Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ De Insulis britannye adiacentibus ¶ Capitulum 44

BRytayn hath thre ylondes that ben neygh and longen therto al withoute the ylondes orcades / as it were answeryng to

the thre chyef partyes of brytayn. for the yle of wight ••ongeth & lieth to loegria that is englond / The Ilond mon that is called anglesia also longeth to wales· And the ylond eubonia that hath two other names and is called menauia and man also· which lon¦geth to Scotland· And alle these thre ylondes wight mon and man ben almoste yliche moche And of the lyke quantite of the whiche / thre al arewe nowe foloweth oure speche. ¶ Beda libro primo capitulo tercio Claudyus sente vaspasianus and vaspa¦sianus wan wight And wight stretcheth oute of the est in to the west / xxx. myle long. And out of the south in to the north .xij my¦le ¶ / And is in the est side six myle fro the south clyf of bry∣tayn· and thre myle in the weste side / Beda libro quarto capitulo quinto / the mesure of this ylond as englysshe men gesse is a thou¦sand howsholdes and two honderd ¶ Gir in itinere· Mon that is called anglesia also is departed from northwales by a short arme of the see as it were two myle brood· In mon ben thre honderd townes .lxiij. And ben acompted for candredes / that ben thre hon¦dredes / the Ilond is as it were .xxx myle long and / xij / myle / can¦tredus is so moche londe as conteyned an honderd townes. that name cantedrus is made one of two langages of brytysshe and of yryssh. In praysyng of this ylond walsshe men ben wonte to saye a prouerbe and an old sawe· Mon main kembry / that is to saye in englyssh mon moder of wales / For whan othir londes lac¦ken mete. that londe is so good that it semeth that it wold finde corne ynough̄ for alle the men of wales. therfor vyrgyls verses maye be acordyng therto· as moche as guawes· beestes longe In∣neth dawes So moche efte / bryngeth cold dewe in a nyyhte. In that arme of the see that departeth this londe and northwales is a swolow that draweth shippes to it that saylleth by and swolo∣weth hem in right as doth cilla and caribdis that ben two peryl∣lous places in / the see of mydde••erthe / therfor men may not sayl¦le by this swolow but slyly atte ful see· R ¶ Of the marueyl¦les and wonders of the ylond mon thou shalt finde tofore in the chapytre of wales. Gir in itinere. The thyrd ylond that is called bothe eubonia and menauia that is man stondeth in the myddel bytwene the yrysshe vlster and the scotyssh Gallewaye as it we¦re in the nauel of the see Beda libro secundo capitulo nono This ylond man conteyneth as it were two Ilondes / The first is southward the more countrey and the better corne londe / and con∣teyneth ix.C and lx husholdes· ¶ The second conteyneth the

space of thre honderd and moo as englisshe men gesse Gir in top / Somtyme was stryf whether this ylond man sholde longe to Brytayn or to yrlonde / And for as moche as venemous wormes that were brought thyder lyued there It was Iugged that the ylond man shold longe to brytayn. R. In that Ilond is sortilege & wyccecraft vsed. For women there selle to shipmen wynde as it were closed vnder thre knottes of threde / So that the more wynde he wold haue / the mo knottes he must vndo. there ofte by day ty∣me men of that lond seen men that ben deed to fore hond· byheded or hoole & what deth they deide alyens setten their feet vpō feet of the men of that lond for to see such sightes as the men of that don ¶ Beda li / 1 Scottes dwellid first in this ylond / Thanatos that is tenet· and is an ylond besides kente and hath that name thanatos of deth of serpentes. for there ben none / And the er∣the therof sleeth serpentes y born in to other londes / Ther is a no∣ble cornlond & fruytful / hit is supposed that this ylond was hale¦wed and blessyd of seynt anstyn the first doctour of englyssh men For there he arryued first