The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 01Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 01
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
At the solstitium of winter, that there is no day (that is to say, no time,
wherein the Sunne is seene aboue the horizon) we confesse to be true onely
in that angle of Island (if there be any such angle) where the pole is
eleuated full 67. degrees. But at Holen (which is the bishops seat for the
North part of Island, and lieth in a most deepe valley) the latitude is
about 65. degrees and 44. minutes, as I am enformed by the reuerend father,
Gudbrand, bishop of that place: and yet there, the shortest day in all the
yere is at least two houres long, and in South-Island longer, as it
appeareth by the tables of Mathematicians. [Sidenote: Island is not within
the circle arctic.] Heerehence it is manifest, first that Island is not
situate beyond the arctic circle: [Footnote: This is true, except for the
very small portion of Iceland round about Cape North.] secondly, that in
Island there are not wanting in Summer solstitium many nights, nor in
Winter solstitium many dayes.
SECTIO TERTIA.
[Sidenote: Musterus Saxo.] Nomen habet à glacie quæ illi perpetuo ad Boream
adheret Item. A latere Occidentali Noruagiæ Insula, quæ Glacialis
dicitur, magno circumfusa Oceano repentur, obsoletæ admodum habitationis
tellus, &c. Item, Hæc est Thyle, nulli veterum non celebrata.
Nomen habet à glacie) Tria nomina consequenter sortita est Islandia.
[Sidenote: Snelandia.] Nam qui omnium primus eius inuentor fuisse creditur
Naddocus genere Noruagus, cum versus insulas Farenses nauigaret tempestate
valida, ad littora Islandiæ Orientalis fortè appulit: vbi cum fuisset
aliquot septimanas cum socijs commoratus, animaduertit immodicam niuium
copiam, montium quorundam cacumina obtegentem, atque ideò à niue nomen
Insulæ Snelandia indidit. Hunc secutus alter, Gardarus, fama quam de
Islandia Naddocus attulerat impulsus, Insulam quæsitum abijt, reperit, &
nomen de suo nomine Gardarsholme id est, Gardars Insula imposuit. Quin &
plures nouam terram visendi cupido incessit: nam & post illos duos adhuc
tertius quidam Noruagus (Floki nomen habuit) contulit se in Islandiam,
illique à glacie qua viderat ipsam cingi nomen fecit.
Obsoletæ admodum) Ego ex istis verbis Saxonis hanc sententiam nequaquam
eruo, vt quidam, quòd inde ab initio habitatam esse Islandiam, seu vt verbo
dicam, Islandos autocthonas dicat, cum constet vix ante annos 718. incoli
coeptam.
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