Black Sea for fear of the guard which is always kept by the Turks in the ancient ruines which they call Aslan-Korodick Tawan is the greatest and easiest passage of the Tartars the river not being above five hundred paces broad being all in one channel The last pass and at the mouth of the Nieper is Oczacow where the river is three miles broad yet both the Tartars and others pass it frequently in this manner they furnish themselves with flat-bottom'd boats at the stern whereof they fasten across poles of a good length upon which they tye the heads of their horses as many on the one side as the other to balance them they put their baggage in the boat and row it over and with it the horses The Turks pass'd over in this manner forty thousand horse when the Grand Seignior sent to besiege Azak or Azow at the mouth of Don in the year 1643 which the Donski Cosacks had taken from him the year before Oucze Sauram or Nowe Koniecpolsky is the lowest habitation the Polacks have towards Oczacow which was begun to be built in the year 1634. Oczacow call'd by the Turks Dziancrimenda is the place where the Turkish galleys lye to keep the entrance into the Black Sea there is no port but good anchorage the Castle is well fortified the Town not so well there are in it about two thousand inhabitants Below that is a platform with good ordnance to guard the mouth of the river About three miles below Oczacow is an haven called Berezan upon a river called Anczakrick it is sufficiently deep for galleys Southward of that are two Lakes Jesero Teligol and Kuialik both of them so abundant in fish that the water having no exit stinks of them yet they come above an hundred and fifty miles to fish there Bielogrod is about three miles from the Sea upon the river Niester anciently called Tyras by the Turks Kierman This Town is under the Turk as is also Killa well fortified with a counterscarp the Castle is above the Town upon the Danow opposite to it on the other bank of the Danow is Kiha where are seen divers ancient ruines Betwixt Bielogrod and Killa are the plains of Budziack where the rebel or banditi Tartars refuge themselves who acknowledg no superior either Turk or Cham they are always watching upon the confines of Poland to catch what Christians they can and sell them to the Turks of these we have spoken before There are also many Turkish villages along the south-bank of the Niester but all the country betwixt that and the Danow as also betwixt that and the Nieper are desarts and are inhabitated by those Tartars who there pasture their flocks of whom we have spoken already Such also was the Vkrain till of late that the industry of the late Kings of Poland and the valour of the Cosacks has render'd it as fruitful as it was before desart We may judg of it by what Monsieur Beauplan saith that in seventeen years that he lived in that country himself laid the foundations of above fifty colonies which in a few year sprouted into above a thousand villages But being so lately planted the Reader cannot expect we should have much to inform him Yet it is not amiss to give some account of animals which are almost proper to this country They have a beast which they call Bobac Anim. not much unlike a Guiny-pig they make holes in the earth whereinto they enter in October and come not abroad till April within they have many little apartments disposing severally their provision their dead their lodging c. eight or nine families live together as in a City each having his particular habitation They are easily tamed and are very gamesome in an house When they go to make their provision they set a sentinel who as soon as he spies any one gives a signal by making a noise and they all haste to their caves many more things are spoken of these little creatures as that they have slaves and punishments c. Sounaky a kind of goat is desired for his beautiful sattin-like fur and white shining smooth delicate horns He hath no bone in his nose and cannot feed except he go backward Thy have many wild horses but of no value only for their flesh which they sell in the markets and think it better then Beef or Veal When these horses come to be old their hoofs so straiten their feet being never pared that they can hardly go as if that beast was so made for mans use that without his care he was unprofitable NOVISSIMA POLONIAE REGNI Descriptio Nobiliss tam dignitate â—…ueris quan Meritis ac Patriam Honoratiis Viro D. no NICOLAO PAHL in celeberrimo Maris Balthici emporio Vrbe GEDANENSI Praeconsuli vicepraesidi bonarum artium Patrono ac fautori observantiae ergò D. D. D. IOANNES IANSSONIVS POLAND POLONIA or Poland call'd by the Natives Polska takes its name as some conjecture from Pole which in the Slavonian language here commonly spoken signifies a plain and champain Country such as this Kingdom for the most part consists of Others suppose that the inhabitants from their first Captain Lechus or Lachus being called Po-lachi that is the posterity of Lachus and by corruption Polani and Poloni imparted their name to their country And in favour of this opinion it may be urged that they call themselves Polacci the Italians Polacchi the Russians Greeks and Tartars call them Lachi and Lechitae the Hungarians Lengel probably for Lechel the same with Po-lachi But Hartknoch finding the Bulanes placed by Ptolomy among the ancient inhabitants of Sarmatia and observing the Poloni to be call'd Bolani and Bolanii by the German writers thinks he hath made the fairest discovery of the original of the word Nevertheless Cromerus affirms that the present name either of the country or people hath not been in use above nine hundred years Certainly in the time of Alfred King of England about the year 880 this Country was called Weonodland and before that by the Romans generally Sarmatia as being the best known part of that great Country Only that branch of Poland which lies on the west-side of the Weissel belonged to old Germany and as Ptolomy acquaints us was inhabited by the Aelvaeones the Luti Omanni Longi Diduni and Luti Buri with other German Colonies By some writers the same is assigned to Vandalia and the Vistula called Vandalus having been for a time in the possession of the Vandals The people of Poland are the undoubted off-spring of the Slavi Slavini or Slavonians seated in Justinians time as Jornandes relates on the north-side of the Carpathian mountains from the fountain of the Weisel to the Niester and thence extending themselves westward to the Danube and eastward to the Euxin Sea from which parts they then made innundations into the Roman Empire In their first expeditions they were joined with the Antae and Vinidae or Venedi or rather in
mony they presently begun to set up Mints and Coin peices of their own which they did so accurately that most Nations have granted that the art of coining was here first brought to perfection Whence the Learned Sr. Henry Spelman thinks our English word Sterling came from the Easterlings who coming out of Prussia first taught the art of refining and coining purer silver in England then before their coming had been made use of The species of mony currant at this day in Prussia are these 1. A Schilling which contains six pence or Pfennings none of which are now in use in single peices 2. A Gross which consists of three Schillings Twenty of these Grosses make 3. A Mark. 4. A Gulder is made of thirty Grosses 5. A Dollar or Thaler is worth three Gulders Two Dollars make 6. A Ducate valued at nine shillings English These are the most ordinary and proper Coins of Prussia though Swedish and Danish mony is currant too Some of the late Prussian writers will have the word Schilling fetch its name from one Bernhard Schilling who first stamp'd this kind of Coin But this fancy is confuted by Schottelius who nevertheless is himself baffel'd in the Etymology of the word The Gross had its name given it because 't was the greatest peice of mony made use of in the infancy of coinage The lower Saxons changing according to their manner the high Dutch s into t call it a Grott whence we have our word Great A Mark was formerly no peculiar piece of Coin but a certain weight of mony worth thirty six of the Marks now used in Prussia So that it had not this name as Loccenius guesses from the German word Mark because 't was marked or stamped with some particular Coin but was only used in that Country in reckoning of mony as we count by pounds and marks and the