A special declaracioun of the ascendent.
The ascendent sothly, as wel in alle nativites as in questions
and eleccions of tymes, is a thing which that these astrologiens
gretly observen. Wherfore me semeth convenyent, syth that I speke
of the ascendent, to make of it speciall declaracioun.
The ascendent sothly, to take it at the largest, is thilke
degre that ascendith at eny of these forseide tymes upon the est
orisounte. And therfore, yf that eny planete ascende at thatt
same tyme in thilke forseide degre, than hath he no latitude fro
the ecliptik lyne, but he is than in the degre of the ecliptik
which that is the degre of his longitude. Men sayn that thilke
planete is in horoscopo-->.
But sothly the hous of the ascendent, that is to seyn, the
first hous or the est angle, is a
thing more brod and large. For, after the statutes of astrologiens, what celestial
body that is 5 degrees above thilke degre that ascendith, or
withinne that nombre, that is to seyn neer the degree that
ascendith, yit rekne they thilke planete in the ascendent. And
what planete that is under thilke degre that ascendith the space
of 25 degres, yit seyn thei that thilke planete is "like to him
that is the hous of the ascendent." But sothly, if he passe the
boundes of these forseide spaces, above or bynethe, thei seyn
that the planete is "fallyng fro the ascendent." Yit saien
these astrologiens that the ascendent and eke the lord of the ascendent
may be shapen for to be fortunat or infortunat, as thus: A
"fortunat ascendent" clepen they whan that no wicked
planete, as Saturne or Mars or elles the Tayl of the Dragoun, is in the hous
of the ascendent, ne that no wicked planete have noon aspect of
enemyte upon the ascendent. But thei wol caste that thei have a
fortunat planete in hir ascendent, and yit in his felicite; and
than sey thei that it is wel. Further over thei seyn that the
infortunyng of an ascendent is the contrarie of these forseide
thinges. The lord of the ascendent, sey thei that he is fortunat
whan he is in god place fro the ascendent, as in an angle, or in
a succident where as he is in hys dignite and comfortid with
frendly aspectes of planetes and wel resceyved; and eke that he
may seen the ascendent; and that he be not retrograd, ne combust,
ne joyned with no shrewe in the same signe; ne that he be not in
his discencioun, ne joyned with no planete in his descencioun,
ne have upon him noon aspect infortunat; and than sey thei that
he is well.
Natheles these ben observaunces of judicial matere and rytes
of payens, in whiche my spirit hath no feith, ne knowing of her
horoscopum-->. For they seyn that every
signe is departid in thre evene parties by 10 degrees, and thilke porcioun they
clepe a face. And although that a planete have a latitude fro the
ecliptik, yit sey somme folk, so that the planete arise in that
same signe with eny degre of the forseide face in which his
longitude is rekned, that yit is the planete in
horoscopo-->, be it in nativyte or in eleccion, etc.
