THE TRUE STATE OF ICELAND ad 



1592. 

 out. Whose words be these. There is Hecla a 

 mountaine in Island, which burneth Hke unto ^tna at 

 certain seasons, & hereupon the common people have 

 conceived an opinion this long time, that soules are 

 there purged : some, least they should seeme liars, heape 

 up more vanities to this fable, that it may appeare to 

 be probable, & agreeable to reason. But what be those 

 vanities ? namely, they feine certaine ghosts answering 

 them, that they are going to mount Hecla : as the 

 same Cardane saith. And further he addeth. Neither 

 in Island only, but every where (albeit seldome) such 

 things come to passe. And then he tels this storie 

 following of a man-killing spright. There was (saith he) 

 solemnized this last yeare the funerall of a common 

 citizen, in the gate neare unto the great Church, by that 

 marketplace, which in regard of the abundance of herbs, 

 in our toong hath the name of the herbmarket. There 

 meets with me one of mine acquaintance : I (according 

 to the custome of Phisitians) presently aske of what 

 disease the man died ? he giveth me answere that this 

 man used to come home from his labour 3. houres 

 within night : one night among the rest he espied an 

 hobgoblin pursuing him : which to avoid, he ran away 

 with al speed : but being caught by the spright, he was 

 throwne down upon the ground. He would faine have 

 made a shout, & was not able. At length (when the 

 spright & he had struggled together upon the ground 

 a good while) he was found by certain passengers, & 

 carried home halfe dead. And when he was come to 

 himselfe againe, being asked what was the matter, he 

 up and tolde this strange relation. Hereupon (being 

 utterly daunted, & discouraged, when neither by his 

 friends, nor by Phisitians, nor by Priests, he could be 

 perswaded, that these things were but his owne conceits, 

 & that there was no such matter) 8. daies after he died. 

 I heard also afterward of others which were his neighbors, 

 that no man could more constantly affirme himselfe to 

 be wounded of his enemy, then this man did, that he 



