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

De Britannia. Capitulum tricesimum nonum.

AFTER þe ilondes [ilond, Cx., who has various other slight alterations in this chapter.] of occean now Bretayne schal be de|screued. By cause of Bretayne alle þe trauaile of þis storie was bygonne. Þe firste poynt þat me schal telle is of þe names of þe ilond; þanne of þe stede and place of þe lengþe and brede; þe þridde of þe worþynesse of þe lond; þe ferþe of þe [þe] om α.] mervayles and wondres þat beeþ þere ynne; þe fifte of þe chief parties of þe lond. Þe sixte of ilondes þat beeþ bisides þat lond; þe seuenþe of þe kynges hiȝe weies; þe eiȝtþe of famous ryueres and stremes; þe nynþe of olde citees and townes; þe tenþe of prouinces and schires; þe elleuenþe of lawes and of þe names of lawes; þe twelfþe [twelfe, α.] of kyngdoms, of boundes, and of markes by twene kyngdoms; þe þrittenþe

of bisshopriches [bisshops riches, α.] and of bisshoppes sees; þe fourtenþe how many manere men haueþ woned and i-dwelled [haue dwelled, Cx.] in þat lond. [ylond, Cx.] Þe fiftenþe [fifteneþ, α.] of longage, [langage, Cx.; longe age, MS. and α.] of maneres, and vsage of men of þat lond. De varia insulæ nuncupatione. Firste þis ilond hiȝte [hit, α.; heyte, Cx.] Albion, as it were þe white lond, of white rokkes aboute þe clyues of þe see þat were i-seie wide. [fro ferre, Cx.] Aftirward Bruyt conquered þis lond and cleped hit Bretayne after his owne name; þanne Saxons oþer Englische conquered þat [this, Cx.] lond, and cleped hit Anglia, þat is Engelond; oþer it hatte Anglia, and haþ þat name of a quene þat owed þis lond þat heet Angela, and was a noble dukes douȝter of Saxouns. Oþere as Isidre saiþ, Eth. 15, Anglia haþ þat name, as hit were an angul and a corner of þe world; oþer, as Beda seiþ, libro primo: Seint [Seyn, α.] Gregorie seih [seiȝ, α.] Englische children to selle [to sellynge, α.; (not Cx.)] at Rome, and he accorded to þe name of þe lond, and

seide: [Cx. inserts They ben.] Soþeliche aungelis, for hir face [name face, MS.] schyneþ as aungelis; for þe nobilte of þe lond schone [schoon, α.] in þe children [So also α. and Cx.] face. Alfr. Þe Bryȝtische Anglia is [So Cx. and β.; Anglians, MS.] i-cleped þe oþer world; and for greet plente of al good þe Grete Charles cleped hit his owne chambre. Solinus. Þe egge [edge, Cx.] of þe Frensche clif [clyve, α.] were [sholde be, Cx.] þe ende of þe world, nere þat þe ilond of Bretayne is nyh worthy to haue þe name [So Cx.; names, MS.] of anoþer world. [yf the ylonde of Brytayn ne were not, whiche is worthy to haue the name, Cx.] Alfr. Þis ilond is i-cleped insula, for hit is in salo, þat is þe see, and is often i-bete wiþ dyuers cours of wateres and [wiþ, α., Cx.] stremes and wiþ [wiþ] om. α. (not Cx.)] wawes of þe see.