A.D. 

 1592. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



Discoverer of the same, as he was sailing towards the 

 Faar-Ilands, through a violent tempest did by chance 

 arrive at the East shore of Island ; where staying with 

 his whole company certaine weeks, he beheld abundance 

 of snow covering the tops of the mountaines, and there- 



Sneland. upon, in regard of the snow, called this Hand Sneland. 



After him one Gardarus, being mooved thereunto by 

 the report which Naddocus gave out concerning Island, 

 went to seeke the sayd Hand ; who, when he had found 



Gardasholme. it, called it after his owne name Gardars-holme, that is 

 to say, Gardars He. There were more also desirous to 

 visit this new land. For after the two former, a certaine 



Island. third Noruagian, called Flok, went into Island, and 



named it of the ice, wherewith he saw it environed. 



Of ancient habitation, &c. I gather not this opinion 

 out of these wordes of Saxo (as some men do) that 

 Island hath bene inhabited from the beginning, or (to 

 speake in one word) that the people of Island were 

 autochthones, that is, earth-bred, or bred out of their 

 owne soile like unto trees and herbs ; sithens it is 

 evident, that this Island scarse began to be inhabited no 

 longer agoe then about 718 yeres since. 



This is Thyle, &c. Grammarians wrangle about this 

 name, and as yet the controversie is not decided. Which 

 notwithstanding, I thinke might easily grow to com- 

 position, if men would understand that this Hand was 

 first inhabited about the yeere of our Lord 874. Un- 

 lesse some man will say that Thule King of Aegypt (who, 

 as it is thought, gave this name thereunto) passed so 

 farre unto an Hand, which was at that time untilled, and 

 destitute of inhabitants. Againe, if any man will denie 

 this, he may for all me, that it may seeme to be but a 

 dreame, while they are distracted into so many contrary 

 opinions. One affirmes that it is Island : another, that 

 it is a certeine Hand, where trees beare fruit twise in a 

 yeere : the third, that it is one of the Orcades, or the 

 last Hand of the Scotish dominion, as Johannes Myritius 

 and others, calling it by the name of Thylensey, which 



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