The third section. It is named of the ice which continually cleaueth vnto the North part thereof. Another wri∣teth:* 1.1 From the West part of Norway there lieth an Iland which is named of the ice, enui∣roned with an huge sea, and being a countrey of ancient habitation, &c. Z••eglerus. This is Thyle, 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. For one Naddocus a Noruagian borne, who is though•• to be the first Discouerer of the same,* 1.2 as he was sailing towards the Faar-Ilands, through a violent tempest did by chance arriue at the East shore of Island; 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 Sne∣land.* 1.3 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,* 1.4 that is to say, Gardars Isle. There were more also desirous to visit this new land. For after the two former, a certaine third Noruagian, called Flok, went into Island,* 1.5 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 Iland scarse began to be inhabited no longer agoe then about 718 yeres since.
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 vn∣derstand that this Iland was first inhabited about the yeere of our Lord 874. Unlesse some man will say that Thule King of Aegypt (who, as it is thought, gaue this name thereunto) passed so farre vnto an Iland, which was at that time vntilled, and destitute 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 di∣stracted into so many contrary opinions. One affirmes that it is Island: another, that it is a cer∣teine 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 Bri∣tans (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 of the Faar-Ilands: the fist, that it is Telemark in Nor∣way: the sixt, that it is Schrichfinnia.
Which continually cleaueth to the North part of the Iland. That cl••use that ice continually cleaueth &c. or as Munster affirmeth a little after,* 1.6 that it cleaueth for the space of eight whole moneths, are neither of them both true, when as for the most part the ice is thawed in the mo∣neth of April or May, and is driuen towards the West: neither doth it returne before Ianuarie or Februarie, nay often times it commeth later. 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?* 1.7 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 passage is shut vp, when as English ships 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. But the last yere, being 1591, there lay a certeine shippe of Germanie laden with Copper within the hauen of Vopnasiord in the coast of Island about fourteene dayes in the moneth of Nouember,* 1.8 which time being expired, she fortunately set saile. Wherefore, see∣ing that ice, neither continually, nor yet eight moneths cleaueth vnto Island, Munster and Frisius are much deceiued.