220 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
translation will be useful to those who desire to know on what grounds 
their reputation rests. 
It consists of one hundred and thirty-six lines in the usual metre 
of seven syllables, and may be described as a brief summary of the 
geography of the world; in most cases giving only the boundaries of 
the different countries, with an occasional reference to some charac- 
teristic of the people or territory, and in a few instances a longer 
description. There is no allusion to the form of the earth. To the 
north of Asia flows the great External Sea, which also stretches 
across the north of Germany, then the limit of Europe in that direc- 
tion. The eastern boundary of Asia is undefined. To the south, 
from India to Africa, is the Mare rubrum or Red Sea, of which the 
Persian Gulf and the present Red Sea are inlets, and for this reason 
are not distinguished by separate names. The south of Africa is 
wholly unknown, and its coast is supposed to trend north-west from 
about Cape Gardafui to Cape de Verde, the shape of the Continent 
being nearly that of a right-angled triangle. On the west flows the 
Ocean, which appears to be the same as the External Sea. He begins 
by describing the five zones of temperature— 
In the body of the firm world are known 
Five equal zones marked out ; 
Two frigid of bright aspect, 
Two temperate around a fiery. 
This is the division given by Virgil,t who took it from a more ancient 
source. 
The human race inhabits the north temperate zone, which com- 
prises the territories included within the seas already mentioned. It 
is divided into three parts— 
[There are] three parts of the world, West and East, 
Three parts in which are Adam’s seed ; 
Three parts which God divided, 
Europe, Africa, and Asia. 
The order in which the continents appear here is due to the neces- 
sities of the metre; but in the geography it is reversed, Asia taking 
the first place— 
Asia, very good on every side, 
From the Queen it was named; 
Asia was her name in the East, 
The woman who ruled over the Eastern world. 
It is much larger than the other continents, which is owing to 
this queen having encroached on Europe and Africa— 
Asia, not insignificant ; in the East it is, 
Across the eastern part of the temperate [zone] ; 
Almost half [the zone] took she by force 
From Europe and from Africa. 
* See p. 280, note a. 
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