_Of the Situation of_ Lapland. The true and exact situation of this Country the Antients seem not to have sufficiently discovered. _Saxo_ makes it bordering upon _Jamtia_, extending its self as far, or rather lying as it were between _Helsingia_ and _Finland_, when in these words he says _the Provinces of the_ Helsingi, Iarnberi, Iemti, _with both the_ Lappia’s, _as likewise_ Finnia _and_ Estia _paid annual tribute to one Domarus_. _Ericus Upsaliensis_ seems to make it a part of _Finland_, mistaking it for a certain part of that Kingdome so called, on the one side adjoining to _Swedland_, on the other to _Russia_, giving it a place between _Carelia_ and _Nylandia_. _Ol. Mag._ in his Table, and so his brother _Johan. Magnus_ in the Preface of his History, place it higher then the western _Bothnia_, making neighbours to it _Scrikfinnia_ furthest towards the North, and _Biarmia_ towards the East; though some[3] think there is no such place as _Scrikfinnia_, as it is certain there is none in those parts at this day called by that name. But yet we must not slightly pass over the unanimous opinion of so many learned men, especially _Saxo_, not a little knowing in the Northern affairs, who have all not barely named it, but have described the humours of the Inhabitants, their manners, habits and fashion of their governments, with other matters belonging to them. Instead of the _Scrickfinni_ or _Scricfinni_ of _Johan._ and _Ol. Magn._ I would rather read it _Scritofinni_; and as for _Skidfinni_ as _Adr. Buræ_ would have it, all the Antients, what ever else they differ in, will agree in this, that there must be an _R_ in the word. _Jornandez_ calls them _Scretfennæ_, _Paul. Warnefrid._ and _Diacon._ _Scritobini_ changing _f_ in _b_ (of which and some other things of the like nature I will treat in due time and place) _Adam Bremensis_ _Scritefiani_: and the Greeks agree in this writing, so that we ought not to doubt of the Latines. _Procopius_ will have them sometimes Σκριθιφίκους, other times Σκριθιφίνους. Besides ’tis manifest since the _Scritefinni_ are the same with the _Finni_, whose Etymology in their own language is from leaping,[4] by an art they have, by which with crooked pieces of wood under their feet like a bow they hunt wild beasts; they could not therefore take their name from _Skidh_, signifying the wooden shoes themselves, but from their leaping, _i. e._ swift running with them, which doubtless antiently was meant by _Skriida_, and which the Author cited by _Warnius_ in the 46 page of his Lexicon confirms, where he relates the form of an oath made by _Hafur_, that he would preserve the peace _Quamdiu Finnur skriidar_, _i. e._ as long as the _Finlanders_ continued their manner of leaping. As for the Etymology that is there given, that it signifies their wandring up and down, ’tis altogether false, for _Skridsko_ at this day denotes those wooden shoes which they run upon the ice with; neither doth _Skirida_ signify any thing