Description
Book SynopsisThis book explores the notebooks of S. Belle, an astrologer who lived in late fifteenth-century France, as a case study of late medieval astrological practice. These notebooks combine astrological doctrine, a large collection of horoscopes, an almanac, and three complete judgements of nativities. By studying Belle’s methods, processes of learning, and practices, this book contributes to a better understanding of the internal architecture of astrology in the pre-modern world; this includes its techniques, methodologies, goals, transmission, and development throughout history. It offers an internalist view of the practice of astrology, as a counterpart to the existing research into astrology’s social and cultural impact.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction 1 On the Study of Astrological Documents 2 The Notebooks 3 Researching Fifteenth-Century Astrology 4 Belle’s Life and Work 2 Belle’s Workbooks 1 Lisbon, Torre do Tombo, MS 1711 2 Paris, BnF, nouvelles acquisitions latine 398 3 Designations and Norms 3 The Horoscopes 1 The Interrogations 2 The Technique 4 Revolutions of the Years of the World 1 Ingresses and Lunations 2 Lunations and Revolutions of the Year 3 Judging the World 5 The Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn 1 Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction of 1425 NAL 398 f. 80r: Composite Chart Drawn by Belle 2 Judging the World: Conjunctions 6 Nativities: Three Judgements 1 Jo. d.c.l. NAL 398 f. 93ra1 (Judgement in NAL 398 ff. 94ra–100vb): 17 December, 19:54 [16 December 1437, 09:47], France (Possibly Paris) 2 Full Moon Preceding the Nativity of Jo. d.c.l. NAL 398 f. 92r–12 December 1437, 20:30 (Possibly Paris) 3 Hubert NAL 398 f. 79va: 08 October 1260, 14:09, Florence, Italy (43°46′ N, 11°15′ E) [Correct Date: 09 October 1260, 03:32 AM] 4 Jo. Dap NAL 398 f. 85v: 04 November 1442, 1:20 PM, Paris Reconstructed from Belle’s Judgement (ff. 85ra–89vb) 5 Comparative Judgement of the Houses 6 The Art of Judgement 7 The Collection of Horoscopes 1 The Horoscopes in MS 1711 2 The Nativities in NAL 398 3 Collection Highlights 8 The Almanac (1468–1480) 1 The Tables: Contents 2 An Astrological Diary 3 Beyond Astrological Techniques Appendix 1: Additional Notes on the Length of Life 1 Calculating the hyleg 2 Ptolemy’s Variant for Calculation the hyleg 3 The alcocodem 4 Years of the Planets Appendix 2: Notes on the Manuscripts 1 MS 1711 2 NAL 398 Appendix 3: Maps and Genealogy Bibliography Index
