To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
CHAP. I. A great question asked between the Shepheards touching the stars, and an answer made to the same question.
THe Shepheards in a morning before the day being in the fields, beheld the firmament that was fixed full of stars, one amongst the other said to his fellow, I demand of thee how many stars be on the twelve parts
of the Zodiack▪ that is under one sign only. The other shepheard answered and said, let be found a peece of land in a plain Country, as upon the plain of Salisbury, and that the said peece of land be xl miles long, and xxiiii. miles broad. After that, take great long nailes with great broad heads, as the nailes be that are made for cart-wheeles, as many as shall suffice for the said peece of land, and let the said nailes be stricken unto the heads, in the said peece of land, four fingers distant one from another, till that the peece of land be covered over from one side to the other: I say that there be as many stars contained under one signe only as there should be nailes struck in the foresaid peece of land, and there is as many under each of the other, and to the equipollent by the other places of the firmament. The first Shepheard demanded how wilt thou prove it? the second an∣swered and said, that no man is bound nor tied to prove things unpossible, and that it ought to suffice for shepheards touching this matter to beleeve simply without overmuch enquirie, of that their predecessors shepheards have said before.
AS here before time there was a Shepheard keeping Sheep in the Fields, which was no Clerk, nor had no understanding of the literal sence, nor of no manner of Scripture, nor Writing, but of his Natural wit and understanding said; Howbeit though li∣ving and dying be all at the pleasure of Almighty GOD, yet man may live by the course of Nature lxxii. years or more. This was his reason. And he saith, as much time as a man hath to grow in beauty, length, breadth,
and strength, so much time hath he to wax old and feeble to his end: But the term to grow in beauty, height and strength, is xxxvi, yeer, and the term to wax old, feeble, and weak, and turn to the earth ward, which is in all together lxxii. year. that he ought to live by course of nature. And they that dye before this time, often it is by violence and outrage done to their complexion and nature. But they that live above this term, is by good regiment and ensignments, after the which a man hath govern∣ned himself. To this purpose of living and dying, the said shepheard saith, the thing that we desire most in this world, is to live long, and the thing that wee most fear, is to dye soon: thus he travailed his understanding, and made great diligence to know and to do things possible and requisite for to live long whole, and ioyfully, which this present compost and Kalen∣der of Shepheards sheweth and teacheth. Wherefore we will shew you of the bodies celestiall, and of their nature and movings: and this present book is named the compost, for it comprehendeth fully all the compost, and more, for the daies, hours, and moments, and the new Moons, and the Eclipse of the Sunne and the Moon, and the signs that the Moon is in every day, and this book was made for them that be no Clarks: to bring them to great understanding.
He said also that the desire to live long was in his soul, the which alway lasteth, wherefore hee would that his desire was accomplished after death as afore. He said, sith the soul dieth not, and in her is the desire to live long, it should be an infallible pain, not to live after death, as afore, for he that li∣veth not after his corporal death, shall not have that that he hath desired, that is to wit, to live long, & should abide in eternal pain if his desire were not accomplished. So concluded the said Shepheard necessary things for him and other to know, and do that which appertaineth to live after death, as afore. And truth it is, that he which liveth but the life of this world only, though hee lived an hundred year, he lived not properly long: but he should live long, that at the end of this present life should begin the life eter∣nall that is to say, the life everlasting in heaven. So a man ought to per∣form his life in this world corporally, that he may live spiritually with∣out end. For as hee said, one shall live everlasting without dying, and when he hath the perdurable life, hee shall bee perfect. And also by this point, and none otherwise, shall be accomplished the desire of long living in this world. The foresaid Shepheard also knowledged, that the life of this world was soon past and gone, wherefore this Shepheard thought that lxxii. years in this vale of wretched misery is but a little and a small term of life to the everlasting, the which never shall have ending. And therefore he saith he that offereth himself here to live vertuously in this world, af∣ter this life he shall receive the sweet life that is sure and lasteth ever with∣out end. For though a man lived here an C. yeer and more, it is but a little term to the life to come. Therefore saith this shepheard, I will live soberly
with these small temporal goods that Iesus hath lent me, and ever to exile the desire of worldly riches and worldly worship. For they that labour for it, and have love to their goods, and vain worships, oft it parteth man from the heavenly treasure. It shutteth mans heart, that God may not en∣ter, and buildeth man a place of no rest in the low land of darknesse.