Geographia universalis: the present state of the whole world: giving an account of the several religions, customs, and riches of each people; the strength and government of each polity and state; the curious and most remarkable things in every region; with other particulars necessary to the understanding history and the interests of princes. Written originally by the Sieur Duval, Geographer in Ordinary to the French King; and made English, and enlarged by Ferrand Spence.

Of Sueden.

THe Monarchy of Sueden is the most anci∣ent of Europe, if it be true that it has had above a hundred and fifty Kings; and that the first of 'em was the Son of Japhet, one of the Sons of Noah. Upon this foundation perhaps it was, that in the Council of Basle, a Bish∣op of Sueden demanded of the Presidents of the Assembly, the Precedence for his King over other Christian Princes. The most authentick Historians begin the enumera∣tion of the Kings of Sueden at Biorno, who was Crowned towards the year eight hundred; and shew, that the Kingdome was Elective til the Reign of Gustavus de Vaga, who ren∣dred it Hereditary in his Family in the year 1544. and who at the same time abolished there the Roman Catholick Religion to follow the Sect of Luther. This pretext of Religion did likewise very much serve his Son Charles the 9th. called of Sudermania, when he deprived his Nephew Sigismond of the Crown, who had been Elected King of Poland the third of that name; and whose Successors un∣to Casimir the third, did keep the Title of Sueden. The King of Sueden stiles himself King of the Suedes, of the Goths and Vandals, Great Prince of Finland, Duke of Schonen, Estonia, Livonia, Carelia, Bremen, Verden, Stein, Pomerania, Gassubia, Vandalia, Prince, and Lord of Ingria. He bears in his Arms three Crowns, which sometimes have been Conte∣sted with him by the Kings of Denmark; the

present King is Charles the 11th. of the Palatine, House of Deux Ponts, or Twee-brugge. The Goths and Vandales are noted in History for their Conquests; the modern Suedes for the Valour of their late Kings, and for their ac∣quisitions over their Neighbours, which render 'em very Potent on the Baltick Sea; where they have more Coasts than all the Princes to∣gether who confine upon it.

The Peace of Bromsbroo in the year 1645. obliges the King of Denmark to restore Jemp∣terland and Herendal to Sueden; to yield to it the Isles of Gotland and of Oeland to perpetuity, with the Province of Halland for thirty years.

The Peace of Rotschil in the year 1658. does entirely cede to Sueden, Halland, Schonen, wherein Landscroon is become a very conside∣rable Town, Bleking, wherein is the new Port of Carlscroon, the Isle of Bornholme, which is since returned to Denmark by the exchange of other Lands, the Fortress of Bahus, and the Bayliwick of Dronthem.

That of Copenhagen in the year 1660. con∣firms the Treaty of Roschild with reserve of the Bayliwick of Drontheim, and purchases the Isle of Ween.

The acquisitions of Sueden over the Empire by the Peace of Osnabrug are, the Dutchy of Pomerania Citerior: and in the Ulterior Stetin, Gartz, Dam, Golnau. The Isle and Princi∣pality of Rugen; the Isles and the Mouths of the Oder; the Dutchies of Bremen and of Ver∣den; the City, the Seigniory and the Port of Wismar; Wildhusen in Westphalia; certain Customs in the Rest of Pomerania, and in the new Marquisate of Brandenbourg. The

War declared in the year 1675, by the King of Denmark, and several Princes of the Em∣pire, deprived Sueden of many of these acqui∣sitions; which it was restored to by the Peace of Nimeguen in the year 1679.

The Treaty of Oliva in the year 1660. was so advantageous to Sueden, that the King of Poland did there make renunciation of the Title of King of Sueden for the future, re∣serving only to himself the Title during his life to other Princes; and likewise consented that Lifeland should henceforward be Hereditary to the Crown of Sueden. This is to be un∣derstood of Lifeland on the North of the Duna, where the only place of Dunembourg was reserved to the Crown of Poland, con∣formable to the Truce made at Stumsdorf for twenty six years, in the year 1635.

The Peace with the Muscovites procured restitution to Sueden of all the Grand Duke or Zar had taken in Lifeland.

