John Trevisa

John Trevisa (Latin: Ioannes Trevisa; fl. 1342–1402) was a Cornish writer and translator.

Quotes

From the translation of Higden's Polychronicon

• As Fraunce passeth Bretayne, so Bretayne passeth Irlond in faire weder and nobilte, but nought in helthe. For this llond is best and bringeth forth trees and fruyt and retheren and other bestes, and wyn groweth there in som place. The lond hath plente of foules and of bestes of dyvers manere kynde; the lond is plenteous and the see also. The lond is noble, copious, and riche of nobil welles and of nobil ryveres with plente of fische; there is grete plente of small fische, of samon, and of elys. So that cherles in som place fedith sowes with fische. . .
• There beeth schepe that bereth good wolle; there beeth meny hertes and wylde bestes and fewe wolves; therfore the schepe beeth the more sikerliche without kepynge i-lefte in the folde. In this ilond also beeth many cities and townes, faire and noble and riche; many grete ryveres and stremes with grete plente of fische; many faire wodes and grete with wel many bestes, tame and wylde. The erthe of that lond is copious of metal ore and of salt welles; of quarers of marbel; of dyuers manere stones, of reed, of whyte; of nesche, of hard; of chalk and of whyte lyme. There is also white cley and reed forto make of crokkes and stenes and other vessel, and brent tyle to hele with hous and cherches, as hit were in the other Samia, that hatte Samos also. Flaundres loveth the wolle of this lond, and Normandie the skynnes and the velles; Gasquyn the iren and the leed; Irlond the ore and the salt; Europa loveth and desireth the white metal of this lond.
  • [This Realm, this England]

• But the Englische men that woneth in Engelond, that beeth i-medled in the ilond, that beeth fer i-spronge from the welles that they spronge of first, wel lightliche withoute entisynge of eny other men by here owne assent tornen to contrary dedes. . . .
• These men been speedful bothe on hors and on foote, able and redy to alle manere dedes of armes, and beeth i-woned to have the victorie and the maistrie in everich fight wher no treson is walkynge; and beeth curious, and kunneth wel inow telle dedes and wondres that thei haveth i-seie. Also they gooth in dyvers londes; unnethe beeth eny men richere in her owne londe othere more gracious in fer and in strange londe. They konneth betre wynne and gete newe than kepe her owne heritage; therfore it is that they beeth i-spred so wyde and weneth that everich londe is hir owne heritage. The men beeth able to al manere sleithe and witte, but tofore the dede blondrynge and hasty, and more wys after the dede, and leveth ofte lightliche what they haveth bygonne. . .
• These men despiseth hir owne, and preiseth other menis, and unnethe beeth apaide with hir owne estate; what byfalleth and semeth other men, they wolleth gladlyche take to hemself; therfore hit is that a yeman arraieth hym as a squyer, a squyer as a knyght, a knyght as a duke, a duke as a kyng.
  • [The Mettle of Your Pasture]

From the translation of Bartholomew de Glanville's De Proprietatibus Rerum

• Men byhove to take hede of maydens: for they ben hote & tendre of complexion; smale, pliaunt and fayre of disposicion of body; shamfaste, ferdefull and mery touchynge the affeccion of the mynde. Touchinge outwarde disposicion they be well nurtured, demure and softe of speche and well ware what they say: and delycate in theyr apparell. . .
• Their hondes and the uttermeste party of their membres ben full subtyll and plyaunt, theyr voyce small, theyr speche easy and shorte, lyght in goynge & shorte steppes, and lyght wit and heed; they ben sone angry, and they ben mercyable and envyous, bytter, gylefull, able to lerne. . .
• And for a woman is more meker than a man, she wepeth soner, and is more envyousse, and more laughinge, & lovinge, and the malice of the soule is more in a woman than in a man. And she is of feble kinde, and she makith more lesynges, and is more shamefaste, & more slowe in werkynge and in mevynge than is a man, as sayth Aristotle.
  • [The Thirteenth-Century Maiden]