The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 4: Pictures of the 7 planets with table of favourable and unfavourable days and hours. Die Calenderbilder, Berlin (1888) figures 10-14.

The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 4: Pictures of the 7 planets with table of favourable and unfavourable days and hours. Die Calenderbilder, Berlin (1888) figures 10-14.

[Transcription]

	Noct			Diur
I	Mar.	N	I	Sat.	N
II	Sol.	C	II	Iov.	B
III	Ven.	B	III	Mar.	N
IIII	Mer.	C	IIII	Sol.	C
V	Lun.	C	V	Ven.	B
VI	Sat.	N	VI	Mer.	C
VII	Iov.	B	VII	Lun.	C
VIII	Mar.	N	VIII	Sat.	N
IX	Sol.	C	IX	Iov.	B
X	Ven.	B	X	Mar.	N
XI	Mer.	C	XI	Sol.	C
XII	Lun.	C	XII	Ven.	B

		Saturni dies N
Saturni dies horaque eius cum erit nocturna sive diurna, omnia obscura laboriosaque fiunt; qui nascentur periculosi erunt; qui recesserit non invenietur; qui decubuerit periclitabitur; furtum factum non invenietur.
[The day of Saturn and its hours, whether day or night, all things become obscure and laborious; those born will be sickly; those who hide will not be found; those who fall ill will perish; the hidden deed will not be found out.]

[Transcription]

	Noct			Diur
I	Ven.	B	I	Mar.	N
II	Mer.	C	II	Sol.	C
III	Lun.	C	III	Ven.	B
IIII	Sat.	N	IIII	Mer.	C
V	Iov.	B	V	Lun.	C
VI	Mar.	N	VI	Sat.	N
VII	Sol.	C	VII	Iov.	B
VIII	Ven.	B	VIII	Mar.	N
IX	Mer.	C	IX	Sol.	C
X	Lun.	C	X	Ven.	B
XI	Sat.	N	XI	Mer.	C
XII	Iov.	B	XII	Lun.	C

		Martis dies N
Martis dies horaque eius cum erit nocturna sive diurna, nomen militiae dare, arma militaria comparare utile est. qui nascentur periculosi erunt; qui recesserit non invenietur; qui decubuerit periclitabitur; furtum factum non invenietur.
[The day of Mars and its hours, whether day or night, it is advantageous to give a name for military service, to obtain military weapons. Those born will be sickly; those who hide will not be found; those who fall ill will perish; the hidden deed will not be found out.]

[Transcription]

	Noct			Diur
I	Sat.	N	I	Mer.	C
II	Iov.	B	II	Lun.	C
III	Mar.	C	III	Sat.	N
IIII	Sol.	N	IIII	Iov.	B
V	Ven.	B	V	Mar.	N
VI	Mer.	C	VI	Sol.	C
VII	Lun.	C	VII	Ven.	B
VIII	Sat.	N	VIII	Mer.	C
IX	Iov.	B	IX	Lun.	C
X	Mar.	N	X	Sat.	N
XI	Sol.	C	XI	Iov.	B
XII	Ven.	B	XII	Mar.	N

		Mercuri dies C
Mercuri dies horaque eius cum erit nocturna sive diurna, vilicum actorem institorem in negotio ponere utile est. qui nascentur vitales erunt; qui recesserit invenietur; qui decubuerit cito convalescet; furtum factum invenietur.
[The day of Mercury and its hours, whether day or night, it is advantageous to negotiate with a farm-manager, actor or shopkeeper. Those born will be healthy; those who hide will be found; those who fall ill will quickly recover; the hidden deed will be found out.]

