tered Scorpio, at the time of the setting of the
Pleiades, he begins to make the days shorter as he advances toward the
south. From Scorpio he enters Sagittarius and, on reaching the thighs,
his daily course is still further diminished. From the thighs of
Sagittarius, which are reckoned as part of Capricornus, he reaches the
end of the first eighth of the latter, where his course in heaven is
shortest. Consequently, this season, from the shortness of the day, is
called bruma or dies brumales. Crossing from Capricornus into Aquarius,
he causes the days to increase to the length which they had when he was
in Sagittarius. From Aquarius he enters Pisces at the time when Favonius
begins to blow, and here his course is the same as in Scorpio. In this
way the sun passes round through the signs, lengthening or shortening
the days and hours at definite seasons.

I shall next speak of the other constellations formed by arrangements of
stars, and lying to the right and left of the belt of the signs, in the
southern and northern portions of the firmament.

CHAPTER IV

THE NORTHERN CONSTELLATIONS

1. The Great Bear, called in Greek [Greek: arktos] or [Greek: helike],
has her Warden behind her. Near him is the Virgin, on whose right
shoulder rests a very bright star which we call Harbinger of the
Vintage, and the Greeks [Greek: protrygetes]. But Spica in that
constellation is brighter. Opposite there is another star, coloured,
between the knees of the Bear Warden, dedicated there under the name of
Arcturus.

2. Opposite the head of the Bear, at an angle with the feet of the
Twins, is the Charioteer, standing on the tip of the horn of the Bull;
hence, one and the same star is found in the tip of the left horn of the
Bull and in the right foot of the Charioteer. Supported on the hand of
the Charioteer are the Kids, with the She-Goat at his left shoulder.
Above the Bull and the Ram is Perseus, having at his right...[11] with
the Pleiades moving beneath, and at his left the head of the Ram. His
right hand rests on the likeness of Cassiopea, and with his left he
holds the Gorgon's head by its top over the Ram, laying it at the feet
of Andromeda.

[Note 11: From this point to the end of section 3 the text is often
hopelessly corrupt. The translation follows, approximately, the
manuscript reading, but cannot pretend to be exact.]

3. Above Andromeda are the Fishes, one above her belly and the other
above the backbone of the