French by Livres though neither of us have any piece of mony of that value Gulder signifies no more then a peice of Gold Coin A Dollar or Thaler as the Dutch write it has its name from the German Thal a valley or dale because first coined at the Mines in Joachim's-dale in the year 1517 whence for a while instead of the word Thalerus they used Joachimicus for a Dollar The worth and value of every one of these are almost yearly changed by the continual allays of brass and copper mixt with silver and other intrigues of state That the Venedi the first inhabitants of some parts of Prussia spoke the Slavonian tongue Language is beyond all controversy After them the Goths brought in a dialect of the Celtick little differing from the German tongue but this wrought little change among the Prussians who till the arrival of the Teutonick order spoke as they do still in many places a language fundamentally the same with what the Russians Polonians and Lithuanians now use Grunovius indeed a Prussian born is of another opinion because the Polanders do not at all understand a Preusner and the Lithuanians very little But how invalid this argument is any one may perceive who shall consider with what difficulty an Austrian Lunenburger and Fleming and how much more a Dane German and Englishman would discourse together A mixture of the Slavonian and German tongues and a revolution of perhaps two thousand years must needs alter the Prussian language considerably from what it was at first What time Prussia Religion with the adjoyning Countries began to leave off their Idolatrous worship and to be converted to Christianity is hard to discover Stanislaus Lubienscius Bishop of Plockzo thinks Andrew the Apostle first planted the Gospel in these Northern Climates Others more punctual in the story tell us That the same Apostle sayl'd out of Greece by the Euxine Sea and coming up the Boristhenes or Dnieper landed at Kiow then the Metropolis of Russia whence he went forward baptizing and converting the Heathens as far as the Baltick Sea Some upon as shallow ground as the former will have St. Bartholomew and St. Thaddaeus first preachers in Prussia However all agree in this That towards the latter end of the tenth Century St. Adalbert or Albert Bishop of Prague in Bohemia and say the Polish writers afterwards Archbishop of Gnesna came through Poland into Prussia where he either first planted or restor'd Christianity But the Heathenish Priests perceiving innovation of religion inconsistent with their interest made the people so incensed against St. Adalbert that they slew him barbarously at Fischhausen in Sambland in the year 997. Upon this Boleslaus the first King of Poland enters Prussia with a great army and brought the inhabitants to these conditions of peace That they should pay tribute to Poland and embrace the Christian religion And to prevent for the future all relapse into Idolatry and superstition he burnt up the great Oak at Romanove the temple of three of their superior Gods But no sooner had he left them then they forsook Christianity and return'd to their Idols After him three of his successours of the same name did several times reduce them to Christianity and homage to the Crown of Poland But all in vain For at the first opportunity they were sure to throw of both yokes In the beginning of the thirteenth Century the Polish Nobility having rent that Kingdome in pieces neglected the conversion of the Prussians for a while However about the year 1215 Christianus a Cistertian Monk was very busy in confirming them in the principles they had received and to that end by the Pope's command took upon him the authority of a Bishop But finding his own power insignificant he was quickly forced to beg the assistance of Conrade Duke of Masovia This expedient also proved unsuccessful For the Knights of Dobrin whom the Duke had opposed to the fury of the Prussians making incursions into Masovia were all vanquished and slain by the Idolaters When all these expedients prov'd unsucccessful the Christians begun to consider of some other means of converting the Prussians since no fair usage would work upon such a stubborn people as they found these were they pitcht upon the Knights of the Teutonick Order famous at that time all Christendom over as most likely either to perswade or force them into Christianity Conrade Duke of Masovia pleased with these proposals immediately dispatches letters to the Master of the Order profering him the land of Culm and auxiliary forces in case he should meet with any opposition Upon this in the year 1226 Herman de Salza fourth Master of the Teutonic Order forthwith sends Herman de Balke one of his Knights among the Prussians with the title of Superintendent afterwards changed into Provincial of Prussia But so vigorously did the Heathens oppose these undertakings that it was fifty three years before they could be brought to renounce their Idolatry After Christianity began to take root among them several Bishopricks and Monasteries were founded Notwithstanding all which many Heathenish Cities were winked
Knights of the Teutonick Order had made their Master in the year 1525 it was agreed upon That the Teutonick Order should be wholly extirpated and that part of Prussia which to this day is called Ducal Prussia should be govern'd by the said Marquess with the title of Duke of Prussia and the rest or Regal Prussia remain still subject to the King of Poland But with this proviso That the Duke should always pay homage to the Crown of Poland and as a member of that Kingdom be President of the Kings Council Lastly John Casimir the late King of Poland granted first in the year 1657 and again 1663 full and absolute power and dominion over Ducal Prussia to the present Elector of Brandenburgh on this condition That the Dukedome upon defect of male issue should return to the Kings of Poland as supreme Landlords and be conferred on the Dukes of Onoldsbach and Culmbach as Feudataries Muscovy How affairs stand at present between the Great Duke of Muscovy and the King of Poland may appear by the Treaty of Peace signed by both parties A.D. 1667 spoken of before But formerly the Kings of Poland have laid claim and made good their title either by justice or the sword to several large Territories now in the hands of the Great Duke For first Jorislaus Duke of Russia was forced to pay tribute to Boleslaus Chrobri A.D. 1018. Afterwards A.D. 1069 Boleslaus II. possessed himself of Kiow and indeed the whole Dukedom of Russia over which he set Jesaslaus a tributary Duke After his death continual wars were between the two Nations till Casimir the Great in the year 1340 reduced the Southern Russia into the form of a Province But how little of that remains at this day in the hands of the present King of Poland we have shew'd before Several of the Kings of Poland have stiled themselves Kings of Sweden Sweden upon no other pretence then having made themselves masters of a great part of Liefland But this title ceased upon the death of John Casimir their late King as hath already been observed in the description of Liefland Of the Pretensions of Foreign Princes to the Kingdom of Poland WE have seen to what Kingdoms and Countries the Kings of Poland have in former ages claimed a right and title and we may perhaps find as many Kings and Princes of other Nations who have challenged the Crown of Poland upon as good grounds But to omit the many conquests obtain'd by the Russians Bohemians Hungarians and others over the Poles enough to entitle any potent Prince to their Kingdom the strongest pretensions to this Crown are those of the Emperor For the most of the Polish Historians tell us That Boleslaus I. was created King of Poland by the Emperor Otto III. before which time the Princes of that Nation were only Dukes This story is confirmed by besides the testimony of the most considerable writers of Poland an ancient Epitaph found in the Cathedral at Posen in which among other commendations of Boleslaus I. are the following rithmes Tu possedisti velut Athleta Christi Regnum Slavorum Gothorum seu Polonorum Caesar praecellens a te Ducalia pellens And again Ob famam bonam tibi contulit Otto Coronam Propter luctamen sit tibi salus Amen However tho the Historians of Poland grant that Boleslaus received the title of King at the hands of the Emperor yet they deny stubbornly that this Kingdom was ever subject or tributary to the Roman Empire