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

Priscian in his Cosmographie of the Dimension of the Worlde. Capitulum quintum.

Iulius Cesar ordeneide by the cownselle of the senate sette in pomposite alle the worlde to be dimencionate by men discrete and prudente. Wherefore messangers were sende

from the consulate of Iulius Cesar vn to the consulate of Saturnius, by xxxij^ti yere, þro alle the worlde, to presidentes, dukes, and iuges of prouinces, that thei scholde describe and measure londes, waters, woodes, playnes, concauites, hilles, and the itinerary of the see to whiche places thei scholde sayle, and towche hyt if they myȝhte fynde eny meruellous thynge there that myȝhte be schewede to the senate. ℞. Seynte Ierom testifiethe that in the trans|lacion of þe cronicle of Eusebius, libro ij^o, capitulo secundo, [folio 21b] where he saythe that Pilatus presidente of the Iewery schewede to Tiberius themperour of the meruayles whom Iesus did amonge the Iewes. And Tiberius schewede theyme to the senate, whiche despisede theyme in that thei were not schewede a fore to the senate. Priscian. And soe hit is founde by the denunciaciones that alle the worlde hathe xxx^ti famose sees, lxxij^ti yles, xl^ti famose hilles, lxx^ti and

viij. prouinces, nowble cites ccclxx., floodes l^tivij. The compasse of whiche worlde is iij^c. tymes xv. tymes a c.m^l of passes. The longitude of the erthe habitable from the este to the weste, that is from Ynde to the Pillers of Hercules in the see Gaditan, hathe viij^the tymes v. tymes a clxx^ti myles and viij^the. The dimension of the longitude of whom is more compendious by the see then by the londe. The latitude of the erthe from the este syde of the occean of Ethioppe vn to the durre or begynnenge of a floode callede Thanay in the northe is lesse in the halfe then the longitude a foreseyde, and hit conteynethe l^ti tymes iiij^c. lxij. myles. Also hit is founde that the depeste

place in the see Mediterrany or occean conteynethe the space of xv. forlonges by a plumme of ledde.