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REcken and know which is the day of the Moneth, and lay thy rule upon the same day, and then woll the very point of thy rule verely sitten on the bordure, up∣on the degree of the Sunne. Ensample as thus. In the yere of our Lord 1391, the twelfth day of March at midday, I would know the degree of the Sunne, I sought in
the backe halfe of mine Astrolaby, and found the circle of the dayes, the whych I knew by the names of the Months, written vnder the same Circle: Tho laid I my Rule over the foresaid day, and found the point of my Rule in the border, vpon the first degree of Aries, a litle within the degree: and thus knew I this conclusion.
Another day I would knowe the degree of my Sunne, and this was at Midday in the xiii. day of December, I founde the day of the moneth in manner as I said: tho laid I my Rule vpon the foresaid xiii. day, and founde the poynt of my Rule vpon the first degree of Capricorne, a little within the de∣gree, and then had I of this conclusion the very experience.
PVT the ring of thyne Astrolabye vpon thy right thombe, and tourne thy left side againe the light of the Sunne, and re∣meve thy Rule vp and downe, till the streame of the Sunne shine through both holes of the Rule: looke then howe many degrees this Rule is areised fro the litle crosse vpon the East line, and take there the altitude of thy sunne: and in this same wise mayst thou knowe by night the altitude of the Moone, or of the bright sterres. This Chapiter is so generall ever in one, that there needeth no more declaration, but forget it not.
THen if thou wilt wete the reckening, to know which is the day in thy Kalen∣der of the month that thou art in, lay thine Astrolabie, that is to say, the allidatha, vpon the day in the Kalender of thine Astrolabie, and he shall shew thee thy degree of ye Sunne.
TAke the altitude of the Sunne when thee list, as I have sayd, and set the degree of the Sunne (in••case that it be be∣fore the middle of the day) amonge thyne almicanteras, on the Easte-side of thine Astrolabie: and if it be after the middle of the day, set the degree of the Sun vpon the West-side. Take this manner of setting for a generall rule ones for ever.
And when thou hast yset the degree of the Sun vpon as many almicanteras of height, as was the Sunne, taken by thy rule, lay over thy Labell vpon the degree of the Sunne, & then woll the point of the Labell sitten in the bordure, vpon the very tide of the day. En∣sample of this.
The yeare of our Lorde, a thousand three hundred ninety and one, the twelfth daye of March, I would know the tide of the day, I tooke y• altitude of my Sunne, and found that it was 25 degrees, and 30 Minutes of height of the bordure in the backside, tho tourned I mine Astrolabye, and because it was before midday, I tourned my reete, & set the degree of the Sunne, yt is to say, the first degree of Aries in the right side of mine Astrolabie, vp∣on the 25 degree, and 30 minutes of heyght, among my almicanteras: Tho laid I my Labell vpon the degree of my Sunne, and found the point of my Labell in the bordure, on the capitall letter, yt is cleped an X. Tho reckened I all the capitall letters, fro ye line of Midnight, vnto the foresaid letter X. and found it was nine of the Clocke of the day. Tho looked I over my East Orizont, and found there the twelue degree of Geminius ascending, which that I tooke for mine ascen∣dent, and in this wise had I the experience for evermore in whych manner I should knowe the tide of the day, and eke myne ascendent. Tho would I wete that same night follow∣ing the houre of the night, and wrought in this wise: among an heape of Sterres, it ly∣ked me to take the altitude of the fayre white Sterre that is cleped the Alhabor, & found her sitting on the West-side of ye line of Mid∣day, eighteene degrees of height, taken by my Rule on the backside. Tho set I y• Centure of this Alhabor vpon eighteene degrees, among my almicanteras, vpon the West-side, be∣cause that hee was found vpon the West-side: tho laid I my Labell over the degree of the Sun, that was discended vnder the West Orizont, and reckened all the letters capi∣tals, fro the line of Midday vnto ye point of my Labell in the bordure, and found yt it was after noon, passed seven of the clocke, the space of eleven degrees. Tho looked I downe vpon my East Orizont, and found there twenty degrees of Libra ascending, whom I tooke for myne ascendent, and thus learned ones for ever to know in which man∣ner I should come to the houre of the night, and to mine ascendent, as verely as may be taken by so smale an instrument. But nathelesse, this rule in generall wil I warne thee for ever: ne make thou never none as∣cendent at noone of the day. Take a just as∣cendent of thine Astrolabie, and have set just∣ly a cloke, when any celestiall body, by the which thou wenest governe thilke thynges, been nigh the South line, for trust well, when the Sunne is neare ye Meridionall line, the degree of the Sunne remayneth so long con∣centrike vpon thine almicanteras that sooth∣ly thou shalt erre fro the just ascendent. The same conclusion say I, by my centure of my Sterre fix by the night: and moreover, by ex∣perience I wote well, that fro our Orizont, fro enleven of the clocke, vnto one, in taking of
the just ascendent, in a portatife Astrolabie, it is too hard to know, I mean from eleuen of the clocke before noon, till one of the clocke next following: and for the more declarati∣on, loe here thy figure next after this rule that followeth.
