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
Next vnto this is the greatest of all the Hethlands, an Iland called
the Maine, sixtie miles in length, and sixteene in bredth, full of
rocks, and whose coasts are onelie inhabited, the innermost parts
being left vnto the foules of the aire, bicause of the barrennesse and
vnfruitfulnesse of the soile: yet of late some haue indeuoured to
impeople it, but with no successe correspondent to their desire.
Wherefore they returned to their former trades, making their chéefe
commoditie and yearelie gaine by fish, as aforetime. Ten miles from
this toward the north, lieth the Zeale, twentie miles in length, eight
in bredth, and so wild that it will suffer no creature to liue
thereof, that is not bred therein. Betwéene this Iland also and the
Maine, are other smaller Ilands to be found, as the Ling, Orne, Big,
and Sanferre. And from hense nine miles northward Vsta, twentie miles
long, & six in bredth, plaine, pleasant, but inuironed with a swift
and terrible sea. Betwéene this also and the Zeale, are the Vie, the
Vre, and the Ling: also towards the west, the two Skeues, Chalseie,
Nordwade, Brase, and Mowse, on the west side lie the west Skeies,
Rottia, Papa the lesse, Wunned, Papa the more, Valla, Londra, Burra,
Haura the more, Haura the lesse, & in maner so manie holmes dispersed
heere and there, whereof I haue no notice. Some call these the
Shetland, and some the Shotland Iles. Buchanan nameth them in the
third member of his diuision Zelandine, and toward the end of his
first booke seemeth to auouch, that they liue in maner as doo the
inhabitants of the Orchades: although not in so ciuill wise, nor in
such large measure and aboundance of diet in their houses. He addeth
moreouer, that their apparrell is after the Germaine cut, comelie, but
not so chargeable and costlie, and how they raise their gaine by skins
of beasts, as marterns, sheepe, oxen, and gotes skins, and therevnto a
kind of cloth which they weaue, and sell to the merchants of Norwaie,
togither with their butter, fish, either salted or dried, and their
traine oile, and exercise their trade of fishing also in their
vncerteine skewes, which they fetch out of Norwaie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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