CHAP. VI. A Treatise of IVER BOTY a Gronlander, translated out of the Norsh Language into High Dutch, in the yeere 1560. And after out of High Dutch into Low Dutch, by WILLIAM BARENTSON of Amsterdam, who was chiefe Pilot aforesaid. The same Copie in High Dutch, is in the hands of IODOCVS HONDIVS, which I haue seene. And this was translated out of Low Dutch, by Master WILLIAM STERE, Marchant, in the yeere 1608. for the vse of me HENRIE [ 50] HVDSON. WILLIAM BARENTSONS Booke is in the hands of Master PETER PLANTIVS, who lent the same vnto me.

INprimis, it is reported by men of Wisedome and Vnderstanding borne in Gron∣land, That from Stad in Norway to the East part of Island, called Horn-nesse, is seuen dayes sayling right West.

Item, men shall know, that betweene Island and Gronland, lyeth a Riffe called Gombornse-skare.* There were they wont to haue there passage for Gronland. But [ 60] as they report there is Ice vpon the same Riffe, come out of the long North Bot∣tome, so that we cannot vse the same old Passage as they thinke.

Item, from Long-nesse on the East side of Island to the abouesaid Horn-nesse, is two dayes sayle to the Brimstone Mount.

Page  519Item, if you goe from Bergen in Norway, the course is right West, till you bee South of Roke∣nesse in Island: and distant from it thirteene miles, or leagues. And with this course you shall come vnder that high Land that lyeth in the East part of Groneland, and is called Swafster. A day before you come there, you shall haue sight of a high Mount, called Huit-sarke:* and betweene Whitsarke and Groneland, lyeth a Head-land called Hernoldus Hooke;* and thereby lyeth an Hauen, where the Norway Merchants Ships were wont to come: and it is called Sound Hauen.

Item, if a man will sayle from Island to Gronland, hee shall set his course to Snofnesse, which is by West Rokenesse thirteene miles, or leagues right West, one day and nights sayling, and after South-west to shun the Ice, that lyeth on Gombornse-skare; and after that one day and night [ 10] North-west. So shall hee with this course fall right with the abouesayd Swafster, which is high Land, vnder which lyeth the aforesayd Head-land, called Hornoldus Hooke, and the Sound Hauen.

Item, the Easter Dorpe of Groneland lyeth East from Hernoldus hooke, but neere it, and is cal∣led Skagen Ford, and is a great Village.*

Item, from Skagen Ford East, lyeth a Hauen called Beare Ford: it is not dwelt in. I• the mouth thereof lyeth a Riffe, so that great Ships cannot harbour in it.*

Item, there ir great abundance of Whales:* and there is a great Fishing for the killing of them there: but not without the Bishops consent, which keepeth the same for the benefit of the Ca∣thedrall Church. In the Hauen is a great Swalth: and when the Tide doth runne out,* all the [ 20] Whales doe runne into the sayd Swalth.

Item, East of Beare Ford, lyeth another Hauen c•lled Allabong Sound:* and it is at the mouth narrow, but farther in, very wide: The length whereof is such, that the end thereof is not yet knowne. There runneth no Streame. It lyeth full of little Iles.* Fowle and Oxen are there com∣mon: and it is playne Land on both sides, growne ouer with greene Grasse.

Item, East from the Icie Mountayne, lyeth an Hauen called Fendebother; so named,* because in Saint Olafes time there was a Ship cast away, as the speach hath beene in Groneland; In which Ship was drowned one of Saint Olafes men, with others: and those that were saued did burie those that were drowned, and on their Graues did set great stone Crosses, which wee see at this day.

[ 30] Item, somwhat more East toward the Icie Mountayne, lyeth a high Land, called Corse Hought,* vpon which they Hunt white Beares, but not wi•hout the Bishops leaue, for it belongeth to the Cathedrall Church. And from thence more Easterly, men see nothing but Ice and Snow, both by land and water.

Now wee shall returne againe to Hernoldus Hooke, where we first began to come to the first Towne that lyeth on the East side of Hernoldus Hooke, called Skagen Ford:* and so we will write the Names of all that lye on the West-side of the Ford or Sound.

Item, West from Hernoldus Hooke, lyeth a Dorpe called Kodosford, and it is well built: and as you sayle into the Sound, you shall see on the right hand a great Sea and a Marsh: and into this [ 40] Sea runneth a great streame: and by the Marsh and Sea standeth a great Church, on which the Holy Crosse is drawne, of colour white: it belongeth to E•elnesse de Hokesong, and the Land to Peters Wike.

Item, by Peters Wike, lyeth a great Dorpe called Wartsdale, by which lyeth a water or Sea of twelue miles or leagues ouer: in which is much Fish: And to Peters Wike Church belongeth Wartsdale Boy or Towne, and the Villages.

Item, neere this Boy or Towne, lyeth a Cloyster or Abbey, in which are Canons Regular, it is Dedicated to Saint Olafes, and Saint Augustines name. And to it belongeth all the Land to the Sea side, and toward the other side of the Cloyster.

Item, next Godosford, lyeth a Ford called Rompnes Ford: And there lyeth a Cloyster of Nuns of Saint Benedicts Order.

[ 50] Item, this Cloyster to the bottome of the Sea, and to Weg•• Kerke, was Dedicated to Saint O∣lafe the King. In this Ford lye many small Iles. And to this Cloyster belongeth halfe the Ford and the Church. In this Sound are many warme Waters. In the Winter they are intollerable hot: but in the Summer more moderate: and many Bathing in them are cured of many diseases.

