The descrypcyon of Englonde Here foloweth a lytell treatyse the whiche treateth of the descrypcyon of this londe which of olde tyme was named Albyon and after Brytayne and now is called Englonde and speketh of the noblesse and worthynesse of the same

¶De episcopis Northumbra¦nis. Wilhel. de pon. li. ca. xi.

AT Yorke was one see for all the prouynce of Northumber∣londe. Paulinus helde fyrst y^t see & was ordeyned of the bysshop of Caūterbu∣ry / & helde that see of Yorke. vij. yere Afterwarde whan kyng Edwyn was slayne & thynges were dystourbed pau¦linus wente thens by water awaye in to Kente from whens he come fyrst & toke with hym the palle. ¶Wilhel. li. .iij. And so the bysshopryche of Yorke ceased. xxx. yere / & the vse of the palle ceased there an hondred. xxv. yere vn¦to that Egbert the bysshop y^t was the kynges broder of the londe recouered it by auctoryte of the pope. ¶R. whan Saynt Oswalde regned Aydanus a Scot was bysshop in Brenicia that is the northsyde of Northumberlonde / af¦ter hym Finianus / after hym Salma¦nus. ¶Wilhel. vbi ••. Atte last he went in to Scotlonde with grete indygna∣cyon / for Wilfred vndertoke hym for he helde vnlawfully Eesterdaye. xxx. yere after y^t Paulinus was gone from thens Wilfred was made bysshop of Yorke. ¶Beda li. iiij. But whyle he dwelled longe in Fraūce about his sa∣crynge at excytynge of quartadecima∣no{rum} / that were they y^t helde Eesterdaye the. xiiij. daye of y^• mone. Chedde was ytake out of his abbaye of Lestynge & wronfully put out in to y^e see of Yorke by assent of kyng Oswy. But thre ye¦re afterwarde Theodorus tharchebys¦shop dyde hym awaye & assygned hym to the prouynce of Mercia / & restored Wilfred to the see of Yorke. But after Wilfred by cause of wrath that was

bytwene hym and the kyng. Egfryde 〈◊〉〈◊〉 put out of his see by Theodorus helpe tharchebysshop that was corrupt with some maner mede / this was do∣ne after that Wylfred had ben bysshop of Yorke. x. yere. Thenne atte ••nstaū∣ce of the kyng Theodorus made Bo∣sam bysshop of Yorke / & Cumbert at Hagustalde chirche / & Eata at Lyn∣deffar chirche y^t now is callid holy ylon¦de in the Ryuer of Twede. Aydanus foūded fyrst the see / & Theodorus ma¦de Eadhedus bysshopp of Repoune y^t was comen agayne out of Lyndeseye. Wilfred hadde be abbot of Repoune / Theodorus sente Trunwynus to the londe of Pyctes in thendes of Englon¦de fast by Scotlonde in a place y^• heet Candida casa / & Whyterne also / there saynt Ninian a Bryton was fyrst foū¦der & doctour. But all these sees outa∣ke Yorke fayled lytell & lytell / for y^• see of Candida casa y^t is Galewaye that longed tho to Englonde & dured ma∣ny yeres vnder. x. bysshops vnto that it had no power by destroyenge of the Pyctes. The sees of Hagustalde & of Lyndeffar was somtyme all one vn∣der. ix. bysshops about foure score yere and ten & dured vnto the comynge of the Danes. In y^t tyme vnder Hyngar & Hubba Ardulf the bysshop yede lon¦ge about with saynt Cuberts body vn¦to kyng Aluredes tyme kyng of west saxon / & the see of Lyndeffar was sett at Kunegestre y^t is called Kunyngys∣burgh also / that place is called now Vbbesforde vpon Twede. At the last the. xvij. yere of kyng Egbert kyng Edgars sone / that see was chaūged to Durham / & saynt Cutbert•• body was brought thyder by the doynge of Ed∣moude the bysshop / & fro that tyme forwarde the see of Hagustalde & of Lyndeffar faylleth vtterly. The fyrst kyng Henry in the. ix. yere of his reg∣ne made the newe see at Caerleyll.

THe Archebysshop of Caūterbu¦ry hath vnder hym. xiij. bysho¦pes in Englonde &. iiij. in Wales / he hath Rochestre vnder hym / & that see hath vnder hȳ a parte in Kente alone London hath vnder hym Estsex Myd¦delsex & half Herfordshyre. Chychestre hath vnder hym Southsex & the yle of Wyght. Wynchestre hath vnder hym Hampshyre & Southerye. Salesbury hath vnder hym Barkshyre Wyldshy¦re & Dorsete. Exetre hath vnder hym Deuenshyre and Cornewayle. Bathe hath vnder hym Somerseteshyre alone Wyrcester hath vnder hym Gloucestre¦shyre Wyrcestreshyre & half Warwyk¦shyre. Herforde hath vnder hym Her∣fordshyre & some of Shropshyre. Ches¦tre is bysshop of Couentre & of Lych∣felde / & hath vnder hym Chestreshyre Staffordshyre Derbyshyre half War¦wykshyre some of Shropshyre & some of Lancastreshyre fro the Ryuer of Mersee vnto y^• Ryuer of Rypyll. Lyn¦coln hath vnder hym the prouynces y^• ben bytwene Tamyse & Humbre y^• ben the shyres of Lyncoln of Leycestre of Northampton of Huntyngdon of Bed¦forde of Bokyngham of Oxenford & half Herdfordshyre. Ely hath vnder hym Cambrygeshyre outake Merlon∣de. Norwyche hath vnder hym Mer∣londe Norffolk & Suffolk. Also thar∣chebysshop of Caūterbury hath foure suffrygans in Wales that ben Landaf¦saynt Dauyes Bangor & saynt Assaph

The archebysshop of Yorke hath now but two bysshops vnder hym that ben Durham & Caerleyl. ¶R. And so ben but two prymates in Englonde / what of hem shall doo to y^t other & in what maner poynt he shal be obedyent & vn¦der hym. It is fully conteyned within about the yere of our lorde Ihesu cryst a thousande. lxxij. tofore y^e fyrst kyng William / & the bysshops of Englonde by cōmaūdement of the pope / the cau¦se was handled & treated bytwene the forsayd prymates & ordeyned & demed y^t the prymate of Yorke shal be subget to the prymate of Caūterbury in thyn¦ges that longen to the worshyp of god & to the byleue of holy chirche / so y^t in what place euer it be in Englonde y^t the prymate of Caūterbury wyll hote & constreyne to gader a coūseyll of cler¦gye / the prymate of Yorke is holden w^t his suffrygans for to be there & for to be obedyent to the ordynaūce that ther shall lawfully be ordeyned. Whan the prymate of Caūterbury is deed y^e pry∣mate of Yorke shall come to Caūter∣bury & with other bysshops he shall sa¦cre hym y^t is chosen / & so w^t other bys∣shops he shall sacre his owne prymate Yf the prymate of Yorke be deed / his successour shall come vnto the bysshop of Caūterbury & he shall take his or∣denaūce of hym & do his othe w^t profes¦syon & lawful obedyence. After within about y^e yere of our lorde. xi. C. lxxxxv. in the tyme of kyng Rycharde ben re∣sons lette for the ryght of the partye for eyther prymate / & what one pryma¦te dyde to y^t other in tyme of Thursti¦nus of Thomas & of other bysshops of Yorke from the conquest vnto kyng Henryes tyme the thyrde. Also there it is sayd how eche of them starte from other. This place is but a forspekyn∣ge & not a full treatys therof / therfore it were noyfull to charge this place w^t all thylke reasons y^t there ben made.