Ten Treatises on Astronomy (Book of Astronomy) (1506) - Page 21

is corruption, and that happens from the signs through which nature is moved toward corruption: and those are the Air signs. And the ignoble, or rather the worse quality that follows corruption is destruction: and that happens from the signs through which nature is moved toward destruction: and those are the Water signs. Another reason is that the beginning had to be with the Fire signs and the end with the Water signs; namely because heat and cold are active, while dryness and moisture are passive. And since heat is a stronger active force signifying generation, it deservedly preceded the other active forces. Similarly, since dryness is a stronger passive force, it deservedly preceded the other passive forces. And because generation Generatio: The process of coming into being or birth. precedes durability, the signs signifying generation were placed before the signs signifying durability. And because corruption precedes destruction, the signs signifying corruption were placed before the signs signifying destruction. And so, since generation is the beginning of every thing that can be generated and finished, the signs signifying destruction—namely the Water signs—were placed last. Furthermore, the Fire signs are placed at the beginning because heat prevails in fire, through which comes vivification Vivificatio: The act of bringing to life or animating a body., which is the most noble thing. And the Earth signs are placed immediately next to the Fire signs because of the affinity they have with fire through the dryness prevailing in them. And the Water signs are placed last so that they might be directly opposite the Fire signs in their position, just as they are directly opposite them in nature. And the Air signs were placed before the Water signs and immediately next to them because of the affinity they have with them through moisture. Thus, both active forces were placed at the extremes, while the passive ones were between them both. These are the reasons that moved the wise masters of this art to establish this order of the signs: namely by putting Fire first, then Earth, then Air, then Water. And from the Fire signs, putting Aries first; and from the Earth signs, Taurus; from the Air signs, Gemini; and from the Water signs, Cancer, for the reasons assigned above.

Chapter six: Why the naming of the signs begins with Aries and not with any of the other signs.

It was shown in the preceding chapter why the signs were ordered in such a way. In this one, it must be shown why the naming begins with Aries and not with any other sign; since the heaven is a spherical body, and every spherical thing lacks a beginning, and what lacks a beginning lacks an end, and what lacks a beginning and end lacks a middle—excluding the center in a physical object. There were several reasons: one is that the naming of the signs begins with Aries because the circle of the signs intersects the circle of the equator original: "equatoris diei" at the beginning of Aries and its opposite [the sign of Libra] not perpendicularly, but obliquely, so that through the signs they become northern and later southern, as will be discussed more broadly elsewhere. And that part which is northern is stronger than that which is southern: because when the sun exits Pisces, it enters Aries; and Aries is the first sign of the northern part; and the northern part is nobler and stronger than the southern part. And that this is true needs no proof, since everyone proclaims it and no one says the contrary, though it could be perfectly proven. And for this reason, the naming of the signs began with Aries: because the stronger part of the zodiac begins at the start of Aries. Another reason why the naming of the signs began with Aries is that when the sun enters Aries, the day begins to increase over the night. Therefore, since increase is a noble thing, the wise masters of this art agreed that the naming of the signs should begin with the sign in which increase begins. Another reason that the naming of the signs began with Aries is because when the four qualities, which are...

heat, cold, dryness, and moisture, are simple; and while they are simple they neither increase nor decrease. When they are combined—namely heat and moisture, cold and dryness, heat and dryness, cold and moisture—some of them signify effect and increase, while others signify corruption and decrease. Therefore, it was more appropriate to begin with Aries than with any of the other signs: because when the sun enters Aries, things then begin to be produced and increased. And since production and increase are noble things and friends of nature, while defect and decrease are ignoble things and enemies of nature, the naming of the signs deservedly began with Aries. For then things are tender, which quality is likened to youth original: "iuventuti", the most powerful part of life. Likewise, that is the most powerful part of the season when the aforementioned things happen: for the sun then recedes from the celestial equator and approaches the northern regions, and heat acts upon the moisture that remained from the preceding winter time. Nature is then moved toward the generation and increase of things: the grass grows, the trees leaf out and flower and produce fruit, and many seeds sprout—whereas this does not happen at other times of the year except perhaps occasionally by chance. Deservedly, then, the naming of the signs had to begin with Aries rather than any other sign.

Chapter seven: Why the signs were named by those names.

It has been said above why the naming of the signs must begin with Aries. Now, however, it must be said why the signs are called by those names. There are several reasons: one is because in those places called "signs," the stars are so disposed and ordered that if a line were drawn from one to another, a figure would result like the sign named after it. And it is said that Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy, the famous 2nd-century astronomer. traveled so far toward the south that he was under the equator, and stayed there long enough that he saw all these things. There is another reason why the signs are called by such names: namely, when the sun enters Aries, the heat increases because the sun begins to distance itself from the equinoctial line The celestial equator. and approaches the zenith original: "zenith" of the northern regions, and Aries is always said to have strength in respect to strong animals. Then the heat increases and is made stronger than it was when the sun was in Aries, and that is likened to the nature of the Taurus The Bull because the bull is a stronger animal than the ram; and the declination of the sun from the equator is greater than when it was in Aries, as is its approach to the zenith of the northern regions. Then the sun enters Gemini The Twins, and that sign is called Gemini because the heat is then doubled original: "geminatur" and duplicated beyond what it was at first; and it is then at the furthest point of its distance from the celestial equator and its approach to the top of our heads. Then the sun begins to return toward the celestial equator, and then it is said to enter Cancer The Crab, since the crab is a creature that walks backward. Thus, just as a crab is said to go forward sometimes and then return backward, so when the sun has moved away from the equinoctial line to its furthest distance, it returns toward it, and then it is said to go backward like a crab. Then when the sun exits Cancer, it enters Leo The Lion; and it is said to be in Leo because the heat increases and becomes stronger and sharper and more rigid because of the purified air, which does not participate in any moisture then. Therefore, because the lion is a rigid, strong, and very fierce animal, that sign was named after that animal. Then it diminishes...