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 merueylles and of won¦dres. ca. •••• (Book 4)

IN Brytayne ben hoot welles well arayed and a dressyd to the vse of manhode / marshesse of th••••ke welles is the grete spyryte of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 In her hous the fyre endureth alway that neuer chaungeth in to asshes but there the fyre slaketh / hit chaungeth in to stone clottes. ¶Alfre. In Bre∣tayne ben many wond••es neuertheles foure ben moost wonderfull. The fyr∣ste is at Pecton there bloweth so stron¦ge wynde out of the chynes of the ••••∣the that it casteth vp agayne clothes that men caste in. The seconde is at Stonhenge besydes Sal••sbury / there ben grete stones & wonder huge / and ben re••ed an heygh as it were yates sette vpon other rates. Neuertheles it is not knowen clerely ne aperceyued how and wherfore they ben so are••ed and soo wonderfully honged. The thyrde is atte Cherdhoke / there is a grete holownes vnder the erthe / often

many men haue walked therin & ha∣ue seen Ryuers & stremes / but nowher can they fynde none ende. The fourth is that rayne is seen reysed vpon hyl∣les and anone yspronge about in the feldes. Also there is a grete ponde that conteyneth. lx. ylondes couenable for men to dwelle in / that ponde is be••lyp¦ped about with sixe score roches and vpon euery roche an egles nest / and thre score ryuers rennen in to that pon¦de / and none of them all renne in to the see but one. There is a ponde clo∣sed about with a walle of tyle and of stone. In that ponde men wasshe and bathe well ofte / and euery man feleth the water hoot or colde ryght as he wyll hymself. There ben salt welles ferre from the see and ben salt all the weke longe vnto saterdaye at noone / and fresshe fro saterdaye noone vnto mondaye. The water of these welles whan it is soden torneth in to small salf fayre and whyte. Also there is a ponde / the water therof hath wonder werkynge / for though all an hoost / sto¦de by the ponde and torned theyr face thyderwarde the water wolde drawe hym vyolently towarde the ponde & wete all theyr clothes / so sholde hors be drawen in the same wyse. And yf the face be torned awaye fro the water the water noyeth not. Ther is a welle that noo streme renneth fro / neyther therto / and yet foure maner fysshes be taken therin / that welle is but .xx. foot longe and .xx. foot brode / and not depe but to the knee / and closeth with hygh bankes on euery syde. In the contree about Wynchestre is a denne or a ca∣•••• / out of that caue bloweth alwaye a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 wynde / soo that no man may endure to stonde tofore that denne or caue. There is also a ponde that tor∣neth tree in to yron yf it be therin a ye¦re. And so trees ben shapen in to whe∣stones. Also there is in the toppe of an hylle a buryels euery man that cometh and meteth that buryell / he shall fyn∣de it euen of his owne lengthe & me∣sure. And yf a pylgryme knele therto anone he shall be all fresshe and fele no gryef of werynes. ¶Gir. in top. Faste by the mynster of Wynburney that is not ferre fro bathe is a wood that bereth moche fruyte / yf the trees of that wood falle in to water or groū¦de that is neygh and lye there all a ye¦re / the trees tornen in to stones. ¶Gir in itinere. Vnder the Cyte of Chestre renneth that Ryuer Dee / that now de¦parted Englonde and Wales. That Ryuer chaunged euery moneth his fordes as men of the contree tellen / & leueth often the chanell / but whether the water drawe more towarde En∣glonde or towarde Wales to what sy¦de that it be / that yere men of that sy∣de haue the worst ende & be ouersette / And men of that other syde shall ha∣ue better ende and ben at theyr aboue. Whan the water so chaūgeth his cour¦se hit bodeth suche happes. This Ry∣uer Dee renneth and cometh out of a lake that heet Pymblemere. In this Ryuer is grete plente of samon / ne∣uerthelesse in the lake is neuer samon founden. ¶Wilhel. de re. li. ij. Take hede how grete lyght and bryghtnesse of goddes myldenesse hath be shewed vpon Englysshmen sythen they fyrste torned to ryght byleue. So that of no men in one prouynce ben founden soo many hoole bodyes of men after her

deth in lyknes of euerlastyngnes that shall be after the daye of dome / as it well semeth in these holy sayntes. As Edeldrede. Edmonde / the kyng El∣phege. Edgar. Cutherd & saynt Ed∣warde and many other. I trowe that it be do by a specyall grace of god al∣myghty for the nacyon that is sette as it were without the worlde sholde take hede to buryenge of bodyes without corrupcyon and rotynge / and ben the more bolde and stedfast for to trust on the fynall arysynge of deed bodyes for to laste euermore after the daye of do∣me.