468 Curious Queries: THE TABLE OF DIRECTIONS. t Luna ad fquare of Saturn in munda Sol ad fextile of Venus in munda Sol ad femiquadrate of Mercury d. d. 1 NEVER did a pofition of the planets more clearly point out the fate of an individual than in this geniture, 24 in the tenth houfe gives great honour and preferment: this was evinced by her advancement to the throne of Denmark. The 8 in the mid-heaven, declares lofs of honour and reputation; an old author fays, "it precipitates the native from the chief pinnacle of dignity into the very jaws of a dangcon, and often portends exile, or perpetual imprisonment.' All the world knows how truly this was verified. The luminaries in the twelfth are also a corroborating fign of the native's imprisonment, efpecially as one of them is lord of the afcendant. Venus, lady of the tenth, in-quartile of 20 , and applying to the oppofition of , is another circumftance which adds to the native's misfortunes, of which more may be thought than fpoke, h in the fourth denotes a bad end to the native, however exalted; inftances of which may be feen in the genitures of Charles I. and James Duke of Hamilton. in this figure, fignifies her enemies, as being lord of the feventh, and being pofited in her fourth, which is their tenth, and in conjunction with 83, it is no wonder they should overcome her. The luminaries not being in án hylegial place, cannot either of them be giver of life; therefore the afcendant must be taken for that pur-poie, which directing to the quartile of h, occafioned her death at the age of twenty-three years, ten months. Obferving a CHAP. II. RULES OF SAFETY. 1. WHEN the principal fignifica tors, viz. thofe figns on the lines of good houses, and their lords are strong, well pofited, and free from any affliction, fafety and fuccefs is denoted to the fhip's company. the lord of the afcendant unfortunate, 2. The afcendant fortunate, and and in abject houfes, the fhip does well, and arrives happily at its intended port, but there happens damage and misfortune to those failing in her. 3. The D and the fortunate stars, angular and well affected, and the infortunes cadent and otherwise op. preffed, the fhip and her lading will go very fafe to her intended port without any interruption. 4. When the teftimonies of fafety and danger are equal, the fignificators of fafety are derived from more noble parts of the figure, the fhip will be wholly freed from menaced danger. 5. The principal fignificators, fiift in motion, and happily affifted by fortunate stars, in good houses, and above the earth, a speedy and fuccefsful voyage, profitable to the owners, and reputable to the ftars, and this will be more eminently confiderable if the lord of the fecond and part of fortune favourably aflifts. (To be continued.) ALBERTUS'S SECRETS OF NATURE. Continued from Page. 449. SO confonant to truth are the foregoing obfervations, viz. of the influence of the figns on the different parts of the human body, that it is known by experience to be of dangerous confequence to wound any member whenfoever its predominant fign concurs with the influence of the moon: the reafon of which is, that by nature the moon increases the moisture, particu. larly at the full; fo that if a wounded limb be expofed to the moon's rays, the humours will be collected to the affected part, in which cafe the danger that may follow is too obvious to be infifted on Thefe confequences are not to be apprehended from the Sun, because it exhales the moisture, Hence it is reafonable to conclude, that the moisture is greatest at the full moon; at which period, the marrow, menftruous humour, and the brain, appear to be the most fenfibly affected; a truth which is confirmed by the teftimony of perfons of a ftudious dif pofition, who find that time lefs favourable than any other to the profecution of their ftudies. Towards a farther elucidation of this fubject, our author notices the different pofitions of the moon, and the effects afcribed to them. The firit quarter, which correfponds with the air, is hot and moift, and all who are begotten then, are of fanguine habits. The fecond quarter partakes of a more fiery nature, and to it are attributed choleric tempers. The third quarter correfponds with the earth, which is dry and cold, and is thought to engender melancholy. The fourth quarter being of a cold, waterifh nature, is fuppofed to produce phlegm: whence fome contend that if a piece of flesh be expofed to the moon in the fourth quarter, it will breed worms fooner than at the full moon. Be it obferved, that in cafe VOL. I. of illness during the fourth quarter, the patient ought carefully to avoid bloodletting, or any wound, particularly in the head, whereby the brain might be injured, fince even an excoriation might be productive of mif chief. Hence arifes another confideration of ferious import to the health of individuals, which is, that coition with menftruous women is a gratification not to be indulged in, without running the hazard of impairing one's conftitu tion, many having thereby unwarily contracted a leprofy. This caution comes recommended