106 SPECIAL RESULTS IN THE URANOLOGICAL PORTION 



The heaven of the fixed stars (or bis inerrans of Apuleius), 

 and the improper expression "fixed stars" (astra fixa of 

 Manilius), remind us, as I have already remarked in the 

 Introduction to the portion of this volume which treats of 

 Astrognosy, ( 198 ) of the combination and even confusion 

 which has taken place between the two ideas of " being set 

 or fastened in the sky," and of " absolute immobility or 

 fixity." When Aristotle terms the non-wandering orbs 

 (aTrXarrj &<rrpa) fastened (frfoftpfrfe), and when Ptolemy calls 

 them attached (wpo**<B^Nfdri*)r, these expressions have a 

 direct reference to Anaximenes' supposition of a crystal 

 sphere. The apparent motion of all the fixed stars from 

 East to West, while their distances from each other remained 

 the same, had given rise to this hypothesis. "The fixed 

 stars (air\avri aorpa) belong to the upper or more remote 

 region, in which they are fastened as if nailed to the crystal 

 heaven; the planets (aorpa TrXaj/wjueva or TrXav^ra), which 

 have an opposite motion, belong to the lower or nearer 

 region." ( 199 ) If, in Manilius, as early as the times of the 

 first Csesars, " stella fixa" is used instead of " infixa" or 

 " affixa," we may still assume that the school of Home kept 

 only at first to the original meaning of being fastened; but 

 that, as the word *' fixus" also included the signification of 

 " immobility," and might even be taken as synonymous with 

 "immotus" and " immobilis," it might easily happen that 

 popular opinion, or rather the usage of language, should 

 gradually connect with " stella fixa" the idea of immobility, 

 without remembering the sphere in which the stars had been 

 supposed to be fastened : and thus Seneca might term the 

 world of fixed stars "fixum et immobilem populum." 



If, following Stoba3us and the collector of the " Views of 



