part I

thenke to declare, Mi Sone, unto thin Audience.

Astronomie is the science 670 Of wisdom and of hih connynge, Which makth a man have knowlechinge Of Sterres in the firmament, Figure, cercle and moevement Of ech of hem in sondri place, And what betwen hem is of space, Hou so thei moeve or stonde faste, Al this it telleth to the laste.

Assembled with Astronomie Is ek that ilke Astrologie 680 The which in juggementz acompteth Theffect, what every sterre amonteth, And hou thei causen many a wonder To tho climatz that stonde hem under.

And forto telle it more plein, These olde philosphres sein That Orbis, which I spak of err, Is that which we fro therthe a ferr Beholde, and firmament it calle, In which the sterres stonden alle, 690 Among the whiche in special Planetes sefne principal Ther ben, that mannes sihte demeth, Bot thorizonte, as to ous semeth. And also ther ben signes tuelve, Whiche have her cercles be hemselve Compassed in the zodiaque, In which thei have here places take. And as thei stonden in degre, Here cercles more or lasse be, 700 Mad after the proporcion Of therthe, whos condicion Is set to be the foundement To sustiene up the firmament. And be this skile a man mai knowe, The more that thei stonden lowe, The more ben the cercles lasse; That causeth why that some passe Here due cours tofore an other. Bot nou, mi lieve dere brother, 710 As thou desirest forto wite What I finde in the bokes write, To telle of the planetes sevene, Hou that thei stonde upon the hevene And in what point that thei ben inne, Tak hiede, for I wol beginne, So as the Philosophre tauhte To Alisandre and it betauhte, Wherof that he was fulli tawht Of wisdom, which was him betawht. 720

Benethe alle othre stant the Mone, The which hath with the See to done: Of flodes hihe and ebbes lowe Upon his change it schal be knowe; And every fissh which hath a schelle Mot in his governance duelle, To wexe and wane in his degre, As be the Mone a man mai se; And al that stant upon the grounde Of his moisture it mot be founde. 730 Alle othre sterres, as men finde, Be schynende of here oghne kinde Outake only the monelyht, Which is noght of himselve bright, Bot as he takth it of the Sonne. And yit he hath noght al fulwonne His lyht, that he nys somdiel derk; Bot what the lette is of that werk In Almageste it telleth this: The Mones cercle so lowe is, 740 Wherof the Sonne out of his stage Ne seth him noght with full visage, For he is with the ground beschaded, So that the Mone is somdiel faded And may noght fully schyne cler. Bot what man under his pouer Is bore, he schal his places change And seche manye londes strange: And as of this condicion The Mones disposicion 750 Upon the lond of Alemaigne Is set, and ek upon Bretaigne, Which nou is cleped Engelond; For thei travaile in every lond.

Of the Planetes the secounde Above the Mone hath take his bounde, Mercurie, and his nature is this, That under him who that bore is, In boke he schal be studious And in wrytinge curious, 760 And slouh and lustles to travaile In thing which elles myhte availe: He loveth ese, he loveth reste, So is he noght the worthieste; Bot yit with somdiel besinesse His herte is set upon richesse. And as in this condicion, Theffect and disposicion Of this Planete and of his chance Is most in Burgoigne and in France. 770

Next to Mercurie, as wol befalle, Stant that Planete which men calle Venus, whos constellacion Governeth al the nacion Of lovers, wher thei spiede or non, Of whiche I trowe thou be on: Bot whiderward thin happes wende, Schal this planete schewe at ende, As it hath do to many mo, To some wel, to some wo. 780 And natheles of this Planete The moste part is softe and swete; For who that therof takth his berthe, He schal desire joie and merthe, Gentil, courteis and debonaire, To speke his wordes softe and faire, Such schal he be be weie of kinde, And overal wher he may finde Plesance of love, his herte boweth With al his myht and there he woweth. 790 He is so ferforth Amourous, He not what thing is vicious Touchende love, for that lawe Ther mai no maner man withdrawe, The which venerien is bore Be weie of kinde, and therefore Venus of love the goddesse Is cleped: bot of wantounesse The climat of hir lecherie Is most commun in Lombardie. 800

Next unto this Planete of love The brighte Sonne stant above, Which is the hindrere of the nyht And forthrere of the daies lyht, As he which is the worldes ije, Thurgh whom the lusti compaignie Of foules be the morwe singe, The freisshe floures sprede and springe, The hihe tre the ground beschadeth, And every mannes herte gladeth. 810 And for it is the hed Planete, Hou that he sitteth in his sete, Of what richesse, of what nobleie, These bokes telle, and thus thei seie.