THen thou wolt weten, to recken & know which is the day of the month yt thou art in, and lay ye rule of thy Astrolabie, that is to say, the allidatha, vpon the day, in the Kalen∣der of thine Astrolabie, and hee shall shewe thee thy degree of the Sunne.
THe ascendent soothly is as well in all na∣tivities, as in questions, and as in e∣lections of times is a thing whyche yt these Astrologians greatly observen, wherfore me seemeth convenient, sens I speake of the ascendent, to make of it a speciall declara∣tion. The ascendent soothly, to take it at the largest, is thilke degree that ascendeth at any of these foresaid times, on the East Ori∣zon: and therfore, if that any Planet ascend at thilke same time in ye foresaid same, gree of his longitude, men say that thilke Planet is in Horoscopo, but soothly, the house of that as∣cendent, that is to say, the first house, or y• East angle, is a thing more broad and large, for af∣ter the statutes of Astrologiens, what celestial body, that is five degrees aboue thilke degree that ascendeth on the Orizont, or within that number, that is to saine, nere the degree that ascendeth, yet reckon they thilke Planet in the ascendent, and what Planet that is un∣der thilke degree, that ascendeth the space of fifteen degrees, yet sain they, that Planet is like to him, that is the hour of the ascendent. But soothly, if he passe the bounds of the foresaid spaces, aboue or beneath, they sayne, y• thilke Planet is falling fro the Ascendent, yet sayne these Astrologiens, that the Ascen∣dent, and eke the Lord of the Ascendent, may be shapen for to be fortunate, or infortunate, as thus: A fortunate Asecendent clepen they, when that no wicked Planet of Saturne or Mars, or els the taile of the Dragon, is in the house of the Ascendent, ne that no wick∣ed Plannet have no aspect of enmity vpon the Ascendent: But they woll cast, yt they have fortunate Planet in her Ascendent, and yet in his felicity, and then say they that it is well. Furthermore, they sayne, that Fortune of an Ascendent, is the contrary of these foresaid thyngs. The Lord of the As∣cendent, sayne they, yt he is fortunate, when he is in good place for the Ascendent, and eke the Lord of the Ascendent is in an an∣gle, or in a succedent, where he is in his dig∣nity, and comforted with friendly aspectes receyued, and eke that he may seene y• Ascen∣dent not retrograde, ne combust, ne joyned with no shrewe in the same signe, ne that he be not in his discention, ne reigned with no Planet in his discentious, ne have vpon him none aspect infortunate, and then they sayne that he is well.
Nathelesse, these been observaunces of ju∣diciall matter, and rites of Painims, in which my spirit hath no fayth, ne knowinge of her Horoscopum, for they sayne, that every signe is departed in three even parts, by 10 degrees, and the ilke portion they cleapen a face. And although a Plannet have a latitude fro the Ecliptike, yet sain some folke, so that y• Pla∣net arise in that same signe, with any degree of the foresaid face, in which his longitude is reckened. And yet is the Planet in Horosco∣po, be in nativities or in election
FOr as much as the almicanteras of thine Astrolaby ben compowned by two and two, whereas some almicanteras in some Astrolabies be compouned by one, or else by two, it is necessary to thy learning, to teach thee first to know, and wriche with thine in∣strument: wherefore, when that the degree of the Sunne falleth between two almican∣teras, or else, if thine almicanteras ben gra∣uen with ouer great a point of a Compace, for both these things may cause errour, as well in knowing of the tide of the day, as of the ve∣ry ascendent. Thou must werken in this wise: set the degree of the Sunne vpon the higher almicanteras, as of both. And wait wel where thy almury toucheth the bordure, & set there a pricke of ynke, set adoune again the degree of the Sunne vpon the nether almicanteras, or both, and set there another pricke: remeve then thy almury in y• bordure, even amiddes both prickes, and this woll leaden justly the degree of the Sunne, to sit betweene both ye almicanteras in his right place. Lay then the labell on the degree of the Sunne & find in the bordure the very tide of the day, or of the night. And also verely shalt thou find vp∣on thy East orizont thine ascendent.
