, but does not pass the axis except once. For this reason, when its epiculus has passed the meatus of the cercus, then the eccentric turns it backwards throughout the said meatus, and from there it straightens its course and passes the other meatus, and then it turns it backwards, and from there it straightens its course and passes it again, etc.
And so, understand the moon, that every month it passes twice, etc.
Furthermore, the platform of Venus is as high as the platform of the Sun, as is said of Mercury. But you must know that the eccentrics of Venus are ordered by figure just as the eccentrics of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars are, as appears by example in the figure above.
And because, as we have made clear in the figures of the planets, their eccentrics are seated in various ways, some have taken care that the doctrine of all would be reversed. But since all the planets follow the path in their order through the twelve signs, beginning with Aries, Taurus, etc., the above figures being understood, let us put here the differences of the paths of each of the planets and of all in common, because you must know many things about each of the planets, it is convenient to know:
1 o . First, true log of the planet.
2nd . The second , medium and true platform of the planet.
3 or . Third, the middle axis of the planet.
4 or . The fourth thing, true axis of the planet.
5th . Fifth , equalization of the center of the planet.
6th . The sixth , average argument of the planet.
7th . The seventh , true argument of the planet.
VIII or . The eighth, when the axes of the planets are one.
IX or . The ninth, when the half movement is greater than the true one.
X o . The tenth, when the platform is the same.
XI or . The eleventh, when they are equalizations of the major or minor platforms.
XII or . The twelfth, diameter of longest, medium, small length.
XIII or . The third, from the center of the world and the center of the eccentrics and the epiculus.
XIIII or . The quattorzen, retrograde, direction, station of the planets.
XV or . The fifteenth, older and younger years diminished.
XVI or . You say it, late, light and diminished.
XVII or . The seventeenth, augmented by the tale of the planets.
XVIII o . The said, latitude and declination in the planets.
XIX or . The ninth, observance of the planets.
XX or . The twenties, how the axes move and many other things.
And now let us put this figure of all this.
I o . About the first, you should know that the true place of the body of the planet is understood to come out through a right line from the eccentric center carrier and end on the face of the epiculus, as the impeller does on the face of the wheel.
II o . Also, you should know the second thing, that the middle platform of the planet is the arc of the circle of the zodiac, which begins in the first degree of the sign of Aries and ends in the last degree of the twelfth sign, which is Pisces. Thus the line and dash that comes out of the center of the earth and divides between the signs of Aries and Pisces gives the beginning and the end of the arc of the middle platform of the planets.
III o . Also, thirdly, you should know that the true direction of the planets is on the face of their epiculus, just as the wheel moves on the face of the mill wheel.
IV o . Also, the fourth thing you should know is that the middle axis is called the equal separations from the centric of the carrier planet, where the middle platform is written .
V o . Also, fifthly, you must want that the true axis is called the greatest distance from the planet in its eccentric. So wherever you see that the planet is closest to the earth, now above the earth, now diffused, that is called the opposition and contrary of the axis. And wherever you see that it is at its greatest distance from the earth, it is called the true axis. And this is an axis like a small arc that falls between the middle axis and the true axis.
VI. Also, you must note the sixth, that the equalization of the center of the planet is the fourth part of the entire circumference and eccentricity of the planet, because the entire arc of the zodiac made four quarters each one makes its small arc. And from there we know the equalization of the center of the planet. And, therefore, we say that the equalization of the center of the planet is a small arc, which is between the mean axis and the true axis, considering the eccentricity of the planet. And, therefore, we say that in the squares and lines, of which the nodes are, there is no equalization of the center of the planet. Reason why then the true axis and the mean axis are in a line.
VII. Also, the seventh thing you should know is that the mean angle of the planet is the arc of the epithet that falls between the median axis and the center of the planet, considered according to the movement and direction of the planet in the epithet of the planet.
VIII. Also, you should know that the true argument of the planet is an arc that falls between the true axis and the center of the planet.
