Plinics Natural! Hiftoiie* 



A eic aloft for the matter: thou fhalt fee how I will have them alfo^growing even under thy nofe, to 

 turnc their leaves about and follow the Sunne.Why complaineii thou and whineft/aying,! am 

 a fimple countreymanjl am not booke learnedji never went to Grammer fchoole^and i wot not 

 what ? CerteSjI cannot doe withall if thou be ignorant of the heavensjand canft not skill of the 

 coeleftiallfigns and courie of the ilars : it fhall not belong of mCjbut thou maift be an Aftrono- 

 mcr and Clcarke fufficient.For if all this teaching will not fervcjin cafcjl fay^thine eies will not 

 inftrud thee ynough tolearne thefefignes: one figne more will 1 prefent unto thine eare . Doe 

 but liften to the groning tune and pitif ull mone that the Quoift and Stock- dove makes : and ne- 

 ver thinke that the Sunneftead is paftjbeforc fhc have left fingingjand that thou feeft her.coave 

 and fitting upon heregs. 



B But now to goe on ftill with our Aftrologic and Speculation of Heaven as wee have begun : 

 among thofeftars that rule this fcafonfrom the Sunneftead beforefaid, unto the letting or oc- 

 cukation of the ^Harpc-ftar , C^/rfr faithjthat fix daies before the Calends of lulie^to witjthc fix * 

 and twentieth of lunc.Orionrifcth to the inhabitants ofItalie:howfoever the ftar called Orions 

 "^girdlcjappcareth not to the Aflyrians before the fourth day ofluliCjUpon which dayjin ^gypt * 

 the ftar Procyon/.thc fore-runner of theDogftar SyriuslTieweth in the mbrningjand commeth 

 in very hotc and fierie :and furely what Latine name this ftar fhould have among the Romanes, 

 I wore notjUnleffc we would haveit to bee Canicula^that is to fay^the Lefle Dog ftar, according 

 to thepourtraicthatitieemeth to refemblc among thofc fixed ftarsin the firmament: and yet is 

 this a fignc in the heaven of great marke and conlequence^as anone wc will declare more plaine- 



C ly.The third dav before the Nones of luliCj^the fift of the faid moneth , after the Chaldasans ac- 

 counCjin AlTyria andBabylon^the ftar named Corona^ ?.the Grownejgoeth downe in the mor- 

 ning: but on the very fame day to the people of Attica^Orion is fcenc to rife all whole as hec is. 

 The even of the Ides of lulie^which is the foureteenth of that moneth^the fame Orion ceafeth to 

 be fceneof them that dwell in yEgypt: and fixteene daies before the Calends of Auguft, to wit, 

 thefeventeenth of lulie^ the forcfaid ftar Procyon rifeth to them in Aftytia. The morrow after, 

 which is the eighteenth day, all writers in manner doe agree upon the rifingof that fignificapc 

 and notorious figne^which commonly we pall the Dog-ftar, towit5when as the Sunne is entered 

 the fitft degree of Leo^which falle th out to be the three & twentieth day after the Summer Sun- 

 ftead. And in truth both fea and land,doe find and feclc the arrivall or comming of this ftar^yea, 



D and many a wild beaft befides^according as we have fhewed already in place convenicnt.Neither 

 is this ftar leflcworfhipped and adored than^h^fe renowmed Planets which carie the names of 

 gods and goddefTeSjand have divine honours done unto ihem.Hcit is that enfiameth and fettcth 

 the Sunne on fire ; to him is imputed the grcateft caufe of that extrcamc hot weather,during the 

 canicular daies.Two daies before;,which is thefifteenth of luliejn ^gypr, the yEagle ftar goeth 

 downe in the morning,and then thcEtefian winds(called the Avant-curriers)beginjwhich Cdfar 

 thought were not felt nor knowne in Italic untill eight daies afcer,namelyjthe three and twentith 

 of lulie : on which day the ^gle ftar is knowne to fet and goe out of fight in the region of Attica 

 and that tra<5t,in the morning. As for the Roiall ftar featcd in the breaft of htof^fkr affirmeth. 

 That it gocth downe and is all hidden betimes in the morning, the thirtieth day of lulic, which 



E is three daies before the Kalends of Auguft.Now the eight day before the Ides of Augull;,wh ich 

 is the fixt day of the month^the one moietie or halfe of Ar^turus gocth down: but the third day 

 before the fame Ides,which is the eleventh of that moneth, the Harpe ftar by his occultation or 

 going downe jbeginneth Autumne,according as the fame dsjar noteth : but indeed and verely, 

 as it hath been found by true demonftratioujit isthefixt day before the Ides, to witjihe eight of 

 Auguft. This halfe quarter or fix wcekes fpacc, is that which determineth ofvines and vintage, 

 by the mcancs of that ftar which we called Canicula, the very ruler indeed over Vineyards, and 

 whereupon depcndcth the good or bad feafoafor all our grapes and wine the next yeare. From 

 hence it island not otherwife,that the Vines are faid to be blaftcd,& the grapes burnt(as it were) 

 to a coale. Ho hailc ftormcs,no tempeft of wind or rainc is comparable hereunto,nor doth the 



P like harme to corne and grapes : this caufe th many a time fcarciticjand bringcth cxtrcam dearth 

 and famine,which neither hailc nor tempcft doth. As for thcfe tcmpefts, they endomage haply 

 and hurt fomc fields here and there: but theblaft beforefaid plagueth whole countries Jarre and 

 neare. Howbeit, it were no hard matter to dcvife how to withftand and remcdic this mifcheefe^ 

 bAU that meniafe^ more pleafure to take occafion for to blame Nature and her work6s,under pre- 

 tence 



