The 15 of March it was faire weather, the wind north. That day we opened our dore to goe out, but the cold rather increased then diminished, and was bitterer then before it had bin. The 16 of March it was faire cleare weather, but extreame cold with a north wind, which put vs to great extremity, for that we had almost taken our leaues of the cold, and then it began to come againe. The 17 of March it was faire cleare weather, with a north-wind, but stil very cold, wherby wee were wholy out of comfort to see and feele so great cold, and knew not what to thinke, for it was extreame cold. The 18 of March it was foule cold weather with good store of snow, the wind north-east, which shut vs vp in our house so that we could not get out. The 19 of March it was still foule and bitter cold weather, the wind north-east, the ice in the sea cleauing [1050] faster and thicker together, with great cracking and a hugh [1051] noyse, which we might easily heare in our house, but we delighted not much in hearing thereof. The 20 of March it was foule weather, bitter cold, and a north-east wind, then our wood began [by degrees] to consume, [1052] so that we were forced to take counsell together; [1053] for without wood we could not liue, and yet we began to be so weake that we could hardly endure the labour to fetch it. The 21 of March it was faire weather, but still very cold, the wind north. The same day the sunne entred into Aries in the equinoxciall lyne, and at noone we tooke the hight of the sunne and found it to be eleuated 14 degrees aboue the horizon, but for that the sun was in the middle lyne and of the like distance from both the tropiks, there was no declination, neither on the south nor north side; and so the 14 degrees aforesaid being substracted from ninty degrees, there rested 76 degrees for the hight of the Pole. [1054] The same day we made shooes of felt or rudg, [1055] which we drew vpon our feet, [1056] for we could not goe in our shooes by reason of the great cold, for the shooes on our feet were as hard as hornes; and then we fetcht a slead-ful of wood home to our house, with sore and extreame labour and with great extremity of cold, which we endured as if March [1057] went to bid vs fare-well. But [1058] our hope and comfort was that the cold could not still continue in that force, [1059] but that at length the strength thereof [1060] would be broken. The 22 of March it was cleere still weather, the wind north-east, but very cold; whereupon some of vs were of advice, seeing that the fetching of wood was so toylesome vnto vs, that euery day once we should make a fire of coales. The 23 of March it was very foule weather, with infernall bitter cold, [1061] the wind north-east, so that we were forced to make more fire as we had bin at other times, for then it was as cold as ever it had bin, and it froze very hard in the flore and vpon the wales of our house. [1062]