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A50828
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The present state of Denmark. By Guy Miege, author of the New cosmography, or survey of the whole world.
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Miege, Guy, 1644-1718?
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1683
(1683)
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Wing M2024; ESTC R214182
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71,445
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167
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Germans called all Thieves Cimbers These Cimbri having left their Peninsule the Saxons Jutes and Angles took Possession of it And upon the Removal of these into Britain the greatest part of it was peopled by the Danes who dwelt in the Islands The Danes in general are of a good Stature clear of Complexion well coloured for the most part healthful and long lived Their Language is but a Dialect of the German Tongue From which it does however so differ that the Danes and Germans cannot understand one another unless they do first converse some time together As to their Inclinations they do not vary much therein from the Swedes and Germans Only they are look'd upon to be more crafty than the latter and more ambitious than the former The Women are fair courteous and good Houswives fruitful in bearing of Children and yet delivered of them with great difficulty For Men of Learning they have had Tyche Brahe that renowned Astronomer Hemingius a well known Divine Bartholinus a Physician and Philosopher of very good esteem John Cluverus the Historian c. For great Captains Gotricus or Godfrey who setled the Government of this Kingdom and indangered the great Monarchy of France Sueno and Canute the fortunate Conquerours of England Waldemar III. a right valiant Prince but unsuccessful in his Wars against the Hanse-Towns Christiern II. a great Commander but a cruel Prince Christiern IV. little inferiour to many of his Predecessors Amongst whom we may list Queen Margaret the Semiramis of these Northern Countries a Lady of a Masculine Spirit no less fortunate than daring in her Enterprises This Nation was converted to the Christian Faith in the time of King Harold about 650 years ago Till then it cannot be said that the Christian Religion was rooted here though I read of some Christian Kings before this as Eric and Froto both living in the ninth Century Neither was the Gospel so well fix'd in Harold's time but that the Danes relapsed still for the most part to their ancient Heathenism till they were finally regained by Pope Adrian the Fourth an Englishman In process of time the Popes of Rome would needs pretend some Power and Jurisdiction over them Which when they began to exercise with too much Authority King Waldemar III. the Father of Queen Margaret is said to have return'd this Answer Naturam habemus à Deo Regnum à Subditis Divitias à Parentibus Religionem à Romanâ Ecclesiâ quam si nobis invides renuntiamus per Praesentes That is to say We hold our Life from God our Crown from our Subjects our Riches from our Ancestors our Religion from the Church of Rome which Religion if you envy us we do here remit it by these Presents But this Renunciation though then threatned was not made till afterwards King Frederick I. was he that abolished the whole Mass of Popery using therein the Ministry of Bugenhage a Divine of Pomeren by whom the Danes were reformed according to the Doctrine of the Lutheran Churches And ever since they have continued in that state of Reformation wherein the Church of Denmark differs not much from the Church of England For as they have rejected several Errors and Abuses of the Church of Rome so they have still retained a settled and prescribed Liturgy for all their Churches most of the Holy-days observed in the former Ages the Cross in Baptism Kneeling at the Communion and many other practicable Ceremonies transmitted to us from the Primitive Church The main Point wherein they differ as Lutherans from all other Protestants is the Article of Consubstantiation whereby they believe that in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the Elements of Bread and Wine remain in Substance with the real Body and Blood of our Saviour after the Consecration Of the Danish Government THis Kingdom has been till of late Elective and not Hereditary whatever Heylin pretends to the contrary 'T is true the Danes have usually preferred the Royal Family and set the eldest Son on the Throne of his Father But because the House of Austria for example has hitherto injoy'd the Imperial Crown above 240 years successively I hope it do's not follow therefore that the Empire is not Elective 'T is well known that in Denmark after the death of Christopher the Crown was transferred to the House of Oldenburg who held it on no other ground but by that of Election And about 160 years ago was not King Christiern II. outed of his Estate and Frederick advanced unto it But Dr. Heylin eludes that by saying that such things have hapned in Estates that were clearly Hereditary and ought to make no Precedent and that Acts of Violence and Force are only justifi'd by the false Topick of Success When all is done 't is undeniable that the Crown of Denmark was formerly Elective if we consider that it was made in due form Hereditary no longer ago than the year 1660 in the Person of King Frederick Which hapned thus soon after the Treaty concluded that very year betwixt his Majesty and the now King of Sweden The Clergy and Commonalty had been always jealous of the great Power of the Nobility and more particularly during the War with Sweden They therefore being now armed especially the People and consequently capable of all things secretly combined together as well out of hate to the Nobles as out of gratitude to the King for his Fortitude in preserving of them to make him Hereditary Monarch of their Crown Their declared Reasons were that being his Majesty had undergone in his War with Sweden all imaginable Dangers and that he had with admirable Constancy and Magnanimmity demonstrated his affection and willingness in Conservation of his People and Kingdom they were of opinion that so great Benefits ought not to be let pass without the demonstration and some extraordinary Marks of their Gratitude Which could not be better expressed than by presenting the Crown to his Majesty's Line by Succession Wherein they were the more incouraged by the Example of a neighbouring Kingdom meaning that of Sweden where the same Thing had been done with good Success and notable Advantage to the People This Resolution being taken these two States appointed Deputy's to inform the Senators of their design and desired them to communicate it to the Nobles whom they acknowledged to be the first and most conspicuous Part of the Whole They farther wished them to cooperate in perswading them to a Compliance in this Point that they might all joyntly agree in so reasonable and plausible an Undertaking After great Deliberation they were answered that the Proposition was not so new but that several Discourses had been had about it heretofore and that very important Reasons had been produced Pro and Con in the matter But that the Nobility could not forbear complaining of the Informality used herein namely that a Business of so great weight should not only come abroad so secretly and without the least Communication but also positively be
