TUTOR. You must remember, that when the earth is in any sign, as seen from the sun, the sun will be in the opposite sign, as seen from the earth: for instance, if the earth be in Aries, the sun will be in Libra; if in Taurus, the sun will be in Scorpio, &c. therefore, as by the earth’s annual motion, the sun _appears_ to move, we always speak of the sun’s, not the earth’s place, in the ecliptic.—You do not seem to understand me? PUPIL. Not perfectly, Sir. TUTOR. Take this orange, and put it in the middle of the round table before us, and place an apple on the opposite side next the window: the orange may represent the sun, the apple the earth, and the window the sign Aries. Now go round the table to the apple; look at the orange, and tell me to what part of the room the eye will be directed. PUPIL. To the part opposite to the window, Sir. TUTOR. If then you suppose the door, which is opposite to the window, to be the sign Libra, the sun will be in Libra when the earth is in Aries—will it not? PUPIL. It is very plain. TUTOR. I shall now give you a table of the signs, their characters, the corresponding months, and the days of the month the sun enters each sign, by means of which, if you reckon a degree for a day, you may find the sun’s place, nearly, for any day in the year. PUPIL. This will give me much pleasure, and I shall be happy to have it. THE TABLE. NORTHERN SIGNS. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo. ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ March, April, May, June, July, Aug. 20, 20, 21, 21, 23, 23. SOUTHERN SIGNS. Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aqua. Pisces. ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑ ♒ ♓ Sept. October, November, Decem. Jan. Feb. 23, 23, 21, 21, 20, 18. PUPIL. Why do you write northern and southern signs, Sir? TUTOR. Because they are situated north and south of a circle in the heavens, called the equinoctial, which circle crosses the ecliptic in the points Aries and Libra, and extends 23-1/2 degrees on each side of it; and which I shall have occasion to mention to you another time. PUPIL. When you think proper, Sir, I shall be glad to have it explained to me. TUTOR. Look at your table, and tell me what sign and what degree the sun is in the 30th of March, and 20th of October. PUPIL. The sun enters Aries the 20th of March, of course he must be 10 degrees in that sign the 30th; and, as he does not enter Scorpio till the 23d of October, he must want three degrees of completing the sign Libra; he must therefore, on the 20th of October, be in 27 degrees of Libra. TUTOR. Very well.—Do you learn the table, as you will have a farther use for it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------