PART II. § 2, l. 8. eu_er_ M; euere C; eu_er_y (_wrongly_) AB.

§ 3, ll. 31, 32. A _has_ 12 degres, _corrected to_ 18 degres; B. _has_ 12 degrees; C _has_ 18. The numbers in the MSS. in these propositions are somewhat uncertain; it seems probable that some alteration was made by Chaucer himself.

The readings in MS. B give one set of calculations, which are no doubt the original ones; for in MS. A the same set is again found, but altered throughout, by the scribe who drew the diagrams. The sets of readings are these:--

Ll. 31, 32. 12 degrees B; _so in_ A, _but altered to_ 18; C _has_ 18.

37. passed 9 of the clokke the space of 10 degrees B; _so in_ A, _with_ 9 _altered to_ 8, _and_ 10 _altered to_ 2; C _has_ ij _for_ 9, _but agrees with_ A _in the reading_ 2.

39. fond ther 10 degrees of taur_us_ B; _so in_ A _originally, but_ 10 _has been corrected to_ 23, _and_ libra _is written over an erasure_. C _agrees with neither, having_ 20 _for_ 10, _but agreeing with_ A _as to_ libra. The later MSS. sometimes vary from all these.

42. an _supplied from_ C; AB _omit._

§ 4, l. 5. largest C; largesse AB.

6. upon C; vn (!) AB.

8. forseide degree of his longitude] forseyde same degre of hys longitude C; forseid same gre of his longitude P; forseyde latitude his longitude (_sic!_) AB.

9. planete ys C; _miswritten_ planetes AB, _but_ is _is added in margin of_ A.

16. For '25 degrees,' all the MSS. have '15 degrees.' The mistake is probably Chaucer's own; the correction was made by Mr. Brae, who remarks that it is a mere translation from the Latin version of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, which has--'Signum ascendentis, quod est a _quinque_ gradibus qui super horizontem ante ipsum ascenderant usque ad _viginti quinque_ qui ad ascendentem remanserint'; Lib. iii. c. 10. In fact, it is clear that 25 must be added to 5 to make up the extent of a 'house,' which was 30 degrees.

16. ys like C; is lik P; _miswritten_ illyk AB.

17. in _is supplied from_ GM; ABC _omit it_.

23. _second_ the _supplied from_ CP; AB _omit_.

32. wel _supplied from_ CPM; AB _omit_.

36. than] þan CM; þenne P; AB _omit_.

40. _The number_ 10 _is supplied from_ C; AB _omit_.

42. some folk _supplied from_ CPG; AB _omit_.

44. yit is] AB _wrongly have_ yit it is; _but_ CPGM _omit_ it.

§ 5, l. 3. by 2 and 2 ACG; by 3 and 3 P; _left blank in_ B. Either reading makes sense, but it is clear that divisions representing three degrees each must have been very awkward.

10. of _supplied from_ CPGM: AB _omit_.

§ 6, l. 5. est C; west A (_which is absurd_); west (_corrected to_ est) B.

9. signe CGP; signes ABM.

§ 10, l. 3. than B; þan C; A _has_ & by nyht, _which is absurd_.

4, 5. A _omits_ day with the howr inequal of the, _which is supplied from_ BCP; _the number_ 30 _is also supplied from_ BCM, _as_ A _has a blank space here_; see l. 10.

§ 11, l. 12. _The number_ 4 _is from_ CP; AB _omit; old edd._ fourthe.

13. ther _supplied from_ PM; þere C; AB _omit_.

§ 12, l. 1. the _supplied from_ BC; A _omits_.

8. _The figure_ 2 _is from_ BCP; G _has_ secunde; A _omits_.

§ 14, l. 9, 10. The last clause supplied from B.

§ 15, l. 6. pointe] point P; pointes A; pointz B; poy_n_tes C; _but grammar requires the singular_.

9. the _supplied from_ CP; AB _omit_.

§ 16, l. 5. AB _wrongly insert_ the _before_ Cancer; CP _omit it_.

8. y-lyke] Ilyke G; ilik P; y-like C; ilke AB; see l. 7.

