DEScuirrioN of greknland. 211 



of Bergen, in Norway, more than forty sailors, who went e^•ery 

 year into Greenland, bringing back costly merchandise ; that, 

 not being- willing to sell that year to some German mer- 

 chants who had gone to Bergen to buy, these Germans did 

 not say anything, but invited the sailors to svipper and killed 

 them all in one night. The account has little appearance 

 of truth, from the manner in which it is written ; for it is not 

 likely that at that time they went so freely from Norway to 

 Greenland. This is altogether at variance with the narration 

 Mdiich I am about to give you, and which is unquestionable, 

 of the fall and entire ruin of the commerce which Norway 

 and Denmark had with Greenland. 



You will be aware, sir, that the tributes of Greenland were 

 anciently destined and employed for the table of the kings of 

 Norway, and that no sailor dare go to Greenland without leave, 

 at the peril of his life. It happened that in the year 1389, 

 daring the time that Henry, bishop of Garde, was in Den- 

 mark assisting in the states of the kingdom which were in 

 Punen, in the reign of Queen Margaret, who had united the 

 two crowns of Norway and Denmark, that the merchants of 

 Norway, Avho w^ere gone to Greenland without leave, were 

 accused of having taken the taxes which were due to the 

 table of the queen. The queen dealt very severely with 

 these merchants, and they would have been hanged but for an 

 oath which they took upon the Bible, that they had not gone 

 to Greenland intentionally, but had been carried there by a 

 tempest ; and that they had brought nothing away but some 

 purchased merchandise ; neither had they in any way med- 

 dled with the tributes of the queen. I^pon this oath they 

 Mere released, but the danger they had escaped, and the 

 severe prohibitions given out against their going to Green- 

 land without leave, so intimidated the others, that from that 

 time neither merchants nor sailors dared to hazard it. The 

 queen some time after sent some ships which were never 

 seen again, and it was known that they had perished, by the 



