Chapter 37

And thus nature his pourveance 490 Hath mad for man to liven hiere; Bot god, which hath the Soule diere, Hath formed it in other wise. That can noman pleinli devise; Bot as the clerkes ous enforme, That lich to god it hath a forme, Thurgh which figure and which liknesse The Soule hath many an hyh noblesse Appropred to his oghne kinde. Bot ofte hir wittes be mad blinde 500 Al onliche of this ilke point, That hir abydinge is conjoint Forth with the bodi forto duelle: That on desireth toward helle, That other upward to the hevene; So schul thei nevere stonde in evene, Bot if the fleissh be overcome And that the Soule have holi nome The governance, and that is selde, Whil that the fleissh him mai bewelde. 510 Al erthli thing which god began Was only mad to serve man; Bot he the Soule al only made Himselven forto serve and glade. Alle othre bestes that men finde Thei serve unto here oghne kinde, Bot to reson the Soule serveth; Wherof the man his thonk deserveth And get him with hise werkes goode The perdurable lyves foode. 520

Of what matiere it schal be told, A tale lyketh manyfold The betre, if it be spoke plein: Thus thinke I forto torne ayein And telle plenerly therfore Of therthe, wherof nou tofore I spak, and of the water eke, So as these olde clerkes spieke, And sette proprely the bounde After the forme of Mappemounde, 530 Thurgh which the ground be pourparties Departed is in thre parties, That is Asie, Aufrique, Europe, The whiche under the hevene cope, Als ferr as streccheth eny ground, Begripeth al this Erthe round. Bot after that the hihe wrieche The water weies let out seche And overgo the helles hye, Which every kinde made dye 540 That upon Middelerthe stod, Outake Noë and his blod, His Sones and his doughtres thre, Thei were sauf and so was he;— Here names who that rede rihte, Sem, Cam, Japhet the brethren hihte;— And whanne thilke almyhty hond Withdrouh the water fro the lond, And al the rage was aweie, And Erthe was the mannes weie, 550 The Sones thre, of whiche I tolde, Riht after that hemselve wolde, This world departe thei begonne.

Asie, which lay to the Sonne Upon the Marche of orient, Was graunted be comun assent To Sem, which was the Sone eldeste; For that partie was the beste And double as moche as othre tuo. And was that time bounded so; 560 Wher as the flod which men Nil calleth Departeth fro his cours and falleth Into the See Alexandrine, Ther takth Asie ferst seisine Toward the West, and over this Of Canahim wher the flod is Into the grete See rennende, Fro that into the worldes ende Estward, Asie it is algates, Til that men come unto the gates 570 Of Paradis, and there ho. And schortly for to speke it so, Of Orient in general Withinne his bounde Asie hath al.

And thanne upon that other syde Westward, as it fell thilke tyde, The brother which was hote Cham Upon his part Aufrique nam. Japhet Europe tho tok he, Thus parten thei the world on thre. 580 Bot yit ther ben of londes fele In occident as for the chele, In orient as for the hete, Which of the poeple be forlete As lond desert that is unable, For it mai noght ben habitable.

The water eke hath sondri bounde, After the lond wher it is founde, And takth his name of thilke londes Wher that it renneth on the strondes: 590 Bot thilke See which hath no wane Is cleped the gret Occeane, Out of the which arise and come The hyhe flodes alle and some; Is non so litel welle spring, Which ther ne takth his beginnyng, And lich a man that haleth breth Be weie of kinde, so it geth Out of the See and in ayein, The water, as the bokes sein. 600

Of Elementz the propretes Hou that they stonden be degres, As I have told, nou myht thou hiere, Mi goode Sone, al the matiere Of Erthe, of water, Air and fyr. And for thou saist that thi desir Is forto witen overmore The forme of Aristotles lore, He seith in his entendement, That yit ther is an Element 610 Above the foure, and is the fifte, Set of the hihe goddes yifte, The which that Orbis cleped is. And therupon he telleth this, That as the schelle hol and sound Encloseth al aboute round What thing withinne an Ey belongeth, Riht so this Orbis underfongeth These elementz alle everychon, Which I have spoke of on and on. 620

Bot overthis nou tak good hiede, Mi Sone, for I wol procede To speke upon Mathematique, Which grounded is on Theorique. The science of Astronomie I thinke forto specefie, Withoute which, to telle plein, Alle othre science is in vein Toward the scole of erthli thinges: For as an Egle with his winges 630 Fleth above alle that men finde, So doth this science in his kinde.