§ 17. _Latin rubric_; for _latitudinem_ (as in M) read _longitudinem_. l. 18. heued B; hed ACP; see sect. 16, l. 3. The word 'the' (rightly placed in BCMP) is, in A, wrongly placed before 'Aries' instead of before 'ende.'

23. _second_ the] þe C; AB _omit_.

§ 19. _Latin Rubric_; for _orizon_ (as in M) read _statio_.

§ 20. _Latin Rubric_; the MS. (M) transposes the words _in_ and _a_, having _a zodiaco in circulo_, which contradicts the sense.

§ 22. _Latin Rubric_; for _centri_ (as in M) read _regionis_.

§ 23, l. 21. The figure '8' is omitted in AB.

23. than] A _omits_; thanne _inserted afterwards in_ B.

§ 25, l. 3. _first_ the] _supplied from_ B; AC _omit_.

15. CP _om._ and 10 minutes.

16. CP _om._ and minutes out. _For_ 51 degrees and 50 minutes, C _has_ 52, þan is 52 degrees; _and_ P _has_ 52. Þenne is .52. grees.

19. CP _om._ as I mighte prove.

20. the _supplied from_ CP; AB _om._

27. the firste degree] 10 degrees C; 10 gree P.

28. 58 degrees and 10 minutes] almost 56 C (_meaning_ 56 degrees); almost .56. grees P.

29. almost 20] almost 18 C.

31. thee] C _om._ and odde Minutes] CP _om._

It thus appears that there is a second set of readings, involving a different calculation. The second set supposes the Sun to be in the 10th degree of Leo, his altitude to be 56°, and his declination 18°; the difference, viz. 38°, is the complement of the latitude. Either set of readings suits the sense, but the one in the text agrees best with the former latitude, viz. 51°. 50'.

37. _After_ there, C _inserts_ 38 grees, þat is; _and omits the words_ of the pole, 51 degrees and 50 minutes. But this is a mere repetition of the 'height of the Equinoctial,' and is obviously wrong. _After_ pole, _in_ l. 38, A _inserts_ an that, _which is unmeaning, and omitted in_ B.

§ 26, l. 8. Nearly all the MSS. omit from _Fertherover_ down to _right orisonte_. The missing clause appears in MS. Bodley 619; I have not found it elsewhere. It is obviously correct, and agrees sufficiently closely with the conjectural addition by Mr. Brae, in his edition of Chaucer's Astrolabe, p. 48.

§ 27, l. 2. _second_ the] _supplied from_ BCPM; A _om._

§ 28. _Latin Rubric._ MS. has _in recto circulo_; read _obliquo_.

3. set] sett C; sete P; AB _omit_.

11. these] þese C; thise B; the A.

23. ende] heed A; heued C. In fact, _heed_, _heued_, or _hed_ seems to be the reading of all the MSS. and printed copies, and may have been a slip of the pen in the first instance. The reading _ende_ is, however, amply justified by its previous occurrence, four times over, in lines 10, 13, 16, 18. We thus have

Six Northern signs. From _head_ of Aries to _end_ of Virgo. Six Southern signs. From _head_ of Libra to _end_ of Pisces. Six Tortuous signs. From _head_ of Capricorn to _end_ of Gemini. Six Direct signs. From _head_ of Cancer to _end_ of Sagittarius.

Opposite 'sagittare' is written 'sagittarie' in the margin of A, probably as a correction; but it is left uncorrected in l. 27.

§ 29, l. 3. Turne thanne] Turne þan C; turn_e_ the thanne AB.

9. thou] þou C; two AB.

14. rewle] rule CP; _miswritten_ rewles AB; _see_ l. 9.

§ 30. l. 11. wey A; place C. _After_ zodiak C _inserts_--for on þe morowe wol þe s_on_ne be in a-noþer degre þan þan, et cetera; P _inserts_--For yn þe morowe wol þe sonne be yn an oþer gree, & norþ_er_ or souþ_er_ par aventure. Nothing can be plainer than that 'the way of the sun' in this passage means the small circle formed by the sun's apparent path during a day; the text says expressly--'the wey wher as the sonne wente thilke day.' We need not argue about the impossibility of a planet being found in 'the way of the Sun' at midnight at the time of the Summer solstice, because Chaucer makes no assertion whatever here about the relative positions of the sun and planet; indeed, he carefully repeats 'if' three times. He is only concerned with defining the phrase--'the latitude of a planet from the way of the sun'; and in every possible case, it is clear that a planet can be either (1) situate in the small circle called in the Latin rubric _cursus solis_, or (2) to the north of such a circle, or (3) to the south of such a circle. About this there need be no difficulty at all. It is all copied from Messahala.

