Hier begynneth the booke callyd the Myrrour of the worlde ...

¶Of the meuynges of heuen and of the vij planetes & of the lytylnes of therthe vnto the regarde of heuen. Capl^o. xx

OWr lord god gaf meuyng vnto the heuen / whiche goth so swyftly and so appertly / that noman can cō∣pryse in his thought. but it semeth not to vs for his grete∣nes / no more than it shold seme to a man. yf he sawe fro fer∣re an horse rennyng vpon a grete montayne it shold not se∣me to hym that he wente ne onely paas / And for somoche as he sholde be most ferre fro hym somoche the lasse / sholde he seme to goo / And the heuen is so moche hye and ferre abo∣ue vs that yf a stone were in thayer as hye as the sterres be / And were the most heuyest of alle the world of leed or of metall / And began to falle fro an hye aboue this thyng

is proued and knowen. That it shold not come to therthe tyl thende of an hondred yere so moche and ferre is the heuē fro vs. The whiche is so grete. that alle the erthe rounde a¦boute hath nothyng of gretenes ayest y^e heuē nomore than hath the poynt or pricke in the myddle of the most grete cō¦paas that may be ne to the grettest cercle that may be ma∣de on therthe / And yf a man were aboue in heuen / and behel¦de and loked here doun in the erthe / And that alle the erthe were brennynge all in cooles flammyng & lyghted. it shold seme to hym more lytyll / than the lest sterre / that is aboue semeth to vs here in therthe / thawh we were on a montay∣ne or in a valeye / and therfore it may well be knowen. that the heuen muste lyghtly meue. whan it maketh his torne & goth round aboute therthe in a day & a nyght / lyke as we may apperceyue by the sonne / that men see in the mornyng arise in thoryent or in the eest / & goth doun in the west / & on the morn erly we see hym come agayn in the eest / For thē∣ne he hath perfourmed his cours roūd aboute therth. whiche we calle a day naturel / the whiche conteyneth in hym day & nyght Thus goth and cometh the sonne the whiche neuer shal haue reste / ne neuer shal fynysshe to goo wyth the heuen. lyke as the nayle that is fyxed in the whele. the whiche torneth whan she torneth. But by cause that it hath meuyng ayenst the cours or tornynge of the fyrmament / ¶We shal saye to yow another reson / yf a flye wente rounde aboute a whele that went rounde itself. And that the flye wente ayenst it / The whele shold brynge the flye wyth her / And so shold it falle that the whele shold haue made many tornes / whylis that the flye shold make one torne. and er she had gon rounde aboute the whele vnto the

first poynt / So ye muste vnderstonde that in suche manere gon the mone & the sonne. by away that is comune to the vij planetes that ben on the heuen / whiche alle goo by the same way alleway toward the eest / and the heuen torneth toward the weste. lyke as nature ledeth hym / Thus & her∣wyth the first partie taketh his ende of this present booke. And shal folowe for to deuyse of the seconde partye of ther∣the & of the fourme of the firmament /