about three English miles containing not above six thousand inhabitants and encompassed with a silly trench of twenty-five foot broad The Roman Communion hath four Churches the Greek ten which they call Cerkuils and a kind of University called Bracha Cerkuils It hath a reasonable trading for corn furs wax honey tallow and salt-fish They have four jurisdictions that of the Bishop of the Palatine or Starost of the Wovit and of the Consuls of the City Half a league below Kiow 〈…〉 is a large Village called Piecharre where is a noble Monastery the habitation of the Metropolitan or Patriarch And under the mountain close by it are divers grots dug like mines wherein are conserved many bodies buried very many years ago amongst others there are saith Beauplan three heads in dishes which every day distill an oyl soveraign for several diseases the bodies are neither so black nor hard as Mummies the place is a sandy-stone but very dry it seems to be of the same nature of that called Roma subterranea Below Piecharre is Stayky Stayky an ancient Town on the top of a mountain as all those ancient Towns are even in Italy built so for strength and security There is also a Ferry to pass men over the river After that is Richow where is an easie passage over the river Lower is Tretemirof a Monastery amongst inaccessible rocks Here the Cosacks conserved the choicest of their wealth A league below that is Pereaslaw a strong Town of six thousand families Here the Cosacks have a Regiment as they have another and a Ferry at Kaniow a little lower but on the east bank of the Nieper On the same side is Cirkacse the center of all their retreats burnt by the Polanders ann 1637. On the same side is Krilow and below that Kremierczow the lowest Town upon the river all below it being desart A league from thence the river Pseczoll and a little lower on Russia side Omelnik fall into the Nieper as also on the Poland bank Worsko and Orel two rivers very full of fish Here are divers dwarf-Cherry and Almond-trees which one of our country-men I doubt mistakeingly hath placed far on the north of Volga Continuing down the river are many Isles most of them uninhabited because overflowed in the spring but much frequented by fishers Divers rivers also encrease the Niester at Romanow but chiefly Samar which supplies not only much fish but other commodities as honey wax venison and especially timber The Cosacks call it the holy river and in the spring here are said to be caught sturgeons and herrings A little below that the Polonians built a fort in the year 1635 at Kudac which is the first of the Porohi Poroui or Porohi called anciently Catadupae Porouhi in the Russ-language signifies a rock of stone and of these there are thirteen chains or as it were causeys that cross the Boristhenes and render the navigation from the Vkrain to the Black Sea impossible so that tho the Vkrain be a very fruitful country in corn and all other commodity yet the inhabitants not being able to vend them suffer much of it to lye unhusbanded or at least not so well as it might be Of these rocks some are under some above water ten foot as big as houses and very near to one another so that stopping the course of the river they make very great falls some to fifteen foot when the water is low for in the spring when the river is swelled with the melted snow they are all except the seventh called Nienashtes which only there hindreth navigation covered with water Betwixt Budelou and Tawolzany which are the tenth and eleventh the Tartars do often swim the river the banks being shallow A little below the lowest Porouhi is an Island they call Kaczawanicze or boil-millet because here they make good cheer when they have passed the Porouhi Below that is a river a Promontory and the best passage for the Tartars the river not being above an hundred and fifty paces broad called Kuczkosow Below that is the Isle Tomahowka whither the Cosacks often resort and rendezvous But their chiefest retreat is below the river Czertomelik upon an Island where are some old ruines but which is compassed about with a vast number of small Islands some dry some overflowed in the spring some marshes but all cover'd with canes as big as pikes which hide the passages between the Islands and render it all a great labyrinth known only to the Cosacks who call it Scarbniza Woyskowa or the treasure of the army Here they lay up all their ordnance their money and whatever will not spoil by the water The Turks have lost many gallies so engaged amongst these Isles that they could neither go backward nor forward and were seized by the Cosacks Here also they make their Cholna of which more by and by From these Porouhi the Cosacks take their name of Zaporouski which are the great body in imitation whereof the Donski are lately set up None can be a Zaporouski Cosack who hath not passed in his little boat all the Porouhi's i.e. who hath not made a course or voyage upon the Black Sea no more then he can be a Knight of Malta that hath not made a Caravane We shall first shew the original and actions of the Cosacks and afterwards finish what concerns the Boristhenes and the countries adjacent The Cosacks Of the Cosacks so called saith a late author from Cosa which in the Slavonian language signifies a sythe their ordinary weapon began in the time of Sigismund I. King of Poland and were certain volontiers upon the frontiers of Russia Volhinia and Podolia that troop'd togegether partly to defend themselves from the Tartars which they did by fighting them at the passages over the Nieper as they returned with their prey partly to rob upon the Black Sea where they getting very rich booty drew more into their association At first they were about six thousand under Eustachius Daskovicius their General But their numbers quickly encreased their neighbours seeing the rich booties got by their pyracies part whereof they laid in their Skarbniza Woskowa the rest they brought home to their own houses agreeing upon a time of rendezvousing the next spring upon the Isles and Rocks of Nieper whence they again return to their pyracy Stephen Batory King of Poland considering the service which might be made of these thieves in defending the frontiers of his country from the inrodes of the Tartars Their Establishment to which they were too much exposed owned them and formed them into an orderly Militia giving them the Town and territory of Trethimirow about eighty miles in length in the Palatinate of Kiow upon the Boristhenes appointing them a General to whom he gave power to chuse his under-officers giving them many priviledges besides some pay he joined to them also two thousand horse to the maintainance of whom he assigned the fourth part of his demesne whence they
surface of the water in the Islands but rather that the high-water is caused by the winds The whole land is so encompassed with Ice The Ice and cold that it is difficult to be approach'd and 1613 about the middle of June the Ice was so much and so strong that the Ships which went from Holland to the Whale-fishing were not able to come to the shore nor was the Snow thawed from the Land The Rain-Deer also and other Beasts were many of them starv'd for want of food Though ordinarily the Ice breaks in May yet if the Northerly or Easterly winds continue long for those are the coldest the Frost endures the longer For though the Sun stay half the year yet never arising above 33 deg 40 min. above the Horizon its beams are so few and scatter'd that they are most-times insufficient to dissolve the Ice much less to dispel the cold From the weakness of the heat also it proceeds that the vapours from the earth are neither hot enough to warm the air nor thin enough to rise to any considerable height but they hang continually in thick dark mists upon the mountains and sometimes upon the earth it self insomuch that he which is at one end of his Ship cannot discern his companion at the other Concerning the Cold and Ice it is further remarkable that the Ice is oftentimes raised above the water many 16 fathoms and this is much fresher than the other many-times also it is thirty-five fathoms underwater which is more salt and easilier melted It is frozen sometimes to the bottom of the Sea Freezing makes a great and to them who have not heard it before a terrible sound as the Ice doth also at the breaking Sometimes it breaks only into great pieces which is very dangerous to the Ships for then many times the Sea beaten from one Ice to another is turn'd into a whirlpool which overturns the Ships Sometimes it shatters at once into small pieces with more noise but less danger The Seamen defended their vessels at first with Ropes Mats and such like soft and loose materials hung down by the sides of the Ships whereby they thought to break the force of the Ice but they quickly found this too weak a defence Now they use Poles Hooks and the like to keep it at a distance and that the Ship may drive along before it which serves well in a calm but an high wind often dashing the Ice against the Ship breaks it to pieces Sometimes it is crushed between two pieces of Ice sometimes thrust up upon other pieces William Barents found upon a great Ice 10 fathoms above water much earth and Fowls-Eggs lying upon it The Beasts of this Country are only these The beasts 1. Foxes white gray tawny and black 2. Rain-Deer which by feeding upon the yellow Moss in three months grow to a prodigious fatness above four inches upon the ribs which seems to be the reason why they are able to endure so long a winter though sometimes also they dye for want of food At the first discovery they did not fear or avoid our people but when one of them found himself wounded with a bullet he assaulted the shooter threw him down and had not his companions rescued him the poor man was in danger to have lost his life they are now as wild as other Deer 3 Bears chiefly white ones which are of a wonderful largeness 6 foot high their skins 14 foot long above an 100 weight of fat has been taken out of one of them and they have strength proportionable When our men had killed so large a Bear that they were not able to bring him off and went to call for more help another Bear coming by accident took him up in his mouth and run away with him and at a distance began to eat him Our men coming when he had eaten near half of him found the other half as much as four of them could tug to their tent The Hollanders in Nova Zembla observed that when the Sun disappeared the Bears left them till the Sun returned and in their stead the Foxes grew more bold The largest sort of Bears are those they call Water-Bears that live by what they catch in the Sea where they have been seen swimming twelve miles from any shore The Dutch Relation saith that skins have been seen fourteen ells long but they meant feet Our men say that the story of their bringing forth their young deformed and that they reduce them into shape by licking is a fable for that they have seen very young ones and some also taken out of their Dams bellies perfectly formed In this Country there doth not breed any great quantity of Land-fowls 〈◊〉 there is one of the bigness of a Lark with a square bill that feeds upon worms and tasts not fishy Another they call Snow-Fowl of the bigness and colour of a Sparrow with a white belly being almost starved they flew into a Ship in great abundance and were so tame that the Mariners took as many of them as they pleased but as soon as they were fed with Hasty-pudding flew away and would no more come near them Of Water-fowl there is great variety as Cuthbert-Ducks Willocks Stints Sea-Pigeons Sea-Parrets Guls Noddies and in so great abundance that with their flights they darken the Sun and at their rising make such a noise that persons talking together cannot hear one another speak Particularly there is one called by the Dutch Raadtsheer all white as Snow except his Bill which is thin small and sharp his feet and eyes he lives upon what he can get in the water 2. A Diver or Didapper called by the Mariners a Pigeon because of the noise he makes almost as big as a Duck with a thin crooked sharp-pointed bill two inches long feathers black legs and feet red these swim very swift endure long under water and are tolerable good meat 3. Like to this but somewhat bigger is the Lumb only his belly is white and his noise like the croaking of a frog these build in the Mountains and carry their young ones in their beaks to the Sea to teach them to swim and dive their flesh is not good 4. The Mew called Kutle-gehf from the noise he makes hath a crooked bill with a bunch under it his belly is all white his wings and back gray with black pinions legs and feet and a red ring about his eyes the Fishermen baiting their hooks with Whales-flesh catch store of these Mews as if they were Fish He is pursued by another fowl for his dung which as soon as he hath dropt the other eats and leaves him 5. The Allen pursues and beats the other Birds till they vomit their prey for him to devour which when done he goes his way from them There are also great quantities of Fishes in these Seas as Seals Dog-fishes Lobsters Gernels Fishes or Shrimp-gurnets Star-fish Mackrel Dragon-fish Dolphins Buts-head Unicorns and the like But
their boats and strip themselves of their clothes but never like some other Barbarians sell their wives and children Their clothing is either of birds skins Their Clothing with the feathers and down upon them or Seals Dog-fish or the like Seals they use most in their fishing because that fish there abounds and are easily deceived by seeing one clad in their own Livery besides that these kind of furs are not so apt to be wet tho dip'd in water They wear the hair sides outward in summer inward in winter and in great colds carry two or more suits one upon another They dress their skins very well making them dry soft and durable and sow them also very strong with sinews of beasts and needles made of fish-bones But in nothing do they shew so much art Their Boats as in their Boats or Canoes They are made of that we call Whalebone about an inch thick and broad and these not set like ribs but all along from prow to poop fast sowed to one another with strong sinews and cover'd over with Seals-skin They are from ten to twenty foot long and about two foot broad made like a Weavers shuttle sharp at both ends so that he can row either way and in making this pointedness they are of all things most curious for therein consists the strength of their Vessel In the middle of it are the ribs both to keep the sides asunder and to make the hole in the covering wherein the rower sits They have a deck made of the same materials which is closely fasten'd to the sides in the midst whereof is a round hole as big as the middle of a man so that when he goes to Sea he sets himself in that hole stretching out his feet forward into the hollow of the Boat he stops up the hole so close with his frock or loose upper garment that no water can enter tho it were in the bottom of the Sea His frock is strait tyed at the hand-wrists and to his neck and his capouch sowed also close to it so that if the Boat be overturned or overwhelmed in the Sea he rises up again without any wet either upon his skin or in his Boat They have but one oar which is about six foot long with a paddle six inches broad at either end this serves him both to ballance his Boat and move it which he doth with that incredible celerity that one of our Boats with ten oars is not able to keep company with them the Danish relation saith that they rowed so swift that they even dazled the eyes of the spectators and tho they crossed frequently yet never interfered or hit one another Their fishing ordinarily is darting Their Fishing their darts are long strongly barbed and at the other end have bladders fastned to them that when they have struck the fish he may spend himself with strugling to get under water which yet he cannot do and so is easily taken Besides these they have greater Boats for the removing their tents and other utensils as also to carry their fish they have caught to their houses these are thirty and forty foot long and have sometimes ten and sometimes more seats for rowers Cardinal Bembus in his Venetian History saith that in his time one of these with seven persons in it was by storm cast upon the coast of Britany I know not whether it be worth mentioning that they have Kettles and Pans made of stone some say of Loadstone that endures the fire wonderfully but not having tools fit to hollow them sufficiently they make up the edges of Whalebone FREESLAND or FRISELAND LIeth in 60 deg more westerly than any part of Europe distant from Iseland â—… leagues It is reported in bigness not to be much lesser than England a ragged and high land the mountains cover'd with snow and the coast so full of drift Ice that it is almost inaccessible It was first discovered to us by Nicolao and Antonio Zani It s Discovery two Venetian Gentlemen that were here shipwrack'd They describe the inhabitants to be good Christians very civil and to be govern'd by a great Lord whose name was Zichmay whose mighty conquests and strange accidents may be read in Hackluit It is not our business to write or repeat romances Those men whom our Seamen touching there accidently saw were like in all things to the Gronelanders both in features of body and manner of living as much as they could judge so like that many of them thought it continued to Groneland in which opinion also they were confirm'd by the multitudes of the Islands of ice which coming from the north argued land to be that way for many of our Mariners hold that salt water doth not freeze but that all the ice they find in the Sea comes from the Bays and mouths of fresh water Rivers for the ice it self is sweet and fresh being dissolved and serves to all purposes as well as spring or river water Besides the salt Sea they say is always in motion and so cannot freeze But the Dutch who wintred in Nova Zembla took notice that the salt water freez'd and that two inches thick in one night There seems to be good fishing every where upon the coast In their soundings they brought up a sort of pale Coral and little stones clear as Chrystal They call'd it West England and one of the highest mountains they called Charing-Cross EUROPA delineata et recens edita per NICOLAUM VISSCHER Nobilissimo Prudent Domino D. SIMONI VAN HOORN Consulo et Senatori Vrbis Amstelodamensis 〈◊〉 Ordinum Belgicae Feoderatae nomine ad Magnae Britanniae Regem nuper Legato extraordinario Tabulam hanc D. D. Nicolaus Visscher EUROPE THE Holy Scripture a Monument ancienter The peopling of the world after the Flood and of greater authority then any among the Heathens declares the whole earth after the Flood to have been overspread by the sons of Noah Cham's posterity seems to have peopled Africa and some parts of the adjoining Continent yet not so universally but that divers Colonies were there planted both of the sons of Sem and Japhet The posterities of Sem and Japhet were so intermingled that even anciently much less in these later times there could not be any exact distinguishing of their limits Tho the common opinion is that Japhet's sons inhabited the greatest part of Europe We must therefore omit this division for want of evidence and content our selves with that of the Ancients dividing the then known world into Europe Asia and Africa the modern discoverers have added America The ancient division of the world Now when this division of the Earth into Europe Asia and Africa was first instituted as also the reasons of it and of the impositions of the names is to us utterly unknown That it is very ancient appears by Herodotus the first credible Historian that we have of the Heathens and from what he says in his fourth Book
Esq Benjamin Woodroff D. D. Canon of Ch. Ch. Oxon Sr. Peter VVyche Lady VVymondesold of Putney Tho. VVyndham Esq Grome of the Bed-chamber John VVyvell Minister by Rochester RICHARD Ld. Arch Bp. of York ROBERT Earl of Yarmouth Robert Yard Esq John Yardley M. D. Col. Med. Lond. S. Hon. Tho. Yate D. D. Principal of Brazen-Nose Coll. Oxon James Young Esq Robert Young Canon of VVindsor ORBIS TERRARUM NOVA ET ACCURATISSIMA TABULA Auctore IOANNE à LOON HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE Serenissimo Potentissimoque Domino Domino CAROLO SECUNDO Magnae Britanniae Franciae et Hiberniae Reg Defensor Fidei Hanc tabulam totius Orbis D. D. D. 〈…〉 NOVA TOTIUS TERRARUM ORBIS GEOGRAPHICA AC HYDROGRAPHICA TABULA To the Right Reverend Father in God JOHN by divine permission LD. BISHOP of OXON this Mapp is humbly Dedicated Johannes Jansonius à waesberge and Moses Pitt and Steven Swart SEPTEM PLANETA LUNA ♋ ☽ MERCURIUS ♊ ☿ VENUS ♎ ♉ SOL ♌ ☉ MARS ♈ ♂ IUPITER ♠♃ SATURNUS ♑ ♄ QUATUOR ELEMENTAE IGNIS AER AQUA TERRA QUATUOR ANNI TEMPESTATES VER ♈ ♉ ♊ AESTAS ♋ ♌ ♠AUTUMNUS ♎ ♠♠HYEMS ♑ ♒ ♓ SEPTEM MIRABILIA MUNDI MURUS BABYLONIAE COLOSSUS PYRAMIDES MAUSOLEUM DIANAE TEMPLUM IUPITER OLYMPICUS PHAROS AMERICA SEPTENTRIONALISM TERRA AUSTRALIS INCOGNITA THE INTRODUCTION COSMOGRAPHY is a general description of the whole World The Intention of the whole Work consisting of Heaven and Earth of both which an account is intended to be given in this Atlas that of the Heavens is reserv'd to a peculiar Volume It being as we conceive of greater necessity that we begin with that of the Earth And first of this great Globe in general the description whereof belongs to Geography as that of particular Regions and Countries is called Chorography which is contained in their peculiar Maps Nor shall we omit such Topographical descriptions or the knowledg of lesser places as Cities Rivers Mountains c. where advantage may be to the Reader Now this Globe which we call of the Earth consisteth of Land and Water or Seas the description of those is properly nam'd Hydrography which sets forth the superficies of the Seas and mouths of greater Rivers the Havens Rocks Shallows Creeks and such other considerations as concern Navigation to this also an entire Volume in this Edition of an Atlas is designed And because that of ancient times the divisions and boundaries of Kingdoms and Countries were very much divers from those at present to avoid confusion which must needs happen by treating in the same place of things so different it is thought necessary to reserve the ancient Geography to a particular Tome to be put forth with the rest in its due time Thus you have an account of what is intended in the Edition of this Great Work But it is first necessary to explain such terms and lay such general grounds as are of use thro all the Volumes which is the subject of this Preface or Introduction First then it is to be noted Of the Globe of the Earth that the Earth and Water make but one body the figure whereof is round and therefore is best and most naturally represented by those we call Globes tho Maps also or plain Figures if carefully drawn are sufficiently exact This proposition tho it might be supposed rationally enough as now granted by all learned men yet may it be evidently proved both from Celestial and Terrestrial appearances whereof an account and reason may easily be given by this figure and not by any other The Sun and the Stars rise sooner to them who live Eastwardly then they do to us which could not be if the whole face of the Earth were plain 2. To those who live more or less Northward the Pole is more or less elevated for those inhabitants of Iseland Lapland c. who live about a thousand miles more Northward then we do see the Pole-star fifteen degrees higher then we can And those who travel hence towards those Countries do find that this variation is made gradually altering about a degree and a half at the end of every hundred miles which could not be except the body on which they moved were Spherical 3. The Shadow which the Earth casteth upon the Moon when she is partially eclipsed is seen to be circular and therefore the body which causes it must be so too To these we may add that many Propositions in Astronomy Geography and Navigation are founded on this supposition and when they are applyed to use they prove true and succeed according to expectation which certainly they would not always do if the very foundation upon which they are built were unsound The same also is proved by plain sense and experiment as well as by reason and consequence for we perceive that Ships which loose from their Harbours in calm weather disappear gradually first their Hulks then their Sails and after a few miles their highest Masts the natural convexity of the water interposing betwixt them and our sight Several also of our Country-men and Neighbours have sailed round about this Globe loosing hence Westwardly and returning again fromwards the East From which and other Navigations we may conclude not only that naturally no part of the Ocean is higher then another but also that we may sail from any part to any part of the superficies of the Ocean and that every Continent hath Sea about it and is indeed but a greater Island The controversie about the situation of this Globe whether it stand still in the midst Of the situation of the Earth and as it were center of the world as the ancients generally opined or whether it move upon its own axis and about the Sun as the center besides that it is not so much to our purpose in this as in the Volume of the Heavens the Maps and Descriptions being the same in both ways and that the learned are not come to any issue in it nor have we any thing to add to the common and vulgar probable arguments only we shall omit The parts of this Globe are naturally separated one from another by Seas ledges of Mountains Rivers Desarts and the like Which are very opportune for the distinction of Nations Kingdoms and Governments In the beginning of the Creation Of the Waters in this Globe the Waters being lighter then the Earth accordingly overspread and compassed it to some considerable height but whether there was in the beginning a greater quantity of Earth or Water created is an undeterminable curiosity On the third day the Almighty Creator separated them by causing the Waters to sink into the deep and open cavities of the Earth where by the height and strength of the shores they are restrained as in a Vessel from returning to overflow and drown the dry land But if the shores be weak as many times it happeneth the water breaketh thro and overwhelmeth so much of the
