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ON the skye ben two great cyrcles na∣med coloures / that deuydeth the skyes in foure egall partyes / & crosseth theyr selfe dyrectly / and the one passeth by the po∣les
of the worlde / and by the two solstyces / and the other by the poles also / & by the two equynoccyalles. The firste small cyrcle is cal¦led the cyrcle artyke bycause of the pole zodya¦ke aboute the pole artyke / and his lykenes is to his opposyte / named the cyrcle antertyke. The other two ben named tropykes / the one of somer / and the other of wynter. The tropy¦ke of somer is cause of the solstyce of somer be¦gynnynge of the sygne of Cancer: and the tro¦pyke of the solstyce of wynter begynnyng of the sygne of Caprycorne / and ben egally dy∣staūce one cyrcle from the other. ¶ Here ought to be noted that the dystaūces of the pole arty¦ke to the cyrcle artyke / and the dystaūce of the tropyke of somer to the equynoccyall / & that of the equynoccyall to the tropyke of wynter: and from the cyrcle antertyke to the pole an∣tertyke ben iuste egall eche of .xxiii. degrees & a halfe or there about / than the dystaūce from the equynoccyall to the tropyke of somer / and from the cyrcle artyke to the pole make togy∣ther .xlvii. degrees. The whiche take awaye of the quarter bytwene the pole and the equy¦noccyall / where as ben .lxxxx. degrees / saue that there abydeth .xliii. That ben the dystaū¦ce bytwene the tropyke of wynter and the cyr¦cle antertyke / and these cyrcles ben sayd lytell
for they ben nat so great as the other ben / Ne∣uerthelesse they ben deuyded eche by .CCC. & .lx. degrees / as the greatest.