The Book of Nativities and the Centiloquy of Hermes

...and from adultery: and one born from an incurable illness will be troubled. And you should know that the significations will be clearly worse if the Moon is placed in the Tail of the Dragon The South Node of the Moon, traditionally considered a point of malefic influence at the end of a sign.

On the manner of the newborn: what its nature will be: And whether it will be a human or a brute animal. Chapter 5.

Scias Latin: "Know that..." that the signification of the newborn's form is derived only from the movement of the planets and their change within human signs Signs depicting humans, like Gemini or Virgo and the parts and angles of the signs. When many planets are in the angles The 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses, which are the strongest points in a chart—especially the lord of the rising triplicity, the Sun, the Moon, the Part of Fortune, and the point of conjunction or opposition preceding the birth—it signifies a high manner for the newborn: its elements, nature, and human form. But if all these aforementioned, or the greater part of them, are falling In "cadent" houses, which are weak or unfortunate, and in the signs of beasts, it is a sign that the fetus will lack human form. ¶ Similarly, when the lord of the Ascendant and the Moon look upon the lord of the sign of life, and also look upon their own sign, it is a sign that the newborn will be monstrous, or will have the appearance of brute animals. And if, with this, the malefic planets look upon the lord of the sign of life, the nails and hair will be similar to cats and dogs. When these said malefics look upon the sign of life itself or its lord from an angle without the aspect of a fortune A "fortune" refers to a benefic planet like Jupiter or Venus, the newborn will be of the genus of beasts that hunt men. Hermes, who was the head of the wise, says: that when a masculine planet is in a feminine part of the Ascendant and in a feminine sign, and a malefic looks upon it from a feminine part and a feminine sign, and the birth is nocturnal, or Saturn and Mars look upon the said planet, or Mercury is unfortunate, or with Mars in a bad place and the Moon combust Too close to the Sun, thus weakened in the middle of a sign—that is, having no latitude and being in a sign of four-footed or eight-footed creatures—or if the Sun behaves in this manner, and also the lord of the human [sign] is unfortunate or falling or occidental or retrograde: it will be twisted in its rising; or if it is in the right part, that birth will not be of a man, but of some evil spirit. And do not say it is of the animals that devour men unless Jupiter looks upon Mars, or Mars provides testimony to Jupiter. But if Mars is with Saturn, the woman will give birth to a scorpion or a serpent, or some animal of a similar species. ¶ Furthermore, look at the part of the twelfth-part The "duodenaria" or "dodecatemoria," a 2.5-degree subdivision of a zodiac sign of the seven planets, and especially of the Sun and Moon. Look also at the Ascendant and what planet is in it and who looks upon it. And whether the Ascendant is of human figures or of beasts. When the twelfth-part of the planets falls in a sign of beasts, the newborn will be similar to beasts or monstrous. And this is stronger if the Sun or Moon are in the Ascendant, or the Part of Fortune, or the lord of its house. ¶ But if a fortune looks upon it, the newborn will not be similar to beasts, but a nourisher of beasts that devour men. ¶ Similarly, when the Moon does not look upon the lord of its house which is in its opposition, or the Moon is in a bestial sign and in aspect to a malefic, it is a sign that the newborn will be similar to one of the animals. ¶ And I will show you a certain similarity which I found in the books of the wise. There was a certain birth whose Ascendant was 18 degrees of Capricorn; and the Midheaven 11 degrees of Scorpio; and the opposition [preceding birth] at 9 degrees of Capricorn and 39 minutes; the Part of Fortune at 24 degrees of Taurus; the Sun at 29 degrees 54 minutes of Taurus; Jupiter at 24 degrees 14 minutes of Virgo; Mars at 4 degrees retrograde 16 minutes of Leo; and Mercury at 14 degrees retrograde 45 minutes of Taurus. ¶ Because Jupiter, the Moon, and Mercury are falling from the angles, and Saturn, the lord of the Ascendant, is in the opposite of his house, and Jupiter similarly; and because the Sun is in an angle yet falling; and Saturn, who is the lord of the house of the past opposition, is in the opposite of the said opposition and also the Ascendant: it is a sign that the woman would not give birth to a man but a brute animal. And because the Part of Fortune fell in a four-footed sign of the Moon's triplicity, which signifies food or nourishment, and is in a four-footed sign; and also the lord of the 3rd and the lord of the Moon's house, and the twelfth-part of the Moon are in a four-footed sign, and similarly the Ascendant is a four-footed sign—all this signifies that the brute animal would be a dog. And because the place of the Moon, which is the lady of the night, looked upon Jupiter and the lord of her house, and Venus, who is the lady of the Part of Fortune, looked upon the Part of Fortune... it is a sign that its nourishment would be in a good place. ¶ Similarly, there was a certain birth whose Ascendant was 16 degrees 32 minutes of Capricorn; the Midheaven 1 degree 34 minutes of Scorpio; the opposition preceding this birth was in the 20th degree and

