ASTROLOGIA MUNDA - Classical Astrologer Weblog

Book IV – Astrologia Munda
Section III – Chapter XVI
quality, it breaks out of the sides of the cloud, and by this its eruption causes a
thundering noise in the air; and this flying out of the fire the vulgar call
lightning; the which Aristotle says comes after thunder. But I am of the opinion
they come both together, though the sense of seeing is more suddenly
apprehensive of the light than the hearing is of the sound, because what is
conveyed to the eye is by a direct line, but to the ear by an oblique; for at a
distance we may discern a blow before we hear it, yet being hard by we shall
hear it soon as it is given or can be seen, etc.
Lightning as some authors say, is of marvellous efficacy and they have made
mention of three sorts, dry, moist and clear. The dry does not burn but cleaves
trees through, also houses, and the like. The moist does not burn either, but it
alters colour. The clear both burns and destroys, and is indeed the most
dangerous of all; for it breaks the bones and sword, and bruises not the skin nor
breaks the scabbard; and melts money in the purse and yet does not melt wax,
etc.
[Signs of earthquakes to come]
We are now to give the reason of the eclipsing of both the luminaries; but first I
think it very requisite to set down some tokens of earthquakes to come, which
are briefly six. The first is when the Sun is obscured and darkened without the
presence of clouds or the body of the Moon; the second token that an
earthquake is at hand, is when the Sun is as it were bloody and coloured in such
a strange manner; the third, is when a fiery pillar, or cloud like pillar of fire
appears in the heavens; the fourth, is when the air is very quiet both at land and
sea for a long continuance and wind is absent; the fifth, is when waters are salt
and troubled and of another taste than what usually and naturally they are; the
sixth and last, is when strange unaccustomed and unusual noises of
exclamations of men, howling, lamentations, and clattering of armour are heard
and such sights seen in the air.
[The cause of the Sun’s eclipse]
And now as touching the eclipse of either of the luminaries, you are to know it
is only a privation of their light; that of the Sun is occasioned at the conjunction
of the luminaries, or more plainly at the change of the Moon, by the
interposition of the body of the Moon between the Sun and the earth averting or
turning his beams from us, and so the Sun becomes obscured or darkened for
that time.
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