Benethe upon this Erthe hiere Of alle thinges the matiere, As tellen ous thei that ben lerned, Of thing above it stant governed, That is to sein of the Planetes. The cheles bothe and ek the hetes, The chances of the world also, That we fortune clepen so, 640 Among the mennes nacion Al is thurgh constellacion, Wherof that som man hath the wele, And som man hath deseses fele In love als wel as othre thinges; The stat of realmes and of kinges In time of pes, in time of werre It is conceived of the Sterre: And thus seith the naturien Which is an Astronomien. 650 Bot the divin seith otherwise, That if men weren goode and wise And plesant unto the godhede, Thei scholden noght the sterres drede; For o man, if him wel befalle, Is more worth than ben thei alle Towardes him that weldeth al. Bot yit the lawe original, Which he hath set in the natures, Mot worchen in the creatures, 660 That therof mai be non obstacle, Bot if it stonde upon miracle Thurgh preiere of som holy man. And forthi, so as I began To speke upon Astronomie, As it is write in the clergie, To telle hou the planetes fare, Som 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 partie 990 He is the receipte and the hous Of myhty Mars the bataillous. And overmore ek, as I finde, The creatour of alle kinde Upon this Signe ferst began The world, whan that he made man. And of this constellacioun The verray operacioun Availeth, if a man therinne The pourpos of his werk beginne; 1000 For thanne he hath of proprete Good sped and gret felicite.

The tuelve Monthes of the yeer Attitled under the pouer Of these tuelve Signes stonde; Wherof that thou schalt understonde This Aries on of the tuelve Hath March attitled for himselve, Whan every bridd schal chese his make, And every neddre and every Snake 1010 And every Reptil which mai moeve, His myht assaieth forto proeve, To crepen out ayein the Sonne, Whan Ver his Seson hath begonne.

Taurus the seconde after this Of Signes, which figured is Unto a Bole, is dreie and cold; And as it is in bokes told, He is the hous appourtienant To Venus, somdiel descordant. 1020 This Bole is ek with sterres set, Thurgh whiche he hath hise hornes knet Unto the tail of Aries, So is he noght ther sterreles. Upon his brest ek eyhtetiene He hath, and ek, as it is sene, Upon his tail stonde othre tuo. His Monthe assigned ek also Is Averil, which of his schoures Ministreth weie unto the floures. 1030

The thridde signe is Gemini, Which is figured redely Lich to tuo twinnes of mankinde, That naked stonde; and as I finde, Thei be with Sterres wel bego: The heved hath part of thilke tuo That schyne upon the boles tail, So be thei bothe of o parail; But on the wombe of Gemini Ben fyve sterres noght forthi, 1040 And ek upon the feet be tweie, So as these olde bokes seie, That wise Tholomeus wrot. His propre Monthe wel I wot Assigned is the lusti Maii, Whanne every brid upon his lay Among the griene leves singeth, And love of his pointure stingeth After the lawes of nature The youthe of every creature. 1050

Cancer after the reule and space Of Signes halt the ferthe place. Like to the crabbe he hath semblance, And hath unto his retienance Sextiene sterres, wherof ten, So as these olde wise men Descrive, he berth on him tofore, And in the middel tuo be bore, And foure he hath upon his ende. Thus goth he sterred in his kende, 1060 And of himself is moiste and cold, And is the propre hous and hold Which appartieneth to the Mone, And doth what longeth him to done. The Monthe of Juin unto this Signe Thou schalt after the reule assigne.

The fifte Signe is Leo hote, Whos kinde is schape dreie and hote, In whom the Sonne hath herbergage. And the semblance of his ymage 1070 Is a leoun, which in baillie Of sterres hath his pourpartie: The foure, which as Cancer hath Upon his ende, Leo tath Upon his heved, and thanne nest He hath ek foure upon his brest, And on upon his tail behinde, In olde bokes as we finde. His propre Monthe is Juyl be name, In which men pleien many a game. 1080