But Conringius an ingenious and learned German Physitian in his book entituled De finibus Germanici Imperii c. 18. has demonstrated the contrary For not to take notice of Charles the Great who 't is more than probable conquer'd Poland as well as Silesia 't is certain that Miecislaus the first Christian Prince of Poland paid tribute to the Imperial Crown And the Polish writers are forced to confess That Otto III. remitted all homage due otherwise to Boleslaus Chrobri when he created him King After Boleslaus's death Miecislaus II. his successor was compelled to pay the usual tribute to the Emperor Conrad II. After this several of the Kings of Poland very willingly submitted themselves to the Emperors and others were forced out of their obstinate refusal At last in the long vacancy of the Imperial Throne soon after the middle of the thirteenth Century during which Richard Earl of Cornwal was one of the four elected Emperors whilst the Empire of Germany was in a confused distraction the Polanders took occasion to shake off the German yoke to which they could never since be reduced This is part of the relation which Conringius gives us of the ancient state of Poland in reference to the German Empire founded chiefly upon the testimonies of Dithmarus Mersburgensis and Helmoldus men of unquestionable veracity in their Histories Hartknoch endeavours to evade the force of his argument by saying That tho it be true that the Polanders have formerly paid some certain sum of money to the Emperors by whom it was demanded under the notion of a tribute yet this does not necessarily suppose any dependance of the Crown of Poland upon the Empire of Germany For 't is ordinary even with the Emperors themselves to buy peace with money And thus the English bought their peace of the Danes and made Lewis XI King of France pay for his But let him consider First whether the words of Helmoldus Chron. Slav. lib. 1. c. 1. num 9. can be properly understood of any such sum of money as is usually paid by any Nation upon the ratification of a Treaty of Peace when he says servit ipsa speaking of Poland sicut Bohemia sub tributo Imperatoriae Majestati Here the Historian tells us plainly the Kingdom of Poland was in his time as much tributary to the Emperor as Bohemia and how truly that was under his subjection every Historian will shew Again 't was not very considerately done to instance in the tribute paid by the English to the Danes or by Lewis XI to the King of England For both these were doubtless acknowledgements of subjection and homage The Danes all know were absolute Lords of our Land for 26 and made almost continual incursions into it for the space of 250 years Dane-gelt which perhaps Hartknoch as some of our own Historians have done mistakes for a tribute or composition-money paid the Danes upon any invasion was at first only a Subsidy gather'd for the maintenance of a standing army to oppose the Danish fury Afterwards indeed the word was used to denote a tribute sometimes amounting to 72000 pounds levyed yearly in England and paid to the King of Denmark upon the refusal of which payment the English were sure to feel the weight of that Kings displeasure This tribute was certainly a sign of a true and real subjection to the Crown of Denmark which might have lasted longer had not the Saxon and Danish lines been peaceably united in the pious King
rather imprison themselves in the Capitol Besides most of the Northern Nations have at some time or other stoop'd to the Danish Arms. For if we consult the best of their Historians we shall find that Ireland was eight several times conquer'd by the Danes The English were ten times beaten by them and for many years subject to the Kings of Denmark Scotland was for awhile tributary to this Crown whence some fancy it had its name Scotland in the Danish tongue signifying a Country that pays tribute to a foreign Potentate hence we still retain the word Scot-free i. e. one exempt from all payments dues and duties Saxony paid homage to Frotho Siward and other Danish Kings And the Swedes oftner then once swore fealty to the Danes but revolted as soon as they found themselves able to rebel The Kingdom of Norway annex'd to the Crown of Denmark in a sufficient testimony of the Danish valour Nay Saxo Grammaticus gives us many instances of the courage and conduct of several Danish Viragines whose exploits if he say true may be set in competition with the bravest performances of the Hectors of other Nations Tacitus speaking of the ancient Germans says They were a little too much addicted to Gluttony and Drunkenness but withal so obliging to strangers that they looked upon it as the height of barbarism and rudeness to turn any such out of doors or deny them lodging Both these characters may still be applyed to the Danes For since they grew so modish as to drink wine they have exceedingly Ape'd their neighbours the Germans in large draughts and long meals Again they are wonderfully complaisant to all Foreigners which perhaps may in some part be attributed to their immoderate desire of learning the languages of other countries But notwithstanding the civil entertainment usually met with in this Kingdom it behoves every stranger to carry himself so circumspectly that he seem neither by his words nor actions to sleight any thing he meets with For the Danes are naturally proud and self-conceited and quarrelsome upon the least apprehension of an affront The old Romans commonly too peremptory in their censures looked upon the Cimbrians as a dull phlegmatick people And we know the general vogue still gives the Italians French and Spaniards a larger share of brains then they allow to any of the Norther Nations However this Kingdom has never wanted men remarkable for their wit and learning who as we shall have occasion to shew hereafter have in spight of the disadvantages of a cold Country given evident proof that men do not like waters take a tincture from the earth and soil out of which they spring 'T was Julius Caesar's observation of the Gauls Staâ—â—â— and 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 that they look'd down with a scornful eye upon the low stature of the Romans And anciently the Northern people except only the inhabitants of Iseland and Groneland if known to the ancients whom excessive colds had pinched into as small dimensions as the Spaniards and other Southern Nations were heated into were generally a sort of Gyants The Danes in a more peculiar manner from their large size say some had the name of Geats corrupted afterwards into Getae Jutae c. At this day the a-la-mode luxury of the times has so prevailed in Denmark as to contract the pristine bulk of its inhabitants who nevertheless seem still to be more vigorous and long-liv'd then most of their neighbours Aristotle long since could tell us that the Northern people were most commonly yellow-hair'd And Lucan speaking of the inhabitants on the banks of the Elb says Fundit ab extremo flavos Aquilone Suevos Albis Indeed most of the Danes those especially that live beyond the Baltic are to this day either white or reddish hair'd Hence it is that in England we usually say of a red hair'd man He is a Dane And from the old grudge between this Nation and Denmark I fancy arose that ill conceit that most English have of red hair'd people What the ordinary food is may be easily known from the abundance of Corn Fish Dieâ—â— and all manner of tame and wild Beasts fit for food wherewith as we have told you this Kingdom is stock'd Among the many other sorts of Fowl no Nation in Europe has so many Woodcocks call'd by Martial Perdices Rusticas by Pliny Rusticulas and accounted by the ancient Romans a great rarity as Denmark It was long before Vines spread themselves so far Northward as to reach beyond the Rhine In Julius Caesars days the Belgic Nervii knew no such drink as wine or at least as he says would not suffer any such lewd liquor to come amongst them But as soon as the Germans tasted the juice of the grape they quickly commended the Glass to their neighbours the Danes who in a short time grew as intemperate as their teachers The ancient drink of the Country was Oel Ale or Beer made of Malt and Water which is still in ordinary use among them Though in England we make a distinction between Ale and Beer yet the Danes know no such difference what the Germans call Bier is Oel in Denmark This is that famous drink which animated the