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DIues. How may the bodyes aboue be tokenes of suche thynges & not causee. ¶Pau¦per. Fallynge of soote in houses is to¦ken of rayne soone comynge / and yet it is not the cause of the rayne / but the rayne is cause of the sote fallyng For whan the ayer wereth moyste / the soote by moysture of the ayer wexeth
heuy and falleth downe. And soo the fallynge of the sote is token of grete moysture in the ayre. Also swetynge of water on the stoones is a token of rayne / and yet it is not cause of the rayne / but rayne and moysture of the ayre is cause of the water. Also mel∣tyng of salte whan it tourneth in to water is token of rayne comyng / but not the cause. Also smoke in houses whan it passeth not redely out is to∣ken of rayne / for the ayre is so thycke & heuy of moysture that the smoke may not stye vp soo redely as whan the ayre is drye & clere Also the brou∣ghe or cercle about the candell lyght is token of rayne. And the blewe glo¦wynge of the fyre is a token of the froste / but not the cause. These and suche other ben tokenes of weder co∣mynge / but not the causes. For they shewe the dysposycōn of the ayre whe¦ther it is dysposed to droughte or to wete. And in the same maner the bo∣dyes aboue ben tokenes of weder co∣mynge. For by theyr lyght & maner of shynynge they shewe the dysposy∣cōn of the ayre wete or drye froste or snowe / thondre / lyghtnyng / wynde / & suche other. And as the lyght in the lanterne sheweth dysposycōn & colour of the lanterne / & yet is not the lyght cause of suche dysposycōn ne of the co¦lour of the lanterne. And as the lyght of the sonne or mone sheweth the dys¦posycōn of the glasse that it passith by whether it be whyte or blake / blewe or rede / yelowe or grene / & yet is not the sonne ne the mone cause of the co¦lour. Right so they shewe the dysposy¦cyon of the ayre / and yet ben they not alwaye cause of suche dysposycyon. And therfore the mone in one luna∣cyon and in the same tyme sheweth in one contree grete tokenyng of ray∣ne / & soo it falleth / and twenty myle thens it sheweth grete tokenynge of drought and so it falleth / and yet is it the same mone and the same luna¦cyon. And therfore the cause of that dyuersyte is not in the mone / but in the ayre. For the ayre in one contree is dysposed to rayne / and in the other to drought. Also in one contree it she∣weth wynde and tempeste / and in an¦other contree not soo. Some contree is full hote by shynynge of the sonne and some contree is not so hote. One daye is full hote / and the next daye after is full colde. The sonne she∣weth his lyght one tyme of the daye / and an other tyme of the daye it she∣weth not / whiche dyuersyte standeth not in the sonne / but in the ayre and other causes. For the sonne in hymsel¦fe as the clerkes sayen is alwaye atte one and shyneth alwaye all lyke / it is neyther hoter ne colder. But suche dy¦uersyte falleth by dyuersyte of the ay¦re / and other dyuerse meanes & causes whiche passen mannes wytt. Some tyme suche anenture & hongre / of mo¦rayne / of tempeste / of drought / of we∣te falleth by the ordenaunce of god for mannes synne / or for to shewe his myght and his worshyppe. Somty∣me by werkynge of angellys good or wycked att goddes byddynge. Some tyme without meane oonly att his wyll and his byddynge. Somtyme
by the werkynge of the bodyes abo∣ue atte his byddynge. For as I sayd fyrste / he may doo with the planetes what he wyll / and he may doo with∣out them what he wyll. And therfore by the course of the planetes may we not knowe suche aduentures as by¦causes but as by tokens. For god ma¦de theym for to be tokenes to man / beest / byrde / fysshe / and other creatu∣res as I sayd fyrste. And therfore we sholde take hede to them oonly as to tokenes & not to causes. Ne dyuyne by hem as by causes / for we wote not whan they ben causes of suche thyn∣ges / ne whan they be none.