LIBER TERTIUS. 555 



buerant operationes Solis per calorem manifestum ; et similiter 

 Lunae vim quandam magneticam super increments aestuum semi- 

 menstrua ; (nam fluxus et refluxus maris quotidianus alia res 

 est ;) his vero sepositis, reliquas planetarum vires super naturalia 

 (quatenus experientia comprobantur) tenues admodum et infir- 

 mas et quasi latitantes reperient, etiam in revolutionibus majori- 

 bus. Quare contrario prorsus modo concludere debuerant; 

 nimirum cum revolutiones illas majores tam parum possint, 

 exactas illas et minutas positurarum diiFerentias nihil omnino 

 virium obtinere. Tertio, Fatalia ilia, quod hora nativitatis 

 aut conceptionis fortunam foetus regat, hora increptionis for- 

 tunam inccepti, hora quaestionis fortunam rei inquisitae, atque 

 (ut verbo dicamus) doctrinas de nativitatibus, electionibus, et 

 qu&stionibus, et istiusmodi levitates, maxima ex parte nihil 

 certi aut solidi habere, et rationibus physicis plane redargui 

 et evinci judicamus. lllud igitur magis attinet dicere, quid 

 tandem in Astrologicis retineamus aut probemus? atque in 

 iis quae probamus, quid desideremus? Nam hujus postrema3 

 rei gratia (nempe ejus quod desideratur) sermonem hunc 

 instituimuSj cum alias censuris (ut saepe diximus) non vacemus. 

 Atque inter recepta certe doctrinam de Revolutionibus plus 

 sanitatis quam reliqua habere censemus. Verum id optimum 

 factu foret, si regulas quasdam praescribamus, ad quarum 

 trutinam et normam Astrologica examinentur ; ut utilia retine- 

 antur, rejiciantur inania. Prima ea sit, de qua jam ante monui- 

 mus Revolutiones majores retineantur, valeant minores horosco- 

 porum et domorum. 1 Illae instar tormentorum grandium ictus 

 suos a longinquo jacere queant, has tanquam arcus minores 

 spatia evadere et vires deferre non possunt. Secunda est; 

 Operatio ccdestium in corpora omnigena non valet, sed tantum in 

 teneriora, qualia sunt humores, aer, et spiritus ; atque hie tamen 

 excipimus operationes caloris solis et coslestium, qui et ad metalla 

 et ad plurima subterranea proculdubio penetrat. Tertia est ; 

 Omnis operatio ccelestium potius ad massas rerum extenditur, 



1 The heavens are in astrology divided into twelve compartments or houses, by 

 means of six great circles which pass through the north and south points of the 

 horizon, and divide the ecliptic into twelve equal portions. One of these circles coin- 

 cides with the horizon, and the point of the ecliptic through which it passes at the 

 moment of the nativity of the person whose destiny is to be ascertained, or of the com- 

 mencement of the event whose fortunes are to be predicted, is called the horoscope. 

 These divisions are spoken of by Sextus Empiricus, who with Julius Firmicus is our 

 earliest authority on the subject of astrology. He seems rather to give the name of 

 houses to definite signs of the Zodiac than to the divisions of which we have been 

 speaking ; a sense in which the term is also used by later writers. 



