Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

72 —

gedeucht und man gabe uns allerley
mufier fpeccerey die zu zeigen den
mohren wobey fie verfiehen mogten
was wir in ihrem land fuchen wolten
und alfo gerujl feyndt fuhren wir ans
der porthen der stadt ulifipona von
portugal und fegelten zu der jnfel
madera da de/s portugals zucker
wachjl und durch die jnfelnfortunatas
und die jn/eln der wilden canarier
funden mohren konike denen wir
fchenckung thaten die uns auch wider
kahmen in das land in die konikreich
gambia geloff da die paradis kbrner
wachfen ijl von portugal 800 teutfche
meiln darnach in konik furfursland
ifi 1200 huge oder meilen dajelbfi
pfeffer wachjl den man nent portogals
pfeffer auch fern von danen ijl ein
land da wir zimetrinden funden
wach/en as wir nun bey 2300 meilen
oder leugen gefegelt waren von portugal
kehrten wir wider und am 19
monath kamen wir wider zu unjern
konik. (E 39.)

spices to be shown to the Moors
(negroes) in order that they might
understand what we sought in their
country. Thus fitted out we sailed
from the port of Lisbon in Portugal
to the Island Madeira, where the
sugar of Portugal grows, and
through the Fortunate Islands and
those of the savage Canarians.
And we found Moorish Kings to
whom we gave presents, for which
they gave return presents. And
we came to the kingdoms of Gambia
and Golof, where grow the grains
of paradise, and which are distant
800 German miles from Portugal.
And subsequently we arrived in
King Furfur's country, which is
1,200 leagues or miles distant, and
where grows the pepper called
Portugal pepper. And far from
there we came to a country where
we found cinnamon growing. And
when we had sailed about 2,300
miles or leagues from Portugal we
turned back, and in the 19th month
we were once more with our king.

Equator, Parallels and Ecliptic.

The only circles drawn upon the globe are the
Equator, the two tropics, the Arctic and Antarctic circles,
and the Ecliptic.

The circulus equinoccialis, described as ... . equinoc-
cialis orient, in the East, represents the equinoctial line or
Equator, and is divided into 360 degrees. As drawn on
the globe it is not absolutely a great circle, for it only
measures 1590 mm., whilst the globe has a circumference
of 1594 mm., corresponding to a diameter of 507 mm. or
1 foot 8 inches English. The scale is consequently
1 : 25,138,000.

The Ecliptic has the same periphery as the Equator,
but whilst its northern arc measures 782 mm. the southern
arc measures 808 mm. Along it are placed twelve disks
containing representations of the constellations of the
Zodiac. Along the northern arc the distances between
the disks are very nearly 130 mm., but along the southern
arc they vary between 129 and 138 mm.

The name of tropicus capricorni is inscribed upon the
original, but not that of the " tropicus cancri," which is
found, however, on the facsimiles published by Jomard
and Ghillany. Nor was I able to discover the words
" circulus arcticus " and " circulus antarcticus," although
they have found a place on the facsimiles referred to,
whilst Murr is responsible for a " polus arcticus " and a
" polus antarcticus."

The Meridian (A).

A meridian is drawn 10 mm. or 2° 30' to the west of
the sign of Cancer, or 80° to the west of Lisbon. It
measures 790 mm. on the northern, 804 mm. on the

southern hemisphere, its total length being thus 1594 mm.
Along it are placed copious notes on the length of the day
under different latitudes, the climates, the " Lords " ruling
each climate, with the symbols of the seven planets, etc.
Nearly all this is taken from the popular treatise ' Sphaera
mundi' of Sacrobosco, or John of Holy Well, first
published at Ferrara in 1472, and which up to the close
of the seventeenth century is known to have gone through
59 editions.1

The fragments of words written from south to north
along the meridian are much corrupted. They are dna
. . . sien . . . das . . . amromep . . . beos, and probably
stand for dia, sienes (Syene), alexandrios (Alexandria),
diaromes (Rome), and diariphios (Riphaen).

The remainder of the legends are as follows :—

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monad lang der lengfi tag,
u.s.w., 5, 4, 3, and 2 monad
lang der lengfi tag.
stund tag ifi hier der lengfi
tag im fommer.

Circulus arcticus.
das 6t. clima heifi di a niraos
ifi unter der regirung def mars
fein metal ifi eifen und fein
hauf der fkorpion.
da* viert clima heifi man diaso-
rops und ifi unter der regirung
def planet Joris mm hauf ifi

daf zeichen def ochfen......

sein farb ifi weif fein metal ifi
zinn..........omgeht er daf

© firmant.

das drit clima ifi geheifen die
alexandros das ifi unter der
regirung def planete mars fo
er in feinem heufern ififoifier
im scorpion oder im wider fein
metal ifi eifen fiahel fein farb
rott Jn 2 Jare lauft er durch

* die 12 haufer.

Tropicus cancri.
daf erfi clima ifi geheife dj
meroes das hat zum regent den
planet sarturnus welchef metal
ifi play . . ne difer planet farb
ifi fchwartz der durchgehet die
zwelf zeichen in vier und zwan-
zig jar da ifi der langfi tag und
dj langfi nacht jmjar 13 fiund.

Circulus equinoccialis.
das clima heifi torida fein tag
und nacht gleich fein daf gantz
jar 12 fiund lank befiendiglich.

s|c Saturnus regirt das erfi clima
gege mittag in welchen der tag

f? am lengfien mit 13 fiund ifi Saturnus
heiffer find die zeiche als
der fieinbock der waffermann.

6 months is the length of the
longest day (in 66°N.!) and so on, 5,4,
3, and 2 months long the longest day.
24 hours is here the length of the
longest day in summer.

Arctic Circle.
The sixth climate is called that of
the Riphaean mountains; it is ruled
by Mars, whose metal is iron.

The fourth climate is called that of
Rhodes, and it is under the rule of
the planet Jupiter, whose house is
the sign of the Rull . . . Whose
colour is white, whose metal is
tin .... revolves round the firmament
.

The third climate is called that of
Alexandria; it is under the rule of
the planet Mars, whose houses are
the Scorpion and the Ram; whose
metal is iron steel and colour red.
In two years he passes through the
12 houses.

Tropic of Cancer.
The first climate is called that of
Meroe; its Lord is the planet
Saturn, whose metal is lead and
whose colour is black. He passes
through the twelve signs in twenty-
four years. The longest day and
the longest night there is 13 hours.

Equinoctial Line (Equator).
This climate is called the Torrid
Zone; day and night are there always
12 hours long throughout the year.
Saturnus rules the first climate
towards the south, where the longest
day is of 13 hours. The Houses of
Saturn are the signs of the Goat and
the Waterman.

1 The dia (as in diariphius) of Sacrobosco is Greek, and signifies
" through," whilst the or of the legends, whence the modern German Uhr,
means " hour."