zodiac was as follows : The first stars of the zodiacal 

 sign Capricornus were at the winter solstitial point, 

 December 2ist, and invisible to the eye, being directly 

 south of the zenith at noon, the extra-zodiacal constel- 

 lations Pisa's Australis on the south, and Aquila on the 

 north, being on either side of it, and the zodiacal signs 

 Sagittarius in front and Aquarius behind, accompanying 

 it in its march ; while on the opposite side of the zodiac, 

 at midnight, was seen, directly to the south of the nadir, 

 the sign Cancer, in which were the Pr&sepe, or stable of 

 Augias ; the lo-sepe, cradle of Jupiter or manger of Jao ; 

 and the Aselli, or two asses ; on the east the sign Virgo 

 was just about to appear above the horizon ; on the 

 western horizon was the sign Aries, above which, and 

 crossing the equator, was the extra-zodiacal constella- 

 tion Orion, with the three large stars in his belt ; and 

 immediately below which was the sea monster Cetus, 

 just sinking below the horizon. In proclaiming the birth 

 of the sun at Christmas, therefore, the astrologers would 

 make mention of all these points ; and, consequently, 

 the more prominent and interesting of them would 

 become impressed more or less upon the minds of the 

 people, to be converted in after times into various fantastic 

 and romantic fables, as the manufacture of gods out of 

 these astronomical phenomena proceeded. 



The principal astronomical features of this annual sun- 

 birth were, therefore, as follows : The birth took place 

 in the house of the goat, exactly opposite to which were 

 the manger of Jao and the stable of Augias, between 

 two asses ; at the same moment the virgin was about to 

 appear above the eastern horizon; the lamb was, as it 

 were, hurling the sea monster Cetus below the western 

 horizon ; and the three brilliant stars, called the three 

 kings, in the belt of Orion, were shining above the lamb, 

 on the opposite horizon to where, after the lapse oi" 

 sixteen days (January 6th), would appear that brilliant 

 star Vindemiatrix, the Virgin by that time having risen 

 sufficiently high above the horizon for that orb, which is 

 situated in her elbow, to be seen at midnight. 



All the subsequent fables concerning the birth of a 

 saviour-god were but modifications of this. Mithra, 

 Krishna, Horus, Bacchus, Jesus, and, in fact, all the sun- 



