¶Of the famous Ryuers & stremes. ca. viii. (Book 8)
THere ben thre famous Ryuers renayn¦••e through Brytayne by ye whyche thre Ryuers marchaūtes of beyonde ye see coumen in shyppes into Brytayn wellnygh out of all manere of nacyons and lōdes. These thre Ry¦uers ben Temse. Seuarne and Humbre The see ebbeth and floweth at these thre Ryuers & departeth the prouynces of the ylonde as it we∣re the thre kyngdoms asondre. The thre party¦es ben Loegria. Cambria / and Northumbri•• That ben myddel Englond: wales. and Nor∣thumberlonde. ¶R. These name Temse se¦meth made one name of two names of two ry¦uers that ben Tame & yse for the Ryuer of T••¦me renneth besydes Dorchestre and falleth in yse / therfore all the Ryuer fro the fyrst heed vn¦to the eest see is named Tamyse or Temse be¦gynneth besydes Tetbury that is thre myle by north Malmesbury. There the Temse spryn∣geth of a well that renneth eest warde & passeth the Fosse and departeth Glocestre shyre and wylshyre / and draweth with hym many other welles and stremes and wexeth grete att grece¦stre and passeth forth than towarde Hamptō & so forth by Oxenforde by wallynforde by Ry¦dynge and by Londō. ¶Wilhelm{us} de pon. ca. ii. Atte hauen of Sandwhyche it fas••eth in to ye eest see / and holdeth hys name .xl. myle beyon∣de London / and departeth in some place Ken¦te & Essex westsex and Mercia that is as it we¦re a grete dele of myddell Englonde. ¶R. Se¦uarne is A Ryuer of Brytayne & is called Ha∣bern in brytons / and hath that name Habern of Habern that was Estryldes doughter Gu∣endolon the quene drenched this Habern ther¦in / therfore the Brytons called the Ryuer Ha¦bern after the woman that was drowned the¦rin / by corrupte latyn it is called Sabria Se∣uarne in Englysshe. Seuarne begynneth in the myddell of wales and passeth fyrste to war¦de the eest vnto Shrowesbury / and then̄e tor∣ned south warde vnto Bryggenorthe wyrce∣stre & Gloucestre & falleth in to the west see be∣sydes Brystow & departeth ī some place Eng∣lond & wales. ¶wilhel de pon .li.iii. Sauerne is swyft of streme / fysshe carft is therin / wode¦nes of the swolowyng & of ye whyrlynge water casteth vp & gadre to hepe gret hepes of grauel Seuarne oft aryseth & ouerfloweth the bākes ¶R: Hūbre hath ye name of Hūbre kyng of. hu¦nes. for he was drownde ther in. & ren̄eth fyrst a croke out of ye southsyde of yorke / & thenne it departed ye prouynce of Lyndese ye ye longed somtyme to ye merces from ye other contre nor¦thūberlonde Trente & Ous rennen in to Hū∣bre