The King of Sueden has lately very much augmented his Revenue, by the re-union to his Demesne of several Lands which had been Alienated from it. He pretends to the Suc∣cession of Gleves, and of Juliers, by the means of his great Grandfather John, Duke of Deux-Ponts, who married Magdelain the third Sister of the Duke of John William.

In the States of the Kingdom the Peasants make a Body, as well as the other Orders.

Sueden possesses part of Scandinavia, which is the best of it, as being towards the East. The Cold is somewhat long in this Country, often very sharp; to provide themselves against it, the Inhabitants do not make use of Furres

as they do in Germany: they have only Night-Caps, Gloves of Wool, Waist-Coats, and make great Fires of the Fewel they have plenty of. They have so few sick People in their Countrey, that the Physitians and Apotheca∣ries have hardly practice among 'em, whereas Barbers are there in great request. The Mini∣sters and Officers of Justice do there keep Inns. The Inhabitants of this Province are all equally rich; their greatest Revenues consist in Mines of Copper, from whence most of the Europe∣ans are furnish'd wherewith to make money, their Canons, and their Bells. The City of Stockholme alone has in its Castle above a hun∣dred pieces of great Artillery; and there are held to be above eight Thousand in the King∣dom. In the review of the Militia which was made in the year 1661. there were reckoned above Fourscore Thousand Men in Arms.

This Countrey, being full of Woods and Mountains, affords very little Corn; in time of scarcity, the Poor eat often very bad Bread. It furnishes Butter, Suet, Hides, Skins, Pitch, Rosin, Masts, Posts and Planks. The Towns are subject to Fire, the Houses being only built of Wood. The Lakes and Gulphs are there more considerable than the Rivers. Trade be∣ing only drove upon the Coasts; neither dare the Ships venture upon that without a Pylot, by reason of the number of Rockswith which it is beset. The Ice is here so strong and firm in Winter, that when it is but two Inches thick, it is said to be able to bear a Man on Foot: Waggons go on it with safety when it is half a foot thick. The Snow does there afford the means of travelling in Sledges. The Horses

in this Countrey are proper for War; they are very easily reared and rarely sick; they see as well almost by night as by day, they carry their man swimming, with ease they leap great Ditches; they have so much courage and agility, that they attack with their Feet and Teeth the Enemies of those who mount them.

Six great Regions are principally known un∣der the name of Sueden; Gotia, Sueden, Lap∣land, Finland, Ingria, Lifeland; the three former towards the West, the three other to∣wards the East, the Gulph of Finland between both, and besides these the modern acquisitions before specified.

Gotia is divided into Ostro-Gotia and Westro-Gotia, this last towards the Ocean, the former upon the Baltick Sea. According to the like division, the Goths who subdued Italy, were called Ostro-Goths, and those who rendred themselves Masters of Spain, Visi-Goths. Calmar is a strong Town, and the place where the Suedes until now, did embark for Germany. Its Cittadel was esteemed in the Northern Countreys as much as that of Milan in Italy; Norkoping has works and forges of Copper which afford the Europeans the conveniency of coming to load Cannon there. Lindkoping the Coun∣trey of the Historian Olaus-Magnus is remark∣able for the Victory of Charles of Sudermania, since King of Sueden. There be several Cities in these parts whose names be thus terminated in Koping, which signifies the places where the market is kept. Gottembourg a new Town, and has its Sea-Port upon the Ocean.

Sueden properly taken communicates its name to the other Provinces of this State. Stockholme is the Capital City of all the Kingdom, accompanied with a Royal Castle and a Sea-Port at the disgorging of the Lake of Meler, whereof was formerly the conjunction proposed with that of Wener, for the commu∣nicating the Ocean and Baltick Seas, and thus be exempted from the passage of the Sound. This Town is now better built, and much richer than it was before the War of the Suedes in Germany. In the year 1641. they began to make the Streets in Right Lines, and to build their Houses of one and the same Structure. It is a safe Harbour for Ships, which may ride there in security without Anchor. There be three Channels which lead thither between several Isles and Rocks. The Kings Ships remain at Elsnappen. The Country round about is beau∣tify'd with several fine Houses, which the Sove∣raigns and most of the Senators have caus'd to be built. Upsal, accompanied with a great Castle, is the Metropolitan, and formerly the place of the Coronation of their Kings, whose abode it formerly was. When in Sueden were several Kingdoms, that of Upsal was ever the most considerable of 'em This City has an Uni∣versity, and the most renowned Fairs of all those parts. Its principall Church was a stately Building and is said to have been embelish'd and wainsco∣ted with Gold, now it is covered with Copper.

