ORIGIN OF THE CALENDAR AND ASTROLOGY. 831 



forebodings, according to the position which it assumed by day or by 

 night in the zodiac or horizon. The twelve signs were assigned to the 

 sun, moon, and planets, as follows : Leo to the sun ; Cancer to the 

 moon ; and two to each of the five planets the influence of each of 

 these heavenly bodies being regarded as augmented when it stood in 

 that sign belonging to it, or at points in the other signs which were 

 esteemed peculiarly critical for it. 



Thus, the significance of the combined situation of all these bodies 

 received its decisive character from the striking actions of one or 

 more propitious or unpropitious planets, which stood in those positions 

 of increased influence. The so-called horoscope, however, with its de- 

 rived prognostications concerning the entire future life of the individual, 

 was deduced from that point of the zodiac which appeared in view at 

 the hour of birth. Not only was the planet to whose sign this point 

 in the zodiac belonged the prescribed ruler for life, but also the indi- 

 vidual portions of the zodiac, by means of their relations to the single 

 planets, furnished special significations for the horoscope. 



The influence of the ruling planet was again essentially modified 

 by the relative positions of the other planets who were entitled to a 

 respectful hearing in the prediction. Indeed, a perfect system finally 

 evolved itself for thus foretelling, from the various situations and as- 

 pects at the time of birth, the important events in each year of the 

 life of the newly-born. 



In its beginning it possessed much profound thought, since from 

 the positions of the planets at the time of birth, with the aid of their 

 times of revolution, and later, by a theory of all their movements, it 

 could be calculated in advance how they must stand in each year of 

 the individual's life ; but the whole soon degenerated into an arbi- 

 trary, invented play upon numerical relations. During the lapse of 

 centuries, in which astrology was perfecting and establishing itself in 

 the minds of men, the pre-calculations for the positions of the moon 

 among the planets had been zealously pursued, particularly by the 

 Arabians, and, from the beginning of the fifteenth century, by the peo- 

 ple of the Orient. From this period on, these calculations received, 

 aside from their chronological and astrological interest, an augmented 

 importance, on account of the increased demands in naval undertakings 

 and voyages of discovery. The calculations in calendars and epheme- 

 rides (in which literature Nuremberg took the lead) were continually 

 amplified, the calendar becoming now concerned with many subjects 

 which grew out of and were nourished by astrological ideas, so that, 

 even at the close of the past century and the commencement of the 

 present, it contained a wonderful mixture of superstitious hints and 

 precepts. These related chiefly to rules of the weather, health, and 

 life ; as, for instance, the times favorable for cupping, bleeding, etc. 

 In fact, in many calendars now circulated, there are detailed state- 

 ments concerning the indications of the planets, etc., and amusing 



