卷一·第十三章　论星座的相位

Of the parts of the zodiac those first are familiar one to another which are in aspect. These are the ones which are in opposition, enclosing two right angles, six signs, and 180 degrees; those which are in trine, enclosing one and one-third right angles, four signs, and 120 degrees; those which are said to be in quartile, enclosing one right angle, three signs, and 90 degrees, and finally those that occupy the sextile position, enclosing two-thirds of a right angle, two signs, and 60 degrees.

黄道的各部分之中，首先彼此相亲的，是那些成相位的部分。它们是：成对冲的，所夹为两个直角、六个星座、一百八十度；成三分的，所夹为一又三分之一个直角、四个星座、一百二十度；所谓成四分的，所夹为一个直角、三个星座、九十度；最后是处于六分位置的，所夹为三分之二个直角、两个星座、六十度。

We may learn from the following why only these intervals have been taken into consideration. The explanation of opposition is immediately obvious, because it causes the signs to meet on one straight line. But if we take the two fractions and the two superparticulars most important in music, and if the fractions one-half and one-third be applied to opposition, composed of two right angles, the half makes the quartile and the third the sextile and trine.

为什么只考虑这几种距离，可以从下面得知。对冲的道理一望而知，因为它使两个星座在一条直线上相会。再取音乐中最重要的两个分数与两个超分比：若把二分之一与三分之一这两个分数用于由两个直角构成的对冲，二分之一得出四分，三分之一得出六分与三分。

Of the superparticulars, if the sesquialter and sesquitertian be applied to the quartile interval of one right angle, which lies between them, the sesquialter makes the ratio of the quartile to the sextile and the sesquitertian that of trine to quartile. Of these aspects trine and sextile are called harmonious because they are composed of signs of the same kind, either entirely of feminine or entirely of masculine signs; while quartile and opposition are disharmonious because they are composed of signs of opposite kinds.

至于超分比，若把一倍半比与一又三分之一比用于居于其间、等于一个直角的四分距离，一倍半比构成四分对六分之比，一又三分之一比构成三分对四分之比。这些相位之中，三分与六分称为和谐的，因为它们由同类的星座组成，要么全是阴性星座，要么全是阳性星座；四分与对冲则是不和谐的，因为它们由相反类别的星座组成。