THE TRUE STATE OF ICELAND a.d. 



1592. 



have to say, rejecting that Parot and his Dutch rimes 

 infected with fell slander, as he is woorthy, unto the 

 last place. First therefore the sayd Authors write con- 

 cerning the faith or religion of the Islanders : and 

 secondly, of their Maners, Customes, and course of 

 life in maner folowing. 



The first Section. 



Adalbert Metropolitane of Hamburg in the yeere of Kranmus in 

 Christ 1070. saw the Islanders converted unto P^'^fi^'^^^ 

 Christianitie : albeit, before the receiving of Christian "^^^o-i^, 

 faith, they lived according to the lawe of nature, and 

 did not much differ from our lawe : therefore at their 

 humble request, he appointed a certaine holy man 

 named Islief to be their first Bishop. 



KRantzius in these words, and Munster other where, 

 doe seeme to attribute unto the Islanders the pre- 

 rogative of Christian faith : and they should deale both 

 beseeming themselves and the trueth, if they did not in 

 other places deprive us of the same. For (to speake of 

 Krantzius anone) that which Munster before reported 

 concerning our faith or opinion about the place and 

 situation of hell, is very farre from Christian pietie : 

 namely to be desirous to prie into those secrets which 

 God hath kept close unto himselfe alone, and which his 

 pleasure is, should exceed our capacitie : for there is not 

 any thing found in the holy Scriptures of this matter, 

 where the place and situation of hell, or of eternall fire 

 prepared for the devill and his angels, and so for all 

 damned soules, is bounded or compassed about. The 

 holy Bible (I say) assigneth no locall or bodily situation 

 beneath the earth, or upon the earth, or in any other 

 place of this world, to that prison of the damned : but it 

 affirmeth that this earth shall perish, and that a new earth, 

 and new heavens shall be created for the habitation of 

 just and holy men. Revel. 2. 2. Pet. 3. and Esay 6^, 

 wherefore a Christian man willingly giveth over to search 

 into such hidden secrets : and he accounteth it unlawful 



143 



