46 . pliny's i^ATTTEAL histoet. [Book n. 
is evident, that the latitudes are increased from the time of 
their morning risings, since the motions afterwards appear 
to receive less addition ; but they gain their altitude in the 
first station, since the rate of their motion then begins to 
diminish \ and the stars to recede. 
And the reason of this must be particularly set forth. 
When the planets are struck by the rays of the sun, in the^ 
situation which I have described, i. e. in their quadrature, 
they are prevented from holding on their straight forward 
course, and are raised on high by the force of the fire^. This 
cannot be immediately perceived by the eye, and therefore 
they seem to be stationary, and hence the term station is 
derived. Afterwards the violence of the rays increases, and 
the vapour being beaten back forces them to recede. 
This exists in a greater degree in their evening risings, the 
sun being then turned entirely from them, when they are 
drawn into the highest apsides ; and they are then the least 
visible, since they are at their greatest altitude and are 
carried along with the least motion, as much less indeed as 
this takes place in the highest signs of the apsides. At the 
time of the evening rising the latitude decreases and becomes 
less as the motion is diminished, and it does not increase 
again until they arrive at the second station, when the alti- 
tude is also diminished; the sun's rays then coming from 
the other side, the same force now therefore propels them 
towards the earth which before raised them into the heavens, 
from their former triangular aspect^. So different is the 
effect whether the rays strike the planets from below or 
come to them from above. And all these circumstances 
produce much more effect when they occur in the evening 
setting. This is the doctrine of the superior planets ; that 
^ " incipit detrahi numems." According to the explanation of Alex- 
andre, " nnmerus nempe partium quas certo temporis intervallo emeti- 
mitur." Lemaire, ii. 275. Marcus remarks in this place, " Dans tout 
ce chapitre et dans le suivant, Pline a place dans une correlation de cau- 
site, tout ce qu'il croit arriver en meme temps ; mais il n'a pas prouve 
par-la que les phenom^nes celestes qui sont contemporains sont engendres 
les uns par les autres." Ajasson, ii. 349. 
2 The hypothesis of Pliny appears to be, that the planets are affected 
by the rays of the sun, and that according to the angle at which they 
receive the impulse, they are either accelerated or retarded ia their 
course. ^ " ex priore triquetro." 