§ 31, l. 7. azimut] azymutz ABC; cf. sect. 32, l. 8.

§ 33, l. 2. Azimut] Azymutz ABC; minutis P; _the same error as in_ sect. 31, l. 7; _but see_ sect. 32, l. 8.

3. _second_ in] yn P; ABC _omit_.

4. the night] _so in_ AB; CP _om._ the.

§ 34. _English Rubric_; latitude for] _so in_ CP; latitude and for AB.

6. toucheth] touchiþ P; to which (_sic_) ABC; _see_ sect. 27, l. 6.

§ 35, l. 15. _After_ west side, AB _add_ & yf he be on the est syde, _a mere superfluous repetition_; see l. 11.

17. sothly] soþly CP; _miswritten_ he settes (!) AB.

18. hir Episicle] _so in_ CP; _by an odd mistake_, AB _put_ hire _after_ manere, _instead of before_ Episicle.

§ 37, l. 10. than] þan C; AB _omit_. is] AS _omit; but it is obviously wanted_; C _varies here_.

12. 12 house next] 12 hous next C; howses nex (_sic_) AB.

13. thanne] þan C; A _omits_. howse] hous C; howses AB.

17. AB _absurdly insert_ fro _before_ the byginning.

18. _first_ the] þe C; AB _omit_.

§ 38, l. 1. warpyng MP; werpynge C; weripinge (_sic_) A.

2. _first_ a CP; AB _omit_.

3, 4. an euene C; a enene AB (_twice_).

8. fro the centre; i.e. _above_ the centre. The length of the pin, measured from the centre in which it is inserted, is to be not more than a quarter of the diameter, or half the radius. This would make the ratio of the gnomon to the shadow (or radius) to be one-half, corresponding to an altitude _a_, where tan _a_ = ½; i.e. to an altitude of about 26½°. As Chaucer talks about the sun's altitude being 25½° at about 9 o'clock, at the time of the equinoxes (sect. 3), there is nothing that is particularly absurd in the text of this section. For Mr. Brae's conjectural emendations, see p. 56 of his edition.

16. tak thanne] _so in_ P; tak me thanne AB; take me þan C. But there seems no sufficient reason for thus inserting _me_ here.

§ 39. At this point MS. A, which has so far, in spite of occasional errors of the scribe, afforded a very fair text, begins to break down; probably because the corrector's hand has not touched the two concluding sections, although section 40 is much less corrupt. The result is worth recording, as it shews what we may expect to find, even in good MSS. of the Astrolabe. The section commences thus (the obvious misreadings being printed in italics):--

'This lyne M_e_ridional ys but a Man_er_ desc_r_ipc_i_on _or the_ ymagined, that passeth vpon the pooles of þis _the_ world And by the cenyth of owre heued / And hit is _the same_ lyne M_er_idional / for in what place þat any maner man [_omission_] any tyme of the yer / whan that the sonne _schyneth ony thing_ of the firmament cometh to his verrey _Middel lyne of the_ place / than is hit verrey Midday, þat we clepen owre noon,' &c.

It seems clear that this apparent trash was produced by a careless scribe, who had a good copy before him; it is therefore not necessary to reject it all as unworthy of consideration, but it is very necessary to correct it by collation with other copies. And this is what I have done.

MS. B has almost exactly the same words; but the section is considerably better, in general sense, in MSS. C and P, for which reason I here quote from the former the whole section.

[_Rawl. MS. Misc. 1370, fol. 40 b._]

DESCRIPCIOUN OF ÞE MERIDIONAL LYNE, OF ÞE LONGITUDES AND LATITUDES OF CITEES AND TOWNES, AS WEL AS OF A (SIC) CLYMATZ.