[Transcription]

	Noct			Diur
I	Iov.	B	I	Lun.	C
II	Mar.	N	II	Sat.	N
III	Sol.	C	III	Iov.	B
IIII	Ven.	B	IIII	Mar.	N
V	Mer.	C	V	Sol.	C
VI	Lun.	C	VI	Ven.	B
VII	Sat.	N	VII	Mer.	C
VIII	Iov.	B	VIII	Lun.	C
IX	Mar.	N	IX	Sat.	N
X	Sol.	C	X	Iov.	B
XI	Ven.	B	XI	Mar.	N
XII	Mer.	C	XII	Sol.	C

		Lunae dies C
Lunae dies horaque eius cum erit nocturna sive diurna, stercus in agro mittere, putea cisternas fabricare utile est. qui nascentur vitales erunt; qui recesserit invenietur; qui decubuerit convalescet; furtum factum invenietur.
[The day of the Moon and its hours, whether day or night, it is advantageous to put manure on the field, to make a cistern or well. Those born will be healthy; those who hide will be found; those who fall ill will recover; the hidden deed will be found out.]

[Transcription]

	Noct			Diur
I	Mer.	C	I	Sol.	C
II	Lun.	C	II	Ven.	B
III	Sat.	N	III	Mer.	C
IIII	Iov.	B	IIII	Lun.	C
V	Mar.	N	V	Sat.	N
VI	Sol.	C	VI	Iov.	B
VII	Ven.	B	VII	Mar.	N
VIII	Mer.	C	VIII	Sol.	C
IX	Lun.	C	IX	Ven.	B
X	Sat.	N	X	Mer.	C
XI	Iov.	B	XI	Lun.	C
XII	Mar.	N	XII	Sat.	N

		Solis dies C
Solis dies horaque eius cum erit nocturna sive diurna, viam navigium ingredi, navem in aquam deducere utile est. qui nascentur vitales erunt; qui recesserit invenietur; qui decubuerit convalescet; furtum factum invenietur.
[The day of the Sun and its hours, whether day or night, it is advantageous to begin a journey by ship, or to launch a ship. Those born will be healthy; those who hide will be found; those who fall ill will recover; the hidden deed will be found out.]

[The image has been lost and only the text is preserved]

[Preserved text]















		Iovis dies B
Iovis dies horaque eius cum erit nocturna sive diurna, beneficium petere, cum potente colloqui, rationem reddere utile est. qui nascentur vitales erunt; qui recesserit cito invenietur; qui decubuerit convalescet; furtum factum invenietur.
[The day of Jupiter and its hours, whether day or night, it is advantageous to seek a benefit, to speak with the powerful, to pay an account. Those born will be healthy; those who hide will be found quickly; those who fall ill will recover; the hidden deed will be found out.]

[The image has been lost and only the text is preserved]

[Preserved text]















		Veneris dies B
Veneris dies horaque eius cum erit nocturna sive diurna, sponsalia facere, pueros puellas in disciplina mittere utile est. qui nascentur vitales erunt; qui recesserit cito invenietur; qui decubuerit convalescet; furtum factum invenietur.
[The day of Venus and its hours, whether day or night, it is advantageous to bring about an engagement (to marry), to send boys and girls for instruction. Those born will be healthy; those who hide will be found quickly; those who fall ill will recover; the hidden deed will be found out.]

Notes to the online edition

Only five of the seven images of the planets have been preserved, which contain the table of fortunate and unfortunate hours. The five images are preserved in the Peiresc and Brussels copies. However all seven subscriptios are preserved in the St. Gall manuscript, although the copyist of this rearranged them in the order of the days of the week as they are today. The original order must have begun with Saturn, on the reverse of the page with the Natales Caesarum. The two missing images reflect the loss of a single page at this point in the archetype of all the illustrated copies. The order of the other four images varies, and Mommsen suggests that this reflects a quaternion coming loose in a later copy and a bifolium being reversed or inserted between the leaves of an existing earlier bifolium.

N = Noxia (harmful)
C = Communis (neutral)
B = Bona (healthy)

The seven planets in order are Saturn, Mars, Mercury, Luna (the moon), Sol (the sun), Jupiter, and Venus.

This text is reproduced from Mommsen, MGH, pp.42-45, with Strzygowski figures 10-14.

This text was scanned by Roger Pearse, 2006. All material on this page is in the public domain - copy freely.

Early Church Fathers - Additional Texts