Chapter IV
The way of finding out the critical and judicial days by a figure of eight houses.
This is the method of Hippocrates, and from him Galen used, and it is to be done in this manner.
1. Make your scheme of eight equal parts.
2. Search out the sign, degree and minute the Moon was in at the beginning of the sickness.
3. Place the sign, degree and minute the Moon was at in the beginning of the sickness upon the cusp of the first house, as though that were ascending at the time.
4. Add forty-five degrees to this. You need not regard the latitude of the region, for it is of no use in critical figures, but take the degrees barely from the ecliptic; when you have added forty-five degrees to the place of the Moon at the decumbiture, the point of the Zodiac answerable to that shall make the cusp of the second house.
5. Forty-five degrees more added to that will bring you to the cusp of the Third House, to which when the Moon comes, she comes to the quartile of the place she was in at the decumbiture. And this makes the first crisis.
6. Forty-five degrees more added to this makes the Fourth House; forty-five degrees more added to that points out the place of the true opposition of the Moon to the place she was in at the decumbiture, and this makes the second crisis. The second quartile of the Moon to her own place at the decumbiture makes the third crisis, and the fourth is when she comes to the same sign, degree and minute she was in at the decumbiture.
The time or houses noted betwixt the crisis are called the judicial times, or such times wherein a man may judge what the disease is, or what it will be. Remember this all along in such kinds of judgement, and do not forget to number the time by days as the ancients did, for they were either ignorant or regardless of the course of the Moon; for the Moon comes to the judicial or critical days, sometimes sooner, sometimes later, as she is either swifter or flower in motion.
Now, the time called critical is always evil, because of the contrariety of the sign of the Moon is in than to the sign she was in before, or the contrariety of her nature to the opposite place. As such, a time there arises a controversy or battle, as it were, between the disease and nature; the Moon maintains nature in acute diseases.
And now you may have the reason why that if she be afflicted upon a critical day by the bodies or ill beams of Saturn and Mars, or the Lord of Death (which is always lord of the Eighth House, and sometimes lord of the Fourth House, will serve the turn if he be a malevolent, because he signifies the grave), the disease increases, and sometimes the sick dies; but if the Moon at the time of crisis beholds the lord of the ascendant or the fortunes fortunately, health ensues, for the malady is vanquished and routed in the conflict.
If the disease terminate upon the first crisis, see how the Moon is configured on the second crisis, and judge then by the same rules.
If it terminates not then neither, as sometimes such a thing happens, view the third crisis and judge by that the same way; if your judgement balanced by reason and the former rules certify you the disease will not end one way not other, neither in health nor death, see what you can say to the Moon when she returns to the place she was in at the decumbiture, which is about twenty-seven days, eight hours and some minutes, and see how the Moon is then seated. And this necessity must be the end of all acute diseases.
Thus you see, an acute disease can last but a month at longest; not one in a hundred lasts so long. Not one in twenty lasts above half so long.
If the disease end not then, the acute disease is turned into a chronic disease, and all chronic diseases must be judged of by the Sun. The rules of judging of chronical diseases by the Sun are the same by which we judge of acute diseases by the Moon.
As for judicial days, I suppose he means the intercidental time which falls out between the first and judicial days in crisis, which fall out just in the midst between the critical days, I shall pass them by at this time, because I fancy not this way of judgement by a figure of eight houses; yet I shall not so pass them by but that I shall remember them in this treatise.
Chapter V
The former rules illustrated by an example.
A certain man fell sick of an acute disease at Paris in France, anno 1641, Jan. 12, about eight of the clock in the afternoon, at which time the Moon was posited in Aquarius, 10.19. This I place in the ascendent.
The history of this observation is of a certain person who by reason of great weariness in a journey was surprised with a fever at the time before mentioned; together with his fever, he had a cough and a pleurisy. The fever came to a ~Greek word I can't read, and apparently Culpeper couldn't either - PSY ~ I never read of this name in Galen, as I remember; I take it both by Monsieur Durat's description, and also by his figure of heaven to be the very same which Galen calls χάος.
The original of this disease is choler putrified with blood in the veins, and is the most violent of all fevers. The night after the decumbiture, the fever appear'd although on the third day; all shaking left him, yet felt not the patient the least intermission, the Moon being in Aquarius 10.19, Aquarius being also a sign of infirmity, the Moon being in sextile to Mars applying to Venus and Saturn, Mars afflicting the Sun with a quartile, as also Jupiter and Mercury, who were in combustion.
The 16th day of the same month of January, the disease increased, at which time the Moon came to a semi-quadrant making the first judicial time. And meeting then with never an aspect, the crisis could be expected no other than doubtful and unfortunate.