dry land till it meet with an obstacle strong enough to coerce it From hence some do imagine that the Mountains and Valleys were then also formed the Earth being before equal and smooth which is very probable in as much as the Scripture saith that the dry land then first appeared Others also imagine that the height of the highest Mountains equals the depth of the deepest Seas Which indeed may be so but is not evidently deduced from what hath been hitherto observed It is more considerable what Olearius mentions that examining with an instrument the height of the waters of the Caspian Sea he found them level with the top of the bordering Mountains p. 142 of his Travels where he makes no doubt but that the Sea is higher then the Land His experiment supposing it truly made if not to be solved by the greatness of the refraction I know not what to say to it as neither can I resolve Whether the Earth be in the center or middle of the whole world The place of the Earth and that all heavy bodies descend to it as their proper place which is the reason of its stability and unmoveableness tho it seem to hang in the air Or as others think that heavy things descend to the Earth as by a magnetical virtue drawn to it from such a distance But this opinion declares not how the Earth keeps its place in the Air. Or as others say that the Earth is but a shell of no great thickness perhaps of three or four miles and within it is quite hollow by which means the weight is so inconsiderable that it is susteined in the Air as lighter bodies are in the Water and that this cavity is the place of punishment for wicked Angels and men The parts of the Ocean receive different names The parts of the Ocean according to their greatness or their shoes Fretum a Strait is a narrow Sea contain'd between two opposite but not much distant shores and giving opportunity of passing from one Sea to another as the Straits of Gibralter of Magellan Davis the Sound in Denmark c. Sinus a Bay is a part of the Sea running up into the Land and almost encompassed by the shore If but a little one 't is called a Creek if large a Gulf. And in these are Havens or stations for Ships as Roads are in the open Sea but defended from some winds The vast body of the Sea is called the Ocean and the Sea is ordinarily called some lesser part of it let into the Land by a Strait as the Mediterranean Baltick Sea c. A Lake is a large collection of waters enclosed within land some of which have no known or visible communication with any Sea as the Mare Caspium Lacus Asphaltites or Dead Sea Others have Rivers running from them or thro them as the Lacus Lemanus Benacus c. Rivers are made up by Brooks these by Springs Of Springs and Fountains So that their originals are from these Springs but whence that water comes which supplies so many Springs is somewhat dubious 1. Some imagine great caverns in the Earth which being very cold condense the air into drops of water and those being collected make a Spring It is true indeed that all or most of the famous Caves as Ooky-hole c. in this Country have Rivers in them of considerable bigness but those seem not to be there generated but to cross only the passage And in others such as that famous Cave sometimes serving for the quartering of an Army call'd Cavola de Custoza near Vicenza there are in many places continual droppings but whether from coagulated air or vapours or from water draining thro the Earth I know not There are also little Pools made by such droppings and some also that have fish in them but very many such must go to the making up one small Spring 2. Others attribute it to the great abysse mentioned in the Holy Scriptures and doubtless he that made the world best knows the frame and constitution of it if that be his meaning as that very learned man Mr. Lydyat thinks he hath proved There seems indeed to be water in all or most places within the Earth but not in every place at an equal depth Which water runs along in that bed or vein of gravel which lies sometimes higher and sometimes lower Below this I never heard that any one hath digged nor do I think it hardly possible to dig under it Whence this water proceeds i. e. whether from the Sea or Rain or concreated in it is hard to affirm only the Well-diggers do observe that in this gravel also there is a current or stream of the water Why this gravel lies unequally high and how the water ascends in it is a difficult question which some solve by saying that 't is contained in the gravel as the blood in the veins of an humane body and moves with the like vital motion others imagine that because the gravel is an opener mass of bodies not closely contiguous together the water runs in them and is forced into higher places by some other causes as by the motion of the Sea violently impelling it in those narrow and crooked passages but these being only conjectures we must not enlarge too much upon them 3. Most men think that all Springs proceed from the Sea-water dulcified by percolation thro the gravel or other convenient passages of the Earth The difficulty that oppresseth this is that it is not easie to imagine how the Sea-water should rise to the tops of mountains yet even there are often found Sea-plants naturally growing which perswade many men of the truth of that opinion tho they cannot justifie the manner And there are also divers Lakes upon the highest hills amongst the Alps as particularly upon Splugen which notwithstanding the top of the water be frozen in winter yet do Trouts and other fish live very well in them which perswade the inhabitants that there is communication betwixt those Lakes and other fresh waters 4. Others are of opinion that the water that furnishes Springs is that of Rain or Snow which comes from the clouds and consists either of drops of Rains or of smaller Dew-drops whereof many together make Rain And these Clouds hanging commonly upon the hills furnish them chiefly with moisture which being reserved in Cisterns or sometimes in mosses break or spring forth where they find the easiest passage Sometimes the summity of the hill is either a Lake or a Bog and keeps the water as in a Pond lined with Clay till it come to such a height as it overflows And this is the reason both of the continuance of Springs and why there are so few in Plains because the Rain-water that falleth there goes down by the seams of the Earth so deep that it cannot spring up again nor are there mountains so near as to supply them from their Caverns Whether any or all of these opinions are false
I shall not determine but it seems to me that such a quantity of water issueth by these Springs that perhaps all these causes and many more will hardly be sufficient considering that some particular Rivers v. g. Volga vents saith Varenius as much water in one year as the magnitude of the whole Earth amounts to Or if not one as some think they demonstrate yet three or four or as many as flow into the Caspian Sea discharge so much water as cannot well be imagined except we acknowledge a circulation of water not only by being rarified into vapours and condensed again but also in the bowels of the earth To the conceiving whereof perhaps it may somewhat conduce to be informed of the contents of this great Globe at least so much of it as is already discovered by the Miners and Well-diggers tho not to any considerable depth i. e. of a very few fathoms As the Air is the place of the generation of those we call Meteors and the Water of Fowls especially Fishes so is this Earthly Globe of Stones Minerals Salts Bitumens Petroleums and divers sorts of earths And they say that as far as they have digged they find it to consist of several sorts or measures of earth stones c. many times thinly spread one over another yet none of them perfectly circular but from the superficies of the Earth whither in some place or other they reach they dip or slope the further they go still descending deeper as if a line drawn down upon their superfices were part of a Spiral line And this for the great benefit of mankind that the same place may be supplied with variety of soils Thro which measures descend from the superficies of the Earth seams like veins in an animal body which convey the Rain-water that falls upon the Earth and therefore in our Quarries of stone these seams are fill'd with a very thin fine earth for the easier descent of the water neither is this descent in a streight line but one line begins at some small distance from the ending of the upper that more parts of the Earth may be water'd and fertilized by it not only to the production of Plants c. but also of Minerals Stones Coals c. in the very Earth it self And why may not also in great Rains part of this water descend lower to the gravel as well as into the Coal-pits Lead-Mines c. Methinks therefore we may probably say 1. That all those Springs which arise near the bottoms of hills and all such as diminish much in dry weather come from rain-Rain-water or melted Snow 2. Such as arise in plains of which there are not many are furnished with the water in the gravel which is supplied either out of the great Abysse if it be not the Abysse it self not unknown as it seems to Seneca Nimis saith he ille oculis permittit qui non credit esse in abscondito terrae sinus maris vasti or out of the Sea discharging it self by this means into the bowels of the Earth 3. From this water also are supplied the Wells and Pits which in some Countries afford all the water they use many of which also approach nearer the surface of the Earth in summer then winter the greater heat of the Sun forcing them higher 4. That it is not necessary that Salt-springs should bring that tincture from the Sea in wider channels or pipes because that there are great Mines of Salts of divers kinds generated in the Earth the solution of which may very well impregnate the water But these are not so much to our purpose but must be left to their particular Countries where they arise It is most certain that the most wise Creator made all things in number weight and measure which proportions tho we do not understand yet we must needs admire him who in the beginning established such a never-failing harmony Whether this Globe of Earth grow or not Of the growing of the Earth is not much material to our purpose for neither the growth or diminishing of it can be so great as to alter the usual measures or distances Yet it may be rationally said that in low soft and boggy places it doth grow not only by the winds and rain carrying down somewhat still into those parts but also by the grass weeds and fog which by the rain being flatted and beaten down in winter do the next Spring send forth new shoots from the old roots which in tract of time do raise the ground And this seems to be the reason why in such earths we oftentimes find trees which being cut down in those places where they formerly grew and not carried away in good time are at length grown over and cover'd with those weeds and herbs In the bottom of a turff-pit for this matter is not earth but turff they found not long ago a small parcel of Coins upon an heap perhaps they had been tied up in some matter that was putrified of Edward IV. as I judg by the face and this was about eighteen foot deep Which gives us some conjecture how long at most that turff was a growing i. e. eighteen foot in two hundred years by the way also there were a few years ago in the Forest of Dean after the Miners had wrought over a great cinder-heap found divers Coins of Brass fresh as when first minted of Tetricus and some other of those Tyrants about the year 260 which gives some hint by whom and at what time those Iron-mines were wrought Neither doth the dust or small parts of Earth washed or blown from higher places considerably diminish them or fill up the Valleys for then would they also thicken and in time fill up also the Sea which seems to have been the opinion of Polybius who conceived that because he saw the Black or Euxin-Sea in his time to be so muddy and thick it would in time by still thickning become firm land But the Lord of Busbeque in his Ambassy to the Grand Seignior about eighteen hundred years after Polybius found it exactly in the same condition as Polybius had described it The superficies of the Earth is not equally nor perfectly round The figure of the Earth yet are not the extuberances so great or considerable as to hinder the whole Globe to be accounted round the greatest height of the highest mountain making an insensible difference in the computation of the Diameter of the whole Earth Now there is a rising or swelling of the Earth which commonly begins by the Sea-shore and encreaseth the further it reacheth in the Continent besides that of the particular mountains which seems to have been so order'd to make room for the Sea and waters Yet were not all mountains made at or near the birth of the world Some have been even in our memory cast up by Earthquakes as Monte Novo in the Kingdom of Naples near Pozzuolo Others by the winds heaping up the Sands together
which they say happens frequently in the great and sandy Desarts But these are very few and I suppose as easily blown asunder as brought together However these deserve here no particular consideration This rising of the Earth in large Continents is doubtless very great tho none either have or will ever be at the trouble and charge to measure it yet some estimation may be made by the length and swiftness of Rivers It is commonly said that a Ship is not able to sail against that stream whose declivity is one pace in an hundred yet some declivity there must be and as they say seldom is it less then one in five hundred Suppose then the Nile which runs in the greatest Continent Africk which we know in the world it disembogues into the Mediterranean Sea in 31 deg of Northerly Latitude and ariseth out of the Lake Zaire which is in 10 deg or as some say 14 of Southerly Latitude in all 41 deg which comes to about 2460 miles English if running streight but because of its bendings it may be well estimated 3000 miles which allowing two foot to a mile comes to six thousand feet if it move with as slow a motion as can be but considering that it is a swift River the mud not setling till it come to the Sea and hath in it divers great Cataracts the Lake of Zaire must needs be much higher then the mouth of Nilus But the height of mountains is more certainly and easily known and divers of them have been measured as one of the highest hills betwixt Yorkshire and Lancashire Pendle-hill if I be not mis-informed was not found to exceed half a mile in perpendicular height Olympus somewhat above a mile and some others as El Pico in the Isle of Teneriffe yet higher But the certainty we know not The manner of measuring and calculating is thus which is much easier in such a mountain as Teneriff or Pendle-hill being one peak or top standing in a plain then in those Juga or ledges of mountains which run thro and divide most of the great Continents of the world whereof the highest may be still higher then the other Let b c d represent a mountain whose height a c is thus found Take two stations in a straight line from it the first at b not far from the foot the other at e a considerable distance from it from each of these stations take the angles at the top b c a e c a then out of 90 subduct b c a the remainder is the angle c b a which also being subducted from 90 the remainder is the angle c b e. Therefore in the triangle c b e we have one side e b viz. the distance of the two stations which must be exactly measured and all the angles for c e b is the complement of the other two to 180 then say As the sine of the angle e c b is to the side e b So is the sine of the angle c e b to b c. Having then in the rectangular triangle b c a one side b c and all the angles for a b c is the complement of b c a to 90 say then As the Radius is to the sine of b c a So is b c to c a the height By the Quadrat Divide 10000 by the number of parts cut at each station then say As the difference of the Quotients is to the distance betwixt the statitions So is 100 to the height This great Globe is not only divided into Land and Water Divisions of the Earth but many other ways in respect to them As some are Continents which are great parts of Land without any Sea Islands are small parts encompassed by water Peninsula or Chersonesus is a part of Land which would be called an Island were it not for an Isthmus or neck of land which joins it to the Continent A Mountain or Rock jutting out into the Sea is called a Promontory Cape or Headland Again the Ancients divided all they knew of the Earth into three parts Europe Asia and Africa of each of these in their several places but another Hemisphere having been lately discovered there is commonly added to these America as the fourth part Others also name two more the Lands under the North and South Poles which indeed were not comprehended in the former division yet because we know not whether there be Land or only Sea as under the North Pole seems to be it is not expedient to account them distinct parts till better discovered Our Mariners that went with design to pass under or near the North Pole in their search of a passage to China and arrived as far as 82 deg of Latitude found nothing but some few Islands the rest as they could see being in the midst of Summer nothing but Ice Some do imagine that the three parts of the habitable world received their division from the three Sons of Noah and C ham indeed obtained Africa but Japhet dwelt in the Tents or habitations of Shem tho in process of time his posterity seems to have peopled the greatest part of Europe The reason of the names we despair of knowing they having been forgotten even in Herodotus's time there is no hopes now of retrieving them See the discourse concerning the Map of Europe Lastly the parts of the Land before-mentioned The particular observations in the descriptions are very opportune for the separating and distinguishing Countries Nations and Governments The knowledge and consideration whereof is the chiefest and most useful design of this whole Work and all others of the like nature For it little conduceth to know places unless we be also informed of what is contained what actions performed and what concerns our selves may have in them In those therefore we shall consider the names situation bounds of each Country as also what Cities Havens Towns Forts likewise what Mountains Valleys Caves Fountains and other such remarkable and to us and our Country unusual things as nature it self hath formed To which shall be added the condition and quality of the soil and its productions in order to the discovering what in every place abounds and what therein may be communicated to other Countries or what may probably be carried to them in order to trade In every Nation also account shall be given of their original Language Manners Religion Employments c. that if any art or science useful to society be there eminent it may be transferred into our own Country Much more considerable are their Governments Civil and Military their Magistrates Laws Assemblies Courts Rewards and Punishments and such like Neither must we omit the manner of educating their youth in arts liberal and mechanick taught in their Schools Universities Monasteries Shops also and the like Their manner of providing for their poor of all sorts either in Hospitals or Workhouses Lastly it will be expected that we give an account of the History or actions and successes of each
the chiefest profit and that which draws men to those desolate and comfortless places is the Whale-fishing Of Whales there are several sorts some unprofitable to the Fishers Whales as the Jubarta of a black colour sixty foot long with a fin upon his back his fins are nothing worth his back yeilds some not much Oyl his belly none at all Sedeva is of a white colour bigger then the rest his fins not above a foot long scarce any Oyl Sedeva Negra is of a black colour with a great tumor upon his back yields neither Oyl Fins nor Teeth Sewria white as Snow of the bigness of a Wherry yeilds little Oyl no fins but is good to eat Those which are more sought after and profitable are the Bearded or Grand-Bay because first killed in Grand-bay in Newfoundland black with a smooth skin and a thin shining membrane over it white under the chaps this is the best for Oyl and Fins yielding an hundred Hogsheads of Oyl and five hundred Fins he is commonly about eighty foot long Sarda is like the other but lesser so yeilds lesser Oyl and Fins hath growing things like Barnacles upon his back Trumpa as long but thicker then the former of a grey colour with one spout in his head the others have two and teeth about a span long but no Fins in his mouth In his head he hath a hole like a Well wherein lies that they call Spermaceti they also sometimes find Amber-grise in his guts like Cow-dung his Oyl coagulates and will be solid and white as Tallow he will yeild forty Hogsheads of Oyl Otta-Sotta gray having white fins in his mouth not above a yard long he yeilds the best Oil but not above thirty Hogsheads These Fins are that we call the Whale-bone and groweth in the upper jaw on either side of his mouth about three hundred of a side but the short ones are not regarded The Ancients thought that he lived upon the froth of the Sea which he raised and as it were churned by violent beating upon the water with these Fins and afterwards sucked it up and that because many times they found his stomach quite empty Others say that he feeds upon such plants and weeds as he finds in the Sea for they have found great quantity of such in his stomack but it is most likely that his chiefest meat are a certain sort of small Crabs some call them Sea-Beetles and Sea-Spiders whereof the Bays of that Sea are so cover'd that they seem black with them of which sometimes his Fins hang full which afterwards he sucks in These he pursues continually for they have both found the Crabs themselves and also sometimes great quantities in some a Bushel of those little Stones called Oculi-Cancrorum in his stomach That they devour not great Fishes it is manifest because their throat is so very strait not above half a foot wide The Female hath her natural part seven or eight foot wide the young one being bigger than an Hogshead when first brought forth and the Male's is equal to a little Pillar seven or eight foot long she brings forth her Foetus alive and nourisheth it with Milk which is white and sweet but tasting somewhat fishy her Teats two in number are as it were sheath'd in her breasts that they appear not till the young one comes to suck Their skins the ancients used instead of Ropes as also for covering their Houses and defence against the cold under the skin is that they call the Blubber or Adeps out of which being cut into thin slices and put into hot Coppers the Oyl is melted the flesh is thrown away the ribs are employ'd to make the houses of the Laps Fins Samoieds and the like the other bones they burn The Tail serves for a chopping block whereupon to cut their blubber For the manner of catching and ordering the Whale Whale-fishing it is this When they have discovered him which is by his spouting water which they can discern at a great distance though where they see plenty of those small Crabs they have good hopes of finding the Whales seldom fewer then two Shallops well man'd make towards him and row to him so near that the Harponer hath opportunity to lance out his Harping-iron which he doth with all his force but strikes not at adventure for some parts of him his head particularly are not vulnerable but either upon a soft piece of flesh which he hath near his spout or under a Fin. The Beast as soon as wounded hasts down to the bottom of the Sea they still giving him more Rope whereof one end is fastened to the Harping-iron then they diligently watch his rising again when with their lances they wound him in the belly and such places as are softest and deep as they can taking heed always that he strike not them or their boat with his tail When they see him spout up blood they know he draws towards his death and that shortly after he turns up his white belly which as soon as they spy they hale him close to the Ship and with great Knives slice his sides raising the blubber from the flesh which they do by fixing in it strong Iron Hooks made fast to a Ship rope which by a pully they lift up still as they cut and loosen the blubber many of these great flakes they put upon a rope and so drag them to the Shore where they are heaved up by a Crane and laid upon the Tail of the Fish chopt into small pieces afterwards sliced thin like Trenchers so put into the Cauldrons or Coppers which becoming brown with the fire are called Frittures are taken out and cast away as having yeilded their Oyl The Liquor then is laded out into a Boat half full of water both to cool and cleanse it by suffering all the filth to sink to the bottom and thence by long Troughs that it may be more cooled conveyed into the Hogsheads or other like vessels The Whale-bone The head which is at least one third of the whole Fish is cut off and tug'd as near the Shore as they can bring it then hoised up by a crane and the Fins Bronchiae Pinnae or whatever you please to call them their substance is like horn but we call them Whale-bone are cut out dressed and bound up by fifties and the rest of the head which yeilds Oyl cut as the rest of the body The tongue particularly which being very great of the figure of a Wool-sack is also fastened at both ends and lifted up only in the midst with which he spouteth up the water and about eight tuns weight veildeth from six to eleven Hogsheads One Housson a Diep-man in 1634 got twenty six Hogsheads Cados out of one tongue and a hundred and twenty out of the body of one Whale The Whale hath many enemies The Whales enemies 1. A kind of lowse or insect that eats through his skin to devour the fat he hath on
