THE TRUE STATE OF ICELAND ad. 



1592. 



third houre of the night, till the sixt. In the field of 

 Pitinas beyond the Apennine mountaine, there is a river 

 which in the midst of sommer alwaies encreaseth, and in 

 winter is dried up. He maketh mention also of a very 

 large fountaine, which every houre doeth encrease and 

 fall. Neither is it to be omitted, that some rivers run 

 under the ground, and after that fall againe into an open 

 chanel : as Lycus in Asia, Erasinus in Argolica, Tigris 

 in Mesopotamia, unto which Cardan addeth Tanais in 

 Moscovia : and those things which were throwen into 

 Aesculapius fountaine at Athens, were cast up againe in 

 Phaletico. And Seneca writeth that there are certaine 

 rivers which being let downe into some cave under 

 ground, are withdrawen out of sight, seeming for the 

 time to be utterly perished and taken away, and that 

 after some distance the very same rivers returne, enjoying 

 their former name and their course. And againe Plinie 

 reporteth that there is a river received under ground in 

 the field of Atinas that issueth out twentie miles from 

 that place. All which examples and the like, should 

 teach us that the fountaines of Island are not to be 

 made greater wonders then the rest. 



Doth forthwith convert into a stone any body cast 

 into it. By these two properties, namely warmth or 

 most vehement heat, & a vertue of hardening bodies 

 doth Frisius describe his first fountaine. And I have 

 heard reported (though I never had experience thereof 

 my selfe) that there is such a fountain in Island not 

 far from the bishops seat of Schalholt, in a village called 

 Haukadal. Seneca reporteth of the like, saying : That 

 there is a certain fountain which converteth wood into 

 stone, hardening the bowels of those men which drinke 

 thereof. And addeth further, that such fountains are to [I. 566.] 

 bee found in certaine places of Italy : which thing Ovid 

 in the 15. booke of his Metamor. ascribeth unto the 

 river of the Cicones. 



Water drunke out of Ciconian flood 



fleshy bowels to flintie stone doeth change : 



131 



