Prolicionycion [sic]

¶De mirabilibus in ea stupendis Solynus· Capitulum. 42

IN brytayn ben hoote welles. wel arayed and adressyd to the vse of mankynde. maystresse of thylk welles is the gre¦te spyrite of minerua· In here hows the fyre endureth alwaye

that neuer chaungeth in to asshes· But there the fire slaketh· hit changeth in to stony clottes ¶Alf•• ¶ In Britayne ben many wonders. Netheles four ben moost wonderful / The first is at pec¦ton ther bloweth so stronge a wynde out of the chynes of the er∣the that it casteth vp agayn clothes that men caste in / The se∣conde is at stonhenge besides salesbury· there ben grete stones and wonder huge and ben rered an heygh as it were yates· So that ther semen yates sette vpon other yates / Netheles it is not kno∣wen clerly ne apperceyued how and wherfor they ben so arrered and so wonderfully honged / the thyrdde ts atte cherdhoke / there is a grete holownes vnder erthe. ofte many men haue walked therin and haue seen Ryuers and stremes / But nowher can they fynde none ende· the fourth is that rayne is seen reysed vpon hilles and a none y spronge aboute in the feldes· Also ther is a grete ponde that conteyneth / lx· ylondes couenable for men to dwelle in / that ponde is byclypped about with / vj / score roches / & vpon eueri roche an egles nest / And .lx. Ryuers rennen in to that ponde / and none of hem alle rennen in to the see but one / ther is a ponde closed a∣bout with a wal of tile and of stone / In that ponde men wasshe and bathe wel ofte· & euery man feleth the water hoote or cold right as he will hym self / ther ben salt welles f••r from the see. & ben salt al the weke longe vnto saterday none / And fresshe fro sa∣terday none vnto monday / the water of these welles whan it is soden torneth in to smal salt fayr and whyte / Also ther is a pon∣de the water therof hath wonder wirchyng / For though al an hooste stode by the ponde and torned theyr face thyderward / the water wold drawe hem violently toward the ponde and wete al theyr clothes so shold horse be drawen in the same wyse. And yf the face be torned away fro the water / the water noyeth not Ther is a welle that no streme renneth fro neyther therto / And yet four maner ffysshes be taken therin. that welle is but .xx / foote longe and / xx / foote brode / And not depe but to the kne. and closed with high bankes on euery side / In the countray about wynchestre is a den or a caue out of that caue bloweth al¦way a strong wynde· so that noman may endure to stond to fore that denne or caue / ther is also a pond that torneth tre in to yron yf it be therin a yere / And so trees ben shapen in to whestones. al¦so ther is in the toppe of an hill a buryels euery man that cometh and meteth that buryel· he shal fynde it euen of his owne lengthe and mesure· And yf a pylgrym knele therto / anon he shal be al

fresshe and fele no grief of werynes Gir in top ¶ Faste by the mynster of wynburney that is not fer fro bathe is a wode that bereth moche fruyte / yf the trees of that wode falle in to water or ground that is neyh and lye there al a yere / the trees tornen in to stones / Gir in itinere Vnder the cyte of chestre renneth that ry∣uer dee that now departeth englond and wales / that Ryuer chaū¦geth euery moneth his fordes as men of the countray tellen· and leueth ofte the chanel. But whether the wat••r drawe more to∣ward englond or toward wales / to what syde that it be. that yere men of that side haue the werse ende and be ouersette. And men of that otherside shal haue better ende & be at theyr aboue / whan the water so changeth his cours hit bodeth suche happes / this Ryuer d••e renneth & cometh out of a lake that heet pymblemere / In that Ryuer is grete plente of Samon. netheles in the lake is ne¦uer Samon founden· W / de· r / libro secundo ¶ Take hede how grete light and brightnes of goddis myldenes hath be shewed vp¦on englysshe men. sith they torned first to right bileue. So that of no men in one prouynce ben founden so many hoole bodyes of men after her deth in lykenes of euerlastyngnes that shal be after the day of dome as it wel semeth in these holy saintes / Etheldrede. ed¦monde / the kynge elphege / Edgar / Cutberd and seynt Edward and many other / I· trowe that it be do by special grace of god al¦myghty for the nacion that is sette as it were without the world shold take hede to duryng of bodyes without corupcion & roting and be the more bold and stedfaste for to truste on the fynal ary: syng of dede bodyes for to laste euermore after the daye of dome.