VISIO SECUNDA, cap. XXIII
The Lion's Head and the South Wind
The lion's head in the south represents the fierce south wind, while the same wind also takes the form of a serpent on the right and a lamb on the left, showing both danger and gentleness.
But to the right of that image of the human figure, in the sign of bright fire, you see something like a lion's head, which, directed from the south toward human prosperity, shows that from the element just mentioned — bright fire — the lion represents, as it were, the principal south wind coming forth: because just as the lion is strong and exercises its strength according to its will, so also the south wind is strong and fierce in fire and from fire, and as the days stretch out at length it is powerful, and in that same power it brings about the collision and breaking of clouds, and produces dangers in the sudden outpouring of rains. And from whose mouth, as it were, breath going out from each side of its opening extends to some degree, because from this south region the same wind, proceeding, stretches itself in both directions of its extent — namely this way and that — and so also on the right side it is shaped into the head of a serpent, but on the left into the head of a lamb: because on the right side, this wind, assuming the nature of a serpent for itself — which gently entraps but sharply sets ambushes — just as serpents sometimes produce gentle breaths, yet meanwhile also emit fierce strikes and blows; but on the left it is turned into a lamb, which is mild and gentle, because in those same regions it shows itself to be gentle and not dangerous.
The Midpoint Between South and West
The serpent's head and the crab's head meet at the midpoint between south and west, with the spatial division into four parts explaining where the collateral winds join.
And the serpent's head, appearing in the middle of the space between the lion's head and the wolf's head, emits, as it were, a breath that extends to that same midpoint, and joins with the breath that goes out from the crab's head, which is between the wolf's head and the lion's head: because, following the nature of the serpent, as was shown above, this wind is joined as a collateral to the principal south wind, emerging in the middle of the length that exists between south and west, and extends its own breath-vents to that same midpoint that is between south and west, and does not cross this boundary any more than the others except by the judgment of God; and there it receives the breath from the collateral wind that rises between west and south. For if the length of the space between south and west is divided into four parts, the boundary from the south of the first part, which is also the beginning of the second part, stands midway between the beginning of the first part and the end of the second part; and the end of the second part, which is also the beginning of the third part, is the midpoint of the length that is between south and west. In the same way, the boundary from the west opposite the first part, which is also the beginning opposite the second part, stands midway between the beginning in that place of the first part and the end there of the second part; and the end there of the second part, which is also the beginning there of the third part, is the midpoint of this length, which exists opposite between west and south, where the collateral winds also meet each other.
The Winds Connected in Equal Measure
The principal and collateral winds are interconnected in equal measure across all four cardinal directions and separated from one another as previously described.
And so these winds — both the principal ones and their collateral ones — are connected to one another in equal measure between east and south, between south and west, between west and north, and between north and east, and are separated from one another, as was said before.
The Lamb's Head and the Collision of Winds
The lamb's head between the lion and the leopard represents a collateral wind between south and east that meets the crab-imitating wind, producing terrors and collisions.
The lamb's head, however, appearing in the middle of the space between the lion's head and the leopard's head, produces, as it were, a breath that, extending to that same midpoint, meets in conjunction with the breath from the crab's head that is between the leopard's head and the lion's head: because, following the nature of the lamb, as was shown above, another collateral wind rises in these parts — that is, in this middle space between the south and this midpoint of the length that exists between the south and the east. That one also directs its own breath to the same midpoint, and there meets, with its own roaring, the breath that rises from the wind imitating the nature of the crab, which comes up between the east and the south, so that there, very many times, numerous terrors and collisions arise from their encounter.
The Reach of the Winds' Blasts
The blasts of these winds extend across the distances separating their sources, just as was shown for the upper heads and their winds.
But according to the distances by which these heads are separated from one another, the length of their blasts extends, just as was already shown concerning the upper heads and their winds, since along the distance by which the sources of these winds stand apart from one another, they send forth the breathings of their own blasts all the way to those places in which they rise up, and in which their breathings also meet one another.
Breaths Sent into the Wheel
These things, like the former chapters, send their breaths into the wheel and into the same image.
For this reason, these things, so that the former chapters as well, may send their breaths into the wheel and into the same image.
