Imatges de pàgina
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CRITICAL NOTES.

As, in the preceding pages which contain the text, the lower portion of each page is occupied with a running commentary, such Critical Notes upon the text as seem to be most necessary are here subjoined.

TITLE. Tractatus, &c.; adopted from the colophon. MS. F has 'tractatus astrolabii.' A second title, 'Bred and mylk for childeren,' is in MSS. B. and E.

[The MSS. are as follows:-A. Cambridge Univ. Lib. Dd. 3. 53.—B. Bodley, E Museo 54.-C. Rawlinson 1370.-D. Ashmole 391.-E. Bodley 619.-F. Corpus 424.-G. Trin. Coll. Cam. R. 15. 18.-H. Sloane 314.-I. Sloane 261.-K. Rawlinson Misc. 3.-L. Addit. 23002. (B. M.)—M. St. John's Coll. Cam.-N. Digby 72.—O. Ashmole 360.—P. Camb. Univ. Lib. Dd. 12. 51.— Q. Ashmole 393.-R. Egerton 2622 (B. M.).—S. Addit. 29250 (B. M.) See the descriptions of them in the Introduction.]

PROLOGUE. 1. 26. thise B; pese C; miswritten this A; see above, 11. 21, 22.

32. curious BC; miswritten curios A.

Many similar very slight alterations of spelling have been silently made in the text, and are not worth specifying here. A complete list of them is given in my edition of this treatise for the Early English Text Society. I give, however, the real variations of reading. Thus, in 1. 58, A. has som for sonne; and in 1. 64 omits the second the.

PART I. § 1, 1. 3. wol B; wolde AC.

§ 2, 1. 2. Rowm is here an adjective, meaning large, ample. It is the right reading; we find Rowm AB; rowme C; rvm M.

§ 3, 1. 1. AB omit the.

§ 9, 1. 3. nombre AB; noumbre C; but nombres in old editions.

§ 12, 1. 5. The MSS. all read- vmbra recta or elles vmbra extensa, & the nether partie is cleped the vmbra versa.' This is certainly wrong.

§ 13, 1. 2. a certein] so in AB; CM omit a. But Chaucer certainly uses the phrase 'a certain'; cf. of unces a certain,' C. T., G 776; and see G 1024.

1 As far as I can ascertain.

§ 14, 11. 2, 5. The word halt for holdeth, and the expression to-hepe, together, both occur in Troil. iii. 1764 ::

'And lost were al, that Love halt now to-hepe.'

§ 17, 1. 1. principal C; tropikal AB; M om. The reading tropikal is absurd, because there are but two such; besides which, see 1. 34 below.

17. the nyht (over an erasure) B; thee nyht (over an erasure) A; þe niztes C; be nyztes M.

§ 20, 1. 4. figure; here (and sometimes elsewhere) miswritten vigur A. Throughout the whole treatise, the scribe has commonly written 'vigur'; in many places, it has been corrected to ‘figure.'

§ 21, 1. 15. the (before sterres) supplied from BC.

27. where as C; wher AB.

56. ouerkeruyd A; ouerkerued B; ouerkerueth (the latter part of the word over an erasure) C; first time only.

PART II. § 2, 1. 8. euer M; euere C; euery (wrongly) AB.

§ 3, 11. 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 taurus 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, 1. 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] pan 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, 1. 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, 1. 5. est C; west A (which is absurd); west (corrected to est) B.

9. signe CGP; signes ABM.

§ 10, 1. 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

1. 10.

§ 11, 1. 12. The number 4 is from CP; AB omit; old edd. fourthe.

13. ther supplied from PM; pere C; AB omit.

§ 12, 1. 1. the supplied from BC; A omits.

8. The figure 2 is from BCP; G has secunde; A omits.

§ 14, 1. 9, 10. The last clause supplied from B.

§ 15, 1. 6. pointe] point P; pointes A; pointz B; poyntes C; but grammar requires the singular.

9. the supplied from CP; AB omit.

§ 16, 1. 5. AB wrongly insert the before Cancer; CP omit it.

8. y-lyke] Ilyke G; ilik P; y-like C; ilke AB; see 1. 7.

§ 17. Latin rubric; for latitudinem (as in M) read longitudinem. 1. 18. heued B; hed ACP; see sect. 16, 1. 3. The word 'the' (rightly placed in BCMP) is, in A, wrongly placed defore 'Aries' instead of before 'ende.'

23. second the] be 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.

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§ 23, 1. 21. The figure 8' is omitted in AB.

23. than] A omits; thanne inserted afterwards in B.

§ 25, 1. 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, pan 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 1. 38, A inserts an that, which is unmeaning, and omitted in B.

§ 26, 1. 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, 1. 2. second the] supplied from BCPM; A om.

§ 28. Latin Rubric. MS. has in recto circulo; read obliquo.

8. 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. From head of Libra to end of Pisces.

Six Southern signs.

Six Tortuous signs.

From head of Capricorn to end of Gemini.

Six Direct signs. From head of Cancer to end of Sagittarius.

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Opposite sagittare' is written' sagittarie' in the margin of A, probably as

a correction; but it is left uncorrected in 1. 27.

§ 29, 1. 3. Turne thanne] Turne pan C; turne the thanne AB.

9. thou] bou C; two AB.

14. rewle] rule CP; miswritten rewles AB; see 1. 9.

§ 30. 1. 11. wey A; place C. After zodiak C inserts-for on þe morowe wol pe sonne be in a-noper degre pan þan, et cetera; P inserts-For yn þe morowe wol pe sonne be yn an oper gree, & norber or souper 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, 1. 7. azimut] azymutz ABC; cf. sect. 32, 1. 8.

§ 33, 1. 2. Azimut] Azymutz ABC; minutis P; the same error as in sect.

31, 1.7; but see sect, 32, 1. 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] touchip P; to which (sic) ABC; see sect. 27, 1. 6.

§ 35, 1. 15. After west side, AB add & yf he be on the est syde, a mere superfluous repetition; see 1. 11.

17. sothly] soply 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, 1. 10. than] þan C; AB omit. is] AB 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, 1. 1. warpyng MP; werpynge C; weripinge (sic) A.

2. first a CP; AB omit.

3, 4. an euene C; a euene 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

; i. e. to an altitude of about 262°. As Chaucer talks about the sun's altitude being 251° 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 pan 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) :—

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This lyne Meridional ys but a Maner descripcion or the ymagined, that passeth vpon the pooles of pis the world And by the cenyth of owre heued / And hit is the same lyne Meridional / 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 maner discripcion or lyne ymagyned, þat passep upon þe pooles of his worlde, and by pe Cenith of oure heued. And yt is cleped pe lyne meridional, for in what place þat any man ys at any time of pe 3ere, whan þat þe sonne by meuynge of pe firmament come to his uerrey meridian place / pan is it þe uerrey mydday þat we clepe none, as to pilke man. And þerefore is yt cleped pe lyne of mydday. And nota, þat euermo of any .2. citees or of a townes, of which pat oo towne a-procheb neer þe est þan dop þe oper towne, trust wel þat þilke townes han diuerse meridians. Nota also, þat þe arche of þe equinoxial, þat is contened or bownded by-twixe pe two meridians, is cleped pe longitude of pe towne. ¶ & 3if so be /

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