History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.285.4

v6.c82.285.4

D ) describes in his novel Satyricon a dinner in forty pages in which a tray displayed the signs of the zodiac under each of which was placed appropriate food (vide Will Durant in "Caesar and Christ" page 298, (New York 1944). Juvenal,⁸¹⁹ who flourished about the close of the 1st century A D, strongly inveighs against ladies who have great confidence in Chaldean astrology. It should not, however, be supposed that no dissenting voice was raised against astrology in Rome and medieval Europe. Cicero did not believe in astrology⁸²⁰ as he said that the planets were too far away (Bouché Leclerq's work p 572). St. Augustine (354-430 A. D.) in his work 'City of God' calls astrology a delusion⁸²¹ There were some points of difference between Babylonian astrology and Greek astrology, viz Babylonian astrology originally at least was interested in the State and the royal family, while Greek astrology was interested only in the individual and Babylonian astrology was a priestly business while in Greece the astrologers were laymen. Astrology became a study of international importance in Europe and was cultivated in the Universities as a subject of real value throughout Europe by the side of astronomy. Its great vogue among even well educated people was due to its apparent scientific structure with its houses, planets, twelve signs and so forth Allen (in ‘Star-crossed Renaissance’ Preface p.