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.

Of the foure seasons of the yeare, that is, Spring time, Sum∣mer, fall of the leafe, called otherwise Autumne, and winter. Chap. 46.

IN this our Clime the spring is said to begin when the Sun entreth into the first point of Aries, which is about the xi. of March, and continueth vnto the last point of Gemini, which time is saide to be hot and moyst, and therefore is likened to childhoode: And sommer beginneth when the Sun entereth into the first point of Cancer, which is about the 12. or 13. of Iune, and endeth when he is in the last degrée of Virgo: and this time is said to be hotte and dry, and therefore is likened to Adolescencie. Then Au∣tumne or fall of the leafe beginneth when the Sunne entreth into the first point of Libra, which is about the 13. or 14. of Septem∣ber, and endeth when the Sun is in the last degrée of Sagittarius:

and this time is said to be colde and dry, and therefore is likened to manhood: Finally winter beginneth when the sunne entreth in∣to the first point of Capricorne, and endeth when he is in the last degrée of Pisces: and this time is said to be colde and moyst, and therefore is likened to olde age: notwithstanding Galen in his first booke de Elementis, sayth that the spring is temperately hot and moyst, and therefore a most wholsome time: And sommer is more hotte then colde, and more dry then moyst, and therefore is sayd to be hotte and dry: And Autumne is also saide to be dry be∣cause it is more dry then moyst, and yet neither hotte nor colde, but vnequally mixt, and thereby infectiue and causing sickenesse. And winter is sayd to be colde and moyst, not because it is colder or moyster then any other season, but because that in winter moy∣sture excéedeth drinesse, and coldnesse excéedeth heate. But you haue to vnderstād that these foure seasons haue not like qualities in all the 5. Zones: For in the burnt Zone, and specially to those that dwell right vnder the Equinoctiall the sunne being in Aries or Libra causeth greatest heat, & thereby two sommers because he is then right ouer their heads, & being in either of the Solstices, that is in the beginning of Cancer or Capricorne he causeth two winters because he is then furthest from them as I haue declared vnto you in the second part of my treatise of the Spheare the 20. Chapter, whereas I treate of the seasons and shadowes incident to diuerse Climes and Parallels whereunto I referre you, and so I ende with this matter.