Lapland has no Towns, only some Habita∣tions divided into five Countries, which bear the name of their Rivers. The Laplanders are very low of Stature, the tallest among them not exceeding four Foot in height. They have no

other Cloaths than of Skins; and when they are young, they are so hardned to the cold, that they afterwards undergo it with ease, when without habilliments. They have nei∣ther Wool, nor Flax, nor Hemp; they have blades of Copper which they call Cipons, which they exchange for what they stand in need of: they have neither Bread, nor Corn, nor Fruits, nor Herbs, nor Wines, nor Beer, nor Cattle, nor Eggs, nor Milk, nor any other Commodity; but they do not want Water: and they have Rain-Deers; which are a kind of a Stag extraor∣dinary swift, whose flesh is their Food: and whom they also make use of in their Travels. The great and swift Journies they go by their means, having given occasion to the believing them Witches. But to proceed, there is one part of Lapland belonging to the Crown of Denmark, and another to the Muscovite. Mount Enarby has three Lodges for the De∣puties of the three Nations, and there the Suedes administer Instice.

Finland is a Dutchy which some Kings of Sueden have given for Appanage for their Brothers. The principal Towns are Abbo and Nibourg. There is in this Province a place near Ratzebourg, where Needles toucht with the Loadstone are said to turn continually.

Ingria was taken from the Muscovites by a Treaty in the Year 1617. It is small, but considerable for the hunting of Elks and for the Scituation of the Fortress of Notebourg in the midst of a great River, and at the dis∣gorging of the Lake Ladoga. This Fortress was taken miraculously by the Suede, all the Muscovite Garrison, except two Persons, ha∣ving

been swept away by a Disease which took them in the Mouth, and hindred them from eating.

Lifeland was ceded entirely by Poland, as we have said, except Dunembourg. It was formerly the order of the Knights Sword-Bearers; but under Pope Gregory the 9th this Order was united to that of the Teutons, or Cross-Bearers. The Polanders and Muscovites had it afterwards in possession. The Dutchy of Courland, has its Duke of the Family of Ketler, who does Homage to Poland. It is a remnant of the great Mastership of the above mentioned order. Riga is the Capital Town of Lifeland. The Germans, English and Hol∣landers, trade much to that Town in Summer-time, while the Sea is navigable. In the Win∣ter its Inhabitants traffick into Muscovy by means of their t••aineaux. It is in a Plain upon the River de Dune, which in that place is a quarter of a League in breadth: Its Fortifi∣cations consist in six regular Bastions, in seve∣ral half Moons freezed, and in Counterscarps pallisadoed. The Dune has so rapid a Stream and often whirles along so much Ice, that it sometimes changes its course from Riga as far as Dunemund. In the Year 1656. I saw an Ar∣my of an hundred thousand Muscovites wast and moulder away before that Town, which glori∣ously repulsed their efforts. Revel has the Dire∣ction of the Commerce from Lifeland unto Muscovy. Nerva is a strong place which bestows its Name upon a neighbouring River, wherein the brave Pontus de la Gardie was drowned, after Sueden was obliged to him for many of its best Conquests. By the late Treaties between

the Crowns of Sueden and of Poland, the ex∣ercise of both the Catholique and Protestant Religion is allowed of in Lifeland, as well as in Curland and Prussia.

The Isle of Gotland, the greatest of the Isles of the Baltick Sea, accompanied with five or six Havens, belongs to the Crown of Sueden. Several of its Rocks have ancient Gothick Cha∣racters. Its City of Wisby still preserves Marbles and Houses which have Doors of Iron and Brass, either washt with Silver, or guilt with Gold; which speaks its ancient Grandure. This Town did formerly establish Laws for the Navigation of the Baltick Sea, and gave beginning to Sea Maps.