VITRUVIUS. 
Near the Cup and Leo is the ship called Argo, whole prow i invisible; but the mast, and 
thole parts that are next the sterage, are plainly seen. The pop of the same ship joins the 
weint osfche Dogstal. The lesser Dog, under Gemini, goes before the head of the Iyda; 
the greater all ollous theleffer. orion is depessed traniverfly nder the hof of Centau- 
rus, holding it wich his left hand, and raifing the club in his other hand to Gemini. The 
head of the Hare, which is at a litle distance from the Dog, is his fotstol. Under Aries 
and Pilees lies the Whale, from whole creft narow strams of stars, which the Greeks cal 
Hermedane, extend to both the Filhes; and from that great distance the ligature of the Filhes 
reaches to the top of the Whales crest. Eridanus flous in the form of a river of stars, 
taking its beginning from the left foot of Orion. The water that is poured from Aquarius 
runs between the head of the southern Fish and the tail of the Whale. 
The appearances of the stars, figured and formed in the heavens by nature and the Divine 
Mind, as the philosopher Democritus believes, I have now explained. But we can only ob¬ 
serve and discover such of them as rise and set; for as Septentrio turns around the cardinal 
axis sche north pole), without setting or passing under the earth, so around the southern car- 
Galiani reproves Perrault for this idea, and observes 
that Vitruvius is here speaking of the Serpent, i. e. Hy- 
dra, not of Virgo; intimating that it is the shoulders 
of the Serpent that Vitruvius means, and to which we 
must look for the stars equally bright that he mentions. 
We seem destined to differ from each other; and in this 
I must differ from both Galiani and Perrault, believing 
that the shoulders of the Crow are here meant: for Vi- 
truvius is speaking of the Crow, which he has just before 
named; and on whose shoulders there are, in fact, two 
large stars of equal lustre; whereas there are no such 
stars on the Serpent, or Hydra; nor can the term 
shoulders be properly applied to serpents, whose bodies 
are not formed with any part like a shoulder. Galiani 
seems to have been aware of this, and has translated sca- 
pulas, the back, not the shoulders, which it properly signi- 
(3*) This fhould undoubtedly be Taurus, not Centau¬ 
rus: the situation of the two constellations plainly prove 
it to be an error, as is observed by all the commentators; 
for Vitruvius has before mentioned Centaurus to be near 
Libra and Scorpio; and here he says, Orion extends one 
hand to Gemini; he cannot therefore be near Centaurus. 
(4*) « Orion vero transversus est subjectus pressus un¬ 
et gula Centauri (Tauri), manu laeva tenens clavam alteram 
« ad Geminos tollens." These words have been generally 
understood to signify that Orion is situated under the hoofs 
of the Bull, holding in his left hand a club, and extending 
the other to Gemini; directly contrary to the usual repre- 
sentation, in which Orion holds the club in his right hand, 
extending the same to Gemini. 
Galiani has therefore inserted the word clypeum between 
tenens and clavam, and changed alteram to altera, thus 
making the text say that Orion holds a shield in his left 
hand. But without altering the text, by making the stop 
after tenens, it will agree with the representation on the 
ancient globe, in which Orion is represented holding a 
mantle in his left hand, close to the hoof of Taurus, and 
raising the club in his other hand to Gemini. Galiani's 
alteration of the text is therefore unnecessary. Perrault 
also in his notes has mistakingly said that Orion holds the 
club in his left hand, raised toward Gemini; whereas he 
holds the club in his right hand. 
(5*) The text has here serpentium, by which is sup¬ 
posed to be signified the fisbes of which Vitruvius is now 
speaking. 
(6*) So named from the river now called Po.