Popular treatises on science written during the Middle Ages, in Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and English / Edited from the original manuscripts by Thomas Wright.

  • Thomas Wright
Date:
1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Popular treatises on science written during the Middle Ages, in Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and English / Edited from the original manuscripts by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    De Anno. Daere sunnan gear is p heo be-yrne ];one miclan circul zo- diacurn, y ge-cume under aelc paera twelf tacna. ^Elce monab heo yrnb under an ]?aera tacna. An ]?cera tacna ys ge-haten aries, p is ramm; ober taurus, p is fearr; bridda gemini, p synd ge-twisan; feorba cancer, p is crabba; fifta leo; syxta virgo, p is maeden; seofoba libra, |?aet is pund obbe waege ; eahtobe scorpius, p is prowend; nigoSa is Sagittarius, p is scytta; teoba ys capricornus, p is buccan horn, obbe bucca; endlyfta is aquarius, p is waeter-gyte, obbe pe |?e waeter gyt; twelfte is pisces, p synd fixas. pas twelf tacna synd swa ge- hiwode on ^am heofenlicum roderum, ^ synd swa brade p hi ge-fyllab twa tida mid hyra up-gange obbe nyj?er-gang*e. AElc baera twelf tacna hylt his mona^, 3 J?onne seo sunne hi haefS ealle under-urnen, ]?onne byb an gear agan. On bam geare synd ge-tealde twelf monbas, twa 3 fiftig wucena, breo hund daga 3 fif 3 syxtig daga, ^ ^aer-to-eacan syx tida, pa maciab aefre ymbe p feorbe gear );one daeg j ba niht pe we hatab bissextum. Romanisce leodan ongynnab heora gear aefter haebenum ge-wunan on winterlicere tide. Ebrei heal- dab heora geares annginn on lenctenlicre emnihte. Da Greci- scan on-ginnab hyra gear aet bam sunn-stede; y ba Egiptiscan on haerfest. Da Ebreiscan J?eoda be Godes ae heoldon agun- non heora geares anginn ealra rihtlicost, p is on baere lenc- tenlican emnihte .xii. kl. April, on bam daege pe seo sunne j mona ^ ealle tunglan j gearlice tida gesette waeron. Soblice baes monan gear haefb seofon ^ twentig daga ^ ealita tida. On bam fyrste he under-yrnb ealle ba tw^elf tacna, pe seo sunne under-gaeb twelf monab. Se mona is soblice be su- The solar year is when she runs through the great circle zodiacus, and comes un¬ der all the twelve signs. Every month she runs under one of the signs. One of the signs is called aries, that is, the ram ; the second taurus, that is, the bull; the third gemini, that is, twins ; the fourth cancer, that is, a crab ; the fifth leo; the sixth virgo, that is, a maiden ; the seventh libra, that is, a pound or scales; the eighth scorpius, that is, a scorpion; the ninth is Sagittarius, that is a shooter; the tenth is capricornus, that is, a buck’s horn, or a buck ; the eleventh is aqua¬ rius, that is, a pouring out of water, or he wdio pours out water; the twelfth is pisces, that is, fishes. These twelve signs are so formed in the setherial region, and so large, that they occupy two hours with their rising or setting. Each of the twelve signs has its month appropriated, and when the sun has run under them all, then is one year gone. In the year are reckoned twelve months, and fifty- two weeks, and* three hundred and sixty-five days, and in addition thereto six hours, which make always in the fourth year the day and night that we call bis¬ sextum. The Roman people begin their year after the heathen custom in win¬ ter time. The Hebrews held the beginning of their year at the vernal equinox. The Greeks begin their year at the solstice; and the Egyptians in autumn. The Hebrew people who hold God’s law, began their year most correctly of all, that is on the day of the vernal equinox, 12 Kal. Apr., on which day the sun and moon and all the heavenly bodies and yearly times were fixed. Truly the moon’s year has seven and twenty days and eight hours. In which space he runs under all the twelve signs, which the sun goes under in twelve months. The moon is truly