a.d. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1577. 



of Ordinance, and stroke all her sayles, supposing that 



they descryed land which by reason of the thicke mistes 



they could not make perfit : howbeit, as well our account 



Water being as also the great alteration of the water, which became 



blackeand m0 re blacke and smooth, did plainely declare we were 



eth land to be not ^ arre °^ t ^ ie coast - Our Generall sent his Master 



neere. aboord the Michaell (who had beene with him the yeere 



Hands of ye. before) to beare in with the place to make proofe thereof, 



who descryed not the land perfect, but sawe sundry huge 



Hands of yce, which we deemed to be not past twelve 



leagues from the shore, for about tenne of the clocke at 



The first sight night being the fourth of July, the weather being more 



ofFrislandthe cleare, we made the land perfect and knew it to be Fris- 



4- °J u y- knde. And the heigth being taken here, we found 



our selves to be in the latitude of 60 degrees and a 



halfe, and were fallen with the Southermost part of this 



land. Betweene Orkney and Frisland are reckoned 



leagues. 



Frisland de- This Frislande sheweth a ragged and high lande, 



scribed. having the mountaines almost covered over with snow 



alongst the coast full of drift yce, and seemeth almost 



inaccessible, and is thought to be an Hand in bignesse not 



inferiour to England, and is called of some Authors, 



West Frislande, I thinke because it lyeth more West 



then any part of Europe. It extendeth in latitude to 



the Northward very farre as seemed to us, and appeareth 



by a description set out by two brethren Venetians, 



Nicholaus and Antonius Zeni, who being driven off 



from Ireland with a violent tempest made shipwracke 



here, and were the first knowen Christians that discovered 



this land about two hundred yeares sithence, and they 



have in their Sea-cardes set out every part thereof and 



described the condition of the inhabitants, declaring them 



to be as civill and religious people as we. And for so 



much of this land as we have sayled alongst, comparing 



their Carde with the coast, we finde it very agreeable. 



An easie kind This coast seemeth to have good fishing, for we lying 



of Fishing. becalmed let fall a hooke without any bayte and presently 



288 