IX. Also, ninthly, you should know that the axes are one in the knots and in the lines of the blocks.
X. Also, tenthly, you should know that the equalization of the argument of the moon is said to be the arch of the zodiac that falls between the median platform and the true platform. And you should know that, being the center of the epiculus in its axis or in its opposite of the axis, there is no equalization whatsoever.
XI. Furthermore, the eleventh thing you should know is that three lengths are to be considered in the eccentricity of each planet against the earth. It is namely greater length, and this is the part of the axis; e medium length, this is the middle part of the axis; The shorter length is the opposite part of the axis.
XII. Also, you should know the twelfth that the mean platform is greater than the true platform whenever the planet is at the median length, but the true platform is therefore greater than the median platform when the planet in its epididym is and is at the greater or lesser length 00.
XIII. Also, you should know, as is the tenth tertius, that the equalization of the argument is greater when the center of the epiculus is at the opposite of the axis and greater than in any other place. And then the equalizations of the argument are less when the center of the epiculus is between the right axis. Also, when the center of the epiculus is between the right axis and its opposite, then they are median equalizations. And from this we have three axes and three lengths. And, therefore, true axis and greater length, mean axis and median length, opposite axis and lesser length have a meaning. And these are three diameters, which are three measures.
XIIII. Also, the fourteenth, you must know that the eccentric circle is said to be a circle which is separated from the rough octave and has its center in the eclipsatic line, higher or lower than the center of the world. And you must know that that part of such a circle which is furthest from the world is called the true axis, and has a greater length and diameter and greater measure. And the part of such a circle which is closest to the earth is called the opposite axis, and has a shorter length and diameter and smaller measure. And the parts of this circle which fall between the greater and lesser length are called the median axis, the median length, and the median diameter.
XV. Also, the fifth thing that must be known is that the course of each of the planets is from west to east, always equally. Also, the world rolls from east to west equally. Therefore, in the orb of the signs the planets do not travel on an equal course, but rather they travel on an unequal course from east to west. And this is the reason why some signs rise more lightly than others.
XVI. Also, you should know what is said, that as soon as the center of the epicule of each of the planets, when it is on the axis, the planet moves against the east.
XVII Also, you must know that the planet is called of right platform whenever its platform is helped by the platform of its epiculus, because then the movement of the body of the planet always goes in the rotation of its epiculus contrary to the platform of the firmament; that is, when the movement of the body of the planet in the circumference and in the rotation of its epiculus is towards the east. And from this we conclude that the eccentric moves against the west contrary to the platform of the firmament. And this platform of the centric and the epicenter is against the west, because the planet in its body and in its center of its body is surrounded by its face against the east, as we see in the pebble and the wheel of the millstone, because since the pebble moves to the east, therefore the wheel and the wheel move against the west 00.
IIXX. Also, as we have said, you should know that the planet is called a retrograde planet, which means a planet that turns backwards whenever its planet is not helped by its epiculus. But before, its planet has the planet's planet facing the west, because the eccentric and the epiculus are carried by the planet's planet facing the east. Because the eccentric, or rather, the body of the planet, in its orbit turns its face toward the west. Just as if the millstone were to move toward the east, the millstone and the wheel would move toward the east.
And here we draw two conclusions: the first conclusion is that, when the planet is facing upright, its eccentric and its epiculus always move against the west, since the planet in its body and at the center of its body turns and moves against the east. The second conclusion is that, when the planet is facing backwards, its eccentric and its epiculus always move against the east, since the planet in the center of its body moves and moves against the west.
XIX. Also, the nineteenth you must know that the planet makes the first station at the point and moment of the epicenter of the planet leaving its platform, which is from east to west, and taking the platform of the rough corner, which is from east to west. And the planet makes the second station at the point where the epicenter of the planet leaves the platform of the rough corner and takes its own and right platform.
But you should know that the first station when it begins to retrograde is an arc considered according to the plane of the planet in the epiculus, when it comes between the true axis of the epiculus and the point of the first station. And the second station is an arc of the epiculus, falling between the true axis and the point of the second station. And this arc is diminished according to the center of the epiculus to the center of the earth, because it seems so that the points of the stations change.
