In the name of the Lord, Amen.

Here begins the Introductory Book to the judgments of the stars: it is not only an introduction to these judgments, but a complete guide to the judgments of astronomy original: "iudiciorum astronomie"; in this period, "astronomy" and "astrology" were often used interchangeably, published by Guido Bonatus of Forlì, from the province of Romagna in Italy. In this volume, he has gathered from the sayings of the philosophers those things which seemed useful to him for introducing those who wish to apply themselves to the judgments of the stars, and those things which seemed appropriate for those wishing to judge according to the significations of the stars, as well as other matters pertaining to these judgments.

Decorative woodcut initial 'I' within a square frame featuring ornate leaf patterns and classical motifs.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful and pious true God and true man, to whom there is no equal or likeness, nor could there be; and of his most blessed mother Mary, the glorious ever-virgin; and of the blessed Valerian the Martyr, captain, governor, and defender of the commune of Forlì; who, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit in unity of essence and trinity of persons, is prayed to and glorified by the faithful as three and one. There is no other God besides him, who made and established the heaven and the earth with all things that are in them, and brought forth everything for their use. He adorned the heaven with stars like lamps shining down, so that through their virtues they might arrange and rule all lower things and similarly offer guidance to humans, as much as has been granted to them. He placed rational beings meaning humans above all other living things so that all might serve them, and he made humans capable of feeling and understanding with special privilege. He also revealed to them the motions of the super-celestial bodies and manifested what they signify; and he stretched out the heaven for them like a skin so that they might communicate in it and through it. By the revelation of divine wisdom, they might not only know the past or the present, but also beware of, foresee, and be able to announce future things. I, therefore, Guido Bonatus of Forlì, having studied somewhat in astronomy and having looked into many works of our predecessors—who, though they are to be greatly honored and revered by us, some of them loved brevity so much that although they said they were speaking for beginners, their intention was actually to speak to those already advanced in other sciences—even if they were unrefined and beginners in astronomy and especially in its judgments. I wished to compose and compile this work from the sayings of the ancients who seemed to me to have walked the path of truth, finding the most useful things in them and placing them in this work. This was done so that it might be useful both to those who are not much introduced to other sciences as well as to those in astronomy, so that they might easily, though perhaps not very briefly, reach

the desired goal of making judgments. I pray to wisdom and divine kindness that, although I have advanced in years, grace may be granted to me with integrity of body and life accompanying me, so that I may complete the work begun for the honor of God, and for the benefit of all others wishing to study, and especially for the benefit of your goodness, my nephew. And because the work will be long and wordy—since long, difficult, and very complicated things cannot be untied in a small number of words from every side—to avoid even greater length, I do not intend to include many disputes or proofs, although perhaps some could be placed in this work; I intend only to be of use to students and to your own goodness. And I have divided this work into six parts: The first is the general introduction. The second is interrogations interrogations: also known as "horary astrology," where a chart is cast for the moment a specific question is asked. The third is elections elections: choosing the most astrologically favorable time to begin a task. The fourth is the revolutions of the years and of the world, which also include conjunctions this refers to "mundane astrology," predicting world events and political shifts. The fifth is on nativities birth charts. The sixth is on rains and storms. And in the introduction, I will proceed thus: first, I will treat the utility we can gain from astronomy and the judgments of the stars, and I will speak similarly of its confirmation and its nobility, and I will meet the objections of certain people who wish to contradict the judgments of the stars or elections, and other things pertaining to this. Second, I will treat the division of the circle of signs the Zodiac and how they are ordered, why there are only twelve, why they are named as they are, and the qualities associated with them. Third, I will say what happens to the seven planets in themselves and what happens to one of them from another, and those things which regard the eighth sphere the sphere of the fixed stars. Fourth, I will touch upon certain conjunctions and the explanation of certain chapters. Fifth, on certain considerations rules that occur in judgments. Sixth, I will then place the parts of judgments. Seventh, elections. Eighth, revolutions. Ninth, nativities. Tenth and last, the revolutions of the seasons, or rains and storms.

Here begins the first treatise to show the usefulness we can follow from the astronomy which is found in judgments.

Chapter one, to show the utility of this in general.

Ornate woodcut initial 'A' depicting a scholar in robes within a landscape, pointing toward the heavens, framed by decorative borders.
The soul is noble because it resides in man; for it gives being and perfection to the body, and its foods are most noble compared to the foods of the body. Since the soul is the most noble part of the person, it rejoices in intellectual gain, and that depends on the science of philosophy. The soul rejoices and delights in that; and that in which it rejoices is its food. Since the soul is on the side of truth, it loves truth; nor can it apprehend it through any science as truly and as fully as through astronomy. There is nothing besides "First Philosophy" Metaphysics in which the soul gains as much as in astronomy or astrology. For through it, we know and recognize creatures that are impassible unable to suffer or change, unalterable, and immutable in their essence, such as the super-celestial bodies the planets and stars. And through those creatures, we can arrive at a knowledge of the Creator and know about him as much as the human mind is able to reach. We can perceive that He is impassible and unalterable, because the aforementioned bodies come from a perfect and most noble source, and no one denies this. Their forms are most noble and perfect—namely, spherical—in which no beginning or middle (excluding the center) or end is found. And here their operations are most noble and most perfect compared to the other operations of all the crafts that are in this world. Although the craft of physicians deals with noble matters—indeed, among the most noble crafts of the earthly world—nevertheless...