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In scientific astrology—if I may be allowed to use such an epithet at all of such a pseudoscience—the influence of the planets is dependent on their relations to one another and the fixed stars. But the more popular view of astrology, having learnt to conceive of the Seven as the interpreters if not the lords of fate, naturally extended their powers to provinces with which their actual movements had nothing to do. Thus various countries were supposed to be under the domination of particular planets. So too with plants, animals and metals, and this last idea still survives in the name of Mercury given to quicksilver. When the idea is extended to time its most rational, or, at any rate, its least irrational application is to the stages of human life. That the seven ages of man should be thought to be each under the dominion of a planet was unavoidable. Thus we have Ptolemy's scheme (though it does not appear to be the only one) by which infancy is assigned to the Moon up to four years old, childhood to Mercury till 14, adolescence to Venus till 22, youth to the Sun till 41, full manhood to Mars till 56, early old age to Jupiter till 68, after which comes the reign of Saturn. This scheme, it will be observed, like our own chronocratory of the week in its original hour-form, follows the normal order of the planets, the only difference being that it goes up from the Moon to Saturn, instead of down from Saturn to the Moon.