39. _conclusio._ This lyne meridional is but a man_er_ discripcio[=n] or lyne ymagyned, þat passeþ upon þe pooles of þis worlde, and by þe Cenith of oure heued. ¶ And yt is cleped þe lyne meridional, for in what place þat any man ys at any time of þe [gh]ere, whan þat þe so_n_ne by menynge of þe firmament come to his uerrey meridian place / þan is it þe u_er_rey mydday þat we clepe none, as to þilke man. And þerefore is yt cleped þe lyne of mydday. And no_ta_, þat eu_er_mo of any .2. citees or of 2 townes, of which þat oo towne a-procheþ neer þe est þan doþ þe oþer towne, trust wel þat þilke townes han diuerse meridians. No_ta_ also, þat þe arche of þe equinoxial, þat is contened or bownded by-twixe þe two meridians, is cleped þe longitude of þe towne. ¶ & [gh]if so be / þat two townes haue I-like meridian or one merydian, ¶ Than ys þe distaunce of hem boþe I-like fer from þe est, & þe contrarye. And in þis maner þei chaunge not her meridyan, but soþly, þei chaungen her almyka_n_teras, For þe enhaunsynge of þe pool / and þe distau_n_ce of þe so_n_ne. ¶ The longitude of a clymate ys a lyne ymagyned fro þe est to þe west, I-like distaunte fro þe equinoxial. ¶ The latitude of a clymat may be cleped þe space of þe erþe fro þe by-gynnynge of þe first clymat unto þe ende of þe same clymat / euene-directe a-[gh]ens þe pool artyke. ¶ Thus seyn so_m_me auctours / and so_m_me clerkes seyn / þat [gh]if men clepen þe latitude of a contrey[61], þe arche mer[i]dian þat is contened or intercept by-twixe þe Cenyth & þe equinoxial; þan sey þei þat þe distaunce fro þe equinoxial unto þe ende of a clymat, euene[62] a-gaynes þe pool artik, is þe latitude off þ_a_t climat[62] forsoþe.

The corrections made in this section are here fully described.

1. of lyne P; of a line I; or lyne C; or the AB.

2. this] þis the AB, _absurdly;_ CP _omit_ the, _rightly_.

3. ycleped the] y-clupid þe P; cleped þe C; the same (_sic_) AB.

4. is at; _supplied from_ PCI; AB _omit_.

5. by moeving] by meuynge C; by mevyng PI; schyneth ony thing (_sic_) A; schyned eny thing B; _for the spelling_ moeving, _see_ sect. 35, l. 5.

6. meridian CP; meridianale I; Middel lyne of the (_sic_) AB.

8. 2 citees CI; too citees P; any lynes (_sic_) AB.

9. aprocheth] a-procheþ C; ap_ro_chiþ P; _miswritten_ aprochid AB.

more toward] neer C; ner P; neerer I; thoward AB.

11. conteyned I; conteynyd P; contened C; consideer_e_d (_sic_) A; contined B.

13. yf P; [gh]if C; if it I; AB _omit_. N.B. It is best to use the spelling _yif_, as the word is commonly so spelt in A.

22. same CPI; s_e_c_on_de AB. The reading _same_ is right; for the 'latitude of a climate' means the breadth of a zone of the earth, and the latitude of the first climate (here chosen by way of example) is the breadth as measured along a great circle perpendicular to the equator, from the beginning of the said first climate to the end of _the same_. The words 'evene-directe agayns the poole Artik' mean in the direction of the North pole; i.e. the latitude of a climate is reckoned from its beginning, or _southernmost_ boundary-line, towards the end of the same, viz. its _northern_ boundary-line.

22. þe poole Artik P; þe pool artyke C; the pole artike I; from north to south AB. Observe that this singular error in A, 'euene direct_e_ agayns from north to south,' probably arose from a confusion of the text 'euene direct_e_ agayns þe poole Artik' with a gloss upon it, which was 'from north to south.' It is important as throwing light on the meaning of the phrase, and proving that the interpretation of it given above (note to l. 22) is correct.

24. intercept CP; intercepte I; except (_over an erasure_) AB.