56 minutes of Sagittarius; Venus in 16 degrees 50 minutes of Taurus; Jupiter and the Moon in Taurus. Look at the lord of the opposition preceding the said birth. Because the said part is separated from him: look at the lord of the Moon's triplicity, who is the lord of the said part, how they are diverse and one does not look upon the other; and how they are separated from the Ascendant and from the lord of its house. ¶ Similarly, look at Saturn, who is the lord of the Part of Fortune and the Ascendant, how he falls from the angles. Then look at the twelfth-part of the Sun and Moon. And how it is placed in a four-footed sign and how all the planets are falling from the angles and separated, except the Moon and Jupiter, which are in the house of the end of the matter under the earth The 4th House: all this signified that the woman would give birth to a donkey. And because the Moon is in the triplicity of the Ascendant with Jupiter, and in her exaltation, it is a sign that the donkey would be of beautiful nourishment and manner.

Scias Know that... that the ancient wise men [wrote] much regarding the house of the face of men and their colors according to what they inherit from the disposition of the firmament and its signification. ¶ But some of them said that it is nothing. ¶ Where they indeed affirmed and verified it. ¶ Those who feel the contrary argue thus: ¶ Do you not see that someone is born in the land of the blacks, and you already know the manner of his parents and the blackness of the city in which he was born; and yet you found the Ascendant and its lord, as well as the lord of the face of the Ascendant and other planets contrary in the signification of his color—that he ought to be white or red, or having white eyes in the manner of the Italians or Gauls? ¶ It stands that they have spoken in this way of believing, and it pertains to worthy men; yet let them not fall into error, for if the birth of an "Auri" (that is, of some Ethiopian) signified whiteness, we ought not for this reason judge him to be white or red, but that he will be less black than his parents. ¶ And similarly for some Italian or Gaul, if a strong Saturn signifies blackness, we ought not to judge that he will be black like a Moor, but he will not be as white as his parents; for those who do the contrary fall into error before those testing them, who will make them appear foolish; they defame them and take the opportunity to condemn their science. ¶ For we find in the books of the wise that the births of sons are entwined with the births of the fathers, and colors are changed according to the site of the lands; for whiteness and blackness will be according to the disposition of the Sun in its approach to or distance from regions. Except that some planets add or diminish in the colors of the newborns. ¶ Thus we find some black and some blacker. Also some white and some whiter, and so with other colors according to the diversity of the Ascendant and the signification of the planets relative to the color of the citizens of some city or region or the root of the parentage. Andozoar Likely referring to the Andalusian physician Avenzoar (Ibn Zuhr) said that the diversity of human color is difficult to explain, and we do not find anyone who has explained them. ¶ Ptolemy said in the Great Book of Planets The Almagest or Tetrabiblos that in every hour 24 thousand "roboaz" A small unit of time or degree ascend, and every "roboat" pertains to 10 thousand moments, and every moment has its own color, taste, and nature. ¶ And this is so subtle that human sense could not scrutinize it; no man knows this except God alone. When you wish to know the color of the newborn in this way, look at the Ascendant: and if you find there its lord, or the lord of its exaltation, triplicity, or term: judge by him. When there are many planets in the Ascendant: look at the one that is of the face The "face" or "decan," a 10-degree subdivision of a sign of the Ascendant; and judge according to its signification, mixing it however with the signification of the face of the lord of the Ascendant and the planet to which the lord of the face sends its strength. ¶ And if there is no planet in the Ascendant: take first the lord of the face of the Ascendant if he looks upon the Ascendant; but if he is falling from the Ascendant: look at the planet closer to the Ascendant, or the one that looks upon the Ascendant with a better aspect, such as from its house, exaltation, triplicity, or term; and mix the colors of the planets with the colors of the signs and the terms in which the planets were. And declare the color or form of the face according to the color of the planet, and the form or color of the body according to the color of the sign. ¶ Know therefore that beauty is attributed to Jupiter and Venus. ¶ To the Sun and Moon, however, subtlety and clarity. ¶ To Mars and Saturn, however, ugliness. ¶ Mercury, being with a beautiful planet, offers beauty; with an ugly one, ugliness. Similarly, the houses of the fortunes are called beautiful, and those of the misfortunes, ugly. ¶ Also days and bright stars help in beauty and subtlety; nights [do the opposite].