These Have An Astrolabe, On Which All The
Signs Of The Planets Are Marked, Together With The Hours, And Most Minute
Subdivisions Of The Whole Year.
By this instrument, these astrologers, each
religion apart, observe the course of the year, according to every moon,
noting the prognostications of the weather, yet always referring to God, to
do as they predict or otherwise, according to his pleasure.
They write down
upon square tablets, called Tacuini, all those things which are to fall
out during the year, which they sell to any who will purchase; and those
who are most fortunate in their predictions are held in the highest honour.
If any one intends to commence an important labour, or to undertake a
distant journey, and is anxious to be certified of the event, he has
recourse to the astrologers to read, as they pretend, his destiny in the
heavens, for this purpose, being instructed in the precise date of birth of
the person consulting them, they calculate the present aspect of the
constellation which ruled at his birth, and foretel that good or evil will
flow from his intentions. The Tartars compute time by cycles of twelve
lunar years; calling the first of each series the year of the lion; the
second of the ox; the third of the dragon; the fourth of the dog; and so on
through the whole twelve, and when these are gone through, they begin the
series anew. Thus, if a man is asked when he was born, he answers that it
was on such a division of such an hour, day, and moon, in the year of the
lion, ox, or so forth.
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