Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ De Asia & prouincijs eius. Ysidorus lib^o. / 14 ¶ Capitulum vndecimum

YSydorus sayth that asia hath the name and is called after a woman that dwellyd therinne / whiche was named Asia In Asia ben many prouynces and londes the whiche I shal de∣scryue & rekene al along. & begynne with ynde. ynde hath in the est syde the sonne rysyng / In the south the see Occean / In the weste the Ryuer of ynde. In the north the hylle that is called Canca∣sus. And so ynde is ende. In ynde ben men of coloure and hewe dyed / In ynde is a byrd that is named phytacus. elephantis pe∣per· and a tre that is called hebanus / yuory and precious stones beryls / Crisopassis / Carbunclis· adamantis. and golden hylles. to the whiche it is ful harde for to come / For dragons and grypes & for dyuerse maner men grysly and wonderly shapen· Amonge alle the londes of this world / ynde is grettest and mooste ryche strengest and mooste ful of peple / In wonder and meruaylles moost wonderful. In Inde a croppe of a fyghe tree is so grete and so wyde sprad· that many companyes of men may sytte atte mete wel ynough there vnder / That causeth the goodnes of the londe / temperure of weder and plente of water· Plenius libro sex∣to / capitulo / 19 / In ynde ben many kynges and peoples / Somme of hem tylleth the londe / Somme vseth chaffare & marchandyse Somme knygthode and chyualrye. And somme ben grete clerkes

¶ In ynde ben treees that haue toppes as hyghe as men shal shote with an arowe. Also of a gobet bytwene tweyne knottes of a reed in ynde men make a boot that bereth thre men attones ouer a depe water / In ynde ben men of fyue Cubyte longe that wexe not seke n••r yelde vp the breth. Also ther ben satiri and other dy∣uerse men grysly and wonderly shapen. Ther Inne ben men of a Cubyte long / and ben named pygmey. These pygmey geten childe¦ren. and engenderen in the fourth yere· and wexe hore in the ·v· They gadre a grete hoost / and ryden vpon weders and Rammes to fyghte with Cranes / and destroyen theyr nestes and her egges For the Cranes that ben theyr enemyes shold not encrece and wex¦e to many / There ben bis•• phylosophers that biholde on the sonne al the day long / Also somme haue heedes as it were houndes. And the voys that they make / is lyker to berkynge of houndes than to mannes voys They ben clothed in wylde beestes Skynnys / And Armed with her owen teth and nayles and lyuen by huntyng and hawkyng. Other ther ben that haue no mouth and lyuen by odour & smellis / & ben clothed in mosse & heery toftes that growe out of trees / Other wexe hoer in yongthe and wexen black in el∣de / In some hylles of ynde ben men that haue the sooles of their feet ouertorned and .viij. fyngers in one hand. Tull de tust / 9^o. / In one contrey of ynde euery man hath many wyues. but whan the husbonde is deede. the wyues shal goo to gyders and loke whiche of hem was best byloued of the husbonde / and she shal be buryed with hym and put in the erthe quyck and a lyue / And in that countrey that is the fayrest happe and fortune acounted and also worship that ony wyf myght haue / Petrus / 19 / 6· In ynde hen trees that ben called trees of the sonne and of the mone. Prestes that ete of the Apples of thylke trees lyuen v / C / yere / they were called the trees of the sonne ffor eueryche of them qua¦ked / and shook as sone as the sonne beme touched his toppe / and answerd men that stode about. The same doyng was of the trees of the mone· By these trees. the grete kyng Alysaundre was for∣boden that he shold neuer come in babylone / Ysydorus libro / 15 / Offyr is an Ilond of Inde ther Inne is grete plente of gold / And the passage therto out of grece is by the reed see