The only reading about which there is any doubt is that in line 18, which may be either 'illike distant by-twene them alle' (A), or 'I-like distaunte fro þe equinoxial' (C). But it is immaterial which reading be adopted, since _Illike-distant_ is here used merely in the sense of _parallel_, and the boundaries of the climates are parallel both to one another, and to the equinoctial. The climates themselves were of different breadths.

§ 40, l. 4. this samples AB; þese ensamples C.

5. for sothe] _miswritten_ for sonne AB; in gen_er_al C; yn special P; _the reading_ sonne _points to_ sothe, _and makes it very probable that_ for sothe _is the true reading_.

6. the longitude] þe longitude C; latitude AB (_absurdly_); see l. 11.

7. planete; _miswritten_ that A, _but corrected_ to planete _in the margin_; C _has_ planete, _correctly_. The figure 6 is omitted in C; so are all the other figures further on. him] hir C.

8. I tok] Than toke I C. 8, 16. 2 degrees A; 3 degrees B.

10. Than tok I] Than toke I C; _for_ tok AB _wrongly have_ stykke, _afterwards altered to_ stokke _in_ A. _second_ the] _supplied from_ C, _which has_ þe; AB _omit_.

23. the] þe C; AB _omit_.

27. prikke] prickes C; _perhaps_ prikkes _would be a better reading_.

29. AB _omit the figure_ 2; _but see_ l. 8.

31. in alle] in al C; A _has_ septe_n_t_r_ionalle, _an obvious mistake for_ septe_n_trional in alle, _by confusion of the syllable_ 'al' _in the former with_ 'al' _in the latter word_; B _has_ septentrional, _omitting_ in alle.

34. signes C] tymes AB (_wrongly_); see l. 32.

46. _Perhaps_ evene _before_ of _should be omitted, as in_ C. AB _have_ in the ende euene ou_er_ of thee, _where_ euene ouer _is repeated from the former part of the line_.

47. F endlang] F endlonge C; A euene AB; _but see_ ll. 23, 24.

A _omits_ of _and_ degrees, _yet both are required_; BC _omit_ of 3 degrees _altogether_.

49. til] tyl þat C; tho AB (_absurdly_).

50. saw] sey C; may AB; _see_ l. 28.

56. hir] his ABC. a] ABC _omit_.

57. _At the word_ houre _four of the best_ MSS. _break off_, viz. MSS. ABCE, _although_ E _adds one more section, viz._ sect. 46; _others come to a sudden end even sooner_, viz. MSS. DFGHK. _But_ MS. P _carries us on to the end of_ sect. 43, _and supplies the words_--þu shalt do wel ynow, _as in the old editions_.

§ 41. 7. betwixe] be M (_wrongly_); betwixe R; by-twyx L.

M _inserts_ & _before_ to þe altitude; _a mere slip_. For; _miswritten_ Fro M.

8. thridde; _miswritten_ ridde M; þrydde R.

13. LM _wrongly place_ of _after_ the hey[gh]t _instead of before it_.

§ 42, l. 2. see] _so in_ LR; _miswritten_ sette M; see sect. 41, l. 4.

3. _second_ I] _so_ L; y R; M _omits_.

8. M _omits_ as, above, _and_ is þe; L _has_ 12 passethe 6 the.

11. seest] _so in_ LR; _miswritten_ settest M.

12. 60] _so in_ LNR; sexe M.

13. M _omits from_ 10 is _to_ 10 feet, _which is supplied from_ NLPR.

14. For] _so in_ LNR; fro M.

15. _For_ 2, M _has_ 6; _so also_ R. _For_ 3, M _has_ 4.

16. _For_ 2, M _has_ 6; _for_ 6, M _has_ 2; _and the words_ and 3 is 4 p_ar_tyes of 12 _are omitted, though_ L _has_--& 4 is the thrid p_ar_tye of 12.

17. betwen R] by-twene L; bitwixe P; _miswritten_ be M; cf. sect. 41, 7.

19. thre R] 3 LP; _miswritten_ þe M.

§ 43. Rubric _in_ M, _Umbra Versa_; obviously a mistake for _Recta_. The error is repeated in l. 1. LPR rightly read _Recta_.

