359 



by the motion of the Sun in the ecliptic from 

 west to east, the Thibetans, the Chinese, the 

 Japanese, and the Tartars, reckon the signs in 

 the following order ; Rat, or Aquarius ; Ox, or 

 Capricorn ; Tiger, or Sagittary ; Hare, or Scor- 

 pion, &c. This singular habit has perhaps its 

 cause in the circumstance, that the twelve zodi- 

 acal constellations in their passage over the me- 

 ridian, preside over the different hours of the 

 day and the night. As they share in the general 

 motion of the celestial sphere from east to west, 

 they are arranged in the order, according to 

 which they rise or set one after the other. 



In the Mexican calendar, the signs of the 

 days which are identical with the signs of the 

 Tartar cycle, those of the dog, the ape, the tiger, 

 and the horse, are so placed, that no analogy of 

 relative position can be recognised between 

 them. Cipactli, which we have proved to be the 

 antelope-fish, is the first asterism, as Capricorn 

 seems to have been among the Egyptians*. 

 Among the Mexican signs nearly the following 

 order prevails, cipactli, cohuatl, tochtli, itzcu- 

 intli, ozomatli, and ocelotl ; or, substituting the 

 names of our signs, Capricorn, Virgo, the Scor- 

 pion, the Ram, the Twins, and Sagittarius. Is this 

 difference in the arrangement of the signs mere- 



* Fragmentum ex Gazophylacio Card. Barberini (Kir- 

 cheri (Edipus, 1653, vol. 3, p. 160). 



