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 Ylondes that ben therto ad∣iacent. ca. vj. (Book 6)

BRytayne hath thre Ylondes y^t ben nyghe & longen therto all without the ylondes Orcades / as it were answerynge to the thre chyef par¦tyes of Brytayne. For y^eyle of Wyght longeth & lyeth to Leogria that is En¦glonde. The ylonde Mon that is cal∣led Angleseya also longeth to Wales / And the ylonde Eubonia y^t hath two other names & is called Meneuia and Man also whiche longeth to Scotlon¦de. And all these thre ylondes Wyght Mon & Man ben almoost alyke mo∣che & of y^e lyke quatyte / of the whiche thre all a rewe now foloweth our spe∣che. ¶Beda li. j. ca. iij. Claudius sente Vespasianus / & Vespasianus wanne Wyght / and Wyght stretcheth out of the cest in to the west .xxx. myle longe And out of the south in to the north .xij. myle / & is in the eest syde .vj. my¦le fro the south clyf of Brytayne / and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 myle in the west syde. ¶Beda li. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ca. v. The mesure of this ylonde as Englysshmen gesse is a thousande housholdes & two hondred. ¶Gir. in itinere. Mon that is called Angleseya also is departed from northwales by a shorte arme of the see as it were two myle brode. In Mon ben. iij. hondred / townes. lxiij. and ben accompted for candredes that ben. iij. hondredes / the ylonde is as it were .xxx. myle longe & .xij. myle brode. Candredus is so mo∣che londe as cōteyneth an hondred tow¦nes / that name candredus is made out of two langages of Brytysshe and of Irysshe. In praysynge of this ylonde Walsshmen he wonte to saye a prouer¦be & an olde sawe. Mon man kembry / that is to saye in Englysshe / that lon∣de is so good that it semeth y^t it wolde fynde corne ynough for all the men of Wales. Therfore Virgyls verses may be acordynge therto / as moche as gua∣wes / bestes longe Inneth dawes. So moche efte / bryngeth colde dewe in a nyght. In that arme of the see that departed this londe & northwales / is a swolowe that draweth shyppes to it that saylleth by & swoloweth hem in / ryght as doth Cylla and Carybdis y^t ben two peryllous places in the see of myddell erthe. Therfore men may not saylle by this swalowe / but slyly atte full see. ¶R. Of the merueylles and wondres of the ylonde Mon thou shalt fynde tofore in the chapytre of Wales ¶Gir. in itinere. The thyrde ylonde that is called both Eubonia & Mene∣uia that is Man standeth in the myd∣dell bytwene the Irysshe vlster & the Scottysshe gallewaye / as it were in the nauell of the see. ¶Beda li. ij. ca. .ix. This ylonde Man conteyneth as it were two ylondes The fyrst is south¦warde

the more coūtree and the better corne londe / & conteyneth .ix. hondred and .lx. housholdes. The seconde con¦teyneth the space of. CCC. and moo as Englysshmen gesse. ¶Gir. iij top. Somtyme was stryfe whether this y∣londe Man sholde longe to Brytayne or to Irlonde. And for as moche as ve∣nemous wormes y^t were brought thy•• lyued there / it was Iuged y^t the ylonde Man sholde longe to Brytayne. ¶R. In y^t ylonde is Iortylege & wytchecraft vsed. For woman there selle to shyp∣men wynde as it were closed vnder thre knottes of threde / so y^t the more wynde he wyll haue / the mo knottes he must vndo. There often by daye tyme men of that londe seen men y^t ben deed ••••∣fore honde byheded or hoole and what deth they deyed. Alyens sette theyr feet vpon feet of the men of y^• londe for to see suche syghtes as the men of y^• londe done. ¶Beda li. ij. Scottes dwelled fyrst in this ylonde. ¶Thanatos that is Tenet & is an ylonde besydes ••en¦te / and hath that name Thanatos of deth of serpentes / for there ben none / And the erthe therof sleeth serpentes yborn in to other londes. There is no¦ble corne londe & fruytfull. Hit is sap∣posed that this ylonde was halowed & blessyd of saynt Austen the fyrste doc∣tour of Englysshmen for there he ar∣ryued fyrst.