the earth have taken on me to indite this little treatise for to instruct and endoctrin the people not lettered First to know God their maker Secondly to govern their bodies and eschue infirmities And thirdly to know the course of the firmament and of the celestiall bodies conteined in it with the disposition of the vii Planets But who that will know his properties ought first to know the Month that he was born in and the sign that the Sun was in the same day I will not say that such things shal be but that the signs have such properties and is the will of God After Poets and Astronomers Aries is the first sign that sheweth the fortunes of men and women as saith Ptolomeus The first sign of Aries I Find that he which is born in the sign of Aries from mid March to mid Aprill shal be of good wit and shall neither be rich ne poor he shall have damaâ—â— by his neighbours he shall have power over deaâ—â—â—lkes goods he shall be soon angry and soon appeased he shall have divers fortunes discords he will desire doctrine and haunt eloquent people and shall be expert in many degrees he shal be a lyer and unstedfast of courage and will take the vengeance on his enemies and he shal be better disposed in youth in all things than in age unto xxxiii year he shall be a fornicatour and shal be wedded at xxv year and if he be not he shall not bee chast he shall be a mediatour for some of his friendes and will gladly be busie in the needs of other he shal be awaited to be damaged he shall have a sign in the shoulder in his head and in his body yet he shall be rich by the deathes of other his first son shall not live long he shal be in danger of four footed beastes hee shall have great sickenesse at xxiii year and if he escape he shall live lxxxv year after Nature The woman that is born in this time shal be irefull and suffer great wrongs from day to day she will gladly make leasings and shall leese her husband and recover a better shee shall be sick at five year of age and at xxv she shal be in great danger of death and if she escape she shal be in doubt till xliii year and shall suffer great pain of the head The days of Sol and Mars to them shal be right good and the days of â—upiter shal be contrary to them and aswell the men as the women shal be semblable to the Sheep that every year leeseth his fleece of wool and within short space recovereth it again Of the sign of Taurus HE that is born in the Sign of Taurus from mid Aprill till mid May shal be strong hardy and full of strife delicious and shall possesse goods given to him by other men that he would have done shal be incontinent and will enforce to himself to finish it In his youth he will dispise every person shall be irefull he shall goe pilgrimages and will leave his friends and live among strangers he shall be put in offices shall exercise them well and shall be rich by women he shall be thanklesse and come to good estate he will take vengeance on his enemies he shal be bitten of a dogge and shall experiment many pains by women and shall be in perill at xxxiii year he shall be in perill of water and shal be greeved by sicknesse and venym at xxiii year and at xxx year he shal be abundant in riches and shall rise â—o great dignity and shall live lxxxv year and three monthes after nature and shall see his fortune sorrowfull The woman that is born in this time shall be effectuall laboring and a great lyer and shall suffer much shame she shall reâ—oyce in the goods of her friendes that which she coâ—â—â—â—veth in her mind shall come to effect and shall have the best party she shall â—â—ve many husbands and many children she shall be in her best estate aâ— xvi years and she shall have a sign in the middest of her body she shall be sickely and if she escape she shall live lxxvi years after nature She ought to bear rings and precious stones upon her The daies of Jupiter and of Luna been right good for them and the dayes of Mars contrary As well the man as the woman may be likened to the bull that laboreth the land and when the seed is sowen he hath but the straw for his part They shall keep well their own and it shall not profit to them ne to other and shall be reputed unkind Of the sign of Gemini THE man that is born in the sign of Gemini from mid Maie to mid Iune shall have many woundes and he shal be fain and mercyfull he shall lead an open and a reasonable life he shall receive much money he will goe in unknown places and do many pilgrimages he will praise himself and will not bide in the place of his nativitie he shall be wise and negligent in his workes he shall come to riches unto xxvi year his first wife shall not live long but he shall marry strange women he shal be late married he shall be bitten of a dog and shall have a marke of Iron or of fire he shal be tormented in water and shall passe the sea and shall