BOOTES

, a constellation of the northern hemisphere, and one of the 48 old ones; having 23. stars in | Ptolemy's catalogue, 28 in Tycho's, 34 in Bayer's, 52 in Hevilus's, and 54 in Flamsteed's; of which one, in the skirt of his coat, is of the first magnitude, and called Arcturus.

Bootes is represented as a man in the posture of walking; his right hand grasping a club, and his left extended upwards, and holding the cord of the two dogs which seem barking at the Great Bear.

The Greeks, contrary to their usual custom, do not give any certain account of the origin of this constellation. Those who in very early days made the stars which were afterwards formed into the great bear represent a waggon drawn by oxen, made this Bootes the driver of them, from whence he was called the waggoner: others continued the office when the waggon was destroyed, and made a celestial bearward of Bootes, making it his office to drive the two bears round about the pole: and some, when the greater waggon was turned into the greater bear, were still for preserving the form of that machine in those stars which constitute Bootes.

This constellation is called by various other names; as Arcas, Arctophylax, Arcturus-Minor, Bubulcus, Bubulus, Canis-Latrans, Clamator, Icarus, Lycaon, Philometus, Plaustri-Custos, Plorans, Thegnis, and Vociferator; by Hesychius it is called Orion, and by the Arabs Aramech, or Archamech. Schiller, instead of Bootes, makes the figure of St. Sylvester; Schickhard, that of Nimrod; and Weigelius, the three Swedish crowns. See Wolf. Lex Math. p. 266.