The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation
Chapter 19 : [Sidenote: Bidui nauigatio ab Islandia ad Noruagiam desertam.]Distantiam ab ostio Albis

[Sidenote: Bidui nauigatio ab Islandia ad Noruagiam desertam.]

Distantiam ab ostio Albis ad portum Istandiae meridionalis Batzende, quidam scripserat esse circiter 400. milliarium: Vnde si longitudinis differentiam ad meridianum Hamburgensem supputaueris, nullam mod positarum longitudinum habebit illo in loco Islandia. Ego ternis Hamburgensium nauigationibus docere possum, septimo die Hamburgum ex Islandia peruentum esse. Praeterea etiam, Insulae quae ab ouium mult.i.tudine Faereyjar, seu rectius Faareyjar dictae sunt, bidui nauigatione, vt & littora Noruagiae deserta distant.

Quatridui ver nauigatione in Gronlandiam habitabilem, & pari fere temporis interuallo, ad prouinciam Noruagiae Stad. inter opida Nidrosiam & Bergas sitam peruenitur, quemadmodum in harum nationum vetustis codicibus reperimus.

The same in English.

THE FIRST SECTION.

[Sidenote: Munsterus lib. 4. cosmographiae] The Isle of Island being seuered from other countreys an infinite distance, standeth farre into the Ocean, and is sca.r.s.e knowen vnto Sailers.

Albeit a discourse of those things which concerne the land, and the adiuncts or properties thereof be of little moment to defend the nation or inhabitants from the biting of slanderers, yet seemeth it in no case to be omitted, but to be intreated of in the first place; that the friendly reader perceiuing how truely those writers of Island haue reported in this respect, may thereby also easily iudge what credit is to be giuen vnto them in other matters which they haue left written concerning the inhabitants, and which others haue receiued from them as oracles, from whence (as they say) they haue borrowed scoffes and taunts against our nation.

First therefore, that the distance of Island from other countreys is not infinite, nor indeed so great as men commonly imagine, it might easily be prouided, if one did but in some sort know the true longitude & lat.i.tude of the said Iland. For I am of opinion that it cannot exactly be knowen any other way then this, whenas it is manifest how the Mariners course (be it neuer so direct, as they suppose) doth at all times swerue. In the meane while therfore I will set downe diuers opinions of authors, concerning the situation of Island, that from hence euery man may gather that of the distance which seemeth most probable, vntil perhaps my selfe being one day taught by mine owne experience, may, if not intrude, yet at least adioin, what I shal thinke true as touching this matter. [Footnote: The real position of Iceland is 700 miles west of Norway, 200 miles east of Greenland, and 320 miles north-west of the Faroe Islands. It lies between lat.i.tude 63 25 and 66 32 north and longitude 13 30' and 24 30' west; length east to west 280 miles; breadth 210 miles. It will be thus seen that while Frisius is nearly right in his lat.i.tude, Gerard Mercator is considerably out. As regards the longitude, whilst Munster's estimate is converted to the standard of Greenwich, Mercator's reckoning is from Copenhagen or Hamburg, and Frisius has reckoned east of Reikiavik or Skallholt.]

Longit. Lat.i.tud.

deg min. deg min.

Munster placeth Island almost in 20 68 Gerardus Mercator 325 68 Gemma Frisius placeth the midst of Island 7 0 65 30 Hersee 7 40 60 42 Thirtes 5 50 64 44 Nadar 6 40 57 10 Iacobus Zieglerus The West sh.o.r.e of Island 20 0 63 0 The promontorie of Chos 22 46 63 0 The East sh.o.r.e is extended Northward, and hath bounds of extension in 30 0 68 0 The North sh.o.r.e is extended Westward and hath bounds of extension in 28 0 69 0 The description of the West side The promontorie of Heckelfell 25 0 67 0 The promontorie of Madher 21 20 65 10 The inland cities of Island Holen the seat of a bishop 28 0 67 50 Schalholten the seat of a bishop 22 63 30 Reinholdus By Holen in Island 68 Iohannes Miritius By Mid-Island 69-1/2 Neander Island stretcheth it selfe 3 degrees within the circle arctic from the equinoctial, insomuch that the said circle arctic doeth almost diuide it in the midst &c.