live an hundred year and x. monthes after nature The woman then born shall come to honor and set forward with the goods of other and she shal be agrieved of a false crime she ought to be wedded at xiv year if she shall be chaste and eshewe all perill and shall live lxx year after nature and shall honor God The days of Mercury and Sol to them been right good the days of Luna and Venus been to them contrary and as wel the man as the woman shall augment and assemble the goods of their successors but skantly shall they use their owne goods they shall be so avaricious Of the sign of Cancer NExt after he that is born under the sign of Cancer from mid Iune to mid Iuly shal be very avaricious and of equal stature he will love women he shal be merry humble good wise and well renowned he shall have domage by envy he shall have the money of other in his guiding he shall be a conductor of other folkes things he shall have strife and discord among his neighbors and will avenge him on his enemy by his arrogance maâ— shall mock him he shall have often great fear on the water he wil keep his courage secretly in himself and shal suffer dolour of the womb he shall find hidden money and labor sore for his wife he shall see his peril in a certain year the which shal be known of God his favour shall decrease at xxxiii year he shall passe the sea and shall live lxx year after nature and fortune shall be agreeable to him The woman that shal be born in
this time shal be furious incontinent angry and soon appeased she is nimble serviceable wise ioyous and shall suffer many perilles if any person do her any service she will recompence them wel she shall be labouring and take great pain unto xxx year and then she shall have rest she shall have many sons she must be wedded at xiv year honours and gifts shall follow her she shal have wounds and be whole thereof and shal have perill of waters and shal be hurt in a secret place she shall be bitten of a dog and shal live lxx year after nature The days of Jupiter Venus and Luna to them been right good and the days of Mars right evill and aswell the man as the woman shal have good fortunes and victory over their enemies Of the sign of Leo. AS wee read he that is born under the sign of Leo from mid Iuly to mid August shal be fain and hardy he shall speak openly and shall be mercifull he shall weep with the weepers and shal be arrogant in words he shall have a perill in certain time and at xxx year he shal be awaited to be damaged but he shall eschue that perril his benefites shall be in great he shall be honoured of good folk and obtain his enterprise he shall have goods by temporal services he shall be ingrate to theeves and shal be great and puissant he shall have charge of the commonalty and as much as he leeseth he shall win hee shall come to dignity and shall â—e amiable he shall take fortune of three wives hee will goe often on pilgrimages and suffer pain oâ— the sight hee shall fall from high and be fearful of water he shall find hid money at viii year of age he shall be sick also he shal be in perill and doubt of some great Lord and at xxxvi year he shal be bitten of a dog and be whole with great pain and shall live lxxxiv year after nature The woman that shal be born in this time shall be a great lyer fair well spoken mercifull pleasant and may not suffer ne see men weep she shall be meek her first husband shall not live long she shall have pain in her stomake she shal be awaited of her neighbours at xvii year and live to great riches she shall have children of three men she shall be amiable and have the blouddy flixe and shall be bitten of a dogge she shall fall from high and live lxxvii year after nature The days of Mercury Sol and Mars to them be right good the daies of Saturn been contrary and as wel the man as the woman shal be hardy great quarrellers and mercifull Of the sign of Virgo OF the sign of Virgo I find that hee which is born from mid August to mid September shall gladly commend his wife he shal be a great house-houlder ingenious he shal be solycitous to his work he shall be shamefaced of great courage and all that he seeth he shall covet in his understanding he will be soon angry and surmount his enemies Scarcely shall he be a while with his first wife he shal be fortunate at xxxi year he will not hide that that he hath and shal be in perill of water he shal have a wound with iron and shall live lxx year after nature The woman then born shall be shamefaced ingenious will take pain and ought to be wed at xxii year she shall not be long with her first husband Her second husband shall be of long life and shall have much good by another woman she shall fall from high her life shall be in perill and shal die shortly she shall suffer dolour at x. year if she escape those dolours she shall live lxx year after nature she