The present state of Denmark and reflections upon the ancient state thereof. Together with a particular account of the birth, education, martial atchievements and brave performances of His Royal Highness Prince George, only brother of His present Majesty of Denmark. / By G. Pierreville Gent. Secretary to the King's Minister at the Court of Denmark.

Of Iseland.

Iseland is an Isle in the Deucalidonian Seas, scituate under the Artick Circle, at 13 Degrees, and 30 min. of longitude, and 65 deg. and 44 min. of latitude; being bounded on the East with the Northern O∣cean; on the South with the Deucaledonian Sea; on the North and West, with the frozen Sea of Greeland.

The Discovery of this Island was first made by one Naddoc; who sayling near the Coasts of the Fero Islands, was by a storm forc'd upon the Northern parts of this Island, which by reason of the abundance of Snow, wherewith the Country was then covered, he called Sneeland. After that, it was a second time discovered by a Sweedish Marriner called Gardar, who called it Gar∣darsholm, after his own name, and finally discovered by one Flocco a Norwegian Py∣rate, who called it Iseland, from the vast quantities of Ice in it, and about it; being frozen continually for the space of eight months, and so vehemently chilled with the Northern winds, that it yieldeth neither Corn nor Trees, except Juniper only.

Ingulph a Norwegian Baron, is said to have brought the first Inhabitants into this Island, in the year 874. though there is reason to believe it was peopled before that time, & known too, by the English and Irish, it being acknowledged, that the Ancient Iselan∣ders, called the Irish Papey, and the Western part of their Isle, as most frequented by Irish Merchants Papey. Besides, there is still several remains and monuments of Idolatry in this Island, which show its ancient Inha∣bitants to have been Pagans, whereas the Danes and Norwegians at the time of their first setling there were Christians.

The modern Natives are for the most part plain and simple, living on what is gi∣ven them by nature, without the help of Art, more then that of making Cheese and Butter: the Mountains serving them for Towns, and the Rivers for Drink, and they quarter with their Horses and their Oxen under one and the same roof. As they do not stand in need of either Physick or Phy∣sician, so neither do they use any, their temperance in meat and drink, and the na∣turally strong constitution of their Bodies enabling many of them to attain to the age of 150 years, and more, Nay, Olaus Magnus affirms they commonly live to the age of three hundred years, and Blykenius

reports, that he saw a man in Iseland, who told him that he had then lived two hund∣red years.

Their habitations are for the most part of timber, roofed with slags or turfs, with a hole on the side of the roof to let in their light; though in their Cities of Hola and Shalholt, instead of Tiles, they make use of fir-boards. But in their Hurts scatter'd up and down the Country, the Iselanders and their Cattle have the same lodging for the poorer sort of the Inhabitants, being desti∣tute of Wood and Turf, and not able to pur∣chase fuel from abroad, are forced in the extremity of Winter to betake themselves to a corner of their Ox-stalls, and there borrow warmth from their Cattle.

The food of the Iselanders is upon Beef, Mutton, and the like, with most sorts of Foul, which they have in great abundance, the truth is, they have no variety of Sau∣ces, but the sharpness of the air furnisheth them with stomachs which need none. Fish they have great plenty of, and which dried, is indeed their only bread, and their Ling is so excellent, that even with us it is counted one of our greatest Dainties.

Their most common Drink is Whey, which is generally so good, that an ounce of it will very well bear half an Ounce of

Water. They have also a sort of Mead, made of Barley flower, and a Honey-comb boyled in Water, and another liquor squee∣zed out of a certain reddish Berry, pecu∣liar to this Isle. But though they have neither Ale, Bear, nor Wine, they can make a shift to be sumptuous, nay, profuse in their Revels and Banquets, for we read that Theodore, and Thorwald (Brethren and Citizens of Hialtedat in North Iseland) so∣lemnizing the Funerals of their Father Hialta, entertained twelve hundred Per∣sons for fourteen days together at a Ban∣quer; and at the departure of his Guests made 'em all presents, every one suitable to his quality; many more instances have they of the same kind.

They have little mony in Iseland, what they have is Danish, but that in very small quantity; bartering one Commodity for another, being their method of buying and selling, as it was of all other Nations in the Non-age of Commerce.

