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is of eclipses or is seen happening through the appearances of comets, and especially when before the rising of the sun they cast their hair towards anything; but especially when with their hair they cover some of the wandering stars. For bringing their hair to bear upon that of Zeus, they cause disturbances concerning the royal houses; and when they bring their hair to bear upon that of Ares, they cause diseases and deaths for those in arms, and furthermore, factions of wars; and upon that of Aphrodite it signifies the corruption of women and deaths of queens and they make divisions; and upon that of Kronos, restraints of fruits, or rather scarcities; and upon that of Hermes they will provide disturbances to transactions and unpleasant rumors to the multitude. For it is impossible for a comet to shine around the sun and the moon. But if it appears, either before sunrise or around sunset, it will cause harm in the different regions; for in the east it will harm the regions around Asia, and in the west it will harm the regions around Europe. However, those who have spent time on these things have not presented the end nor the short duration of the times. And from the monthly conjunctions and full moons, when the so-called malefics bear witness to these things while the benefics are not in aspect, there arise some few oppositions, which are easily resolved because such things are not brought about at the time of the eclipses of the lights. The appearances of comets are different, as also are other things. But they do not bring about the same things; but all are bad. For the comet is fiery and bloody in its hair; the pogonias has its hair from below in the manner of a beard; the acontias is similar to a javelin and is brandished like iron; when it appeared, Judea was captured, as has also been said by Eusebius of Pamphilus; the xiphias is shorter, but pale and having sword-like rays; the diskeus is similar to a discus and its appearance is like electrum; the pithos is full of smoky light, and its shape is similar to its name; with which is the kerastes, having horn-like locks; the lampadias, in addition to these, is similar to a burning torch; there is indeed the horse, also called the horseman, scattering its rays in the manner of a horse's mane, and it is swiftest beyond the others, for which reason it received such a name. Ptolemy also mentions the salpinx in his works to Syrus, about which we have nothing to say; for we do not find such a configuration with any other. There are also other comets, the so-called tragoi (goats), being surrounded by certain clouds in the manner of flocks or tufts of wool; and at first they appear thus, but they are brought to completion in the shape of spears. All these are accustomed to appear for no more than seven days; but not even randomly in any region of the heaven, but only around the Milky Way, according to Aristotle. The typhoons, however, are near the southern pole, and these are fiery spheres and as it were bands of fire; these did not appear in Roman times, but having appeared before them, they shook Egypt. Whence Aristotle maintains that they are formed from an underlying moist substance; and for this reason to appear rarely over Egypt because of the underlying dryness. But all the others are towards the north, even if they are seen towards the east or the west. But around the Crown another comet rises, which whenever it appears, threatens a movement of the Persians. And it appeared also when Nero was beginning his madness. In addition to these, torches also shine forth in the heaven, or rather in the air—for no star is fixed to the heaven—and they appear when they fall out; such a thing as happened under Germanicus Caesar, when, as a spectacle was being held in Rome, something of this sort occurred, so that almost no one at that time was ignorant of it. There are two shapes, of which some are called torches, and others missiles. And the torches are kindled at their beginning, but the missiles are fiery throughout

