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.

    72/164 (page 52)
    DF;F bisexte truver a la lune [e] guarder, Dirai vus en brefment, sulunc men entendement. L^altre, dum ai paided, cil est des jurz furmed, E cest est par raisuns furmed des luneisuns ; E si devez saveir, e ben creire pur veir, Que .xxx. jurz cuntum en cele luneisun Qu’en Feverer avent, quant le bisexte vent. E pur £eo que avum le terme par raisun. Cum nus devum guarder pasches e celeb [r]er. Si cum fud cumandet as Judeus e ruvet. Que dune sacrifiassent e lur paschas guardassent, Tant tost cum il vereient e qu’il par veir savereient Que la lune en sun curs avereit .xiiij. jurs Aprof cele saisun que est equinoctium. Et equinoctium en Franceis raisun, Ceo est que nuit e jur sunt de vele lungur, Si cum jo dit vus ai quant des signes traitai. Dous en sunt en verted, si cum je l’ai truved; Li uns si est vernals, e li altres autumnals. E del vernal est dite ceste reule e escrite, Que nus devum guarder pasches e cele brer. Par vereie raisun, en icele saisun. “3 en pur 5eo cuntum .xxx. jurz, par raisun, Enz el mais de Feverer, que ne aium encumbrer Que ben ne sait guardee pasches e truvee, Ne que ne sait dampnee la reule que ai dunee. E cel jur que mentum plus que nus ne solium, En dreite verited est bisexte appelled, 3 est alued la ii l’altre est posed, Ke tut ensement vait cum li altres fait. Tj1 CEO devez saveir, e ben creire par veir, Que .xxx. jurz cuntum en une luneisun. Of finding and keeping the lunar bissextile,—I will tell you briefly, according to my understanding.—The other, of which I spake, that is formed of days,—and this is rightly formed of lunations and you ought to know and believe for truth, —that we reckon thirty days in that lunation—which happens in February, when the bissextile comes.—And because we have correctly the term,—how we ought to keep and celebrate Easter,—as it was commanded and enjoyned to the Jews,— who sacrificed and kept their Easter then,—as soon as they saw and knew for truth,—that the moon in her course should have fourteen days,—after that season which is the equinox.—And equinox means in French,—that night and day are of equal length,—as I told you when I discoursed of the signs.—There are two of them in truth, as I have found;—the one is vernal, and the other autumnal. —And of the vernal is said and written this rule,—that we ought to keep and ce¬ lebrate Easter,—according to right reason, in that season.—And therefore we count rightly thirty days—in the month of February, that we may have no confusion in it—in the right keeping and finding of Easter,—and that the rule which I have given may not be condemned —And that day which we place more than cus- omary,—in right truth is called bissextile,—and is put where the other is placed, —which goes just as the other does. And this you ought to know and believe for truth,—that wTe reckon thirty days