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You are here: 1577 > Volume 3 > Body Text: Section 1 of 4: ¶ A Treatiſe contayning a playne and perfect Deſcription of Irelande, with an Introduction, to the better vnderſtanding of the Hyſtories, appartayning to that Iſlande: compyled by Richard Stanyhurst, and written to the Ryght Honorable, Syr Henry Sydney Knight, Lorde Deputie of Irelande, Lorde preſident of Wales, Knight of the moſt noble order of the Garter, and one of hir Maieſties priuie Counſell with|in hir realme of England.
Snippet: 4 of 24 (1577, Volume 3, p. 574)

Compare 1587 edition: 1 The greater parte as well of Coſ [...]nogra|phers, as Chronographers, with one a [...]e affirme,The [...] and bred [...] of Ireland that Irelande (the vttermoſt We|ſterne Iſle knowne) is halfe as bigge as Bri|tannia. Which I take to be true, if the worde Britannia ſo farre diſplaye the ſignification, that it compriſe England, Wales, & Scot|land. To which opinion,Girald. Cambrie [...] lib. 1. to po [...] diſt. 1. ru [...] Polich. lik [...] cap. 32. Giraldus Cambrien| [...]e [...]elyeth, ſaying, that Britannia condemeth in length 800. myles, and 200. in breadth Ireland he taketh to be in length from the mountaynes called Torrache (the author of Polychronicon termeth them Brend [...]n hys hils) to ſ. Colũ [...]e his Iſland, eight dayes iour|ney, rating of long Iriſh myles, 40. miles to the day: and in breadth from Dublin to [...]. Pa|trike his hilles, & the ſea of Comaght foure dayes iourney, according to the former rate. So as by Cambrienſe his ſuruey (who was a curious enſearcher thereof) Ireland is 320. myles long of Iriſh myles, and 160. myles broade. And accompting 320. Iriſh myles to amount to 400. engliſh miles, which maye well be reckoned accordyng to their iudge|mentes, that haue trauayled in the Iriſh ter|ritories. Ireland wil be found halfe as big as Britannia, which Giraldus Cambrienſe auou|cheth, ſaying: that Irelande is as bigge as Wales and Scotland. Irelande hath on the eaſt, England, within one dayes ſaylyng: on the ſouth eaſt, it hath Fraunce: Hiſpayne on the ſouth, diſtant thrée dayes ſayling: on the weſt the mayne Ocean ſea.

You are here: 1577 > Volume 3 > Body Text: Section 1 of 4: ¶ A Treatiſe contayning a playne and perfect Deſcription of Irelande, with an Introduction, to the better vnderſtanding of the Hyſtories, appartayning to that Iſlande: compyled by Richard Stanyhurst, and written to the Ryght Honorable, Syr Henry Sydney Knight, Lorde Deputie of Irelande, Lorde preſident of Wales, Knight of the moſt noble order of the Garter, and one of hir Maieſties priuie Counſell with|in hir realme of England.
Snippet: 5 of 24 (1577, Volume 3, p. 574)

Compare 1587 edition: 1 2 3 Touching the name Ibernia, The name Ibernia whence it procéedeth. Hiſtoriogra|phers are not yet agréed frõ whence it is de|ducted. Some write it Hybernia corruptly, & ſuppoſe that the eſtraungers finding it in an odde end of the world, foiſty and moiſty, tooke it at the firſt for a very cold countrey, & ther|of named it Hybernia, as to ſay, the Winter|land. But this errour beyng vpon ſhort expe|riẽce reformed, it could not be, that the name ſhould haue liued long, eſpecially the firſt im|poſitours EEBO page image 2 ſub [...]s the triall, and able to al|ter the firſt no win [...].Ireland. [...]th [...] bo [...] [...] gueſh, that it ſhould be named of Irelande. But be|cauſe I read nothing of them [...]any probable hiſtory, I purpoſe not to builde vpon that cõ|iecture. Moſt credibly it is holden, that the Hiſpaniardes, the founders of the Iriſh, has deuotion towardes. Hiſpayn, called then Ibe|ria of Iberius t [...]e ſonne of Iuhall,

[...]tus the [...]ſpaniſhe [...]

[...] in [...] in Ca [...]i.

and the ra|ther, forther themſelues had dwelled beſide the famous riuer Iberus, named the land I|beria (for ſo [...]eland and many forreine chro|niclers write it) or Ibernia, addyng the letter i [...] for difference ſake. And fro Ibernia procée|deth Iberland or Iuerland, from Iuerlande, by contractiõ, Ireland, for ſo much as in cor|ruption of commõ talke and find that V. with his vocabel, is eaſily loſt, and ſuppreſſed. So we ſay ere for euer, nere for neuer: ſhoole for ſhoou [...]ll: ore for ouer: en [...] for euent dyle for de|uil. At the ſame tyme it was alſo named Sco|tia in reuerence of Scotach,Scotia. Scotach. Gathelus. the wyfe of Ga|thelus, auncient capitayne of thoſe Iberians that f [...]itted from Hiſpayne into Ireland, and the ſayd Scotach was olde grandame to Hi|berus and Hermon after the Scottiſh Chro|nicles, who in any wiſe will haue their coun|treymen deriued from the Iriſh, [...] Scot. [...]o [...] cap. 9. and not frõ the Britõs. The name Scotia is of late yeres ſo vſually taken for that parte of Britayne, that compriſeth Scotland, that diuers aunci|ent Iriſh authours are holden to be borne in Scotland, wheras in very déede their natiue ſoyle is Ireland. As the famous ſchoole man Iohannes Duns Scotus, Iohannes [...]inus Scotus [...]e in [...]land. otherwiſe named, do|nor Subtîlis, for his ſubtill quiddities in ſcho|laſticall controuerſies, was an Iriſhe man borne, and yet is taken for a Scotte. Some hold opinion, that he was born in Tathmon, a market towne, fiue myles diſtaunt from Weiſeford. Others auouche, and that more truely, that he was borne in Doune, an olde auncient ciuitie in the North of Ireland, and therof they geſſe hym to be named Dunenſis, [...]hy [...]ciemen [...]re called Dunſes. and by contraction Duns, which terme is ſo triuiall and common in all ſchooles, that who ſo ſurpaſſeth others either in cauilling ſophi|ſtry, or ſubtill philoſophy, is forthwith nick|named a Duns. Wherfore as Scotlande is named Scotia minor,

Scotia ma| [...]r.

Scotia mi| [...]r.

 ſo Irelande is termed Scotia maior, as the hed from whence yt name of Scotia minor tooke his ofſpring. The Iriſh alſo were named of the foreſayd Gathelus, or Gaudeilus, Gaudeli. Gaudeili. In their Iriſh rythmes, they terme Ireland very often Banno. Banno. I can not deuine what reaſon ſhould lead their ma|kers therto, vnleſſe it be the riuer in the coũ|tie of Wieſeford,The riuer Banne. named the Banne, where the Britons vpon the conqueſt firſt arriued. The place otherwiſe is called Bagganbun, according to the olde auncient rithme.

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