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ἐκλειπτικῶν ἐστι ἢ διὰ τῶν ἐπιφανειῶν τῶν κομητῶν συμβαίνοντα ὁρᾶται καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου ἐπιτολῆς τὰς κόμας ἐπιβάλωσι πρὸς ὁτιοῦν· διαφερόντως δὲ ὅταν ταῖς κόμαις ἐπικαλύπτωσι τινὰς τῶν πλανωμένων ἀστέρων. τῷ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ ∆ιὸς ἐπιφέροντες τὰς κόμας, περὶ τοὺς βασιλικοὺς οἴκους τὰς ταραχὰς ἀποτελοῦσι· τῷ δὲ τοῦ Ἄρεος ὅταν ἐπενέγκωσι τὰς κόμας τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις νόσους τε καὶ θανάτους, ἔτι δὲ καὶ πολέμων στάσεις ἀποτελοῦσι· τῷ δὲ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης γυναικῶν φθορὰν σημαίνει καὶ βασιλίδων θανάτους καὶ διαστάσεις ποιοῦνται· τῷ δὲ τοῦ Κρόνου καρπῶν ἐπισχέσεις, ἤτοι σπάνεις· τῷ δὲ τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ ταραχὰς τοῖς συναλλάγμασι παρέξουσι καὶ φήμας ἀηδεῖς τῷ πλήθει. Τὸν γὰρ ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην ἀδύνατον περιλάμψαι κομήτην. εἰ δὲ φαίνεται, ἢ πρὸ ἀνατολῶν ἢ περὶ δυσμὰς, περὶ τὸ διάφορον τῶν κλιμάτων τὴν κάκωσιν ποιήσει· ἐν μὲν γὰρ ταῖς ἀνατολαῖς τὰ περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν, πρὸς δὲ τῇ δύσει τὰ περὶ τὴν Εὐρώπην κακώσει. οὐ μέντοι τὸ τέλος οὔτε τὴν σύντομον τῶν χρόνων παρέστησαν ὑπόστασιν οἱ περὶ ταῦτα διατρίψαντες. γίνονται δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν κατὰ μῆνας συνόδων καὶ πανσελήνων, ὅταν οἱ λεγόμενοι κακοποιοὶ τούτοις μαρτυρῶσι τῶν ἀγαθῶν μὴ συσχηματιζομένων, ὀλίγαι τινὲς ἐναντιώσεις, αἳ ῥαδίως λύονται διὰ τὸ μὴ κατὰ τὰς ἐκλείψεις τῶν φώτων τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀποτελεῖσθαι. ∆ιάφοροι δὲ αἱ τῶν κομητῶν ὄψεις, ὡς καὶ διάφορα ἄλλα. οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ ἀποτελοῦσι· κακὰ δὲ πάντες. ὁ μὲν γὰρ κομήτης ἐστὶ πυρώδης καὶ ταῖς κόμαις αἱματώδης· ὁ δὲ πωγωνίας ἐκ τῶν κάτωθεν δίκην πώγωνος ἔχει τὰς κόμας· ὁ δὲ ἀκοντίας ὅμοιός ἐστιν ἀκοντίῳ καὶ ὥσπερ σίδηρος κραδαίνεται οὗ φανέντος ἡ Ἰουδαία ἑάλω, ὡς καὶ Εὐσεβίῳ τῷ Παμφίλου εἴρηται· ὁ δὲ ξιφίας βραχύτερος μὲν, ὠχρὸς δὲ καὶ ξιφήρεις ἔχων τὰς ἀκτῖνας· ὁ δὲ δισκεὺς δίσκῳ παρεμφερὴς καὶ τὸ εἶδος ὡς ἤλεκτρος· ὁ δὲ πίθος καπνώδους μὲν φωτὸς πλήρης, τὸ δὲ σχῆμα ὅμοιος τῇ προσηγορίᾳ· μεθ' οὗ ὁ κεράστης κερα τοειδεῖς ἔχων τοὺς πλοκάμους· ὁ λαμπαδίας πρὸς τούτοις ὅμοιος λάμπαδι καιομένῃ· ἔστι γε μὴν ὁ ἵππος, ὁ καὶ ἱππεὺς καλούμενος δίκην λοφιᾶς ἵππου διαρραίνων τὰς ἀκτῖνας, ὀξύτατος δὲ παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους διὸ καὶ τοιαύτης ἔτυχε τῆς προσηγορίας. σάλπιγγος ἔτι μέμνηται ὁ Πτολεμαῖος ἐν τοῖς πρὸς Σύρον, περὶ οὗ εἰπεῖν τι οὐκ ἔχομεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εὑρίσκομεν παρ' ἑτέρῳ τοιοῦτόν τι κατάστημα. Γίνονται δὲ καὶ ἕτεροι κομῆται οἱ λεγόμενοι τράγοι, δίκην μαλλῶν ἢ πόκων ἐρίων νεφέλας τινὰς περικείμενοι· καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀρχὴν οὕτω φαίνονται, εἰς δοράτων δὲ σχῆμα ἀποτελοῦνται. οὗτοι δὲ πάντες οὐ πλείω ἢ ἐπὶ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας πεφύκασι φαίνεσθαι· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἰκῇ ἐφ' οἱουδήποτε κλίματος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, περὶ δὲ μόνον τὸν γαλαξίαν κατὰ τὸν Ἀριστοτέλην. Οἵ γε μὴν τυφῶνες κατὰ τὸν νότιον πόλον, σφαῖραι δ' εἰσὶν οὗτοι πυρώδεις καὶ ὡσανεὶ σύνδεσμοι πυρός· οὗτοι δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν καιρῶν οὐκ ἐφάνησαν, πρὸ δὲ αὐτῶν φανέντες ἔσεισαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον. ὅθεν αὐτοὺς Ἀριστοτέλης ἐξ ὑποκειμένης ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας ἀποτελεῖσθαι βούλεται· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀραιῶς ἐπὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου φαίνεσθαι διὰ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ξηρότητα. οἱ δ' ἄλλοι πάντες ἐπὶ τὸν βορέαν, κἂν ἢ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἢ δύσεις ὁρῶσι. Περὶ δὲ τὸν στέφανον ἄλλος ἀναδύεται κομήτης, ὅστις ὅταν φαίνηται τὴν τῶν Περσῶν ἀπειλεῖ κίνησιν. ἐφάνη δὲ καὶ ὅτε Νέρων τῆς μανίας ἐνήρχετο. Ἐκλάμπουσι δὲ πρὸς τούτοις καὶ λαμπάδες ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἢ μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ ἀέρι οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄστρον προσπέπηγε τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ φαίνονται ὅταν ἐκπίπτωσιν· ὁποῖον γέγονε ἐπὶ Γερμανικοῦ Καίσαρος, ὅτε ἀγομένου θεάτρου ἐπὶ τῆς Ῥώμης τοιοῦτόν τι συμβέβηκεν, ὡς μηδένα σχεδὸν ἀγνοῆσαι τῶν τότε. δύο δὲ σχήματα ἔστιν, ὧν τὰ μὲν λαμπάδες καλοῦνται, τὰ δὲ βολίδες. καὶ αἱ μὲν λαμπάδες ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς διακαίονται, αἱ δὲ βολίδες δι' ὅλου πυρώδεις