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¶ De situ eius et dimensione. plenius libro secundo capitulo. 77 ¶ Capitulum 40
THis britayn is acounted a noble londe. bothe in our storye•• and also in the storyes of grekes / and is sette agaynst Ge••••man••a gallia Fraunce and spayne bytwene the northe and the west and the see bytwene· this londe is fyfty myle from the clyf of the men that be called morini gessorico Beda libro primo And for this ylond lyeth vnder the north hede of the world· Hit hath light & bright nyghtes in the somer tyme / So that oftyme at mydnyght men haue questions and doubte whether it be euen ty∣de or dawynge / that is for the tyme of the yere· that the sonne goth not fer vnder the erthe by nyght / But passeth by the north side and cometh sone in to the eest agayn. And therfore in the so∣mer ben ther dayes ful long of xviij houres. And the nyghtes of six houres / And after in the wynter ben longe nyghtes of / xviij: houres and short dayes of vj Also in Armenia / Macedonia / Ita∣lia and in other londes of the same lyne the lengest daye and len∣gest nyght also is of xv houres / And the shortest daye or nyght is of / ix / houres / Plenius in meroe / that ylond is chyef of black men / ther is the lengest daye ·xij houres. In allexandria in egypte of xiij houres· In ytalia of xv houres. In Brytayn of xviij hou¦res / In the ylonde named tile in alle the six somer monethes is day· And all the six wynter monethes is nyght / ysidorus libro 14 Brytain is sette within occean as it were withoute the world And is sette agaynst Fraunce and spayne Giraldus ¶Bri∣tayne is endlonge and larger. in the myddel than in thendes / Oro{us}· Britain stretcheth in length out of the south in to the north And in the south eest side. hit hath Fraunce· in the south spayn. In the north norway / and in the west hiber••ia that is Irlond Whan shipmen passen the next clyf of that londe they see a Cyte that heet rutpimouthe. Beda li primo. That Cyte is now called shortly of englysshe men reptacestre / Solynus / britain is / viij.C myle in lengthe· And it be moten from the clyf of totenesse to the angle of calydon. Alfr̄· That is from penwithstrete / xv. myle by¦yonde mychels stowe in Cornewayll vnto catenesse that is beyon¦de scotland. And britain is more than two / C· myle brood from meneuia that is the vttemest place in wales vnto yarmouthe in norf••lke / beda only ••outake the lēgest out shetyng of dyuerse for lōdes with the which britain is al about ·xlviij / sith ·lxx.m / paas