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

De Ægypti provinciis. Capitulum sextum decimum.

EGIPTE haþ þe name of Egipt, Danay his broþer, [Danays broder, Cx.] and hiȝte [highte, Cx., inconsistently. See p. 115.] somtyme Aer[e]a, [Aerea, α.; Aeria, Cx.] and haþ in þe est side þe Rede see, in þe south þe ryuer Nilus and Blomen, [So α.; Blomem, MS.; Blac men, Cx.] in þe north þe grete see and þe ouere partie of Syria, and in þe west Libya. Egipt is silde bereyne, [is sylde bereyne, α.; is zelde be|raynd (so), Cx.; bareyne, MS.] and haþ water and moisture onliche of þe ryuer Nilus, and is riche of corne and fruit and marchaundise. [of fruyt and of, Cx.] Petrus, capitulo nonagesimo quarto. Egipte aȝenst kynde of oþer londes haþ plente of corn; he is bareyne [barayn, α.] of lesue, [lese, α; pasture, Cx., who omits two or three lines here.] and whan he haþ plente of lesue it [he, α. (more consistently.)] is bareyne of corn. For whan þe ryuer Nilus is vppe and ouer wexiþ and ouerfloweþ þe londe and abideþ longe in seed tyme, or [ar, α.] þe flood wiþdrawe, it letteþ sowynge and drencheþ [adrencheþ, α.] þe seed; and so corne is destroyed, and lesue and gras groweþ after in tyme. Þere beeþ cokkedrilly [cocodrilly, α.; cocodrylly, Cx.] and hippo|tauri [ipotauri, MS.; ipotaury, α.; ypotamy, Cx., which is nearer the truth, but may be his own correction.] also, þat beeþ water hors. [hors] horses, Cx. (not α.)] Egipt haþ in þe est side a grete wildernesse and dyuerse manere bestes wonderliche

i-schape, [wrouȝt, α.; shape, Cx.] and in þe west Canopea, þe whiche ilond is þe ende of Egipte and bygynnynge of Libya. Þere is þe mouþ [So α.; and Cx.; money, MS.] of Nilus, for þere Nilus falleþ into þe grete see. ℞. Þey me [Though men, Cx. (as usual); not α.] rede in bookes, þat Nilus, þat hatte Gyon also, renneþ out of Paradys; ȝit it is i-seide þat Nilus springeþ vp in þe west [est, α. (not Cx.)] ende of Ethiopia nouȝt fer from þe hulle þat hatte Mons Atlas. [Athlas, MS., α., and Cx. (as usual.)] And þan Nilus gooþ forþ aboute Ethiopia and doun into Egipt, and ouerfloweþ þe pleyn contraies of Egipt, and bycause of slym þat renneþ þerwith, he [he] it, Cx. (and so often.)] makeþ þe londe fatte and good to bere good [Cx. omits good.] corne and fruit. So, seiþ Hieronymus vppon þe prophete Amos, by Goddis owne ordenaunce Nilus ouerfloweþ and watereþ al þe lond of Egipte, for hepes of grauel stoppeþ his cours, þat he may nouȝt anon [anon] lyghtly, Cx.] falle into þe grete see; but after þat he haþ so biflowe and i-watred þe lond, þe hepes of grauel to schedeþ and to falleþ; [departe and befalle, Cx., who prints, however, to shedeth below.] and þan þe water falleþ into þe chanel aȝe, and so [so] om. Cx.] renneþ into þe grete see. Neuerþeles [netheles, Cx.] Isidre seiþ, libro tertio decimo, þat Nilus is i-dreue aȝe [dryuen agayn, Cx.] and i-lette of his cours wiþ þe norþern wynde; and so þe water swelleþ, and [and] om. Cx.] floweþ and wexeþ greet; but Beda in libro de

naturis seiþ þat þis [þis] þe, Cx.] northerne wynde bloweþ in May, and stoppeþ [stopped, Cx.] þe cours of þe water of Nilus wiþ hepes of grauel; and so þe water ariseþ and ouerfloweth þe londe; but whan þe wynde ceseþ, þe grauel to schedeþ and þe water falleþ in to þe chanel, and so turneth [turneþ] renneth, Cx.] dounward in to þe grete [So Cx.; rede, MS.] see.