CHAPTER 16
1 The other, the computation of the moon these men showed me; all the goings and revolutions. And they pointed out the gates to me, twelve great gates extending from the West to the East, by which the moon enters and goes out at the customary times.
2 She enters the first gate when the sun is in the West thirty-one days exactly’; by the second gate thirty-one days exactly; by the third gate thirty days exactly; by the fourth gate thirty days exactly; by the fifth gate thirty-one days exactly; by the sixth gate thirty-one days exactly; by the seventh gate thirty days exactly; by the eighth gate thirty-one days exactly; by the ninth gate twentynine thirty-one days exactly; by the tenth gate thirty exactly; by the eleventh gate thirty-one days exactly; by the twelfth gate twenty-eight days exactly.
3 And so by the Western gates in her revolutions, and corresponding to the number of the Eastern gates she goes, and accomplishes the year.
4 And unto the sun there are three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter of one day.
5 But in the lunar year there are three hundred and fifty-four days, making twelve months of twenty-nine days; and there remain eleven days over, which belong to the solar circle of the whole year, and are lunar epacts of the whole year. [Thus the great circle has five hundred and thirty-two years.]
6 The fourth part (of one day) is neglected during three years and the fourth year completes it exactly. On account of this they are omitted from the heavens during three years, and are not added to the number of the days, on which account these change the seasons of the year in two new months, to make the number complete and there are two others to diminish.
7 And when she has gone through the Western gates, she returns and goes to the Eastern, with her light, and so she goes day and night in the heavenly circles, below all the circles more quickly than the winds of the heavens, and there are spirits and creatures, and angels flying, with six wings to each of the angels”.
8 And seven (months) are computed to the circle of the moon during a revolution of nineteen years.