Item, betweene R•mpn•• and the next Sound, lyeth a great Garden called Vose, belonging to the King. There is also a costly Church dedicated to Saint Nicolas. This Church had the King before this. Neere it lyeth a Sea of Fresh water, called, in which is great abundance of Fish, without number. And when there falleth much Rayne, that the Waters doe rise there∣with, and after fall againe, there remayneth vpon the Land much Fish drie.

Item, when you sayle out of Emestnes Ford, there lyeth an Inlet, called South-woders Wike: [ 60] and somewhat higher in the same Sound, and on the same side, lyeth little Cape called Bl•ming: and beyond that lyeth another Inwike called Gronwike, and aboue that lyeth a Garden called Daleth, which belongeth to the Cathedrall Church. And on the right hand as you sayle out of the same Sound, lyeth a great Wood, which pertayneth to the Church, where they feede all Page  520 their Cattell, as Oxen, Kine, and Horses: And to the Church pertayneth the Sound of Emest∣nes Ford. The high Land lying by Emestnes Ford, is called The Ramos hayth: So called, be∣cause that on those Hills doe runne many Roe Deere, or Reyne Deere, which they vse to Hunt, but not without the Bishops leaue.* And on this high Land is the best Stone in all Groneland. They make thereof Pots, because fire cannot hurt it. And they make of the same stone Fattes or Cisternes, that will hold ten or twelue Tunnes of water.

Item, West from this lyeth another high Land, called The long high Land: and by another cal∣led whereon are eight great Orchards,* all belonging to the Cathedrall Church. But the Tenths thereof they giue to Warsedall Church.

Item, next to this Sound lyeth another Sound called Swalster Ford, wherin standeth a Church [ 10] called Swalster. This Church belongeth to all this Sound, and to Romse Ford, lying next it. In this Sound is a great Garden belonging to the King, called Saint He•lestate.

Item, next to that lyeth Ericks Ford, and entring therein lyeth an high Land called Ericks Hought;* which pertayneth the one halfe to Deuers Kerke, and is the first Parish Church on Groneland, and lyeth on the left hand as you sayle into Ericks Ford: and Deuers Kerke belon∣geth all to Meydon Ford, which lyeth North-west from Ericks Ford.

Item, farther out then Ericks Ford, standeth a Church called Skogel Kerke, which belongeth to all Medford:* And farther in the Sound standeth a Church called Leaden Kerke. To this Church belongeth all thereabout to the Sea; and also on the other side as farre as Bousels. There lyeth also a great Orchard called Grote Lead, in which the Gusman (that is a chiefe or Bayliffe ouer the [ 20] Boores) doth well.

And farther out then Ericks Ford, lyeth a Ford or Sound called Fossa, which belongeth to the Cathedrall Church:* and the sayd Fossa Sound lyeth as men sayle out towards Ericks Ford; and to the North of it lye two Villages, the one called E•er-boy, and the other Forther-boy, because they lye so.

*Item, from thence farther North lyeth Breda Ford, and after that Lormont Ford from that West, and from Lormont Ford to the West is Ice Dorpe. All these are places built, and in them dwell people.

*Item, from the Easter builded Land to the Wester Dorpe, is twelue miles or leagues: and the rest is all waste land. In the Dorpe in the West standeth a Church, which in times past belonged [ 30] to the Cathedrall Church, and the Bishop did dwell there. But now the Skerlengers haue all the West Lands and Dorps. And there are now many Horses, Oxen, and Kine, but no people nei∣ther Christian nor Heathen; but they were all carryed away by the Enemie, the Skerlengers.

All this before Written was done by one Iuer Boty borne in Gronland, a principall man in the Bishops Court:* who dwelt there many yeeres, and saw and knew all these places. He was cho∣sen by the whole Land for Captayne, to goe with Ships to the West land, to driue away their Enemies the Skerlengers. But hee comming there, found no people neither Christian nor Hea∣then, but found there many Sheepe running being wilde, of which Sheepe they tooke with them as many as they could carrie, and with them returned to these Houses. This before named Indo Boty was himselfe with them.* [ 40]

To the North of the West Land, lyeth a great Wildernesse with Clifes or Rockes, called He∣mel Hatsfelt. Farther can no man sayle, because there lye many Swalgen or Whirle-pooles: and also for the Water and the Sea.

Item, in Groneland are many Siluer Hills, and many white Beares with red patches on their heads; and also white Hawkes, and all sorts of Fish, as in other Countries.

Item, there is Marble stone of all colours, also Zeuell stone or the Load stone, which the Fire cannot hurt, whereof they make many vessels, as Pots, and other great vessels.

Item, in Groneland runneth great streames, and there is much Snow and Ice: But it is not so cold, as it is in Island or Norway.

Item, there grow on the high Hills, Nuts and Acornes, which are as great as Apples, and good [ 50] to eate. There groweth also the best Wheate, that can grow in the whole Land.

This Sea Card was found in the Iles of Fero or farre, lying betweene Shot-la•t and Island, in an old reckoning Booke, written aboue one hundred yeeres agoe: out of which this was all taken.

*Item, Punnus and Potharse, haue inhabited Island certayne yeeres, and sometimes haue gone to Sea, and haue had their trade in Groneland. Also Punnus did giue the Islanders their Lawes, and caused them to bee written. Which Lawes doe continue to this day in Island, and are called by name Punnus Lawes.