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
Sek bysily with thy rewle the heyest of the sonne in midde of
the day; turne thanne thyn Astrolabie, and with a prikke of ink
marke the nombre of that same altitude in the lyne meridional.
Turne thanne thy riet a-boute til thou fynde a degree of thy
zodiak acording with the prikke, this is to seyn, sittinge on the 5
prikke; and in sooth, thou shalt finde but two degrees in al the
zodiak of that condicioun; and yit thilke two degrees ben in
diverse signes; than maistow lightly by the sesoun of the yere
knowe the signe in whiche that is the sonne. And for the
more declaracioun, lo here thy figure. 10
15. TO KNOW WHICH DAY IS LYK TO WHICH DAY AS OF LENGTHE, &C.
[AD COGNOSCENDUM QUALES DIES IN LONGITUDINE SUNT SIMILES.]
Loke whiche degrees ben y-lyke fer fro the hevedes of Cancer
and Capricorn; and lok, whan the sonne is in any of thilke
degrees, than ben the dayes y-lyke of lengthe. This is to seyn,
that as long is that day in that monthe, as was swich a day in
swich a month; ther varieth but lite. Also, yif thou take two 5
dayes naturaly in the yer y-lyke fer fro eyther pointe of the
equinoxial in the opposit parties, than as long is the day artificial
of that on day as is the night of that othere, and the contrarie.
And for the more declaracioun, lo here thy figure.
16. THIS CHAPITRE IS A MANER DECLARACIOUN TO CONCLUSIOUNS THAT FOLWEN.
[ILLUD CAPITULUM EST QUEDAM DECLARACIO AD CERTAS CONCLUSIONES SEQUENTES.]
Understond wel that thy zodiak is departid in two halfe cercles,
as fro the heved of Capricorne un-to the heved of Cancer; and
agaynward fro the heved of Cancer un-to the heved of Capricorne.
The heved of Capricorne is the lowest point, wher-as the sonne
goth in winter; and the heved of Cancer is the heyest point, in 5
whiche the sonne goth in somer. And ther-for understond wel,
that any two degrees that ben y-lyke fer fro any of thise two
hevedes, truste wel that thilke two degrees ben of y-lyke declinacioun,
be it southward or northward; and the dayes of hem
ben y-lyke of lengthe, and the nightes also; and the shadwes 10
y-lyke, and the altitudes y-lyke at midday for evere. And for
more declaracioun, lo here thy figure.
17. TO KNOWE THE VERREY DEGREE OF ANY MANER STERRE STRAUNGE OR UNSTRAUNGE
AFTER HIS LONGITUDE, THOUGH HE BE INDETERMINAT IN THYN ASTROLABIE;
SOTHLY TO THE TROWTHE, THUS HE SHAL BE KNOWE.
[AD COGNOSCENDUM VERUM GRADUM ALICUIUS STELLE ALIENE SECUNDUM EIUS
LONGITUDINEM, QUAMVIS SIT INDETERMINATA IN ASTROLABIO; VERACITER ISTO
MODO.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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