XV.
Sed stellas V nonnulli has aiunt esse: Ueneris, Mercurii, Iouis, Solis, Martis; e quibus esse maximam colore candido, nomine Hesperum et eam appellari. haec stella non abest a sole longius duobus signis, infra eius circulum collocata, sicut ante diximus; apparens maxime noctu, sed toto mense non plus undeuicies potest uideri. sed totus Hesperus incertos efficit cursus, non eodem tempore ad praeteritum transiens signum.
XV. Hesperus (Venus)
Some say that the 5 stars are these: those of Aphrodite, Hermes, Zeus, the Sun and Ares; of which the largest, of white colour, is named Hesperus, and is so called. This star is not farther from the sun than two signs, being placed beneath its circle, as we said before; appearing chiefly at night, but in a whole month it can be seen no more than nineteen times. But Hesperus as a whole makes uncertain courses, not passing at the same time to the sign it has passed.
XVI.
Secunda stella est Mercurii, nomine Stilbon, totus acuto lumine, sed in aspectu non magnus. hic autem a sole non longius abest signo uno. qui semper eosdem cursus efficiens, modo nocte prima, modo autem ad solis exortus incipit apparere. nonnumquam etiam perpetue signis quattuor est cum sole; rediens autem cum sole non amplius est tertiam partem signi.
XVI. Stilbon (Mercury)
The second star is Hermes's, named Stilbon, wholly of a piercing light, but not large to the sight. It is not farther from the sun than one sign. Always making the same courses, it begins to appear now at early night, now at sunrise. Sometimes also it is continually in four signs with the sun; when returning with the sun, it is not more than a third part of a sign.
XVII.
Iouis autem stella nomine Phaenon, corpore est magno, figura autem similis Lyrae. hic autem XII signa annis totidem transigere existimatur, et unoquoque anno nusquam apparere dicitur, non minus dies XXX, nec plus XL. sed tunc maxime obscuratur, cum occidit cum sole; exoriens autem apparet ante quam sol.
XVII. Phaenon (Jupiter)
Zeus's star, named Phaenon, is large in body, and in figure like the Lyre. It is thought to pass through the 12 signs in as many years, and each year is said to be nowhere seen for not less than 30 days, nor more than 40. But it is obscured most when it sets with the sun; rising, however, it appears before the sun.
XVIII.
Solis stella nomine Phaethon, corpore est magno, colore autem igneo; similis eius stellae, quae est in humero dextro Orionis. hic per XII signa assidue ferri uidetur. nonnunquam etiam cum solis ipsius sideribus apparet, modo aliis partibus adiectis circuli. hanc stellam nonnulli Saturni esse dixerunt, redire autem ad signum annis XXX et quotannis non apparere non minus dies XXX, nec amplius XL.
XVIII. Phaethon (Saturn)
The star of the Sun, named Phaethon, is large in body, and of fiery colour; similar to the star that is in the right shoulder of Orion. It is seen to be carried continually through the 12 signs. Sometimes also it appears with the sun's own stars, now with other parts of its circle added. Some have said that this star is Cronus's, and returns to its sign in 30 years, and every year does not appear for not less than 30 days nor more than 40.
XIX.
Reliquum est nobis de Martis stella dicere, quae nomine Pyrois appellatur. hic autem non magno est corpore, sed figura similis est flammae. nonnunquam autem cum ipsius solis sideribus concurrens, omnia peruolat signa, secedens a primo signo non longius biennio.
XIX. Pyrois (Mars) and the intercalation of months
It remains for us to speak of Ares's star, which is called Pyrois. This one is not of great body, but similar in figure to a flame. Sometimes, running together with the sun's own stars, it flies through all the signs, withdrawing from the first sign for not longer than two years.
Quod ad quinque stellas pertinet, ad hoc satis arbitramur dictum; nunc autem demonstrabimus, quibus de causis menses intercalentur, quoniam tempus omne metitur die et nocte, mense et anno. de quibus diem nobis definierunt, quamdiu sol ab exortu ad occasum perueniat; noctis autem spatium constituerunt esse, quamdiu sol ab occasu rursum ad exortum reuertatur; mensem autem, quamdiu luna zodiacum circulum perducat. annum uoluerunt esse, cum sol ab aestiuo circulo redit. Reliqua desiderantur.
As regards the five stars, we think enough has been said; but now we shall show for what reasons months are intercalated, since all time is measured by day and night, month and year. Of these they defined the day for us as how long the sun takes to come from rising to setting; the space of the night they fixed as how long the sun takes to return from setting again to rising; the month as how long the moon takes to run through the zodiac circle. They wanted the year to be when the sun returns from the summer circle.
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