ABSTRACT
Nothing certain is known of John Trevisa prior to the record of his arrival at Exeter College, Oxford in Lent, 1362. The name Trevisa 'lower town', is Cornish1, and the connection with Cornwall implied by the name is supported by the interest in the county expressed by Trevisa in his translation of Higden's Polychronicon\ following a list of the shires of England, quoted from the Annales of Alfred of Beverley which omits Cornwall, Trevisa adds:
Hit is wondre why Alfred summeth the schires of Engelond somdel as a man {)at mette; for Alfred tellej) J>e som of schires in IMS manere: Jsere beet> in Engelond sixe and gritty schires wifcoute Cornwayle and wi{>oute l>e ylondes. Why seij) he noujt in {>is manere: J>ere bee{) in Engelond six schires wij> Cornwayle, and Jmtty o{>er schires wijxmte J>e ilondes? EyJ)er manere summynge is as vnredy as of>er. For to make a redy somme it schulde be i-write in t>is manere: In Engelond bee{) seuen and gritty schires, and so is Cornewayle accounted wij> J>e o{>ere schires; and t>at is skilful. For Cornewayle is a schere of Engelond; for as he seiJ3, Cornwaile is in J>is Bretayne hym self, as it is aleide in J>e four{>e chapitre of J>is firste book, fan hit is in oon of J>e chief parties of l>is Bretayne, J)at beej> Engelond, Wales, and Scotlond. But Cornewayle is noujt in Wales, for J)ere is a grete see bytwene; noj)er in Scotlonde, for J>ere beej> many hondred myle bytwene. fan Cornwayle is in Engelond, and is departed in hundredes, and is i-ruled by |)e lawe of Engelond, and holdej) schire and schire dayes, as ol>ere schires dooj). 3if Alfrede seij) nay in J)at, he wot noujt what he mafflej).2
