"The thridde hour inequal that Palamon
Began to Venus temple for to gon,
Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie."
In astrology, the heavens are divided into twelve houses, corresponding to
a division of the ecliptic into twelve equal parts, the first of which is
measured from the point of the ecliptic which is on the horizon and about
to rise above it, at the instant which the astrologer has to consider,
namely, the instant of birth in the case of a nativity, or that in which a
journey or any other enterprise is undertaken.
The hours inequal here spoken of similarly correspond to a division of the
ecliptic into twenty-four parts, so that each house comprehends the
portions of the ecliptic belonging to two of these hours, provided the
division into houses is made at sunrise, when the first hour commences. It
is obvious that these astrological hours will be of unequal length, as
equal portions of the ecliptic subtend unequal angles at the pole of the
equator.
With regard to the time of year at which the tournament takes place, there
seems to be an inconsistency. Palamon escapes from prison on the 3rd of
May, and is discovered by Theseus on the 5th. Theseus fixes "this day fifty
wekes" for the rendezvous at Athens, so that the tournament seems to fall
in April. Chaucer, however, says that--
"Gret was the feste in Athenes thilke day,
And eke the lusty seson of that May
Made every wight to be, in swiche pleasance," &c.
Why the 3rd of May is particularly mentioned as the time of Palamon's
escape, I cannot tell: there is probably some astrological reason. The
mixture of astrological notions with mythology is curious: "the pale
Saturnus the colde" is once more a dweller on Olympus, and interposes to
reconcile Mars and Venus. By his influence Arcite is made to perish after
having obtained from Mars the fulfilment of his prayer--
"Yeve me the victorie, I axe thee no more."
[epsilon].
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