6 +
Ch apter.i'ms r.
1 LaertiusProern. 1. i.
CHRONOLOGY.
Alexandrinus, informs us ( 2 ) : for Chiron was a pradical aftro-notner, as mav be there underftood alfo of his daughter Hippo:and Mulleus, the fon of Eumolpus and mafter of Orpheus,and one of the Argonauts, a made a fphere, and is reputed thefirif among the Greeks who made one ( 3 ) : and the fphere itfelffhews that it was delineated in the time of the Argonautic expe-dition; for that expeditiori is delineated in the Afterifms, toge-ther with feveral other ancienter hiftories of the Greeks, andwithout any thing later. There is the golden ram, the enfignof the veflel in which Phryxus fled to Colchis; the bull withbrazen hoofs tamed by Jafon ; and the twins, castor and pol-lux, two of the Argonauts, with the swan of Leda their mo-ther. There is the ftiip argo, and hydrus the watchful dra-gon; with Medea’s cup, and a raven upon its carcafs, thefymbol of death. There is chiron the mafter of Jafon, withhis altar and sacrifice. There is the Argonaut Hercu-les ( 4 ) with his d art and vulture falling down ; and the dra-gon, crab, and lyon, whom he flew; and the harp of theArgonaut Orpheus. Ali thefe relate to the Argonauts. Thereis orion the fon of Neptune, or, as forne fay, the grandfon ofMinos, with his dogs, and hare, and river, and scorpion.There is the ftory of Perfeus in the conftellations of perseus,andromeda, cepheus, cassiepea and cetus: that of Callifto,and her fon Arcas, in ursa major and arctophylax : that of
—-1, — - iar®-
Ei{ Tt lixaioovvtiv Suilw» yi»&- wyayt, Sei^atOgxot, xat 9t«ria« i\apa;, xai uyr,u.aX o
As thefe iTyr^xxf o\tif«ra ftand conneftedhere with oaths and propitiatory facrifices, and the know-ledge of them is made a part of the difcipJine, by which mankind was brought to a juft and ci-vilized life ; I much doubt whether the Afterifms be intended. Indeed both Chiron and hisdaughter Hippo feem to have been ikilled in phyfics. But the lady’s particular excellence wasin judicial aftrology.
H r^ulot fiti tos vpuiA.ctvhviraro
Xjnf/^OKTiv, n St’ arigu » eTatloXaf.
Were not thefe ayr,y.u\' the configurations of the heavenly bodies, on which aftrologers were
ufed to form their prediftions ? Predittion is conneited with popular fuperftition. And thus thefecxn^oti’ o> v/Airu might have a connedlion with oaths, and facrifices, and the difcipline of civil life.
(3) . x — tromo-ai St Sfoyona» xai o-patgut Trfuio». Diog. Laert. Proem. feft. III. That is, hewas the firft who <ixrrctc in verfc of the theogony and the fphere. This feems much more to thepurpofe thanChiron’s ohvpxu. And it is ftill morefo, that Orpheus himfelf was an aftro-
nomer. Vid. Suidas in Oftpm.
4
Icareus