same persons went again arriving there July 2 they went on Shore and July 6 slew abundance of Morsses and not only with Shot as they did the year before but with Lances dextrously used directing them to certain places of their bodies they began also to boil their Blubber and made 11 Tuns of Oyl 5 of their bellies will yeild one Hogshead and abundance of Teeth Here also they found a Lead-mine under Mount-misery and brought away about 30 Tun of the Oar. In 1606 the same Ship with the same persons was sent again and landed July 3 in 74 deg 55 min. where they stayed till the Ice was all cleared for the Morsses will not come to Shore till the Ice be all vanished where at one time in six hours they slew betwixt 7 and 800 Morsses and 2 great Bears they made 22 Tuns of Oyl and 3 Hogsheads of Teeth In 1608 June 21 was so hot that the melted Pitch run down the sides of their Ship in 7 hours time they slew above 900 Morsses making 31 Tuns of Oyl and above 2 Hogsheads of Teeth besides 40 more They took alive into their Ship 2 young Morsses a Male and Female the Female died the Male lived 10 weeks in England where they taught it many things In 1610 at another voyage with two Ships they killed many Bears and saw divers young ones no bigger than young Lambs very gamesome and lusty they brought two of them into England Much Fowl also they slew and many Seals and June 15 set up an Ensign in token of possession of the Island for the Muscovia Company in Gull-Island they found three Lead-mines and a Coal-mine on the North side of the Island Three Ships more also came to fish at Cherry-Island they killed 500 Morsses at one time at other times near 300 more one man killing forty with his lance at one days hunting The Morss Walrush Horse-whale Rosmarus Morsses or Sea-horse for so he is by the Ancients often called though of late they have discovered another Fish not unlike him with straight teeth which they call the Sea-horse hath a Skin like a Sea-calf with short and sad yellow fur a mouth like a Lion if any hardly discernable ears yet they hear well and are frighted with noise which also is said of the Whale that he is driven away with the sound of a Trumpet large breast short thighs four feet and upon each foot 5 Toes with short sharp Nails with which they climb the Ice and as large as a great Ox having a great semicircular Tusk growing on each side of their upper jaw which are very much valued especially by the Northern people partly for their uses in medicines as to make cramp-rings which they make also of the bristles upon his cheeks to resist poison and other malignant diseases wherein they are at least equal to that called the Unicorns-horn but more for their beauty which is equal to if not surpassing Ivory The heaviness of it makes it much sought after for handles of Swords Their skins being dressed are thicker then two Ox-hides yet light and excellent to make Targets against Darts and Arrows of the Savages They feed upon Fish and Herbs and sleep if there be Ice upon that where if surprised the female casts her young ones of which she hath commonly two at a time into the Sea and her self after them swimming away with them in her arms and if provoked after she hath secured them returning many times to set upon the Boat into which if she can fasten her teeth she will easily sink it But if they be farther from the Water they all rise up together and with their weight and force falling upon the Ice endeavour to break it as they did when surprised by Jonas Pool in 1610 where himself and divers of his men escaped drowning very narrowly one of them being in the Sea the Morsses set upon him with their teeth but with very great labour and hazzard of his company he escaped death though sore wounded Frequently also they sleep on the Shore and if they have convenience upon an high and steep place they always go in great companies and set one to keep watch which if surprised a sleep 't is an easy matter to kill all the rest but if he give warning by grunting they clap their hinder feet under their two tusks and so roll into the Sea But if they be caught on plain ground yet are they hardly slain being both strong and fierce and all hasting one way to the water The Dutch at first were very much troubled to kill them their Shot the beast valued not much their Hatchets and Half-pikes would not pierce them nor did they think they could be killed except struck with great force in the midst of the forehead The first time they set upon them of 200 they could not kill one but went for their Ordinance to shoot them Our men after a little experience found the way to dispatch them with Javelins as is before rehearsed Some imagine this to be John-Mayens-Island but it seems rather that it is not for the northmost point of that is in 71 d. 23 m. whereas this is 74 d. 55 m. except the Dutch be not so accurate in their observations and calculations as were to be wisht which I much suspect v. Nova-Zembla Besides Cherry-Island is round not frequented with Whales but Morsses Our men also have travelled it on foot from North to South which on Mayens-Island cannot be done and though they tell many particulars of the place yet they never mention the great Beeren-berg Hope-Island indeed is a long Island lies much what as they say of Mayens and hath been visited by the Whale-fishers but it is more North then they place their Island The itch of ascribing discoveries to themselves hath brought as I fear confusion both in this and many other matters of this nature JOHN MAYENS-ISLAND JOhn Mayens-Island so called from the name of the first Discoverer as the Dutch pretend seems by the English to be called Hope-Island or if not I know not whether the English have been upon it It seems not to be of any great consequence all that is spoken of it being that it extends in length from South-west to North-east The farther it shoots out in length the more contracted and narrower it grows in breadth so that in the middle the distance is very small between both Shores Before the Whale-fishing was removed to Greenland in the Summer time this Island was much frequented by the Sea-men whom trade invited thither and the Island was well known to most of the Northern adventurers of Europe but since the Whales have deserted those Shores and have removed their Sea-quarters farther to the North the Sea-men and Fisher-men have been forced to follow their Prey to Greenland For it seems the Whales either weary of the place or sensible of their own danger do often change their Harbours In the Spring time the western side of the
Suedes At the Treaty 1616 of Stolbow the Grand Tzar quitted the title of this Country to the King of Sweden Vodska or Votska thirty leagues North of Novogorod Vodska upon its left hand is the strong Castle of Ivanogorod surrender'd to the Swedes by the same Treaty as well as the Towns Jamagrod and Augdow and the Castles Coporia Noteburg and Kexholm They say that all the beasts that are brought into this Province turn white The inhabitants have a language proper to themselves Woskopitin is by some Authors placed between Kexholm and Noteburg Woskopitin a large and fruitful Province both for Corn and Cattle but so pester'd with Lakes and Marshes that it is very little frequented and the name scarce known Bieleiezioro Bieleiozioro situated upon a Lake of the same name and signification i.e. the White Lake which Lake is thirteen Leagues long and as many broad and furnishes only one River call'd Sosna which falls into the Wolga In this Lake is a Castle both for natural and artisicial strength accounted impregnable whither in times of danger the Princes have sent their treasure and themselves also retired The whole Province is full of Woods and Lakes that except when they are hard frozen it is not easily passable Near this Lake is another small Lake that produceth Sulphur I rather suppose Naphtha or Petroleum swimming like froth or oyl upon the water This is said to be first possessed by Sinaus Varegus whose brother Truvor setled in Pskouvia and Runiz in Novogardia These three are by the Russes look'd upon as the Founders of their Nation Vologda is the only City in all the Grand Tzars dominions that is fortified with a stone-wall Vologda and for its strength the Emperor is wont in times of danger to secure here part of his treasure It is as the rest of those Westerly and Northerly Provinces much encumbred with Woods and Marshes many of which are except in Winter utterly unpassable It is situated upon the River Waga which falls into the Dwina and it together with all the Provinces mention'd since Dwina belonged to the Dutchy of Novogorod Novogorod call'd Weliki or the Great Novogorod to distinguish it from others of that name The Dutch call it Nieugarten in 58 deg 23 min. situated upon the River Volgda not Volga or Volchou famous for its Bremes a little below the Lake Ilmin Whilst it was governed by its own Prince it was in so great power fame and wealth by reason of the vast commerce of several Nations there established that it was proverbially spoken Who can do any thing against God and Great Novogorod The reason of this trading was the convenience of the River which being navigable from the very Spring and the Country abounding in Wheat Flax Hemp Honey Wax and Leather which is better dressed here than in any other place invited hither so many Merchants from all the Northern Countries and those upon the Baltick Sea that it was the greatest City of all the North for trade and wealth The first diminution of it was from Vitold Duke of Lithvania who 1427 obliged the City to compound for their peace at a great rate But Ivan Vasili Grotsdin 1477 forced them to receive a Governour from him but that not satisfying of him he went thither in person pretending I know not what devotion and by the help of the Bishop being admitted into the City with his Army he pillag'd it carrying away three hundred Carts loaden with Jewels Gold and Silver besides many more filled with rich stuffs and sumptuous moveables all which he sent to Moscow and transported many of the inhabitants into other places and sent Muscovites to inhabit in their steads But their greatest calamity was from Ivan Vasilowich in 1569 who upon a suspition of their endeavouring to revolt came hither with his army slew drowned and trampled to death a vast number of people presently after this follow'd a great plague which brought so great a famine that they eat one another the Tzar on this occasion pretending to punish their inhumanity cut to pieces the greatest part of the remaining inhabitants His barbarous cruelties here acted are not sitting to be repeated It was in 1611 taken by the Swedes by storm but at the great Treaty between the two Crowns of Russia and Sweden it was agreed to be redeliver'd to the Russes and in their hands it hath continued ever since On the other side the water is a strong Castle built of stone join'd to the City by a large Bridge wherein lives the Weywod or Governor and the Metropolitan by which two all the affairs Ecclesiastical Civil and Military in all that Province are governed The Town is encompass'd with a Rampart of timber and earth and hath a Castle in the midst reasonably well fortified There are about an hundred Monasteries whereof that of St. Antony is the chiefest Churches and Chappels which have their Steeples and Towers cover'd with Copper gilded the Cathedral Church is that of St. Sophia In the territory belonging to this City Brunitza Sedrowa and Stara-Russa are Brunitza Sedrowa and Stara-Russa which the Baron of Herberstein calls Russ and saith it gave name to all the Russes Near that Town is a salt River which the inhabitants have formed into a Lake and with Conduits draw the salt-salt-water to their houses where they boil the Salt with which and other commodities they drive a great trade into Polotskow a Province of Poland The Russes say that near to Novogorod was the famous battel of Whips mention'd by Justin l. 2. and many other Authors wherewith the Masters returning victorious after some years wars conquer'd their Slaves who in the long time of their absence had seized upon their estates and wives which is the reason why the Novogorod-money had formerly on one side an Horse-man shaking his whip Bielski is a Province between Novogorod and Smolensko Bielski having its principal City and Castle called Biela Bielha or Bielow situated on the River Osca This had heretofore a Prince of its own subject to the descendents of Jagellan Duke of Litvania till Basilius Prince of Bielski fell off to the Grand Tzar and agreed to pay him tribute it now augments the number of his Titles As doth also that of Rischow Rischow which hath also a Castle and City of that name it had also formerly a Prince of its own but now is a member of the Russ-Empire The Country is full of Forrests and Lakes particularly here is that great Forrest of Wolchonisky wherein arise the Volga the Dnieper the Dwina and the Lowat all great Rivers Near to this are Woloizk famous for its white Hares and the Princes frequent hunting there Wyelikyeluki a large City with a good Castle And Toropyecz a large Town also and a Castle all which came to the Crown of Russia by surrender of their proper Lords T wer is near to the foresaid 〈…〉 North-West from Moskow The capital Town
their Rivers take their original from Lakes or else they could hardly be perpetual 2. That the Rivers of Muscovy are except where they be straitned by mountains which are not very frequent for the most part broad and shallow full of islands flats and deep holes because all their Rivers in a manner chiefly consist of melted snow and when the snow dissolves it causeth great floods and violent deluges but withall carry so much sludge that it fills up streams which remains so till a new deluge cleanseth that place and fills up another so that the channel is very uncertain and now are depths which were shallows before 3. That they are not very full of fish and were it not for the Lakes and deep holes which are not frozen to the bottom there would be no fresh-water fish at all for fish cannot live in ice Therefore they observe that there are no Carps at all nor much other fish except what comes from the Sea to spawn as soon as the Rivers are thawed such are Salmons Belluga Cods Haddocks Omelies and the like And of these there are great store because store of feeding Some Lakes also are well stored because not frozen to the bottom 4. That there are no Maps extant except of Wolga Dwina and Dnieper because the course of the others are not so well discover'd One of the greatest Lakes of this country is Ivanosera i. e. Johns-Lake Osera signifying a Lake in the great Forest of Epiphanow called also Jepiphanoulies and Okonitzkilies in the Province of Resan eight leagues from Tula This Lake is near five hundred Versts or Italian miles long And in the said Forest arise also the Rivers Schaet and Don or Tanais The Schaet running Eastward receives the River Vppa or Oppa and emptieth it self into the Occa. But Tanais Tana and Don cometh out of the Lake at the Town Donco and entreth into the marshes of Meotis or Sea of Zabaque From the spring to its ending is directly about eighty leagues but by water 't is twenty days journey Donets Sewersky falls into Tanais three days journey above Azoph Bieleiosora sixteen leagues long twelve broad scarce of fish receiveth thirty-six smaller Rivers and sendeth out only the Schotsma which falls into the Volga four leagues below Mologa Ilmin Ilmen Ilmer Limido is twelve leagues long and as many broad and ends about two miles above Weliki Novogrod It receives the Rivers of Lowat arising in the Forest of Wolkowsky from a Lake called Fornow and Scholona and passeth away by the Wolkowa which after running thirty-six leagues dischargeth it self into the Lake Ladoga or Laduga Ladoga about an hundred leagues long and sixty broad is full of Isles and is the mother of the Neva which enters into the German Ocean It is stored with fish and hath many Towns and Villages upon its banks From the same Lake of Fornow ariseth also the Wolga of which by and by In the same Forest also about ten leagues from Fornow ariseth Boristhenes near the Town of Dnieperche and therefore called Dnieper And ten leagues from the Dnieper also the Dwina or Duna by some imagined to be Rubus by others Turuntus of Ptolomy taketh its original from a Lake of the same name It passeth by Vitepsko Polotsko Dunenburg c. to Riga in Livonia and ends in that part of the Baltick called the East-Sea and by the Russes Waretzcoie-morie Besides this there is another Dwina whereof we have spoken in the Province of that name Weza beginneth in a marsh between Bieleiosora and the Volga passeth by Suetzogorod and so into the Dwina Mosqui or Mosqua springeth near to T were thence six leagues below Moscow it enters into Occa after it hath received the Jagusa or Jausa Weglin hath its spring a little above Moskow and joins with Occa. Vgra ariseth near Drohobus passeth thro a great desert between Worotin and Coluga thence falls into Occa. This was sometimes the boundary betwixt Russia and Lithvania Occa comes out of a great Lake in the Province of Rezan passeth by many great Towns near Nisi-Novogrod From the same Lake flows Sem and Schosna both fall into the Dnieper Narva is navigable from the Lake Czutzho or Czudin called in Latin Picis or Polas and by the Dutch Peifves TRACTUS BORYSTHENIS vulgo DNIEPR et NIEPR dicti à KIOVIA ad Urbum OCZAKOW ubi in PONTUM EUXINUM se exonerat NOVA ET ACCURATA WOLGAE FLUMINIS olim RHA dicti DELINEATIO Auctore Adamo Oleario Illustrissimo Domino D. no BENEDICTO BAGGE de BERGA Sueco haec Geographica fluminis WOLGAE descriptio humillimè offertur Apud Janssonio-Waesbergias et Mosim Pitt Ivan Vasilowitz succeeded his father and began his reign with the siege of Casan which having batter'd in vain for two months together at last he began to mine the walls the mines took their effect blew up the works slew great numbers of Tartars and gave the opportunity of an assault which July 9 1552. was carried on with that vigor that the Castle was taken and being well repaired by the Muscovite is still kept by them Sixty versts below Casan falls the great river Cama into the Volga on the left hand by several mouths some thirty versts distant from others The water of it is blackish and riseth out of Permia Upon this river should seem to be if it be at all the great forrest Step which is six or seven hundred versts long wherein you may ride a days journey amongst cherry-trees yet not above two foot high being so frequently burn'd down by travellers who careless of their fires at night set fire on the dry grass and burn down three or four hundred furlongs at a time They say also that here grows spontaneously Tulips Roses Asparagus Onions Marjoram and what not which I impose not upon any mans faith because I find somewhat like this but more probably mentioned in the Vkrain Thirty versts lower Zerdick another branch of Cama enters the Volga over against which on the right-hand bank is the City of Tetus an hundred and twenty versts from Casan Twenty-five versts below Tetus but on the left bank of the river is the river Vtka which rises near the City Bulgara Below that is the Island Staritza in 54 deg 31 min. where they find Pyrites of several colours so round and oval that they very well serve for shot Sixty-five versts below Tetus is Vneroskora a ruined City of the Tartars Hereabouts is very good fishing by a particular invention of the Russes they bait an hook and fasten it to a strong line which they tye about a little board of four or five inches cover'd over with tin and drag it after the boat the motion of the water continually turning up the bright tin towards the Sun intices the greater sort of fishes who are thereby easily caught Upon and near the banks of the river are the ruines of divers Cities which the people say were destroyed by Tamerlain the names of some of
them are Simbeyska-gora Arbuchim but of the greatest part the names are unknown The river Adrobe enters Volga in 53 deg 48 min. as doth the river Vssa not much lower A little beyond in a great plain is a sandy hill call'd Sariol-Kurgan which they say was the burial of a Tartar Emperor and seven Kings there slain and made by the Soldiers carrying sand and earth in their helmets Three hundred and fifty versts below Casan is Samara a large City upon a river so called three versts from the banks of Volga tho it do not wholly join with the great stream till fifteen versts lower and over against it on the right hand fall in also the rivers Ascula and Lisran Below Samara an hundred and fifteen leagues is the mountain of the Donski Cosacks who from hence usually robbed the boats that came down the Volga below this the river Zagra joins the Volga and not far thence the river is so shallow that the Cosacks ford it and lurking in the sledgy and bushy Islands of the river rob and spoil securely These people do very much mischief to the Russes and the Emperor to repress the inrodes of them and the Tartars hath built divers Cities and Forts giving them to be inhabited only by soldiers one is Soratof in 52 deg 12 min. chiefly against the Kolmuck-Tartars whose country begins here and reaches to the Caspian Sea a very deformed barbarous and cruel sort of people great man-stealers and enemies both to Russes Cosacks and chiefly the Nagai-Tartars Czaritza Tsornojar and divers others were built for the same reason An hundred and fifty versts below Saratof on the left hand of Volga is the river Ruslana and over against that the mountain of Vrakufs-Karul where they say a Tartarian Prince called Vrak was killed by the Cosacks near to which is the river and mountain called Camaschinka near whereto Stenko Radzin was born the river rises out of the torrent of Iloba and falls into the Don. The Cosacks bring over land their boats upon four wheels thence into the Volga where they exercise their piracies and plunderings The river Bolloclea is ninety versts below Camuschinka and near that about 48 deg 51 min. is the shortest distance betwixt the Volga and Don which is about seven leagues In 49 deg 42 min. is Tzaritza three hundred and fifty versts from Soratof From thence to Astracan is only heaths and barren grounds below lies the Isle of Zerpinske over against which a little river rises out of the Don but so little that it will hardly bear a small boat Massa in his Map for in others it is not to be found calls it Kamous falls into the Volga Near to this place also was begun a trench large enough to convey Vessels from Don to the Volga and it is expressd in divers Maps but it was given over for the Nagai and the other Tartars fearing not without reason that it would be a means to bring the Turk upon them as the Muscovite also did they joined all together and not only disturbed the work but also beat the army of the Crim-Tartar consisting of 80000 together with 20000 Turks and 3000 Janisaries Below that on the same side the river Wesowi and thirty versts from that Wolodinerski Vtsga empty themselves into the Volga The country all hereabouts and down as far as Astracan is very plentiful in Liquorice Thence the river descends to Tzormegar a little City inhabited only by a garrison against the Cosacks who there used to rob and particularly defeated a great convoy of fifteen hundred Muscovites for the river being there very swift they suffer'd the soldiers to go first and then setting upon the Merchants killed seven or eight hundred of them and carried away all the goods before the convoy could come up to help them The next considerable place is Astracan a great City in an Island made by two branches of the Volga and called Dolgoi It was anciently the Metropolis of the Nagai-Tartars and built by one of their Kings called Astra-chan it lies in 46 deg 22 min. and the needle varies westward 13 deg 40 min. others say that it lies in 47 deg 9 min. yet is the winter which lasts but two months so cold that the river is frozen hard enough to bear sleds The Island is sandy and barren except some gardens cultivated by the richer Citizens The country also thereabout is marshy and desart yet do the inhabitants make a great profit by their salt which the Sun bakes upon the top of the water about a finger thick the inhabitants cast it up into great heaps and transport it to other countries The river also is mightily stored with fish and there is great plenty of fowls of all sorts They have great store of most excellent fruits and particularly grapes This City was ann 1554 taken from the Tartars by Ivan Vasilowich who sending his army in small parties and several ways arrived at the Town before he was expected or the enemies provided to receive him presently encouraging his men by promising them the plunder of the Town Aug. 1. he took it by storm where he spared none that would not be baptized Having re-peopled it with Muscovites he encompassed it with a stone-wall and other fortifications Michael Federowitz afterwards added another part to it so that the circuit of it at present is 8000 Geometrical feet defended by 500 pieces of Ordnance nine Regiments each containing 500 Musqueteers two Weywods c. The situation of it invites Merchants thither from all parts even from the Indies so that the customs tho very low amount to 25000 crowns per ann The inhabitants of the country Tartars of Crim and Nagaia are not permitted to live in the City as neither to build Cities or fortifie Towns But for the most part they live in huts of reed or cane like to our hen-coops which in cold weather they cover with a course cloth the summer they spend in rambling up and down to find pasture for their cattel in winter time retireing under Astracan for their security against the Calmuk and Jaick Tartars The Grand Tzar lends them arms which they restore at such a time they pay no tribute but are obliged to serve him in his wars which they do very willingly in hope of prey They have their own Princes Commanders and Judges but some of their chief Murza's are always kept as hostages at Moskow If any one desire to know what these Cosacks be Of the Cosacks that have caused all this noise and trouble in the world tho we shall treat more largely of them when we come to the Vkrain yet it will not be amiss to give here some general account of them Authors differ much concerning the reason of their name some say that they are so called from Cosa which in the Polish language signifies a Goat But I find that in the Circassian and other Tartar languages Cosac signifies a Soldier perhaps as Cimber in