SEt the nadyre of thy Sunne vpon 18 de∣grees of height among thine almicante∣ras on the West-side, and lay thy labell on the degree of the Sunne, and then shall the point of the labell shew the spring of the day: also set the nadire of the Sunne vpon the 18 degrees of height among thine almicanteras on the East-side, and lay over thy labell vpon the degree of the Sunne and with the poynt of thy labell find in ye bordure the end of thine evening, that is very night. The nadire of ye Sonne is thilke degree that is opposite to y• degree of the Sunne in the 320. sign, as thus.
Euery degree of Aries, by order, is nadire to euery degree of Libra by order, & Taurus to Scorpion, Gemini to Sagitarius, Cancer to Capricorne, Leo to Aquary, Virgo to Pisces. And if any degree in thy Zodiake be derke, his nadire shall declare him.
SEtte the degree of the Sunne upon thine East orizont, and lay thy labell on the degree of the Sunne, and at the point of thy labell in the bordure set a pricke; turn then thy reete about, till the degree of the Sun sit upon the West orizont, and lay the labell upon the same degree of the Sunne, and at the point of the labell set another pricke. Recken then the quantitie of time in the bordure betwixt both prickes, and take there thine arche of the day: the remenaunt of the bordure under the orizont, is the arch of the night. Thus maist thou reckon both arches of euery portion where that thou li∣kest, and by this manner of werkyng mayest thou see howe long that any sterre fixe dwelleth aboue the earth, fro the time that he riseth, till he go to rest. But the day na∣turel, that is to sayne, 24 houres, is the re∣uolution of the Equinoctial, with as much partye of the Zodiake, as the Sunne of his proper mouing passeth in the mean while.
TO know the number of the degrees in the hours inequals, and depart hem by 15, and take there thine houres equals.
KNow thy quantitie of thyne coepuscu∣lis, as I haue it taught in the chapiter before, and adde hem to the arche of the day artificial, and take there thy space of all the hole day vulgare unto the very night. In the same manner mayest thou werke to know the vulgare night.
UNderstand well, that these houres ine∣quals ben cleaped houres of the pla∣nets: and understond well, that sometime been they longer by day than they be by night, and sometime contrary. But under∣stand thou wel, that euermore generally the hours inequale of the daye, with the hours inequale of the night, conteyneth 30 degrees of the bordure, the which bordure is euer∣more answering to the degrees of the equi∣noctial, wherefore depart the arche of the day artificial in 12, and take there the quan∣tity of the houre inequale by day and if thou abate the quantitie of the houre inequale by day, out of 360 degrees, thou shall the remenant that leaueth, performe the houre inequale by night.
THe quantities of houres equales, that is to sayne, the houres of the clock ben de∣parted by 15 degrees already in the bordure of thy Astrolabie, as well by night as by day, generally for euermore. What nedeth any more declaration: wherefore when thee lyst to know how many houres of the clock been passed, or any part of any of these houres ben to commen, fro such a time to such a time, by day or by night, knowe the degree of thy Sunne, and lay thy label on it: then turne thy reete about joyntly with thy label, and with the point of it recken in the border, fro the Sunne arysing, into the same place there thou desirest by day as by night. This conclusion woll I declare in the fourth party of the last chapiter of this treatise, so openly, that there shall lack no worde that needeth declaration.
