c. 890. The river of Duina of likelihood. A Desert country. Fynnes. Biarmia. Terfynnes. The Fynnes and Biarmes their teeth Morsses skinne for cables. the sea opened into the land he could not tell how farre : so that he sailed thence along the coast continually full South, so farre as he could travaile in 5. dayes; and at the fifth dayes end he discovered a mightie river which opened very farre into the land. At the entrie of which river he stayed his course, and in conclusion turned backe againe, for he durst not enter thereinto for feare of the inhabitants of the land: perceiving that on the other side of the river the countrey was thorowly inhabited which was the first peopled land that he had found since his departure from his owne dwelling: whereas continually thorowout all his voyage, he had evermore on his steereboord, a wildernesse and desert countrey, except that in some places, he saw a few fishers, fowlers, and hunters, which were all Fynnes: and all the way upon his leereboord was the maine ocean. The Biarmes had inhabited and tilled their countrey indifferent well, notwithstanding he was afrayed to go upon shore. But the countrey of the Terfynnes lay all waste, and not inhabited, except it were, as we have sayd, whereas dwelled certeine hunters, fowlers, and fishers. The Biarmes tolde him a number of stories both of their owne countrey, and of the countreyes adjoyning. Howbeit, he knew not, nor could affirme any thing for certeine trueth: forsomuch as he was not upon land, nor saw any himselfe. This onely he judged, that the Fynnes and Biarmes speake but one language. The principall purpose of his traveile this way, was to encrease the knowledge and discoverie of these coasts and countreyes, for the more commoditie of fishing of horsewhales, which have in their teeth bones of great price and excellencie: whereof he brought some at his returne unto the king. Their skinnes are also very good to make cables for shippes, and so used. This kinde of whale is much lesse in quantitie then other kindes, having not in length above seven elles. And as for the common kind of whales, the place of most and best hunting of them is in his owne countrey: whereof some be 48. elles of length, and some 50. of which sort he affirmed that he c. 890. himselfe was one of the sixe, which in the space of 3. dayes killed threescore. He was a man of exceeding wealth in such riches, wherein the wealth of that countrey doth consist. At the same time that he came to the king, he had of his owne breed 600. tame Deere, of that kinde Sixe hundreth which they call Rane Deere of the which number 6. were tame Deere. stall Rane Deere, a beast of great value, and marvelously esteemed among the Fynnes, for that with them they catch the wilde Rane Deere. He was among the chiefe men of his countrey one: and yet he had but 20. kine, and 20. swine, and that little which he tilled, he tilled it all with horses. Their principall wealth consisteth in the tribute which the Fynnes pay them, which is all in skinnes The Fynnes of wilde beasts, feathers of birds, whale bones, and cables, and tacklings for shippes made of Whales or Seales skinnes. Every man payeth according to his abilitie. Note. The richest pay ordinarily 15. cases of Marterns, 5. Rane Deere skinnes, and one Beare, ten bushels of feathers, a Cables of coat of a Beares skinne, two cables threescore elles long a Whales and piece, the one made of Whales skin, the other of Seales. tribute. Seales skins. He sayd, that the countrey of Norway was very long A description and small. So much of it as either beareth any good of Norway. pasture, or may be tilled, lieth upon the Sea coast, which notwithstanding in some places is very rockie and stonie : and all Eastward, all along against the inhabited land, lie wilde and huge hilles and mountaines, which are in some places inhabited by the Fynnes. The inhabited land is broadest toward the South, & the further it stretcheth towards the North, it groweth evermore smaller and smaller. Towards the South it is peradventure threescore miles in bredth or broader in some places: about the middest, 30. miles or above, and towards the North where it is smallest, he affirmeth that it proveth not three miles from the Sea to the mountaines. The mountaines be in breadth of such quantitie, as a man is able to traveile over in a fortnight, and in some places no more then may be traveiled in sixe dayes. Right over against this land, in the other side of the mountaines, somewhat towards the The bredth of the mountaines of Norway. c. 890. Swethland. South, lieth Swethland, and against the same towards the Queeneland. North, lieth Queeneland. The Queenes sometimes passing the mountaines, invade and spoile the Normans and on the contrary part, the Normans likewise sometimes spoile their countrey. Among the mountaines be many and great lakes in sundry places of fresh water, into the Boats caried which the Queenes use to carie their boats upon their backs over land, and thereby invade and spoile the countrey of the Normans. These boats of theirs be very little and very light. on mens backs. [I. 6.] It seemeth to The voyage of Octher