Παράφρασις εἰς τὴν τοῦ Πτολεμαίου Τετράβιβλον (‘Paraphrase of Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos’) translated from the Greek by Leone Allacci (Leo Allatius, c. 1586-1669) and first published in 1635, together with the Greek text in two columns. The Greek text alone had already been published by Philipp Melanchthon in Basel in 1554. The attribution of this text to Proclus (412-485) is ‘very doubtful’ according to Heilen (84 n. 138), but the issue is as yet not settled.

Text ‘(ed. Leiden 1635) Procli Diadochi Paraphrasis in Ptolemaei libros IV De siderum effectionibus. (1-77) [book i] Liber primus. Cap. I. Prooemium. Cum duo sint, Syre, quae ad futurorum praesagitionem, eam scilicet quam syderum scientia consequi possumus, animum praeparant — cum vero non ita se habeant omnino imbecilles sunt. (78-148) [book ii] Liber secundus. Cap. I. Generalis considerationis divisio. Quae visa sunt ad particularium praedictionum considerationem opportune — sive geniturarum iudicia, sicut ordo postulat, exquemur. (148-241) [book iii] Liber tertius. Cap. I. Prooemium. De universalibus itaque eventibus in superioribus egimus — diversiora, cautiora et famosiora. (241-294) [book iv] Liber quartus. Cap. I. Prooemium. Quae ante partus exclusionem et quae in ipsa generatione — accommodari poterit, si apte cum mathematici causa, ipsius etiam temperamenti causa coniungatur. Finis.’

Bibl. On the Greek original text, see J.-B.-J. Delambre, Histoire de l’astronomie ancienne, Paris, 1817, II, 544-546; W. Gundel, H. G. Gundel, Astrologumena. Die astrologische Literatur in der Antike und ihre Geschichte, Wiesbaden, 1966, 215 and 245; D. Pingree, The Yavanajātaka of Sphujidhvaja, Cambridge (Mass.)-London, 1978, II, 438; S. Heilen, ‘Ptolemy’s Doctrine of the Terms and Its Reception’, in Ptolemy in Perspective. Use and Criticism of His Work from Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century, ed. A. Jones, Dordrecht-Heidelberg-London-New York, 2010, 45-93: 62-65.

Modern ed. No modern edition of either the Greek or the Latin text. English translation of the Greek text (from ed. Leiden 1635) by J. M. Ashmand, Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos or Quadripartite, Being Four Books of the Influence of the Stars, London, 1822.