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NOw wylle ye here of the science by the whiche men gete sapience for to knowe and enquyre the thin∣ges that may happen in therthe by the werke of right na∣ture whiche is figured by the world / The heuenes and the
sterres ben the very instruments of nature to the world by whiche she werketh alle as god wille as wel nygh̄ as ferre / & who that coude knowe her myght / he had knowlege of alle thyng that sayd is / as wel of the sterres that ben on heuen whiche haue vertues on therthe / whiche god hath gyuen and graunted to euerich and specyally to the sonne and to the mone whiche gyue lyght vnto the world / & wythout whom nothyng lyuyng may be / ffor by them growe alle thynges that be in this world / and whiche haue ende and begynnyng / this consenteth and permyseth he that is almyghty / Alle dyuersitees that be in persones and whiche haue dyuersitees of makyng and of corsage / and alle that happeth by nature / be it in herbes / in plantes or in beestes / this happeth by the vertue celestyal whiche god gaf to the sterres / whan he first created the world / and that he sette them and endowed them wyth suche na∣ture that he ordeyned them to goo round aboute the world ayenst the tornyng of the firmament / And by theyr tor∣nyng and by their vertue whiche lieth in heuen / lyue alle thynges that ben vnder it / And yf it pleasyd our lord that he wold holde the heuen al stylle in suche wyse that it torned not aboute / ther is nothyng in alle the worlde / that myght meue hym / In hym shold be no vnderstondyng nomore than in a dede body / whiche feleth nothyng ne therin is no wytte ne vnderstandyng ne moeuyng as he that hath no lyf / in suche poynt shal euery thynge be whan the heuen shal leue his moeuyng / Alle thus shold they be & neuer moeue / tyl that the heuen had agayn his moeuyng And thenne shold they be otherwyse / but who that thēne
myght vse his wytte & see what he shal be / moche myght he see of semblaunces and of dyuerse contenaunc••s in other men that myght not remeue them / ffor yf ther were no moeuyng on the heuen / ther is nothyng that myght lyue on erthe / Also god wyll that it so be / that all thyng hath establisshid by right / Thus was the wylle of god in whom all•• vertues habounde for to fourme the worlde / ffor he made ne created neuer thynge / but that he gaf to it suche vertue as it ought to haue / Ellis he had made som∣thyng for nought and without reson / but he dyde not so / ffor he neuer failled in no thinge / he made and created all the sterres and gaf to euerich his vertue / And who that wille not thus byleue / In hym is neyther memoire ne reson / ffor we see openly that the mone taketh lyght / whan we see her all full / ffor the man hath thēne neyther mem∣bre ne vayne / but that it is ful / whan it is in the cours of humours and suche thinges / And in lyke wise it happeth on alle bestes / ffor they haue thenne their heedes and other membres more garnysshid of margh̄ and of humeurs / And the see also floweth and ebbeth in his cours euery moneth / wherof it happeth that they that ben nygh̄ the see / whan they knowe that the mone is ful / they wythdrawe them fro the see on hye / And saue them & theyre meyna∣ge / And in this poynt they wythdrawe them and holde them in hye places vnto the tyme that the see wythdra∣weth and lasseth agayn / And thus do they euery moneth But alle this happeth by the mone whiche is one of the seuen planetes / In lyke wyse is it seen of the sonne / that after the wynter whan he begynneth to mounte / he causeth
the fruyt to be brought forth of therthe / and apparailleth the trees wyth leues / and alle verdure to come agayn / And the byrdes begynne agayn their songe for the swe∣tenes of the new tyme / And whan he rebasshith and decly∣neth / he maketh the wynter to bygynne & causeth flowres and leuys to faylle and falle so longe tyl he begynne to mounte agayn as to fore is said / Syth that thise two sterres haue suche vertues / and cause suche thynges to be don / The other whiche ben pourtrayed on the heuen / were not made to serue of nought / But to eueriche is ordeyned his vertue and his right after his nature / wherfore they make dyuersytees in thynges that ben on therthe / And the moeuynges of tyme / of whiche that one cometh soone and that other late / And the fruytes that come on therthe Somme come sone and erly / and the other late / and ben otherwhile sonner rype in one yere than in an other / and more assured of tempestes and other greuaunces / And thus chaunge in sondry maners / ffor one somer is softe and moyste / And another is drye and wyndy / Of the wynter it happeth oftymes that they chaunge / so that one is colde / rayny / and more desplaysaunt that thother / And another shal be more Ioyous & lasse damageable / Thus is seen that the one is dere of somme vitaylle or other thynges / And that other shal be plentyuous / And also it is ofte that ther is plente and good chepe in one yere / In an other yere it is had in grete chierte / & is of grete scarsete / this fallyth somtyme and ofte / Alle thise dyuer∣sytes cause the sterres whiche ben on the heuen / But alle this is by the wylle of our lord / that hath sette euerich in
his propre place / where he maketh naturelly his cours / and euerich dyuersly / ffor yf none other thynge had his vse in tymes sauf the sonne only wythout moo / as he that goth swyftly by the firmament euery yere / and mounteth as moche and as hye in one somer as in an another / and as moche descendeth in one wynter as in another euery day egally til that he come in to his right poynt / and Ioyneth that other after hym where he was to fore / this knowe wel Astronomyers that he gooth euery yere aboute the heuen one torne / And where he is this day / in the same place he shal be this day a yere Ther by is it knowen that yf none other had no power / thenne shold euery yere be lyk other / & euery yere alway shold be lyke as the yere to fore was / And euery moneth shold be lyke the same as eueriche shold come / that is to wyte / one Ianyuer lyke another Ianyuer / and ffeuerer lyke another feuerer / and in lyke wyse alle the other x moneths / ffor the sonne goth alle lyke in one moneth / as he shal the next yere in the same moneth / And this day shold reassemble and be lyke vnto this day a yere in alle maner thynge / that is to wete of hete / of colde / of fair wether / of rayne and of other thyn∣ges euerich after their comyng all the yere duryng / Thenne sholde it falle by right nature that in all the so∣mers and all the wynters that euer haue ben and shal be shold not come no dyuersytees / And all the tymes shold be lyke as they that by the Sonne shold be alway deme∣ned / eschauffed and contynuelly gouerned / ffor he goth egally alway / and endeth his cours euery yere / and hol∣deth his right way in one estate / as he that goth not out
of his waye / Thus is he the right veyle and patrone of all the other sterres / ffor it is the most fyn of all the other by the grete clerenesse that is in hym / and in all thynges by hym / and he hath on therthe more power on thynges of whiche may be enquyred of nature reson and right than all the other sterres / yet somtyme they restrayne his hee∣tes / and after they enlarge them after that they be fer or nygh̄ / as he otherwhile hath nede / lyke vnto a kynge whiche is the gretter lorde and the more myghty in hym self for his hyghnesse than ony other of his peple / neuer∣theles he hath somtyme nede of them for to be holpen and seruyd of them / ffor how moche the nerrer he is to his pe∣ple / so moche more is he stronge and puissaunt / And the ferther he wythdraweth fro his folke / so moche the lasse he exployteth of his werke / In lyke wyse I saye to yow of the sonne whiche is as ye may vnderstonde / the grettest / the most myghty / and the most vertuous / of whiche he hath gretter power in erthe / than ony other sterre may ha∣ue / But the other haue their power euerich in his degree / But syth we haue recounted to yow the shortest wyse we may of the vertue of the firmament / we shal declare to you herafter in short how the world was mesured as wel in heyght as in depnesse / and on alle sides of lengthe and brede by them that knewe the resons of the vij scyences / Of whiche Geometrye is one / by whiche the sonne / the mone / therthe / and the firmament ben mesured as wel wythin as wythoute / how moche it is of gretenes / and how moche it is fro therthe to the firmament / and alle the gretenes of the sterres / ffor this is preuyd by right
byholdyng / And they that fonde this scyence perceyuid that it myght not be knowen truly by astronomye ne the nature of the sterres withoute knowyng of their mesu∣res / Therfore wolde they mesure them and preue al their gretenesse /