卷一·第二章　论星占之知可得及其限度

A very few considerations would make it apparent to all that a certain power emanating from the eternal ethereal substance is dispersed through and permeates the whole region about the earth, which throughout is subject to change, since, of the primary sublunar elements, fire and air are encompassed and changed by the motions in the ether, and in turn encompass and change all else, earth and water and the plants and animals therein.

只需寥寥几点考虑，人人都会明白：有某种力量从永恒的以太质中发出，散布并渗透于大地周围的整个区域，而这个区域处处都在变化之中；因为在月下的原初元素里，火与气被以太中的运动所包围、所改变，转而又包围并改变其余一切，即土与水，以及其中的植物和动物。

For the sun, together with the ambient, is always in some way affecting everything on the earth, not only by the changes that accompany the seasons of the year to bring about the generation of animals, the productiveness of plants, the flowing of waters, and the changes of bodies, but also by its daily revolutions furnishing heat, moisture, dryness, and cold in regular order and in correspondence with its positions relative to the zenith.

因为太阳连同周天，总在以某种方式影响地上的一切：不仅借着伴随一年四季而来的变化，促成动物的生育、植物的结实、水的流动和身体的变化；也借着它每日的旋转，按一定的次序、并与它相对天顶的位置相应，供给热、湿、燥、冷。

The moon, too, as the heavenly body nearest the earth, bestows her effluence most abundantly upon mundane things, for most of them, animate or inanimate, are sympathetic to her and change in company with her; the rivers increase and diminish their streams with her light, the seas turn their own tides with her rising and setting, and plants and animals in whole or in some part wax and wane with her. Moreover, the passages of the fixed stars and the planets through the sky often signify hot, windy, and snowy conditions of the air, and mundane things are affected accordingly.

月亮也是如此：她是离大地最近的天体，把她的流溢最丰沛地施予地上的事物，因为这些事物无论有生命还是无生命，大多与她相感，并随她一同变化：河流随她的光而增减水量，海潮随她的升起与沉没而转换，植物和动物或整体、或某一部分，随她而盈亏。此外，恒星与行星在天空中的经行，也常常预示空气的炎热、多风、多雪，地上的事物随之受到影响。

Then, too, their aspects to one another, by the meeting and mingling of their dispensations, bring about many complicated changes. For though the sun's power prevails in the general ordering of quality, the other heavenly bodies aid or oppose it in particular details, the moon more obviously and continuously, as for example when it is new, at quarter, or full, and the stars at greater intervals and more obscurely, as in their appearances, occultations, and approaches.

再者，它们彼此之间的相位，由于各自施予之力相遇交融，带来许多错综复杂的变化。因为太阳的力量虽在性质的总体安排上占主导，其余天体却在具体细节上或助长、或抵消它：月亮更明显、更连续，例如在新月、弦月、满月之时；诸星则间隔较久、也较隐晦，例如在它们显现、隐没与趋近之时。

If these matters be so regarded, all would judge it to follow that not only must things already compounded be affected in some way by the motion of these heavenly bodies, but likewise the germination and fruition of the seed must be moulded and conformed to the quality proper to the heavens at the time.

若这样看待这些事，人人都会断定随之而来的结论：不仅已经合成的事物必定以某种方式受这些天体运动的影响，种子的萌发与结实，也必定照当时天空所特有的性质而被塑造、与之相合。

The more observant farmers and herdsmen, indeed, conjecture, from the winds prevailing at the time of impregnation and of the sowing of the seed, the quality of what will result; and in general we see that the more important consequences signified by the more obvious configurations of sun, moon, and stars are usually known beforehand, even by those who inquire, not by scientific means, but only by observation.

事实上，较善于观察的农夫和牧人，会根据牲畜受孕、种子播下之时盛行的风，推测将来所得之物的品质；而且一般说来，我们看到，由日、月、诸星较明显的格局所预示的较重大的后果，通常都能被预先知道，即使是那些不凭学问、只凭观察去探究的人也能知道。

Those which are consequent upon greater forces and simpler natural orders, such as the annual variations of the seasons and the winds, are comprehended by very ignorant men, nay even by some dumb animals; for the sun is in general responsible for these phenomena. Things that are not of so general a nature, however, are comprehended by those who have by necessity become used to making observations, as, for instance, sailors know the special signs of storms and winds that arise periodically by reason of the aspects of the moon and fixed stars to the sun.