shall bring forth vertuous fruit and every thing shall favour her she shall reioyce in divers fortunes The daies of Mercury and of Sol shal be right good for them and the daies of Mars shall be contrary And as well the man as woman shall suffer many temptations so that with great pain they many resist them they shall delight to live in chastitie but they shall suffer much wheresoever it be Of the sign of Libra AMong planets Libra ought to be remembred for he that is born from mid September to mid October shal be right mightily praised and honored in the service of Captains he shall gâ—e in unknown places and shall get in strange lands he shall keep well his own if he make not relevation by drink he will not keep his promise he shall be envied by silver and other goods he shal be married and goe from his wife he shall speak quickly and shall have no domage among his neighbours he shall have under his might the goods of dead folk and shall have some sign in his members Oxen horse and other beasts shal be given to him he shall have domage and iniury he shall be enriched by women and experyment evill fortunes many shall aske counsaile of him He shall live lxx year after nature The woman that is born in this time shall be amyable and of great courage she will anounce the death of her enemyes and shall go in places unknown she shall be debonair and merry reioyce by her husband if she be not wedded at xiii years he shall not be chast and shall have no sons by her first husband she shall goe many pilgrimages after xxx year she shall prosper better and have great honour and praise then after she shall be greevously sick and shall be brent in the feet about xii year of age and shall live lx year after nature The days of Venus of Luna for them been right good and the days of Mercury contrary And aswel the man as the woman shall be in doubt unto the death and there is doubt in the end Of the sign of Scorpio WEe read that he which is born in the sign of Scorpius from mid October to mid November shall have good fortune he shall be a great fornicatour the first wife that hee shall have in marriage shall become too religious he will serve gladly to Images he shall suffer pain in his privy members at the age of xv year he shall be hardy as a Lyon and amiable of forme many faculties shall be given to him hee shall be a great goer in visiting divers countries for to know the customes and statutes of many Cities and shall have victory over all his enemys they may not hinder him in no manner of wise hee shall have money by his wife and shall suffer divers dolours of the stomake he shall be merry and love the company of merry folk In his right shoulder shal be a sign by sweet words adulations he shall be deceived he will often say one thing and doe another he shall have a wound with iron he shall be bitten of a dog or of some other beast he shall be in doubt and have divers enemies at the age of
Naturam Cancri pectoris aula gerit At Leo vult stomachum renes sibi vendicat idem Sed intestinis Virgo praeesse petit Ambas Libra nates ambas sibi vendicat hancas Scorpio vult anum vultque pudenda sibi Inde Sagittarius is coxis vult dominari Amborum genuum vim Capricornus habet Regnat in Aquario cruri um vis apta decenter Piscibus demum congrua planta pedum Saturnus niger Iupiter viridis Mars rubeus est Sol croceus Venus albus Mercurius Luna varii sunt dum quisquis regnat nascitur puer sic coloratus The declaration of the Latine here above THat is to say that the twelve signs have dominion over the body of man divided by the parts as the signs divide the firmament and every sign beholdeth and governeth the parts of the body so as it is said above and afterward shall be shewed by figures and is declared more plainly and faithfully Such like of Planets is said of their colours but of their natures and propâ—â—ties of the parts of the bodys the which governeth and beholdeth more at full shall you hear at length Also of the twelve months natures March April and May are very hot and moist that signifieth blood and ayre Iune Iuly and August is Summer and signifieth hot and dry choler manhood fear September October and November is harvest and betokeneth cold and dry and age melancholy and earth December Ianuary and February is winter and betokeneth cold and moist childhood flegm and water CAlled I am January the cold In Christmas season good fire I love Yong Iesus that sometime Judas sold In me was circumcised for mans behoove Three Kings sought the son of God above They kneeled down and did him homage with love To God their Lord that is mans own brother CHAP. III. Hereafter followeth a Kalender with the figures of every Saint that is hallowed in the yeer in the which is the figures the hours the months and the new Moons Ianuary hath 31 days the Moon 30 In Iâ—no claris calidisque cibis potiaris