Also, you should know that if you remove the arch of the first station, the arch of the retrograde remains from the second station; and if you remove the first station, the arch of the second station remains from the entire arch, because the arch / a b c \ is as large as the arch / a b c \.
XX. Also, you must know the twenty-one that the half-motion of each of the seven planets in the past time, which is not written in the table, you must take thus: take the root in annis colectis -root, that is to say, the count of the years that you will find written in each table at the head-; then return the tale in annis expandis , or half-course of the years in between, which we call those between the one year of the collected years and the year of which you ask and would like to know. From there, take this said tale or half-course of the root, if you can, and, if not, add a revolution of twelve signs and know that the remainder that remains is the half-motion or half-course of any planet of which you asked.
XXI. Also, you must know the twenty-one, that half opposition or half contradiction is called according to the half platforms; and true opposition and contradiction is called according to the true platforms; and visible opposition is according to the visible platforms. And we know such oppositions in the tables by degrees, minutes and seconds.
XXII. Also, you should know that twenty-two collected years are called years of the year, after which the counts of the almanacs are taken. Also, extended years are called years of the year, which make a revolution and always return to themselves by themselves. Also, greater years are called those of the greater planets, that is to say, the years of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the dragon.
Also, we call minor years those in which minor circles or minor degrees pass, such as the sun, Venus, Mercury and the moon.
Platforms. And to better understand this you must know that Saturn completes its platform in thirty years and passes through all twelve signs of the zodiac in three hundred and seventy-eight days and eighteen hours; and is in each sign for thirty-one days and thirteen and a half hours.
Jupiter's platform. Jupiter completes his entire platform in twelve years, four days and eight hours; he passes through the twelve signs in three hundred and ninety-nine days and eight hours; he passes through the twelve signs in three hundred and ninety-nine days and twenty-six hours; and he is in each sign for thirty-three days and six and a half hours.
Mars. Mars completes its course in fourteen years, eleven months and eleven days, and then returns to that same point. It passes through the twelve signs in two years, one month and twenty days; it is in each sign for sixty days and one hour.
Platform of the Sun. The Sun completes its course in twenty-eight years and passes through the twelve signs in three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours. It is in each sign for thirty days and ten and a half hours.
Venus. Venus completes her course in seven years, eleven months, seven days and fourteen hours. She passes through the twelve signs in nineteen months and nine days. And she is in each sign for forty-four and twenty-two and a half hours more.
Mercury's platform. Mercury completes its platform in nineteen years and eleven months and twenty-five days and nine hours. It passes through the twelve signs in three months and twenty-four days and twelve hours. It is in each sign for nine and a half days and 13 hours.
The moon completes its course in nineteen years and passes through the twelve signs in a little more than twenty-eight days, remaining in each sign for two days and about nine hours.
And so, here we see the lightness or slowness of the planets, which no one can understand without study and knowing how to count well.
XXIII. Also, the twenty-three should know that their planets are called late or of small stage when they are retrograde; they are called light when they are straight, in their stage veloçes, id est, aucti cursu , "increased in their stage or course."
XXIV. Also, the twenty-four should know that aucti numero are called, "increased in account", whenever the account of the elongation or equalization is added to them, better said, above the middle platform. Minuti numero we call, "decreased in account", when the account of the equalization is not added to the platform of the middle course.
XXV. Also, the twenty-five must know that the planets are called aucti lumine, "increased in light or by light," when the sun moves away from the planets or the planets from the sun; minuti lumine, "diminished by light," when they approach the sun and against it.
26. Also, the twenty-six must know the nature and properties of the planets and their works and of the signs. And you know for certain that they are determined under such condition that it is always the date of intersection and beginning of the sun, because it is the noblest of the planets, and of Aries, which is the noblest of the signs, and of midday, because it is the noblest part of the day, and of the zibbat of Arin, which is between both poles or stars of the north, at the point of the middle of the world. And from this come the true equalizations.
