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a thunderbolt should fall upon a tree, it promises wealth to the owners of the tree, but the agricultural yield will be diminished. The voyage will also be dangerous, and many thunderbolts will fall upon the sea, and many shipwrecks will occur. If a thunderbolt strikes a public place, a shameless youth may seize the kingship, with profligates and corrupt men running to his side. If a thunderbolt should fall upon walls, one must fear wars from neighboring regions and destruction for the youth. The enemies will fall into countless evils, so that death is considered by them a thing to be wished for. Sun in Sagittarius. When the sun is in Sagittarius, if a thunderbolt should fall upon a forest, it threatens conflagrations for ships. If it should fall upon a river, it signifies wars and naval battles, so that many are made desolate by such an attack. It threatens not least a movement of the Persians, and want for cities besieged by enemies. If a bolt should fall at sunset, it signifies civil battles; but the matters of discord will not be prolonged, and affairs will be better, as the very causes of the sedition are destroyed, so that the state enjoys peace. 52 Sun in Capricorn. A thunderbolt falling at this time, upon whatever place it should fall, signifies general gladness, both peace for the cities and fruitfulness for the fields and praise for the rulers of the state. Sun in Aquarius. If a thunderbolt should fall at this time, it threatens overflowing of the rivers and disappearance of the lands. The summer will be scorching, and a decrease of wine and oil, so that many become emigrants from the want. Sun in Pisces. When the sun is in Pisces, if a thunderbolt should fall, it threatens a squall on the sea, and there will be a severe shipwreck, and an overturning of the fish, and the sea will be no less troubled by pirates. A certain noble youth, having gone on campaign, will destroy the pirates and will become glorious for the victory. And it has been said before on p. 96, 3 that thunderbolts fall neither in Scythia nor in Egypt; but if by chance a thunderbolt should fall at this time upon the said climes, it signifies good things for those there. 5354t ON EARTHQUAKES The causes mentioned by the ancient philosophers for the earth's afflictions being clear, for the time being we accept one from among them all, that concerning subterranean fire, since I know I have been in the places in which shocks continuously happen, we shall relate a few things about what has fallen under our own observation. For fire, working through and rarefying the earth in its depths, prepares this to happen. Indeed, the areas near the vents and the gushings of hot waters are more frequently shaken, such as the region around Laodicea in Phrygia and Hierapolis next to it and Philadelphia in our own time, and throughout this part of Asia, and most of Europe towards the setting sun, I mean Sicily and Italy. For the generation of earthquakes is of dry winds going through tunnels; and of the excess there are several causes. The first and greatest is the rarefaction by the subterranean fire, and second is the incursion of the sea into the cavernous places. Heavy rain in winter and drought in summer also contribute; for the one, compressing the earth and forcing the wind into the depth, prepares for it a beginning of compression, and the other, drawing it up and pulling. 54 H. Of earthquakes, some are tilters and others are heavers, and tilters are those that shake sideways in the manner of a wave, while heavers are those that jolt and shake up and down. And of these, some are breakers, others only shakers, and others subsiders, and shakers are those causing a certain tremor of the earth or also

