Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden maonachi Cestrensis; together with the English translations of John Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century.

Of Flandres. Capitulum vicesimum octavum.

FLANDRIA is a prouince of Fraunce callede Francia Bel|gica, sette nye to the side of the occean, hauenge on the northe to hit Friselonde, on the este Almayne, on the sowthe Pikardy, and on the weste parte to hit the occean and the northe parte of Englonde. And thauȝhe Flandres be lytelle in quantite, neuerþelesse hit is replete with mony commodites, as with pastures, bestes, marchandise, waters, hauenes or portes of the see, and nowble in cites. The peple of hit be semely in stature, myȝhty, plentuous, and ryche, kepenge peace to men of theire cuntre, feitheful to straungeors, and excel|lente [folio 46] in worchynge and laborenge in wolle that seruethe allemoste alle Europe. That londe is playne, hauenge fewe woodes, whiche gete turfes of the marras grownde to fulle|fille the stede of woode, whiche be more vile then woode

as vn to esches, and more tedious to the odoure. Picardy is a prouince of Fraunce, hauenge nowble castelles and hie, lyenge betwene Flandres at þe northe and Normandy at the sowthe, hauenge on the weste to hit the see of Fraunce and the sowthe parte of Englonde. There be tweyne Picar|dyes; the hier that is more nye to Fraunce, and the lawer that is contiguate to Flandres and to the costes of Braban. The peple of this Picardy is more wyle and of more grosse langage then other partes of Fraunce. Normannia or Neustria, callede Normandy, toke the name of hit of men of Norway, whiche, saylenge from Denmarke, opteynede and inhabite that grownde, callenge hit Normandy, the chiefe cite of whom is callede Rothomagus, nye to the floode callede Sequana, where hit fallethe in to the occean, hauenge on the sowthe to hit the lesse Breteyne, at the weste the occean of Fraunce, at the sowthe weste to hit the northe parte of Englonde. The lesse Briteyne toke the name of

Briteynes occupienge hit twyes. Firste by Brennius, brother to kynge Belin. In the secunde tyme of Vortigernus, as hit is conteynede more plenerly in the story of Briteynes. That prouince hathe on the este to hit Gascuyn, at the northe Normandy, at the sowthe Gyon, at the weste the occean of Gyon. There is a welle in that Briteyne, the water of whom ydrawen up in the horne of a bugle or of an ox, and caste on the nexte ston to hit, thauȝhe the weder be neuer soe feire, hit schalle reyne anoon. Also in the realme of Fraunce is a welle nye to the castelle Pascence, con|gruente to the vse of men, but not of women. The water of whiche welle can not be made hoote with eny fire. Pic|tauca is a province of Fraunce Narbonense, whom Pictes, Scottes, and Englischemen did inhabite, callenge the name off the cite Picta, and the name of the prouince Pictauea,

as Herodotus seythe. This prouince, proiecte by the longi|tude of the occean, hathe on the este to hit Turonea, whom the floode callede Ligeris flowethe abowte, in the sowthe parte of hit Spayne, on the northe the lesse Briteyne, on the weste to hit the occean. The peple of hit kepe the maneres and consuetudes of Frenche men, to whom thei were immixte, and after the cuntre to whom thei be sub|iecte. For after Isidorus, Ethi., libro nono, that the faces and coloures of men bene chaungede after the diuersite of heuyn. Aquitanny is namede of the oblyke waters of that floode callede Ligeris, in whiche name mony other particuler prouinces be comprehendede, after Plinius, hauenge on the northe and of the este to hit Fraunce Lugdunense, towch|enge on the sowthe the prouince Narbonense. Audegauia is a province of Fraunce Lugdunense, as a meane betwene

the lesse Briteyne and Aquitanye. Vasconia is a province somme tyme conteynede vnder Aquitanny, hauenge on the este to hit the hilles Pirene, at the weste the occean; whiche londe hathe woodes ynowe, and fulle off hilles, plentuous of vynes; whom the floode callede Garona de|partethe hit in parte from Tholosan, entrenge in to the occean nye to Burdewes, the chiefe cite of that prouince. Men of that cuntre be callede Vascones, whom Grete Pom|peius makenge tame gedrede theyme in to oon lytelle cuntre, as Herodotus, the wryter of storyes, rehersethe. But nowe the peple of that cuntre be callede Basclenses, swifte of body, bolde in herte, vsenge dartes and crosse bawes or staffe slynges, prompte to thefte and robbenge, in|duede with fowle clothenge. Burguyn is a parte of Fraunce Cenonense to Alpes Pirene extente allemoste, callede soe of townes and cites whom Astrogothes, wyllenge to waste

Ytaly, made there. That londe towarde Alpes is colde, where the inhabitatores haue swellenges vnder the chynne for the grete habundaunce of waters of snawe beenge there.