by the authority of Hippocrates, who fays the air is infected by the fetor proceeding from the menftrua, of course so must the frame of man. Another danger to be guarded againft during the fourth pofition of the moon, is lying exposed to her influence; which is the caufe of head-achs, and fluxion of the rheum, which ends in a catarrh. Albertus, after having dwelt as long as he thought neceffary on the figns, in a minute investigation of their agency, returns to the planets, called by the ancients the deities of nature, prefiding over men. With much propriety was this appellation bestowed upon them, inafmuch as nature is governed by them, as a kingdom is by a king. But, it will be faid, if the planets be the gods of nature, where.. in confifts the use of the ftars? what benefit is derived to us from the ftarry heaven? It is faid to be the univer fal and uniform caufe of nature, and that the planets diverfify the effects by their motion. The effects of the pla nets are here confidered as they operate on the body and the mind. And first Saturn, the remoteit of our fyftem, fo affects the corporeal parts, as to ren der the perfon born under it of a fwarthy and dark complexion, with lank 3 A black 472 Properties of the Planets. black hair, and thick-fet with beard. Such are the diftinguishing bodily marks. The mental distinctions are, a perfidious, and malicious difpofition, an irafcible and forrowful temper, prone to filthinefs, flow to venery, and hardly ftimulated to it by provocatives, Hence even thofe who are apteft to ridicule the notion of the in. fluence of the planets, contradict themfelves frequently by their expreffions; for at the fame time that they deny Saturn any afcendancy over mankind, they make use of the words, faturnine and melancholy as fynonimous terms. Jupiter, the next in diftance and magnitude, is the reverfe of the former in his operative capacity over us, and from his producing in the body a different fet of features, and in the mind far other difpofitions, the fabulous account of Jupiter's having expelled Saturn may be accounted for. The influence of this planet is chiefly difcoverable in the face, which under his predominance is beautiful, of an oval figure, with bright eyes, long hair, and a complexion in which the rofe and lily blend their hues. The perfon born under him is long-haired, because he is hot and moist, which are the cause thereof, hair being nothing more than the fuperfluity of the moisture iffuing at the pores. It is obferved likewife, that those who are bearded early are well-complexioned. As from the elegance of the manfion, we form an idea of the refident, fo are the intellectual gifts of thote born under Jove proportioned to the bodies they dwell in; they are merciful, true, and liberal: long lived, and lovers of cleanlincfs. They are moreover amoroufly inclined, and fitted to acquit them felves vigoroufly of love's functions, by reafon of the heat and moisture of their constitutions. The planet that claims notice after Jupiter is Mars; who is far leis friendly to the body and mind than the former, on account of his heat and dry. ne's; hence the fmall eyes, thort, frizzly locks, and distorted limbs, in many who are born under him. A degree of heat exceeding that of moisture, is the, caufe of the hair's curling, which, by the bye, is a fure prognoític that whomfoever it belongs to is of a hasty temper. They are alfo in complexion of a dark red; for the redness is owing to the action of the heat up. on the moisture, which it confumes, as may be exemplified by bricks, which are of a whitish colour before they are burnt, and become red in proportion as their moisture is dried up by the heat. To want of moisture is likewife to be afcribed their mall eyes, thofe organs being waterifh, as is evi. dent from the quantity that gufles. forth when they receive any hurt; now Mars being dry and hot, cannot confequently form large, beautiful, eyes. With the ancients, Mars was accounted the God of war, from the knowledge of that planet's tendency to dry the brain, and inflame the heart, thereby preparing it for violence. He likewife begets a defire of copula tion, but unprovided with moisture in a degree proportionate to heat, fuch as are born under him are incapable of fully fatisfying their carnal appetite. The fourth planet is the Sun; to whofe kindly influence our globe is principally indebted for its comforts and conveniences. It was called the Eye of the World, and Father of the Gods; it being the firm principle of life, giving animation to every thing. His approach towards our orb influences fertility and generation; whereas, at his recefs, nature seems to put on a robe of fadnefs, feeling throughout all her parts a decay of the vital principle. His effects on the body are benign, rendering those who are born under him comely and well-proportioned, and to this corporeal fymmetry uniting the most valuable endownents of the mind, fuch as wif. dom, a love of truth and justice, and adherence to religion. Some nevertheless contend, that under a specious appearance of integrity lurks a fiend of hypocrify. |