Western Nations against the Romans which Tacitus calls humorem ex hordeo aut frumento in quandam similitudinem vini corruptum i. e. a liquor made of Corn which rivals Wine It is undoubtely true what Rodericus Toletanus many years ago observed that the High Dutch Danish Swedish Norwegian Flandrian and English Languages are only so many distinct Dialects of one and the same Mother-tongue Which may soon be discerned by any man that shall take the pains to compare the Lords Prayer or any other piece of Scripture in all these tongues The Gibb'rish indeed spoken in Lapland Finland and some other Countries to the North-East of Sweden and Denmark is quite another thing and as unintelligible to the civilized Danes and Swedes as Hebrew or Arabic But the ordinary Danish whatever some of their own Writers say to the contrary is no more then corrupted Dutch I know Pontanus has taken the pains to collect a great many words out of the Danish tongue which he calls vocabula Danis propria tho all of them are not so that are not to be found perhaps in any German Dictionary What then No man shall with this argument perswade me that the Dutch and Danish tongues are fundamentally distinct and not two branches of the same stock For you shall find thousands of words in Willeramus Otfrid and other ancient German writers which are at this day wholly out of use and scarce a County in England but has some peculiar words not understood in the rest which nevertheless speak perfect English Neither will it avail any thing to say the ancient Danish tongue was brought hither out of Asia and call'd formerly Asamal i. e. the Language of the Asians for the Edda Islandorum which probably is the oldest piece which mentions the
c. 2. En in Golden Brazen Silvern c. 3. Hood in Dutch heit in Manhood Priesthood c. 4. Dom in Kingdom Dukedom c. with many others of the like nature By the help of these and the authority which every man has to make use of them as he shall see occasion the German tongue is made exceeding copious For sometimes you may meet with a word of five or six syllables of which one only is significant of it self and the rest nothing but so many terminations hudled up together For example Vnwiederaufloslich signifies indissolvable in which word the syllable los is the primitive and the rest un wieder auf and lich only prepositions and terminations annexed to alter the signification The Greek tongue has hitherto been thought Compounds by most learned men to be the richest of any in admirable compounds A. Gellius says he often endeavour'd to render several Greek compounds into Latin but found many of them so exquisitely significant that all the skill he had in the Roman tongue was too little to furnish him either with a single word or Periphrasis which would fully express the signification of any one The words he instances in are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But however the Latin tongue may come short of the Greek yet questionless the High Dutch equals if not exceeds it For in this language you have not only words compounded of Adjectives and Substantives as in the Greek words before mentioned and Verbs or Participles with Prepositions which is usual in all languages but also innumerable ones which consist of two Substantives or two Adjectives We have still in our English that great elegancy of compounding Substantives on many occasions as in these words Huswife Snowball Football Nightcap c. But the greatest excellency in this kind of composition is in altering the signification of the word by transposition of the Substantives As in England we say Horsemill and Millhorse Shoecloth and Clothshoe c. Examples in this kind are infinitely more in High Dutch then English but I shall not stay to trouble the Reader with any more then these 1. Feurschiff signifies a Fire-ship but Schifffeuer a Fire on Shipboard 2. Jagthund any Dog that will hunt Hundjagt an Hunting with Dogs 3. Schifflast the Burthen of a Ship Lastschiff a Ship that carries Burthens 4. Friedgeld Money paid for Peace Geldfried Peace procured by the payment of Money 5. Wassermuhl a Watermill Muhlwasser the Water which drives the Mill. 6. Kaufmark the Market-place Markkauf the price given for any thing bought in the Market Sometimes three or four Substantives may be elegantly compounded into one word As Walfischfang the catching of Whales Kernobsbaum a Pippin-tree Erbkuchenmeisterampt the Office of the chief Master of the Kitchin with thousands more of the like The Germans have of late in some places much corrupted their Language by admitting into it a great number of French Italian and Latin words which they have turned into Dutch by giving them a German termination Hence Parliren Disputiren Informiren c. have crept into their Language However they are still so tender of the reputation of their own tongue that tho they love the fashion of using foreign words yet they will never write nor print any Latin French or Italian word in Dutch characters It will come near an impossibility to reckon up all the different Dialects in the German tongue Dialects if we consider that the old British English Danish Swedish Norwegian Islandic and Flandrian tongues with their inferior Dialects are only so many branches of the same stock Besides the differences of Dialects in High Germany it self are innumerable and some of them so vastly different among themselves that a Brandenburger will hardly understand a Misnian nor a Schwabe either of them The Citizens of Leipsic observe three several Dialects within the narrow walls of that small Town Busbequius found a great deal of High Dutch in the Tauric Chersonese and some have brought several fragments of it out of Persia But passing over the petit inconsiderable dialects and small shreds of the Tongue the whole German Language confin'd to the Empire and Netherlands is usually divided into the two dialects of Saxon and Francic The Saxon of which our English tongue is a branch contains under it the Languages of the Netherlands Westphalia Brunswic Holstein Mecklenburg Pomeren the Marks Prussia and Liefland There are many reasons to induce us to believe that this Dialect comes far nearer the ancient German or Celtic then any other whatever The strongest argument we can make use of may be taken from that infinite number of German words mention'd by ancient Latin Authors which at this day are no-where made use of but in the Lower Saxony only or at least among such Nations as are issued thence Thus Pliny tells us the old Gauls call'd a Whale Phiseter a Fish-eater Our English word Mare whence comes the title of Marshal is lost in the High Dutch but still in use among the Lower Saxons who write it Mahre Pausanias assures us that this was a Celtic word and thence fetches the Marpais Longobardorum spoken of by Paulus Diaconus Duret says Les habitans de Saxe se sont de tout temps d'anciennete vantez de parler entre tous les autres Alemands la plus entiere pure diserte langue Allemande i. e. The Inhabitants of Saxony have always brag'd of and pretended to the only pure unmix'd and ancient German tongue There was not many years since an ingenious Poem published in the Saxon dialect wherein 't is shew'n how far in many particulars this surpasses the High Dutch as spoken in Misnia and Austria But we are not to allow of this determination since it matters not what alterations are made in any dialect provided it retain manifest and undeniable marks of the fountain whence it at first sprang The Greek tongue was no-where so spoke as we find it in the Grecian writers And tho women and boys were admitted into the Roman Theaters to hear speeches yet none of their writers will allow that these people could speak the true Latin tongue That is only the true language of any Nation on which the learned men in it have thought fit to set their stamp Now seeing the Germans have all along pitcht upon the High Dutch dialect in all their writings ever since they set pen to paper 't is highly reasonable that we should pronounce it the nobler Dialect and esteem it the only true German tongue The Netherlanders 't is true write in their own Dialect but it is because they will not reckon themselves a part of the Empire and fancy they must needs be esteem'd so if they cannot shew a Language of their own But however there is not one man in an hundred of all these who will not readily allow that the German language far excels his Low Dutch Aventinus tells us that Charles the Great composed a
