Signorum alia esse uniuersalia, alia particularia:
The Nature of Signs
Natural phenomena like parhelia serve as signs that arise from nature, divine mercy, or demonic deception.
And what the doubling of the sun signifies. Yet the signs that occur naturally in the sun and moon are most certain, and they are confirmed by the testimony of many authors. Who would dare call the sun a liar? Whenever, therefore, the sun appears to be doubled in the sky, the world below should expect a flood of waters; and although it may seem to approach the miraculous because of its rarity, it is nonetheless a work of nature, which does not actually double the sun but creates a very similar cloud, called a parhelion. For a parhelion is a cloud very similar to the sun, a sign that is indeed common to many, even if it is not universal. Some signs are particular, while others are universal. Particular signs affect individuals, while universal ones affect many or all. Both types, however, are said to arise either from the merciful disposition of the Creator, from the nature of things, or from the malice of demons who, with the Lord’s permission, deceive mankind.
The Limits of Human Curiosity
Human attempts to interpret celestial signs are often marked by vanity and an over-reliance on speculative mathematics.
But it's difficult to judge what these signs are, how they happen, or what causes them; it's often uncertain and frequently too deep for any human to fully explain. Still, the books of the mathematicians are filled with their rather reckless vanity. Aeneas claimed he followed the path laid out by fate, with his mother, a goddess, showing him the way, because Lucifer—who is also Venus—appeared to him as he set out and remained with him until he reached Italy. Human curiosity tries to link the various eclipses of the sun and the moon to the events of the world.
Read the original Latin
et quid signijicet geminatio solis. Quae uero in sole et luna secundum naturam signa contigerint, certissima sunt et auctorum multorum testimonio comprobata. Solem quis dicere falsum audeat? Quotiens ergo sol in celo geminari uidebitur, inundationem aquarum subiectus orbis expectet, Et licet a raritate sui miraculis uideatur accedere, opus tamen naturae est, quae quidem soles non geminat, sed nubem simillimam facit, uocaturque parelion. Est enim parelion nubes simillima soli, signum quidem commune multis etsi non generale. Signorum siquidem alia particularia, alia uniuersalia sunt. Particularia uero faciunt singulis, uniuersalia multis aut uniuersis. Vtraque autem modo ex clementi dispositione Creatoris modo ex natura rerum modo ex malitia demonum homines Domino permittente ludificantium prouenire dicuntur.
Sed quae et quomodo quaue de causa iudicium quidem difficile est et frequenter incertum et saepe altius quam ut ab homine ualeat expediri. Eis tamen licentiori uanitate mathematicorum referti sunt libri. Eneas, matre dea monstrante uiam, data fata secutum se asserit, eo quod egredienti Lucifer, qui et Venus, donec ad Italiam perueniret, appanierit auspicanti. Defectus solis uarios lunaeque labores rerum euentibus curiositas humana coaptat.
Policraticus companion
Study the argument weekly; pray the tradition daily
Pair the outline with the Chosen Portion app, which serves short daily portions from the same royal devotional tradition — free on iOS.
John of Salisbury argued that rulers must keep the law of God before their eyes daily; Chosen Portion gives modern readers that same daily discipline in five minutes a morning.
- 8 weeks, one book per week, with the 3-4 key chapters flagged in each
- Discussion questions usable for a reading group from week one
- A daily 5-minute companion portion in the app alongside your weekly study