XXVII. Also, you must know that the latitude , "slop", of the planet is the turning and departure that it makes from the path and route of the sun. The declination of the planet is said to be the turning and departure of the planet that it makes by turning away from the equinox line. And, therefore, the sun does not and does not have any lap.
XXVIII. Also, the twenty-eighth must know that in the sun we take declination only by the distance and departure from the center of the sun and from the first interweaving, which interweaving makes the circle of the sun with the equinox, namely, from the beginning of Aries.
29. Also, the twenty-nine must know that we take the side of the moon by the distance from the center of the body of the moon and from the first gap and cut that the circle of the moon makes with the circle of the sun, from the head of the dragon. And, thus, we take the declination of the degrees of the orb of the signs in which the moon is. And at that time we take the side of the moon from the orb of the signs, that is, from the path of the sun. And if the side and declination are northerly or southerly, we add them both to two and the declination of the moon comes out when it declines from the equinox line. But if they are divided, that is to say, that the slope is northern and the declination southern or on the contrary, then we take the lesser from the greater.
XXX. Also, you should know that in this way you can determine the declination and the rightness of the other planets, except that you should know that, since the moon does not have these accidents, retrograde and station, like the other planets, since it has an epiculus, since its epiculus moves faster than the body of the moon.
Also, inasmuch as the eccentric of the moon is always removed from the path of the sun in one way and the other planets are not. Also, inasmuch as the epiculus of the moon is on the upper surface of the eccentric, and is of a light slope in the upper part of its circle and is of a late slope in the right part of its circle, and the epiculus of the other planets is on the right surface of its circle, and are of a late slope in the upper part of the circle and of a light slope in the right part of their circles.
For this reason it is said that the moon has only one tilt, but the others have two tilts, that is to say, one in which their epicenter deviates from the centric of the sun, another in which the centric of the planets deviates from the path of the sun, and wherever they are tilted, one must be deduced from the other.
And you should also know that the first side is to be taken from the path of the sun and the second side from the limb of the zodiac. And, therefore, if the count of two degrees comes out of the path of the sun and the second side from the limb of the zodiac, therefore, if the count of two degrees comes out of the path of the sun, four degrees will come out of the count of the limb.
And since the path of the sun is six degrees to the north and another six degrees to the noon, therefore, since we sometimes fail to be more than six degrees in the right, it is said that Mercury leaves the path of the sun. The reason why is because the center of the epiculus is at the nodes there is no rightness, because then the epiculus is at the eccentric and the center of the epiculus is in the path of the sun directly without deviation.
Also, know that the argument of the straightness is in one way failed in Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Luna, and in another way in Venus and Mercury, because the head and tail of the four are not movable, and the head and tail of Venus and Mercury are movable. Thus the head of Venus and Mercury is always separated from the head and tail of Saturn, and thus, as much as the true place of the head of the dragon of the sun is separated from the place that is made of the mean motion of the sun.
The true places of the heads must be counted from Aries according to the correct order of the signs. And, therefore, by their argument the half-course of the sun is equalized. For when you want to find the true course of the dragon's head, take the half-course, which is the course of the twelve signs.
Most praised God, we will now speak of the zodiacal heaven and many other things which will follow later. Concerning which you should know that the movement of the starry heaven is a vital soul or a life common to all creatures that are in nature, for just as the soul is the life of the body, because it influences and gives movement to the human body, so the starry heaven influences and gives movement to all natural things, so that they walk and move each according to its nature. For just as the soul ceased to move the body, so it would be if the movement of the starry heaven ceased: then the life of creatures would cease. All this the Philosopher says in the eighth of the Physics : « Motus çeli est etc. ».
From this we conclude that we receive an influence from the starry sky. I say necessary influence as regards our complexions and non-necessary as regards our habits and conditions. The first is essential and the other accidental, inasmuch as the necessary influence descends from the virtue and movement of the starry sky as regards the generation of complexions.
Also, you should know that the twelve signs are fixed in the starry sky and, according to wise astrologers, there are ten thousand stars in this sky that can be known. And this reason is dealt with very well in the Almagesti .
