A TREATISE ON THE ASTROLABE
Lyte Lowys my sone, I aperceyve wel by certeyne evydences thyn
abilite to lerne sciences touching nombres and proporciouns; and
as wel considre I thy besy praier in special to lerne the tretys
of the Astrelabie. Than for as moche as a philosofre saith, "he
wrappith him in his frend, that condescendith to the rightfulle
praiers of his frend," therfore have I yeven the a suffisant
Astrolabie as for oure orizonte, compowned after the latitude of
Oxenforde; upon which, by mediacioun of this litel tretys, I
purpose to teche the a certein nombre of conclusions aperteynyng
to the same instrument. I seie a certein of conclusions, for thre
causes. The first cause is this: truste wel that alle the
conclusions that han be founde, or ellys possibly might be founde
in so noble an instrument as is an Astrelabie ben unknowe
parfitly to eny mortal man in this regioun, as I suppose. Another
cause is this, that sothly in any tretis of the Astrelabie that
I have seyn, there be somme conclusions that wol not in alle
thinges parformen her bihestes; and somme of hem ben to harde to
thy tendir age of ten yeer to conceyve.
This tretis, divided in 5 parties, wol I shewe the under full
light reules and naked wordes in Englissh, for Latyn canst thou
yit but small, my litel sone. But natheles suffise to the these
trewe conclusions in Englissh as wel as sufficith to these noble
clerkes Grekes these same conclusions in Grek; and to Arabiens
in Arabik, and to Jewes in Ebrew, and to Latyn folk in Latyn;
whiche Latyn folk had hem first out of othere dyverse langages,
and writen hem in her owne tunge, that is to seyn, in Latyn. And
God woot that in alle these langages and in many moo han these
conclusions ben suffisantly lerned and taught, and yit by diverse
reules; right as diverse pathes leden diverse folk the righte way
to Rome. Now wol I preie mekely every discret persone that redith
or herith this litel tretys to have my rude endityng for excusid,
and my superfluite of wordes, for two causes. The firste cause
is for that curious endityng and hard sentence is ful hevy at
onys for such a child to lerne. And the secunde cause is this,
that sothly me semith better to writen unto a child twyes a god
sentence, than he forgete it onys.
And Lowys, yf so be that I shewe the in my lighte Englissh
as trewe conclusions touching this mater, and not oonly as trewe but
as many and as subtile conclusiouns, as ben shewid in Latyn in
eny commune tretys of the Astrelabie, konne me the more thank.
And preie God save the king, that is lord of this langage, and
alle that him feith berith and obeieth, everich in his degre, the
more and the lasse. But considre wel that I ne usurpe not to have
founden this werk of my labour or of myn engyn. I n'am but a lewd
compilator of the labour of olde astrologiens, and have it
translatid in myn Englissh oonly for thy doctrine. And with this
swerd shal I sleen envie.
- Prima pars.-->—The firste partie of this tretys
shal reherse the figures and the membres of thyn Astrelabie by
cause that thou shalt have the gretter knowing of thyn oune
instrument.
- Secunda pars.-->—The secunde
partie shal techen the worken the verrey practik of the forseide
conclusiouns, as ferforth and as narwe as may be shewed in so
small an instrument portatif aboute. For wel woot every
astrologien that smallist fraccions ne wol not be shewid in so
small an instrument as in subtile tables calculed for a
cause.
- Tertia pars.-->—The thirde
partie shal contene diverse tables of longitudes and latitudes of sterres fixe for
the Astrelabie, and tables of the declinacions of the sonne, and
tables of longitudes of citees and townes; and tables as well for
the governaunce of a clokke, as for to fynde the altitude
meridian; and many anothir notable conclusioun after the
kalenders of the reverent clerkes, Frere J. Somer and Frere N.
Lenne.
- Quarta pars.-->
—The fourthe partie shal ben a
theorike to declare the moevyng of the celestiall bodies with the
causes. The whiche fourthe partie in speciall shal shewen a table
of the verrey moeving of the mone from houre to houre every day
and in every signe after thyn almenak. Upon which table there
folewith a canoun suffisant to teche as wel the manere of the
worchynge of the same conclusioun as to knowe in oure orizonte
with which degre of the zodiak that the mone arisith in any
latitude, and the arisyng of any planete after his latitude fro
the ecliptik lyne.
- Quinta pars.-->
—The fifthe partie shal be an
introductorie, after the statutes of oure doctours, in which thou
maist lerne a gret part of the generall rewles of theorik in
astrologie. In which fifthe partie shalt thou fynden tables of
equaciouns of houses after the latitude of Oxenforde; and tables
of dignitees of planetes, and othere notefull thinges, yf God wol
vouche saaf and his Moder the Maide, moo then I
behete.
