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Show EA T, 1- . Th he foriet conclufions of the AsTrROLABIE in the year of ou "This book (written to his fo " Lord 1391, and in the 14 of King Richard IL. ftandeth fo good at this day, efpecially for th as in the opinion of th horizon of Oxford a fay learned it cannot be amended Edit o Chaucer N RS G T fhew it ones ences, touching nombres and proporcions, an alfo well confydre I thy befye prayer in efpecya to lerne the tretyfe of the aftrolabye Than fo as moche as a philofopher faithe, he wrapeth hy in bis frende, that condifcendeth to the ryghtfull prayers of his frende: therfore I have give the a fufficient aftrolabye for oure orizont, compowned after the latitude of Oxenforde: upon th whiche by mediacion of this lytell tretife, I purpofe to teche the a certaine nombre of conclufiens pertainynge to this fame inftrument I fay a cer Lowis the in my lith Englifhe ifit be fo that' as trew conclu fions touching this mater, and not only as trew but as many and fubtil conclufions as ben yfhewe in Latin, in any comon tretife of the aftrolabye conne me the more-thanke, and praye God fave thekinge, that is lorde of .this langage, and all that him faith bereth LY TEL Lowys my fonng; I perceve well b certaine evidences thyne abylyte to lerne fcy And an obeiet everich i his de gree, the more and the lafle But confydret well, that I ne ufurpe not to have founden thi werke of my labour or of myne engin. 1 n'am but a leude compilatour of the laboure of old aftrologiens, and have it tranflated in myn Englifh onely for thy doétrine: and with this fwerde thal I flene envy The firft party The firft partye of this tretife fhal reherce th figures, and the membre of thyne aftrolaby, by caufe that thou fhalte have the greter knowinge o thine.owne inftrument taine nombre of conclvfions for thre caufes, the firf caufe is this. Trafte wel that al the conclufion that have be founden, or ells pofliblye might b founde in fo noble an inftrument as in the aftrolabye, ben unknowen perfitely to anye mortal ma in this region, as 1 fuppofe Another caufe i this, that fothely in any cartes of the aftrolaby that I have yfene, ther ben fome conclufions, tha wol not in al thinges perfourme ther beheftes: an fome of 'hem ben to harde to thy tender age o ten yere to conceve. - This tretife divided in fiv _partes nake wi 1 fhew th wondi wordes in Englifhe thou: nat yet but fmale verthelelle {uffifet ligh rule for Latyn my litel fonne to the thel trew an ne canf But ne conclufyon in Englifhe, as wel as fuffifeth to thefe nobl clerkes Grekes thefe fame conclufyons in Greke ~and to the Arabine in Hebrewe whiche Laty vers langages that is to fain in Arabike and to the Jewe and to the Latin felke in Latyn folke had *hem firfte out of other diand write *hem in ther owne tonge in Latine And God wote that in all thefe langages an in manye mo, have thefe conclufyons ben fufficientlye lerned and raught, and yet by divers rules right as divers pathes leden divers folke the righ waye to Rome Now wo I pra mekel that redeth or hereth thi rud ententin excufed ever perfon difcrete lityl tretife to have m an m fuperfluit o wordes, for two caufes The firft caufe is, fo that curious endityng and harde fentences is fu hevy at ones, for foch a childe to lerne And th {econde caufe is this, that fothely me femeth bette to writen unto a childe twife a gode fentence, tha ‘The feconde party The feconde partye fhal teche the to werken th very praltike of the forefaid conclufions, as ferforthe and alfo narowe as may be thewed in fo{fmale an inftrument portatife aboute For we wote every aftrologien, that {malleft frations n wol not be thewe in fo {ma an inftrument fubul tables calculed for a caufe asi The Prorogue of the TesTaMENT of LOVE AN fpra jeftes an that of th men ther ben, that with eres openl fo moche {walowen the delicioulnefie o of ryme, by queint knittinge coloures godenefle or of the badneffe of the fen- tence take they litel hede or els none Sothelye dulle witte and a thoughtfulle foule fo fore have mined and graffed in my fpirites, tha foche craft of enditinge woll nat ben of min acquaintaunce And for rude wordes and boiflou percen the herte of the herer to the inreft point, an planten there the fentence of thinges, fo that wit litel helpe it is able to {pring, this boke, that nothynge hath of the grete flode of wytte, ne o femelych colours, is dolven with rude wordes and boiftous, and fo drawe togider to maken the catchers therof ben the more redy to hent {entence men there ben, that painten with colour Som rich an fom wit wers as wit red inke, an fome with coles and chalke: and yetis there god matte to the leude peple of thylke chalkye pur treyture, as 'hem thinketh for the time, and atter war |