Full of wisdom and of clergie And cleped is Geometrie, Thurgh which a man hath thilke sleyhte Of lengthe, of brede, of depthe, of heyhte 180 To knowe the proporcion Be verrai calculacion Of this science: and in this wise These olde Philosophres wise, Of al this worldes erthe round, Hou large, hou thikke was the ground, Controeveden thexperience; The cercle and the circumference Of every thing unto the hevene Thei setten point and mesure evene.[942] 190 [Sidenote: =P. iii. 91=] Mathematique above therthe Of hyh science hath yit the ferthe, Which spekth upon Astronomie And techeth of the sterres hihe, Beginnynge upward fro the mone. Bot ferst, as it was forto done, This Aristotle in other thing Unto this worthi yonge king The kinde of every element Which stant under the firmament, 200 Hou it is mad and in what wise, Fro point to point he gan devise. [Sidenote: [CREATION OF THE FOUR ELEMENTS.]] iii. _Quatuor omnipotens elementa creauit origo,_ _Quatuor et venti partibus ora dabat._ _Nostraque quadruplici complexio sorte creatur,_ _Corpore sicque suo stat variatus homo._ Tofore the creacion Of eny worldes stacion, [Sidenote: Hic interim[943] tractat de creacione quatuor Elementorum, scilicet terre, aque, aeris et ignis, necnon et de eorum naturis, nam et singulis proprietates singule attribuuntur.] Of hevene, of erthe, or eke of helle, So as these olde bokes telle, As soun tofore the song is set And yit thei ben togedre knet, Riht so the hihe pourveance Tho hadde under his ordinance 210 A gret substance, a gret matiere, Of which he wolde in his manere These othre thinges make and forme. For yit withouten eny forme Was that matiere universal, Which hihte Ylem in special. [Sidenote: =P. iii. 92=] Of Ylem, as I am enformed, These elementz ben mad and formed, Of Ylem elementz they hote After the Scole of Aristote, 220 Of whiche if more I schal reherce, Foure elementz ther ben diverse. The ferste of hem men erthe calle, [Sidenote: Nota de Terra, quod est primum elementum.] Which is the lowest of hem alle, And in his forme is schape round, Substancial, strong, sadd and sound, As that which mad is sufficant To bere up al the remenant. For as the point in a compas Stant evene amiddes, riht so was 230 This erthe set and schal abyde, [Sidenote: Philosophus. Vnumquodque naturaliter appetit suum centrum.] That it may swerve to no side, And hath his centre after the lawe Of kinde, and to that centre drawe Desireth every worldes thing,