Alexander fayre sone, I praye the, that yf thou mayst do it, that thou ryse not, nor eate, nor drynke, nor do ony other thynge, but by the councell of some that knoweth and hath the scyence in knowlegynge the sterres and astronomye. And thou shalte wyte my dere sone that almyghty god hath made nothynge without cause, but hath done every thynge reasonably. And by certayne scyences and wayes, the wyse phylozopher Platon sought and felte the operacyons of all thynges composed of the foure elementes, and the humoures contrayres. And hadde also the knowlege of the thynges created and formed. And also my dere sone Alexander I praye the beleve not such fooles which say that the scyence of the planettes is so harde to be knowen, & that none maye come therto. Surely they be fooles and wote not what they say. It is a noble thyng to know thynges whiche be to come. Yf thou knowest the thynges whiche be to come, thou and other persones may put remedy by good prayers. And requyre the creatoure that hath ordeyned them to retourne theyr malyce, & ordeyne them otherwyse. Thynke not dere sone that god hath ordeyned & predestynate such thynges, but that by his power he may chaunge them otherwyse when he pleaseth. Wyte thou dere sone that the good people pray to our creatoure with orysons & devout petycyons, by fastyng & sacrefyces, by almesse & other maner, axyng of pardon of theyr synnes, & doynge penaunce, that our lorde may retorne & remembre suche predestynacyons whiche other do feare so moche. Retorne we dere sone to our fyrst purpose, wite thou that astronomye is devysed in .iiij. partes. That is to wyte in ordynaunce of sterres. In the dysposycyon of sygnes, & of theyr elongacyons. Of the moevynge of the sonne. And this partye is called astronomy. And is the worthyest, of sterres, planettes, and sygnes. And there is .M.xxviij. planettes sygned, and formed, of the whiche we shall speke more playnly.