Page:Aratus The Phenomena and Diosemeia.pdf/11

Rh receiving a summons from his royal patron to repair to his court in Macedonia upon the celebration of his nuptials with Phila, a daughter of Seleucus, he took with him his pupil, and introduced him to Antigonus, who was proud of being considered the patron of learned and scientific men. The young Poet no doubt employed his muse in celebration of this festive event, having already distinguished himself by an ode to Pan. Either by his poetical talents, by his skill in medicine, or by these united accomplishments, he so won the king's favor as to become an inmate of his palace, and he continued as such the remainder of his life: equally qualified, if we may judge from the titles of the works he published, and from those which have reached us, to fill the situation of court physician, or poet laureate.

At the period when Aratus found himself thus fortunately established in the court of Antigonus much attention was given to the study of astronomy. About a century and a half before, Meton, the celebrated mathematician of Athens, had discovered the lunar cycle of nineteen years, and published it in his book entitled Enneadecaterides. At a later period Eudoxus had brought from Egypt an improved celestial sphere, and had introduced at Cyzicus and Athens a system of astronomy and philosophy derived from the priests of that country. Dionysius, the astronomer of Alexandria, had lately calculated and determined the exact length of the solar year to be 365undefined. 5undefined. 49undefined. The expedition of Alexander to Persia, Egypt, and India, had opened fresh sources 1—2