608 D'ARCY WENTWORTH THOMPSON ON THE 



/.c.) : Scylla is but a variant phase of the Moon, as the watery goddess, and the two 

 Dogs, Procyon and Sirius, are rising as Cancer rises. The Fish is not rare in association 

 on coins with Cancer. Sometimes, but rarely, there are two fishes, usually there is but 

 one ; and that one is, as a rule, large and depicted as a Tunny : we have it on coins of 

 Agrigentum, but most typically on those of Cyzicus. The Tunny is in all probability 

 the Piscis Australis, the "great fish" of Eratosthenes (xxxviii.) and of Germanicus 

 (xxxviii.), which contains the brilliant star Fomalhaut, " the mouth of the fish," and 

 which, as we have already seen, sets at the rising of Cancer, — hie occidit oriente cancro, 

 exoritur autem cum piscibus (Hygin., iii. 40). On the coins of Cyzicus, the Tunny is 

 associated with many other emblems, all or nearly all of them being, as I believe, 

 capable of interpretation as constellations obviously related to that of the Southern Fish : 

 we may merely note here that one of these associated emblems is the Earn, together 

 with which sign Theon expressly states that the latter part of the constellation rises. 



We have now discussed, very briefly and imperfectly, the Crab in connection with its re- 

 lated constellations, and, also, as a zodiacal sign, in connection with Luna, of which it is the 

 domicile, and of Jupiter, of whom it is the exaltation. It comes also into relation with 

 Mercury, of whom it is the seat in the order of distribution among the signs of the 

 twelve gods : and we have the Crab as a symbol associated with the head of Hermes on 

 a coin of iEnus (Head, op. cit., p. 213). I am more than tempted to see in this colloca- 

 tion, a connection with that coincident rising of Sirius, the Star of Thoth or Hermes, 

 with which we have already dealt : and Mercury is also the patron of the middle Decan 

 of the sign, as Sirius was the middle Decan * or Dynast t in the corresponding table 

 of Eratosthenes (cf Marsh, Can. Chron., p. 18 ; Dupuis, op. cit, x. p. 136), who 

 calls it films gence, a paraphrase, plainly oriental, of the simpler description, splen- 

 dida Stella, quas in maxilld Canis cernitur. It was in relation to the same god, the 

 patron of traffic and gain, that Cancer was said by the astrologers to confer an aptitude 

 for commerce, merce peregrina fortunam ferre per urbes (Manil., iv. 167, cf. ib., 381, etc.). 

 The dog-headed Mercury or Thoth or Anubis is familiar to us, but we may pause to note 

 that the Lunar Hecate was sometimes also Dog-headed (cf. Hesych. in voc. 'Ek«'t;/? 

 ("cyaX/uLu). The sun's entry into Cancer was the signal for a festival of Pallas, sol abit e 

 Geminis et Cancri signa rubescunt : Ccepit Aventina Pallas in arce coli (Ovid, F., vi. 

 727) ; and on coins of Cumae, Pallas is again associated with the Crab. 



The sign Cancer is a dark and inconspicuous sign, with no brilliant stars, " lumina 

 desunt Cancro" (Manil., ii. 259); the horoscope of Cancer was gloomy or vecjjeXoeitV/s, 

 and those born under it were prone to blindness, "lumina deficient partus, geminamque 

 crcatis mortem fata dabunt" (Manil., iv. 534). 



Of particular stars in the constellation Cancer, the most important are those known 

 as the ovoi or aselli (y. <5), of which the southern one stands on the ecliptic, and the 

 star-cluster known as <bdrv*i or Praesepe. They are first mentioned by Aratus (v. 892) . 



* Fwnuicus Mutcruus Math., ii. 4 ; Salmasii PUn. Ex., p. 460 f. 

 t Cf- AJESCH., Aij., Kafiirpovs Sufdaras, ifxirpiirovras aldipi. 



