Here begynneth the compost of Ptholomeus, prynce of astronomye: translated oute of Frenche in to Englysshe, for them that wolde haue knowlege of the compost.

¶ Of the varyacion that is for dyuers haby∣tacions & regyons of the erth. Cap̄ .xxii.

PTholomeus and other Astronomyers saye / that if it were possyble that the erthe were enhabyted all aboute and pose the

case that it were so / firste they that enhabyte vnder the equynoccyall / haue alwayes the dayes and the nyghtes egall / & haue the two poles of the world at the two corners of their ozyron / and may se all the sterres whan they se the two poles / and the son̄e passeth twyse in a yere ouer them / that is whan it passeth by the equynoccyalles. Thus the sonne is to them the one halfe of the yere towarde the po¦le artyke / & the other halfe towarde the other pole / and therfore they haue two wynters in a yere without great colde / one is whan we haue wynter / & the other whan we haue so∣mer. Semblably they haue two somers / one is in Marche whan we haue prymetyme / & the other in Septembre whan we haue Har∣uest / and by this they haue foure Solstyces / two hye whan the sonne passeth by theyr ze∣nyche / and two lowe whan it declyneth one waye or other / and thus they haue foure sha∣dowes in a yere / for whan the sonne is in the equynocces twyse in one yere in the mornyn∣ge theyr shadowes ben in the occydent: and at nyghte in the oryent / and than at noone they haue no shadowes / but whan the son̄e is in the sygnes Septemtryonalles / & so agayne∣warde. Secondely they that enhabyte by∣twene the equynoccyal and the tropyke of so

mer / haue in lykewyse two somers and two wynters / and foure shadowes in a yere / and they haue no dyfference of the firste / saue that they haue longer dayes in somer / and shorter in wynter / for as the equynoccyall lengeth / in lykewyse doth the dayes of somer / and in the partye of the erth is the firste clymate and almoste halfe the seconde / & is called Araby wherin is Ethyope. Thirdely they that enha¦byte vnder the tropyke of somer haue the son¦ne ouer theyr hedes / & the daye of Solstyce of somer at noone / they haue theyr shadowes smaller than we haue / and there is a partye of Ethyope. Fourthly they that ben bytwene the tropyke of somer & the cyrcle artyke / haue longer dayes in somer than the aforesayd / in as moch as they ben ferther from the equynoc¦cyall / & shorter in wynter / and they neuer ha∣ue the sonne ouer theyr hedes / nor toward sep¦temtryon / and that partye of the erth we en∣habyte. Fyfthly they that enhabyte vnder the cyrcle artyke haue the eclyptyke of the zodya∣ke to theyr ozyron / and whan the sonne is in the Solstyce of somer it resconseth nat: & thus they haue no nyghte / but naturall dayes of .xxiiii. houres. Semblably whan the son̄e is in the Solstyce of wynter it is naturall daye whan they haue contynuall nyght / and that

the son̄e ryseth nat to them. Syxtly they that ben bytwene the cyrcle artyke and the pole ar¦tyke haue in somer dyuers natural dayes that ben to them one daye artyfyciall without ny∣ghte. And also in wynter ben many natural dayes: the whiche naturall dayes ben to them alwayes nyght / & the more that it approcheth or draweth nere the pole / the more is the arty∣fyciall daye of somer longe / & dureth in some place a weke: in some a moneth / in some two in some thre / & in some more / & proporcyonal∣ly the nyght is greater / for some of the sygnes ben euer on theyr ozyron / and some alwayes vnder / & as longe as the son̄e is in the sygnes aboute it is daye / and whyle it is vnderneth it is nyght. Seuenthly they that enhabyte vn¦der the pole haue the son̄e halfe of the yere on theyr ozyron / and haue contynuall daye / and the other halfe of the yere contynuall nyght / and the equynoccyall is theyr ozyron that de∣uydeth the sygnes .vi. aboue / and .vi. byneth wherfore whan the son̄e is in the sygnes that ben hye / and towarde them they haue conty∣nuall daye. And whan it is in the sygnes to∣warde mydday they haue contynuall nyght: and thus in a yere they haue but one day and one nyghte. And as it is sayd of the partye of the erthe towarde the pole artyke a man may

vnderstande of the other halfe and of the ha∣bytactons towarde the pole antertyke.