[1] How Bri|taine lyeth from the [...]ayne. _BRITANIA, or Britaine as we nowe terme it in our En|gliſhe tongue, is an Iſle lying in the Ocean ſea, directly a|gainſt that part of Fraunce, which conteyneth Picardie, Normandie, and therto the greateſt part of little Britaine, cal|led in time paſt Armorica of the ſcituation thereof vpon the ſea coaſt, and before ſuch time as a companie of Britons (eyther led o|uer by ſome of the Romayne Emperours, or flying thither from the tyrannie of ſuch as op|preſſed them here in this Iſlande) did ſettle themſelues there, & called it Britaine, after the name of their owne country, from whence they aduentured thither. It hath Irelande vp|on the Weſt ſide, on the North the mayne ſea, euen vnto Thule and the Hyperboreans, and on the Eaſt ſide alſo the Germaine Ocean, by which we paſſe daily thorowe by the trade of merchandiſe, not only into ye low countries of Belgie, but alſo into Germanie, Frizelande, Denmarke, and Norway, carying from hence thither, and bringing from thence hither, all ſuch neceſſarie commodities as the ſeuerall Countries doe yéelde: thorow which meanes, and beſides common amitie cõſerued, traffike is maintayned, and the neceſſitie of eche party abundantly relieued.
[1] The lon|gitude and latitude of this Iſle.It contayneth in longitude taken by the middeſt of the Region 19. degrées exactly: and in latitude 53. degrées, and 30. min. after the o|pinions of thoſe that haue diligently obſerued the ſame in our dayes, and the faithfull report of ſuch writers as haue left notice therof vnto vs, in their learned treatiſes to be perpetually remembred. Howbeit wheras ſome in ſetting downe of theſe two lines, haue ſéemed to vary about the placing of the ſame, eche of them di|uerſly remembring the names of ſundrie Ci|ties and townes, wheerby they affirme thẽ to haue their ſeueral courſes: for my part I haue thought good to procéede ſomewhat after ano|ther ſort, that is, by deuiding the lateſt and beſt Cardes eche way into two equall partes, (ſo neare as I can poſſibly bring the ſame to paſſe) whereby for the middle of latitude, I product Caerloil and Newcaſtell vpon Tyne (whoſe lõgeſt day conſiſteth of 16. houres,Longeſt day. 48. minuts) & for the longitude, Newbery, War|wicke, Sheffeld, Skiptõ, &c. which dealing in mine opinion, is moſt eaſie & indifferent, and lykelieſt meane to come by the certayne ſtan|ding and ſcituation of our Iſlande.
[1] Inlyke maner it hath in breadth from the Piere or poynt of Douer,The com|paſſe of Britaine. vnto the fartheſt part of Cornewall weſtwardes 320. myles: from thence agayne vnto the poynt of Cath|neſſe by the Iriſhe ſea, 800. Whereby Poli|dore and other doe gather that the circuite of the whole Iſlande of Britaine is 1720. myles, which is full 280. leſſe than Caeſar doth ſette downe, except there be ſome difference be|twéene the Romaine and Britiſhe myles, whereof heafter I maye make ſome farther conference.
[1] The forme and facion of this Iſle is lyke vnto a Triangle, Baſtarde ſworde, Wedge,The forme or Parteſant, being broadeſt in the South part, and gathering ſtill narrower and nar|rower, till it come to the fartheſt poynt of Cathneſſe Northwarde where it is narroweſt of all, and there endeth in maner of a Promon|torie, which is not aboue 30. myles ouer, as dayly experience doth confirme.
[1] The ſhorteſt & moſt vſuall [...]ut that we haue out of our Iſland to the maine,The di|ſtance frõ the mayne. is from Douer (the fartheſt part of Kent eaſtward) vnto Ca|lice in Picardie, where the breath of the ſea is not aboue 30. myles. Which courſe as it is now frequented and vſed for the moſt cõmon & ſafe paſſage of ſuch as come into our coũtrie out of Fraunce and diuers other Realmes, ſo it hath not bene vnknowne of olde time vnto the Romaynes, who for the moſt part vſed theſe two hauens for their paſſage and repaſ|ſage to and fro, although we finde that nowe and then, diuers of them came alſo from Bul|len and landed at Sandwiche, or ſome other places of the coaſt, as to anoyde the force of the wynde and weather, that often moleſted them in theſe narrowe ſeas, beſt liked for their ſafegardes. Betwéene the part of Hollande alſo, which lyeth nere the mouth of the Rhene, and this our Iſlande, are 900. furlonges, as Soſimus ſayeth, beſide diuers other writers,Lib. 4. which being conuerted into Engliſhe myles, doe yéelde one hundred and twelue, and foure odde furlongs, whereby the iuſt diſtaunce of Britayne from that part of the mayne alſo, doth certainly appeare to be much leſſe than the common Mappes of our Countrie haue hitherto ſet downe.