PROLOGUE.

Litell [Lowis] my sone, I have perceived wel by certeyne

evidences thyn abilite to lerne sciencez touchinge noumbres

and proporciouns; and as wel considere I thy bisy preyere in

special to lerne the Tretis of the Astrolabie. Than, for as mechel

as a [philosofre] seith, 'he wrappeth him in his frend, that condescendeth

to the rightful preyers of his frend,' ther-for have I

geven thee a [suffisaunt] Astrolabie as for oure orizonte, compowned

after the latitude of Oxenford; up-on which, by mediacion of this

litel tretis, I purpose to teche thee a certein nombre of conclusions

apertening to the same instrument. I seye of conclusiouns,

for three causes. The furste cause is this: truste wel that alle the

conclusiouns that han ben founde, or elles possibly mighten be

founde in so noble an instrument as an Astrolabie, ben un-knowe

perfitly to any mortal man in this regioun, as I suppose. A-nother

cause is this; that sothly, in any tretis of the Astrolabie that I have

seyn, there ben some conclusions that wole nat in alle thinges

performen hir bihestes; and some of hem ben to harde to thy

tendre age of ten yeer to conseyve. This tretis, divided in fyve

parties, wole I shewe thee under ful lighte rewles and naked

wordes in English; for Latin ne canstow yit but smal, my lyte

sone. But natheles, [suffyse] to thee thise trewe conclusiouns in

English, as wel as suffyseth to thise noble clerkes Grekes thise same

conclusiouns in Greek, and to Arabiens in Arabik, and to Iewes in

Ebrew, and to the Latin folk in Latin; whiche Latin folk han hem

furst out of othre diverse langages, and writen in hir owne tonge,

that is to sein, in Latin. And god wot, that in alle thise langages,

and in many mo, han thise conclusiouns ben suffisantly lerned and

taught, and yit by diverse rewles, right as diverse pathes leden

diverse folk the righte wey to Rome. Now wol I prey meekly

every discret persone that redeth or hereth this litel tretis, to have

my rewde endyting for excused, and my superfluite of wordes, for

two causes. The firste cause is, for that [curious endyting] and hard

sentence is ful hevy atones for swich a child to lerne. And the

seconde cause is this, that sothly me semeth betre to wryten un-to

a child twyes a good sentence, than he for-gete it ones. And

Lowis, yif so be that I shewe thee in my lighte English as trewe

conclusiouns touching this matere, and naught only as trewe but

as many and as subtil conclusiouns as ben shewed in Latin in any

commune tretis of the Astrolabie, con me the more thank; and

preye god save the king, that is lord of this langage, and alle that

him feyth bereth and obeyeth, everech in his degree, the more and

the lasse. But considere wel, that I ne usurpe nat to have founde

this werk of my labour or of myn engin. I nam but a lewd compilatour

of the labour of olde Astrologiens, and have hit translated

in myn English only for thy doctrine; and with this swerd shal I

sleen envye.

I. The firste partie of this tretis shal reherse the figures and the

membres of thyn Astrolabie, bi-cause that thou shalt han the

grettre knowing of thyn owne instrument.

II. The second partie shal teche thee werken the verrey

practik of the forseide conclusiouns, as ferforth and as narwe

as may be shewed in so smal an instrument portatif aboute.

For wel wot every astrologien that smalest fraccions ne wol

nat ben shewed in so smal an instrument, as in subtil tables

calculed for a cause.

III. The thridde partie shal contienen diverse tables of

longitudes and latitudes of sterres fixe for the Astrolabie, and

tables of declinacions of the sonne, and tables of longitudes

of citeez and of townes; and as wel for the governance of a

clokke as for to finde the altitude meridian; and many another

notable conclusioun, after the kalendres of the reverent clerkes,

[frere I. Somer and frere N. Lenne].

IV. The ferthe partie shal ben a theorik to declare the

moevinge of the celestial bodies with the causes. The whiche

ferthe partie in special shal shewen a table of the verray

moeving of the mone from houre to houre, every day and in

every signe, after thyn almenak; upon which table ther folwith

a canon, suffisant to teche as wel the maner of the wyrking of

that same conclusioun, as to knowe in oure orizonte with which

degree of the zodiac that the mone ariseth in any latitude;

and the arising of any planete after his latitude fro the ecliptik

lyne.

V. The fifte partie shal ben an introductorie after the statutz

of oure doctours, in which thou maist lerne a gret part of the

general rewles of theorik in astrologie. In which fifte partie

shaltow finde tables of equacions of houses aftur the latitude of

Oxenford; and tables of dignetes of planetes, and other noteful

thinges, yif god wol vouche-sauf and his modur the mayde, mo

than I be-hete, &c.