Text (translated from the 1570L, 1571L, 1571/1573D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1573L, 1574L, 1575L, 1579L, 1580/1589G, 1581F, 1584L, 1587F, 1588S, 1595L, 1598D, 1598F, 1601L, 1602G, 1602S, 1603L, 1606E, 1608/1612I and 1609/1612L edition):
61.1. {1570L{GVELDERLAND
61.2. GVELDERLAND, the seat of the ancient Sicambri (as most Writers think) has to its North Frisland, together with an inlet of the German sea, commonly called Zuyderzee. To the East it is confined by the Zuyderzee {1571L, 1572/1574F, 1573L, 1580/1589G, 1581F, 1584L, 1587F, 1588S, 1598D, 1598F, 1601L, 1602G, 1602S, 1603L, 1608/1612I and 1609/1612L have instead{the Duchy of Cleve}1571L, 1572/1574F, 1573L, 1580/1589G, 1581F, 1584L, 1587F, 1588S, 1598D, 1598F, 1601L, 1602G, 1602S, 1603L, 1608/1612I & 1609/1612L instead}{1572/1573G has instead{Westfalen}1572/1573G instead}. South by Gulick, and West it meets Brabant and Holland. It is a flat country {1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598F only{full of meadows}1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598F only}, destitute of mountains, but all over replenished with woods and groves. It abounds with all necessities, especially with corn. And their green, rich meadows yield such a great amount of food for cattle that even from the furthest part of Denmark they bring here their starved cows for rescue. {1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D only{Here in Antwerp we have in the year 1570 seen an ox from this region which weighed three thousand and two hundred pounds}1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D only}. It is watered by three famous rivers, namely the Rhijne, Maese and Waele. {not in 1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1580/1589G, 1581F, 1584L, 1587F, 1588S, 1598F, 1601L, 1602G, 1602S, 1603L, 1606E, 1608/1612I & 1609/1612L{ Nijmegen is its largest city, the territory of which is adorned with the title of Kingdom}not in 1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1580/1589G, 1581F, 1584L, 1587F, 1588S, 1598F, 1601L, 1602G, 1602S, 1603L, 1606E, 1608/1612I & 1609/1612L}. It contains {not in 1571D, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D{the county of Zutphen and}not in 1571D, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D} the region called the {1571L, 1580/1589G, 1584L, 1588S, 1592L, 1595L, 1601L, 1602G, 1602S, 1603L & 1608/1612I only{Velania, or in the vernacular}1571L, 1580/1589G, 1584L, 1588S, 1592L, 1595L, 1602G, 1602S, 1603L & 1608/1612I only} Veluwe.
61.3. The Veluwe is almost an island, which is situated between a branch of the Rhijn {not in 1571D, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598D & 1598F{that runs past Arnhem}not in 1571D, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598D & 1598F}, and the river Yssel which stretches to the {not in 1573L, 1584L, 1588S, 1601L, 1602G, 1603L & 1608/1612I{Suyderzee}not in 1573L, 1584L, 1588S, 1601L, 1602G, 1603L & 1608/1612I} sea {1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D only{and the Vecht}1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D only}. It is reasonably fruitful {1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D have instead{barren}1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D} and not altogether without woods, mountains and hills. Some think that the inhabitants of this place were once called the Caninefates <= rabbit catchers> {1580/1589G & 1602G have instead{One finds many people who claim that the inhabitants of this peninsula are the Kannemerlaender}1580/1589G & 1602G instead} <note that Kennemerland, which comes closest to this identity, is an area about 25 kilometers west of Amsterdam, close to the North Sea, not in the province of Gelria>.
61.4. The Dukedom of Guelders has twenty-two cities surrounded by walls and ditches, and above 300 villages. {1571D, not in 1573L{Nieumegen {not in 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D{on the Waele}not in 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D} is the main {1572/1573G only{region and}1572/1573G only}city, {not in 1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D{a place very populous and elegantly built, and famous because of the mint that is there. The greater part <of the inhabitants> trade merchandise, and are exceedingly rich}not in 1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D}. The territory of this city is adorned with the title of a Kingdom.
61.5. {1573L, 1574L, 1575L, 1588S and later, but not in 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598D & 1598F{Next follows Ruremonde}1573L}, situated where the river Roer empties into the Maese. It has in my memory been a Bishopric. Zutphen <lies> at the mouth of the river Berkel, where it empties itself into the Yssel. It bears the title of an Earldom. It has a rich College of Canons, and is under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Münster. Arnhem lies on the bank of the Rhijn. This is the seat of the high Court of Justice, and of the Chancery as they call it. The Clergy of this town are subject to the Bishop of Utrecht.