There be others also, who either in their maps, or writings haue noted the situation of Island: notwithstanding it is to no purpose to set downe any more of their opinions, because the more you haue, the more contrary shall you finde them. For my part, albeit I haue probable coniectures perswading me not to beleeue any of the former opinions, concerning the situation of Island, but to dissent from them all: yet had I rather leaue the matter in suspense then affirme an vncerteinty, vntill (as I haue sayd) I may be able perhappes one day not to gesse at the matter, but to bring forth mine owne obseruation, and experience.

[Sidenote: Seuen dayes sailing from Island to Hamburg Island but two dayes sailing distant from Faar-Islands & from the desert sh.o.r.es of Norway.]

A certeine writer hath put downe the distance betweene the mouth of Elbe & Batzende in the South part of Island to be 400 leagues: from whence if you shall account the difference of longitude to the meridian of Hamburgh, Island must haue none of the forenamed longitudes in that place. I am able to proue by three sundry voyages of certaine Hamburgers, that it is but seuen dayes sailing from Island to Hamburgh. Besides all those Islands, which by reason of the abundance of sheepe, are called Fareyiar or more rightly Faareyiar,[Footnote: Faroe Islands.] as likewise the desert sh.o.r.es of Norway, are distant from vs but two dayes sailing. We haue foure dayes sailing into habitable Gronland; and almost in the same quant.i.tie of time we pa.s.se ouer to the prouince of Norway, called Stad, lying betweene the townes of Nidrosia or Trondon, [Footnote: Trondheim.] and Bergen, as we finde in the ancient records of these nations.

SECTIO SECUNDA.

[Sidenote: Munsterus, Olaus magnus & reliqui.] In hac, aestiuo solst.i.tio, sole signum Cancri transeunte, nox nulla, brumali Solst.i.tio proinde nullus dies. Item, Vadia.n.u.s. In ea autem Insula quae longe Supra Arctic.u.m circulum in amplissimo Oceano sita est, Islandia hodie dicta, & terris congelati maris proxima, quas Entgronlandt vocant, menses sunt plures sine noctibus.

Nullum esse hyemali solst.i.tio diem, id est, tempus quo sol supra horizontem conspicitur in illo tantum Islandiae angulo, si mod quis est, fatemur, vbi polus ad integros 67. gradus attollitur. Holis autem, quae est sedes Episcopalis Borealis Islandiae, sita etiam in angustissima & profundissima conualle, lat.i.tudo est circiter grad. 65. 44. min. vt a Domino Gudbrando eiusdem loci Episcopo accepimus, & illic diem breuissimum habemus ad minimum duarum horarum, in meridionali autem Islandia longiorem, vt ex artific.u.m tabulis videre est. Vnde constat nec Islandiam vltra Arctic.u.m circulum positam esse, nec menses plures noctibus in aestiuo, vel diebus in brumali solst.i.tio carere.

The same in English.

THE SECOND SECTION.

[Sidenote: Munsterus, Olaus Magnus and others.] In this Iland, at the Summer solst.i.tium, the Sun pa.s.sing thorow the signe of Cancer, there is no night, and therefore at the Winter solst.i.tium there is no day. Also: Vadia.n.u.s. But in that Iland, which farre within the artic circle is seated in the maine Ocean, at this day called Island, and next vnto the lands of the frozen sea, which they call Engrontland, there be many moneths in the yere without nights.

