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

De orbis divisione. Augustinus de Civitate Dei, libro sexto|decimo, capitulo octavo. Capitulum sextum.

FOR þe delynge [departing, Cx.] of þe worlde take hede þat þe grete see of occean byclippeþ al þe erþe aboute, and þe erþe is i-deled [departed, Cx.] in þre [aþre yn þre, α.] grete parties. Asia is þat oon, [Asia that is oon part, Cx.] Europa þat oþer, and Affrica þe þridde. But þese [the, Cx.] þre parties beeþ [ben, Cx., and similarly else|where.] not alle euene and yliche moche; [euen lyke moche, Cx.] for Asia, oon of þe þre, conteyneþ half þe erþe, and streccheþ from þe south by þe est anon to þe [eeste vnto, Cx.] north, and is i-closed aboute with þe see of occean; but he [it, Cx.] endeþ westwarde at þe grete see. Beda, de Naturis. [nature, MS.] His endes beeþ þe mouth of þe ryuer

Nilus in þe souþ, and of þe ryuer Thanays in þe norþe. [That other parte, Europa, stretcheth dounward fro the riuer Thanays by the northe] [The words within brackets are added from Cx. and α, which latter reads the oþer.] occean to þe costes of Spayne, and ioyneþ to þe grete see by este and by south, and endeþ in þe Ilond Gades. Isidorus, libro quarto de|cimo, capitulo quarto. Affrica, þe þridde parte, streccheþ from the west to þe southe, anon to [southe vnto, Cx.] þe coste of Egipte, and þese tweie parties, Affrica and Europa, beþ departed atweyne [a sounder, Cx.] by þe [an, Cx.] arme of þe see. Plinius, libro tertio, capitulo primo. Þe mouthes of þe [that, Cx. and α.] arme conteyneþ fiftene þowsand paas in lengþe, and fyue þowsand paas in brede; and of þilke mouþes þe [of þe, MS. α; txt, Cx.] see of myddel erþe bygynneþ, and by dyuers armes spredeþ and wexeþ inward the londes.