XLII. Προκυνός
Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πρὸ τοῦ μεγάλου Κυνός· Προκύων δὲ λέγεται ὡς πρὸ τοῦ κυνός· Ὠρίωνος δὲ κύων ἐστίν· λέγεται γὰρ διὰ τὸ φιλοκυνηγεῖν αὐτὸν εἶναι παρατεθῆναι τοῦτον αὐτῷ· καὶ γὰρ Λαγωὸς ἐχόμενος καὶ ἄλλα θηρία παρ’ αὐτὸν συνορᾶται.
Ἔχει δὲ ἀστέρας γʹ, ὧν εἷς ὁ πρῶτος [ἀνατέλλει] λαμπρός· καὶ ποιεῖ ὁμοιότητα τοῦ κυνός· διὸ καὶ Προκύων καλεῖται, καὶ πρότερος ἀνατέλλει καὶ δύνει ἐκείνου.
42. Of the Forerunner Dog
This is the one before the Great Dog; it is called Procyon as being before the dog; it is the dog of Orion; for it is said that, because he loved hunting, it was placed beside him; for the Hare, too, is seen next to it, and other animals near him.
It has 3 stars, of which the first one [rises] bright; and it makes a likeness of the Dog, for which reason it is also called Procyon, and rises before him and sets before him.
XLIII. Πλανῆται
Τὰ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα ἄστρα γίνεται ἐν τῷ ζῳδιακῷ κύκλῳ, ὃν ὁ Ἥλιος διαπορεύεται ἐν ιβʹ μησίν, διόπερ καὶ τὰ ζῴδια τούτου ἰσάριθμά ἐστιν.
Περὶ τῶν πέντε ἀστέρων τῶν καλουμένων πλανητῶν διὰ τὸ κίνησιν ἔχειν ἰδίαν αὐτούς.
Λέγονται [δὲ] θεῶν εἶναι πέντε. πρῶτον μὲν Διός, Φαίνοντα, μέγαν. ὁ δεύτερος ἐκλήθη μὲν Φαέθων οὐ μέγας· οὗτος ὠνομάσθη ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡλίου. ὁ δὲ τρίτος Ἄρεως. Πυροειδὴς δὲ καλεῖται, οὐ μέγας, τὸ χρῶμα ὅμοιος τῷ ἐν τῷ Ἀετῷ. ὁ δὲ τέταρτος Φωσφόρος, Ἀφροδίτης, λευκὸς τῷ χρώματι. πάντων δὲ μέγιστός ἐστι τούτων τῶν ἄστρων. ὃν καὶ Ἕσπερον καὶ Φωσφόρον καλοῦσιν. πέμπτος δὲ Ἑρμοῦ, Στίλβων, λαμπρὸς καὶ μικρός· τῷ δὲ Ἑρμῇ ἐδόθη διὰ τὸ πρῶτον αὐτὸν τὸν διάκοσμον ὁρίσαι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἄστρων τὰς τάξεις καὶ τὰς ὥρας μετρῆσαι καὶ ἐπισημασιῶν καιροὺς δεῖξαι. Στίλβων δὲ καλεῖται διὰ τὸ φαντασίαν τοιαύτην αὐτὸν ποιεῖν.
43. The Planets
The stars after these lie in the zodiacal circle, which the Sun traverses in twelve months, and for this reason its signs are equal in number to them.
On the five stars called planets (wanderers), because they have a motion of their own.
They are said to belong to five gods. The first is Zeus's, Phaenon (Shining), the great one. The second was called Phaethon, not large; this one was named from the Sun. The third is Ares's; it is called Pyroeis (Fiery), not large, and in colour like the one in the Eagle. The fourth is Phosphorus (Light-bringer), Aphrodite's, white in colour; it is the largest of all these stars; they call it both Hesperus and Phosphorus. The fifth is Hermes's, Stilbon (Gleaming), bright and small; it was given to Hermes because he was the first to fix the arrangement of the heavens and the positions of the stars, to measure the seasons and to show the times for the signs of weather. It is called Stilbon because it produces an appearance of this kind.
XLIV. Γαλαξίας
Οὗτος γίνεται ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις κύκλοις, ὃν προσαγορεύεσθαί φασι Γαλαξίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἐξῆν τοῖς Διὸς υἱοῖς τῆς οὐρανίου τιμῆς μετασχεῖν εἰ μή τις αὐτῶν θηλάσειε τὸν τῆς Ἥρας μαστόν. διόπερ φασὶ τὸν Ἑρμῆν ὑπὸ τὴν γένεσιν ἀνακομίσαι τὸν Ἡρακλέα καὶ προσσχεῖν αὐτὸν τῷ τῆς Ἥρας μαστῷ, τὸν δὲ θηλάζειν· ἐπινοήσασαν δὲ τὴν Ἥραν ἀποσείσασθαι αὐτόν, καὶ οὕτως ἐκχυθέντος τοῦ περισσεύματος ἀποτελεσθῆναι τὸν Γαλαξίαν κύκλον.
44. The Milky Way
This occurs among the visible circles, and they say it is called the Milky Circle (Galaxias). For the sons of Zeus were not allowed to share in heavenly honour unless one of them had suckled at the breast of Hera. For this reason they say that Hermes, at his birth, carried Heracles to her and put him to the breast of Hera, and that he suckled; Hera, perceiving this, pushed him away, and so the milk that was spilled formed the Milky Circle.
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