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

¶Of the langages of maners & vsa∣ge of the people of that londe. ca. xv. (Book 15)

AS it is knowen how many ma¦ner of people ben in this ylon∣de / there ben also so many langages & tonges. Netheles Walsshe & Scottes y^t ben not meddled with other nacyons kepe nyghe yet theyr langage & speche But yet the Scottes y^t were somtyme confederate & dwelled with Pyctes dra¦we somwhat after theyr speche. But the Flemynges y^t dwelle in the west sy¦de of Wales haue lefte her straūge spe¦che & speken lyke to Saxons / also En¦glysshmen though they had fro the be∣gynnyng thre maner speches. southern northern & myddell speche in the myd∣dell of the londe as they come of thre maner of people of Germania. Nethe¦les by cōmixion & medlynge fyrst with Danes & afterwarde with Normans in many thynges the coūtree langage is appayred / for some vse straūge wlaf¦fynge chyterynge harrynge garrynge & grysbytynge. This apayrynge of y^• langage cometh of two thynges / ones by cause that childern y^t gone to scole lerne to speke fyrst Enlysshe / & than ben compelled to constrewe her lessons in Frensshe & that haue ben vsed syn the Normans come in to Englonde / Also gentylmens childern ben lerned & taught from theyr yongth to speke Frensshe / & vp londesshmen wyll coū∣terfete & lyken hem self to gentylmen. & arn besy to speke Frensshe for to be more sette by / wherfore it is sayd by a comyn prouerbe. Iack wolde be a gen∣tylmen yf he coude speke Frensshe / ¶Treuisa. This was moche vsed to for the grete deth / but syth it is somde le chaūged / for syr Iohan Cornewayle a mayster of gramer chaunged the te∣chynge of gramer scole & construccion of Frensshe in to Englysshe. And other scole maysters vse the same waye now in the yere of our lorde a. M.CCC..lxxxv.the. ix. yere of kyng Rycharde the seconde / & leue all Frensshe in sco∣les & vse all construccōn in Englysshe wherin they haue auaūtage one waye that is y^t they lerne the sooner theyr gra¦mer / & in an other dysauauntage / for now they lerne no Frensshe ne can no∣ne / whiche is hurte for them that shal passe the see. And also gentylmen ha∣ue moche lefte to teche theyr children to speke Frensshe. ¶R. Hit semeth a grete wonder y^t Englysshmen haue so grete dyuersyte in theyr owne langage in sowne & in spekynge of it whiche is all in one ylonde. And the langage of Normandye is comen out of an other londe & hath one maner sowne amon¦ge all them that speketh it in Englon¦de / for a man of Kente. Southern. Western & Northern men speken Frens¦she all lyke in sowne & speche / but they can not speke theyr Englysshe ••oo. ¶Treuisa. Netheles ther is as many dyuerse maner of Frensshe in the rea∣me of Fraūce as dyuerse Englyssh in the reame of Englonde. ¶R. Also of the forsayd tonge whiche is departed in thre is grete wonder / for men of the cest with men of the west accorde bet∣ter in sownynge of theyr speche / than men of the north w^t men of the south Therfore it is y^t men of Mer•••• that

ben of myddell Englonde as it were partyners with the endes vnderstande better the syde langages northern and southern than northern & southern vn¦derstande eyther other ¶Wilhel. de pō li. iij. All the langages of the Northum bres & specyally at Yorke is so sharpe shyttynge frotynge & vnshappe / that we southern men may vnneth vnder∣stande that langage. I suppose the cau¦se be y^• they be nyghe to the alyens that speke straūgely. And also by cause that the kyng{is} of Englonde abyde & dwel∣le more in the south coūtree than in the north coūtree. The cause why they a∣byde more in the south coūtre than in the north coūtree / is by cause y^t ther is better corn londe more people moo no∣ble cytees & moo profytable hauens in the south coūtree than in the north.

¶De gentis huius mori∣bus. ¶Gir. in itinere.

FOr the maners & the doynge of Walsshe men & of Scottes ben tofore somwhat declared. Now I pur∣pose to telle & declare the maners and condycyons of the medled people of Englonde. But the Flemynges that ben in the west syde of Wales ben now all torned as they were Englysshmen by cause they companye with Englys¦she men. And they be myghty & stron∣ge to fyght / & ben the moost enemyes that Walsshmen haue / and vse mar∣chaūdyse & clothynge and ben full re∣dy to putte themself in auentures & to peryll in the see and londe by cause of grete wynnyuge / & ben redy somtyme in the plowe and somtyme to oedes of armes whan tyme & place axeth. It semeth of these men a grete wonder that in a bone of a wethers ryght shol¦der whan the flesshe is soden a waye & not rosted they knowe what haue be done / is done / & shal be done / as it we¦re by spyryte of prophecye & a wonder∣full craft. They telle what is done in ferre countrees / tokenes of peas or of warre / the state of the royame / sleyng of men / & spousebreche / suche thynges they declare certaynly of tokenes and sygnes that is in suche a sholder bone. ¶R. But the Englysshmen y^t dwelle in Englonde ben medled in the ylonde & ben ferre fro the places y^t they spron¦ge of fyrst / tornen to contrary dedes lyghtly without entysyng of ony other men by her owne assent. And so vnesy also full vnpacyent of peas / enemye of besynes / & full of slouthe. ¶Wilhel de pon. li. iij. sayth. That whan they haue destroyed her enemyes all to the groūde / thenne they fyghten with hem self & sleeth eche other as a voyde and an empty stomake werketh in hit self ¶R. Netheles men of the south ben e••yer & more mylde than men of the north. For they be more vnstable more cruell & more vnesy. The myddel men ben somdele parteners with both. Also they vse hem to glotony more than o∣ther men & ben more costle we in mete and clothynge. Men supposeth y^t they toke that vyce of kyng Hardeknot that was a Dane. For he heet sette forth twyes double messe at dyner & at sou∣per also. These men ben spedefull on hors and a foot. Able and redy to all maner dedes of armes / and ben won∣te to haue vyctory & maystrye in euery fyght where no treason is walkynge / and ben curyous & can wel telle dedes

