Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, or Quadripartite: being four books of the influence of the stars / Newly translated from the Greek paraphrase of Proclus. With a preface, explanatory notes, and an appendix, containing extracts from the Almagest of Ptolemy and the whole of his Centiloquy; together with a short notice of Mr. Ranger's Zodiacal planisphere, and an explanatory plate. By J. M. Ashmand.

  • Ptolemy, active 2nd century.
Date:
1822
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, or Quadripartite: being four books of the influence of the stars / Newly translated from the Greek paraphrase of Proclus. With a preface, explanatory notes, and an appendix, containing extracts from the Almagest of Ptolemy and the whole of his Centiloquy; together with a short notice of Mr. Ranger's Zodiacal planisphere, and an explanatory plate. By J. M. Ashmand. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/280
    into the councils of princes, it guided the policy ot na¬ tions, and ruled the daily actions of individuals. All this is attested by the records of every nation which has Darius Hystaspis, about 520 B. C., and assisted Hystaspes, tlie father of Darius, in reforming the Magi, of whom the said Hystaspes was Master. Newton adds, p. 352, that “ about the same time with Hys- “ taspes and Zoroaster, lived also Ostaues, another eminent Magus : “ Pliny places him under Darius Hystaspis, and Suidas makes him “ the follower of Zoroaster: he came into Greece with Xerxes about “ 480 B. C., and seems to be the Otancs of Herodotus. In his book, “ called the Octateuchus, he taught the same doctrine of the Deity “ as Zoroaster.” Having quoted thus far from Newton, it seems proper to subjoin the following extract from the “ Ancient Universal History—“ In “ the reign of Gushtasp” [the oriental name of Darius Hystaspis], “ King of Persia, flourished a celebrated astrologer, whose name was “ Gjamasp, surnamed A1 Hakim, or the wise. The most credible “ writers say that he was the brother of King Gushtasp, and his con- “ fidant and chief minister. He is said to have predicted the coming “ of the Messiah; and some treatises under his name are yet current in the East. Dr. Thomas Hyde, in speaking of this philosopher, “ cites a passage from a very ancient author, having before told us “ that this author asserted there bad been among the Persians ten “ doctors of such consummate wisdom as the whole world could not “ boast the like. He then gives the author’s words : ‘ Of these, the “ ‘ sixth was Gjamasp, an astrologer, who was counsellor to Hystas- “ ‘ pis. He is the author of a book intitled Judicia Gjamaspis, in “ * which is contained his judgement on the planetary conjunctions. “ 'And therein he gave notice that Jesus should appear; that Mo- “ ‘ hammed should be bom; that the Magian religion should be ‘abolished, &c.; nor did any astrologer ever come up to him.' “ [E lib. Mucj. apud Hyde]. Of this book there is an Arabic ver- “ sion, the title of which runs thus; The Book of the Philosopher “ Gjamasp, containing Judgements on the Grand Conjunctions of the Planets, and on the Events produced by them. This version was “ made by Lali; the title he gave it in Arabic was A1 Keranat, and