Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury TalesChaucer, Geoffrey
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Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales
Chaucer, Geoffrey
English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500
8. Under the compas of thilke degrees ben writen the names of
the Twelve Signes, as Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo,
Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces; and
the nombres of the degrees of tho signes ben writen in augrim
above, and with longe devisiouns, fro fyve to fyve; devyded fro 5
tyme that the signe entreth un-to the laste ende. But understond
wel, that thise degrees of signes ben everich of hem considered
of 60 minutes, and every minute of 60 secondes, and so
forth in-to smale fraccions infinit, as seith Alkabucius. And
ther-for, know wel, that a degree of the bordure contieneth foure 10
minutes, and a degree of a signe contieneth 60 minutes, and
have this in minde. And for the more declaracioun, lo here
thy figure.
9. Next this folweth the Cercle of the Dayes, that ben figured
in maner of degrees, that contienen in noumbre 365; divyded
also with longe strykes fro fyve to fyve, and the nombres in
augrim writen under that cercle. And for more declaracioun, lo
here thy figure.
10. Next the Cercle of the Dayes, folweth the Cercle of the
names of the Monthes; that is to seyen, Ianuare, Februare,
Marcius, Aprile, Mayus, Iuin, Iulius, Augustus, Septembre,
October, Novembre, Decembre. The names of thise monthes
were cleped in Arabiens, somme for hir propretees, and some by 5
statutz of lordes, some by other lordes of Rome. Eek of thise
monthes, as lyked to Iulius Cesar and to Cesar Augustus, some
were compowned of diverse nombres of dayes, as Iuil and
August. Thanne hath Ianuare 31 dayes, Februare 28, March
31, Aprille 30, May 31, Iunius 30, Iulius 31, Augustus 31, 10
September 30, Octobre 31, Novembre 30, December 31.
Natheles, al-though that Iulius Cesar took 2 dayes out of Feverer
and put hem in his moneth of Iuille, and Augustus Cesar cleped
the moneth of August after his name, and ordeyned it of 31 dayes,
yit truste wel, that the sonne dwelleth ther-for nevere the more ne 15
lesse in oon signe than in another.
11. Than folwen the names of the Halidayes in the Kalender,
and next hem the lettres of the Abc. on which they fallen. And
for the more declaracioun, lo here thy figure.
12. Next the forseide Cercle of the Abc., under the cros-lyne,
is marked the scale, in maner of two squyres, or elles in manere
of laddres, that serveth by hise 12 poyntes and his devisiouns of
ful many a subtil conclusioun. Of this forseide scale, fro the
croos-lyne un-to the verre angle, is cleped _umbra versa_, and the 5
nether partie is cleped the _umbra recta_, or elles _umbra extensa_.
And for the more declaracioun, lo here the figure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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