UNderstand well, that euermore, fro the arising of the Sunne, till it go to rest, the nadire of the Sunne shall shew the hour of the plannet, and fro that time forward, all the nyght, till the Sunne arise, then shal the very degree of the Sunne shew the hour of the planet. Ensample as thus. The 13. day of March fell upon a saturday parauen∣ture, and at the arising of the Sunne I found the second degree of Aries sitting up∣on mine East orizont, all be it was but lit∣tle. Then found I the second degree of Li∣bra nadire of my Sunne, discending on my West orizont, upon which West orizont, e∣uery day generally at the Sunne arising, entereth the houre of any plannet, under the foresaid West orizont, after the which planet, the day beareth his name, and en∣deth in the next strike of the planet, under the foresaid West orizont: and euer as the Sunne clymbeth upper and upper, so go∣eth his nadire downer and downer, and eching fro suche strikes the houres of plan∣nets by order, as they sitten in heauen. The first houre inequale of euery saturday, is Saturne, and the second to Iupiter, the third to Mars, the fourth to the Sunne, the fift to Venus, the sixt to Mercurius, the seuenth to the Moone, and then ayen the eyght to Saturn, the ninth to Iupiter, the tenth to Mars, the eleueuth to the Sunne, the twelfth to Venus. And now is my Sunne gone to rest, as for that sa∣turday, then sheweth the very degree of the Sunne the houre of Mercury, entring under my west orizont at euen. And next him succeedeth the Moone, and so forth by order, planet after planet, in houre after houre all the night long, till the Sun arise. Now riseth the Sunne the sunday by the morow, and the nadyre of the Sunne upon
the West orizont, sheweth me the entering of the hour of the foresaid Sun. And in this manner succeedeth planet vnder planet, fro Saturn vnto the Moon, and fro the Moon vp again to Saturn, hour after hour generally, and thus know I this conclu∣sion.
SEt the centure of the sterre vpon the East orizont, and look what degree of any sign that sitteth vpon the same orizont at the same time: and vnderstand well, that with the same degree ariseth the same sterre. And this maruailous arising with a strong de∣gree in another signe, is because that the la∣titude of the sterre fixe is either North or South fro the Equinoctiall. But soothly, the latitudes of planets been commonly yreckened fro the ecliptike, because that none of hem declineth but few degrees out fro the brede of the Zodiake. And take good keepe of this chapter of arising of celestiall bodies, for there trusteth well, that neither moone neither sterre in our ambolife orizont, that ariseth with the same degree of his longitude, saue in one case, and that is when they haue no longitude fro the eclipticke line. But neuerthelesse, sometime is euerich of these planets vnder the same line.
SEt the degree of any signe vpon the line Meridionall, and recken his altitude in the almicanteras, fro the East orizont vp to the same degree set in the foresaid line, and set there a pricke: Turne vp then thy reere, and set the head of Aries or Libra in the same Meridionall line, and set there another prick. And when that this is done, consider the al∣titudes of hem both: for soothly, the diffe∣rence of thilke altitude, is the declination of thilke degree fro the Equinoctiall. And if it so be, that thilke degree be Northward fro the Equinoctiall, then is his declination North, and if it be Southward, then it is South.
REcken how many degrees of almican∣teras in the Meridionall line, be from the cercle equinoctiall, vnto the signet, or els from the Pole artike vnto the North ori∣zont, and for so great a latitude, or so small a latitude, is the table compouned.
SEt the degree of thy Sun upon the line Meridionall, and recken how many de∣grees of almicanteras been betwixe thine East orizont and the degree of thy Sun, and take there thine altitude meridian, that is to sayne, the highest degree of the Sun, as for that day. So maist thou know in the same line the highest line that any star fire climbeth by night, this is to sayne, that when any star fire is passed the line meridio∣nall, then beginneth it to discend, and so doth the Sun.
SEek busily with thy rule the highest of the Sun in the midst of the day, tourne then thine Astrolabie, and with a pricke of ynke mark the number of the same altitude in the line meridionall. Tourne then thy reet about, till thou finde a degree of thy Zodiake according with the pricke, this is to sayne, sitting on the pricke, and in sooth thou shalt find but two degrees in all the Zodiake, of that condition. And yet thilke two de∣grees been in diuers signs. Then maist thou lightly, by the season of the year, know the sign in which is the Sun.
LOok which degrees been ylike from the heeds of Cancer and Capricorn, and look when the Sun is in any of thilke de∣grees, then been the days like of length, that is to saine, that as long is that day in that month, as was soch a day in soch a month, there varieth but littell. Also if thou take two days naturelles in the year, ylike far from either points of the Equinoctial, in the opposite parties, then as long is the day ar∣tificial on that one day as on that other, and eke the contrary.