Walter William Skeat

“ Descripcion of the meridional lyne, of longitudes, and latitudes of citees
⁠and townes from on to a-nother of clymatz.
This lyne meridional is but a maner descripcion of lyne
imagined, that passeth upon the poles of this world and by
the senith of oure heved. And hit is y-cleped the lyne meridional;
for in what place that any maner man is at any tyme of the yeer,
whan that the sonne by moeving of the firmament cometh to his 5
verrey meridian place, than is hit verrey midday, that we clepen
oure noon, as to thilke man; and therfore is it cleped the lyne of
midday. ”

“ And
understond wel, that degrees of this bordure ben answering and 5
consentrik to the degrees of the Equinoxial, that is devyded in
the same nombre as every othere cercle is in the heye hevene.
This same bordure is devyded also with 23 lettres capitals and a
smal croys + above the south lyne, that sheweth the 24 houres
equals of the clokke; and, as I have said, 5 of thise degrees 10
maken a mile-wey, and 3 mile-wey maken an houre. And every
degree of this bordure conteneth 4 minutes, and every minut 60
secoundes; now have I told thee twye. ”

“ And alle signes fro the
heved of Libra un-to the ende of Pisces ben cleped signes of the
south fro the equinoxial; and thise signes arysen ever-mo by-twixe
the verrey est and the verrey south in oure orisonte. Also every 15
signe by-twixe the heved of Capricorne un-to the ende of Geminis
aryseth on oure orisonte in lasse than two houres equales; and
thise same signes, fro the heved of Capricorne un-to the ende of
Geminis, ben cleped 'tortuos signes' or 'croked signes,' for
they arisen embelif on oure orisonte ”

“ And the
seconde cause is this, that sothly me semeth betre to wryten un-to
a child twyes a good sentence, than he for-gete it ones. And 35
Lowis, yif so be that I shewe thee in my lighte English as trewe
conclusiouns touching this matere, and naught only as trewe but
as many and as subtil conclusiouns as ben shewed in Latin in any
commune tretis of the Astrolabie, con me the more thank; and
preye god save the king, that is lord of this langage, and alle that 40
him feyth bereth and obeyeth, everech in his degree, the more and
the lasse. ”

“ 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 thou wolt
pleye this craft with the arysing of the mone, loke thou rekne wel
hir cours houre by houre; for she ne dwelleth nat in a degree of 55
hir longitude but a litel whyle, as thou wel knowest; but natheles,
yif thou rekne hir verreye moeving by thy tables houre after houre,
[thou shall do wel y-now] .
Explicit tractatus de Conclusionibus Astrolabii, compilatus per Galfridum
⁠Chauciers ad Filium suum Lodewicum, scolarem tunc temporis Oxonie, ac
⁠sub tutela illius nobilissimi philosophi Magistri N. Strode, etc.
SUPPLEMENTARY PROPOSITIONS.
41. ”