are many caves cut out of the rock wells and old buildings of the Greeks witnessed by their inscriptions there very frequent it is now an inconsiderable place inhabited by a few Turks Sari-germen by the Turks by the Tartars Topetarkan anciently Chersonesus and Corsuna the noblest and most ancient City of all the Peninsula is still compassed with a strong stone-wall and divers aquaeducts and other noble buildings entire but without inhabitants the Turks every day fetch away the marble and stones for other buildings Volodomir the Grand Tzar took this Town from Joannes Zimisces and amongst other rich plunder carried away two large royal brazen gates to Kiow from whence Boleslaus II. King of Poland transferred them to Gnesna where they still remain They say also that Volodomir was here baptized Balachey or Balaclawa by the Genoueses called Jamboli or the tower of fishes the Sea there being very well stored situate under the mountain Baba The Genoueses took it without any loss from the Greeks and made it a very commodious beautiful and strong haven The Turks at this day build here their gallyes and ships tho it be but a poor Town at most but of an hundred and twenty fires the inhabitants Turks Jews and Greeks Mangut or Mancus was a very magnificent City tho not by the Sea-shore but first by the Turks and afterwards by a great fire it was so wasted that nothing now remains of it except one high tower and a strong stone-house whereinto the Cham thrusts the Russ-Ambassador as often as he hath a mind to quarrel his master There are some few Turks Jews and Greeks that inhabit there in all about sixty fires There remains still upon the ruines of the walls of some of the Churches the pictures of divers of the Greek Emperors and other famous men Cercessigermen is a small Turkish Fort not far from Mancop The Palaces of the Cham are situated in the middle of the country Baciasaray Baccasaray is a Town of about two thousand houses wherein is a Meschite and divers sepulchers of the Chams very magnificent as is their Palace built with great charges by their former Princes besides that it is seated in a country very proper for hunting and fowling and is nobly adorned with gardens orchards bathes c. Almasaray is another house whither he sometimes retires in a Town of about seventy fires There are also divers little Castles where his own brethren children and their wives are kept Sortasse is a Town where the Ambassadors of foreign Princes have many times liberty to divert themselves At Creme or Crim anciently Taphros and Taphrae from whence they are called Crim-Tartars is his Mint and a very strong Castle in possession of the Tartars but the Town is most inhabited by Turks in all about an hundred houses Sidagios or Sudacum was a very noble and strong City situated in the mountains taken by the Genoueses from the Greeks so set one family against another that they would not come to the same Church the Turks by a long and difficult siege took it from the Genoueses 't is famous for the wine growing thereabouts Caffa or Theodosia still the chief City of the Peninsula hath betwixt five and six thousand houses inhabited most part by Christians who have about forty-five Churches Greeks Armenians and remainders of the Italians some Turks and few Tartars all under a Turkish Sangiac Slaves they reckon there about thirty thousand a Town of great traffick about two days sailing from Constantinople yet is it nothing to what it was under the Genoueses Kerky is a little Town of the Tartars of about an hundred families upon the Strait called anciently Bosphoras Cimmerius which is here about three leagues broad This Town is open for the Grand Signior will not allow the Tartars to have any fortified Town besides Przecop Over against this is Taman a Town and Castle upon the continent in the country called anciently Colchis now the Circassians or Petigor-Tartars Karasu belongs to the Cham and hath above a thousand houses Tusla is amongst the Salt-works and hath about eighty houses Arabet or Orbotec is a double Castle near to which the Cham keeps his Stud or breed of horses which are reckon'd to be about seventy thousand The country towards the south is mountainous and consequently well water'd the rest plain and good pastures but wants water for that near at hand is brackish and their good water is drawn out of very deep wells of which there is no want dug by the former inhabitants Thus much of the Chersonesus The country of Przecop without this the Crim-Tartars enjoy all betwixt Boristhenes Nieper and Tanais Don which from Ossove upon the Don to the Nieper in a strait line is accounted about four hundred English miles but the Nieper fetching a great compass eastward in some places it is not so much This is for the most part plain and even ground and rich pasturage without any Town or constant habitation or propriety Only it seems that the Cham by his officers appoints what parts shall be tilled and in February proclamation is made amongst all the Tartars that if any have a mind to till any ground they should get all their matters ready by such a day when they will go to such a place commodious for that purpose and accordingly some do go and the rest attend upon them that they be not disturbed Betwixt this plain and Russia lies waste a great country as they say requiring twenty days to cross it full of woods and lakes and sometimes under-under-water which is the greatest security of the rest of that Empire The government is wholly in the hands of the Cham. The Government of the Crim-Tartars The Cadi's determine lesser causes but capital and matters of greater importance are judged by the Cham himself with his Council He is of easie access and reasonably just He always chuseth a Galga who is next to him alive and succeeds after death this is commonly his son or brother according to merit If any one have better pretensions he flies to the Grand Signior who judges the cause His younger sons are Soldans and are brought up by such as have the custody of their wives with whom they are educated till of sufficient strength and according to their fitness they are furnished with commands either in his own country or are recommended to the neighbouring Tartars who willingly receive them Part also are hostages with the Turks When the family of Gingis-Chan was numerous and potent they chused always the Chan but Sachibgerei and Deuletigerei Chans made away with most of them and setled the dominion in their own posterity The Chan hath many Officers and Counsellors Hamiat are those who take care of the affairs of foreign Princes Captains also Coracei Vlans and the best of the Murses are called to Council The Vlans are those of an ancient family of Chans but were deprived of it by the Giereys the name of the
the opinion of the foresaid Author were but the same Nation differently called The Venedi we find mentioned by Ptolomy as a great people long before seated in Sarmatia upon the coast of the Sinus Venedicus now Baltick Sea which from them probably took its name as did likewise the Venedic mountains scituate in their territories And Hartknoch supposes the Bulanes Gythones Phinni c. placed also by Ptolomy over against these Venedi in the inland countries of Poland to be of their colonies Perhaps this people after they had made themselves considerable by their conquests took the name of Slavi from Slava in their language signifying fame or glory which their descendents saith Cromerus still retain in their compounded names as Stani-slauus Wenceslauus c. tho now writ commonly Stanislaus Wenceslaus Some writers would have the Venedi to be originally a German Nation yet they are by Cromerus and others sufficiently proved to be of the old Sarmatae or Sauromatae which were of Scythian extraction and probably brought forth in the neighbourhood of the Lake Maeotis the fruitful womb of so many puissant Nations The name of Poland belongs properly to two Provinces alone Situation the Greater and the Lesser Poland from which as the principal parts the whole Kingdom hath taken its denomination It lies saith Starovolscius between the 38th and 54th degrees of Longitude counting from the Marquisate of Brandenburgh to the Nieper or Boristhenes which amounts to 250 Polish leagues every league containing about four English miles but the Podolian and Russian are somewhat longer The highest elevation of the Pole in the most northern parts of Livonia subject to this Crown is about 58 deg The lowest in the Palatinate of Poccuce in Red Russia 48 deg So that the whole Country being situated between the seventh and thirteenth Climats hath to its longest day from 16 to near 18 hours This Kingdom is bounded on the North by the Baltick Sea and the Swedish Livonia Bounds On the East by the Muscovian Russia and the Desarts of Tartary On the South by Moldavia Transilvania and Hungary from which the Niester and the high and woody Carpathian mountains divide it On the West by Silesia the Marquisate of Brandenburgh and the further Pomerane Poland is an even champain country Tho the Lesser Poland the nearer it approaches to the confines of Hungary the more hilly and woody it is but the farther it lies from thence the more open and level In the very middle also of the Kingdom the Palatinate of Sandomir is mountainous and rocky Formerly the country was all overgrown with woods but by the care of Sigismund the elder and Sigismund Augustus his son and the advantage of the long peace they both enjoyed husbandry was cherished and the Provinces improved in tillage and pasturage so that it is now accounted the Egypt of Europe as having supplied the wants of most parts thereof with corn whilst the Vistula being navigable serves to conveigh all the commodities of the country to Dantzick Yet this good husbandry doth not hinder but that it is well stored with Trees as Oaks Beech Fir c. not only profitable for the common advantages of Woods but also for the vast quantities of Honey and Wax which they yearly afford the hollow trees supplying hives and the leaves and wild flowers nourishment to innumerable swarms of Bees The air is cold even to that extremity Air. that trees are oftentimes parch'd to the very roots and water pour'd down freezes ere it fall to the ground The Lakes and Rivers are often frozen five or six months together and are passable by Coaches and Carts laden at the end of March This vehement sharpness of the air we may rationally impute to the largeness of the continent and the opacousness of the over-spreading woods Yet notwithstanding Orchards and Gardens are very frequent and plentifully stored with Fruits and Flowers as excellent in their kinds as in any other part of Europe This country being for the most part plain Mines abounds not in Minerals yet some Mines there are as of Lead and Iron in divers places of Quicksilver at Tustan in red Russia of Vitriol near Biecz in Cracovia But the most considerable of all are the Salt-Mines at Bochnia and Velisca in the Lesser Poland which are the great enrichment not only of the country but of the Kings Exchequer also They descend into the Mine with long Ropes as we into our Coal-pits and there dig out great masses of Salt in streets leaving so much interstitium as is sufficient to sustain the earth 'T is generally of a blewish colour yet some is white and transparent like crystal when it is newly got it hath a bitterish taste but being exposed to the air becomes sweeter as also more heavy and brittle In these Mines are small fountains of salt water which boil'd with pieces of the Rock yeild great quantities of excellent Salt They have also some veins of Sal Gemmae and of another mineral resembling hard Pitch call'd by them Carbunculus as Cromerus saith which taken in powder purgeth In the deep caverns of the Mines the workmen are said sometimes to hear voices like those of Cocks Dogs and other animals which they esteem a bad omen The chief rivers of Poland are 1. Rivers The Weissel mentioned in authors under the different names of Vistula Visula Visla Justilla Istula and Vandalus it rises in the Dutchie of Teschen in Silesia out of the mountain Carpathus now Crapack in the confines of Hungary whence running to Cracow the chief City of the Lesser Poland and there becoming navigable by the accession of other streams it continues its course Eastward to Sandomiria and thence Northward to Warzaw in Masovia afterwards winding for some leagues westward to Thorn in Prussia it turns again to the North and at the Island Grosswerder is divided into two streams emptying it self by the one into the Bay Frisch-Haff and by the other into the Baltick Sea The head of this river lies in 49 deg 20 min. of Latitude and its mouth in 54 but both in 41 deg of Longitude its course is above 100 Polish miles It divided antiently the European Sarmatia from Germany 2. The Warta rising near Cromolow in the Palatinate of Cracovia under 40 deg 50 min. of Longitude and 50 deg 30 min. of Latitude and from thence taking a winding course to the North-west washes the Towns of Olstin Warta Posna c. in the Greater Poland and near Costrin falls into the Oder 3. Notez which flows out of the Lake Goblo in the Greater Poland and after a long course to the Southwestward near Dresen discharges it self into the Warta 4. The Niester or Tyras of the ancients which takes its rise out of the Sarmatian mountains near the head of San running at first to the North then winding Eastward and enlarged with many lesser Rivers waters the Province of Pocutia separates both the upper and lower
c. so that in those parts only they make Gardens and till their ground Through the whole Countrey the air though very cold and piercing yet is not inferiour to any of other Regions in healthfulness and pureness either because the vapours coagulated and so made heavier by the cold fall down or from the frequent winds which sometimes are so strong that they hinder all passengers from travelling and likewise root up all trees and Bushes that stand in their way so that on several of the Laplandish as well as Dofrine mountains there are no trees or shrubs to be met with therefore the Inhabitants make use of fish-bones for fuel but most terrible are those Tempests and Whirlewinds says J. Magn. which arise from the North sometimes taking away the waters of the Sea from under the Ships and carrying the Ships up into the air let them fall down again at far distant places sometimes also sweeping away with them both Stones and living Creatures and now and then meeting with great quantities of fish which the Inhabitants use to dry in the cold they hoise them up into the air and let them fall which the poor people gather as a gift sent from God In those parts nearest the Pole the Sun for some months never sets and on the contrary for so long time never rises and although in Summer it never sets and goes below the Earth yet neither does it rise more above it but as it were glides along the edg of the Horison for the most part and likewise in winter when lowest it is not much beneath it which is the reason that though they have one continued night for some months yet the Sun comes so near that it makes a kind of twilight Snows are frequent which last all the year long upon the mountains and many months upon the plains by the brightness whereof they travel with greater security and speed then otherwise they could do Springs and Rivers are so numerous in this Country 〈…〉 that together with the melted Snows and Frosts they make the ground all summer time generally loose and boggy The most noted Rivers are those whence the particular Marches and Regions have their names as Vmeao Pitheao Luhleao Torneao and Kimeao these all spring from the Dofrine mountains and being increas'd by several lesser rivers do at last unburthen themselves into the Bothnick sea In their course they run through many hilly and uneven parts of the Countrey and are stopt by several dams and weares and so violently forceing their way over precipices are not navigable Such are the sluces Muscaumokke Sao and Niometsaski i. e. Hares-leap so called because the River Lughla runs between two mountains so near that a Hare may leap over Besides these Lakes and other less remarkable rivers there are abundance of Pools or Lakes as Lulafraesk Lugga Sabbaig c. well stored with Salmons and such like Fish one there is named Stoorafvan in which there are as many little Islands as there are days in the year but the most remarkable is Enaresraesk near Kimus wherein the hills and islands are by some said to be innumerable and Torneus affirms that never any Inhabitant lived long enough to survey them all Some of these are small but fishy they call them Suino i. e. Holy and account it a sin to foul them Some of them have two Channels and when the Fish forsake the upper they account it an ill omen and use ridiculous sacrifices to the Demon of that March Here are Mountains most of them small and inconsiderable Mountains some also very high and almost unpassable especially towards Norway which the Swedes call Fiael or as the Northern English Fells and the Laplanders Tudderi they arise about Zemptland whence with continued ascent toward the North they reach a 100 miles in length till they come to Titus-fiord which is a bay of the frozen Sea Till of late no Mines of any Mettal were known to be in the Country Mines but in the reign of Queen Christina in the year 1643 there were veines found both of Silver and Lead by the Inhabitants of Pithalappia amongst Rocks so hard that they were forced to tear them in pieces with Gunpowder but in the wars 'twixt Sweden and Denmark in the year 1656 one Van Anen a Danish Governour so spoiled them that it is not thought worth the charge to open them again and since that also in the year 1668 another Silver mine but mingled with Iron was discover'd by a Native There are also known to be some Iron and Copper mines in Torne and Lulalapmark but not digged Scheffer mentions a report of the discovery of a Golden Mine in the year 1671 but nothing of certainty concerning it comes to our hands what further concerns them will fall more properly under the discourse of Sweden The Stones of this Country generally are extreamly hard of an ash colour and unworkable Stones some there are found on the shores which represent the shape of some animals which the Inhabitants esteem much and adore for Gods under the name of Storjunkare Some Authors speak of considerable quantities of Diamonds Amethysts and Topaz the Diamonds which are reported to be of an incredible bigness seem to be nothing but either Chrystals or Fluores and Scheffer gives the same sentence of the other Here are found in some few Rivers a sort of Pearl but neither so oriental nor so well shap'd as those that come out of the Indies In the whole Country there are none of those we call either Fruit or Timber-Trees Trees but store of Pine Firr Birch Willows and Alder. Plants most frequent among them are divers sorts of Berries Angelica highly valued by them for diet and medicine Sorrel c. Proper to the Country are Calceolus Lapponicus so call'd from the shape of its flower a beautiful plant but of no use great varieties also of Mosses the food of their Rain-deer This Country by reason of the many Lakes Fish and Fowl Rivers and Woods abounds much with Fish and Fowl of all sorts there is one sort of Bird called Loom or Lame because their feet are so short and plac'd so far behind that they cannot go upon land but always either swim or flie very numerous in and peculiar to this Country but no Bird abounds more than the White Partridge not only in the Woods but on the high Mountains even when cover'd with the deepest Snows they have a kind of hair instead of feathers which in the winter is white but when the spring comes they turn to their proper color which seems to be usual in all cold Countries they have hares feet whence they are call'd by some Lagopodes Fish are here in great abundance not only sufficient to supply the Inhabitants but frequently transported into other Nations although their constant victuals be nothing but dryed Fish such as abound most are Salmon and Pikes whereof some are found eight foot long Of
all the Beasts of Lapland the Bear is chief Beasts stil'd by the Inhabitants the King of the woods next to the Bear the Elk is remarkable call'd by the Swedes Aelg or Aelgar and by the Germans Ellend It differs much from the Rain-deer both in height being as high as any horse and in the make of it horns they being shorter then those of the Rain-deer above two handfuls in breadth upon the Palm shooting out not many lesser branches see a discription of this Creature among the beasts of Poland There is no great breed of them in Lapland but they have them from other places especially Lithvania and Russia whence twice a year they swim in great herds over the river Niva in the spring to go into Carelia and those parts and in Autumn to return into Russia Here are likewise besides these and the Rain-deer great plenty of Stags Wolves Gluttons Beavers and more sorts of Furs As for the Stags there are but few and little such as are call'd Damicervi or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which since they have nothing peculiar from those of other Nations let it suffice that they are named Wolves are here in great number distinguished from those of other Countries only by their colour which is commonly white a great enemy to the Rain-deer but are observ'd never to assault them if bound to a stake the Wolf being a jealous Creature and suspects every rope he sees to be a snare to catch him The next are the Gluttons so named from their rapaciousness an amphilbious Creature with a round head strong and sharp teeth like a Wolf a plump body and feet shorter then the Otters their skin is of a very dark colour some of them resemble Sables only they have a softer and finer hair Beavers also are very numerous here and generally by reason of the quietness of the waters which are never or seldomer troubled with Ships and Boats then the Rhine and Danow are all creatures that live in Rivers and feed upon Fish abound in this Country Beasts also that live wholly upon Land are in great number and variety as Foxes of several sorts and colours as the black brown ash-colour'd white and those that are mark'd with a cross all along the back and down the shoulders call'd Crucigerae Martrons or Martins a little beast not unlike a Ferret feeding upon Mice Birds and such like Ermins which are white Weesels with black tails feeding also upon Mice and the like little Animals Sables a kind of Martron the white are very rare and of extraordinary price of the rest the black are the better with some others whose skins are highly priz'd and reckon'd the chief commodity of Lapland There are also on the mountains of Lapland vast numbers of Mice which because they appear commonly after rain have I suppose given occasion to some Authors to think them generated in the Clouds and so rain'd down of these Mice are reported several incredible things as their waging war and drawing themseves in bodies like armies their oeconomy also and such like stories they are meat for their Foxes Rain-deer and their Dogs which eat only the fore part of them Cattel common to other Nations as Horses Oxen Sheep c. are not to be met with in Lapland the beasts proper to this and the Northern Countries are the Rain-deer an ancient name call'd by King Aelfred in his Saxon Periplus Hynas and the Latine name Rangifer seems to be derived from it they differ much from the Tarandus of Pliny and also from our common Stags they have three horns two branching out backward like our Stags horns sometimes five cubits in length and adorn'd with five and twenty branches the third spouting down their forehead by which they defend themselves against wild beasts The Doe has but two horns somewhat shorter one whereof is fix'd in her forehead Their feet are thick like Bulls feet of an ash-colour except under their belly and haunches which is white resembling more an Ass then a Stag. This beast when it walks or runs makes a noise with its joints like the clashing of Flints which is peculiar to these creatures Though their hoofs be cleft they do not chew the cud they are naturally wild but not difficultly tamed and made serviceable to men The males they imploy in drawing their Sleds and the Does they keep for their milk of which they make Cheese but not any Butter for they have none in the whole Country but make use of a kind of Tallow instead of it The Inhabitants both in figure and manners are not unlike the Samoieds of Muscovy The â—â—tureâ—â— inhabitants and the Description there given of that people may in several respects be said to agree to them They are generally short of stature and for the most part very lean and perhaps both by reason of the extream coldness of the Country They are observ'd to be very light of body which some perhaps not without reason attribute to their not eating any salt They have great heads prominent foreheads hollow and blear eyes short flat noses and wide mouths their hair is generally flaggy their breast broad slender wastes and though their legs be small yet are they nimble strong and swift of foot their usual exercises being running races and climbing high Rocks and Trees Though they are thus nimble and strong yet they never go upright but stooping which habit they get by frequent sitting in their Cottages on the ground or by bending their bodies as they slide along the snow in their scaits By reason of their living in woods among wild beasts and want of correspondence as well among themselves as with other Nations they are very superstitious fearful and mean spirited and above all things dreading war so that the Swedes seldom or never imploy any of them in their armies though it be falsly reported that Gustavus Adolphus made use of both them and their magick in his expeditions upon Germany but of late they begin to be more couragious and considerable and we are inform'd that this present King Charles the XIth in his wars with the King of Denmark had some Regiments of Lapps in his Army who for the good service they did him has given them better Lodgings then they had before and caus'd them to change quarters with some of the Inhabitants of Schonen who by reason of their treacherousness were not so deserving as they If they chance to be removed out of their own into a more Southern Country they frequently fall into deseases and dye being less able to endure a milder air and to feed upon Salt Bread and boil'd meat then other Nations are to live upon their raw Flesh and dryed Fish Formerly they were accounted plain-dealers and in bartering very honest but having been deceiv'd by strangers they took up cheating and cousening as well as others and are so far from being behind hand with them in it that they are notorious and infamous for deceiving
