VIII.
Quoniam de huiuscemodi rebus exposuimus ordine, mundi rationem, et quemadmodum moueatur, protinus dicemus; et in duodecim signorum exortu quae deinde corpora consequantur, et quae perueniant ad occasum. conuenit nobis mundum ab exortu ad occasum uerti, ideo quod uidemus stellas ex oriente ad occidentem conuerti. sic enim primum poterimus scire, qui sint exortus et qui occasus. si enim nostrum aliquis adstiterit contra orientem, necesse est Arctos nobis a sinistris partibus esse. cum id ita fiat, illud quoque necesse est, ut omnia a dextris partibus exorta in sinistris occidere uideantur, de quo et ante diximus. igitur cum uideamus stellas exoriri et occidere, necesse est mundum quoque cum stellis uerti. sed nonnulli aiunt nihilominus id uenire posse, ut stante mundo, stellae exoriantur et occidant; quod fieri non potest. si enim stellae uagae feruntur, neque mundus ipse uertitur, non possunt corpora stellis figurata incolumia aut certa permanere. illud enim uidemus, in toto mundo stellas erraticas esse V, neque harum cursum quemquam posse definire; Aratum ipsum negare se difficiles earum cursus interpretari posse. quomodo igitur, cum V stellas nemo possit obseruare, tot milia quisquam possit peruidere, nisi qui permittit hoc, cursu stellarum posse nihilominus figuras corporum permanere? quod si non est, tota sphaera ad irritum reuocabitur. quicumque enim sphaeram fecerit, non poterit efficere, ut sphaera stante nihilominus stellae uersentur. illud etiam uidemus, in extrema cauda Draconis stellam esse, quae in se uertatur et in eodem loco constet. quod si omnes stellae uagae feruntur, hanc quoque loco moueri necesse est; quod non euenit. igitur necesse est mundum quoque, non stellas uerti.
VIII. The world turns
Since we have set out matters of this kind in order, we shall straightaway speak of the system of the world, and how it moves; and, at the rising of the twelve signs, which bodies then follow, and which reach their setting. It is fitting for us that the world turns from rising to setting, because we see the stars turn from east to west. For thus we shall first be able to know what the risings are and what the settings. For if one of us stands facing the east, the Bears must be on our left. Since this is so, this too is necessary: that everything that rises on the right-hand side is seen to set on the left, of which we also spoke before. Since, then, we see the stars rise and set, the world too must turn with the stars. But some say that nonetheless it can happen that, with the world standing still, the stars rise and set; which cannot be. For if the wandering stars are carried along and the world itself does not turn, the bodies figured by the stars cannot remain safe or fixed. For we see that in the whole world there are 5 wandering stars, and that no one can define their course; and that Aratus himself denies that he can explain their difficult courses. How, then, since no one can observe 5 stars, could anyone observe so many thousands, unless someone who allows this, that with the stars in motion the figures of bodies can nevertheless remain [?]? If this is not so, the whole sphere will be brought to nothing. For whoever has made a sphere will not be able to bring it about that, with the sphere standing still, the stars nonetheless turn. We see also this: that at the extreme tail of the Dragon there is a star that turns on itself and stays in the same place. If all the stars were carried wandering, this one too would have to move from its place; which does not happen. So it is necessary that the world too, not the stars, turns.
IX. DE DIE ET NOCTE.
Quoniam ostendimus mundum cum stellis potius quam stellas per se uerti, nunc reliqua dicemus. cum enim traditum sit nobis prius noctem quam diem fieri, noctem dicemus umbram terrae esse, eamque obstare lumini solis. etsi nonnulli dixerunt id solis cursu euenire, et cum peruenerit ad eum locum, ubi occidere dicatur, ibi montium magnitudine a nobis lumen auerti solis, et ita noctem uideri: quod si ita sit, nimirum eclipsin solis uerius quam noctem dixerimus. sed aliter esse ex ipsa sphaera intellegere licebit.
IX. On day and night
Since we have shown that the world turns with the stars rather than the stars of themselves, we shall now speak of the rest. Since it has been handed down to us that night comes before day, we shall say that night is the shadow of the earth, and that it stands in the way of the sun's light. Though some have said that this happens by the sun's course, and that when it has reached the place where it is said to set, there, by the size of the mountains, the light of the sun is turned away from us, and so night is seen: if this were so, we should surely rather call it an eclipse of the sun than night. But it will be possible to understand from the sphere itself that it is otherwise.