Comites and Amici used by their Emperors to the greatest Officers in the Court and State whence afterwards in the Eastern Empire we meet with Comites sacrarum largitionum Comites metallorum Comites rerum privatarum Comites Patrimonii c. in all which expressions Comes manifestly signifies the same thing as Praefectus or Magister The reason why the name of Palatine which as we have said denotes only such as are members of the King 's or Emperor's Houshold should afterwards be join'd with a Province remote from the Court seems plain enough For whereas other ordinary Counts had only a power subordinate to that of the Counts Palatine who exercis'd supreme Jurisdiction in the Emperors name these had all the Royalties and Jura Imperii in their respective Provinces which the Counts Palatine enjoy'd at Court And the like forms of speaking we meet with among the old Romans in the Officiary Dignities of Praefectus Praetorio Orientis Praefectus Praetorio Illyrici Praefectus Praetorio Italiae and Praefectus Praetorio Galliarum Where we see the Title of the Houshold or Emperors Palace transferr'd to these several Provinces to denote that they who bore those Offices being as so many Vice-Roys in their peculiar Territories should enjoy like Power Jurisdiction and Dignity in their respective Dominions as if by the name of Praefecti Praetorio they had always liv'd with the Emperor in his Court The additional Title of Palatine hath been conferr'd upon the Counts of Habspurg Tubing Witelenspach Schiern Ortenberg and several other Princes of the Empire In some old lists of the German Princes we find mention made of four Ertz-Pfaltz-Graven or Archi-Palatini viz. Rheni Saxoniae Franciae or Franconiae Hungariae But at this day the Counts Palatine of the Rhine are so singularly eminent Princes by this Title that commonly no other place is understood by the general name of the Palatinate but only their Territories However Saxony is still a Pfaltzgraffschaft or Palatinate and the Duke thereof hath the Soveraignty of a Count Palatine tho he be not so stiled because the Title of Duke is rarely join'd with Palatinus Of the Authority and Power of the Counts Palatine of the Rhine we shall speak more at large hereafter when we come to a particular Description of their Territories What the Dignity of a Count of the Empire is â—â—nts of 〈◊〉 Emâ— may be learn'd from the Patent granted by the Emperor Rudolph II. to Thomas Arundel of Wardour in Wiltshire afterwards made Lord Arundel of Wardour by King James for the creating of him a Count of the Empire which Title his Heirs have kept to this day That the Title is hereditary appears from this passage in the Patent Te supradictum Thomam Arundelium qui jam ante Comitum consanguinitatem a majoribus acceptam in Anglia obtines omnesque singulos liberos haeredes posteros descendentes tuos legitimos utriusque Sexus natos aeternaque serie nascituros etiam veros sacros Romani Imperii Comites Comitissas creavimus fecimus nominavimus c. The learned Mr. Cambden in his History of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth speaking of this Patent tells us that whoever hath the Title of Count of the Empire conferr'd on him has withall a Seat assign'd him and may give his voice in the Imperial Diets he may purchase an Estate in any part of the Emperor's Dominions may list Volunteers and cannot be su'd in any Court of Judicature save only the Imperial Chamber By vertue of the aforesaid Patent the Title of Count of the Sacred Empire is at present enjoy'd by the Right Honourable Henry Lord Arundell of Warder Those of the Nobility whom the ancient Francic Kings made Governors of such Provinces as were of the Frontiers of the Empire Mark-graven were stiled Mark-Graven from the old word Marken which signifies the outmost Marks or Limits of the Empire in the same sence as we use the word Marshes speaking of the bounds betwixt England and Scotland or Wales From the High Dutch Mark-Grave the Latins borrow'd their Marchio and Marggravius the Italians Marchese and the later Greeks their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of our French Marquis and Marchioness Some Etymologists have endeavour'd to bring the Title of Mark-Grave from the old Francic word Mare sometimes written March signifying an Horse and these fancy there was no great difference formerly between the Titles and Offices of Marschal and Mark-Grave or Mar-Grave as they write it In the Feuds we read Qui de Marchia investitur Marchio dicitur Dicitur autem Marchia quia Marcha ut plurimum juxta mare sit posita Where what is said of the derivation of the word Marchio from Marcha is true but if by ut plurimum juxta Mare the Author means that the word Mare bears a part in the original of Mark-Grave or Marquise he is manifestly mistaken For altho the Marca Anconitana and Trevigiana in Italy as also the Marquisate of the Holy Empire in Brabant and the Marca Normanica and Britannica in France be adjoining to the Sea yet the Marquisates of Misnia Lusatia Brandenburg Moravia Austria Mountferrat and Susa in Savoy are inland Countries but had the name of Margrafchaften fixt on them because they were such Provinces as were the Limits or Frontiers of the German Kingdom When Marquises as well as Dukes and Counts began to multiply in the German Empire there were four of them who had the Title of Die vier hohen Mark-Graffen i. e. The four High or Chief Marquises These were they of Brandenburg Merhern or Moravia Meissen and Baden whose Territories are thence call'd die vier hohen Markgrafchaften i. e. The four Chief Marquisates In the Titles of Landtgrave and Burggrave the termination grave signifies the same thing as in Markgrave Landtgraven Landt in the German tongue signifies no more then a Province or Territory so that the word Landtgrave if literally translated must be render'd Comes Provincialis a Count that has supreme Government in some particular Province Landtherr was anciently a Title of the same signification and conferr'd upon the Lords of Verona who were of the Family de la Scala or the Scaligers of Mirandula Padua and Millain who were lookt upon as Princes equal in power and dignity to as many Counts Palatine The Germans usually reckon up four Landtgraves as well as four Dukes four Counts four Marquises and four of most other Dignities as most eminent in the Empire these are the Landtgraves of Thuringen Hessen Alsace and Luchtenburg of which the Landtgrave of Hessen is at this day a Prince of the greatest note The most ancient Creation of a Landtgrave which we meet with in History is that of Ludowic III. Count of Thuringen who by the Emperor Lotharius his Father-in-Law had his Title alter'd into Landtgrave of the same place in the year 1126. Sometimes we meet with the word Landtgrave made use of to signifie
superadded to the Title of Freyherr to denote the antiquity of those four who bear this name in the rank of Barons Paurmeister gives his opinion of the case proposed in these words Ego Baronum genera nulla esse arbitror quocunque nomine Semper-Freyen Freyherrn Edle Herrn vel singulariter Freyen Herrn Edle vel Die Edle appellantur Nobilitate ac Dignitate pares esse Omnes enim generali vocabulo Herrn comprehenduntur ut perpetuo habet Decretorum Comitiorum subscriptio Von der Graven und Herrn wegen i. e. I do not think there are any different kinds of Barons but that whatever Title they may have whether Semper-Freyen Freyherrn Edle Herrn Freyen Herrn or Edle they are all of them notwithstanding of equal Nobility and Dignity since they all agree in the general Title of Herrn as we find the Decrees anciently pass'd in the Diets subscribed Von der Graven und Herrn wegen i. e. by assent and authority of the Counts and Barons And as Herrn is a common name for all sorts of German Barons so is Herrschaft a general name for a Barony which two words the High Dutch use in the same sense as we do Lord and Lordship We see then what the Title of Frey-herr signifies â—â—â—on And in the modern writings of the Germans we seldom or never meet with the word Baron tho this is as ordinary in Spain Italy France and England as the former is in Germany However Schottelius who made as diligent enquiry into the ancient monuments and records of the German Nation as any man whatever assures us that Bar or Baar in old Teutonic manuscripts signifies a Baron and is commonly there used instead of the more modern