M. Blundevile his exercises containing sixe treatises, the titles wherof are set down in the next printed page: which treatises are verie necessarie to be read and learned of all yoong gentlemen that haue not bene exercised in such disciplines, and yet are desirous to haue knowledge as well in cosmographie, astronomie, and geographie, as also in the arte of navigation ... To the furtherance of which arte of navigation, the said M. Blundevile speciallie wrote the said treatises and of meere good will doth dedicate the same to all the young gentlemen of this realme.

What starres are observed by those that sayle beyond the Equinoctiall vnder the South Pole. Chapter. 43. (Book 43)

THe ancient Astronomers, as Ptolomey, Timo∣chares, Hypparchus and others did neuer de∣scribe any star to be more nigh vnto the South pole, than that which is called Canopus, which is a faire bright starre of the first bignesse, and according to the Tables of Copernicus, is di∣stant from the South Pole 38. degrées, and ¼. But those that haue sayled in the South seas of later dayes, haue founde out other starres vnknowne to the ancient Astronomers, which are much néerer vnto the said Pole. For Albericus Vesputius writeth of thrée Starres, making together a Triangle Orthogonall, that is to say, hauing one right angle, now called the southern Triangle, the middle star wherof is distant from the south Pole 9. degrées, ⅖.

There be also latelie found out diuers images of other starres nigh vnto the South pole, as that which is called Noah his Doue, or Pigeon, and another called Polophilax, made in the shape of a man, whose longitude and latitude hath not as yet bene rightlie set downe by any that I haue read.

But the sea men of these present dayes doe most commonlie obserue foure great stars, which according to the shape and forme thereof they call the Crosse, imagining the greatest starre of the foure to be the foot, & that which standeth right ouer him to be the head of the crosse, & the other two to be the 2 armes: and when they

sée that the head doeth directiie answere the foote, then they say

[illustration]

that the foote of the saide crosse is right aboue the Pole, and distant from the same 30. degrées. There∣fore, hauing taken the altitude or height of that star aboue y^e Horizon with their Astrolabe they subtract 30. degrees from that altitude, and the remainder is the eleuation of the Pole. Medina in his fift booke and eleuenth chapter setteth downe the shape of the foresaide crosse in this maner.

And he saith that these starres are neither anie of those starres that are appointed to the twelue Signes in the Zodiaque, nor yet any of the 36. Images or constellations that bee in heauen. Moreouer he saith, that in taking the altitude of the great Starre called the foote béeing in his right place, that is to say, when hée is directlie opposite to the head, and that you finde his altitude to be 30. degrées, then you may assure your selfe that you are right vpon the Equinoctiall. And if you finde his altitude to bee more than 30. degrées, then you are past the Equinoctiall towardes the South Pole. But if you find it to bee lesse than 30. degrées, then you are still on the North side of the Equinoctiall.

Besides the starres aboue mentioned, our Mariners in these North parts of the world are woont to obserue diuers other stars, to the number of 32. whose longitude and declination together with their bignesse and also when they rise and set, and when they are mounted to the Meridian, that is to say, are iust South, is plainlie set forth by Tables collected of purpose out of the Astro∣nomicall Tables by William Boorne, which Tables you shall finde in the 20. chapter of his book called the regiment of the sea, And Robert Norman doeth also set downe the like tables in his booke called the Attractiue, and therefore I thinke it superfluous to repeat the same againe here, and speciallie sith I haue descri∣bed vnto you all the starres that bee in the firmament that were knowne to the ancient Astronomers, and haue shewed you how to find out by the Globe their longitudes, their latitudes, their decli∣nations

their greatnes and all other accidentes belonging to the Starres in my treatise of the Celestiall Globe, which I wrote of purpose to further yong sea men.

The knowledge of the Stars serueth sea men chiefly to knowe thereby the latitude of any place, and also to knowe the houre of the night: And thirdlie, to conicecture by their manner of rising and setting, and other their aspectes what weather is like to fol∣lowe, either foule or faire: the rules whereof to teach trulie be∣belongeth to Astronomers, yet many sea men by diligent obser∣uation doe attaine to right good iudgment therein. Wherefore leauing to speake any further of the Starres, I will now briefly speake of the Sunne and of his motions, of his rising and setting in euerie latitude, and of his declination from the Equinoctiall, and of other his like apparances. I say here brieflie, because I haue alreadie spoken of him at large in the 1. part of my spheare wheras I treat of the Zodiaque.