After Leo Virgo the nexte Of Signes cleped is the sexte, Wherof the figure is a Maide; And as the Philosophre saide, Sche is the welthe and the risinge, The lust, the joie and the likinge Unto Mercurie: and soth to seie Sche is with sterres wel beseie, Wherof Leo hath lent hire on, Which sit on hih hir heved upon, 1090 Hire wombe hath fyve, hir feet also Have other fyve: and overmo Touchende as of complexion, Be kindly disposicion Of dreie and cold this Maiden is. And forto tellen over this Hir Monthe, thou schalt understonde, Whan every feld hath corn in honde And many a man his bak hath plied, Unto this Signe is Augst applied. 1100

After Virgo to reknen evene Libra sit in the nombre of sevene, Which hath figure and resemblance Unto a man which a balance Berth in his hond as forto weie: In boke and as it mai be seie, Diverse sterres to him longeth, Wherof on hevede he underfongeth Ferst thre, and ek his wombe hath tuo, And doun benethe eighte othre mo. 1110 This Signe is hot and moiste bothe, The whiche thinges be noght lothe Unto Venus, so that alofte Sche resteth in his hous fulofte, And ek Saturnus often hyed Is in this Signe and magnefied. His propre Monthe is seid Septembre, Which yifth men cause to remembre, If eny Sor be left behinde Of thing which grieve mai to kinde. 1120

Among the Signes upon heighte The Signe which is nombred eighte Is Scorpio, which as feloun Figured is a Scorpioun. Bot for al that yit natheles Is Scorpio noght sterreles; For Libra granteth him his ende Of eighte sterres, wher he wende, The whiche upon his heved assised He berth, and ek ther ben divised 1130 Upon his wombe sterres thre, And eighte upon his tail hath he. Which of his kinde is moiste and cold And unbehovely manyfold; He harmeth Venus and empeireth, Bot Mars unto his hous repeireth, Bot war whan thei togedre duellen. His propre Monthe is, as men tellen, Octobre, which bringth the kalende Of wynter, that comth next suiende. 1140

The nynthe Signe in nombre also, Which folweth after Scorpio, Is cleped Sagittarius, The whos figure is marked thus, A Monstre with a bowe on honde: On whom that sondri sterres stonde, Thilke eighte of whiche I spak tofore, The whiche upon the tail ben bore Of Scorpio, the heved al faire Bespreden of the Sagittaire; 1150 And eighte of othre stonden evene Upon his wombe, and othre sevene Ther stonde upon his tail behinde. And he is hot and dreie of kinde: To Jupiter his hous is fre, Bot to Mercurie in his degre, For thei ben noght of on assent, He worcheth gret empeirement. This Signe hath of his proprete A Monthe, which of duete 1160 After the sesoun that befalleth The Plowed Oxe in wynter stalleth; And fyr into the halle he bringeth, And thilke drinke of which men singeth, He torneth must into the wyn; Thanne is the larder of the swyn; That is Novembre which I meene, Whan that the lef hath lost his greene.

The tenthe Signe dreie and cold, The which is Capricornus told, 1170 Unto a Got hath resemblance: For whos love and whos aqueintance Withinne hise houses to sojorne It liketh wel unto Satorne, Bot to the Mone it liketh noght, For no profit is there wroght. This Signe as of his proprete Upon his heved hath sterres thre, And ek upon his wombe tuo, And tweie upon his tail also. 1180 Decembre after the yeeres forme, So as the bokes ous enforme, With daies schorte and nyhtes longe This ilke Signe hath underfonge.

Of tho that sitte upon the hevene Of Signes in the nombre ellevene Aquarius hath take his place, And stant wel in Satornes grace, Which duelleth in his herbergage, Bot to the Sonne he doth oultrage. 1190 This Signe is verraily resembled Lich to a man which halt assembled In eyther hand a water spoute, Wherof the stremes rennen oute. He is of kinde moiste and hot, And he that of the sterres wot Seith that he hath of sterres tuo Upon his heved, and ben of tho That Capricorn hath on his ende; And as the bokes maken mende, 1200 That Tholomeus made himselve, He hath ek on his wombe tuelve, And tweie upon his ende stonde. Thou schalt also this understonde, The frosti colde Janever, Whan comen is the newe yeer, That Janus with his double face In his chaiere hath take his place And loketh upon bothe sides, Somdiel toward the wynter tydes, 1210 Somdiel toward the yeer suiende, That is the Monthe belongende Unto this Signe, and of his dole He yifth the ferste Primerole.