I've just uploaded in my blog the translation of chapter 8,9 and 10 of Fixis Stellis Commentarius written by Jean Stade in 1560 (the original text can be found in the wonderful Guinard's DIAL).

Translation from Latin as a joint- venture by me and Lucia Bellizia, who has a proper classical background


The Italian version with astronomical notes in Lucia's site here:
http://www.apotelesma.it/upload/Stade_- ... colari.pdf

English version here:
http://heavenastrolabe.net/stade-on-fixed-stars/


Hope you will like,
Margherita

Hello Margherita,

Better late than never as they say so let me congratulate both yourself and Lucia Bellizia on a truely fascinating piece of translation. I haven't been logging on much lately so I missed this when it came out. Well done!

So much of the medieval work on fixed stars seems a variation on a repeated theme. However, Stade seems truely original in some respects. As you mention his use of 'horizon stars'. I was also intrigued to find the other references made by Stade which relate to fixed stars in natal astrology.

For those interested in this we have entered into a bit of discussion on the mundane implications of this technique in a thread in the traditional forum entitled Solar Return -Precessed or not? You have to scroll ahead to page 4.

Dont ask me how it ended up there.

Lucia Bellizia's forthcoming translation on Cardano's use of 'vertical stars' ie those sharing declination with a specific latitude on earth also sounds fascinating. I assume this just be available in Italian? Do you have any plans to offer us an English translation?

Mark

MarkC wrote: let me congratulate both yourself and Lucia Bellizia on a truely fascinating piece of translation. I haven't been logging on much lately so I missed this when it came out. Well done!

Thanks for your kind word. I started to translate from Latin by myself some times ago, because I knew Stade from the translation Bezza did about stars and weather which is in CieloeTerra site and in Arcana Mundi, the collection of traditional astrological texts in 2 volumes translated by Bezza (now out of stock).

Stade writes about stars according tradition, nothing very new but it's a long chapter, longer than the one written by Cardano (which is translated in my blog too).

Then I met Lucia who knows Latin more than me, she has a university degree in ancient literature. And she knows Greek, which I don't know. So she finished the translation, and added other chapters. so the result is almost all what Stade writes about fixed stars about nativity.

Lucia Bellizia's forthcoming translation on Cardano's use of 'vertical stars' ie those sharing declination with a specific latitude on earth also sounds fascinating. I assume this just be available in Italian? Do you have any plans to offer us an English translation?

Yes, I hope so.
I should admit I just gave a quick look to the text....I don't want become mad putting in the right order all those Latin words mixed in the page.

It's silly when Lucia knows so well.

margherita