and wondres that they haue seen. Also they gone in dyuerse londes vnnethe ben ony men rycher in her owne londe or more gracyous in ferre & in straūge londe / they can better wynne and gete newe than kepe her owne herytage / Therfore it is that they be spradde so wyde & wene that euery londe is theyr owne. The men be able to all maner sleyght & wytte / but tofore the deded blonderynge & hasty. And more wyse after the dede than tofore / & leuen of lyghtly what they haue begonne ¶So¦linus li. vi. Therfore Eugeni{is} the po∣pe sayd that Englysshmen were able to do what euer they wolde / and to be sette & put tofore all other / ne were y^t lyght wytte letteth. And as Hanyball sayd that the Romayus myght not be ouercome but in her owne coūtree / soo Englysshmen may not be ouercome in straūge londes / but in her owne coūtre they be lyghtly ouercome. ¶R. These men despysen her owne & prayse other mennys. And vnnethe be pleased ner apayd with theyr owne astate / what befalleth & becometh other men / they wyl gladly take to hemself. Therfore it is that a yeman arayeth hym as a squyre / a squyre as a knyght / a knyght as a duke / a duke as a kyng. Yet some go about & wyll be lyke to all maner state & ben in no state. For they take e∣uery degre that be of no degre / for in berynge outwarde they ben mynstrals and herowdes. In talkynge grete spe∣kers. In etynge & drynkynge glotons / In gaderynge of catell hucksters and tauerners. In araye tormentours. In wynnynges argi. In trauayll tan∣tali. In takynge hede dedaly. In bed∣des sardanapali. In chirches mawme¦tes. In courtes thonder / oonly in preuy lege of clergye and in prebendes they knowleche hemself clerkes ¶Treuisa As touchynge the termes of latyn as argi / tantaly / dedaly / sardanapaly / ye must vnderstonde them as the poetes feyned of them. Argus was an herde and kepte bestes / he hadde an hondred eyen. And Argus was also a shyp / a shypman and a chapman / and so Ar∣gus myght see before & behynde & on euery syde. Therfore he that is wyse and ware and can see that he be not deceyued may be called Argus. And so the Cronycle sayth in plurell nombre that Englysshmen ben argi / that is to saye they see about where as wynnyn∣ge is. That other worde tantali / the poete feyneth that Tantalus flewe his owne sone wherfore he is damp∣ned to perpetuell penaūce and he stan¦deth alwaye in water vp to the nether lyppe / and hath alwaye type apples and noble fruyte hangynge downe to the ouerlyppe / but the fruyte ne the wa¦ter may not come within his mouth / he is soo holde and standeth bytwene mete and drynke and may neyther ete¦ne drynke and is euer an hongred & a thyrst that wo is hym a lyue / by this maner lykenesse of Tantalus / they that do ryght nought there as moche is to doo in euery syde ben called tan∣tali. It semeth that it is to saye / in tra¦uayll they ben tantali / for they doo ryght nought therto. The thyrde wor¦de is dedali / take hede that Dedalus was a subtyll and a slye man. And therfore by lykenes they that ben sub∣tyll and slye they be called dedali. And the fourth worde is sardanapali / ye shal vnderstande that Sardanapalus

was kyng of Assyryens and was full vnchast / and vsed hym for to lye softe And by a maner of lykenes of hym / they that lyue vnchastly ben called sar¦danapali. ¶R. But amonge all En∣glysshe medled togyders is so grete a chaungynge and dyuersyte of clothyn¦ge and of araye and so many maners and dyuerse shappes that well nyghe is ther ony man knowen by his clo∣thynge and his araye of what some euer degre that he be. Therof prophe∣cyed an holy Anker in kyng Egelfre∣des tyme in this maner. Henri. li. vi. Englysshmen for as moche as they vse them to dronkelewnes / to treason and to rechelesnesse of goddes hous / fyrste by Danes and thenne by Nor∣mans / and at the thyrde tyme by the Scottes that they holde the moost wret¦ches and lest worth of all other they shall be ouercome. Thenne the worl∣de shall be so vnstable and so dyuerse and varyable that the vnstablenes of thoughtes shall be bytokened by ma∣ny maner dyuersytees of clothynge.

¶Here foloweth the de∣scrypcyon of the londe of Wales.