Atque decens potus post sercula sit tibi notus Laedit enim medo tunc potatus ut bene credo Balnea tutius intres venam scindere â—ures viii iv ix A viii iii â—vli Circumcisio Domini xvi v vii b    Octa. S. Stephen    c xvi iv  Octa S. Iohannis v o ii d v vii lv Octava sanctorum Inno.    e    Octa sa Thome martyr xi iv xii f xiii vi  Epiphania Domini    g iii ix xlv Felicis and Ianua o i xxxvii A    sa Luciani x ix iv b x viii xli sa Iudi. xviii vi xiii c xviii iv xvi Pauli prim heâ—emite    d    Lini Bishop Sol in Aqua vii viii vi e vii o xxxv Archadii martyr    f  February sa Hillary xv v xxxlv g xâ— i viii Felici presbyter    A iii viii ii S. Maur. abbot iv x xxxi b    sa Marcelli Bishop xii x xli c xii o xvi Sulp Bishop x xi lii d    sa Pisce virgin ix v xi e  x xvii Wolstan Bishop    f ix v li Fabian and Sebastian xvii o xxxiii g xvii ii xlvii sa Agnetis    A  iv xii Vincent martyr vi vi xxxv b  iv xii sa Emerancian    c    sa Timothy â—iv ii xvii d    Conversion of Paul    e xiv i xxxix Policarp Bishop iii ii xxi f iii vi xlv Iulian Bishop xi xi xx g    Agneus secundo xix vi xxxv A xi vii xxxvi Valeri bishop and mart    b xix vi xxvii Batild virg    c    Saturnini Victoris February hath 28. days the Moon 27. Nascitur occulta febris Februario multa Potibus escis si caute vivere velis Tunc cave frigorem de pollice funde cruorem Fuge mellis favum pectoris qui morbos curabit viii v xii d â—iii i xvi Bridgi Ignasii xvi o vi e xvi viii xxxi Purification of Mary    f    S. Blasi Bishop   xxxvii g v ii xxv S. Gilbert Bishop    A xiii x xxii S. Agathe virg xiii iii lviii b    Vedasti Amandi xi o iv c ii x lv sa Anguli virg x vi lix d x vii xliv Paul Bishop    e    sa Apollony virg xviii ix ii f xvi iii iii Sol in Pâ—ces    g vii i liv Eufrasie virg vi i xvi A    sa Eulaly    b v vii xxxv sa Wolfrani xv xi xv c    sa Valentine Bishop iv xiii lv d iv ii xxvi Faustin Ioniti xii o xxxiii e    Iulian virg i vii xli f xli o xxiii Policron bishop martyr    g i viii xxix Simon bishop martyr ix iv xvi A ix xv xxx Sabin and Iulian mar    b xvii iv lix Mildred virg xvii vi xvi c    Sanctorum lxix    d vi viii lviii Cathedra sancti Petri. vi i x e    Policarp Locus biferti    f xiv vi i Mathew Apostle xiv iv xii g    Invention of S. Paul iii i xiii A iii ix xlviii S Nestor mart  o xi b xi viii liii S Augustin    c    Oswald bishop and con It is to be noted that the golden numbers shew the days hours and minutes of the new Moons the red numbers for the forenoon and the black numbers for the afternoon on the same day that the numbers demonstrateth March hath 31. days the Moon 30. Martius humores gignit variosque dolores Sume cibum pure cocturas si placet ure Balnea sunt sana sed quae superflua vana Vena nec addenda nec potio sit tribuenda vii viii xxxvi d xix iii iiii sa David bishop    e viii o l sa Cedde bishop    f xv i xlvi Martini et Asteri xvi vi x g    sa Adrian Mart. v x xlviii A v vii xxxix Foce Eusebii Perpetue    b    Victoris et Victorini xiii  xx c xiii o xii Perpetue et Felic ii ix xix d ii ix xlvi Depositio sancti Felicis    e    Quadraginta mart x iiii xlviii f x v xx sa Agapite virg xviii o xli g xviii ii xlvi Sol in Aries Equinoct    A    S. George bishop vii vi xlv b viii v i
service and use the office the benefit and the dignity in the which I am for sir I bear your similitude and image which is reputed right worthie noble whereof humbly I yeeld thee graces and thanks Fiftly Lord thou hast given me the skie and his fair ornaments the Sun the Moon and the Starres that the day and night serveth me giving brightnes and light without to be recompenced by me whereof I yeeld to thee graces and thanks Sixtly Lord I knowledge thou hast made Paradise readie for to give me where I shal live with thee in ioyes without end if I do thy wil and keep thy commandements also I knowledge thy other infinit goodnes each day done to me by thy bounty the which ensigneth me to know my God my Saviour and Redeemer wherefore I humbly give thanks to thee By these considerations Shepheards and simple people contempleth the bounty of God and the benefits that they receive of him And know we him and be we not in great knowledge of his benefits in yeelding thanks and praisings to him and recompence of your goods in giving to poor folkes for his sake for ingratitude is a villain sinne that much displeaseth God The seventh and the last thing that each man ought to know is to know himself for it is the best meanes for to come unto the knowledge of God and for to make his salvation so to know himself first Divers folk know many things that know not themselves to whom should profit more to know thēselves than all things in the world They that know the things of the world love them seek them and keep them know not ne love ne praise not ne keep not God in like wise for they know him not What