or elles the lyne Orientale; and the remenant of this lyne fro the foreseid + un-to the bordure, is cleped the West lyne, or the lyne Occidentale. Now hastow here the four quarters of thin astrolabie, devyded after the four principals plages1 or quarters of the firmament. And for the more declaracioun, lo here thy figure.

The est side of thyn Astrolabie is cleped the right side, and the west side is cleped the left side. Forget nat this, litel Lowis. Put the ring of thyn Astrolabie upon the thoumbe of thy right hand, and thanne wole his right syde be toward thy left syde, and his left syde wol be toward thy right syde. Upon the ende of this est lyne, as I first seide, is marked a litel +, wher-as2 evere-mo3 generaly is considered the entring of the first degree in which the sonne aryseth. And for the more declaracioun, lo here the figure.

Fro this litel + up to the end of the lyne meridional under the ring, shaltow finden the bordure devyded with 90 degrees; and by that same proporcioun is every quarter of thin Astrolabie devyded. Over the whiche degrees ther ben noumbres of augrim1, that devyden thilke same degrees fro fyve to fyve, as sheweth by long strykes by-twene. And for more declaracioun,

lo here the figure.

Thanne hastow a brood rewles that hath on either ende a square plate perced with a certein holes, some more and some lesse, to resseyven the stremes of the sonne by day, and eek by mediacioun of thyn eye, to knowe the altitude of sterres by night. And for the more declaracioun, lo here thy figure.

1 Regions.

* Enumeration.

2 Where.
See below.

› Always.

6 The lesser holes for an observation of the sun, the greater for an observation of the stars.

To knowe the altitude of the sonne, or of othre celestial bodies.

Put the ring of thyn Astrolabie up-on thy right thoumbe, and turne thy lift syde agayn the lighte of the sonne. And remeve thy rewle up and doun, til that the stremes of the sonne shyne thorgh bothe holes of thy rewle. Loke thanne how many degrees thy rewle is areised fro the litel crois up-on thy est line, and tak ther the altitude of thy sonne. And in this same wyse maistow knowe by nighte the altitude of the mone, or of brighte sterres. This chapitre is so general ever in oon1, that ther nedith no more declaracion; but forget it nat. And for the more declaracioun, lo here the figure2.

1 Ever in oon, invariably.

A Treatise on the Astrolabe.

2 The Astrolabe was at first an astronomer's instrument and as such was known in the East at an early date. It may have been in use among the Arabs during the eighth century. It was probably adopted in Western Europe during the fourteenth. In 1480 or thereabouts, a simplified form of the Astrolabe was constructed for the use of navigators by Martin Behaim of Nuremberg. This was employed by Columbus on his famous voyage in 1492. With its aid and with the aid of a table of the sun's declination calculated for the years 1475-1566 by Johann Müller [called Regiomontanus] Columbus constantly took a meridian altitude of the sun. But for accuracy he

seems to have preferred an altitude of the Pole Star.

The Astrolabe as described by Chaucer is the complicated instrument of the astronomers. But the passage quoted describes those parts only which were made use of in the navigator's instrument.

And for the more declaracioun, lo here the figure."

Observations taken with the Astrolabe were lacking in exactness and precision. In fact at times they must have been almost impossible on a rolling deck at sea. The Astrolabe in consequence never developed. A clumsier instrument called the Cross-Staff, invented about the same time, shared the attention of mariners for a century after Columbus. In 1594 it was developed by John Davis, the famous navigator, into the Back-Staff or Davis's Quadrant: and this held the field until the invention by Hadley of the reflecting Quadrant in 1731. In 1757 Captain Campbell, finding the Quadrant needlessly cumbersome, devised an instrument of his own that had its arc not the fourth part of a circle [90°] but the sixth part [60°]. Hence arose the modern Sextant. It has been said that the Astrolabe was an imperfect instrument. Columbus may possibly in his calculations have been correct within a degree. Tycho Brahe at the end of the next century carried accuracy forward to the third of a degree [20]. Hadley's Quadrant brought observations within a minute of arc. But the Sextant with its powerful magnifier renders possible a reading to ten seconds of arc and makes even the Quadrant seem clumsy.

