Hier begynneth the book callid the myrrour of the worlde ...

Of the meuynges of heuen and of the vij planetes / and

of the lytilnes of therthe vnto the Regarde of heuen ca∣pitulo ¶xx^o

Owe lord god gaf meuyng vnto the heuen / whiche goth so swyftly & so appertly / that noman can com∣prise in his thought / but it semeth not to vs for his gre∣tenes / nomore than it sholde seme to a man / yf he saw fro ferre an horse renne v̄pon a grete mountayne / it shold not seme to hym that he wente an only paas / and for somoche as he sholde be most ferre fro hym / somoche the lasse / shol∣de he seme to goo / And the heuen is somoche hye and fer∣r•• aboue vs / that yf a stone were in thayer as hye as the sterres be / and were the most heuyest of alle the world of leed or of metall / and began to falle fro an hye aboue / this thyng is proued and knowen / that it shold not come to therthe tyl thende of an hondred yere / so moche and fer∣re is the heuen fro vs / The whiche is so grete / that alle the erthe round a boute hath nothyng of gretenes ayenst the heuē / nomore than hath the poynt or pricke in the myd∣dle of the most grete compaas that may be / ne to the gret∣test cercle that may be made on therthe / and yf a man we∣re aboue in heuen / and behelde and loked here doun in the erthe / & that alle the erthe were brennynge alle in cooles flāmyng & lighted / it shold seme to hym more lytil / than the lest sterre / that is aboue / semeth to vs here in therthe / thawh we were on a montayne or in a valeye / & therfor it may wel be knowen / that the heuen muste lyghtly meue / whan it maketh his torne and goth round aboute therthe in a day and a nyght / lyke as we may apperceyue by

the sonne / that men see in the mornyng arise in thoryent or in the cest / and goth doun in the west / and on the morn erly we see hym come agayn in the eest / ffor thenne he hath perfourmed his cours round aboute therthe / whiche we calle a day naturel / the whiche conteyneth in hym day and nyght / Thus gooth and cometh the sonne the whiche neuer shal haue reste / ne neuer shal fynysshe to goo wyth the heuen / lyke as the nayle that is fixed in the whele / the whiche torneth whan she torneth / But by cause that it hath meuyng ayenst the cours or tornyng of the firma∣ment / we shal saye to yow another reson / yf a flye wente rounde aboute a whele that wente rounde it self / and that the flye wente ayenst it / The whele shold brynge the flye with her / And so shold it falle that the whele shold haue made many tornes / whilis that the flye shold make one torne / and er she had gon round aboute the whele vnto the first poynt / So ye muste vnderstonde that in suche manere goon the mone and the sonne / by away that is comune to the vij planetes that ben on the heuen / whiche alle goo by the same way / alleway toward the ••est / And the heuen torneth toward the weste / lyke as nature ledeth hym / Thus and herwith the first partie taketh his ende of this present booke / And shal folowe for to deuyse of the se∣conde partye of therthe and of the fourme of the firma∣ment /

¶Thus endeth the first partye of this present book /