X.
Horizon enim diuidens ea quae uidentur, et quae non apparent, ita definit sphaeram, ut semper VI signa de XII in hemisphaerio uideantur supra terram, VI autem signa sint infra sub terra. igitur cum in uno eorum sol nixus ferri uideatur, ab eo circulo, qui horizon uocatur, exoritur, itaque incipit lucere, cum nihilominus ipse mundus uertatur cum reliquis signis. sed quo facilius intellegatur, ponamus solem esse in Ariete, a quo duodecim signa instituimus numerare. igitur cum sol sit in Ariete exoriente, dies est; qui cum uertente se mundo peruenit ad eum circulum, qui mesembrinos uocatur, efficit diei partem dimidiam. sed sic etiam facilius intellegitur, et rursus ab eodem Ariete incipiemus. cum Aries est exortus, praeter eum haec signa sunt in superiore hemisphaerio: Pisces, Aquarius, Capricornus, Sagittarius, Scorpio. horum cum tria signa occiderint, hoc est Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus et exorta sunt III signa quae Arietem secuntur, hoc est Taurus, Gemini, Cancer: tunc fieri dimidium diem necesse est, et Arietem peruenire ad eum, quem mesembrinum esse circulum supra diximus. cum autem cum reliquis signis ipse Aries occidit, et exortus est Leo, Uirgo: tum Chelae exoriuntur et in superiore hemisphaerio uehuntur. quae cum occiderint, rursus Aries exortus efficiet lucem.
X. The horizon, day and the twelve signs
The horizon, dividing what is seen and what does not appear, so defines the sphere that always 6 signs of the 12 are seen in the hemisphere above the earth, but 6 signs are below, under the earth. When, then, the sun, resting on one of them, is seen to be carried, it rises from the circle called the horizon, and so begins to shine, while the world itself nonetheless turns with the other signs. But to make it easier to understand, let us suppose that the sun is in the Ram, from which we began to count the twelve signs. When, therefore, the sun is in the rising Ram, it is day; when, the world turning, it arrives at the circle called mesembrinos, it makes half the day. But thus it is also more easily understood, and again we shall begin from the same Ram. When the Ram has risen, besides it these signs are in the upper hemisphere: the Fishes, Aquarius, Capricorn, the Archer, the Scorpion. When three of these signs have set, that is the Scorpion, the Archer, Capricorn, and the 3 signs which follow the Ram have risen, that is the Bull, the Twins, the Crab: then half the day must have come, and the Ram must have arrived at the circle which we said above is the mesembrinos. When, however, the Ram itself sets with the other signs, and the Lion and the Virgin have risen: then the Claws rise and are carried in the upper hemisphere. When these have set, the Ram, rising again, will make light.
Sed ne in dubium ueniat, cum Ariete occidente dixerimus Chelas exoriri, quid de reliquis signis in sphaera possit intellegi, sic inuenietur. in quocumque signo sol fuerit exoriens, quodcumque ab eo signo septimo loco fuerit, id noctu primum exorietur et ita conficiet cursum. mundus enim ipse semel in die ac nocte uerti uidetur. itaque euenit, ut ipsa signa XII semel in die ac nocte uideri possint. sed ne solis cursus, de quibus postea sumus dicturi, potius quam quod ante coepimus, enumeremus, ad inceptum reuertamur. diximus enim principium mundi esse noctem, deinde diem. inter noctem et diem praeter umbram terrae nihil interesse arbitramur. sed quoniam signorum supra et corporum exortus instituimus, ad hoc perueniemus.
But lest it come into doubt, when we say that the Claws rise as the Ram sets, what can be understood about the remaining signs in the sphere, it will be found thus. In whatever sign the sun is, rising, whatever is in the seventh place from that sign will rise first at night and so complete its course. For the world itself is seen to turn once in a day and night. And so it comes about that the 12 signs themselves can be seen once in a day and night. But lest we enumerate the sun's courses, of which we are going to speak afterwards, rather than what we began before, let us return to what we began. We said that the beginning of the world is night, then day. Between night and day we think there is no difference except the shadow of the earth. But since we have undertaken the risings of the signs and of the bodies above, we shall come to this.
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