Olympus, that reacheth the highest region of the ayr, and the element of fire mounteth to the sky, & the elements sustaineth the skies as pillars or beames sustaineth a house. Of such moūtains is one in Af••••c•• named Atlas.
After that is the element of fire, which is neither flame ne coales, but is pure & invisible, for the great brightnesse, for so much as the water is more clear and light than the earth, and the ayr more cleer and light than the water, of so much the fire is more cleer light, and fayrer than ayr, and the skies in equipollent been clearer, lighter, & fairer than the fire, the which turneth with the movings of the heavens, and the next region of the ayr also, in the which is ingendred comets, the which been called starres, for so much as they be shining and move as stars. After the saying of some shepheards, the fire is invisible, for his subtilty, and not for his cleernesse, forasmuch as a thing is more cleer, of so much it is the more visible, for we see the skies well, but not the fire, for it is overmuch more subtile than the ayr that is invisible, for the same cause the earth and the water be thick, and therefore they be visible. The skies be neither properly heavy ne lighht, hard, ne soft, cleer, ne dark, hot, ne cold, sweet, ne soure, colour ne sound, ne such other qualities, save that they be hot in vertue, for they may cause heat here beneath by their lights, movings and influences, and be impro∣perly hard, for they may not be divided, ne broken. And also they be im∣properly colours of light in some parts, and bee thick, as be the partes of the Stars. In the which, there may no star, nor other party be a∣nusted & put to nor none maye be diminished, ne taken away, and they may neither increase, ne wax lesse, nor be of other figure than round, ne they may not change, ne pair, ne wax old, ne be corrupted, ne altered, but in light only, as in tyme of the Eclipse of the Son and Moon, ne they may not rest and stand still, ne turn any other wayes, later ne sooner, in part ne all, ne behave them otherwise, than after their common course, but by miracle divine, and therefore the Stars and skies be of another nature than the elements and the things of them composed, the which be transmutable and corruptible. The Elements and all things of them composed be inclo∣sed within the first skie, as the yolke of an eg is inclosed within the white, and the first skie is inclosed of the second, and the second in the third, and the third in the fourth, and so of the other. The first skie next the elements is the sky of the Moon, next is the sky of Mercury, and next is the sky of Venus, then is the sky of the Sun, then is of Mars, then of Iupiter, and after it of Saturn. And thus be the skies of the planets after their order. The eighth sky, is of the stars fixed and bee called so, for that they move more regularly, and after one guise than the planets doe. Then above, which is the first mobile: in the which nothing appeareth, as shepheards may see.
Some shepheards say, above this ninth skie is one Immobile, for it turneth not, and above that is one of christall, over the which is the sky