Also, you should know that Azahel Amembriz of Israel says that there are twelve signs, of which six are masculine and six are feminine. The masculine are signs of the day and the feminine are of the night. And to know them, start from Aries, which is first masculine, and the second is Taurus and feminine, and the third masculine, the fourth feminine, and so on up to the end.
And he says moreover, that of these signs the meatat rises straight and the other meatat rises tortuously. The signs that rise straight are from the beginning of Cancer to the end of Sagittarius. And they are said to rise straight because they are greater in width than in length and each one rises in more than two equal hours. And, therefore, they are called direct ascension. Also, those that rise crookedly are so called because their length or width is less than their length and each one rises in less than two equal hours. And for this reason they are called tortuously ascending.
Also, you should know that these signs are movable: Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. They are said to be movable because when the sun enters their beginning, time changes to the substance of the time that follows. And from this reason arises what we usually say: that when one month ends, the other resembles the other. Four others are fixed: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. They are said to be fixed because when the sun enters them, time is still and does not change its being. For, if it is hot, it remains hot; and if it is cold, it remains cold; or otherwise.
Also, the other four are common, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces. And they are said to be common because, when the sun comes to fifteen degrees of each one, the weather is mixed and the first meatat is hot and the other cold, or vice versa. And in order to know without forgetting which are one or which are the other, they are made into four parts, as it appears in the figure. And the first of each square are movable and the second fixed and the third common.
Also, you should know that of these signs, Aries, Taurus, Leo, Capricorn and Sagittarius are quadrupedal. Furthermore, these signs have four triplicities: the first is Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, and these signs are fire; The second triplicity is Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, and they are earthly; and the third is of air, and they are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius; The fourth is made of water, and they are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisçis.
Also, some of these signs are dark: Libra and Capricorn. And there is in the signs a burnt place, which is at the end of Libra and at the beginning of Scorpio.
Also, some have a half voice, like Virgo, Capricorn and Aquarius. And others have a full voice, like Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius. And others have no voice, like Cancer, Scorpius and Pisces.
There are also some who are average or common in the filial generation, that is to say, they are not entirely generative nor entirely clever, such as Taurus, Gemini and Aquarius. And there are others who are very generative, such as Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. And others clever, such as Aries, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, Capricorn.
Others mean mountains and rough places, such as Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Capricorn. Others mean populated places and plains, villages and farms, such as Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Others mean sandy places, such as Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, which are very effective in the sun. Still others mean humid and watery places, such as Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.
Also, you should note that the fire signs mean fire and everything that belongs to fire or that is made with fire and they mean nobles. And the earth signs mean earth and all things that are made on earth. And the aerial signs mean men and winds and all things that rise from the earth. And the water signs mean water and all things that belong to it. And the generative signs mean fixed and the gathering of people.
And those of the first triplicate are hot and dry. Of the humors they have dominion in the reddish anger; and of the parts of the world they have the east. And the planets that rule these signs during the day are the sun and at night are Jupiter, and during the day and at night are Saturn.
And the second is cold and dry, and has black anger. It has the parts of the world at midday. Its lords are its planets Venus by day and the moon by night, and Mars by day and by night.
The third triplicity is hot and humid. And of the humors, blood; it is in the west; and its lords are Saturn by day and Mercury by night, and Jupiter by day and night.
The fourth is cold and humid. It has phlegm, and the north. Its lords are Venus by day and Mars by night, and the moon by day and by night. All this is said by Amembriz in the book De curso planetarum and there, where it is repeated, in the treatise on the twelve houses De iudiciis.
From these reasons we can therefore understand two things: first, that the signs were properly named according to their nature, and could not be otherwise; second, that our complexions and works of nature all come from the twelve signs and seven planets incidentally, but life comes to us or we have from their movement. And therefore, just as God created all things suddenly, so He can change them if He commanded the zodiacal heaven to remain for only a moment. And therefore, blessed is He who supports so much sin and we do not know it.