Read the original Latin
Sed ad dexteram praedictae imaginis hominis, in signo lucidi ignis, velut caput leonis aspicis, quod ab australi plaga ad prosperitatem hominis directum, de supradicto elemento lucidi ignis leonem quasi principalem australem ventum exeuntem demonstrat, quoniam ut leo fortis est, et in fortitudine sua voluntatem suam exercet, ita et ventus auster in igne et ab igne fortis et praeceps existit, atque cum dies in longitudine se protrahunt potens est, et in eadem potentia collisionem et diruptionem nubium, ac pericula in repentina emissione imbrium parat. Et cujus ore quasi flatus egrediens ab utraque parte oris ejusdem aliquantum prolongatur, quia de plaga hac australi idem ventus procedens se in utramque partem sui, videlicet hac et illac extendit, et sic etiam in dextera parte in caput serpentis, in sinistra autem in caput agni formatur, quoniam in dextrali parte ventus iste naturam serpentis sibi assumens, qui leniter supplicat, acriter autem insidias ponit, quemadmodum serpentes aliquando lenes flatus producit, sed interim etiam fortes punctus et ictus emittit; in sinistrali autem in agnum qui mitis et lenis est vertitur, quia in eisdem partibus suavem et non periculosum se ostendit. Et caput serpentis in medio medietatis spatii quod inter caput leonis et lupi est se ostendens, velut flatum emittit, qui se ad eamdem medietatem extendit, ac flatui qui de capite cancri egreditur, quod inter caput lupi et leonis est se conjungit, quoniam juxta naturam serpentis, ut supra demonstratum est, ventus iste principali vento austri collateralis, in medio medietatis longitudinis illius, quae inter austrum et occidentem existit emergens, spiramina sua usque ad eamdem medietatem, quae inter austrum et occidentem est extendit, nec terminum hunc quemadmodum nec alii nisi ex judicio Dei transgreditur, ibique flatum de collaterali vento surgentem, qui inter occidentem et austrum est excipit. Nam si longitudo spatii quae inter austrum et occidentem est, in partes quatuor dividitur, terminus ab austro partis primae, qui et initium est partis secundae, medius est inter initium partis primae, ac terminum partis secundae, terminusque partis secundae, qui et initium est partis tertiae, medietas longitudinis illius est, quae inter austrum et occidentem est. Eodem quoque modo finis ab occidente e contra partis primae, qui et initium est e contra partis secundae, medius est inter initium ibidem partis primae, ac finem illic partis secundae, terminusque ibidem partis secundae, qui et initium illic est partis tertiae, medietas longitudinis hujus est, quae e contra inter occidentem et austrum existit, ubi et collaterales venti sibi occurrunt. Sicque venti isti tam principales quam eorum collaterales inter orientem et austrum, inter austrum et occidentem, inter occidentem et septentrionem, ac inter septentrionem et orientem aequali modo ad invicem connexi, ab invicemque discreti sunt, ut praefatum est. Caput autem agni in medio medietatis spatii quod inter caput leonis et leopardi exstat apparens, quasi flatum producit, qui se ad ipsam medietatem prolongans, flatui qui de capite cancri quod inter caput leopardi et leonis est, in conjunctione occurrit, quia secundum naturam agni, ut supra ostensum est, alius collateralis ventus in partibus istis, id est in medio hoc spatio quod inter austrum et medietatem hanc longitudinis, quae inter austrum et orientem existit, oritur. Is etiam flatum suum ad eamdem medietatem dirigit, ibique spiramini, quod de vento naturam cancri imitantis, qui inter orientem et austrum exsurgit, strepitu suo obviam venit, ita ut ibi multoties quamplurimi terrores et collisiones ex congressu eorum fiant.
Sed et secundum spatia quibus capita haec a se separata sunt, longitudo flatuum eorum procedit, quemadmodum et de superioribus capitibus flatibusque eorum praemonstratum est, quoniam juxta longitudinem, qua initia ventorum istorum a se discreta distant, et spiramina flatuum suorum usque ad loca illa emittunt, in quibus exsurgunt, in quibus etiam spiramina eorum sibi occurrunt.
Quare haec, ut et anteriora capita, in rotam et in imaginem eamdem flatus suos emittant.
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