Philosophy by the Book

CLAUDIUS PTOLEMAEUS (ca. 100 - 170 CE)
Liber Quadripartiti Ptolomei id est Quattuor Tractatuii…
Venice: Erhardum Ratdolt de Augusta, 1484.

This is a translation into Latin of the Greek Tetrabiblion or Four Books. It is not Ptolemy's masterpiece, the Mathematical Syntaxis (known to us as the Almagest), which sets forth the most advanced and sophisticated of all geocentric cosmologies.

This is his influential treatise on Astrology. Book 1 is terminological, Book 2 deals with general influences of the heavens - effects on climate change, natural disasters, etc. Book 3 treats of the casting of horoscopes by the natal day, while Book 4 discusses the specific influences of the various planets. This is the most interesting from an astronomical point of view, for it delves into the methods for establishing the order of the planets by distance from the Earth.