out of his countrey of Halgoland into the sound of Denmarke unto a port called Hetha, which seemeth to be Wismer or Rostorke. Cther sayd that the countrey wherein he dwelled, was called Halgoland: and affirmed that there was no man dwelling towards the North from him. From this countrey towards the South, there is a certeine | port called Scirings hall, whither, he sayth, that a man was not able to saile in a moneths space, if he lay still by night, although he had every day a full winde. And he shall saile all the way along the coast, having on his steereboord, first Jutland and the Islands which lie betwixt this countrey & Jutland, still along the coast of this countrey, till he The descrip- came to Scirings hall, having it on his larboord. At tion of the sound Scirings hall there entreth into the land a maine gulfe of of Denmarke. the Sea, which is so broad, that a man cannot see over it: and on the other side against the same, is Gotland, and then Silland. This sea stretcheth many hundreth miles up into the land. From Scirings hall he sayd that he sailed in 5. dayes to the port which is called Hetha, which lieth betwixt the countries of Wendels, Saxons, and Angles, whereunto it is subject. And as he sailed thitherward from Scirings hall, he had upon his steereboord Denmarke, and on his leereboord the maine sea, for the space of 3. dayes: and 2. dayes before, he arrived in Gotland. Vandals. c. 890. Hetha, he had Gotland on leerboord, and Silland, with Hetha but two divers other Islands. In that countrey dwelt English men, before they came into this land. And these 2. dayes he had upon his leereboord the Islands that are subject to Denmarke. Wolstans navigation in the || East sea, from Hetha to Trusco, which is about Dantzig. dayes saying It seemeth to from Seland. be Wismer or Rostocke. Within the sound of Denmarke. Olstan sayd, that he departed from Hetha, and arrived at Trusco, in the space of 7. dayes, and 7. nights: during which time, his shippe kept her course continually under saile. All this All this voyage Wenedland was still upon his steerboord, and on his leerboord was Langland, Layland, Falster, and Sconie: all which countreyes are subject to Denmarke. Upon his leerboord also, was Bargenland, which hath a Bargenland, private king, unto whom it is subject. Having left Bar- or Bornholme. genland, he passed by Blekingie, Meere, Eland and Gotland, having them on his leerboord: all which countreys are subject to Sweden: and Wenedland was all the way upon his steerboord, until he came to Wixel mouth. Wixel Wixel is the is a very great river which runneth along betwixt Witland river that and Wenedland. Witland is apperteining to the Easter- falleth into the sea by lings and the river of Wixel runneth out of || Wenedland Dantzig. into Eastmeere, which Eastmeere is at the least 15. miles || Or, Prussia. in breadth. There runneth also another river called Ilsing from the East, and falleth into Eastmeere, out of another lake upon the banke, whereupon is situated Fruso. So Fruso. that Ilsing comming out of || Eastland, and Wixel out of || Or, Wenedland, fall both together into Eastmeere, and there Lituania. Wixel depriveth Ilsing of his name, and runneth thence West & North into the sea; whereof the place is called Wixelmouth. Eastland is a very large land, and there be many cities The descripand townes within it, and in every one of them is a king: tion of whereby there is continually among them great strife Eastland. c. 890. Mares milke a and contention. There is great plentie of hony and fish. The wealthiest men drinke commonly Mares milke, and chiefe drinke. the poore people and slaves meade. There is no ale brewed among the Easterlings, but of mead there is plentie. The navigation of King Edgar, taken out of Florentius Wigorniensis, Hoveden, and M. Dee his discourse of the Brittish Monarchie, pag. 54, 55, &c. Have often times (sayd he) and many wayes looked into the state of earthly kingdomes, generally the whole world over (as farre as it may be yet knowen to Christian men commonly) being a studie of no great difficultie, but rather a purpose somewhat answerable to a perfect Cosmographer, to finde himselfe Cosmopolites, a citizen and member of the whole and onely one mysticall citie universall, and so consequently to meditate of the Cosmopoliticall government thereof, under the King almightie, passing on very swiftly toward the most dreadfull and most comfortable terme prefixed. And I finde (sayd he) that if this Brittish Monarchie would heretofore have followed the advantages which they have had onward, they might very well, yer this, have surpassed by justice, and godly sort, any particular Monarchie els, that ever was on earth since mans creation and that to all such purposes as to God are most acceptable, and to all perfect common wealths, most honorable, profitable, and comfortable. But yet (sayd he) there is a little locke of Lady Occasion flickering in the aire, by our hands to catch hold on, whereby we may yet once more (before all be utterly past, and for ever) discreetly and valiantly recover and enjoy, if not all our ancient & due appurtenances to this |