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Descripcion of the meridional lyne, of longitudes and latitudes of citees and townes, as wel as of climates.
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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.