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

De insulis Britanniœ adjacentibus. Capitulum quadragesi|mum quartum.

BRETAYNE haþ þre ilondes þat beeþ nygh and longeþ þerte' alle wiþ oute þe ylondes Orcades, as hit were answeringe to þe þre cheef parties of Bretayne. For þe yle of Wight longeþ and lieþ to Loegria, þat is Engelonde; þe ilond Mon, þat hatte Engleseie also, longeþ to Wales; and þe ilond Eubonia, þat haþ tweie [oþere] names, and hatte Menania and Man also, longeþ to Scotlond. And alle þese þre ilondes, Mon, Wight, and Man, beþ almest i-lich moche and of þe same quantitie; of þe which þre al arewe now foloweþ our speche. Beda, libro primo, capitulo tertio. Claudius sent Vespasianus, and Vespasianus wan Wighte, and Wighte streccheþ oute of þe est in to þe west þritty myle long, and out of þe souþ in to þe norþ twelue myle, and is in þe est side sex myle from þe souþ cleef of Bretayne, and þre myle in þe west side. Beda, libro quarto, capitulo quinto.

Þe met of þis ilond, as Englische men gesseþ, is a þow|sand housholdes and two hondred. Giraldus in Itinerario. Mon, þat hatte Angleseia also, is departed from þe Norþ Wales by a schort arme of þe see, as it were tweie myle broode. In Mon beeþ þre hondred townes þre score and þre, and beeþ acounted for þre candredes, þat beeþ þre hundredes. Þe ilond is, as it were, þritty myle longe and twelue myle brood. Candredus is so moche land as conteyneþ an hondred townes; þat name Cantredus is i-made oon of tweie longages, of Brittische and of Irische. In preisynge of this ilond Walsche men beeþ i-woned to seie a prouerbe and an olde sawe, Mon mam Kembry, þat is to menynge in Englische Mon moder of Wales. For whan oþere londes lakkeþ mete, þat lond is so good þat hit semeþ þat it wolde fynde corn i-now for alle þe men of Wales. And so it semeþ þat þe hilles of Snowdonia wolde fynde pasture i-now for al Wales to þe bestes þerof. Þerfore Virgile is vers may be accordynge þereto:

As moche as gnawes Bestes [longe] inneþ dawes, So moche eft bringeþ Dew cold in a nyȝt.

In þat arme of þe see, þat departeth bytwene þis ilond Mon and Norþ Wales, is a swelowe þat draweþ to schippes þat seilleþ, and sweloweþ hem yn, as dooþ Scylla and Charybdis, þat beeþ tweie perilous places in þe see of myddel erþe; þerfore me may nouȝt seile by þis swolwe but slily at þe ful see. ℞. Of þe meruailles and wondres of þis ilond Mon, loke in þe chapitres of Wales. Giraldus in Itinerario. Þe þridde ilond þat hatte boþe Eubonia and Menania, þat is Man, stondeþ in þe myddes bytwene þe Irische Hulster and þe Scottische Galewey, as it were in þe nauel of þe see. Beda, libro secundo, capitulo nono. Þis ilond Man conteyneþ as hit were tweie ilondes; þe firste is souþward, þe more contray and better corn lond, and conteyneþ nyne hondred housholdes and þre score. Þe secounde conteyneþ þe space of þre hondred and moo, as Englische men telleþ. Giraldus in Topographia. Som tyme was stryf wheþer þis ilond Man schulde ligge to Britayne oþer to Irlond, [and] for venemous wormes þat were i-brouȝt þider leued þere hit was i-demed þat the ilond Man schulde longe to Bretayne. [℞.] And in þat ilond is

sortilege and wicchecraft i-vsed. For wommen þere selliþ schipmen wynde, as it were i-closed vnder þre knottes of þrede, so þat þe more wynd he wol haue, he wil vnknette þe mo knottes. Þere ofte by day men of þe lond seeþ men þat beeþ dede to forhonde, byheded oþer hole, and what deeþ þei deide. Aliens setteþ here foot vppon feet of men of þe lond [for to see such sightes as the men of that lond don]. Beda, libro secundo. Scottes woned first in þis ilond. Thanatos, þat is Tenet, and is an ilond bysides Kent, and haþ þat name Tanatos of deþ of serpentes, for þere beeþ none, and þe erþe þereof sleeþ serpentes i-bore in to oþer londes. Þere is nobil corn lond and fruytful; me troweþ þat þat ilond was i-halowed and i-blessed of Seynt Austyn, þe firste doctour of Englische men; for þere he aryued first.

Notes

• Wiȝt, α.
• Anglesia, α., Cx.
• MS. has mon before Wales (not α. or Cx.)
• So α. and Cx.; Engelond, MS.
• oþere] Added from α. and Cx.
• Menauia, Cx.; see above.
• which longeth, Cx.
• Wiȝt, α.
• Wiȝt, α.
• Wiȝt, α.
• sixe, α.
• clyve, α.
• mesure, Cx.
• þe] om. α. and Cx., probably rightly.
• brood] om. Cx. (typogr. error?)
• Cantredus, ., Cx. (but Candredes above.)
• Snawdonia, α.
• for alle the bestes of Wales, α. The whole sentence is omitted in Cx.
• Added from α. β. and Cx.
• long in þe, γ.
• old dewe, Cx.; γ. inserts wel schort after cold.
• that departeth this londe and North Wales, Cx.
• swolwȝ, α.; swolow, Cx.
• draweth shippes to it, Cx.
• Cx. inserts by.
• Cilla and Caribdis, MS., α., and Cx.
• swolouȝ, α.
• So α. and Cx.; Man, MS.
• chapitre, α. Sentence varied in Cx.
• myddel, α., Cx.
• Galway, α.; Gallewaye, Cx.
• gessiþ, α.; gesse, Cx.
• Mam, MS. (clerical error.)
• longe, Cx.
• Added from α. and Cx.
• for as moche as, Cx.
• So α. and Cx.; wordes, MS.
• iugged, Cx.
• Reference added from Cx.
• wil, α.; wold, Cx.
• the mo knottes he must vndo, Cx.
• wat, α.
• Added from Cx., who omits lond by typogr. error; β. has lond, but makes various blunders.
• So α. and Cx.; Thanathos, MS.
• i-bodere, α.
• fruyȝtful, α.
• hit is supposed that, Cx.; and similarly often.