3. M _omits_ 1, _which is supplied from_ LPR; see l. 5.

11. _After_ heythe (_as in_ M), LNR _add_ to thyn eye. _In place of lines_ 9-11, P _has_--& so of all_e_ oþ_er_, &c.

§ 44. From MS. Digby 72 (N). Also in LMOR.

2. fro] _so in_ LO; for M.

3. into] _so in_ L; in M. for] _so in_ O; fro M.

6. [gh]eris M; LNO _omit_.

7. tabelis NO; table M; tables L.

8. where L; qwere O; wheþ_er_ N.

9. loke LM; N _omits_.

11, 2. NM _omit from_ or what _to_ or; _supplied from_ O, _which has_--or qwat nombre þat euere it be, tyl þe tyme þat þ_o_u come to 20, or 40, or 60. _I have merely turned_ qwat _into_ what, _as in_ L, _which also has this insertion_.

13. wreten N; _the alteration to_ wryte _is my own_; see l. 23.

under] _so in_ L; vndirneþe M.

14. to-geder] too-geder M; _miswritten_ to 2 degreis N; to the 2 degrees L.

15. hast M; _miswritten_ laste N; last L.

16. that (1); _supplied from_ M; LN _omit. For_ 1 (_as in_ M) LN _have_ 10.

21. to-gedere M; to the degreis N; 2 grees O; to degrees L.

22. that (2); _supplied from_ M; LNO _omit_.

lasse] passid LNO; M _omits_. Of course _passid_ is wrong, and equally of course _lasse_ is right; see ll. 5, 6 above, and l. 25 below.

25. that] _so in_ L; þ_a_t MO; if h_i_t N.

27. entringe] e_n_tre M; entre L. ther] _so in_ M; _miswritten_ the [gh]ere N; the [gh]eer L.

30. m_er_ydie LM; m_er_die N.

32. for LM; fro N (_twice_).

34. tha[gh]the N; have tau[gh]t M; have taw[gh]t O; haue tauht L.

36. the (1); _supplied from_ M; LNO _omit_.

w_i_t_h_ the] _so in_ M; wyche N; _see_ l. 36.

40. in (2)] in-to N; yn M.

§ 45. From MS. Digby 72 (N); also in LOR; but not in M.

4. that N; the L; þe O (_after_ wryte _in_ l. 3).

6. wrytou_n_ O; Iwyton N. _But_ L _has_ I wold wyttyn; _read_--I wolde witen precise my rote; cf. ll. 19, 30.

8. 1397] _miswritten_ 1391 LN; O _has_ 1391, _corrected to_ 1397; see l. 3.

11. so[gh]th N; sowte O; sowthe L; _read_ soghte.

14. vnd_er_ N; vndyr-nethe O; vndre-nethe L.

20, 1. oþer i_n_ any oþ_er_ tyme or monyth N; or any oder tymys or monthys O; or i_n_ eny other moneth L.

27. adde] _supplied from_ L; NO _omit_. There is no doubt about it, for see l. 16.

31. wete the] _so in_ O; wete thi L; _miswritten_ with thy N; see l. 19.

35. and (3)] _supplied from_ LO; N _omits_.

§ 46, 5, 6. þat same E; þe same S.

10. it S; E _omits_.

13. þ_a_t same (_om._ tyme) E; þe same tyme S.

16. þ_o_u þan esely E; than shallt thou easly S.

17. tyme of E; tyme of the S.

20. S meve (_for_ bringe furþe).

§ 41_a_. This and the remaining sections are certainly spurious. They occur in LMNR, the first being also found in O. The text of 41_a_-42_b_ is from M.

3. hast] _supplied from_ LR; M _omits_.

§ 42_a_, 1. heyth by þy N; heyth by the L; heythe bi þi R; M _om._

4. lyk] lykk M; L. _omits_. mete] mette M; mett L.

9. is L; _miswritten_ bys M.

§ 43_a_, 1. nat] not R; nott L; M _omits_; see the footnote. In the rubric, M has _versam_; but L has the rubric--_Vmbra Recta_.

§ 42_b_, 5. as] _so in_ LR; _miswritten_ & M.

6. 4 _is supplied from_ LR; M _omits_.

NOTES TO THE HOUSE OF FAME.