into one and then into the other and if it be strong enough to endure so sudden a change of heat and cold they think it will make a hardy Fellow and fit for their business whereupon they endeavour to have it baptiz'd as soon as they can possibly wrapping it in moss and so carrying it to Church though at a very great distance either upon their backs or in a Pannier upon their Rain-deer as they anciently us'd to do to their publick Fairs whither Priests were sent twice a year out of Sweden While their Children are young they use them to bow and arrows by which they are to get their future livelihood and to make them the more expert always place their victuals upon a post as their mark to shoot at which they hit down or fast The Manner of the Laplanders Liuing in Summer The Manner of the Laplanders Liuing in Winter F. H. Van. Houe Sculp R. t honble ANTONY EARLE of SHAFTSBVRY If any one be dangerously sick they either send for the Priest if near to prepare him for death or to the Magician to resolve them by his Drum if he shall recover parting their respects 'twixt Gods Ministers and the Devils Servants If he dye they imagine that his Soul is not at rest till the body be in the grave and for that reason use all haste possible to convey it to some Burying-place which is frequently the nearest Cave or Wood Church-yards by reason of their remoteness they seldom make use of The dead body they carry upon a sledd and when they come to the Cave cast it in and the sledd after it or else cover it with great Logs of Wood to secure it from wild Beasts always laying besides it a Flint and steel and sometimes a Hatchet which they suppose may be serviceable to them in the other world At their return they provide a Funeral Banquet or rather a sacrifice to the Ghost of the deceased person which is thus They take those Rain-deer that dragg'd the dead body to the grave and offer them in sacrifice to the Manes feasting upon their flesh and making merry with Brandy and Tobacco and the best chear they have at last they drink a health round to the person departed this done they carefully gather the bones of the Rain-deer put them into a box with a rude image of their friend and so bury them together These Ceremonies observ'd also in their Heathenism shew'd that even then as it were by the dictates of Nature they conceived themselves to consist of an Immortal part also and that they expected another life after this wherein they imagine every one to follow their former imployments and consequently to be again united to their bodies The Lives and Manners of the Laplanders as it is express'd in the Plate here annex'd The upper-part is their Summer-living The under-part their way of living in Winter In the Vpper-part you have 1 A Church for those who are converted to the Lutheran Religion At the entrance of which in lieu of a 2 Bason of Holy-water there stands one full of Brandy-wine with a spoon in it of which every one who comes to Church takes a sup to encourage and warm his zeal The first man you see represents the 3 Priest the next the best 4 man of the Parish Then follows a 5 Bride attended upon by two 6 Bride-maids after whom comes the 7 Bridegroom and other friends 8 Their manner of making Baskets which is their greatest trade 9 Their way of carrying and of rocking their children 10 The manner how the young children grown up suck the Rain-Deer 11 The man and wife's way of lying in bed 12 Their Houses for keeping their provisions themselves in the coldest part of Winter lying in Tents 13 Their manner of eating 14 The Priests way of Baptizing and the Clarks bringing water 15 Their way of Wire-drawing which is much used amongst them for adorning of their Boots and Coats 16 Amongst those who are not yet converted to the Christian Religion you have their way of sacrificing 17 Their three Gods standing uppermost and under each of them upon the Altars lye three pieces of the sacrificed Rain-deer 18 Their way of praying to them 19 Their way of Burial 20 Their way of praying to Death that it would be pleased to spare them awhile In the Vnder-part you have 1 Their manner of bringing their Taxes consisting of several sorts of Skins and dry'd Fish to the Kings Commissioners which being paid each one takes a large spoonful of Brandy-wine which stands at the end of the Table and so away Above which you see the 2 Commissioners Tent. 3 Their way of travelling in Sledds drawn by Rain-Deer which by the by do agree so well with those barren Countries that if you do but bring them into Sweden which yet is none of the most fertile they dye in a short time 4 Their way of carrying their goods 5 Their manner of ruling their Rain-Deer with a whip or line 6 Their way of shooting them 7 Their taking Tobacco which they prize above meat 8 Their speaking in the ear of the Rain-Deer telling them what they should do or whither they should go which as I am credibly inform'd they will observe exactly 9 Their manner of gelding them 10 Their way of laying their heads under a Drum which the Devil beats and from thence the man learns what success he shall have in his affairs 11 His giving the man the Hammer and letting him beat OF THE Provinces of Sweden Properly so taken NExt to be spoken to is Suecia or Sweden strictly so call'd of which because it has been honour'd always by the Residence of their Kings and been the chief Scene of Swedish Affairs we shall in the first place treat and afterwards speak of Gothia or Gothland with all its Provinces rather as an Accession to the Crown of Sweden then a distinct Kingdom from it though anciently Gothia and Suecia had their distinct successions of Kings Of Finland Ingria and Aesthonia with the late Conquests in Livonia Pomeren c. we shall in the last place discourse reserving the Laws and Government as also the manner and customs of the People till we come to Stockholm the present Metropolis of this great Empire Suecia then Suecia or Suetia call'd by the English Sweden or Swedland is bounded on the North with Lapland on the West with the Dofrine Hills on the East with the Bothnick and Finnick Bays and on the south with Gothland and Sconen A fruitful but in some parts mountainous and woody Country abounding with several rich Mines and affording very great conveniencies of water and fuel for working them It is divided into two General parts viz. Suecia strictly so taken and the Northlands or Northlandish Provinces I. The Northlands contain in them two distinct Countries or Provinces Helsingia and Gestricia parted one from the other by the great wood Oedemord 1. Gestricia Gestricia which affords some
South parts of Westro-gothia the ground is so rich and fertil that thirty-six days after they have sown they reap their Barley Beasts of all sorts are here in great plenty Beasts as Horses Elks Bears wild Bulls Castors or Beavers Sables Ermins Martrons c. Sheep also and Oxen not only sufficient to supply the whole Country but also to have great numbers transported out of Finland Schonen c. into other Nations Trees also are here in great abundance Trees as Fir Pine Birch Juniper c. Apple also and Pear Plumb and other Fruit-trees and of late Hops have been planted here The Pines and Firs which grow upon the Sea-coasts are said to have in the summer-time a kind of Rosinous Gum distilling from them which falling into the Baltick and Bothnick Seas and by the waves carryed to the Prussian shore has given occasion to some to ascribe to this the original of their Amber which seems to be rather a coagulation of Petroleum Honey abounds very much in this Country not only preserved in Hives in their Gardens but ordinarily to be met with in the Woods Wines have been sometimes in such scarcity here that they could not be furnished for the Communion to remedy which divers Authors report that P. Innocent VIII ann ' 1486 gave leave to the Priests of Norway and places under the same parallel to celebrate in some other Liquors The Air is of different temperature Aâ—â— according to the diversity of Climes for the most part it is cold pure free from vapours and consequently healthful In those parts near the Bethnic and Baltic coasts it is frequently mudded with sea and marish vapours Serpents and venemous beasts whatever some Authors say are not at all or very rarely in these Countries but fowl and fish of all sorts in so great abundance that even the Peasants contrary to the custom of other Countries are permitted to catch and to make profit of them Lakes here are many and very large Lâ—â—â—â— the greatest and most considerable are 1. Meller in Vpland well stored with Salmon Pike and such like fish and in winter so hard froze that 't is ordinary to have Markets and Fairs kept upon it 2. Hielmer in Nericia 3. Sitian in Dalecarlia 4. Vener in Westro-gothia an hundred and thirty English miles in length and forty in bredth having many Islands in it and twenty-four considerable rivers which fall from the Norwegian mountains unburthening themselves into it all which have but one passage out call'd Tralhetta i. e the Devils Cap lying towards the South 5. Veter in the same Province whose waters are so clear and calm that one may discern the bottom at a great depth Upon the banks of this Lake were anciently founded the Monasteries of St. Bridget the chief Saint of this Kingdom and of St. Catherine her daughter with several other noble buildings 6. Vlatraesch in Cajania 7. Pejenda in Tavastia to which may be added 8. Ladoga upon the confines of Muscovy the greatest part of which was by a treaty of Peace ceded by the Muscovite to this Crown All of them abound with fish the revenues of which make no small addition to the Kings Exchequer From these Lakes arise many Rivers Râ—â—â—â—â— running so orderly from one to another that they may seem like those in Holland to have their channels cut and directed by art The first is Dalecarle whose head is in the Dofrine mountains whence it falls into Dalecarlia takes in several lesser Currents at Torsang and so parts the Provinces of Vpland and Gestricia and at last falls into the Bothnick Bay 2. Saga or Sawe which divides Vpland from Westmannia 3. Angermannie which waters Angermannia and is noted for its abundance of Salmon with several others of lesser note Mines in this Country are very frequent Mâ—â—â—â— as of Silver Copper Iron Lead Allum Vitriol Sulphur c. every Province almost affording some more or less where we shall make mention of them The greatest part belong to the subject yet some few are wholly in the Kings possession workmen being maintain'd and the whole revenues receiv'd by the Crown In the year 1264 Magnus Laduslaus then King instituted or rather re-establisht a society of Miners to take care of all affairs relating to the Mines and to determine all controversies arising concerning them These men in the year 1649 in the reign of Queen Christina had many priviledges granted to them and several new Laws made amongst them of which we find extant these viz. If any subject discover a Mine in his own ground of what metal soever the whole profit of it is to belong to him for six years after which time he is to pay tenths to the King and If he maintains a Forge to fit out for every Hammer he keeps one man and Waggon in time of war for the Kings service From these Mines comes the most considerable part of the Kings Revenues In the year 1578 two or three Copper Mines are said to have yeilded to the Kings Exchequer above 500 Squipons every Squipon being valued at 30000 Dollars and other Mines proportionably every year since Of the Government and Manners of the Swedes THe Kings of Sweden are said at first to have been elected by the Governours of the Provinces who never assembled but upon this occasion He whom they commonly made the subject of their choice was of the Royal Line or some one of the Nobility of their own Country and as some say amongst these caeteris paribus the tallest and most personable The place where the election was perform'd was Vpsal where they assembling and having agreed who should be their Prince they went forth of the City to a place called Moresten a small distance from it here were set in order thirteen large Stones one in the middle whereon was plac'd their new elected King the other twelve round it for the twelve Senators where after some few Ceremonies a Declaration of the duty of the King c. they proposed to him an Oath that he would protect and administer justice to his people and the Electors for themselves the absent Nobility all the Body of the people and all their posterity mutually engag'd that they would obey his Laws and bear faithful allegiance to him These rites perform'd the new King used to invite all his Electors and Nobles to banquet where he himself waited on them and afforded them great and splendid entertainment all which ended with a solemn Grace-Cup called by them Berga-beger These customs since under Gustavus the first the Kingdom was made hereditary are quite left off and when the Coronation is to be solemniz'd the Nobles and chief Officers of the Kingdome meet at the Kings Pallace at Vpsal whence they go to the Metropolitan Church in order The Senators of the Kingdom carry the Royal Ornaments the Drotset or Viceroy the Crown the Marshal the Sword the Admiral the Scepter the Chancellor the golden Globe the Grand
pass all the Merchant-ships which traffick in the Baltic The breadth of it is about twelve German miles and the length eighteen This Island is undoubtedly the ancient Codanonia mentioned by Pomponius Mela which signifies the same thing as the more modern words Dania and Denmark Most of the Danish Etymologists derive Seeland from Soedland or Seedland from the plenty of Corn which this Country affords Others with greater probability make the word signifie no more then an Island or piece of ground encompassed with the Sea Whence Saxo Grammaticus and several other ancient Historians call it Seelandia from the old Danish word Sia or Sio which is now turned into Soe and in our English tongue corrupted into Sea In most or all of the ancient Runic Manuscripts it is called Soelunder or the Sea-Grove The Edda Islandorum calls it Soelund and gives us this account of the first original of the word There was formerly a certain King in Sweden named Gylfi who promised an Asian Sorceress call'd Gesion who had pleased him with her melody as much land as four Oxen could plow up in one day and a night Whereupon the old Hag brings four of her sons out of North Jutland and turning them into as many Oxen caused them to plow up a large and deep furrow round this piece of ground Which when the Sea had fill'd up the land became an Isle and was call'd Seelund Stephanius thinks Ptolomy alluded to this fable when speaking of some Islands in the Baltic he said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. Beyond the Cimbrian Chersonese ly three Islands called Alociae from the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a furrow Copenhagen the Metropolis of this Island Copenhagen and of the whole Kingdom of Denmark is seated on the East of Seeland upon the Sea-shore The Danes call it Kiobenhaun and the Germans Copenhaven both which words are corruptions of Kiobmanshafen i.e. Portus Mercatorum as Saxo somewhere calls it Mejerus a learned Frisian writer derives the name of this City from Coppen which says he in the Frisian language signifies James and Haven q.d. St. James's Haven But there is very little or no grounds for any such derivation About the year 1168 Axil Wide surnamed Snare Saxo calls him Absolon Archbishop of Denmark built a considerable fortification in the Island in which now stands the Castle This was call'd after his name Axel-huys and was a good defence to the whole Island against the daily incursions of Pyrats Under the protection of this Fort several Fishermen and others that traded this way used to harbour their Ships in security This caused a continual concourse of the Natives who resorted hither to furnish the Vessels with such provisions as their Country afforded and in a short time laid the first rude draughts of a City which at this day for strength trade beauty and bulk is not surpass'd by many in Europe Most of the Danish Kings especially Christian IV. have been very active in beautifying this City with an University Churches Walls Ditches c. James Ecland Bishop of Roschild was the first that granted any priviledges to it in the year 1254. These his successor Ignatius confirm'd and they were afterwards considerably enlarged by King Waldemar in the year 1341 and Eric of Pomeren in the year 1371. Christopher of Bavaria endowed it with Municipal immunities like the other Cities of Denmark in the year 1443. All which were confirm'd by the large Charters of Christian the third and Frideric the second The Citizens houses till within these few years were very mean and low most of them patcht up of wood and mortar but of late they are grown more curious and expensive in Architecture and few of their streets are without a considerable number of fair brick buildings The Cathedral Church dedicate to St. Mary is beautified with a noble Copper Spire built at the charges of King Christian the fourth The Advowsance of this Church belongs to the Professors in the University The Market-place is exceeding spacious and no small ornament to the Town Besides these the Kings Palace the Arsenal which perhaps excels any thing that Europe affords in this kind the Observatory or Runde taarn and the adjoining University Church and Library the Exchange c. are places richly worth the seeing and deserve a larger description then the bounds of this short account of the whole Kingdom will permit The City is governed by four Burgomasters one whereof is Regent or President for his life This honour is at present conferr'd on that worthy and learned person P. John Resenius Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University at Copenhagen and Counsellor to the present King of Denmark With him most of the other Professors of note in this University as William Langius formerly Tutor to this present King Christian the fifth Erasmus Vindingius Professor of History and Geography and Author of the Academia Hafniensis which gives us an exact account of all the famous men that have ever flourished in this University Thomas and Erasmus Bartholini both well known by their incomparable works c. are at this day Ministers of State in the Court of Denmark and keep only the title and pension of Professors without being tyed to the performance of the duties SELANDIAE in Regno Daniae Insulae Chorographica Descriptio Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios et Mosem Pitt VIRO Illustri ac Generoso Dno GEORGIO SEEFELDO Haereditario in REFFES Regni Daniae Senatori ac Iudici provintiali Selandico Domino ac Patrono plurimum honorando D. D. D. Johannes Janssonius The rest of the great Towns and places of note in this Island are Roschild 1. Roschild which takes its name from a river running by the Town which drives seven mills Roe in the antient Danish Tongue signifies a King and Kille a stream of water 'T was formerly the Metropolis of the whole Kingdom but of late years this City has decayed and Copenhagen grown so fast that it is scarce remarkable for any thing at this day save the great old Cathedral the burying place of the Kings of Denmark and some small trade This City was first made a Bishop's See by Suenotho King of England Denmark Sweden and Norway about the year 1012. who gave the Bishoprick of Roschild which is now swallowed up of Copenhagen to Gerebrand a Monk Afterwards Sueno Gratenhede fortifyed it with a wall ditch and bulwark Lyscander tells us there were once no less then twenty seven fair Churches in this Town Among these I suppose he reckons the Chappel built by King Harald Svenotho's father in which both he and his son whose dead corps were carried out of England to Roschild to be buried are entombed In the old Cathedral amongst many other rich monuments in honour of several of the Danish Kings and Queens stands a fair marble pillar which Margaret Queen of Denmark erected on purpose to hang thereon the Whetstone which is fastened to it with a chain which Albert King of
and its people too stiff-necked to be kept in subjection In the days of our Saxon Kings a continual and uninterrupted war between this Nation and the Northern Kingdoms put a stop to all trade in the British and Norwegian Seas But as soon as the Danes had made themselves Masters of this Island commerce was again renewed which lasted till the English took their opportunity to-shew the world by rejecting the power of Denmark and all manner of communication with that people how highly they resented the tyrannical usurpation of foreign Princes Since the Conquest England has seldom or never wanted a considerable Fleet of Norway Merchant-men William of Malmesbury who dyed in the year 1142 tells us That in his time Bristow was a place much frequented by the Irish and Norwegians Hackluit gives an account of certain Treaties concerning the Northern trade between our King Henry the third and Haquin King of Norway He that will take the pains to read over the agreement between Henry IV. King of England and the Company of Merchants from the Hans Towns set down at large by Mr. Hackluit in the first Volume of his English Voyages p. 146. will find a considerable Register of our Merchant-men taken on the Coasts and out of the Havens of Norway and may thence be enabled to give a tolerable guess at the number of our Norway Merchants in those days In the twenty-fifth year of the reign of our present Soveraign Charles II. an Act pass'd for the encouragement of the Greenland and Eastland trades c. In which 't was order'd That it should be lawful to and for every person and persons Native or Foreigner from and after the first day of May 1673 at all times to have free liberty to trade into and from Sweden Denmark and Norway This and several other clauses of the same Act which take off a great part of the custom formerly paid upon the importation of any East-land commodity have encouraged great numbers of Merchants and others to traffick in these Northern Seas and improv'd the trade of Greenland and Norway far beyond the example of former ages For tho the advantages that can be hoped for from these kind of Voyages be not answerable to what may be expected out of the Levant and American plantations yet the small danger and charges these men are exposed to are strong inducements to venture a voyage wherein the hazard is not great nor any way proportionable to the prospect of gain Besides in the Act before mention'd 't is provided That whatsoever person or persons subjects of this Realm shall desire to be admitted into the fellowship of Merchants of Eastland shall be admitted into the said fellowship paying for his admission the sum of forty shillings and no more Which is a sum exceedingly inconsiderable if compared with the fees paid upon admission into some other companies The Islands of FERO THE Fero Islands are only so many high and rocky mountains in the Northern Seas divided from one another by narrow Friths and rapid Currents and inclosing a larger or lesser circuit of stony valley cover'd over with a turf of about two foot thick They are so called from Fare which in the language of the Natives signifies a Ferry from the many Ferries or Crossings of the water from one Island to another They are sixteen in number 1. Fugloe or Fowl-Island about three English miles long and two broad 2. Swino in which is a pleasant valley of a mile in length 3. Videroe six miles long and three broad 4. Bordoe six miles in length and a mile broad famous for a good harbour call'd by the Natives Vaag 5. Cunoe of the same bigness 6. Kalsoe something longer and broader then either of the former 7. Osteroe twenty miles long and in some places two in others four miles broad 8. Stromoe twenty-four miles long and eight broad In this Island stands Thors-Haven the Metropolis and Town of greatest Traffick in all the Fero Islands 9. Wagoe a round piece of ground of about eight miles in Diameter 10. Migness 11. Rolter a mile long and half a mile broad 12. Sandoe eight miles long and four miles broad 13. Sknoe three miles long and one in breadth 14. Storetdiemen 15. Lille-Diemen 16. Sideroe twenty miles long and eight broad The air in these Islands is in summer temperately warm not very hot at any time In the coldest winter the frost is never so violent as to cause ice in any of the Bays so that Horses and Sheep lye in the fields the whole winter long They have never any Thunder in the Summer but frequently in the Spring Autumn and Winter which is then generally accompanied with a storm and followed by showers of rain The air of it self is wholesome free from the Plague Small-Pox or any contagious disease except brought in by foreigners so that the inhabitants are commonly long-liv'd However in some of the Islands the Natives are exceedingly subject to rheums which cause violent coughs and head-achs both which diseases they cure by drinking soure Whey as hot as they can endure it Besides these the Scurvy Leprosie and a kind of feaverish distemper called by the Natives Landfarsoet are Epidemical illnesses which reign in several of the Isles but seldom or never turn to mortal diseases The Southern Islands produce great store of Barley tho hardly any other grain comes to maturity insomuch that a Tun of seed will ordinarily yeild twenty or thirty Tun of grain The pasture grounds afford great plenty of good and sweet grass These the inhabitants call Fiedelands and take care commonly that they lye open to the North and North-East winds In some of these fields they have stocks of as large and fat Oxen as any other part of Europe affords The Islands are all of them plentifully stor'd with all manner of medicinal plants requisite for the cure of those distempers to which the inhabitants are most inclined Amongst the rest you may every where meet with great quantities of Scurvy-grass Water-cresses Sorrel c. They have great store of Angelica which grows as well on the tops of high hills as in the open fields This commonly makes one of their most delicate dishes at all entertainments Besides the Radix Rhodia call'd in their language Hielpe-Rod is no where met with in so great plenty as in these Islands upon the banks of running streams and Lakes The distilled water of this plant is here made use of upon all occasions as rose-Rose-water with us in England Here are several sorts of Fowl as Doves Stares Owls Sparrow-Hawks Crows and Ravens many of which are white Grellings c. Their chief Sea-fowl is a kind of Teal about the bigness of a Crow with a yellow long and round bill a great enemy to and persecutor of the Raven The Eyder a sort of Duck which yeilds the Eyder-down is a Fowl peculiar to these Islands This Bird usually pulls the down from her own breast to build her nest
