2592. Venus was supposed to have much influence in repressing the evil influence of Mars, on account of their connection in mythology. See the Compleint of Mars. Moreover Mars is here said to be suppressed by 'the oppression of houses'; i.e. by the fact that he was in a 'house' or 'mansion,' which had such effect. The terms 'house' and 'mansion' are equivalent, and are names given to the signs of the zodiac. Every sign had a planet assigned to it, and was called the 'house' of that planet. When a planet was in its own house, its influence would be felt. The mansions of Mars were Aries and Scorpio. Besides this, each planet had a sign called its 'exaltation,' in which it had the greatest power of all. The 'exaltation' of Mars was Capricornus. Mars had also his positions of least influence; two of these, called his 'fall,' were the signs opposite to his mansions, viz. Libra and Taurus, and the third, called his 'depression,' was the sign opposite his exaltation, viz. Cancer. We may conclude that, at the period of taking Hypermnestra's horoscope, Mars was in Cancer, or else in Taurus or in Libra. Both Taurus and Libra were mansions of Venus; and, if Mars was in either of these, his evil influence would be kept under by her. 2594. Probably the whole of Chaucer's astrological talk was intended to shew _why_ Hypermnestra disliked handling a knife in malice. He has made much of the weak influence of Mars, precisely because those who were born under his influence were very ready with a knife. See the note to the Kn. Ta., 1163 (A 2021), where the Compost of Ptolemeus is quoted to shew that a man born under Mars is apt to be 'a maker of swordes and knyves, and a sheder of mannes blode, ... and good to be a barboure and a blode-letter, and to draw tethe, and is peryllous of his handes.' 2597. 'She had too evil aspects of Saturn, which caused her to die in prison.' All the MSS. have _To_ (= too, excessively), except T., which has _Ryght bad_. Thynne has _Two_, but there is no authority for this, nor does it give any sense. The evil influence of Saturn is spoken of at length in the Kn. Tale, 1596-1611 (A 2454-69). Note especially l. 1599, where Saturn says:-- 'Myn is the _prison_ in the derke cote, Myn is the strangling and hanging by the throte.' 2600. Here _Egiste_ (see l. 2570) is turned into _Egistes_. 2602. 'For, at that time, no lineage was spared'; i.e. no consanguinity was considered as being a bar to marriage. 2603. _Hem_ is in apposition with _Danao_ and _Egistes_; 'it pleased these two.' 2604. Note the shifted accentuation--Ypérmistrá. Chaucer (except in l. 2660) entirely drops all mention of Hypermnestra's 49 sisters, and of Lynceus' 49 brothers. This is extremely judicious, as it concentrates the interest on the heroine. 2610. Chaucer is here thinking of Ovid, Her. xiv. 25:-- 'Undique collucent praecinctae lampades auro. Dantur in inuitos impia tura focos. Uulgus "Hymen, Hymenaee" uocant.'