The following truthful bit of Scandinavian history well illustrates the influence of habits of frugality upon national character: "The Danes were approaching, and one of the Swedish bishops asked how many men the province of Dalarna could furnish. "'At least twenty thousand,' was the reply; 'for the old men are just as strong and brave as the young ones.' "'But what do they live upon?' "'Upon bread and water. They take little account of hunger and thirst, and when corn is lacking, they make their bread out of tree bark.' "'Nay,' said the bishop, 'a people who eat tree bark and drink water, the devil himself could not vanquish!' and neither were they vanquished. Their progress was one series of triumphs, till they placed Gustavus Vasa on the throne of Sweden." The word _biscuit_ embodies the process by which this form of bread was made from time immemorial down to within the last century. _Bis_ (twice), and _coctus_ (cooked), show that they were twice baked. Fragments of unfermented bread were discovered in the Swiss lake-dwellings, which belong to the Neolithic age. Fermented bread is seldom seen in Northern Europe and Asia except among the rich or the nobility. At one time, the captain of an English vessel requested a baker of Gottenburg to bake a large quantity of loaves of raised bread. The baker refused to undertake an order of such magnitude, saying it would be quite impossible to dispose of so much, until the captain agreed to take and pay for it all.