Also, you should know that this heaven in making its platform is twenty-four hours, as we have said. And then it returns to the first point where it moved and thus it still does and must do, as it appears in the above-mentioned figure. Also, you should know that the entire diameter and measure of the circle where we are to know the hours and the elevations and portions and ascendants and the true platforms of the planets and their risings and setting and diameter is measured, as Ptolemy put it in the book Almagesti, of three hundred minutes. The reason why in the astrolabe there are not more than three hundred and sixty degrees is because for three hundred and sixty and five days that would have its completion in integers, the three hundred minutes were determined, which make the completion of the three hundred and sixty and five integers. And because in its perfection and counting of the platform of the perfect year there are 365 days and six hours, which is a quarter of a day, sixty minutes of declination were determined, which are a portion or whole part of a degree in the zodiac, because every four years the year comes to be 366 days. And thus, they make and end the circle by three hundred and sixty whole degrees of the astrolabe and by three hundred minutes, which make five degrees, and by sixty minutes of declination, which make one degree. Sum and agreement that we have three hundred and sixty-six whole days three hundred and sixty-six degrees of the diameter and measurement of the circle tested and examined.
And if anyone says that there are no more than 365 days and six hours in the true year, we say well that there are no more than three hundred and sixty degrees cut on the astrolabe and three hundred minutes interposed and mixed in the diameter and measurement of the circle, which make five degrees in all, and from the declination we interpose a quarter of a degree, which is fifteen minutes. And thus we make a living concordance to 365 days and six hours of three hundred and sixty and five degrees and fifteen minutes, praised God.
Also, in order to know the hours, both on the astrolabe and on the quadrant, you must note that this is done by observing a quarter, so that we divide the astrolabe into four quarters. And since the astrolabe has in its division only 360 sensible degrees, which we can visibly see and show to those who want to hear us; also, I say that in the astrolabe there are another five degrees and fifteen intellectual minutes, because by understanding we must understand them for the reason above. And, therefore, it remains that in the quarter of the astrolabe or in the quadrant we must consider ninety sensible degrees and five degrees and fifteen intellectual minutes. And this is the entire diameter and measurement of the quadrant.
But someone may say here that these five degrees and fifteen intellectual minutes belong to the whole orbit and the whole diameter and measure of the heavens and the body of the astrolabe, for to the circle all and thus to the quadrant a quarter of these must be given and not all. To this we say that the sun, in only a quarter of the natural day, that is to say, from the hour it rises to noon, teaches us an account of its course which it makes in the whole day, because, since we know how many degrees the sun rises to noon and how many hours the sun passes to noon, then by understanding we consider and judge how many hours are passed and how many are yet to pass. And since all the diminutions of the parts and of the ends and extremities are with greater reason drunk and taken in their means, therefore, these five degrees and fifteen intellectual minutes are better taken and shared in the ascendant of the sun until noon. But in return for this we say that in the non-equal hours, always giving twelve hours to the day and twelve to the night, the artist could well make a distribution to each square of the fourth part of the five degrees and of the fifteen minutes. But for the judgment of the equal hours, as in the time that there is in the day fourteen hours, sixteen or eighteen, and in the night ten, eight, six is not convenient. Also, since not all the five degrees are drunk, but that which is convenient, as we have said.
Also, since at every hour of the day you can know when and how and how many minutes of the three hundred of the diameter you can add above the degrees of the quadrant or the astrolabe, we make it known to you that by sensual or intellectual lines you can cut and divide the fourth part of the sky in the astrolabe and in the quadrant in reverse and all in one way, as appears best from this figure.
In which the red lines that divide the quadrant into six parts appear, and each part contains fifteen degrees. Know that each of these parts is called a kardaga, because a kardaga, both in the sky and in the world and in the astrolabe and in the quadrant, is a part that contains fifteen degrees in itself. Also, you should know that in the astrolabe to the right, because to the right the sun rises, and the dalida, which is that instrument through the holes of which the sun passes and cuts the degrees on the face of the astrolabe. But in the quadrant the opposite, as shown by the tail of the dalida in the astrolabe on the right side, but both in the astrolabe and in the quadrant everything is one way.
