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

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.

87/164 (page 67)

$Cum eles senz engan venent del primer an, E icest est dunee al secund e posee ? E issi est veirement cum est del concurent. Li primers an n’out nule, li secu [n] z out une, E 5eo est ensement en cest ordeinement Que epactes apellum en Latine raisun. E or vus voil mustrer cument devez uverer: Les epactes parnez, as regulers justez, Dunt g\ devant traitai, que lunals apellai, De an en an cum eles vunt e cum ens lur curs funt; E par iyeo saverez, si que ja iPi faldrez, Quanz jurz la lune averat quant le meis enterat; Itant jurs averat cum li numbres tendrat. Mais sbl vait ultre .xxx., jeter devez les .xxx., E feo que remaindrat si nus demusterat Quanz jurz la lune averat quant le meis enterat. Pur 9eo li ruis jeter, le remanant guarder, Que la lune en sum curs rPat plus que .xxx. jurs. Mais geo devez saveir, e ben creire pur veir, Qubl avent par .iij. anz de ices dis e nof anz, Que eles lur curs funt, si cum dis la a munt, Que nus pas ne Pavum issi cum nus solum. E les anz vus dirai, issi cum jeo sai; En Pvitme, en Punzime an, q el dis e nofme an; De ifeo trai a guarant e Turchil e Gerlant, Que ben Punt espruved que issi est en verted. El sacez par raisun, ces epactes que avum, Que lur cumencement e que lur muement En Septembre en serat, tut tens ja iPi faldrat; E tut tens vunt curant desque a Marz de devant when without dispute they come from the first year,—and it is given to and placed in the second ?—And so it is truly as it is with the concurrent.—The first year had none, the second had one,—and it is similarly in this arrangement—that we call epacts in the Latin language.—And now I will show you how you ought to work:—take the epacts, join them to the regulars,—of which 1 treated before, which I called lunals,—as they go from year to year and as they do in their course ; —and by this you will know, without fail,—how many days the moon will have at the month’s entry;—it will have as many days as the number will indicate.—But if it goes beyond 30, you ought to throw out the 30,—and the remainder will show us—how many days the moon will have at the entry of the month.—On this ac¬ count I direct to throw out, and keep the remainder,—because the moon has not more than 30 days in its course.—But you ought to know this, and believe it quite true,—that it happens for three years of these nineteen years—(which they make in their course, as we said above),—that we have them not as we usually have.— And I will tell you those years are, as I know,—in the eighth, eleventh and nine¬ teenth years ;—of this I bring as witness both Turkil and Gerland,—who have wrell proved that it is so in truth. And know7 by reason, these epacts which we have,—that their beginning and their movement—will be in September, and will never fail;—and always they go$