withall When her young ones are fledg'd and gone the inhabitants take away the down and cleanse it for use If the feathers be pull'd off by mens hands they are good for nothing but immediately rot away Another notable sort of bird they have which they call an Imbrim with a long neck and beak the back grey and checquer'd with white spots with a white ring about the neck This bird has two holes under her wings each large enough to hold an egg here 't is thought she hatches two eggs at once being never seen with above two young ones at a time nor known to come ashore The adjoining Seas furnish the inhabitants with Cod Whiting large Flounders c. besides Murts a kind of Pilchards so plentiful in these parts that the Havens and Creeks are fill'd with them Of these with the Seals Grind-whales and Dog-fish which were formerly caught in great numbers upon their Coasts the inhabitants of the Fero-Islands made anciently a vast advantage but of late years their fishing-trade is strangely decayed These Islands were first inhabited in the reign of Harold surnam'd the fair-hair'd King of Norway in the year 868. For that King having taken a resolution to reduce all Norway under the subjection of one Prince fell foul upon all the petit Princes in that Kingdom whose subjects being by this means either undone by the wars or dispossess'd of their inheritances resolv'd to seek out other habitations and under the conduct of one Grimar Camban a Pyrate at last seated themselves in these Islands REGNI NORVEGIAE Nova et Accurata descriptio F. Lamb Sculp To the Worp ll Mark Cottle Esq Registe r of the Prerogative Court this Map is Humbly Dedicated EPISCOPATUS BERGENSIS Sumptibus Janssonio-Waesbergiorum et Mosis Pitt Nova et accurata Tabula EPISCOPATVVM STAVANGRIENSIS BERGENSIS et ASLOIENSIS Vicinarumque aliquot territoriorum Excudebant Janssonio-Waesbergii et Moses Pitt Their diet is moderate and frugal on milk fish gruel and flesh They dry both their fish and flesh in the wind without salt having windhouses built for this purpose After the flesh is dry'd they boil it in water and thicken the broth with Barly-meal which is reckoned one of their greatest delicacies The men wear woollen Shirts flannel Trowces and Wastcoats with short loose Coats of the same The women rich and poor go all alike in strait Gowns without skirts Their Stomachers are commonly large and adorn'd with thin guilt gingling plates of Tin Their Shoes which have no soles but are made of pieces of Leather drawn together at the heels and toes and fasten'd with a string or ribband above the ancle are of sheep-skin for the women and tann'd Neats-leather for the men They lye on beds of Hay overspread with pieces of Flannel The Norwegian tongue was heretofore generally spoken in the Fero-Islands but of late years the Danish dialect has much prevail'd However in the Northern Islands their language is for the greatest part made up of Norwegian words and phrases tho the Southern inhabitants make use of a quite different dialect The whole dominion of these Islands is divided into the six districts of Norderoe Osteroe Stromoe Waagoe Sandoe and Sanderoe To each of these districts belongs a Sheriff who as Judge determines all causes and controversies of less moment These Sheriffs gather the Kings tythes and put in execution all orders they receive from the Kings Commissary The people are governed by the Laws of Norway having no peculiar Laws of their own They have a general Sessions held once a year in the spring time at Thors-haven in which the Kings Commissary or Bayliff presides as Judge being assisted by the six Sheriffs who exhibit to the Court all Law-suits either Civil or Criminal which come not under the cognizance of their petit Commission Besides these there are thirty-six more six for each district chosen like our Jury-men to assist the Commissary in pronouncing of sentence and a Recorder appointed to register the proceedings and sentence The Ecclesiastical affairs are governed by a Synod of the Priests or Ministers who meet and sit once a year Out of the whole Synod one is elected to preside over the rest with the title of Provost These people were first converted to Christianity in the fourth year of the reign of Olaus Trygeson King of Denmark in the year 1000 by Sigismund Bresteson a Ferroyer born and sent into his own Country by the said King for this purpose After the Augsburg Confession was embraced in Denmark and Norway it soon reached these Islands There are at this day thirty-nine Parishes in all the Islands which are supplyed by so many Pastors of the Lutheran Religion Besides Sundays Holidays and the usual days of prayer as in other places these men observe yearly six peculiar days of Prayer viz. three in Ascention-week and three in Michaelmas-week They have but one publick School among them which was endowed by King Christian IV. and Nicolas Trolle formerly Governor of Roschild and Vice-Admiral of Denmark This furnishes the University of Copenhagen oft times with as able Scholars as any other School in the King of Denmarks dominions The chief Commodities of these Islands are Skins Feathers Tallow Train-oyl and Stockins upon all which there is a particular price set Stockins are the chief staple commodity they have in making of which all the inhabitants rich and poor Priests and Plowmen are forced to employ themselves to help out the small incomes of their mean possessions and inconsiderable stipends Of the Isle of SCHETLAND SChetland or Hetland as Arngrim Jonas will have the word writ is an Island lying between the Fero-Islands and the Promontory of Schagen in Jutland It has been long a dispute amongst the best Geographers whether this be not the ancient Thule Gasper Peucer tells us and our learned Cambden encourages us to believe him that this Island is called by the Northern Mariners to this day Thilensell Pomponius Mela says of Thule that it was Belgarum which Mr. Cambden reads Bergarum understanding thereby the City and Territory of Berghen littori opposita which account agrees well with the situation of this Island Besides says Mr. Cambden Schetland is about two days sail from Cathness in Scotland which is the exact distance between Thule and the Caledonian Promontory in Solinus 's relation Again Schetland lies in 63 degrees of Northern Latitude as well as Ptolomy's Thule Whether our learned Antiquary read Solinus aright or no I shall not venture to question tho I know there are some that read the place quoted thus A Caledoniae promontorio Thulen petentes bidui navigatione excipiunt Haebudae Insulae and not as the vulgar Copies have it A Caledoniae promontorio Thulen petentibus bidui navigatio est and the rather because it follows Ab Orcadibus Thulen usque quinque dierum ac noctium navigatio est However I am afraid the Latitude of Schetland will not be found to exceed sixty degrees and a few odd
the Ocean in some of whose Isles several considerable Kingdoms have of late years been discover'd However notwithstanding this assertion of Tacitus making the Rhine the utmost bounds of Germany on the borders of Gallia 't is certain That long before his time in the days of the Emperors Julius and Augustus several Colonies of the Germans had seated themselves in the Gallic Territories and inhabited a large plat of ground on the South side of the Rhine And 't is well known that both Germania Prima and Secunda so often mentioned by ancient and modern Geographers lay on the same side of that River Wympheling in his little Tract De Rebus Germanicis demonstrates that all those Cities which stand on the Southern bank of the Rhine did always belong to the Germans notwithstanding the pretensions of several French Kings to the contrary 'T is true Lewis XI King of France before he came to the Crown made several incursions into Alsatia upon pretence of recovering the ancient Rights which his Ancestors had challenged upon the Rhine But this pretended jurisdiction never spred it self so wide as to reach beyond the banks of that River on either side For as Freherus shews the ancient Gauls always claim'd a right to the River Rhine altho the Germans were Lords of the Soil on both sides Besides the Hermunduri Marcomanni and Quadi who were all of them Germans extended the bounds of their Nation beyond the Danow and seated themselves on the South side of that River Whence in process of time the name of Illyricum which formerly was a word used to signifie a fifth part of the Celtish Nation containing the Territories of Liburnia Dalmatia Noricum Vindelicia and Pannonia was by the Roman writers limited to Liburnia and Dalmatia only and the other three Provinces reckon'd parts of Germany as being almost quite overrun with the people of that Nation Aeneas Sylvius and his followers fancy that Germany is at this day a Country much larger then it was ever thought to be by the Ancients But he that shall consider that the three Northern Kingdoms of Denmark Norway and Sweden with their several Dependences and all Belgium as is still evident from the Languages of these people which are only so many distinct Dialects of the High-Dutch were formerly branches of the German Nation will be apt to conclude with Cluverius that New Germany is scarce a third part so big as the Old At present Germany is bounded on the South with the Mountains of Italy beyond the Danow Modern Bounds on the East with Poland and Hungary on the West with the French Provinces of Picardy and Champagne on the North with the Baltic Sea and British Ocean Monsieur de Pibrac is of opinion that La Germanie est presque trois fois aussi grande que la France i. e. Germany is near three times as big as France And most Geographers make that Kingdom thrice as large as Italy So that if we should tho there is little reason for so doing deny the Netherlands to be any part of Germany at this day yet this Nation will still continue to be incomparably the largest in Europe The length of it from East to West amounts to 840 Italian miles and the breadth from North to South to about 745 according to the computation of Sansovine in his Treatise Del governo di diversi Regni Which account if we reckon as is usual five Italian for one German mile comes near Winthers relation which tells us Germany is 686 English or about 171 Dutch miles long measuring from the mountains of Italy to the British Ocean All this tract of Land or so much of it at least as lies from the Rhine Northwards was by the Ancients look'd upon as a barren Nature of the Soil uninhabited and solitary Wilderness destitute of Cities Villages Houses Fruit and all other things either requisite or convenient for the sustenance of any other kind of inhabitants then such as they fancied the Germans to be a sort of savage wood-men little different from the beasts of the field either in education or diet But the improvements or discoveries rather of later Ages have exceedingly alter'd the case and our modern Historians and Geographers in spight of Tacitus's cavils and envious Epithets have been forc'd to confess that the Germans are a numerous and industrious people and their Country both wonderfully pleasant and fruitful A more signal instance of the plenty of Corn in this Country cannot be given then we meet with in the stories which the German writers tell us of the Emperor Charles the Fifth who maintain'd an Army for a considerable while against the Turks consisting of 90000 Footmen and 35000 Horse Besides the same Emperor for some years together waged a continual war with most of the Northern German Princes during which the Armies on both sides are said to have consisted of above 150000 men Now altho Germany alone provided all necessaries of food and provender for these vast multitudes of men and horses yet we do not read that any the least famine or scarcity of bread ensued hereupon in any part of the Dutch Territories The chief Rivers in GERMANY THere is hardly any Nation in the World comparable to this for the multitude of its noble Rivers several of which carry Vessels of a vast burthen for some hundreds of English miles The most principal of these are I. Danubius Danow or the Danow Brietius says that this River was anciently call'd Matoas which in the old Scythian language signifies harmless because they fancied it was pretty secure sailing upon its waters Afterwards when a great company of strangers unacquainted with this Torrent had here unluckily suffer'd shipwrack and lost their lives its name was changed into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word some Critics derive from the Macedonian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying as Plutarch tells us as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Death Cato thinks 't was first call'd Danubius from the Danes whom he confounds with the Dacians Our modern Geographers embrace Pliny's opinion and derive the word by a Metathesis a jugis Adnobiis whence it has its first source The Hungarians call it Duna the Polanders Donay and the Germans die Thonaw The head of this great River is in Swaben near a small Village named from the Danow Tone-Eschingen which is situated in a part of the Hercynian Wood call'd by the inhabitants Schwartz-wald or Black-forrest Within a few furlongs of this Fountain it receives into it two more small Rivolets soon after which dividing it self into two branches it encircles the City Vlm with two fair streams both admirably large considering the short course of the River Afterwards it passes by several brave Cities in Germany and Hungary as Regensburg Passaw Vienna Presburg c. being largely augmented in its passage by the accession of many Navigable Rivers Insomuch that it seems to challenge the character which Ovid
long since gave of it Cedere Danubius se tibi Nile negat As soon as it comes into Illyricum near the City Belgradum which the Germans call Stuhlweissenburg it looses it name and is called Isther At last Qui centum populos magnas alluit urbes Euxinum irrumpit bis terno flumine Pontum One of these six Currents runs with that violence into the Euxine Sea that it is said to pass thro the midst of the salt waters fresh and sweet for near forty English miles together 'T is an admirable singularity in the Danow that it alone of all the great Rivers in Europe runs with a strangely rapid current Eastward whereas most others run either to the West or South some few Northwards but not one so directly East Salomon Schweigger a German traveller reports that sweet water is brought from the Danow by Aquaeducts to Constantinople which is two days journey from any part of this River Before the Danow leaves Germany tho Strabo asserts the contrary it meets with these three notorious Cataracts 1. Der Saw-russel or The Swines-snout so called from a sharp pointed Rock hanging into the River near Lintz in Austria under which is a most dangerous and almost unavoidable whirlpool which certainly sucks in all the Vessels which sail near it except managed by more than ordinary care and discretion Ath. Kircher in his Mund. Subterr says that whatever is swallow'd by this Whirlpool is thrown up again in a Lake near Canische in Hungary 2. Der Strudel so called from the noise which the water makes in its fall This is a perilous Cataract near Greinon in Austria where the water falling with a great violence amongst the Rocks distracts the watermen with its noise and smoke and too often either overturns or splits their Vessels So that few or none were formerly so fool-hardy as to pass this precipice without the assistance and conduct of some expert Boor in the Vicenage who for many years had made it their business to understand all the little creeks and windings in this dangerous passage But of late years it has not been reckon'd a matter of so great difficulty to shoot this Gulf. On the top of one of the highest Rocks stands the ruins of an old Castle where formerly as the report goes some notorious Pyrats who lived upon the pillage of such Boats as they could now and then hook into some of the neighbouring Cliffs kept their residence 3. Der Wurbel or Whirlpool not much more then a furlong distant from the Strudel The Watermen that use this passage are of late grown so expert in shunning this Gulf that except your Pilot be drunk which is here no strange mishap there is little danger of miscarriage As soon as you have past the Whirlpool you are sure to be waited on by a fellow bearing St. Nicolas's picture to whom an adjoining Chappel is dedicated and an Alms-box into which every man casts what he pleases as an offering of thansgiving to that Saint for the late deliverance On the top of the great Rock which causes a great motion in the water stand the reliques of an ancient Fort which the Germans call Der Tuffels Thurn or The Devils Tower The original of which name according to Aventinus's relation was this On a time Bruno Bishop of Wurtzburg accompanied the Emperor in his passage down the Danow When they came to this Tower they were suddenly scar'd by a strange Apparition in the shape of a Blackamore saying I am Bruno thine evil Genius I shall do thee no mischief at present but thou shalt be sure to meet with me again e're long When they were come to Bosenburg a Village within ten English miles of this Wurbel where passengers usually refresh themselves it happen'd that the Chamber where the Emperor and the Bishop were a resting themselves suddenly falling down killed Bruno II. The next great River in Germany 〈◊〉 is the Rhine Some Etymologists derive this word from the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to flow because of its rapid Current Others fetch it from an old Celtish word Rijen which signified to divide or separate alluding to the old story before mentioned of the separation of France from Germany by this River But the generality of modern Dutch writers are pleas'd to fancy that it comes from the ordinary German word Rein which signifies pure or clean Because forsooth 't was a fashion amongst the ancient inhabitants of this Country to try whether their children were legitimate or spurious by casting them into the Rhine which would never suffer those to sink who were lawfully begot but usually drown'd the bastards This story Cesar tells us in his Commentaries And hence says Schottelius the Germans to this day retain this proverbial saying of any notorious and scandalous crime Das weschet ihm der Rhein nicht ab i. e. The Rhine can ne're wash this of Tacitus reports that the old Germans worshipp'd the Rhine as a God Martial alludes to some such thing when he says Nympharum Pater amniumque Rhenus c. And the modern Germans seem to be little less jealous of the repute of this noble River when they give out that Die Thonau ist aller wasser ein Frau aber der Rhein mag mit ehren wol ihr Mann Seyn i. e. The Danow is indeed the Lady Paramount of Rivers but the Rhine may well seem to be her Husband Where note that the Danow is as most other names of Rivers in the High Dutch tongue are of the Feminine Gender but the Rhine of the Masculine There are two Springs in the Rhaetian or Celtic Alps as some Authors call them from which the Rhine has its rise The first not far from a small Village call'd by the inhabitants Tavetsch out of a considerably high Mountain which the Germans call St. Gottardes Geburg The other Fountain is not far from Reinwald in Rhaetia These two Fountains are about forty English miles distant from each other but their Currents meet in one about eight of the same miles from the City Cur. Within three quarters of one of our miles from this confluence of the two streams the River dilates it self into that vast Lake which is ordinarily by a corruption of the name of Poomen a Town on the banks of this water call'd Der Boden-See The broadest part of this swift River is betwixt the City Emeric and the strong Castle of Schenckenschantz where the breadth of it is judged but I am afraid the story has out-stretch'd the measuring-chain some furlongs to exceed two English miles Immediately after the union of the forementioned Currents the depth of the Rhine is so considerable that Vessels of large bulk and burthen might easily if not letted by several Cataracts and Rocks which block up their way sail from Stein to Francsurt on the Meyn Collen Mentz and all other places of consequence upon this River The Cataracts of the Rhine are reckon'd to be nine in all whereof seven