At the solst.i.tium of winter, that there is no day (that is to say, no time, wherein the Sunne is seene aboue the horizon) we confesse to be true onely in that angle of Island (if there be any such angle) where the pole is eleuated full 67. degrees. But at Holen (which is the bishops seat for the North part of Island, and lieth in a most deepe valley) the lat.i.tude is about 65. degrees and 44. minutes, as I am enformed by the reuerend father, Gudbrand, bishop of that place: and yet there, the shortest day in all the yere is at least two houres long, and in South-Island longer, as it appeareth by the tables of Mathematicians. [Sidenote: Island is not within the circle arctic.] Heerehence it is manifest, first that Island is not situate beyond the arctic circle: [Footnote: This is true, except for the very small portion of Iceland round about Cape North.] secondly, that in Island there are not wanting in Summer solst.i.tium many nights, nor in Winter solst.i.tium many dayes.

SECTIO TERTIA.

[Sidenote: Musterus Saxo.] Nomen habet a glacie quae illi perpetuo ad Boream adheret Item. A latere Occidentali Noruagiae Insula, quae Glacialis dicitur, magno circ.u.mfusa Oceano repentur, obsoletae admodum habitationis tellus, &c. Item, Haec est Thyle, nulli veterum non celebrata.

Nomen habet a glacie) Tria nomina consequenter sort.i.ta est Islandia.

[Sidenote: Snelandia.] Nam qui omnium primus eius inuentor fuisse creditur Naddocus genere Noruagus, c.u.m versus insulas Farenses nauigaret tempestate valida, ad littora Islandiae Orientalis forte appulit: vbi c.u.m fuisset aliquot septimanas c.u.m socijs commoratus, animaduert.i.t immodicam niuium copiam, montium quorundam cac.u.mina obtegentem, atque ide a niue nomen Insulae Snelandia indidit. Hunc secutus alter, Gardarus, fama quam de Islandia Naddocus attulerat impulsus, Insulam quaesitum abijt, reperit, & nomen de suo nomine Gardarsholme id est, Gardars Insula imposuit. Quin & plures nouam terram visendi cupido incessit: nam & post illos duos adhuc tertius quidam Noruagus (Floki nomen habuit) contulit se in Islandiam, illique a glacie qua viderat ipsam cingi nomen fecit.

Obsoletae admodum) Ego ex istis verbis Saxonis hanc sententiam nequaquam eruo, vt quidam, qud inde ab initio habitatam esse Islandiam, seu vt verbo dicam, Islandos autocthonas dicat, c.u.m constet vix ante annos 718. incoli coeptam.

Haec est Thyle) Grammatici certant & adhuc sub iudice lis est. Quam tamen facile dirimi posse crediderim, si quis animaduertat, circa annum Domini 874. primum fuisse inhabitatam. Nisi quis dicere velit Thulen illum aegypti Regem, quem hoc ipsi nomen dedisse putant, ad Insulam iam tum incultam & inhabitatam penetra.s.se. Illud ver rursus si quis neget, per me sane licebit, vt illud sit quaddam quasi spectaculum, dum ita in contrarias scinduntur sententias. Vnus affirmat esse Islandiam. Alter quandam insulam, vbi arbores bis in anno fructificant. Tertius vnam ex Orcadibus, siue vitimam in ditione Scoti, vt Ioannes Myritius & alij, qui nomen illius referunt, Thylensey, quod etiam Virgilius per suam vltimam Thylen sensisse videtur. Siquidem vltra Britannos, quo nomine Angli hodie dicti & Scoti veniunt, nullos populos statueret. Quod vel ex illo Virgilij Eclog I.

apparet:

Et penitus toto diuisos...o...b.. Britannos.

Quartus vnam ex Farensibus. Quintus Telemarchiam Noruagiae. s.e.xtus Schrichfinniam.

