The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
[Sidenote: The Islands Orcades, or Orkney.] Vpon which considerations, the
day and yeere before expressed, we departed from Blacke Wall to Harwich,
where making an accomplishment of things necessary, the last of May we
hoised vp sailes, and with a merrie winde the 7. of Iune we arriued at the
Islands called Orcades, or vulgarly Orkney, being in number 30. subiect and
adiacent to Scotland where we made prouision of fresh water; in the doing
wherof our Generall licensed the Gentlemen and souldiers for their
recreation to go on shore. [Sidenote: The Orcadians upon smal occasion flee
their home.] At our landing, the people fled from their poore cottages,
with shrikes and alarms, to warne their neighbours of enemies, but by
gentle perswasions we reclamed them to their houses. It seemeth they are
often frighted with Pirats, or some other enemies, that mooue them to such
sudden feare. Their houses are very simply builded with Pibble stone,
without any chimneis, the fire being made in the middest thereof. The good
man, wife, children, and other of their family eate and sleepe on the one
side of the house, and the cattell on the other, very beastly and rudely,
in respect of ciuilitie. [Sidenote: No wood in Orkney.] They are destitute
of wood, their fire is turffes, and Cowshards. They haue corne, bigge, and
oates, with which they pay their Kings rent, to the maintenance of his
house. They take great quantitie of fish, which they dry in the wind and
Sunne. They dresse their meat very filthily, and eate it without salt.
Their apparell is after the rudest sort of Scotland. Their money is all
base. Their Church and religion is reformed according to the Scots.
[Sidenote: Fisher men of England haue daily traffique to Orkney.] The
fisher men of England can better declare the dispositions of those people
then I: wherefore I remit other their vsages to their reports, as yeerely
repaires thither, in their course to and from Island for fish.
[Sidenote: In Iune and Iuly no night in those West and Northwest regions.]
We departed herehence the 8. of Iune, and followed our course betweene West
and Northwest, vntill the 4. of Iuly: all which time we had no night, but
that easily, and without any impediment we had when we were so disposed,
the fruition of our bookes, and other pleasures to passe away the time: a
thing of no small moment, to such as wander in vnknowen seas, and long
nauigations, especially, when both the winds and raging surges do passe
their common and wonted course. This benefite endureth in those parts not
6. weekes, while the sunne is neere the Tropike of Cancer: but where the
pole is raised to 70. or 80. degrees, it continueth much longer.
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