那些出于较大的力量、较简单的自然次序的后果，例如一年中季节与风的变化，连非常无知的人、甚至某些不会说话的动物也能领会，因为这些现象大体由太阳负责。不那么普遍的事，则由那些出于必要而习惯于观察的人来领会，例如水手知道风暴与大风的特殊征兆，这些风暴与大风是由月亮和恒星对太阳的相位而周期性地兴起的。

Yet because they cannot in their ignorance accurately know the times and places of these phenomena, nor the periodic movements of the planets, which contribute importantly to the effect, it happens that they often err. If, then, a man knows accurately the movements of all the stars, the sun, and the moon, so that neither the place nor the time of any of their configurations escapes his notice, and if he has distinguished in general their natures as the result of previous continued study, even though he may discern, not their essential, but only their potentially effective qualities, such as the sun's heating and the moon's moistening, and so on with the rest; and if he is capable of determining in view of all these data, both scientifically and by successful conjecture, the distinctive mark of quality resulting from the combination of all the factors, what is to prevent him from being able to tell on each given occasion the characteristics of the air from the relations of the phenomena at the time, for instance, that it will be warmer or wetter?

然而他们因为无知，既不能准确知道这些现象的时间与地点，也不知道对效果大有贡献的行星的周期运动，所以往往出错。那么，倘若有人准确知道所有星辰以及日、月的运动，以至它们任何一个格局的地点和时间都逃不过他的注意；倘若他凭着先前持续的研究，大体辨明了它们的本性——即使他辨明的不是它们的本质，而只是它们潜在的作用性质，例如太阳生热、月亮致湿，其余诸星依此类推；又倘若他能根据所有这些资料，既凭学问、又凭成功的推测，断定由一切因素组合而成的那种性质的特征，那么，有什么能阻止他在每一个特定时刻，依据当时诸现象的相互关系，说出空气的特性，例如说天气将更暖或更湿呢？

Why can he not, too, with respect to an individual man, perceive the general quality of his temperament from the ambient at the time of his birth, as for instance that he is such and such in body and such and such in soul, and predict occasional events, by use of the fact that such and such an ambient is attuned to such and such a temperament and is favourable to prosperity, while another is not so attuned and conduces to injury? Enough, however; for the possibility of such knowledge can be understood from these and similar arguments.

同样，就一个人而言，他为什么不能从此人降生之时的周天，看出其气质的大体性质，例如此人身体如何、灵魂如何；并利用“某种周天与某种气质相谐、有利于顺遂，另一种则不相谐、导致伤害”这一事实，预言他随时遭遇的事件呢？不过，说到这里已经够了；这种知识的可能性，从这些以及类似的论证中便可明白。

The following considerations might lead us to observe that criticism of the science on the score of impossibility has been specious but undeserved. In the first place, the mistakes of those who are not accurately instructed in its practice, and they are many, as one would expect in an important and many-sided art, have brought about the belief that even its true predictions depend upon chance, which is incorrect. For a thing like this is an impotence, not of the science, but of those who practise it.

下面的考虑可以让我们看出：以“不可能”为由对这门学问的批评，貌似有理，其实并不应当。第一，那些在实践上没有受过精确训练的人所犯的错误——这样的人很多，正如在一门重要而多方面的技艺中所能料到的那样——使人相信，连它正确的预言也是出于偶然，这是不对的。因为这样的事是从业者的无能，而不是这门学问的无能。

Secondly, most, for the sake of gain, claim credence for another art in the name of this, and deceive the vulgar, because they are reputed to foretell many things, even those that cannot naturally be known beforehand, while to the more thoughtful they have thereby given occasion to pass equally unfavourable judgement upon the natural subjects of prophecy. Nor is this deservedly done; it is the same with philosophy — we need not abolish it because there are evident rascals among those that pretend to it.

第二，多数人为了牟利，借这门学问的名义为另一种技艺骗取信任，欺骗俗众，因为他们号称能预言许多事，连那些按自然无法预知的事也包括在内；同时，他们也因此给了较有头脑的人口实，对本属自然、可以预言的事同样作出不利的评判。这也是不应当的；哲学也是一样——我们不必因为冒充哲学的人中有明显的无赖，就把哲学废除。

Nevertheless it is clear that even though one approach astrology in the most inquiring and legitimate spirit possible, he may frequently err, not for any of the reasons stated, but because of the very nature of the thing and his own weakness in comparison with the magnitude of his profession.