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δένδρου κατενεχθείη κεραυνός, πλοῦτον μὲν τοῖς κυρίοις τοῦ δένδρου ἐπαγγέλλεται, τὸ δὲ γεωργικὸν ἐλαττωθήσεται. ἐπικίνδυνος δὲ καὶ ὁ πλοῦς ἔσται, καὶ συχνοὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐκπεσοῦνται κεραυνοί, ναυάγιά τε πολλὰ συμβήσεται. εἰ δὲ κατὰ δημοσίου τόπου ἐνσκήψει κεραυνός, νεανίας ἀναιδὴς τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιλάβηται, ἀσώτων καὶ διεφθορότων συντρεχόντων αὐτῷ. εἰ δὲ κατὰ τειχῶν κατενεχθείη κεραυνός, πολέμους ἐκ τῶν πλησιοχώρων καὶ φθορὰν τῇ νεολαίᾳ δεδιέναι χρῆ. οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι μυρίοις εἰσπεσοῦνται κακοῖς, ὡς εὐκταῖον αὐτοῖς νομισθῆναι τὸν θάνατον. Ἥλιος ἐν τοξότῃ. ὅταν δὲ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τοξότην γένηται, εἰ κατενεχθείη κεραυνὸς ἐπὶ ὕλην, ἐμπρησμοὺς ταῖς ναυσὶν ἀπειλεῖ. εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ ποταμοῦ κατενεχθείη, πολέμους καὶ ναυμαχίας σημαίνει, ὡς ἐρήμους πολλοὺς ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐφόδου γενέσθαι. κίνησιν δὲ οὐχ ἥκιστα ἀπειλεῖ Περσῶν, καὶ ἔνδειαν ταῖς πολιοκρουμέναις ὑπὸ πολεμίων πόλεσιν. εἰ δὲ πρὸς ταῖς ἡλίου δυσμαῖς σκηπτὸς κατενεχθείη, ἐμφυλίους σημαίνει μάχας· ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς χρόνον ἐκταθήσεται τὰ τῆς διχονοίας, κρείττονα δὲ ἔσται τὰ πράγματα, αὐτῶν τῶν αἰτίων τῆς στάσεως ἀπολλυμένων, ὥστε τὸ πολίτευμα εἰρήνης ἀπολαῦσαι. 52 Ἥλιος ἐν αἰγόκερῳ. κατὰ τόδε καιροῦ κεραυνὸς καταφερόμενος, ἐφ' ὃν ἂν κατενεχθείη τόπον, γενικὴν ἱλαρίαν σημαίνει, εἰρήνην τε ταῖς πόλεσι καὶ εὐκαρπίαν τοῖς ἀγροῖς ἔπαινόν τε τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς πολιτείας. Ἥλιος ἐν ὑδροχόῳ. κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον εἰ κεραυνὸς κατενεχθείη, ἐκδρομὰς τῶν ποταμῶν ἀπειλεῖ καὶ ἀφανισμοὺς τῶν χωρίων. τὸ δὲ θέρος καυσῶδες ἔσται, καὶ ἐλάττωσις οἴνου καὶ ἐλαίου, ὡς πολλοὺς ἐκ τῆς ἐνδείας μετανάστας γενέσθαι. Ἥλιος ἐν ἰχθύσιν. ὅταν δὲ ἐν ἰχθύσιν ἥλιος γένηται, εἰ κεραυνὸς κατενεχθείη, ζάλην τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἀπειλεῖ, ναυαγία δὲ ἔσται βαρεῖα, καὶ ἀνατροπὴ μὲν τῶν ἰχθύων, ὀχληθήσεται δὲ οὐδὲν ἧττον ἡ θάλασσα ὑπὸ πειρατῶν. νέος δέ τις εὐγενὴς στρατευ σάμενος ἀπολέσει τὸ πειρατικὸν καὶ ἔνδοξος ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ γενήσεται. Καὶ εἴρηται μὲν πρότερον ̣p. 96, 3 ̣ ὡς οὔτε ἐν Σκυθίᾳ οὔτε ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ κεραυνοὶ καταφέρονται· εἰ δὲ τυχὸν κατενεχθείη κατὰ τόδε καιροῦ ἐπὶ τὰ εἰρημένα κλίματα κεραυνός, ἀγαθὰ τοῖς ἐκεῖ σημαίνει. 5354t ΠΕΡΙ ΣΕΙΣΜΩΝ ∆ήλων οὐσῶν τῶν εἰρημένων τοῖς πάλαι φιλοσοφήσασιν αἰτιῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς περὶ τὴν γῆν πάθεσι, μίαν ἐκ πασῶν, τὴν περὶ τοῦ καταγείου πυρός, τέως ἀποδεχόμενοι, ἐπεὶ κἀν τοῖς τόποις, ἐν οἷς συνεχῶς σάλοι συμβαίνουσιν, οἶδα γενόμενον ἐμαυτόν, ὀλίγα ἄττα περὶ τῶν ὄψεσιν αὐταῖς ὑποπεσόντων ἡμῖν ἀφηγησόμεθα. καὶ γὰρ τὸ πῦρ, διεργαζόμενον καὶ ἐξαραιοῦν τὴν ἐν βάθει γῆν, τουτὶ παρασκευάζει συμβαίνειν. ἀμέλει τὰ πλησιάζοντα τοῖς ἀναφυσήμασι καὶ ταῖς τῶν θερμῶν ἀναβολαῖς ὑδάτων πυκνότερον σείεται, οἷα τὰ περὶ τὴν Φρυγίαν Λαοδίκειαν καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτῇ Ἱερὰν πόλιν καὶ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς Φιλαδέλ φειαν, καὶ καθ' ὅλου τὴν ἐπὶ τάδε Ἀσίαν, καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα δὲ τῆς πρὸς δύνοντα ἥλιον Εὐρώπης, Σικελίαν λέγω καὶ Ἰταλίαν. καὶ γὰρ ἡ τῶν σεισμῶν γένεσις πνευμάτων ἐστὶ ξηρῶν διὰ σηράγγων ἰόντων· τοῦ δὲ πλεονασμοῦ αἰτίαι πλείους. πρώτη μὲν καὶ μεγίστη ἡ τοῦ καταγείου πυρὸς ἐξαραίωσις, δευτέρα δὲ ἡ τῆς θαλάσσης εἰς τοὺς σηραγγώδεις τόπους ἐπιδρομή. συνεργεῖ δὲ καὶ πολυομβρία χειμῶνος, καὶ θέρους ἀνομβρία· ἡ μὲν γὰρ πιλοῦσα τὴν γῆν καὶ εἰς τὸ βάθος ἀπωθουμένη τὸ πνεῦμα ἀρχὴν αὐτῷ θλίψεως παρασκευάζει, ἡ δὲ ἐπισπωμένη καὶ σύρουσα. ̣54 H. ̣ τῶν δὲ σεισμῶν οἱ μέν εἰσιν ἐπικλίνται οἱ δὲ βράσται, καὶ ἐπικλίνται μὲν οἱ κυματηδὸν ἐπὶ τὰ πλάγια σείοντες, βράσται δὲ οἱ τινάσσοντες καὶ σείοντες ἄνω καὶ κάτω. εἰσὶ δ' αὐτῶν οἱ μὲν ῥῆκται, οἱ δὲ σεισταὶ μόνον, οἱ δὲ ἱζηματίαι, καὶ σεισταὶ μὲν οἱ τρόμον τινὰ τῆς γῆς ἢ καὶ