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

De situ eius et dimensione. Capitulum quadragesimum.

Plinius, libro secundo, capitulo septuagesimo septimo. This Britayne is acounted an holy [a noble, Cx., β., and γ., which seems right.] lond bothe in oure stories and also in stories of Grees, and is i-sette aforn aȝe [sette agaynst, Cx.] Germania, Gallia, Fraunce, [We should probably read or Fraunce.] and Spayne bytwene þe north and þe west and þe see bytwene. Þis lond is fifty myle from

þe clif of þe men þat hatte Morini Gesserico, so þe clif [So γ. Ms. chif.] hatte. [Cx. omits the last four words. A space for two lines left blank in α. The text seems corrupt.] Beda, libro primo. And for þis lond [ilond, α., Cx.] lieþ vnder þe norþ nolle [hede, Cx.] of þe world, þey [hit, Cx.] haþ liȝt and briȝt myȝtes in þe somertyme, so þat ofte tyme at mydnyȝt men haueþ questiouns and doute where [whether, Cx.] it be euentyde or [euetide oþer, α.] dawenynge, þat is for þat [the, Cx.] tyme of þe ȝere þe sonne goþ [gooþ, α.] nouȝt fer vnder erþe by nyght, but passeþ by þe north side and comeþ sone in to þe est aȝe, and þerfore þere beeþ in [in þe, α.] somer dayes ful longe of xviij. [eyȝtene, α.] houres long, and þe nyȝtes of sixe. [Sentence varied in Cx.] And efte [after, Cx.] in þe wynter beeþ longe nyȝtes of xviij. [eyȝtene, α.] houres and schort dayes of vi. [sixe, α. (omitting houres); and so Cx.] houres. Þey in [Also in, Cx.] Armenia, Macedonia, Italia, and in oþer londes of þe same lyne þe lengest day and þe lengest nyght also is of fiftene houres; and þere [þere] om. Cx.] þe schorteste day oþer nyȝt is of nyne houres. Plinius. In Meroe, þat ilond is chief [chif, α.] of Bloomen, [black men, Cx.] þere þe lengest day is of twelue houres; in Alexandria in Egipt of þrittene houres;

in Italia of fiftene houres; in Bretayne of eyȝtene houres; in þe lond þat hatte [ylonde named, Cx.] Tile alle þe sixe somer monþes is day, and alle þe sixe wynter monþes is nyght. Isidorus, libro quartodecimo. Britayne is i-sette wiþ ynne occean, as it were wiþ oute þe world, and is i-sette aȝenst Fraunce and Spayne. Giraldus. Bretayne is euen longe [evelonge, α.; endlonge, Cx.] and larger in þe myddes [myddel, Cx.] þan in þe endes. Orosius. Bretayne streccheþ in lengþe out of þe souþ [into þe north, and in þe souþ] [Added from α. and Cx.] est side he [and he, MS. (not α. or Cx.)] haþ Fraunce, in þe souþ Spayne, in þe norþ Norwey, and in þe west Hibernia, þat is Irlond. Whan schipmen passiþ þe next clif of þat lond, þei seeþ a citee þat hatte Rutpimouþ. [Rutpiniouþ, α.] Beda, libro primo. Þat cite is now i-cleped schortliche of Englische men Reptacestre. Solinus. Bre|tayne is eyȝte hondred myle in lengþe, and he be i-mete [moten, Cx.] fro þe clyf of Tottenys to þe angle of Calidoun. Alfr. Þat is from þe Penwythis strete [Penwithisstert, α.; Penwithis|tert, β.; Penwithstrete, Cx.] fifte[ne] [fiftene, α,; xv. myle, Cx.] leges byȝonde Mochel [Mychels, Cx.] Stowe in Cornwayle anon to Catenesse þat is by|ȝonde Scotlonde. And Bretayne is more þan two hondred

myle brood from Meneuia þat is in þe vttermeste [vtmeste, α., Cx.] place of [in, Cx.] Wales anon to Gernemoutham [Gernemutham, α.; Yarmouthe, Cx.] in Norþfolk. Beda. Onliche outake þe lengest out schetynge of dyuerse forlondes, wiþ þe whiche Britayne is al aboute eyȝte and [fourty] [Added from α. and Cx.] siþe seuenty þowsand paas.