word Frey-herr And possibly there may be as just grounds for deriving Baro from the High Dutch as either the Latin or Greek For the Latin word Vir signifying a man separate and distinct from the vulgar by his virtue whence the generality of Critics derive Baro has in all probability been borrowed of the High Dutch in whose ancient Laws Baro or Barus and Foemina do usually occur for a man or woman The English Saxons call'd a man Æ¿er or Æ¿ar which the old Franks turn'd into Ber and afterwards Paro In Junius's Edition of the Codex Argenteus the Gothic word Wair is used for man and Waire in the plural for men Sometimes instead of Baron the Germans use the Title of Banner-herr â—â—nner-herr or Panner-herr which may be render'd Dominus vexillifer and signifies the same thing with Banneret I cannot certainly affirm that the word Banner-herr tho ordinarily met with in German writers is ever made use of to denote any High Dutch Title of Honour but only to express the Honorary Titles of other Nations What a Chivalier Banneret or Knight Banneret which the Germans usually render Banner-herr does signifie may be learn'd from the account which the Author of La division du mond gives of it Pour faire says he un Chevalier Banneret cest quant il a longement suyvy les guerres et que il a assez terres et revenue tant que il peult tenir et soudoyer cinquants gentils homes pour accompagnier sa Banniere Lors il peult licitement lever ladit Banniere et non autrement car nul autre home ne puit porter Banniere en Battaile sil n'a cinquant homes prestz pour battailler Which story of maintaining fifty men under him to accompany his Banner is in the end of the old printed Copy of Gesta Romanorum in French notwithstanding the assertion of some late Authors that a Banneret need have no more then twenty-five some say ten men under him The Germans call a Knight Ritter â—â—tter for the same reason as the Latins stiled him Eques because this Title was formerly never conferr'd upon any man that had not perform'd some gallant exploit in the field and who was dubb'd Knight by being accouter'd with a Sword and pair of Spurs One of our ancient English Poets Dan. Lydgate gives us a full explication of the Title of Ritter in these words Eques ab Equo is said of very right And Chevalier is said of Chevalry In which a Rider called is a Knight Arragoners done also specifie Caballiero through all that party Is name of worship and so took his ' ginning Of spores of Gold and chiefly Riding The first original of dubbing of Knights with a Sword came probably from the ancient custom of the Northern Nations of girding their young men with a Sword as soon as they were able to bear Arms. Nihil says Tacitus speaking of the ancient Germans neque publicae neque privatae rei nisi armati agunt Sed arma sumere non ante cuiquam moris quam Civitas suffecturum probaverit Tum in ipso concilio vel Principum aliquis vel Pater vel Propinquus scuto frameaque Juvenem ornant Haec apud illos Toga hic primus Juventae honos Ante hoc Domus pars videntur mox Reipublicae Besides this Ceremony of giving a Lance or Target to such as were admitted members of the Empire they had another way of adopting Sons per arma Thus Theodoric King of the Eastern Goths in Italy adopted the King of the Heruli by a Charter still extant in Cassiodorus's Northern History And hence Justin the Elder being about to adopt Cosroes the King of Persia's Son was advised by Proclus his Chancellor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Procopius speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. That it should be done according to the custom of the barbarous Nations who did not adopt Sons by Writing but by Arms. There are not so many several Orders of Knighthood in Germany as in most other European Nations Orders of Knighthood if we except those who have any Honour and Title of some particular Order sent them from the Kings of Spain England and Denmark For from these Princes several Dukes Counts and other Grandees of the Empire receive the honorary Titles of Knights of the Golden Fleece the Garter and the Elephant The Teutonic Order of Knighthood of which we have spoken something before in the Description of Prussia was first instituted under the walls of Acon or Ptolemais in the Holy Land altho Jacob de Vitriaco Polydore Vergilius Gretser and several other Historians of good note make the Order much more ancient After the City was taken by the Christians these new Knights who were most of them Citizens of Lubec and Bremen fix'd themselves at a Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary from whence they are sometimes stiled Equites Mariani Here they were setled under Henry Walpot von Passenheim their first Great Master in the year 1190. Afterwards when the Christians were beaten out of Syria they remov'd to Venice and thence to Marpurg in Hassia where as in several other parts of Germany their Convent was endow'd with fair revenues Whence some fancy they first got the name of Equites
that came over into Britain were sent from hence and they tell us farther that in remembrance of the good success they had met with in our Island some of them returning hung up a gilt Ship of Tin in the Market-place which was to be seen here before the fire above mention'd IV. ZELL Zell This City famous for the usual Residence of the Dukes of Luneburg on a sandy level at the confluence of two small Rivers the Aller and Fuhse about ten German miles distant from Luneburg six from Brunswic ten from Bremen and thirteen from Hamburg The word Zell in the language of some of the Lower Saxons signifies the same with the High Dutch Kellar or our English word Cellar but for what reason the Town should have this name given it I cannot determine In an old Parchment Deed bearing date A. D. 1236 which to this day may be seen in the Duke of Zell's Archives whereby Sigefride Count of Osterburg makes over a great part of this Country to Otho Duke of Brunswic and Luneburg we read ministeriales suos Tselle usque Breman And another Indenture made between Henry's surnam'd the Lion Sons dated A. D. 1203 and still to be seen in the same place mentions this Town by the aforesaid name Higher then these times its Antiquity cannot be traced and whether 't was in those days a City wall'd Town or only a bare Castle we know not The Duke's Palace as it now stands being a square piece of building moted round and beautified with a great many pleasant Gardens Orchards Grotto's c. was first built by Henry Duke of Brunswic and Lunenburg and Ann born Countess of Nassaw his mother in the year 1485. In this Palace are held the chief Courts of Judicature for the Dukedom of Luneburg V. Walstrode WALSTRODE or Walo's-Cross At first only a Monastery built by one Walo a Prince of Anhalt in the year 986 but afterwards advanc'd into a considerable Town Walo's Statue is still to be seen in the Church with this inscription on its pedestal Illustris Princeps Walo de Anholt Comes in Aschania c Dominus in Berneborch est fundator hujus Monasterii It is situate in a very pleasant Valley encompass'd on every side with Mountains and Woods The chief trade of of the inhabitants consists in Honey Wax Wool and Beer Harborch Winsen Gifhorn notable for a strong Palace belonging to the Duke of Lunenburg with some other places of the like value are only just considerable enough to merit a distinct character in the Map from poor Villages but have nothing in them so remarkable as to deserve a a particular description The truth is the greatest part of the Dukedom of Luneburg is a poor and barren Country and its inhabitants are scarce any where so rich as that they need to wall in their Towns or be afraid of the invasion of an Enemy The most notable places in the Counties of Diepholt Hoye and Schawenburg subject to the Dukes of Luneburg the Reader will find describ'd in the next Volume when we come to treat of all the little Provinces which are usually comprehended under the general name of Westphalia MEKLENBVRG DVCATVS Auctore Ioanne Laurenbergio Sumptiê° Janssonio-Waesbergiorum Mosis Pitt et Stephan Swart THE DUKEDOM OF MECKLENBURG ALTHO at this day Geographers can hardly meet with any such place as Mecklenburg from whence this Dukedom should have its name yet the German Historians will inform us that the small Village not far from Wismar which still bears that name was anciently a large and populous City And some of their Antiquaries pretend to