Reason why: You must know how the sun rises by its degrees, dividing the sky and its roundness from a quarter into six parts, as the green lines on the astrolabe show you, I mean on the back of the astrolabe. And to the first part or space and straightness of the first part you will give thirty-nine minutes; to the second, thirty-six; to the third, thirty-one; to the fourth, twenty-four; to the fifth, fifteen minutes; to the sixth, five-five minutes. And you know that the astrologers called these six divided and sliced parts the sinuses of the kardagas, as opposed to the sinuses of the four squares of the sky. Because each sinus of each square of the sky has ninety degrees. And each of these sines is called an equal sine, because there will not be more than three signs in any sine of the sky that is an equal sine.
Also, they call the sinus verse of the circle of the sky in which there are six signs, and this turned sinus can be considered one to the left part of the line and ray of the eclipse and the other sinus verse or sinus degree and turned to the right of the eclipsing line, cutting the sky in two half parts from above to right. Also, you should know that it is northern or southern. Reason why, if you cut the sky crosswise with the equinox line, the upper part is southern, the right part is northern. Praised God.
Now, since you have thus cut the sky, it remains that in order to know on any day at any time of the year where the sun is or in which part of the sky it is, and thus of any planet, these reasons and rules must be very well studied.
Now, before we talk about this reason, we will figure here a manual quadrant to know by it the hours of the day, how many are passed at any time or place that you will like to know every time that you can see the sun.
And to understand this well, you must order a brass quadrant to be made such as this one here, and that it is neither more nor less. And at the top point, half by half, it must have a very thin edge of tow that hangs down to the bottom of the whole quadrant and at the end of the edge there must be a silver bead or something else heavy. And then you must stand with it facing the sun in such a way that you let the sun enter through both holes of the eyelets from right to right. And then look at the edge on which right side it is placed where the degrees are indicated and mark in each house five degrees, as it appears from this figure. And you must also have a booklet or notebook of parchment in which are the twelve months of the year, as we will put it later. And after this is all well understood, you will take the degrees that you counted from the beginning of the quadrant up to where the edge indicated and you will bring them out to the booklet that same day and month in which you are. And to make them look straight along the line where that day where you are is written and indicated and see where you will find the count of the degrees that you bring from the quadrant. And then, look to the left side straight along the line, and then you will see the hours that you demand or that you want to know are written on that same line at the end where it says hours.
These are the months that follow. Concerning which you should know that in the first line the days are indicated and in the second are the degrees; and in the first that descends to the right are the hours indicated. Also, you should know that the hours are counted in all the months of the year from the time the sun rises illuminating the earth from our horizon, according to which all the tables of all the months of the year are written or indicated here. And they begin from January, just as they are followed in the martyrology.
First law to know in which square of the sky the sun is. You must, according to the month in which you are, take the account of the sign in which the sun is, always beginning with the sign Aries, because Aries, Taurus, Gemini are of the first square. And if you find that the sun is in Aries until its third sign, Gemini, say that it is in the first square of the letter Q of the color red. And if you find that the sun is in a sign that goes from three to six, always beginning the count from Aries, removing the first three signs, it will be in the second square of the letter P of the color saffron, because Cancer, Leo, Virgo are in the said square. And if you find that the sun is in the signs that go from six to nine, removing the six of the first and second block, the sun will be in the third block of the letter R, black in color, because Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius are of the third block. And if you find that the sun is in the sign that goes from nine to twelve, removing the nine, the sun will be in the fourth block of the letter O , green in color, because Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces are signs of the fourth block of heaven, as demonstrated in the above figure.
