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Tusculan Disputations; Also, Treatises on the Nature of Gods, and on the Commonwealth
Tusculan Disputations Also Treatises on the Nature of Gods and on the Commonwealth Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1899 Original Publisher: Harper Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select f... more »rom more than a million books for free. Excerpt: Before him goes Cassiopea1 with a faintish light; But near her moves (fair and illustrious sight!) Andromeda,3 who, with an eager pace, Seems to avoid her parent's mournful face.' With glittering mane the Horse4 now seems to tread, So near he comes, on her refulgent head; With a fair star, that close to him appears, A double form3 and but one light he wears; By which he seems ambitious in the sky An everlasting knot of stars to tie. Near him the Ram, with wreathed horns, is placed; by whom The Fishes' are; of which one seems to haste Somewhat before the other, to the blast Of the north wind exposed. XLIV. Perseus is described as placed at the feet of Andromeda: And him the sharp blasts of the north wind beat. Near his left knee, but dim their light, their seat The small Pleiades7 maintain. We find, Not far from them, the Lyre" but slightly join'd. Next is the winged Bird," that seems to fly Beneath the spacious coveting of the sky. 1 Grotius, and after him Dr. Davis, and other learned men, read Cas- siepea, after the Greek KaemeTtem, and reject the common reading, Cassiopea. " These northern constellations here mentioned have been always placed together as one family with Cepheus and Perseus, as they are in our modern mnps. 3 This alludes to the fable of Perseus and Andromeda. 4 Pegasus, who is one of Perseus and Andromeda's family. 5 That is, with wings. 6 Aries, the Ram, is the first northern sign in the zodiac; I'isces, the Fishes, the lust southern sign ; therefore they must be near one another, as they are in n circle or belt. In Flam...« less