Page 173

Lxxviii

OR entendez . Comment la terre crostle:-
doncques que cest du mouvement de la
terre et comment la terre crostle et fent
que aulcunes gens appellent crosle pour che quilz
sentent la terre crosler dessoubz leurs pies. Et
si terriblement crosle et fent aulcuneffoiz que main
tes citez en sont fondues en terre. qui oncques
puis ne furent veues. Et che advient par les
grans eaues qui viennent par dedens la terre
Si que par le deboutement des grans ondes nais-
sent aulcunement es cavernes qui sont soubz ter
re et lair qui se serre dedens lequel est encloz en tres-
grant destroit. Se la terre est laendroit foible si
quelle ne puist / tout che retenir. elle est constrain-
te de soy ouvrir / et fendre pour lair qui sefforce
a yssir dehors. dont il est souvent advenu que viles
citez et chasteaulx en sont fonduz en abisme. Et se
la terre est de tel force quelle ne fent ne crosle par
le deboutement des vents qui la dedens sont. alors
la terre sesment tant merveilleusement que les
grants murs et haultes tours qui sieent laendroit

78

Now listen, / [rubric:] How the earth quakes: [/rubric]
therefore, to what the movement of the earth is and how the
earth quake and cracks.
Many people call this an earthquake because they
feel the earth quake beneath their feet.
And sometimes it quakes and cracks so badly that
many cities have collapsed into the earth and have never been
seen again. And this happens because of the great waters that come
from inside the earth, since with the rising up of the great waves
sometimes caverns are created under the earth,
and the air that is enclosed in them is under
great pressure. If the earth is very weak in that place,
so that it cannot hold everything
back, it is forced open and collapses due to the
air that is being pushed outwards. And so it has
often happened that towns, cities, and castles have collapsed
into the abyss. And if the earth is strong enough that
it does not crack or quake due to the winds inside it,
then the earth moves so marvelously that the
great walls and high towers that are situated in that place

Lxxviii

OR entendez . Comment la terre crostle:-
doncques que cest du mouvement de la
terre et comment la terre crostle et fent
que aulcunes gens appellent crosle pour che quilz
sentent la terre crosler dessoubz leurs pies. Et
si terriblement crosle et fent aulcuneffoiz que main
tes citez en sont fondues en terre. qui oncques
puis ne furent veues. Et che advient par les
grans eaues qui viennent par dedens la terre
Si que par le deboutement des grans ondes nais-
sent aulcunement es cavernes qui sont soubz ter
re et lair qui se serre dedens lequel est encloz en tres-
grant destroit. Se la terre est laendroit foible si
quelle ne puist / tout che retenir. elle est constrain-
te de soy ouvrir / et fendre pour lair qui sefforce
a yssir dehors. dont il est souvent advenu que viles
citez et chasteaulx en sont fonduz en abisme. Et se
la terre est de tel force quelle ne fent ne crosle par
le deboutement des vents qui la dedens sont. alors
la terre sesment tant merveilleusement que les
grants murs et haultes tours qui sieent laendroit

78

Now listen, / [rubric:] How the earth quakes: [/rubric]
therefore, to what the movement of the earth is and how the
earth quake and cracks.
Many people call this an earthquake because they
feel the earth quake beneath their feet.
And sometimes it quakes and cracks so badly that
many cities have collapsed into the earth and have never been
seen again. And this happens because of the great waters that come
from inside the earth, since with the rising up of the great waves
sometimes caverns are created under the earth,
and the air that is enclosed in them is under
great pressure. If the earth is very weak in that place,
so that it cannot hold everything
back, it is forced open and collapses due to the
air that is being pushed outwards. And so it has
often happened that towns, cities, and castles have collapsed
into the abyss. And if the earth is strong enough that
it does not crack or quake due to the winds inside it,
then the earth moves so marvelously that the
great walls and high towers that are situated in that place