Second law to know in which signs the sun rises and in which it descends. You must know that the declination of the sun is noted as soon as the sun moves away from the equinox line. And, therefore, know that if the sun is from the beginning of Aries up to three signs completed by ninety degrees, the sun is in the northern part ascending. And from three signs to six it will be northern descending; and from six signs up to nine it will be southern descending; and from nine up to twelve it will be southern ascending. But they took the fourteen degrees of southern ascending as it is common reason that the middle of the month resembles another. And, thus, they ordered their table by one hundred and fourteen degrees of height when it rises the most, and sixty-six degrees when it descends the most. And the heart of this account, that is to say the degrees that are in between, are twenty-three degrees of the proper declination of the sun. And the other degrees twenty-six and sixty-six, which are ninety of the height of the sun, they all joined together in a sum, which makes one hundred and fourteen degrees.
And this is the sufficient reason why neither the height by itself nor the declination by itself can be seen except one by the other. For it seems that the declination is twenty-three degrees and the height of the sun ninety degrees. And because the twenty-three of the declination are the middle and heart of the ninety, and every half proportion proves its ends and its extremities and gives them diameter and natural measure. And from what has been said we put here a figure of the concordance and to understand the degree of the height of the sun and the degree of its declination.
Third law of the general declinations and inclinations of the sun. You should know what inclination of a town or place is taken in the table. Wherein you should know that, inasmuch as inclination refers to the departure from the path of the sun, well for that reason, removed from the equal path of the sun from the equinox line, which is thirteen minutes long, 30.2 os , it lies on the ecliptic line, both on this side and on the other side of the equinox line, from the account that the sixth part of the circle makes by its measure and diameter certain fifty-five degrees and forty-six minutes, 30.2 os .
This is stated in this manner: It is a general rule in geometry that every spherical body, if we measure it round, we shall find that the third part of the wheel is its height from end to end. For, just as the sky and the figure of the world in its roundness are divided by three hundred and sixty degrees, which every astrolabe has marked on its limb, that is to say on its face, it follows that the equinox and eclipsatic lines which divide the sky in length and across have not each one of any measure across except the third of the three hundred and sixty degrees, which is one hundred and twenty degrees. And since the equinox line breaks through the middle the line of eclipse, which comes through the middle and makes two parts in the path of the sun, it follows that each of these parts is the diameter and measure of the sixth part of the sky, which is sixty degrees, a measure of two signs.
And to better understand it, let us consider this other part, the figure that they call the figure of slopes, in which there are ten parts and in each part six degrees, since six times ten make sixty.
If you wish to know the table or the leaf of the slope and declination, know these figures well, because the twelve degrees of the zodiac in the path of the sun indicate the declination of the sun. And for this reason each degree has its month. And the degrees of the other lines show the degrees of the slopes of the northern and southern towns or places.
But it is certain that every time you want to know about any city or place you must consider whether that city is facing east, because then the slope always decreases; and if it is facing west, the slope always increases. And, depending on whether it increases or decreases, so will be the hours or part of hours to be added so that you will know how far each place is from the middle of the world.
Also, you must understand the same thing about declination, because whenever the height of the sun increases, so also does the declination of the sun increase, because it is a rule of geometry that the greater the height, the deeper the horizon. And therefore, as much height as there is, so much declination of the sun is required, because we see from experience that water, in order to reach such height, must first descend. Therefore, the higher the sun rises, the greater its declination and the more it deviates from the equinoctial line. Therefore, from the height we take the declination of the sun and from the declination we take its height. And here someone may say that the declination of the sun is not more than thirty-three degrees and thirty-three minutes, as is proven, and the height of the sun, as is proven by the table of the degrees of the height of the sun, one hundred and fourteen degrees, so then we do not have so much for so much.
Also, we cannot know the height of the sun by its declination, and so this law is void. To this I say, in answer, that the true height of the sun cannot be more than ninety degrees and its declination more than ninety degrees. In these two figures see.
And it was finished writing in the very noble city of Segovia, on the twentieth day of the month of April, in the year of the Nativity of our Savior Jesus Christ of M.CCCC.XXVIII, by his servant Andrés
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“But such sulphur is not found on earth, except in so far as it exists in metallic bodies through the action of the sun and moon. In the sun it exists in a perfect state, because there it is better digested and decocted.”
Avicenna
The Golden Tract Concerning The Stone of the Philosophers
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