The principal Commodities of this Coun∣try are Whalebone, which they have in such abundance, that many of 'em make Houses of it, and the only Bridge in the Island is framed of the same matter, they also formerly exported vast quantities of Beef, Mutton, Butter and the like, and do

still, dryed Fish, and Brimstone, the great Veins whereof do feed and nourish the flames of Mount Heela, which is one of the greatest Vulcanoes in the Universe, it belches forth by fits such inundations of fire, as menace the whole Isle with a gene∣ral conflagration, vomiting not only flame & fiery Coals, but large torrents of water, which burn like Brandy, or Aqua-vitae. At other times it casts forth stupendious quantities of Cinders and pumice stones, insomuch that it darkneth the Sun. The West wind occasions its greatest outrages; so that when the wind blows moderately from that quarter, the People of the adja∣cent Plains, knowing the safest passages to the Mountain, crow'd up to the mouth of the furnace, where they find their Diver∣sion by throwing great stones into the flames, which return them with as great violence as a barrel of Gunpowder blows up the slates of a House. Whereby a man runs great danger in approaching the flames who is not perfectly acquainted with eve∣ry part of the mountain, for he not only runs the risque of being knocked on the head with some of those stones which fre∣quently comes to pass, but also the ground does surprizingly open, and the flames swallow up men alive. Of this and two

other Mountains in this Island called Helga and la Croix, more strange circumstances are related, than what are said of Aetna, many of the silly superstitious Inhabitants believing that underneath it is Hell, and the abode of the damned, & some do confidently report that they have frequently seen whole Herds of Devils throng into the mouth of the furnace with their Burthens of damn'd Souls, and having eas'd their shoulders, re∣turn for a new leading. Nay, they will con∣fidently pretend to know the very day that any Battle is fought in any part of the world, by observing the more than usual importation of Souls on such days. Ano∣ther place of Torments the Natives do i∣magine to be under the Rocks on the Sea Coasts, and the clashing of the Ice against the shoar, and banks, makes such a noise, as they take for the howling of the damn'd. There is also said to be a Foun∣tain in Iseland, which petrefies immediate∣ly whatever is thrown into it; so that if a man takes a long pole, and stick part of it into the bottom of the lake, that part of the staff which sticks in the Earth, will pre∣sently be turned into Iron, the middle into Stone, and the uppermost part remain Wood, which came not into the water, the same Authors write of another lake there

which sends forth such pestiferous exhala∣tions, as poyson the Birds which flie that way.

The modern language of Iseland, is the true old Danish Tongue, used in ancient inscriptions, and other monuments of Ru∣nick learning, which has been preserved Chast and pure to this day in Iseland, by reason of the little Commerce they have had with other Nations.

Iseland was formerly divided into four Provinces, called East, West, North, and South Iseland, from the four quarters of the World: Each of these Provinces was subdivided into three lesser Districts, except North Iseland, being larger, into four. E∣very Districk had in it three publick Courts of Judicature, and ten or more Ʋreppar, or Constable Wards, the Govern∣ment of the Isle was Aristocratical till the year 1260. when being brought under the Crown of Norway, it since followed the fortunes of it in all Changes of Church and State made subiect with it to the Kings of Denmark, together with it reformed in matters of Religion according to the Con∣fession at Augsbourg, retaining still their Bi∣shops with a limited power, and turning the Revenues of their eight Religious Houses of Pingore, Remestede, Modur, and Monke∣nire,

under the Government and jurisdicti∣ion of the Bishop of Halar; and those of Videy, Pernebar, Kirckebar, and Skiade, un∣der the Bishop of Schalholt unto other u∣ses, according to the will and pleasure of their Lords of Denmark.

But their Gods in the time of their Pa∣ganism, were, 1. Thor, who is said to have come out of Asia, with his Father Woden, and is answerable to Jupiter among the Romans, and gave name to our Thursday, in Iseland called Thorsday, and by the Ger∣mans Donderdag, that is, the Thunderers day, which signifies the same thing. 2. Wo∣den, or Oden; the Captain of the Asians, who first peopled these Northern Coun∣treys. From him the Iselanders call the fourth day of the week Odens dagur, and we Wednesday. Besides these two, we sometimes read of Freyer, one of Wodens Companions, and Friga, Wodens Spouse (whence our Fryday with several others of less note.) They have but two Cities, and those no better than our Ordinary Vil∣lages, yet the Seats of their two Bishops, the first is Hogin, the second is Shalholt, their other places of any note are Hatten∣fort, a Haven Town, where under ten•••• the Dutch Merchants barter their Com∣modities, and beside a Castle, the ordinary

Residence of the Governor for the Kings of Denmark.

As for their Court of Judicature, it is held once a year in a pleasant Plain in the middle of Iseland, where twelve men lear∣ned in the Laws of Iseland, having heard all the Plaintiffs and Defendants have to say, pronounce sentence, and decide the Controversies. And have power to deter∣mine all Civil Causes, and pronounce Con∣demnation as they think convenient against all Criminals. Such as receive sentence of Death, as Adulterers, Murderers, and Notorious Thieves, are beheaded; less Misdemeanors and Offences are marked in the Fore-head with an hot Iron.