Jan 1472. And in [the] same xj. yere of the Kynge, in the begynnynge of of Januarij, there apperyd the moste mervelous blasynge sterre¹ that hade bene seyne. It aroose in the southe este, at ij. of the cloke at mydnyghte, and so contynuede a xij. nyghtes; and it arose ester and ester, tille it aroose fulle este; and rather, and rather²; and so whenne it roose playne est, it rose at x. of cloke in the nyght, and kept his cours flamynge westwarde overe England; and it hade a white flaume of fyre fervently brennynge, and it flammede endlonges fro the est to the weste, and noʒt upryght, and a grete hole therin, whereof the flawme came oute of, And aftyre a vj. or vij. dayes, it aroose north-est, and so bakkere and bakkere; and so enduryd a xiiij. nyghtes, fulle lytelle chaungynge, goynge from the north-este to the weste, and some tyme it wulde seme aquenchede oute, and sodanly it brent fervently ageyne. And thenne it was at one tyme playne northe, and thenne it compassede rounde aboute the lodesterre, for in the evynynge the blase went ageyns the southe, and in the mornynge playne northe, and thenne afterwarde west, and so more west, flaumyng up ryghte; and so the sterre contynuede iiij. wekys, tylle the xx. day of Feveryere; and whenne it appered yest in the fyrmament, thenne it lasted alle the nyghte, somewhat discendyng withe a grettere smoke one the heyre. And some menne seyde that the blassynges of the seide sterre was of a myle length. And a xij. dayes afore the vanyschynge therof, it appereryd in the evynynge, and was downe anone within two oures, and evyr of a colour pale stedfast; and it kept his course rysynge west in the northe, and so every nyght, it apperide lasse and lasse tylle it was as lytelle as a hesylle styke; and so at the laste it waneschede away the xx. day of Februarij. And some menne saide that this sterre was seene ij. or iij. oures afore the sunne rysynge in Decembre, iiij. days before Crystynmasse, in the south-west; so by that reasoune it compassed rounde abowte alle the erthe, alle way chaungynge his cours, as is afore reherside.

Note 1. The most mervelous blasynge sterre. See an account of this comet in the Nuremburgh Chronicle, Edit. 1493, fol. 254, rº. " Longum radium in modum flamme ingentis ignis emittens." - MS. Arundel, Mus. Brit. 220, fol. 279, v °. This comet is a return of the one described in a manuscript of the fourteenth century in Sion College Library )xix. 2, fol. 155, vº, b.), and of which there is a drawing on fol. 155, vº, a. Cf. MS. Trin. Cantab. R. xv. 18; Bib. Publ. Cantab. KK. IV. 7.; MS. Cotton. Jul. F. xi.

I give the following fragment relative to this comet from a MS. in the library of Pembroke College, Cambridge:

"Quidam presumpcionis filius in consulto sermone procacique oracione, volgari verbo tenus ornata, preter phisicas et astrologicas tradiciones, quas tamen similabat, terrenda populo prenunciavit; sed quoniam sermones sui a tradicionibus antiquorum sapientium similiter et a via veritatis omnino semoti, indignos memoria eos putavi. Dicebat quidem, caudam comete moveri motu simili motui martis in epiciclo, ex quo plura nitebatur concludere. Sed quoniam, ut posterius dicitur, ipsa minus mobilis erat capite comete, imo etiam semper versus occidentem verum [quid] em ex circumvolucione ejus promotum diurno cauda ipsius quandoque respiciebat orientem, sed nunquam movebatur versus orientem. Etiam uno die omnes differencias posicionis mundi respiciebat; mars autem in suo epiciclo nequaquam ita faciebat. Et forsan nullus planetarum epiciclum habet quod magis putandum opinor. Dicebant et alii, cometam a suo astro sicut ferrum a magnete trahi; cui dissonant dicta partis prime de motu cometarum. Et etiam quoniam motus tractus per lineam fit brevissimam. Alio non existenti impedimento continuo mobili ad trahens approximante. Ipso quoque mobili existenti cum trahente, fixum, ad modum ligati, detineretur; quoniam ibi finis est motus tractus. Hæc patent septimo phisicorum libro ad concavum orbis lune delatus fuisset; horum contrarium experiencia lucidissime edocuit, quoniam nulli planetarum conabatur ab omnibus. Discedendo ab eclipticâ diversitas, etiam aspectus ejus, ad stellas sibi vicinas, certificavit ipsum magis distare a concavo orbis lune quam a terra, in triplo ferè. Aliqui eciam ni"... ατελ

Some son of presumption, in a deliberate and bold discourse, adorned with common words, beyond the physical and astrological traditions, which, however, he feigned, foretold terrifying things to the people; but because his speeches were altogether devoid of the traditions of the ancient sages and of the way of truth, I considered them unworthy of memory. Indeed, he said that the tail of the comet moved in a motion similar to the motion of Mars in its epicycle, from which he attempted to conclude many things. But because, as it is said later, the tail of the comet was less mobile than its head, and indeed sometimes turned towards the west due to its circumvolution, while during the day the tail itself sometimes faced the east, but never moved towards the east. Also, on one day, it observed all the differences in the position of the world; but Mars did not do so in its epicycle, as I think no other planet does. Others said that the comet was attracted to its star like iron to a magnet, which contradicted the statements of the first part regarding the motion of comets. And also because the motion along the line occurs very quickly, with no continuous obstacle to the moving object approaching the puller. Also, with the mobile object present with the puller, it remained fixed, as if bound, because there the motion along the line ends. These things would have been explained in the seventh book of physics concerning the concavity of the moon's orbit; experience has most clearly taught the opposite of these, as no planet attempted to escape from all. By departing from the ecliptic, the difference in its appearance also assured it was more distant from the concavity of the moon's orbit than from the earth, by almost threefold. Some even ni....

Much more matter relative to this comet might have been given, but, as these notes have already been extended disproportionately to the length of the text, I reserve them for another occasion.

Cf. MS. Tann. Bodl. 2. fol. 56, rº.

Note 2. Rather = earlier.