尽管如此，显然，即使一个人以最勤于探究、最正当的态度从事星占之学，他也可能时常出错；不是因为上面所说的任何原因，而是因为这件事本身的性质，以及他自身的能力比起他所从事之业的宏大而显得薄弱。

For in general, besides the fact that every science that deals with the quality of its subject-matter is conjectural and not to be absolutely affirmed, particularly one which is composed of many unlike elements, it is furthermore true that the ancient configurations of the planets, upon the basis of which we attach to similar aspects of our own day the effects observed by the ancients in theirs, can be more or less similar to the modern aspects, and that, too, at long intervals, but not identical, since the exact return of all the heavenly bodies and the earth to the same positions, unless one holds vain opinions of his ability to comprehend and know the incomprehensible, either takes place not at all or at least not in the period of time that falls within the experience of man; so that for this reason predictions sometimes fail, because of the disparity of the examples on which they are based.

因为一般说来，凡是研究其对象之“质”的学问，都只是推测，不能绝对断言，由许多不相似的成分组成的学问尤其如此；此外还有一点：行星的古代格局——我们正是根据它们，把古人在他们那个时代观察到的效应，附加到我们今天相似的相位上——与现代的相位只能或多或少相似，而且还要隔很长的时间才相似，却不会完全相同；因为所有天体与大地精确地回到同样的位置，除非有人妄以为自己能理解、能知道那不可理解的事，要么根本不会发生，要么至少不在人类经验所及的时期之内发生；所以，预言有时会落空，原因就在于它所依据的先例与今天并不相符。

As to the investigation of atmospheric phenomena, this would be the only difficulty, since no other cause besides the movement of the heavenly bodies is taken into consideration. But in an inquiry concerning nativities and individual temperaments in general, one can see that there are circumstances of no small importance and of no trifling character, which join to cause the special qualities of those who are born.

就研究天气现象而言，这会是唯一的困难，因为除了天体的运动，不考虑其他任何原因。但在探究本命以及一般个人气质时，可以看出，还有一些既非无足轻重、也非微不足道的情况，共同造成降生者的特殊品质。

For differences of seed exert a very great influence on the special traits of the genus, since, if the ambient and the horizon are the same, each seed prevails to express in general its own form, for example, man, horse, and so forth; and the places of birth bring about no small variation in what is produced. For if the seed is generically the same, human for example, and the condition of the ambient the same, those who are born differ much, both in body and soul, with the difference of countries.

因为种子的不同，对一类之中的特殊性状有极大的影响：即使周天与地平相同，每一颗种子仍占上风，大体表现出它自身的形相，例如人、马等等；而出生之地也给所生之物带来不小的差异。因为种子若在类上相同，比如都是人，周天的状况也相同，降生的人仍会随国度的不同，在身体和灵魂上都有很大差别。

In addition to this, all aforesaid conditions being equal, rearing and customs contribute to influence the particular way in which a life is lived. Unless each one of these things is examined together with the causes that are derived from the ambient, although this latter be conceded to exercise the greatest influence (for the ambient is one of the causes for these things being what they are, while they in turn have no influence upon it), they can cause much difficulty for those who believe that in such cases everything can be understood, even things not wholly within its jurisdiction, from the motion of the heavenly bodies alone.

除此之外，在前面所说的条件都相同时，教养与习俗也会影响一个人过日子的特定方式。这些因素每一项若不与来自周天的原因一起考察——尽管人们承认后者影响最大（因为周天是这些事物之所以如此的原因之一，而它们反过来对周天毫无影响）——就会给那些人带来许多困难：他们相信在这类情形中，一切，甚至不完全属于天体运动管辖的事，都能单凭天体的运动来理解。

Since this is the case, it would not be fitting to dismiss all prognostication of this character because it can sometimes be mistaken, for we do not discredit the art of the pilot for its many errors; but as when the claims are great, so also when they are divine, we should welcome what is possible and think it enough.

既然如此，就不应因为这类预言有时会出错，便将它全盘抛弃，正如我们不会因为舵手之术常有失误，就否定这门技艺；相反，无论所求的是宏大之事还是神圣之事，我们都应当欢迎可能做到的部分，并以此为足。

Nor, further, should we gropingly and in human fashion demand everything of the art, but rather join in the appreciation of its beauty, even in instances wherein it could not provide the full answer; and as we do not find fault with the physicians, when they examine a person, for speaking both about the sickness itself and about the patient's idiosyncrasy, so too in this case we should not object to astrologers using as a basis for calculation nationality, country, and rearing, or any other already existing accidental qualities.

再者，我们也不该摸索着、以凡人的方式要求这门技艺包办一切，而应一同欣赏它的美，即使在它无法给出完整答案的情形中也是如此；正如医生诊察病人时，既谈病症本身、也谈病人的特殊体质，我们并不因此责怪他们；同样，在这件事上，我们也不应反对星占家把民族、国土、教养，或任何其他已经存在的偶有之质，作为推算的依据。