61.6. HATTEM <is> a town well fortified on the river Yssel. ELBVRG <is> on the shore of the Zuyder sea. HARDERWIJK <is> on the same shore. Here you also have WAGENING, TIEL, BOMMEL, BRONCHORST, DOESBVRG, DOETECHEM, SHEERENBERG, governed by a specific Prince under the name of an Earldom. <Then there are> LOCHEM, GROLLA, BREDEVORD, GELRE which perhaps gave its name to the whole region, STRAELEN, VENLO, a town fortified by art and nature on the banks of the <river> Maese, <and> WACHTENDVNCK, {not in 1588S, 1602S & 1608/1612I{of ancient times the city of Hercules}not in 1588S, 1602S & 1608/1612I}{1588S, 1602S & 1608/1612I only{ERKELENS}1588S, 1602S & 1608/1612I only} in the Dukedom of Iuliers.
61.7. Besides these there are other noteworthy small towns, but either through the fury of war or injuries of time, they are unwalled. Yet they do enjoy the freedoms and privileges of cities. Their names are Keppel, Burg, Genderen, Bateburg, Monteford, Echt, Culemborg and Buren, both of which have a specific Lord, as does Bateburg}1574L & 1575L, not in 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598D & 1598F}.
Under Earl Otto the Third this region was mightily enlarged, for he surrounded with walls, and endowed with privileges the towns of Ruremond, Arnhem, Hardervvijk, Bommel, Goch and Wageninghe, which until that time had remained villages. {1573L, not in 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D{In the chronicle of Iohn Reigersberg, written in Dutch, I find that this region in the time of Carolus Calvus was called by the name of Ponthis, and that by him it was in the year 878 {1588S, 1602G & 1602S have instead{1378}1588S, 1602G & 1602S instead}{1608/1612I has instead{868}1608/1612I instead} elevated to a Signiorie. Then, in the year 1079 {1588S & 1602S have instead{after 179 years}1588S & 1602S instead}{1602G has instead{1374}1602G instead}, this Signiorie of Ponthis was by Henricus the third adorned with the title of an Earldom, and called the Earldom of Guelders, and the first Earl of it was Otto a Nassau}1573L, not in 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D}.
61.8. It went under the name of an Earldom until Reynhout the second. But when Reynhout not only because of his valour and mightiness grew <to be> terrible to his neighbours, but <also> famous for his justice, his piety and fidelity towards the Roman Empire, he was at Frankfort in a solemn and royal assembly consecrated Duke by Lodewijck the Emperor in the presence of the King of England, the French King, and the {1602G only{seven}1602G only} Elector Princes in the year of our Lord 1339 {1602G has instead{1379}1602G instead}. {1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D only{The inhabitants of this country have of old always been considered good soldiers. To this land also belongs the County of Zutphen which is located in it. Herleckens and Nieustadt in the land of Gulick also belong to it}1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598D only}. About the origin of this name of Gelder, some report the following fairy tale}1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598F only}.
61.9. Some say that in the time of the Emperor Carolus Caluus <= Charles the Bald> near that place where the town of Gelre now is located, there was a strange and venomous beast, of huge size and monstrous cruelty, feared all over the country, which mostly lay under an oak. This monster wasted the fields, devoured cattle {not in 1572/1574F, 1573L, 1587F, 1601L & 1603L{great and}not in 1572/1574F, 1573L, 1587F, 1601L & 1603L} small, and did not abstain from humans <either>. The inhabitants, frightened by the novelty and unpleasantness of the matter, abandoned their habitations and hid themselves in deserted and solitary places.
61.10. A certain Lord of Ponth {1571D, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598F only{which is in the vicinity}1571D, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598F only} had two sons who, partly tending to their own estate, partly also through the distress of their neighbours, attacked the beast with unusual subtlety and courage, and after a long combat, killed it. The Lord just mentioned, therefore built not far from the Maese on the bank of the Nerse a castle he called Gelre to the perpetual memory of his sons' exploit. This <name> was <given,> because when the beast was slain, it often roared with a dreadful, roaring noise Gelre, Gelre. From this, they say, comes the name of the Guelders people. {1571L, not in 1598D and 1606E{Many accept this as the origin of the name, but it sounds fantastic to me. Some base the name of the Gelders people on Gelduba, or Gerlacus, their second Prefect}1571L, not in 1606E}. {1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D only{As far as we are concerned, the reader should choose whatever he thinks to be most likely}1571D, 1572/1573G, 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F, 1598F & 1598D only; 1572/1574F, 1581F, 1587F & 1598F end here}.{not in 1571D, 1572/1573G & 1598D{So much from the Chronicle of Henry Aquilius, born in Guelders. More concerning this Province you may read in Franciscus Irenicus, but the most extensive description of it you find in Guicciardini in his Lower Germany }1570L, not in 1571D, 1572/1573G & 1598D} © Marcel van den Broecke ©.