come to the young ones that lye all still far enough from the Water The Slaughter being over they hale the dead Seals to the Water-side and tye them fast to the Rope wherewith those in the Boat pull them out of the Cave That being done the Men get out with their Boat or if the Waves be great the Boat and Men are also haled out In this manner they get sometimes half a hundred Seals in one Cave the old ones being twice as big as a Masty Dog They use their Skins for Shoes melt the Fat into Train-Oyl and eat the Flesh of them They have also a peculiar way to take Whales especially the small sort of them called Grind-Whales Which sometimes come in great Flocks under the Land in foggy Weather or with the Tide in a dark Night and running on the Lands ly dry when it is low Water So that when Folks come out in the Morning all their Business is to seize upon and hale them away But the best Sport is when the Inhabitants must drive them into their Creeks or Inlets to catch them For then the Country to be sure must run and be up in Arms. Presently they bring as many Boats together as they can and their Whale-spears with them They drive the Whale-flock before them with great noise and casting of Stones And if there be occasion the Boats divide themselves into two Squadrons the one lying below in the form of a half-moon to meet any Whale that would flee during the Slaughter the other advancing into the midst of the Flock and thrusting their Whales-spears into their Bodies On the Land side there are Folks lying in an Ambush till the Whales are come on Ground Then they wade as deep as they can and kill them with their Weapons Which is done with such Fury on both sides that the Water takes the Tincture of Blood and that does so blind the Whale that she cannot see to make her escape These Creatures as strong as they are make little or no Resistance but only plunge as well as they can before the Boats and People till Death comes upon them And then indeed they strike so terribly about with their Tails that sometimes they beat the Boats to pieces and the men are in great danger Some of these Whales get again loose from the Sands and carry the Boats a great way with them on their Backs striking them full of Water and sometimes overturning them But the Rear-Squadron of Boats drives them in again unless they do plunge and dive so long away under Water that they must let them go Here is also another sort of Whales called Doglings which is taken after an incredible manner But the Inhabitants dare not venture upon the great Whales such as the Roar and Witch-Whale In the Year 1664. there appeared says my Author a Whale-Dog that is a Sea Monster every way like a Dog which swum about the Whales between them and the Land It was says he of a grey colour hairy and had long Ears like an English rough Spaniel And in the Year 1670. there was seen West of Suderoe a Mermaid close by the Land during two hours and a half She stood upright above the Water having long Hair on her Head spread on the Water and holding a Fish in her hand with the Head downwards As for the People of Feroe they live along the Sea-side and dwell where it is lowest and most convenient for them to get to Sea with their Boats and ply their Fishing Which Places are scarce enough there being almost every where high Promontory's whence no Body can come down Their Houses are low built and on all sides well defended with thick Walls made of green Turf and Stones They have a great many Creeks Inlets and good Havens and amongst these Thorse-haven in Stromoe is the most considerable The Air being pretty wholsom and the Inhabitants using always one Diet here are usually found Folks that live to a great Age as 80 or 90 some 100 years and above My Author makes mention of one Erasmus who lived in Harold Sound in the Northern Islands This Man having got no Issue by his first Wife and desiring to leave an Heir of his Body marry'd again he being then about ninety Years old He marry'd a young Woman by whom he got five Children and he was 103 years old when he got the last Neither is the thing liable to Suspicion considering his Wife was a Woman of very good Repute and that would not impose upon him At last he died 110 years old Though this Country lies all upon the Sea yet it is so far from being troubled with Agues that some who had it and could not be quit of it in other Places lost it by coming hither without using any Medicine Neither are Children troubled here with the Small Pox except it be brought hither from Foreign Parts 'T is true this Country as well as others has its particular Discases In the Spring and after Harvest they are generally affected with a strong Rhume that makes them cough and spit and causes such an Head-ach and pain in the Limbs that many are bedrid with it and some dye of it Against this Sickness which doubtless proceeds from a cold and moist Air they drink sowr Whey as hot as they can suffer it This Sickness when they come off well does them a great deal of good purging as it does the Body of all Impurity contracted by the cold moisture of the Air which might cause otherwise more dangerous Discases They are also sometimes troubled with a Hot Sickness causing acute Pains in the Head and Distractions with Flux of the Belly which carries off a great many People The Scurvey is a Discase this People is also subject to who cure themselves usually with new Milk boiled with Scurvy-grass and sometimes with new Milk alone But Leprosy the next Kin to Scurvey is the worst and nastiest of all their Diseases Now Physicians reckon three sorts of Leprosie viz. Tyria Alopecia and Elephantiasis In the first the Patients Skin is soft with many Spots and white Warts thereon and sometimes it falls off in Shells Those that are infected with the second have a red Face and their Beards and Eye-brows fall off The third sort is that which the People of Feroe are troubled with And this is called Elephantiasis from the Elephant to whom they grow like in their Skin The Face and Limbs of almost all the Infected are full of blew Knobs that break out sometimes as boils which deforms them strangely They are hoarse besides and speak through their Noses This Sickness takes them most in the Spring and Fall and then many dye of it The same is caused as the Scurvy by the Rawness of the Air but especially by the wretched Diet of the poorer sort of People who eat Flesh and Fish half rotten and fresh Fish without any Salt Whereby the Blood being corrupted the Sickness gnaws it self a great while