l e m e . l i b r a r y . u t o r o n t o . c a

s t c 2 3 6 7 1

v e r . 1 . 0  ( 2 0 1 9 )



And nowe to begin
howe to erect the
Sphere or Globe.


But first, the difinition what a
Sphere is, with his partes, are to be
known and found out.


A Sphere  is a massie body, in­
closed with one platforme;
and in the middle of it ther
is a pricke: from which, all
lines drawne to the said platforme,
are equall each to other, and that
pricke is the Center of the Globe,
and so sayth Euclid.







The Axeltree  is a right lyne
(which mooueth not) and passeth
through the Center of the Globe,
at which ends are imagined the
Poles of the world; one is named
the North Pole, and other the
South.

The North Pole  is called, Pole
Artick, and other Pole in the
South, Antarticke: the South
Pole is neuer seene of vs in this our
Countrey, but is euermore vnder
our Horizonte. The North Pole is
alwayes seene of vs whereas wee
dwell, and these starres be opposed
the one right against the other.






The Meridian  is a great Circle
passing ouer our heades, in which
Circle when the Sunne is, hee ma­
keth the middle of the day and the
middle of the night. And also,
in this Circle is shewed the La­
titudes of all places, by the height
of the Poles, in euery seuerall La­
titude.

The Horizont what it is.

The Horizon  is a Circle, which
goeth a-long by the edge of the
ground, and parteth the part of the
world which we see, from that part
which we see not; and when the






Sunne riseth, then he is in our Ho­
rizonte, and so is he when he is go­
ing downe as lowe as wee can see
him.

Also it deuideth the whole
Sphere of the world into two equal
parts, in such sort, that halfe of the
Sphere is euer aboue the ground,
and halfe alwayes vnder the earth.
This Circle hath great vse in the
heauenly motions, that by it wee
iudge the rysings & settings of the
Sunne and Moone, and all other
Starres; And in this Horizonte
you shall finde noted, the names of
the winds, which the Marriners v­
seth, by the 32. poynts of the Com­
pas.






The next Circle is noted, the de­
grees which euery day in the mo­
neth dooth contayn: that is to say,
the first day one degree; the se­
cond day two degrees, and so forth
as they succeed in order, to a point
like a little starre, where the last
day of euery moneth endeth.

The next Circle sheweth, what
day of the moneth the Sunne en­
treth into any of the twelue signes,
telling euery day one degree, to
thirtie degrees, & so they succeed
through euer one of the twelue
signes, monethlie.






This Horizonte  is deuided into
foure quarters, East, West, South,
and North, euery quarter of the
world contayneth 90. degrees: and
the whole compasse therof, is 360.
degrees.

The next Circle is Motus trepe­
dationis,  a starry firmament, whose
motion is slowe, from the West to
the East, that euery hundreth yeere
(by the obseruation of diuers Astro­
nomers) moueth but one degree.

The Zodiacke,  is a great broade
and slope or shoring Circle, in the
which are depictured the twelue
signes and fixed starres, in the






middest whereof, is the Eclipticke
lyne, from which the Sunne neuer
swarueth.

"depictured" antedates the earliest OED citation of this verb ("depicture," v., ca. 1593).



Then followeth the two Col­
luers, and the Equinoctiall Circle, 
parting the Sphere in the verye
middest, betwixt the two Poles: by
reason whereof, there are two La­
titudes, the one is North and the o­
ther South.

The North Latitude  is contay­
ned betwixt the Equinoctiall and
the North Pole; the South Lati­
tude, is betwixt the Equinoctiall
and the South Pole: either of these
two spaces contayneth in bredth
90. degrees.






A Degree  is one part of a Circle
beeing deuided into 360. parts, and
360. degrees, is the very Longi­
tude of the Earth: and at the fur­
thest Meridian in the West, begin­
ning with one degree, and so pro­
ceede Eastward, vnto 180. degrees
of the Equinoctiall, & from thence
goe forward to the West, where
you come againe to 360. degrees,
which is the last degree of Longi­
tude.

Next followeth the two
tropicall Cyrcles.

That is to say, the North tropike 






is Cancer, and is the returne of the
Sunne in Sommer declyning,
backe againe towardes the Equi­
noctiall, the dayes being then at the
longest, and the nights at the short­
est with vs, and then beginneth the
dayes to shorten againe.

The Winter Tropicke  (sayth
Proclus) is the most Southerliest 
Circle of all them that the Sunne
dooth describe, by the reuolution
of the world, in the which when
the Sunne is, he maketh his winter­
lie turne, and then is the longest
night in all the yeere and shortest
day with vs.






Paralels.

The Paralell lynes  are described
by the wyers in the Globe, and a
Paralell of the longest day, is a 
space of the Earth: by thys is
knowne the increase of the day to
be a quarter of an hower, going
from the Equinoctiall towards any
of the Pole starres.

A Clymate  contayneth two Pa­
ralels, in which spaces the day in­
creaseth by halfe an hower: Of
these Paralels are made 24. Cli­
mates, betweene the Equinoctiall
and the tropicke of Cancer.






Then followeth the Artick Circle,
and the Antartick
Cyrcle.

The Artick Circle  is the North
Circle: and the contrary Circle in
the South, is called the Antartick
Circle: by the which Greeke com­
position, as you would say, contra­
ry or against the Articke Circle, &
it well may bee called the South
Circle. But now heere how Proclus
defineth them.

The Articke Circle  is the grea­
test of all those Circles which doe
alwayes appeare, and toucheth the






Horizonte in one only poynt, and
is altogether aboue the Earth, and
all the starres that be within this
Circle neyther rise nor set, but are
seene to runne round about the
Pole all the night.

The Antarticke Circle  is equall
& equidistant to the Artick Circle
& toucheth the Horizonte in one
onely poynt, and is all vnder the
ground, & all the starres that be in
it, are euermore out of our sight.

Then is there two other smaller
Circles, called Poller Circles, or
Pole Circles:  in this Circle about
the Antartick Pole, is deuided cer­






tayne degrees to take the Altitude
of the North starre, this starre
is in the extremitie, or end of the
tayle of the lesse Beare, being a con­
stellation, commonly called the
Horne: for this North starre (of
the most notablest starres aboue
the Pole) is neerest vnto it, & shall
therefore shewe a lesse Circle than
any other, and so shall his Altitude
differ little from the Altitude of
the Pole.