Plinies Haturail Hiftohe, 58^ 



A all underftand the Iflands Cyclades : when I name Maccdonie,! comprehend therei^ith Magne- 

 fia and Thracia : under ^gypt I comprife PhoenicCjCyprus,and Cilicia ; under Bosotia^ihe re- 

 gions of Locris and Phocis: and in one word, alwaics the trads and countries adjacent a nd con- 

 fining togecher./Z^w^In making mention of Hellelpontus onely,I take together with it Cheifo- 

 nefiiSjand all the continent or maine firme land^ as farre as to the moiintainc Athos : in naming 

 Ionia,I reckon alio Afia the lefle or Natolia , and the Iflcs thereto adjoining : under the name of 

 Peloponnclus I count Achaia, and other lands in that climate lying fo the Weft. Finally, the 

 Chaldseans lliall make dcmonftratioUjas in a mapjOf Aflyria and Babylonia. As for Affricke or 

 BarbariCiSpaine^and Frauncc^marvell notif 1 paiTe them over in filence : for there is not a wriiei: 

 in all thefe nationsjone or other^who hath cither obferved or penned down the time when thefe 



B fixed ftarsrife orfall.Howbeitjitwtreno hard matter to come tothediflind knowledge thereof 

 in thofe climates and countries alfo^ by the meridionall lines andconformitiegf theParallele 

 circlcsa which I digeftcd orderly in the fixtbooke of this worke. For thereby a man may under- 

 ftand the unifotme agreement inthcpofitionof the heaven^nOtonely for whole climates and 

 countrieSjbut alfo for every feverall cittieby it felfe^under the fame meridian or Parallcle: follow- 

 ing ftill the knowne paralleles of thefe regions which we have named^and taking withall the ele- 

 vation of any circle pertaining to every fuch land as a man will ieeke5and refpectiveto iherifing 

 of the (tars,according to the cquall fhaddowes,thrbughout all thole parallele circks.Moreover3 

 it ought to be fhewed and declared that ordinarily the times and feafbns have their temperature 

 and influence every foureyeares together: and thofe lightly retiirne the fame without any great 



Q alteration J from yeare to yearc duly according to the coiirle and recoifti^f the Sunne, during 

 that tearme : marie in eight yeares they fenfibly doc cncreafe^namely by what time as the Moone 

 is in her hundreth revolution. 



Now all the knowledge of the heavens pertinent to AgriculturCjftandeth principally upon . ; 

 three forts of oblervationsjto wit^The rifin g of the fixed flars 5 the ferting of the i ame ; & the tour 

 eardinall points^to wit^of the two Jropickes or Sunfteads^and the double ^quinoxjveliich de- 

 vide the whole yeare into foure quartets and notable feafons. Where note^that the rife and fall 

 of thofe fiars beforelaid is to be confidered and taken two waies. For firft when the Sunnc appro- 

 cheth unto them with his bcamesj they be hidden and no more ieene : likewife, after his depar- 

 ture they lliew ihemfelves againe : and as the one, me thinkes,might have been more aptly cal- 



D led an Apparition than a Rifing, fo weelhould have framed our tongue in common fpeech to *cmJ& occk 

 have tearmed the other Occulcation, rather than Setting. Secondly, according as the laid ftars fn^HeUacuu 

 begin cither to fhinc out or bee hidden in the morning before the Sun be iip^ox at evening after | ^ 



the Sunne is fetjthey be laid to rife and goe downcjand thereupon are named * Matutine or Vel- V/«»Vo«i fz, 

 pertine^OrientallorOccidentalljaccordingas thconeortheother happeneth unto them in the f"s(.ojmkuL ^ 

 twy-lightj morning or cveningiCerteSjwhen they are to be feene Matutincor VelpertinCjit mult 

 be at the leafl three quarters of an houreeither before the Sunnc is up, orafterheisdownc : for 

 within that fpace there is no looking afcer them* Moreover/ome ftars there bee that rife and fail 

 twice. But take this with you, ere I proceed further, that all this fpeech ot mineisto bee under- 

 flood of the fixed ftars^ which beeing fettled faflinthe skie^movenotof themfeives; and in no 



E wife,of the Planets. 



As touching thefourc eardinall feafons of the yeare,whereby it is devided into foure quar- 

 ters : limitted they be according to the light more or lefie, and as the daics be longer or fhorter : 

 for lb foonc as the Winter Sunneftead is paftjthe dales do lengthen , and by that time that nine- 

 tie daies and three houres be gone and paft, they be juft as long as the night,& this is called the 

 Spring Equinox. From which very day for ninetie three daies together & twelve houreSjUame- , 

 ly^unto the Summer Sunneftead, the daies be longer than the nightjand fo continue imtill the 

 Autumnc iEquinoXj at what time the daies and nights be cquall againe^from which time they 

 fhorten and decreafe as they grew in length & encrcafed before,for eightie nine daies together^ 

 and three houresj untill the forefaid Winter Sunneftead, when as the daies bee ihortelt. And 



F here you mutt note,that in all thefe additions of houres at this prelcntjimeane thofe onely that 

 be iEquino(5tialLwhich devide the day and night equally in foure and twentie parts^ and not the 

 common houres of any other day artificiall whatlbevcr. Alfo take this with you, that all thefe 

 diftinclions and divifions of the foure feafons, begin alwaies in the eight degree of iholc figncs 

 sinder which the Sunnc is at thofe times : asfor example, The winter Simnefiead or fhorcelt day 