be able to shew us its Rudera near this place for some miles in compass J. Peters in his Chronicle of the Dukes of Holstein tells us that this Village is the ruins of a very ancient City which says he was built above three hundred years before Christ by Anthyrius the first Duke of the Heruli or Mecklenburgers But we know what kind of credit to give to such Romantic Chronologers as this who impertinently pretends to trace the Annals of his Country thro those dark days of ignorance wherein he must necessarily lose himself and truth Cluverius and Bertius are exceedingly displeas'd with that universal humour of Latin who mention this Country of rendring Mecklenburg by Megalopolis or Megapolis and the Mecklenburgers by Megapolitani Such Etymologists as these says Cluver are but Novices in the German tongue For the word Mecklenburg is not as they imagin deriv'd from the old Saxon word Micle or Mickel ordinarily met with in our ancient English-Saxon Monuments and still used in some parts of England but from the Dutch Verb Mecklen whence Meckler which in the language of all the Northern Germans that inhabit the Sea-Coasts signifies as much as Proxineta Pararius a Broker so that Mecklenburg had not its name as Megalopolis in Arcadia from the vastness of its extent altho Lindebergius reports it to have been above eight English miles in length and twenty in circumference but from the great resort of Merchants to this place For being the Metropolis of these parts and the Seat as 't is suppos'd of Bilunaus Misilaus Mistevus Pribislaus and several other Kings and Princes of the Vandals we may reasonably conclude that all foreign Merchants who probably were not very numerous that traded in this part of Germany kept their Factors and Brokers at this City The whole Dukedom of Mecklenburg subject to the two Dukes of Gustrow and Swerin is bounded on the East with the Dukedom of Pomeren on the North with the Baltic Sea Bounds on the West with some part of the Dukedoms of Holstein and Saxon-Lauwenburg and on the South with the Marquisate of Brandenburg The Country has more in it of profit then pleasure Commodities being plentifully stock'd with all sorts of Corn and Fruits especially Apples and well stor'd with Fowl and Fish but situate in an air very unwholsom in the Summer and intolerably sharp and cold in the Winter Besides the advantage of the Baltic Sea and a great number of Rivers every-where to be met with in this Dukedom their Lakes many of which are very large afford them good store of all manner of fresh Fish Insomuch that at the Marriage-feast of Henry Duke of Mecklenburg-Swerin with Helen Daughter to the Elector Palatine were serv'd up to the Table five thousand Breams all of which were fresh and newly taken out of the great Lake near Swerin Some Romantic Genealogists have endeavour'd to bring down the Line of the Dukes of Mecklenburg from some of Alexander the Great 's Generals Government The first original of which fancy sprung from the Duke of Mecklenburg's bearing an Horse's Head which these Heralds are pleas'd to call the Head of Bucephalus in their Eschutceons And indeed the generality of German Antiquaries fetth their pedigree from Anthyrius the foremention'd Founder of the City of Mecklenburg whom they unanimously report to have liv'd in the days of
the Swedish Nation had made a law amongst his subjects that if any of them kill'd or injur'd a Swede he should pay only half the mulct which was to be pay'd if he had done the like to any other person whatsoever 33. Atislus a warlike and magnificent King 34. Hotherus who waged war with the Danes and Russes and died of a wound he received in battel 35. Rodericus King of Denmark and Swedland at the same time but either leaving or loosing the former he retir'd into the latter and there ended his days 36. Attilus who kill'd Wermundus King of Denmark in single Duel and was himself afterwards slain by Wermundus's two sons After this Kings time the succession for about 600 years was much interrupted who enjoy'd the Kingdom is uncertain Botvildus Charles II Ericus II and six more are mention'd but little more known of them then their names He whom Historians first pitch upon to have certainly succeeded was 46. Alricus who challenging Gestiblindus King of the Goths to Duel thereby lost both his life and Kingdom 47. Ericus III surnamed the Wise and by some the Eloquent a happy and peaceable Prince He reign'd according to Johannes Magnus's computation about four and thirty years before our Saviours Birth A Catalogue of the Gothish Kings who reigned shortly after their Transmigration out of Scandia while they dwelt about the Palus Maeotis near the time of the Trojan War collected out of Wolf Lazius upon whose credit you are to take them 1. Telephus well known for his exploits in the Trojan War 2. Bericus or Beger 3. Filimar 4. Frogradus 5. Aringis 6. Eurypilus 7. Tamyris 8. Antriregus After this succession of Kings in Scythia Europea the Goths either weary of that Country or driven out of it by some of their potent Neighbours are said by the same Author though I find not his opinion seconded by any Swedish writer to have returned into Gothia and particularly to have pitch'd upon the Isle Gotland as the fittest seat for their Kings a long series of whom might seem not very necessary to be set down being for the most part the same with the Swedish Kings before mention'd 48. Haldanus in whose reign the Hunns overrun Gothia and the greatest part of the Kings dominions built Hunnaberg an ancient City in Ostro-Gothia and after some continuance in the Country were by this King at last utterly expell'd 49. Sivardus or Sigvardus in whose time commotions arising in the Kingdom the Goths elected a separate King of their own nam'd Carolus whom some make to be 50. Charles III. 51. Ericus IV. slain by Haldanus King of Denmark 52. Haldanus who got the Kingdom by his valour Of this King are reported several prodigious Stories as of his Gigantick stature his pulling up Trees by the roots and such like not inferiour to those which Poets relate of Hercules and the Giants 53. Vngvinus who to his own Kingdom united Gothia for a long time govern'd by distinct Kings 54. Ragvaldus or Regnaldus 55. Amundus 56. Haquinus in whose reign the Goths elected one Sivardo King of Gothia 57. Ostenus I. who entertain'd an implacable hatred against the Norwegians sent a great Army against them subdued their Country made the Inhabitants Tributary to the Swedish Crown and as an opprobrium to the Nation set a Dog to be chief Governour over them to which they were to pay all subjection and swear allegiance under the penalty of losing one hand and one foot this is mention'd both in the Swedish and Norwegian Chronicles 58. Alverus or Alaricus elected says Krantzius out of the Nobles and in the midst of his happy Reign stabb'd by his Brother Ericus who was impatient to obtain the Crown which he thought he might procure after his death but vainly for the Government was conferr'd on 59. Ingo I. eldest son to Alverus He was the first that order'd the election of Kings to be held at Moresten near Vpsal of the manner of which see what was said in Suecia About this time the Kingdom was governed by Judges the next King is 60. Ingellus I. kill'd by his Brother 61. Germunder in a war against Denmark taken Prisoner and hung up upon a Gibbet 62. Haquinus 63. Egellus after whose time succeeded several Kings Johannes Magnus reckons twenty concerning whom nothing very remarkable is set down by Historians The next great Epocha is counted from the reign of 84. Bero or Biorno III. the first Christian King in Sweden converted to Christianity by one Herebretus at his request sent to him by Charles the Great Emperor of Germany 85. Brautamundus or Amundus in some civil commotions in his Kingdom kill'd by his brother and Successor 86. Sivardus II. who in his expeditions against Norway was with the greatest part of his Army overcome in battel the enemies Forces mostly consisting of Women 87. Herotus or Haraldus 'twixt whom and the King of Denmark a war broke out concerning the Province of Schonen which this King at last freely granted to the King of Denmark as a reward of his signal prudence and valour 89. Charles VI. 90. Biorno IV. 91. Ingellus II. in whose time Helsingia and several other Provinces in Suecia had their distinct Governours these he under colour of friendship invited to a Banquet and when he had made them