Perpetu ad Boream adhaeret.) Illud ver, Glaciem Insulae perpetu, vel vt paul post a.s.serit Munsterus: Octo continuis mensibus adhaerere: neutrum verum est. [Sidenote: Glacies Aprili aut Maio soluitur.] Nam vt plurimum in mense Aprili aut Maio soluitur, & Occidentem versus propellitur, nec ante Ianuarium aut Februarium saep.i.s.sime etiam tardius redit. Quid? qud plurimos annos numerare licet, quibus glaciem illam huius nationis immite flagellum, ne viderit quidem Islandia: Quod etiam hoc anno 1592. compertum est. Vnde constat quam vere a Frisio scriptum sit, nauigationem ad hanc insulam tantum quadrimestrem patere, propter glaciem & frigora, quibus intercludatur iter, c.u.m Anglicae naues quotannis nunc in Martio, nunc in Aprili, quaedam in Maio, Germanorum & Danorum in Maio & Iunio, plaerumque ad nos redeant, & harum quaedam non ante Augustum iterum hinc soluunt.

Superiore autem anno 1591. quaedam nauis Germanica, cupro onusta, portum Islandiae Vopnafiord 14. dies circiter in Nouembri occupauit, quibus lapsis inde foeliciter soluit Quare c.u.m glacies Islandiae, nec perpetu, neque octo mensibus adhaereat, Munsterus & Frisius manifeste falluntur.

The same in English.

THE THIRD SECTION.

It is named of the ice which continually cleaueth vnto the North part thereof. [Sidenote: Munsterus Saxo] Another writeth: From the West part of Norway there lieth an Iland which is named of the ice, enuironed with an huge sea, and being a countrey of ancient habitation, &c. Zieglerus.

This is Thyle [Footnote: Thule] whereof most of the ancient writers haue made mention.

It is named of ice, &c. Island hath beene called by three names, one after another. [Sidenote: Island first discouered by Naddocus in a tempest.] For one Naddocus a Noruagian borne, who is thought to be the first Discouerer of the same, as he was sailing towards the Faar-Ilands, [Footnote: Faroe Islands.] through a violent tempest did by chance arriue at the East sh.o.r.e of Island; [Sidenote: Sneland.] where staying with his whole company certaine weeks, he beheld abundance of snow couering the tops of the mountaines, and thereupon, in regard of the snow, called this Iland Sneland. [Sidenote: Gardarsholme] After him one Gardarus, being mooued thereunto by the report which Naddocus gaue out concerning Island, went to seeke the sayd Iland who when he had found it, called it after his owne name Gardars-holme, that is to say, Gardars Ile. There were more also desirous to visit this new land. [Sidenote: Island.] For after the two former a certaine third Noruagian, called Flok, went into Island, and named it of the ice, wherewith he saw it enuironed.

Of ancient habitation &c. I gather not this opinion out of these wordes of Saxo (as some men do) that Island hath bene inhabited from the beginning or (to speake in one word) that the people of Island were autochthones, that is, earth-bred, or bred out of their owne soile like vnto trees and herbs: sithens it is euident that this Island sca.r.s.e began to be inhabited no longer agoe then about 718 yeres since. [Footnote: The Viking Naddodr is said to have discovered Iceland in 860, and it was colonised by Ingulf, a chieftain from the west coast of Norway.]

This is Thyle, &c. Grammarians wrangle about this name, and as yet the controuersie is not decided. Which notwithstanding, I thinke might easily grow to composition, if men would vnderstand that this Iland was first inhabited about the yeere of our Lord 874. Vnlesse some man will say that Thule King of aegypt (who, as it is thought, gaue this name thereunto) pa.s.sed so farre vnto an Iland, which was at that time vntilled, and dest.i.tute of inhabitants. Againe, if any man will denie this, he may for all me, that it may seeme to be but a dreame, while they are distracted into so many contrary opinions. One affirmes that it is Island: another, that it is a certeine Iland, where trees beare fruit twise in a yeere: the third, that it is one of the Orcades, or the last Iland of the Scotish dominion, as Iohannes Myritius and others, calling it by the name of Thylensey, which Virgil also seemeth to haue meant by his vltima Thyle. If beyond the Britans (by which name the English men and Scots onely at this day are called) he imagined none other nation to inhabit. Which is euident out of that verse of Virgil in his first Eclogue:

And Britans whole from all the world diuided.