profiteth man to win all the world lose himself for to be damned Better it were for him to leese all the world if it were his if he knew himselfe to be saved Shepheards say the needfull beginning of his salvation is to know himself and contrariwise ignorance of himself is the beginning of damnation anv of all evill that may befall unto him A question of a Master Shepheard to a simple shepheard to weet how he knew himself and he said Shepheard tell me how thou knowest thy self what art thou answer to me And hee said I know my self for I am a Christian man a Shepheard What is it to be a Shepheard And he answered unto that thou askest what man is I say that man is a substance composed of body soul the body is mortall and made of earth as beasts be but the soul is made of spirituall matter as Angells be immortall My body is come of abominable sin and as a sack full of durt and filth and meat for wormes my beginning was vile my life is pain labour feare and in subiection to death and my end shall be wofull but my soul is created of GOD noblie and worthilie to his own image and semblance after the Angels the most fairest and perfect of all creatures by baptism and by faith is made his daughter his spouse his heir of his realm that is Paradise and for her noblenesse and dignitie ought to be a Lady and my body as servant ought to obey her for reason hath ordained and will that it be so and who that doth otherwise and preferreth his body before his soul leeseth the usage of reason and maketh himself semblable unto beasts descending from noble dignity into miserable servitude of sensuality by the which it is grounded so that I know my self man As to the second he demandeth what thing it is to be a Christian man I answer in my understanding to be a Christian man is to be baptized or christned and follow Iesus Christ of whom we be said Christians for to be baptized and not to follow him or to follow him and not to be baptized saveth not man and therefore when we receive baptism we renounce the devill and all his pomps and we make promise for to follow Iesus Christ when we say we will be baptized and who that keepeth this promise hath the very name of a Christian man And who that keepeth it not is a sinner and a lyer to God and servant to the devil and is no more christian than a dead man or a painting on a wall we say that is a man Here demandeth the master Shepheard in how manie things the Christian man ought to follow Iesus Christ for to accomplish the promise of baptism The simple shepheard answereth I say in six things the first in cleannesse of conscience for there is nothing more pleasant to God than a clean conscience and it will be made clean in two manners one is by baptism when we receive it and the other by patience that is contrition of heart confession of mouth satisfaction of work and then when we be clean we be pleasant to Iesus Christ which with the water of his mercie cleanseth the sinners that do penance and maketh them fair The second thing in which we ought to follow Iesus Christ is humility at the example of him Lord of all the world which humbled him to take our humanity and became mortall that was immortall to live in poverty with us bare oppropried pain and finally suffer to be crucified Thus the christian man ensuing him ought to meek himself The third thing is to hold and love truth and specially three truths the first truth is to know our selves for we be mortall and sinfull and who that dyeth in sin shall be damned and this truth withholdeth sin and exhorteth the sinner to doe penance and amend The second truth is of temporall goods for they be transitory and must be left and this truth dispraiseth them to desire the heavenly goods that be eternall The third truth is of God which is the ioy that all Christian men ought to desire and this truth draweth the Christian mā to love and induceth him to good works for to merit the ioyes of Paradise The fourth thing wherein every man ought to follow Iesus Christ is patience in adversity and in the spirit of life by pennace confirming of our selves in the estate of Iesus Christ of whom the life was all in pain and poverty which he endured for us The fift is in compassion of the poor to the example of Iesus Christ that by his mercie healed the poor of all corporall infirmities and the sinner of all ghostly sicknesse and wee by compassion ought to give of our goods to poor folke and comfort them bodily ghostly The sixt thing wherein the christian man ought to follow Iesus Christ is dolour devotion charity in contemplation of the mysteries of his nativity of his death and passion of his resurrection of his ascension and of his advancing to the iudgement that oftentimes ought to be at our heart by holy meditations And as to the last what thing a shepheard is I say it is the knowledge of my vocation as