A. Thumb Ring.

EXPLANATION

B. The Centre or "hole amidde." C. The "Rewle or Rule, a movable limb pivoted upon the centre of the Astrolabe, with an eye-piece for peep-holes at either end.

D. A plumb line to ensure that E. ... W. is truly horizontal.

W

SIR THOMAS MALORY

flor.

[1469-70]1

I

KING ARTHUR'S DREAM2

Now leue we of Lucius the emperour and speke we of kynge Arthur that commaunded alle them of his retenue to be redy atte3 utas of hyllary for to holde a parlement at Yorke. And at that parlement was concluded to areste alle the nauye of the lond5 & to be redy within xv dayes at Sandwyche: and there he shewed to his armye how he purposed to conquere th'empyre whiche he ought to haue of ryght. And there he ordeyned two gouernours of his Royame that is to say Syre Bawdewyn of Bretayne for to counceille to the best and Syr Constantyn sone to Syre Cador of Cornewaylle whiche after the dethe of Arthur was kyng of this Royamme. And in the presence of alle his lordes he resyned the rule of the Royame & Gweneuer his quene to them. . . . . Thenne the quene Gweneuer made grete sorowe for the departynge of her lord and other and swouned in suche wyse that the ladyes bare her in to her chambre. Thus the kyng with his grete armye departed leuyng the quene & Royamme in the gouernaunce of Syre Bawduyn & Constantyn. And whan he was on his hors he sayd

1 Sir Thomas Malory's dates are unknown: but the Epilogue to Morte Darthur states that the book was finished in the ninth year of King Edward IV.

2 This and the following extract are copied from Dr. H. Oskar Sommer's page for page reprint of Caxton's text.

3 At the.

4 Octave of Hilary, i.e., 21 January.

5 It was resolved to lay an embargo on all the shipping of the kingdom.

with an hyhe voys, "Yf I dye in this iourney I wyl that Syre Constantyn be myn heyer and kyng crowned of this Royame as next of my blood"; and after departed and entred in to the see atte Sandwyche with alle his armye with a greete multitude of shyppes, galeyes, cogges and dromoundes1 sayllynge on the see.

And as the kyng laye in his caban2 in the shyp he fyll in a slomerynge and dremed a merueyllous dreme. Hym semed that a dredeful dragon dyd drowne moche of his peple and he cam fleynge oute of the west. And his hede was enameled with asure and his sholders shone as gold: his belly lyke maylles of a merueyllous hewe, his taylle ful of tatters, his feet ful of fyne sable & his clawes lyke fyne gold. And an hydous flamme of fyre flewe oute of his mouthe lyke as the londe and water had flammed all of fyre. After hym semed there came oute

1 Nautical archaeologists are still unable to say with any certainty how the "Cog" and the "Dromon" differed in construction and rig from other vessels. On his passage to the Holy Land, Richard Lion Heart had a tremendous duel with a Dromon. The Cog is first mentioned in the reign of John. The great ships of the Middle Age were of two main classes, sailing vessels and oared vessels. The former, broad of beam and roomy, were employed as merchantmen and transports: the latter, lithe and speedy, were used for war. It is not at all unlikely that the Cog, deriving her name from the French for "cockle-shell," was an outstanding type of sailing vessel; and that the Dromon, deriving her name from the Greek for "to run," was an outstanding type of galley. The Cog was certainly employed to carry Pilgrims from England to the coasts of Europe: and a poem by one of Malory's contemporaries [The Libel of English Policie], describing Henry V's descent on Harfleur, says,

Whan at Hampton he made the great dromons

Which passed other great ships of all the commons, suggesting that the Dromon was the speediest engine of warfare afloat. * The earliest mention of cabins in British ships is under date 1242. In that year King Henry III journeyed to Gascony with his Queen "and among the preparations made for the voyage, convenient cabins or chambers were ordered to be built in the ship in which the King and Queen were about to embark, and which were to be wainscoted." Sir Harris Nicolas, Hist. of Royal Navy, Vol. I. p. 223.