The decades of the newe worlde or west India conteynyng the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes, with the particular description of the moste ryche and large landes and ilandes lately founde in the west ocean perteynyng to the inheritaunce of the kinges of Spayne. ... Wrytten in the Latine tounge by Peter Martyr of Angleria, and translated into Englysshe by Rycharde Eden.

¶ Schondia.

SChondia, S••hondama, or Schondenmarchia, is as much to say as fayre Dania or fayre Denmarke. Plinie in one place, nameth it Scandia, and in an other, Scandina¦ui•• if there bee no fauce in the templers.

It was named Schondia, by reason of the fayrenesse and true fulnesse therof. And this aswell for that in beneficiall hea∣uen, fertilitie of gronnde, commodite of hauens and marte townes, abundaunce of ryuers and fysshe, plentie of beastes, great quantitie of metall, as golde, syluer, copper, and leade, diligent culturynge the grounde, with townes and cities wel inhabited and gouerned by ciuile lawes, it gyuethe place to none other fortunate region. This was in maner vnknowen to the owlde Greekes and Latins as may appeare by this ar∣gomente that with one consente they affirmed that in these north regions the could zon•• or clime, was condemned to per¦petuall snowe intollerable to all lyuynge creatures. For few of thē haue made mention hereof as to be inhabited. Amonge whom Plinie as one of the chiefe, sayth in his fourth booke, that Schondania is of vnknowen byggenesse: and only that portion therof to be knowen which is inhabited with the na¦tion of the Hilleui••nes in fiftie vyllages. Neyther yet is Enin¦gia lesse in opinion. Other more auncient then Plinie, haue placed most fortunate regions, with men of longe lyfe (whi∣che the Greekes caule Macrobios) and of moste innocente beha∣uour vnder the tracte of those landes: and that there came from thence to Delphos, certeyne religious virginnes with vowes and gyftes consecrated to Apollo: And furthermore that that nation obserued this institution vntyll the sayde virgins were violated of them of whome they were receaued as straungers. These are most cleare testimonies of Antiqui∣tie, both of the greatnesse of Schondia, and the people that inhabite the same, althowgh they were sence vnknowen, as lykewyse the Gothes departynge from these north landes al¦thowghe they obteyned Thempire of the regions abowte the marisshes of Meotis and the coastes of the sea Euxinus, with the realme of Denmarke (wherof that is thought to bee a por¦tion which is nowe cauled Transiluania) and the bankes of the ryuer of Danubius, and in fine inuaded the Romane Em∣pire, yet were not the regions wel knowen from whense they tooke theyr originall. Therefore lyke as parte of the owlde wryters are vnsufficient wytnesses to testifie of owre narrati∣ons as touchynge these landes vnknowen to them, Euen so the other parte which excluded the same as vnhabitable, are to bee conuinced leaste theyr autoritie beinge admitted, shuld

ingender opinions not agreeable or conuenient to the nature of places. Sigismundus Liberus, in his commentaries of Moscouia, wryteth thus. Scandia or Scondia, is no Iland (as sume haue thought) but parte of the continente or firme lande of Suetia, which by a longe tracte reacheth to Goth∣lande: And that nowe the kynge of Denmarke possesseth a great parte therof. But wheras the wryters of these thinges haue made Scondia greater then Suetia, & that the Gothes and Lumbardes came frome thense, they seeme in my opinion to comprehende these three kyngedomes as it were in one bo∣dy, only vnder the name of Scondia, forasmuch as then, that parte of lande that lyeth betwene the sea Balthrum (whiche floweth by the coastes of Finlandia) and the frosen sea, was vnknowen: And that by reason of so many marisshes, innu∣merable ryuers, and intemperatnesse of heauen, it is yet rude vncultured, and lyttle knowen. Which thynge hath byn the cause that summe iudged all that was cauled by the name of Scondia, to bee one great Ilande.

Notes

• Scone. is fayre in the duch toonge.
• The fertilitie of ••condia.
• he meaneth Diodorus Si¦culus.
• ••hinuasions of the Gothes
• ••ransiluania
• The Gothes and Lum∣bardes.