...the 12. Houses."6 John Milton encapsulated the civil war in more sophisticated astrological metaphor: Among the constellations war were sprung, Two planets...mid sky, Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound.7 A nice instance of metaphor without sacrificing technical accuracy is found in another astrological...

...Angelic throng, And left large field, unsafe within the wind Of such commotion, such as, to set forth 310 Great things by small, if Nature's concord broke,...fiercest opposition in mid Sky, Should combat, and thir jarring Spheres confound. 315 Together both with next to Almighty Arm, Uplifted imminent one stroke...

...angelic throng,0 And left large field, unsafe within the wind Of such commotion, such as to set forth 310 Great things by small, if nature's concord broke,...constellations war were sprung, Two planets rushing from aspect malign0 Of fiercest opposition in mid sky, Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound. Together...

...this only if we recognize how small that collision would be in comparison to the collision of angels: such as (to set forth Great things by small) if, nature's...concord broke, Among the constellations war were sprung. ^Paradise Lost 6.310-312 This possibility — of nature being torn apart from within when constellations...