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The architecture of Marcus Vitruvius Pollio : in ten books / translated from the Latin by Joseph Gwilt, F.S.A., F.R.A.S.
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stopping a long time in one sign, she makes np by herquick passage through others. She completes her circuitthrough the heavens in four hundred and eighty-fivedays ; by which time she has returned to the sign fromwhence she set out. Mars, on about the six hundredand eighty-third day, completes the circuit of the signs,and returns to his place; and if, in any sign, he movewith a greater velocity, his stationary state in othersequalizes the motion, so as to bring him round inthe proper number of days. Jupiter moving also incontrary rotation, but with less velocity, takes threehundred and sixty days to pass through one sign; thuslengthening the duration of his circuit to eleven yearsand three hundred and twenty-three days before he re-turns to the sign in which he was seen twelve yearsbefore his setting out. Lastly, Saturn, remaining thirty-one months and some days in each sign, returns to hispoint of departure at the end of twenty-nine years, andabout one hundred and sixty days, or nearly thirty years-Hence, the nearer he is to the extremity of the universe,the larger does his circuit appear, as well as the slowerhis motion. All those which make their circuit abovethat of the sun, especially when they are in trine aspect,do not advance, hut, on the contrary, are retrograde, andseem to stop till the sun passes from the trinal sign intoanother. Some are of opinion, that this happens on ac-count of their great distance from the sun, on which ac-count their paths not being sufficiently lighted, they areretarded by the darkness. But I am not of that opinion,since the brightness of the sun is perceptible, evident andunobscured throughout the system, just as it appears tous, as well when the planets are retrograde as when theyare stationary. If, then, our vision extends to such adistance, how can we imagine it possible to obscure theglorious splendour of the planets ? It appears more pro-bable, that it is the heat which draws and attracts all thingstowards itself: we, in fact, see the heat raise the fruits