drunk with strong Liquors he caus'd a fire to be set on the place where they were and so destroy'd them all and seiz'd on their possessions To revenge this cruelty Gramus Duke of Sudermannia and Hauno Duke of Ostro-Gothia rais'd Forces and came against him but with no good success at last for under pretence of a Parley they were taken Prisoners and at Ingellus's command burnt to death 92. Olaus from his commanding many thick woods to be cut down surnam'd Tratelia or Tree-Feller He is said by some to have embrac'd Christianity at the perswasion of Ansgarius a Learned Bishop sent into Sweden by Lewis II. Emperor of Germany But though he himself perhaps did favour Christian Religion it got small footing amongst his Subjects for Paganism is said for a long time to have prevail'd in the Reigns of the succeeding Princes 93. Ingo II. 94. Ericus VI. surnam'd Windy-Cap who is said to have had a Cap by holding up of which he could cause the wind to blow from what Point he pleas'd for which and such like magical exploits he by the consent of the people was elected King 95. Ericus VII surnam'd Victorious 96. Ericus VIII surnam'd Aarsel i.e. Rich in Corn. He is said to have countenanc'd Christianity which had been from the time of Bero 'till his reign very much suppress'd and endeavouring by Law to establish it in his Kingdom to have been by the fury of his Subjects torn in pieces and martyr'd for his good intentions toward them 97. Olaus surnam'd Scotkonung i.e. Infant-King because advanc'd to the Crown when young He embrac'd Christianity and sent to Ethelred King of England to furnish him with able Ministers
to teach him and his Subjects in that Religion Ethelred accordingly order'd Sigfridus Arch-bishop of York and with him two Priests Eschillas and Davidus to go into Sweden where the King kindly receiv'd them was by them baptiz'd and at their intreaty built Christian Churches in most Provinces of his Dominions and as some say by reason of his great constancy and zeal in his Religion had the name of Christianissimus given him He among several good Laws and Constitutions order'd that the chief power of electing the Kings of Sweden should not belong to the Goths in any case but principally to the Swedes and that they before call'd Kings of Vpsal should be thenceforth stil'd Kings of Swedland and Gothland This King suppress'd Duelling and the Runick Characters introduc'd the trial by Fire Ordeal and dyed in a happy old age 98. Anundus nick-named Carbonarius because he order'd that whosoever offended against the Laws which he had promulgated should in proportion to the crime either have all his house or part of it burnt down He was educated in the Christian Religion by the care of his father Olaus which in his reign he defended and dyed peaceably 99. Enundus base-son to Olaus and brother to Anundus surnam'd Gammel i. e. base from his contempt of Religion or as some are of opinion because he yeilded up to the Crown of Denmark Schonen Blekingia and Hallandia which belong'd to him as being part of the Kingdom of Gothia 100. Haquinus III. surnam'd Rufus 101. Stenchillus II. bred up in the Christian Religion which he very much encouraged amongst his subjects making his Palace a sanctuary for any that were persecuted in any parts of his dominions for that profession 102. Ingo III. Not descended from the Blood-Royal but for his singular virtues elected King by the voices of the people He is said to have been so exact an observer of his own Laws that he never offended against any of them 103. Halstanus a just and peaceable Prince 104. Philippus 105. Ingo IV. in his progress through his dominions by some of his Courtiers poison'd at a small Village in Ostro-Gothia 106. Ragvaldus surnam'd Knaphofde i. e. cock-brain'd elected by the Swedes without the consent of the Goths which they not enduring as thinking it a breach of their priviledges rebell'd against him and in battel slew him For one to succeed him both Nations pitch'd upon 107. Suercherus II who as he was going to Church on Christmas day was by a Ruffian employ'd by one Scatelerus who hop'd to obtain the Crown after his death miserably assassinated Gothick Kings out of their own Country who reign'd over the Goths while they inhabited about the River Vistula or Weissel and also in Dacia and Thracia near that time when according to some Authors they divided themselves into Ostro and Westro-Goths 1. Anthinus 2. Antheas 3. Gothilas a Famous Queen whose Daughter Medumpa was married to Philip King of Macedonia 4. Sitalcus elected King An. ante Christum 300. He with an army of 150000 men lay'd wast all the Country of Greece 5. Dromgethes 6. Tanobonta 7. Boroista cotemporary with Sylla the Roman Dictator who lived An. ante nat Christ 76. 8. Commositus both King and Priest 9. Corillus under whose conduct the Goths says Lazius first of all invaded Dacia 10. Dorpaneus co-temporary with Domitian the Roman Emperor An. Christ 83. 11. Decebalus 12. Ostrogotha 13. Cinna or Omba 14. Cannabas or Canabandes 15. Hildericus surnam'd Ovida who liv'd in the time of Constantine the Great 16. Gebeticus 17. Armanaricus who was says Damasc suppl Eutrop. overcome by the Hunns and made Tributary to them 18. Vinnitarius 19. Hunimundus 20. Totismundus 21. Alaricus and Fridigernus who as Lazius mentions reign'd at the same time in Thracia they defeated the Roman Forces sent against them commanded by Valens the Emperor whom they put to flight and apprehending him in a small Cottage whither he had fled to hide himself burnt him to death 23. Theomarus who conquer'd Maesia 24. Radagaisus who to Maesia added a great part of Pannonia An. Christ 390. 25. Alvaricus a Potent King 26. Alaricus II. who subdued all Illyricum and extended his Arms as far as Italy Arcadius and Honorius sons to Theodosius the Emperor either for some private ends wishing the success or not being able to withstand the power of his Forces and thereupon not timely preventing his designs he sack'd Rome subdued Naples and overran the greatest part of that Country But at last the Goths were by Stilico General of the Roman Army driven out of Italy and after their departure thence they are said to have sate down in France The Ostro-Gothish Kings who ruled in Italy according to Wolf Lazius 1. Alaricus I. 2. Theodericus whom Leo or as Scalig. Zeno the Emperor made his adopted son he expell'd the Heruli out of Italy and wholly subjected it to the power of the Goths he had one daughter nam'd Amalasuentha 3. Theodatus or as Jornandes has it Eutharicus call'd out of France by the Italick Goths to be their King 4. Alaricus II though he was the first of that name who setled in Italy 5. Alaricus III. 6. Athalaricus who had one only Daughter whom he married to Vittigis who maintain'd a war against Justinian the Emperor for about fourteen years and defended himself bravely against the Roman Power 7. Illovadus he was kill'd in battel by Narses the Roman General 8. Alaricus IV. who reigned only five months 9. Totylas or Odilo 10. Teias the last Gothish King in Italy who himself was kill'd by the Romans and his people almost all rooted out and destroyed by them some few only remaining who mixing and incorporating with the Italians at present pass for the same Nation with them Westro or Wiso-Gothick Kings who reign'd in Gallia Lugdunensis and Aquitanica 1. Alaricus I. who as was said conducted the Gothick people into those parts An. Salut 411. 2. Austulphus son to Alaricus 3. Theodericus kill'd by Attyla King of the Hunns 4. Turismundus son to Theodericus who to revenge his fathers death waged war with the Hunns and overcame them 5. Dietmarus in whose time a great part of the Goths under the conduct of one Vallia went into Spain 6. Gundoccarus in the time of Theodosius junior After his reign the Goths in these parts grew inconsiderable as intermixing themselves with other people and not having a distinct King of their own but being subjected to many other Princes Besides these Gothish Kings which we have mentioned there were many other who ruled over the Wiso-Goths in Spain and the adjacent parts a Catalogue of whom we leave to be set down in Spain and Arragon and the Kingdoms where they reigned for the Goths in those parts blending with the Romani Alani Suevi Mauri Saraceni c. did not so much continue a distinct Nation of themselves as become a people incorporated with those of other Nations or these with the Goths so that they were ruled by