ASTRONOMIA,
Astronomy, which treats of the Nature of the Heavens and the Stars The Aethiopians, as 'tis said were the first who discover'd this Science, because their Air is very clear, and they have not such change of Seasons as we have: Besides that this Nation is very subtil and surpasses all others in Wit, and Knowledge. Afterwards they improv'd this Science with great Application of Mind, for they measur'd the Course of each Star, and distinguish'd the Year into Months and Seasons, regulating the Year by the Course of the Sun, and the Months by the Motion of Moon. Moreover they divided the Heaven into 12 Parts, and represented each Constella∣tion by the Figure of some Animal, from whence proceeds the Diversity of their Re∣ligion and Gods, for those who more parti∣cularly observ'd the Proprieties of the Ram ador'd it, and so on of all the rest.
The Chaldeans were above all others addi∣cted to this Science, insomuch that they would be esteemed the Inventors of it. As for the Greeks they learn'd it from Orpheus, who gave them the first Light into it, though but ob∣scurely, and under the Veil of many Myste∣ries and Ceremonies: For the Harp upon which he celebrated the Orgia [i. e. the Bac∣chanalia] and plaid Hymns and Songs, was compos'd of Seven Strings which represent the Seven Planets, upon which Account the Greeks plac'd it in the Heavens after his Death and have called a Constellation by its Name. And therefore he is painted sitting upon a Harp, encompass'd with an infinite number of Animals, which are a Representation of the Celestial Fires.
In the time of Atreus and Thyostes the Greeks were arriv'd to great Knowledge in Astrono∣my; and the People of Argos having decreed that their Empire should be given to him who was most skilful in it. Thyestes discover'd to them the Proprieties of the Ram, from whence some took occasion to say, that he had a Ram or God: Atreus observ'd the Course of the Sun to be contrary to that of the Primum Mibile, which caus'd him to be preferr'd before his Ri∣val. The same Judgment is to be given of Rellerophon, for 'tis not believ'd that he ever had a winged Horse, but only that his Mind soaring up into Heaven, made many nice Observations about the Stars. The same is to be said of Phryxus the Son of Athamas, who is said to have gon through the Air upon a Golden Ram. Dadalus and his Son were like∣wise very learned in Astrology, for one of them confounding himself in this Science perhaps gave Occasion to the Fable: Also Pasiph••e, hearing her Father discourse of the Celestial Bull and the other Stars, fell in Love with his Doctrine, which occasion to the Poets to say, that she was enamour'd with a Bull.
There are some who have divided this Sci∣ence and assigned to each Astronomer his dif∣ferent part. Some have observ'd the Course of the Moon, and others the Motion of the Sun, or of some other Planets, with their different Influences. Thus it was with Phae∣ton and Endymion, whereof the former left us this Art imperfect by his untimely Death, and the latter perform'd his Part so well that he is said to have lain with the Moon, and enjoyed her Love. From hence it is that the Poets make Aeneas to be descended of Venus, Minos of Jupiter, Ascalaphus of Mars, Autolycus of Mercury, because they were born under these Planets, and because they always retained something of that Planet which was ascen∣dant at their Birth, therefore Minos was a King, Aeneas was a beautiful Man, Ascala∣phus was valiant, and Autolycus theivish. Nei∣ther must we imagine that ever Jupiter did chain up Saturn, or throw him down head-long into Hell, as ignorant People believed, but the former part of the Fable was feign'd upon the account of his slow, and sluggish Motion; and the vast distance of the Aether in which he moves, from this Earth, was taken for the Abyss of Hell. All that the Po∣ets say of the Adultery of Mars and Venus, and the manner of discovering it, is taken from Astrology; for the frequent conjunction of these 2 Planets gave occasion to these Fictions.
Lycurgus, the great Lawgiver of the Laco∣demonians, fram'd his Common-wealth upon this Model of the Stars, and forbad his Ci∣tizens to march out to Battel, before the full Moon, because then its Body is more vi∣gorous.
The Arcadians are the only People who would not entertain Astronomy, because they were such Pools as to think that they were born before the Moon.