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authority in this world, who spent all their time learning and studying
the science of the seven arts. Of these, there were
several who in their time were marvels in astronomy.
But above all others who undertook and
worked on the science of astronomy, it was Virgil
who compiled many marvelous works. And so we will
tell you a little bit about him, following on from the previous content.
[rubric:] This speaks in substance of the marvels that Virgil did
during his lifetime through astronomy. [/rubric]
Virgil the wise philosopher, was a native of Rome
before the coming of Jesus Christ. He did not consider
the seven liberal arts to be inconsequential things. For
he spent most of his time working on them and studying them,
and through astronomy he did many very marvellous things. For in Rome
he made a fly out of copper such that when
he put it in a place it chased out all the other flies,
so that none remained in that place, nor dared approach
it for the space of two shots of the bow around it. And if they [the copper flies]
should pass the boundary within Virgil had set them, they would