Dante and the early astronomers . lation in the sky was worthy to be comparedwith it. This, he believed, was the very cross of whichDante had spoken in a prophecy. Even among Dantes most enthusiastic admirers, Isuppose none will be found to-day to support this view;but many think that he must have heard of the Crossfrom travellers. True, these stars are visible during atleast part of the year in all places south of 34° north,and therefore in North Africa, and they had beencatalogued by Ptolemy as part of the Centaur, so thatno astronomer could take them to be a newly-foundconstellation, but mi
Dante and the early astronomers . lation in the sky was worthy to be comparedwith it. This, he believed, was the very cross of whichDante had spoken in a prophecy. Even among Dantes most enthusiastic admirers, Isuppose none will be found to-day to support this view;but many think that he must have heard of the Crossfrom travellers. True, these stars are visible during atleast part of the year in all places south of 34° north,and therefore in North Africa, and they had beencatalogued by Ptolemy as part of the Centaur, so thatno astronomer could take them to be a newly-foundconstellation, but might not some unscientific travellerlike Marco Polo have brought a vague report of theirposition ? To this we might reply that Dante never says hisfour stars were in the form of a Cross; that there hadto be four to represent the four Pagan virtues, the otherconstellation of three representing the three Christianvirtues (compare the group of four handmaidens who 1 Purg. i. 26. 2 p^^g ^^^i 39^ Four bright stars, four sacred HERCULES PEGASUS PISCES AQUARIUS * CAPRICORNUS Fomalhaut CETUS PA VO Achetnar ^tL Sf ^ Pole. CENTAUR «« SOUTHERN CROSS ^ J^
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, booksubjectastronomy, booksubjectdantealighieri
