Descripcion of the meridional lyne, of longitudes
and latitudes of citees and townes, as wel as of climates.
Thys lyne meridional is but a maner descripcioun, or lyne
ymagined, that passith upon the poles of this world and by the
cenyth of oure heved. And it is cleped the lyne meridional, for
in what place that eny man is at any tyme of the yer, whan that
the sonne, by mevynge of the firmament, cometh to his verrey
meridian place, than is it verrey mydday, that we clepen oure
non, as to thilke man. And therfore is it clepid the lyne of
midday. And nota--> that evermore of eny 2 cytes or of 2
townes, of which that oo town approchith ner toward the est than
doth that othir town, trust wel that thilke townes han diverse
meridians. Nota--> also that the arch of
the equinoxial that is contened or bownded bitwixe the 2 meridians is clepid the
longitude of the toun. And yf so be that two townes have ilike
meridian or oon meridian, than is the distaunce of hem bothe
ilike fer fro the est, and the contrarie; and in this manere thei
change not her meridian. But sothly thei chaungen her
almykanteras, for the enhaunsyng of the pool and the distance of
the sonne.
The longitude of a climat is a lyne ymagined fro est to west
ilike distant fro the equinoxiall. And the latitude of a climat
may be cleped the space of the erthe fro the begynnyng of the
first clymat unto the verrey ende of the same clymat evene direct
ageyns the pool artyke. Thus sayn somme auctours; and somme of
hem sayn that yf men clepe the latitude of a cuntrey the arch
meridian that is contened or intercept bitwix the cenyth and the
equinoxial, than say they that the distance fro the equinoxial
unto the ende of a clymat evene ageynst the pool artik is the
latitude of a clymat forsoothe.
