Commentary on the Dream of Scipio and the Saturnalia

O F S C I P I O

...frail and fleeting, except for the souls given to the human race as a gift from the gods. Above the moon, all things are eternal. For that which is the middle and ninth sphere, the Earth, does not move; it is the lowest, * by movement and toward it all weights are carried by their own natural gravity original: "nutu suo pondera". Cicero describes the geocentric view where the center of the Earth is the center of the universe, drawing all heavy objects toward it..

As I gazed at these things in amazement, once I recovered myself, I asked, "What is this? What is this great and sweet sound that fills my ears?"

"This," he replied, "is the sound which, joined by unequal intervals—yet nonetheless distinct in their proper proportions—is produced by the impulse and motion of the spheres themselves. By blending high-pitched notes with low ones, it creates uniform harmonies. For such great movements cannot be driven in silence; and nature dictates that the extremes on one side sound low, while on the other they sound high. For this reason, that highest circuit of the starry sky, whose revolution is swifter, moves with a high and sharp sound; however, this lowest lunar circuit moves with the deepest tone. For the Earth, the ninth sphere, remaining motionless, always stays fixed in the lowest seat, occupying the central place of the world.

* of modes Now, those eight circuits—among which the power of two is the same—produce seven original: "v i i" distinct sounds separated by intervals. This number [seven] is almost the knot term: "nodus". In this context, a binding element or a mathematical focal point that holds the structure of the universe together. of all things. Learned men, having imitated this with strings and songs, have opened for themselves a path back to this place; just like others who, with outstanding talent during their human lives, have pursued divine studies.

The ears of men, filled with this sound, have become deaf. Indeed, there is no duller sense in you; just as where the Nile rushes down from the highest mountains to those falls which are called the Catadupa term: "Catadupa". The Greek-derived name for the Great Cataracts of the Nile; ancient writers claimed the roar was so loud the local inhabitants lost their hearing., the people who inhabit that place lack the sense of hearing because of the magnitude of the noise. But this sound, produced by the most rapid revolution of the whole universe, is so great that human ears cannot capture it; just as you cannot look directly at the sun, and your sight and sense are overcome by its rays."

While I was marveling at these things, I nevertheless kept turning my eyes back to the Earth. Then Africanus said, "I per-" catchword: "tio," indicating the next page begins with "sentio" (I perceive).

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