The 19th day of the same month, at eight of the clock in the afternoon, the first crisis came about; some little sweat the diseased had. And if I may be bold to leave my author for a little time, if you view the passages of Hipoocrates, which you shall find at the latter end of this book. The words run thus, or to this purpose: it is very hopeful when a man sick of a fever sweats upon a critical day; however my author confesses that both his cough, and his pain in his side left him, though his fever still remained, nay increased, by reason of the quartile of Mars and Venus at the same time, Mercury being lord of the ascendant at the decumbiture. Also, it is worth noting that the Moon being in Aquarius at the decumbiture, and comes to Taurus at the first crisis; but Taurus and Aquarius are signs of infirmity, yet you see the pleaurisy left him, the Moon being strong in her exaltation, though void of course.
I pass by my author's infirmities, in this and other things.
January 23rd. When the Moon by ransit made the second judicial time, she was afflicted by the trine of Saturn, which prognosticates cause of fear in the second crisis.
January 27. At 5.50 in the morning, the Moon came to the true opposition, to the place she was in at the decumbiture, she being then without any aspect, either good or evil. This brought no hopes to the sick man of cure at that time, and indeed the sick was at that time very bad; yea, so bad that his physicians were in doubt whether he would live or die.
January 30th. At 3 hours 44 minutes afternoon comes about the third judicial time, at which time the Moon was in trine to Jupiter, which gives strong hopes that a healthful and propitious crisis would ensue, and so it did.
For upon February 2nd, at nine a clock afternoon, the Moon coming to 10 degrees 9 minutes of the Scorpion, where she made the second quartile to the place she was in at the decumbiture, and the third crisis she applied to the trine of beautiful Venus, his fever began to leave him, and he began to attain to his pristine health.
By this one example, you may see the wonderful harmony and consent of diseases with the motions of the heavens, which that it may appear more clear and be visible to all, unless it be to such as are so blind they will not see. My author adjoins a rational figure of the decumbiture, and gives his judgement upon it.
An astrological judgement upon the face of heaven at the decumbiture.
The chief significators of this figire are the ascendant and Mercury, lord of it, retrograde in Capricorn, a movable sign, in 5th House of heaven, and in the House of Saturn.
The 6th House, and his lord Saturn in Aquarius in the 6th House, strong and potent.
The Moon in the 6th House upon the cusp of it; Sol in the 5th House with the lord of the eight afflicted by the quartile of Mars in a fiery sign. This plainly shows a disease of choler.
Jupiter in a movable sign in the 5th House, who rules the stomach, liver and sides, combust and in quartile to Mars, stirred up a pleurisy, and Mercury afflicted showed a dry cough. Hence it appears that Monsieur Duret was no physician; for if he had, he would easily have known that a pleaurisy never comes wothout a dry cough. The most excellent of men may have failings.
The Moon in Aquarius applying to Saturn at the beginning of the disease shows the diseases comes weariness, according to the doctrine both of Hippocrates and Hermes, but here arises another question: shall the disease be long or short? This is answered thus: the fixed sign upon the cusp of the 6th House shows length of the disease.
Saturn in hte 6th House shows no less, but tells the same tale.
Again, Saturn, lord of the 6th, stronger than the lord of the ascendant, shows a violent increase of the disease.
Seeing Mars in a fiery sign afflicts both luminaries, the Sun by a quartile and the Moon by a sextile; hence we may safely gather that Saturn and Mars are authors of the disease, and to part stakes between them, the one made it violent, the other continuing.
Give me leave now a little to pass my judgement upon this figure. When first I viewed the figure, upon the first blush I admired the man should live, the lord of the ascendant being combust and applied to the Sun, Mars afflicting the Sun, the Moon upon the cusp of the 6th cum multis aliis. The only reasons that I could find of the life were these:
1. Saturn and Mars are both strong, and neither of them Lord of Death, though both of them show themselves like potent enemies that are able to hurt their foe, but scorn it; though they are enemies to life, yet they are honourable enemies because strong.
2. The Moon applies not immediately to Saturn, but to the body of Venus, who is lady of the 10th. Which shows the disease might be cured by physick if a wise physician had it in hand.
3. There is a reception between the Sun and Mars, which ties the sword of Mars from killing.
4. Venus beautifies the signification of the 5th House, almost as much as Saturn deforms it.
5. Neither Saturn nor Mars behold the ascendant, and that's good.
6. The disease came by the man's own misguiding himself, because the lord of the 12th and ascendant are together.
7. The Moon applies to a fortune which has triplicity in the ascendant, though in an ill house.
8. I am confident the man journeyed again so soon as he was well, first because Mars, lord of the end, is near the House of Journeys at the decumbiture; secondly, because the Moon applies to the lady of the Third House at the decumbiture, which is Venus.
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