The fourth writeth, that it is one of the Faar-Ilands: the fift, that it is Telemark in Norway: the sixt, that it is Scrichfinnia.

[Sidenote: The ice of Iseland sets always to the West.] Which continually cleaueth to the North part of the Iland. That clause that ice continually cleaueth &c. or as Munster affirmeth a little after, that it cleaueth for the s.p.a.ce of eight whole moneths, are neither of them both true, when as for the most part the ice is thawed in the moneth of April or May, and is driuen towards the West: neither doth it returne before Ianuarie or Februarie, nay often times it commeth later. [Sidenote: No ice at all some yeres in Island.] What if a man should recken vp many yeeres, wherein ice (the sharpe scourge of this our nation) hath not at all bene seene about Island? which was found to be true this present yeere 1592. Heereupon it is manifest how truely Frisius hath written that nauigation to this Iland lieth open onely for foure moneths in a yeere, and no longer, by reason of the ice and colde, whereby the pa.s.sage is shut vp, when as English s.h.i.+ps euery yere, sometimes in March, sometimes in April, and some of them in May; the Germans and Danes, in May and Iune, doe vsually returne vnto vs, and some of them depart not againe from hence till August. [Sidenote: Nauigation open to Island from March till the midst of Nouember.] But the last yere, being 1591, there lay a certeine s.h.i.+ppe of Germanie laden with Copper within the hauen of Vopnafiord in the coast of Island about fourteene dayes in the moneth of Nouember, which time being expired, she fortunately set saile. Wherefore, seeing that ice, neither continually, nor yet eight moneths cleaueth vnto Iland, Munster and Frisius are much deceiued. [Footnote: The mean temperature of Iceland is said to be 40 degrees.]

SECTIO QUARTA

[Sidenote: Kranzius. Munsterus.] Tam grandis Insula, vt populos multos contineat. Item, Zieglerus. Situs Insulae extenditur inter austrum & boream ducentorum prope Schaenorum longitudine.

Grandis.) Wilstenius quidam, rector Scholae OLDENBVRGENSIS Anno 1591. ad auunculum meum in Islandia Occidentali misit breuem commentarium, quem ex scriptorum rapsodijs de Islandia collegerat. Vbi sic reperimus Islandia duplo maior Sicilia,&c. Sicilia autem secundum Munsterum 150. milliaria Germanica in ambitu habet. [Sidenote: Magnitudo Islandiae.] Nostrae ver Insulae ambitus etsi n.o.bis non est exacte cognitus, tamen vetus & constans opinio, & apud nostrates recepta 144. milliaria numerat per duodecim videlicet promontoria Islandiae insigniora, quae singula 12. inter se milliaribus distent, aut circiter, quae collecta praedictam summam ostendunt.

Populos multos.) Gysserus quidam, circa annum Domini 1090, Episcopus Schalholtensts in Islandia, omnes Insulae colonos seu rusticos qui tantas facultates possiderent, vt regi tributum soluere tenerentur (reliquis pauperibus c.u.m foeminis & promiscuo vulgo omissis) l.u.s.trari curauit, reperitque in parte Insulae Orientali 700, meridionali 1000, Occidentali 1100, Aquilonari 1200. Summa 4000. colonorum tributa soluentium. Iam si quis experiatur, inueniet Insulam plus dimidio fuisse inhabitatam.

The same in English.

THE FOURTH SECTION.

[Sidenote: Krantzius. Munsterus.] The Iland is so great that it conteineth many people. Item Zieglerus sayth: The situation of the Iland is extended betweene the South and the North almost 200 leagues in length.