222 THE GREEK ASTRONOMY. 



We shall see, hereafter, how prevalent a dis- 

 position in literary ages is that which induces 

 authors to become commentators. This tendency 

 showed itself at an early period in the school of 

 Alexandria. Aratus 25 , who lived 270 B.C. at the 

 court of Antigonus, king of Macedonia, described 

 the celestial constellations in two poems, entitled 

 " Phenomena," and "Prognostics." These poems 

 were little more than a versification of the treatise 

 of Eudoxus on the acronycal and heliacal risings 

 and settings of the stars. The work was the subject 

 of a comment by Hipparchus, who perhaps found 

 this the easiest way of giving connexion and cir- 

 culation to his knowledge. Three Latin translations 

 of this poem gave the Romans the means of be- 

 coming acquainted with it : the first is by Cicero, 

 of which we have numerous fragments extant 26 ; 

 Germanicus Caesar, one of the sons-in-law of Au- 

 gustus, also translated the poem, and this transla- 

 tion remains almost entire. Finally, we have a 

 complete translation by Avienus 27 . The "Astro- 

 nomica" of Manilius, the "Poeticon Astronomicon" 

 of Hyginus, both belonging to the time of Au- 

 gustus, are, like the work of Aratus, poems which 

 combine mythological ornament with elementary 

 astronomical exposition ; but have no value in the 



26 A. A. i. 74. 



26 Two copies of this translation, illustrated by drawings of 

 different ages, one set Roman, and the other Saxon, according 

 to Mr. Ottley, are described in the Archceologta, vol. xviii. 



27 Mont. i. 221. 