his Brother Christian Elect Bishop of the Diocess of Minden This brave Prince govern'd the Dukedom in great peace and prosperity two and twenty years and enlarg'd it with the Principality of Grubenhagen After his decease in the year 1633 the Dukedome of Luneburg fell to his Brother Augustus Elect Bishop of Ratzeburg upon which incomparable Prince of whom the Reader may expect a larger account in the description of the Dukedom of Brunswic descended not long after by the death of Frideric Vlric the Dukedom of Brunswic Whereupon the Dukedom of Luneburg was given to Duke George Lieutenant General of all the forces of the Lower Saxony in the year 1636. He left four Sons whereof the eldest Christian Ludowic for some years govern'd the Luneburgers paying each of his younger Brethren an annual stipend of 12000 Ric-dollars Upon his death the second Brother George William succeeded in the Government and kept as he doth to this day his Residence in his Brothers Palace at Zell By the Treaty of Hildesheim the Dukedoms of Calenberg and Grubenhage were assign'd over to the third Brother John Frideric who kept his Residence at Hannover in much greater state then his Brother at Zell These and all other Territories subject to the late Duke of Hannover are now in the possession of the youngest Brother Ernest Augustus who by the Treaty of Munster was made Bishop of Osnabrug and is now upon the death of his Brother John Frideric this last year 1680 Duke of Hannover He married the Lady Sophia youngest Sister to our Prince Rupert of whom this character is usually given that she is the most accomplish'd Princess in Europe by whom he hath three Sons and a Daughter Chief Cities and other places of greatest note in this Dukedom are FIrst Luneburg LUNEBURG We have already given the Reader an account of the most probable opinion about the original of the name of this City and but little more can be sai concerning its first Founders and those that fortified it The story of Julius Cesar's laying the first foundation of a City in this place is at best incredible and groundless There 's hardly an ancient City in Europe which does not pretend to some venerable piece or other of Julius's Architecture which tho ordinarily admir'd by the vulgar yet is contemn'd and laugh'd at by men of sence and knowing Antiquaries The best testimony of its age I can meet with is Dithmarus Mersburgensis's mentioning Luinberg by the name of Civitas in speaking of an Earthquake which hapned in the days of the Emperor Henry II. But 't is easie to observe how the Historians of those times were wont to compliment any mean Village with the title of Civitas Yet Lambertus Schafnaburgensis an Author of almost as great antiquity as the former in his account of the transactions of the year 1073. gives this character of Luneburg that 't was then Oppidum maximum Ottonis Ducis Saxoniae situm in confinio Saxonum Luticiorum At present the Town contains about two English miles in circumference being not built in exact square but rather an oblong figure The Streets are broad and most of the Houses tolerably well built Over against the Town-hall which is a neat and compact piece of building stands the Duke's Palace where the Duke of Zell and his Family are lodg'd when he has a mind to reside at Luneburg The chief Trade of the Town is in Salt which the Citizens make in great abundance out of certain pits of salt water which spring within the walls Their Salt-houses are fenc'd round and continually guarded as being the main support of the City These bring in the Duke a considerable yearly Revenue and besides provision is hereby made for a great number of poor labouring men who might otherwise starve for want of employment II. Bardewic BARDEWICK At this day a Village within a mile of Luneburg but anciently a strong and populous City Some Authors fancy it to have been the first City in Saxony And so questionless it was if it be true as they pretend to be able to demonstrate that it was built 990 years before Christ Over the door of the Cathedral which is now the only Church left of nine are wrote in an old Gothic character these hobling verses Abram dum natus mox Treveris incipit ortus Hinc annis Barduic mille sex X quoque quinque Post Barduic Roma duo C cum quinque triginta M C post Nat. junctis octaginta novemque Dum Brunsvicensis Henricus Leo dictus Simonis in festo Barduic subvertit ab alto Meibomius a learned Antiquary whom we have already had occasion often to mention has taken great pains to pick up out of these Rithms and all other Monuments of note about this Town a large account of the Antiquity of the place The name he imagines contrary to the humour of some other Historians who speak of Bardo a Knight Errant of old and Founder of Bardewic derived from the Bardi a Northern people who wandring a great many years up and down Saxony and the neighbouring Countries at last fix'd themselves in this place Whether these Bardi may not have been a Tribe of such Poets as Mr. Cambden and some other of our Antiquaries says gave name to Bardsey one of our British Islands I shall leave to the Reader 's judgment since every Historian that mentions the Bards will tell us that they were the Genealogists amongst the Gauls an undoubted branch of the German Nation as well as the Britains The Verses before-mention'd will inform us that this great City was destroy'd by Duke Henry surnam'd the Lion on St. Simon and Jude's day in the year 1189. Since that time it has never been able to recover its glory and is now remarkable for nothing but a College of Eight Residentiary Canons and some few Vicars III. ULTZEN A neat uniform little Town Vltren about the middle way betwixt Lunenburg and Zell 'T was anciently call'd Lawenwald i. e. Lion-Forest as appears from several of its old Records and an inscription to this day legible on the North-side of the Town-hall And from this its old name the Arms or Rebus rather of the Town are still a Lion Passant Azure in a Field Verd betwixt Three Trees of the Second The modern name Vltzen it had from the neighbouring Monastery of Olden-Stadt which as is evident from several ancient Writings bearing date A. D. 1255 and 1338 was formerly call'd Old-Vlssen On the twentieth of September in the year 1646 this City was miserably destroy'd by a fire which in a very short time burnt down the fairest and richest part of it This blow it has hardly yet so well recover'd as to be entirely rebuilt but however the most considerable streets and places of consequence are very much advanc'd by it and the new buildings are every-where more regular and splendid then the former The Citizens have a Tradition among them that the first English Saxons
the name of the Dukedom of Bremen The name of this City is fetcht by some from one Luba a famous Fisherman that heretofore pitcht his Tents upon the Sea-shore in the same place where afterwards the great City of Lubec was built But this fiction is of the same stamp with the frivolous Etymologies with which some of our English Historians have furnish'd us of Britain from Brutus and London from King Lud. Others tell us that Lubec in the old Wendish tongue signifies a Crown and therefore would perswade us that this Town had its name from the preeminence which immediately after its first foundation it might justly challenge amongst the other Cities of Germany Whence Lindebergius alluding to this Etymology concludes his Elogium in the praise of Lubec with this Distich Et decus Europae lumen sit totius Ansae Et sit Vandalici pulchra Corona soli But the most probable opinion is what we have before mention'd that the name is truly High-Dutch and signifies no more than Lob-eck or ein eck des lobes a corner of Land for upon such a plot of ground 't is situate commendable for something or other in it extraordinary and notable The Polish Historians particularly J. Ludowic Decius in his History of Sigismund II. King of Poland are very zealous in asserting that this great City owes its birth to the Princes of their Country who having made themselves Masters of all this part of Germany built a Fort and in some short time after a wall'd Town in that neck of land upon which Lubec stands But the Germans as vigorously oppose this assertion affirming that Godschalck a certain King of the Vandals laid the first foundation of the Town A. D. 1040 which small beginnings were enlarg'd into the bulk of a considerable City by Crito a Prince of Rugen in the year 1104 or as others 1087. But however this is certain that it was never a City nor had any Charter confirm'd to it before it had been once utterly ruin'd and laid desolate by Ratzo Prince of Rugen in the year 1134 and rebuilt by Adolph II. Earl of Holstein A. D. 1140 who being unable to defend any part of his Territories against the victorious Duke of Saxony and Bavaria Henry II. surnam'd the Lion was forc'd to yeild up to him Lubec amongst the other conquer'd parts of his Dominions Afterwards when success and pride had swell'd Henry to that height as to make him neglect his duty and allegiance to the Emperor Frideric Barbarossa and to side with the Pope in a quarrel against him he was by the said Emperor publicly proscrib'd and devour'd by the joint forces of his neighbour Princes every one laying hold of that part of his Estates which lay next him In this confusion Lubec was besieg'd and taken by the Emperor himself but after his death restor'd to the foremention'd Duke Henry Afterwards it was conquer'd by Waldemar Duke of Sleswic and Brother to Canutus King of Denmark But not long after the Citizens finding themselves too severely treated by their Danish Lords put their City under the protection of the Emperor Frideric II. who granted them several priviledges and immunities and restor'd them to the ancient Liberties which they had enjoy'd under their first Masters Since that time Lubec has continued an Imperial City being always reckon'd one of the chief in the Empire and the Metropolis of the Hans-Towns The Bishopric of Lubec which since John Adolph Duke of Holstein was elected Bishop of that See in the year 1596 has always been in the possession of some of the younger Brothers of that House was first founded by the Emperor Otho I. at Oldenburg in Wagerland and afterwards removed hither with the permission of the Emperor Frideric I. by Henry the Lion Duke of Saxony in the year 1163. There is not any City in the Northern parts of the German Empire which at this day excels or perhaps can equalize Lubec either in beauty or uniformity of its Buildings or pleasantness of its Gardens and Groves The Streets are generally strait and even the Houses being all built with Brick and cover'd with Tyles In the year 1238 a great fire hap'ning in the City burnt down many of their Streets which at that time consisted of Houses made of Timber and cover'd with Thatch whereupon the Senators of the City made an Order that thenceforward no such Houses should be built within the walls of the Town From the public Conduit they have water convey'd by pipes into every Citizen's private House according to which pattern the Conduits in London and other great Cities in Europe were first contrived The Streets are in several places graced with rows of Linden Trees planted on each side The Churches about twenty in number are generally well built and adorn'd with high Steeples or Spires especially the Cathedral dedicate to St. Mary which is a piece of as curious Architecture as most in Germany The River Trave on which Lubec is seated about eight or ten English miles from the Sea is large and deep enough to carry the largest Vessels that sail upon the Baltic So that daily Merchant-men of the greatest bulk as well as flat bottom'd Barges are brought up to the Walls of the City which with its neighbour Hamburg is thought to maintain near six hundred Vessels in continual traffick The City is govern'd by twelve Burgo-masters who are all of them either Doctors of Civil Law or some of the grave and experienc'd Nobility of the City The Common Council is made up of half Lawyers and Nobles and the other half Merchants Their Laws will not permit any Handicrafts-man two Brothers nor Father and Son to be of this great Council of the City supposing that illiterate Mechanics can hardly have so much skill in State-affairs as will render them fit for Government and that near Relations will be apt to side with one another and not act with such unbyass'd judgments as others that are nothing akin II. WISMAR Wismar Seated in the way betwixt Lubec and Rostoc at an equal distance namely seven German or one and twenty English miles from both those Cities Cromer and Vapovius zealous assertors of the honour of their Country derive the name of this City from one Wissimir its founder who they tell us was a Polish Prince descended from their Great Duke Lechus The grounds of their story they borrow from Saxo Grammaticus and Crantzius who report that Wissimirus a Prince of the Vandals march'd with a good Army into Denmark and there slew Siward King of the Danes and at his return built Wismar Now these men imagining that Princeps Vandalicus and Vendicus signifie the same thing conclude presently that this Wissimir must certainly have been a Pole and then the greatest honour they can do him is to bring him from the Loins of Lechus Whereas granting the main part of Crantzius's story which nevertheless is undoubtedly false that Wismar was indeed built by such a Prince as
quite cross the Country In this Principality are most of the Mines of Silver Mines Copper Lead c. belonging to the Duke of Brunswic and Lunenburg The chief of which are at Rammelsberg Wildeman and Zellerfeld Rammelsberg is an high Mountain not far from the City Goslar on one side shaded with part of the Hercynian Forest but on the other cover'd with nothing but moss The German Historians tell us that the Mines on this Mounttain were first discover'd in the year 972 by a Hunter who having tied his Horse to a bush and gone some distance from him at his return found a great piece of Ore beat out of the ground with his Horse's hoof This Hunter they say was surnamed Ramme and thence the Mountain got the name of Rammelsberg Upon the bruit of this Discovery the Emperor Otho I. immediately procured a company of Franks that well understood the art of melting and refining all sorts of Minerals and sent them hither to teach the Saxons their mystery to which before that time they were utter strangers From these Franks the Town of Frankenburg not far from the Mines of Rammelsberg had its name Not long after the riches of this mountain had been thus discover'd the Miners were grown so numerous that this one place could neither find work nor food enough for such vast multitudes as daily resorted thither Whereupon they began to seek for new treasures in the neighbouring Hills and met with so good success that in the year 1045 as Albinus testifies another great vein of Ore was discover'd in the place where Wildeman now stands and a third at Zellerfeld in the year 1070. This last Town is now the chief of all the Mine-Cities belonging to the Princes of Brunswic Here the chief Overseer of the Mines keeps his Court every Saturday and orders every workman his pay for the week past The chief Metals which are found in these Mines are Silver Lethargy Lead 〈…〉 and two sorts of Copper one whereof is melted out of the Ore like other Metals the other is made by the Vitriol water upon great plates of Iron which they steep in troughs made for this purpose Besides these Metals they find a great many sorts of Minerals which abundantly recompense the workman's labour tho not sufficient to atone for the loss of his life which is too often taken away by their nauseous and deadly smells The richest of these are 1. Gray Vitriol 2. Atramentstein or Ink-stone a Mineral of many various colours Out of these two bray'd and boil'd together is made the ordinary green Vitriol 3. Gedien Vitriol which grows like Isicles out of the Rocks and may be used without any further cleansing or purifying 4. Blew Vitriol commonly made out of the Copper Ore 5. White Vitriol made of Lead Ore 6. Misy a Mineral much of the same colour and nature with the ordinary yellow Brimstone 7. Brimstone made out of a peculiar sort of Ore found here in great quantities out of which drop the stores Sulphuris which usually coagulate like Icesicles The several ways of discovering of Mines ordering of Minerals Ore c. are the same here as at Friberg and other Mine-Towns in the German Empire So that for an account of these and the like rarities we refer the Reader to the following Description of Misnia The Metropolis or chief Town in the Principality of Grubenhagen is Eimbeck or Ein-beck 〈◊〉 which says Letzner has its name from the confluence of a great many small Rivulets in this place into one common stream For Beck in the dialect of the Lower Saxons as well as that of the Northern English signifies the same with the High Dutch word Bache a Rivulet or small torrent The only Trade of the Town was formerly in Breuhane which was here brewed and exported into many of the neighbouring parts but of late years the Citizens have addicted themselves exceedingly to Husbandry and Tillage and enrich'd the City mightily with their Comtrade Which would doubtless be daily advanc'd if they had the advantage of a good River to take off their vast stocks of all manner of grain Clausthal Altenau Andreasberg Osterrode and the other great Towns of this Principality are wholly inhabited by Miners who being a sort of people bred in Caves and the bowels of the Earth do not trouble themselves with the erecting of fair structures above ground The County of BLANCKENBVRG and REINSTEIN THis County as appears from many ancient Charters 〈◊〉 and other Instruments sign'd by several of the German Emperors was formerly call'd Hartingow or Hartgow which name the Dutch Writers explain by das Gow an Hartz and we may English it the Hercynian County For as the ancient Romans divided their whole Land into so many Provinces which were again subdivided into certain Praefecturas Praesidiatus Colenias or Municipia so old Germany consisted of a set number of Gowen or Pflegen and these were made up of inferior Voigteyen or Dingstule that is Hundreds or Bailiwicks For altho the words Gowe and Pflege now fleck signified Pagus a Town yet the old Saxons and other people of Germany had not formerly above one of these in a whole County so that Gow-graff or Judex Paganus was in effect the same thing as Comes an Earl or Count. But when about the year of Christ 1100 the name of Gowen began to be antiquated and laid aside Hartingow once the largest County in the Lower Saxony was forgot and the County or Grassschaft a new word instead of Gowe took its name from the two chief Forts in it Blackenburg and Reinstein Together with its name it lost its ancient boundaries and was contracted into a much narrower compass then formerly For the Counties of Stolberg Schwartzburg and Hohenstein with the Bishopric of Quedlinburg and County of Wernigerode were cut off from this Province However because the County of Wernigerode is still subject to the same Master with Blackenburg we shall at present comprise both Provinces under one name and give a description of them together Tacitus speaking of these parts tells us the inhabitants live in an intolerable sharp air and Seneca says they have a continual Winter And certainly if this character may be justly appropriated to any Province in Germany 't is to this which is continually exposed to the North-wind and endures the cold blasts from the top of Bructerus and the neighbouring Mountains which are usually cover'd with Snow till Midsummer But this sharp air is not destructive to the healthy and vigorous constitutions of the inhabitants who more commonly then any other Germans arrive at the age of 100 or 110 years But however were there such an intemperies Coeli as these Authors mention constantly hovering over the heads of the Blackenburgers yet that inconvenience would in a great measure be recompens'd by those other ways whereby Nature has enrich'd this Country For the Valleys tho they afford but little Corn yet are as plentifully stock'd with Kine
Scholar J. Carpzovius son to the famous lawyer of that name who was formerly professor in this University has got himself great credit by his skill in the Eastern languages and his apprehensive quickness in unfolding the mysteries of the antient and modern Jewish Rabbies the greatest part of which accomplishment he had as himself confesses from the good Instructions of his Master Schertzer Besides these old Mr. Thomasius Schoolmaster near St. Nicholas's is look'd upon as a man singularly well skill'd in all manner of philological writings Amongst the old Manuscripts in their Library which amount to some thousands but are only the despicable plunder of a few demolish'd Monaseries the onely rarity is Tzetzes's Greek Commentary upon Homer's Iliads a book perhaps hardly to be met with elswhere and written in a fair and legible character III. FREYBERG Freyberg A famous and pleasant Mine-Town not far from the bank of the River Mulda The Citizens have so grand a conceit of the delicacy of this Town 's situation that this is an ordinary proverb amongst them Were I Lord of Leipsic I would spend my Income at Freyberg It derives its name from the rich hills upon which 't is seated Fribergam Indigenae claro de nomine dicunt Libera de fossis quasi ferres munera terris In St. Peter's Church at Freyberg is the usual burying place of the Electors many whereof ly here entomb'd in fair Monuments especially Elector Maurice whose Monument of black Marble is rais'd three piles high and adorn'd with many rich statues in Alabaster and white Marble This is reckoned one of the noblest and perhaps may pass for the very best of its kind in Germany When this City was surrendred into the hands of the Duke of Friedland's Soldiers in the year 1632 the Elector of Saxony paid 80000 Ricx-dollars to save these Sepulchers of his Fathers from being ransack'd and defac'd And this large sum was the more willingly given because 't is the fashion to bury the German Princes in their Robes and Ensigns of Honour Rings Jewels c. which would have been rich plunder for the Soldiers if not compounded for The Mines are said to have been found out accidentally in the year 1180 Mines by a fellow carrying Salt who in a Cart-road first discover'd a piece of Ore which was found to be as rich in Silver as the best in Germany Since that time the multitudes of Miners who have swarm'd hither have made so great progress in their work as to undermine the whole Town which stands at least the greatest part of it upon Vaults and Caverns Besides these Mines within the walls there are a great many more within a mile or two of the City the most remarkable of which is that on the top of the high hill Auff dem hohem berg which is above seventy seven of their fathoms in depth Now each of these fathoms contains twelve of their Ells three of which make an English fathom so that this Mine is in all probability the deepest in Europe The Miners have a peculiar habit of their own which cannot so well be describ'd as represented in a figure to the eye They dig several sorts of Metals and Minerals out of these Mines Metals and Minerals tho the only thing they labour for is Silver One of the Overseers of these Mines gave me thirty-two several kinds of Ore all of which would yeild some Silver but in a proportion different from the rest The most ordinary sorts of Ore contain either Silver and Copper Silver and Lead or all three but the Lead and Copper are not much regarded They have here great quantity of Sulpher or Brimstone Ore which is hard and stony and usually speckled which the Miners look upon as a sign of the richest Ore with red spots Some of this Ore contains Silver some Copper and some both but in a small and inconsiderable proportion An hundred weight of Ore yeilds commonly three pounds and an half of Sulphur which runs out of a Furnace made for that purpose into water and is afterwards melted over again and purified The reliques of the Ore out of which the Silver is already melted serves for two uses first to melt down Silver which when too hard it makes fluid But the more consideral use of it is in the making of Vitriol or Copperas after this manner They burn the Brimstone-Ore again and then putting it into a large Fat pour water thereon which having stood a competent while is boil'd to a considerable height and then let out into Coolers In these there are a great many sticks set up as in the making of Sugar Candy to which the purest Vitriol cleaves as the worse sort does to the sides and bottoms of the Vessels They have several ways of discovering Mines Virgula divina the chief of which is with the virgula divina the use whereof some of them look upon as a piece of Conjuration rather then an experiment drawn from the principles of Natural Philosophy 'T is a forked piece of Hazel the two horns of which the discoverer holds in his hands with the forks upright In this posture he traverses the ground muttering a set form of unintelligible words to himself When the fork'd stick mov'd by an occult impulse turns in his hand and points to the ground 't is taken for an infallible argument of some rich veins of Silver in the place it points at Upon this sign given they immediately fall a digging and seldom miss of the expected success Sometimes they meet with damps in the deep Mines which are always dangerous 〈◊〉 and often prove mortal to the labourers But the greatest inconvenience and which constantly attends their labour is the dust which grates upon and frets their Skins Lungs and Stomachs and too often shortens their days by bringing them into irrecoverable Consumptions To secure themselves against these two evils they sometimes use large Vizards with glass-eyes under which they have room enough to breath for some considerable while At Freyberg there is a yearly Coinage of Ricx-dollars 〈◊〉 and other money which is most commonly true sterling and look'd upon generally as the best Cash in Germany For whereas the Emperor's Coin is usually a base and mixt mertal the Elector's is pure and true Silver currant in all parts of the Empire IV. MEISSEN Once the Metropolis and chief City in this Marquisate 〈◊〉 but at this time so inconsiderable as that it hardly merits the fourth place in this Catalogue It has its name from the River Meisse on the banks of which 't is seated Before the Civil Wars of Germany 't was famous for a great wooden Bridge cross the Elb near this place which Dresser is pleas'd to call the bravest sight of its kind in Germany and Bertius ventures to name it the wonder of Europe But some of the unruly Soldiers rob'd the Town of this piece of credit and it has now nothing to brag of
