Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, CompleteHolinshed, Raphael
History
Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, Complete
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
In like sort they want venemous beasts, chéefelie such as doo delight
in hotter soile, and all kinds of ouglie creatures. Their ewes also
are so full of increase, that some doo vsuallie bring foorth two,
three, or foure lambes at once, whereby they account our anelings
(which are such as bring foorth but one at once) rather barren than to
be kept for anie gaine. As for wild and tame foules, they haue such
plentie of them, that the people there account them rather a burthen
to their soile, than a benefit to their tables: they haue also neat
and gotes, whereby they abound in white meat, as butter and cheese:
wherein, next vnto fish, the chéefe part of their sustenance dooth
consist. There is also a bishop of the Orchades, who hath his see in
Pomona the chéefe of all the Ilands, wherein also are two strong
castels, and such hath béene the superstition of the people here, that
there is almost no one of them, that hath not one church at the least
dedicated to the mother of Christ. Finallie, there is little vse of
physicke in these quarters, lesse store of éeles, and least of frogs.
As for the horsses that are bred amongst them, they are commonlie not
much greater than asses, and yet to labour and trauell, a man shall
find verie few else-where, able to come neere, much lesse to match
with them, in holding out their iournies. The seas about these Ilands
are verie tempestuous, not onelie through strong winds, and the
influences of the heauens and stars; but by the contrarie méetings and
workings of the west ocean, which rageth so vehementlie in the
streicts, that no vessell is able to passe in safetie amongst them.
Some of these Ilands also are so small and low, that all the
commoditie which is to be reaped by anie of them, is scarselie
sufficient to susteine one or two men: and some of them so barren and
full of rocks, that they are nothing else but mosse or bare shingle.
Wherefore onelie thirtéene of them are inhabited and made account of,
the rest being left vnto their sheepe and cattell. Of all these Ilands
also Pomona is the greatest, and therfore called the continent, which
conteineth thirtie miles in length, and is well replenished with
people: for it hath twelue parish churches, and one towne which the
Danes (sometime lords of that Iland) called Cracouia: but now it hight
[Sidenote: Kirkwa.]
Kirkwa. There are also two pretie holds, one belonging to the king,
the other to the bishop: and also a beautifull church, and much
building betweene the two holds, and about this church, which being
taken as it were for two townes, the one is called the kings and the
other the bishops towne. All the whole Iland is full of cliffes and
promontories, whereby no small number of baies and some hauens are
producted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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