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LIBER II · CAPUT 40

OF THE RISING OF THE DOG-STAR

OF THE RISING OF THE DOG-STAR. Complete modern editorial illustration created specifically for this chapter.
OF THE RISING OF THE DOG-STAR · EDITORIAL PLATE II.40 · modern editorial plate
OF THE RISING OF THE DOG-STAR. Complete modern editorial illustration created specifically for this chapter.

Latine · Mayhoff 1906

Nam caniculae exortu accendi solis vapores quis ignorat? cuius sideris effectus amplissimi in terra sentiuntur: fervent maria exoriente eo, fluctuant in cellis vina, moventur stagna. orygem appellat Aegyptus feram, quam in exortu eius contra stare et contueri tradit ac velut adorare, cum sternuerit. canes quidem toto eo spatio maxime in rabiem agi non est dubium.

English · Bostock & Riley 1855–57

Who is there that does not know that the vapour of the sun is kindled by the rising of the Dog-star? The most powerful effects are felt on the earth from this star. When it rises, the seas are troubled, the wines in our cellars ferment, and stagnant waters are set in motion. There is a wild beast, named by the Egyptians Oryx, which, when the star rises, is said to stand opposite to it, to look steadfastly at it, and then to sneeze, as if it were worshiping it. There is no doubt that dogs, during the whole of this period, are peculiarly disposed to become rabid.