Brunsberg which drawing together some considerable numbers of people obliged him soon after to wall the place round and turn it into a City 6. EWANCZITZ 〈◊〉 seated at the confluence of the two Rivers Iglaw and Oslaw both which here lose their names and are afterwards call'd Schwartza This City was once notorious for harbouring more different Sects in Religion then almost any other Town in Europe The Parish Church was divided by the two prevailing parties of Hussites and Lutherans both of which had here the exercise of their inconsistent forms of Divine Worship at the same time One of their streets was wholly inhabited by Jews who had erected in it a Synagogue and School for themselves and children Without the Gates of the City the Calvinists had two Churches the one for the Bohemians the other for the Germans and these shar'd with the Hussites and Lutherans in the Magistracy and Government of the City Another part of the Suburbs was taken up by the Holy Brethren of Switzerland a pack of nominal Christians who never were baptized thought it a damnable sin to wear a Sword and celebrated the Lord's Supper only at Whitsuntide The Photinians Atheists and Quakers for such kind of creatures I take the Schwenckfelder to have been who denied the resurrection of the dead met at their devotions on the banks of a Fountain in the field At a small Village nam'd Olekowitz about half an English mile out of the Town dwelt the Anabaptists who were about four hundred in number But this ridiculous toleration and distraction in Religion came to this issue at last that now all those various parties of people who all of them pretended to be true Protestants are cashier'd and none permitted the free exercise of their Religion but Jews and Papists To these we might add a great many more Cities if what Caspar Laudisman in his Directions for the speedy understanding of foreign Languages affirms it be true that there are in this Marquisate 100 Cities 410 Towns 500 Castles and 30360 Villages Which prodigious number of buildings would go near to cover almost all the habitable part of this Country But I think there are few more then we have already mention'd which deserve to be taken notice of any further then to give them room for their names in the Map BOHEMIA Notarum Explicatio Caritas Regia libera Oppidum Regis Bohemia Oppida â—â—â—inum et Nobil … Pagus Arx Castellum Monasterium Oppidum cum Arce Fodine Auri Fodine argenti Fodine Stanni Fodine ferri Therme Officina Vitriaria Nomina quae habent tri … in … nt Bohemica THE KINGDOME OF BOHEMIA BOHEMIA is bounded on the East with Moravia and Silesia on the West with Voitland the Upper Palatinate and the Dukedom of Bavaria on the South with the Arch-Dukedom of Austria and on the North with the Marquisates of Misnia and Lusatia Whence the learned Godalstus in that excellent Treatise of his entituled Commentarii de Bohemiae Regni incorporatarumque Provinciarum Juribus ac Privilegiis c. well argues that this Kingdom must needs have been anciently a branch of the German Nation and ought still to be so accounted since all the people that encompass it speak the High Dutch language The whole Kingdom is encompass'd round with Mountains the chief of which are the Montes Riphaei or Hills of Giants which part this Land from Silesia Out of these spring the great River Elb issuing out of two of them famous heretofore for the enchantments and apparitions of evil Spirits that used to haunt them One of these two is now adays named by the Silesian Germans that live near it Schneekippe from the continual Snow on the top of it and the other Knieholtz from the short shrubs or brush wood that grows there The other Rivers of note are the Eger Muldau Satzawa Orliecze Lusinitz Gyzera and Mise all which spring within the Kingdom and are at last emptied into the Elb at Dietzin Most of these run in a clear Channel and afford great plenty of fish In some of them the Natives find a sort of shell-fish much like a Horse-Muscle with a Pearl in it of good value such as those are which Mr. Cambden tells us ly gaping at the mouth of the River Irt in Cumberland In several parts of Bohemia especially at Teplitz and Wary both which have their names from the hot Baths there found spring Mineral and Medicinal waters which exceedingly refresh the body and cure many distempers The acid waters at Oegran and Comorzan are accounted mighty soveraign against many diseases and there was not many years ago a Fountain of as great credit at Stechowicz near Prague The like is still to be met with at Benessow near Caplicze which for the cures it has perform'd has got the name of Dobra Woda or good water There are no Lakes in the Kingdom Ponds excepting only one or two near the Towns of Mosta and Tepla of little or no moment But the Fish-ponds in many places seem to equal the Lakes in foreign Countries Witness those petty fresh water Seas at Pardubicz Clumecz Trzebon Rozdialowicz and Copydlan where the Ponds abounding with Perch Jack Carp and other fish bring their Masters in as large Revenues as so many good Lordships The Soil of the Country is generally fat and arable in few places barren or sandy Commodities You have here also fine Woods and Forests intermix'd but none so large as to render any considerable part of the Kingdom uninhabitable The Orchards and Gardens are so well stock'd with fruit that yearly great quantities of Apples Pears c. are hence exported into Misnia and other neighbouring Countries The inhabitants have Wine enough if the luxury of the present age did not want greater supplies then nature in their own Vineyards which is reckon'd a better bodied liquor then Moravian Wine and equals the Austrian in taste but is not capable of being kept to so good an age The Fields and Meadows are richly stock'd with all manner of Cattel especially Horses of more then ordinary courage and bulk Their Hop-gardens afford them a better and more plentiful crop then is usual in other Countries For which reason their Beer whereof they have two sorts white and brown is highly valued and exported into the neighbouring parts of Germany There have been some Salt-pits discover'd in Bohemia but so inconsiderable that they found the profit would not answer the cost of digging And therefore the Bohemians have their Salt out of Misnia and other Provinces of Germany But this want is sufficiently recompens'd by their rich Mines of Silver Copper Tin Iron Lead Sulphur Niter c. as also by their Glass and Allum made here in great quantities They pretend to have Carbuncles Ametheists and other precious stones in their Land which they say are often found in the Mines and amongst the Rocks of the Hill Countries Anselm Boetius Boodt whom we had occasion to mention in the description of
part are to be seen the ruins of the ancient Palace of the Dukes and Kings of Bohemia There is still standing a great part of the walls round this Palace the cement whereof is so good that hardly any Engine can be invented which will pull them down The Jesuits of late years have built here a new College for themselves which goes beyond the other they had before in the Old Town 3. The Little Town or Kleine Seiten as they sometimes call it lies on the West side of the Muldau over which you pass by a stately Stone-bridg of sixteen Arches In this place stands Winceslaus's Palace wherein the Emperor when he comes to Prague keeps his Court. Some have ventur'd to affirm that as good High Dutch is spoken in this Palace and by the neighbouring Burgers as in any City of Germany But he that shall curiously and critically enquire into the truth of this assertion will find that the Language here spoken falls as far short of the pure Misnian Dialect as this Palace does of the Elector's Court at Dresden Not far from hence is the Cathedral of this Archbishopric dedicated to St. Vite from the top of which you have the best prospect of the City of Prague At Weissenberg or the white Hill near Prague was fought the fatal battel between the Duke of Bavaria and Count Bucquoy Lieutenant of the Emperor Ferdinand the Second's Forces and Frideric Count Palatine of the Rhine and elected King of Bohemia in which the new King was conquer'd his Forces totally routed his Ordnance seized on and himself and his Queen our King Charles the Martyr's Sister forced to fly into Silesia Prague was forced to resign it self up immediately into the hands of the Emperor who soon after rooted out all maintainers of the Protestant Religion throughout the Kingdom Some Historians have taken notice that of the Gospel appointed to be read on the day whereon was fought this Battel which was the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity A. D. 1620 this Text Render to Cesar the things that are Cesars is a part Which is as observable as the Church of England's appointing the 27th Chapter of Matthew to be read the second Lesson on the thirtieth of January whereon our late King suffer'd Martyrdom II. EGRA Egra◠a great City on the borders of the Palatinate is call'd by the Bohemians Chebbe but by the Germans that inhabit it Egra from the River upon which 't is seated It was made an Imperial City by the Emperor Frideric I. in the year 1179 in remembrance of the fidelity of the Burgers to that Emperor in opposing Henry Duke of Bavaria who had overrun the greatest part of this Country It is walld with a double sometimes with a tripple wall and defended by an almost impregnable Castle The Market-place is surrounded with very fair buildings and some of their Churches make a good show Bertius and Ens speak of strange cures perform'd by the waters issuing out of a Fountain in the Suburbs of this City The Well they mention is not in the Suburbs but about two English miles from the Town Its waters are something salt and brinish but very cool and clear They are said to cure all infirmities in the Eyes Ears or other parts of the head and many other cures are wrought by their purging and cleansing the body Jac. Theodorus Tabernaemontanus gives us an account of some strange feats wrought by them in his Book entituled Wasser-Schatz printed at Frantfurt A. D. 1584. And Paul Macasius publish'd a whole Treatise about the nature and vertues of these Egrish waters in the year 1616. Some Antiquaries pretend to prove that the old name of this City was Sourstad from these bitter waters But we can expect no great faithfulness in the account of its Antiquities since the City with all its Records perish'd in the flames A. D. 1270. Other Cities of note are 1. Budweiss a fair and large Town not far from the borders of Austria 2. Kuttenberg a Mine-Town on the Elb. Elnbogen a strong Town on the borders of Misnia call'd usually the Bohemian Key to the German Empire 4. Thabor in the way betwixt Prague and Budweiss whence the Picarts got the name of Thaborites Leimiritz Augst Bern Bruck Gretz Maut Hoff Jaromir Pilsen c. are no better then ordinary Market-Towns FRANCONIAE Nova Descriptio Sumptibus Jansonio-Waesbergiorum Mosis Pitt et Stephani Swart Reverendissim o Illustrission Principi ac Domino Dnō FRANCISCO Episcopo Bambergensi Wirceburgensi Franciae Orientalis Duci Domino suo clementissimo humillime offert Nicolaus Rittershusius U. I. D. THE Great Circle OF FRANCONIA FRANCONIA is the chief of the Ten great Circles or Districts into which the German Empire is usually divided This District sends to the Diets the Bishops of Wurtsburg Eichstadt and Bamberg the Counts of Henneberg Wertheim c. with several other Princes Spiritual and Temporal besides the Deputies of the Imperial Cities of Noremberg Rottenburg Winsheim and Schwinfurt 'T is bounded on the South with Schwaben and Bavaria on the West with the Rhine and the Lower Palatinate on the North with the Landgraviate of Thuringen and on the East with the Kingdom of Bohemia The Country has undoubtedly its name from the Franks its ancient inhabitants whom some Historians make a remnant of the old Trojans who at first being expell'd their own Country by the Grecians seated themselves upon the Sea-shore near the mouth of the Danubius These Sicambri for so they were then call'd being beaten from their hold by the Goths were forc'd to seek out new habitations and at last about 430 years before Christ fix'd themselves under the command of their General Marcomir on the banks of the Rhine in Westphalia Frisland and Gelderland all which Countries were afterwards compris'd under the General name of Sicambria About four hundred years after they named themselves Franci after the name of their great Commander Francus who led them beyond the Rhine and subdued for them the greatest part of Gallia which they nam'd Franckric the Germans call it still Franckreich or the Kingdom of the Franks Others say that the Franks were not one particular people but that the Vbii Mattiaci Juhones Sicambri Tencteri Vsipetes Marsi Marsaci Tubantes Bructeri Chamavi Angrivarii Dulgibini Chassuarii Ansibarii Frisii Chanci Cherusci Gambrivii and some other branches of the German Nation united themselves into one Body by a solemn League and Covenant as the only means to secure themselves against the growing power of the Roman Emperors Having thus link'd themselves together they took as the Almans had done before them one common name calling themselves Francken which in their language signified as Freyen in the modern High Dutch a free people as we find in our ancient Law-books Francisia for freedom Franciscare to set at liberty and Franchises is a word still commonly used for liberties About three hundred and sixteen years after Christ there was great contest between the Thuringians and Schwabes
the Eastern banks of the Rhine is a Province of no large extent but exceedingly fruitful in Corn Wine and Hemp. The Country is every-where very populous and the Villages so thick that the whole Marquisate has been by some compared to one continued City with fair Gardens interlac'd among the buildings Entz 〈◊〉 Wirmb Phintz and the other Rivers afford plenty of Fish And the Chases and Parks are so well stock'd with Venison and Fowl that what the Nobility in other parts of the German Empire covet as a delicacy the Rustics of Baden have for their ordinary food The Merchants of Amsterdam Antwerp and other great trading Towns in the Netherlands furnish themselves hence with those vast quantities of Flax and Hemp which they transport into foreign Nations so that what passes for Holland Flax here in England grows for the most part in the Marquisate of Baden and is brought thence down the Rhine There are in this Country whole Woods of Chesnut Trees which feed their great Herds of Swine at a cheaper rate then the Hog-Merchants of Whestphalia who buy their Chesnuts at Bremen can afford to do The Quarries give the inhabitants an advantage of building fair Houses with a small cost 〈◊〉 providing them with a good Free-stone and Marble of all colours Amongst these especially in the County of Sponheim they sometimes find Agat which is here rarely polish'd and sent into foreign Countries 〈◊〉 But this Marquisate is most peculiarly happy in the multitude and goodness of its hot Baths and mineral-Mineral-waters especially at Baden of which more anon 〈◊〉 From the vast conflux of the Nobility from all parts of the Empire to these Baths we may reasonably imagine that the complaisant carriage towards strangers which we find every-where practis'd by the inhabitants of this Country has in a great measure proceeded from their conversation with strangers who flock hither upon the strong conceit they have of the more then ordinary virtues of these waters They are generally a stout and hardy people inur'd to labour and toil or the severities of a Camp from their their Cradle Hence they come to be reckon'd as good Soldiers as any in the Emperor's Dominions And 't is not a little Honour the Country has got this last year 1681 in having their Marquise Herman made choice of to succeed the late famous Commander Montecuculi in the place of General of all the Imperial Forces No question the Marquises of this Country are descended of an ancient stock of Princes Marquises but of what old Family they are to be reputed a branch the German Heraulds can scarce determine Some fetch them from the Vrsins and others from the House of Della Scala or the Scaligers Some again labour to prove that Baden and Hochberg are different Families and others that they are but one Other Genealogists tell us that the Emperor Frideric Barbaressa brought Herman Marquise of Verona out of Italy and made him the first Marquise of Hochberg and Baden A. D. 1155. Which will very ill agree with what the best High Dutch Historians report of a Monastery being founded by Herman Marquise of Baden in his Village of Backenau A. D. 1116 which was confirm'd by Bruno Bishop of Spire in the year 1122. The most probable opinion is that they are descended from the ancient Counts of Vindonissa and Altemburg in Switzerland from whom also the Dukes of Zeringuen and Tek the Counts of Habspurg and the Arch-Dukes of Austria derive their original At present there are two Families of the Marquises of Baden whereof one is a profess'd Lutheran and the other a zealous Papist For this reason their interests seem different the Marquise of Durlach associating himself with the Count Palatine the Marquise of Brandenburg the Duke of Wirtenberg and the Count of Solms and the Marquise of Baden with the Dukes of Bavaria Savoy and Lorrain and the Princes of Hohernzollern Each of these Princes stiles himself Marquise of Baden and Hochberg Landgrave of Sausenberg Earl of Sponheim and Eberstein Lord of Rotel Badenweiler Lohr and Mahlberg The Chief Cities in the Marquisate of BADEN BADEN is the Metropolis of this Marquisate Baden and has its name from the vast number of Hot Baths in this place which are said to be above three hundred The Town stands amongst Hills on a craggy and uneven spot of ground so that there 's hardly a strait and plain street in it Some of the Baths are scalding hot and all of them running out of Rocks of Brimstone Salt and Allum have the same tast One of them is call'd the Kettle out of which the water boils at a wonderful rate reeking as if set over a Furnace These waters are reckon'd soveraign medicines for several diseases especially the Cramp and Gout both which distempers have been admirably cur'd by them For this reason there is a continual resort of the German Nobility and Gentry who flock hither in as great companies during the whole Summer as our English Gentry are wont to do to Bath in Somersetshire See Joh. Keiffer's description of the Baths of this Country 2. Durlach DURLACH is seated on the bank of the River Psintz at the bottom of a high hill on the top whereof stands a Tower wherein contintial watch is kept for the security of the City The streets in this Town are generally fair and strait and the buildings stately and uniform The Marquise's Palace far excells that at Baden and is large enough to receive the Court and Attendants of the greatest Monarch in Europe There is a Gymnasium kept up by some few Professors who read public Lectures in the several Faculties But that which is most worthy a Scholar's sight is the rare Collection of ancient Coins and Meddals in the Marquise's Cabinet and the Library adjoining wherein are some pieces of good note 3. PFORTZHEIM says Rhenanus Pfortzheim was anciently call'd Orcynheim and by Latin Authors Porta Hercyniae because 't is seated at the entrance into the Schwartzwald a part of the Hercynian Forest as you travel from Spire On one side of the Town you have fair Meadows Pasture-grounds and Corn-fields but the other side is nothing but Mountains and Woods This Town was formerly subject to the Dukes of Schwaben but fell afterwards upon the death of Conradine the last Duke of that Country into the hands of the Marquises of Baden who are now Lords of it 4. GERSBACH is a Town of no great extent Gersbach having in it only two Churches whereof one is frequented by Lutherans and the other by Papists The Marquises of Baden as Counts of Eberstein a Castle not far from this Town have here a Palace and Court of Judicature for the determining all Controversies and Law-suits arising within the bounds of this small County 5. BADENWEILER a City betwixt Freyburg and Basil Badenweiler is a part of the Marquisate of Baden tho seated in the Territories of Brisach The hot Baths of this
an Imperial City At the Jesuits College was to be seen before the Wars with France a large old Roman Aries or Battering-Ram a piece of Antiquity of great value but whether t is now to be met with I know not To these we may add Moltzheim Hasle on the Brusch Seltz and some few Towns more places of no great note before they were visited by the French Armies and of much less since The chief Cities and great Towns in the Vpper ALSACE THE City of Brisach call'd by Antonine in his Itenerary Mons Brisiacus is the Metropolis of Brisgow the old inhabitants of which Province we find often mention'd in Latin Historians by the name of Brisigavi or Brisigavii B. Rhenanus and some other High Dutch Antiquaries are of opinion that Brisach stood formerly on the Western banks of the Rhine because on that side the old Romans used to build their Forts and on the East of this Town there is still a great hollow valley which they take for the ancient Channel of the Rhine But Cluverius is of a contrary opinion and proves that the Emperor Valentinian whom all allow to have been the first Founder of Brisach built Castles on both sides the River The Town stands on the top of a round Hill excellently well fortified both by nature and art But they have only one deep Well which supplies the whole City with water the River being at some distance and the passage troublesom In the Civil Wars of Germany this Town was besieged and taken by the Duke of Saxon-Weimar whose Forces were with a great deal of courage and gallantry resisted by the Imperialists for four months together During which time the besieged were brought to those extremities as to dig up the dead bodies of their Soldiers after they had been some days buried and to eat their flesh In this siege 80000 men are said to have been slain and about 1100000 Rixdollars spent in ammunition on both sides Since that time A. D. 1638 the French under whose Banners the foremention'd Duke of Saxony then bore Arms have remain'd masters of this City wherein their present victorious King having of late repair'd its Fortifications keeps a strong Garrison and a Court of Judicature in imitation of the Chamber at Spire which decides all Controversies in his new Conquests levies Contributions gives him right to all neighbouring Villages as Dependancies on some great Towns yeilded up to him by the late Treaty at Nimiguen c. 2. FREYBURG in Brisgow was at first a Village built by a company of Miners who wrought at the Silver and Copper Mines about a German mile from Brisach and in a short time grew so rich as to purchase the Estates and Titles of Noblemen By this means their Village grew up into a large City which was able upon a very short warning to send into the field three thousand fighting men This City fell into the hands of the House of Austria A. D. 1386 and was by the present Emperor resign'd up to the French together with its Villages of Lehn Mezhausen and Kirchzart in exchange for Philipsburg There are in the Town fourteen Religious Houses and an University founded by Albert Arch-Duke of Austria in the year 1450. The Citizens are excellent Artists at polishing all manner of pretious stones such especially as are found in Lorrain and the neighbouring Countries 3. Near the place where the Imperial City Colmar is now seated stood the ancient Argentuaria which was conquer'd by Gratian the Emperor A. D. 378 and afterwards destroy'd by the Gothic General Attila Out of the ruins of this old Town Colmar or Cole-market was first built A City which stands in a plain and fruitful Country and formerly so populous that in the great Church at an Easter-time 't was usual to have near four thousand Communicants But the Civil Wars of Germany wherein 't was taken by the Swedish forces and by them resign'd to the French and the late engagements with the King of France's Armies have made it as desolate of inhabitants as houses VTRIUSQUE ALSATIAE SUPERIORIS AC INFERIORIS NOVA TABVLA Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios Mosem Pitt et Stephanum Swart Lantgraff im Obern Elssas Lantgraff im Vnderen Elssas ALSATIA inferior Apud Mosem Pitt ALSATIA Superior cum SVNTGOIA et BRISGOIA TERRIROTIUM ARGENTORATENSE Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios Mosem Pitt et Ptephanum Swart Mulnhausen by most late Geographers placed in the Upper Alsace is one of the Confederate Cities of Switzerland Keysersberg and Turcheim are Imperial Cities but of no great note The City and Bishopric of STRASBURG ARGENTINA is a name of a Monkish invention instead of Argentoratum as well as Moguntia for Moguntiacum To omit other frivolous conjectures about the Etymology of the words Argentoratum and Strasburg we shall satisfie ourselves with the fancy of the learned Cluverius who thinks the ancient name of this famous City to have been Argen Straaten or Bad-street which might easily by adding a Latin termination be turn'd into Argentratum or Argentoratum and afterwards by omitting the two first syllables and annexing burg to denote some new built Fort with as much ease turn'd to Straetburg or Straesburg This City tho at first design'd only for a strong Fortification is now one of the most populous and best trading Towns in Germany The Citizens are generally courteous and rich most of their Merchants and Magistrates having Houses fit to entertain so many Princes of the Empire The Cathedral is one of the Wonders of Germany described at large by Os Schadaeus in a particular Tract upon this subject by him publish'd at Strasburg A. D. 1617. The Tower of this Church is the highest in the German Empire nay possibly in Europe or the whole world Some have reckon'd it perpendicular from the top of the Spire to the ground at 574 others 575 geometrical feet but Schadaeus who seems most accurate in his computation says 't is 489 feet and 8 inches Yet much more famous is this Cathedral for the great Clock in it which by the Honourable Mr. Boyle and some others of our ingenious Virtuosi has been mention'd as an instance of the late great improvements of Arts Mechanical 'T was finished in the year 1574 at the charge of the Magistracy of the Town by one Habrecht a famous Artificer of whose work they have many more pieces in the same kind This workman has his Instructions from D. Wolckenstein and Conr. Dasypodius two learn'd Mathematicians the latter whereof has publish'd a Tract about this Clock The first thing presented to your view is a Celestial Globe with all the motions of Planets fix'd Stars c. Behind which there is a perpetual Almanack wherein the day of the month is pointed at by a Statue standing by The Hours are crow'd by a gilt Cock and afterwards struck on a Bell by an Angel not far from which stands another Angel with an Hour-glass in its hand which it turns round as soon as the Clock has done striking The first