Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Booksterres fixes, with hir longitudes and latitudes determinat; yif so be that the makere have nat erred. The names 5 of the sterres ben writen in the margin of the riet ther as they sitte; of whiche sterres the smale poynt is cleped the Centre. And understond also that alle sterres sittinge with-in the zodiak of thyn Astrolabie ben cleped 'sterres of the north,' for they arysen by northe the est lyne. And alle the remenant fixed, out of the 10 zodiak, ben cleped 'sterres of the south;' but I sey nat that they arysen alle by southe the est lyne; witnesse on Aldeberan and Algomeysa. Generally understond this rewle, that thilke sterres that ben cleped sterres of the north arysen rather than the degree of hir longitude, and alle the sterres of the south arysen after the 15 degree of hir longitude; this is to seyn, sterres fixed in thyn Astrolabie. The mesure of this longitude of sterres is taken in the lyne ecliptik of hevene, under which lyne, whan that the sonne and the mone ben lyne-right or elles in the superfice of this lyne, than is the eclips of the sonne or of the mone; as I shal declare, 20 and eek the cause why. But sothly the Ecliptik Lyne of thy zodiak is the outtereste bordure of thy zodiak, ther the degrees ben marked. Thy Zodiak of thyn Astrolabie is shapen as a compas which that conteneth a large brede, as after the quantite of thyn Astrolabie; 25 in ensample that the zodiak in hevene is imagened to ben a superfice contening a latitude of twelve degrees, wheras al the remenant of cercles in the hevene ben imagined verrey lynes with-oute eny latitude. Amiddes this celestial zodiak ys imagined a lyne, which that is cleped the Ecliptik Lyne, under which lyne is evermo the 30 wey of the sonne. Thus ben ther six degrees of the zodiak on that on side of the lyne, and six degrees on that other. This zodiak is devided in twelve principal devisiouns, that departen the twelve signes. And, for the streitnes of thin Astrolabie, than is every smal devisioun in a signe departid by two degrees and two; 35 I mene degrees contening sixty minutes. And this forseide hevenissh zodiak is cleped the Cercle of the Signes, or the Cercle of the Bestes; for _zodia_ in langage of Greek sowneth 'bestes' in Latin tonge; and in the zodiak ben the twelve signes that ban names of bestes; or elles, for whan the sonne entreth in any of the 40 signes, he taketh the propretee of swich bestes; or elles, for that the sterres that ben there fixed ben disposed in signes of bestes, or shape like bestes; or elles, whan the planetes ben under thilke signes, they causen us by hir influence operaciouns and effectes lyk to the operaciouns of bestes. And understonde also, that whan 45 an hot planete cometh in-to an hot signe, than encresseth his hete; and yif a planete be cold, thanne amenuseth his coldnesse, by-cause of the hote signe. And by this conclusioun maystow take ensample in alle the signes, be they moist or drye, or moeble or fix; rekening the qualitee of the planete as I first seide. And everich of 50 thise twelve signes hath respecte to a certein parcelle of the body of a man and hath it in governance; as Aries hath thyn heved, and Taurus thy nekke and thy throte, Gemini thyn armholes and thyn armes, and so forth; as shal be shewed more pleyn in the fifte partie of this tretis. This zodiak, which that is part of the eighte 55 spere, over-kerveth the equinoxial; and he over-kerveth him again in evene parties; and that on half declineth southward, and that other northward, as pleynly declareth the tretis of the spere. And for more declaracioun, lo here thy figure. 22. Thanne hastow a label, that is schapen lyk a rewle, save that it is streit and hath no plates on either ende with holes; but, with the smale point of the forseide label, shallow calcule thyne equaciouns in the bordure of thin Astrolabie, as by thyn almury. And for the more declaracioun, lo here thy figure. 5 23. Thyn Almury is cleped the Denticle of Capricorne, or elles the Calculer. This same Almury sit fix in the bed of Capricorne, and it serveth of many a necessarie conclusioun in equaciouns of thinges, as shal be shewed; and for the more declaracioun, lo here thy figure. 5 HERE ENDETH THE DESCRIPCION OF THE ASTROLABIE. PART II. HERE BIGINNEN THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE ASTROLABIE. 1. TO FYNDE THE DEGREE IN WHICH THE SONNE IS DAY BY DAY, AFTER HIR COURS A-BOUTE. [HIC INCIPIUNT CONCLUSIONES ASTROLABII; ET PRIMA EST AD INVENIENDUM GRADUS SOLIS IN QUIBUS SINGULIS DIEBUS SECUNDUM CURSUM SOL EST EXISTENS.] Rekene and knowe which is the day of thy monthe; and ley thy rewle up that same day; and thanne wol the verray point of thy rewle sitten in the bordure, up-on the degree of thy sonne. Ensample as thus; the yeer of oure lord 1391, the 12 day of March at midday, I wolde knowe the degree of the sonne. I 5 soughte in the bak-half of myn Astrolabie, and fond the cercle of the dayes, the which I knowe by the names of the monthes writen under the same cercle. Tho leide I my rewle over this forseide day, and fond the point of my rewle in the bordure up-on the firste degree of Aries, a litel with-in the degree; and thus knowe 10 I this conclusioun. Another day, I wolde knowe the degree of my sonne, and this was at midday in the 13 day of Decembre; I fond the day of the monthe in maner as I seide; tho leide I my rewle up-on this forseide 13 day, and fond the point of my rewle in the bordure up-on the first degree of Capricorne, a lite with-in 15 the degree; and than hadde I of this conclusioun the ful experience. And for the more declaracioun, lo here thy figure. 2. TO KNOWE THE ALTITUDE OF THE SONNE, OR OF OTHRE CELESTIAL BODIES. [DE ALTITUDINE SOLIS ET ALIORUM CORPORUM SUPRA CELESTIUM.] Put the ring of thyn Astrolabie up-on thy right thoumbe, and turne thy lift syde agayn the light of the sonne. And remeve thy rewle up and doun, til that the stremes of the sonne shyne thorgh bothe holes of thy rewle. Loke thanne how many degrees thy rewle is areised fro the litel crois up-on thyn est line, and tak 5 ther the altitude of thy sonne. And in this same wyse maistow knowe by nighte the altitude of the mone, or of brighte sterres. This chapitre is so general ever in oon, that ther nedith no more declaracion; but forget it nat. And for the more declaracioun, lo here the figure. 10 3. TO KNOWE EVERY TYME OF THE DAY BY LIGHT OF THE SONNE, AND EVERY TYME OF THE NIGHT BY THE STERRES FIXE, AND EKE TO KNOWE BY NIGHT OR BY DAY THE DEGREE OF ANY SIGNE THAT ASSENDETH ON THE EST ORISONTE, WHICH THAT IS CLEPED COMMUNLY THE ASSENDENT, OR ELLES ORUSCUPUM. [AD COGNOSCENDUM QUODLIBET TEMPUS DIEI PER SOLIS INDICACIONEM, ET QUODLIBET TEMPUS NOCTIS PER QUASDAM STELLAS IN CELO FIXAS; AC ECIAM AD INVENIENDUM ET COGNOSCENDUM SIGNUM SUPER ORIZONTEM QUI COMMUNITER VOCATUR ASCENDENS.] Tak the altitude of the sonne whan thee list, as I have said; and se |