Full text: Vitruvius: The architecture of M. Vitruvius Pollio

B0 0 K. IX. 
her and of the Horse, are over the back of the Horse; and a glittering star limits the belly of 
the Horse and the head of Andromeda. 
The right hand of Andromeda is placed upon the image of Cassiopeia, the left over the 
north-eastern Fish. Aquarius is over the head of the Horse, the hoofs of the Horse touching 
the knees of Aquarius: the middle of Cassiopeia is dedicated to Capricornus. High above 
are Aquila and Delphinus; near them is Sagitta; and by him the Swan, of which the right 
wing touches the hand of Cepheus, whose sceptre, in his left hand, rests upon Cassiopeia. The 
feet of the Horse are concealed under the tail of the Bird. 
Over Sagittarius, Scorpio and Libra, is the Serpent, the point of whose beak touches the 
crown. At the middle of the same place is Ophiuchus, holding the Serpent in his hand, his 
(4*) Here must be some error in the text, which runs 
thus : * Item Aquarii supra Equi capitis, Equi ungulae 
«e attingunt Aquarii genua: Cassiope media est dedicata 
« Capricorno:" for Vitruvius has faid that the Fishes are 
at the back of the Horse. Aquarius is next to them in 
the line of the Zodiac, and (as Vitruvius says) at the 
head of the Horse: also the feet of the Horse are hereafter 
described to be under the Swan's tail. It is therefore 
not possible, in this situation of things, that the hoofs of 
the Horse can touch the knees of Aquarius. Wherefore 
Philander and Perrault judge that, instead of Aquarii 
genua, Aquarius's knees, Avis pennæ, the Bird's wings, 
should be read; and Galiani has changed ungulae, hoofs, 
to auriculae, ears, which is the more probable correction: 
although this will not agree with the delineation on the 
globes. If we might read gula, throat, instead of genua, 
knees (and it is not very improbable that the word may 
have been so changed by the copyist), the reading would 
then, if joined with Galiani's correction, agree with the 
usual appearance on the globes. See the following note. 
(5*) « Cassiope media est dedicata Capricorno." Cal¬ 
siopeia is at so great a distance from Capricorn, that it is 
not likely Cassiopeia was here meant by the author: Ga- 
liani has therefore changed Cassiopeiae to Aquarii: and Perrault 
has altered the sense of the passage by altering the punc- 
tuation. 
Cassiope is written in all the manuscripts I have exa¬ 
mined, except one, wherein all the words between Aquarii 
and Media, quoted in the preceding note, are omitted, 
and where consequently the sense is, that the middle of 
Aquarius is dedicated to Capricorn, agreeing with the 
alteration of Galiani. 
(6*) «Abea antem volucris cujus penna dextra Cephei 
« manum attingit, & sceptrum laeva supra Cassiopeia in¬ 
« nititur. 
Perrault and Galiani translate this passage thus: * the 
« right wing touches the hand and sceptre of Cepheus, 
« and the left wing extends to Cassiopeia." But this cannot 
be just ; because Cepheus does not hold the sceptre in 
the hand that touches the right wing of the Swan, but in 
his left hand, which is near Cassiopeia; nor does the left 
wing of the Swan extend toward Cassiopeia, either in the 
modern globes, or in the antique sphere preserved in the 
Farnese palace at Rome. The text will very well bear 
the construction that I, following Barbaro, have given it, 
which exactly conforms to the representation on the globes. 
The words * læeva supra Cassiopeia innititur" more pro¬ 
bably relate to the left hand of Cepheus, than to the left 
wing of the Swan (although it may be inaccurately ex¬ 
pressed), because the position of Cepheus is not otherwile 
fully described; and the left wing of the Swan in no 
globe extends to Cassiopeia, but to the Horses feet: fo 
this reason also, I believe the words « sub Avis cauda'- 
« under the tail of the Bird," following the above quota- 
tion, should have been written : sub Avis penna'—" under 
the wing of the Bird;" for the feet of the Horse are 
under the left wing of the Swan, not under its tail, in the 
antient as well as in the modern globes. 
(2*) The Serpent-holder, called Serpentarius.
	        
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