Of gold glistrende Spoke and whiel The Sonne his carte hath faire and wiel, In which he sitt, and is coroned With brighte stones environed; Of whiche if that I speke schal, Ther be tofore in special 820 Set in the front of his corone Thre Stones, whiche no persone Hath upon Erthe, and the ferste is Be name cleped Licuchis; That othre tuo be cleped thus, Astrices and Ceramius. In his corone also behinde, Be olde bokes as I finde, Ther ben of worthi Stones thre Set ech of hem in his degre: 830 Wherof a Cristall is that on, Which that corone is set upon; The seconde is an Adamant; The thridde is noble and avenant, Which cleped is Ydriades. And over this yit natheles Upon the sydes of the werk, After the wrytinge of the clerk, Ther sitten fyve Stones mo: The smaragdine is on of tho, 840 Jaspis and Elitropius And Dendides and Jacinctus. Lo, thus the corone is beset, Wherof it schyneth wel the bet; And in such wise his liht to sprede Sit with his Diademe on hede The Sonne schynende in his carte. And forto lede him swithe and smarte After the bryhte daies lawe, Ther ben ordeined forto drawe 850 Foure hors his Char and him withal, Wherof the names telle I schal: Eritheüs the ferste is hote, The which is red and schyneth hote, The seconde Acteos the bryhte, Lampes the thridde coursier hihte, And Philogeus is the ferthe, That bringen lyht unto this erthe, And gon so swift upon the hevene, In foure and twenty houres evene 860 The carte with the bryhte Sonne Thei drawe, so that overronne Thei have under the cercles hihe Al Middelerthe in such an hye. And thus the Sonne is overal The chief Planete imperial, Above him and benethe him thre: And thus betwen hem regneth he, As he that hath the middel place Among the Sevene, and of his face 870 Be glade alle erthly creatures, And taken after the natures Here ese and recreacion. And in his constellacion Who that is bore in special, Of good will and of liberal He schal be founde in alle place, And also stonde in mochel grace Toward the lordes forto serve And gret profit and thonk deserve. 880 And over that it causeth yit A man to be soubtil of wit To worche in gold, and to be wys In every thing which is of pris. Bot forto speken in what cost Of al this erthe he regneth most As for wisdom, it is in Grece, Wher is apropred thilke spiece.

Mars the Planete bataillous Next to the Sonne glorious 890 Above stant, and doth mervailes Upon the fortune of batailes. The conquerours be daies olde Were unto this planete holde: Bot who that his nativite Hath take upon the proprete Of Martes disposicioun Be weie of constellacioun, He schal be fiers and folhastif And desirous of werre and strif. 900 Bot forto telle redely In what climat most comunly That this planete hath his effect, Seid is that he hath his aspect Upon the holi lond so cast, That there is no pes stedefast.

Above Mars upon the hevene, The sexte Planete of the sevene, Stant Jupiter the delicat, Which causeth pes and no debat. 910 For he is cleped that Planete Which of his kinde softe and swete Attempreth al that to him longeth; And whom this planete underfongeth To stonde upon his regiment, He schal be meke and pacient And fortunat to Marchandie And lusti to delicacie In every thing which he schal do. This Jupiter is cause also 920 Of the science of lyhte werkes, And in this wise tellen clerkes He is the Planete of delices. Bot in Egipte of his offices He regneth most in special: For ther be lustes overal Of al that to this lif befalleth; For ther no stormy weder falleth, Which myhte grieve man or beste, And ek the lond is so honeste 930 That it is plentevous and plein, Ther is non ydel ground in vein; And upon such felicite Stant Jupiter in his degre.

The heyeste and aboven alle Stant that planete which men calle Saturnus, whos complexion Is cold, and his condicion Causeth malice and crualte To him the whos nativite 940 Is set under his governance. For alle hise werkes ben grevance And enemy to mannes hele, In what degre that he schal dele. His climat is in Orient, Wher that he is most violent.

Of the Planetes by and by, Hou that thei stonde upon the Sky, Fro point to point as thou myht hiere, Was Alisandre mad to liere. 950 Bot overthis touchende his lore, Of thing that thei him tawhte more Upon the scoles of clergie Now herkne the Philosophie.

He which departeth dai fro nyht, That on derk and that other lyht, Of sevene daies made a weke, A Monthe of foure wekes eke He hath ordeigned in his lawe, Of Monthes tuelve and ek forthdrawe 960 He hath also the longe yeer. And as he sette of his pouer Acordant to the daies sevene Planetes Sevene upon the hevene, As thou tofore hast herd devise, To speke riht in such a wise, To every Monthe be himselve Upon the hevene of Signes tuelve He hath after his Ordinal Assigned on in special, 970 Wherof, so as I schal rehersen, The tydes of the yer diversen. Bot pleinly forto make it knowe Hou that the Signes sitte arowe, Ech after other be degre In substance and in proprete The zodiaque comprehendeth Withinne his cercle, as it appendeth.

The ferste of whiche natheles Be name is cleped Aries, 980 Which lich a wether of stature Resembled is in his figure. And as it seith in Almageste, Of Sterres tuelve upon this beste Ben set, wherof in his degre The wombe hath tuo, the heved hath thre, The Tail hath sevene, and in this wise, As thou myht hiere me divise, Stant Aries, which hot and drye Is of himself, and in