3G Ge Be As NY OD, 
Ariflotle*, and who puthed his difcoveries towards the north, as his countryman 
Euthymenes did beyond the line. Pytheas arrived at Thule, an ifland, fays he, fix 
days failing northward from Britain, where, he informs us, was continual day and 
night for fix months alternately +. He does not exaétly hit on the length of day 
and night ; but he could have been at no other, at that diftance from Britain, but 
Iceland, in which there was a moft remarkable abfence of light. As to Naddodd, 
in 861, he was accidentally driven by a tempeft to the eaftern fide of Iceland, to 
a place now called Reidarfiall. We found the country covered with fnow, and 
therefore named it Sueland; yet he returned home full of its praifes. Soon after, 
Gardar, a Swede, experienced the fame fortune. On a voyage to the Hebrides, he 
was tempeft-driven to the fame ifland ; on which, by the advice of his mother, who 
was a fort of diviner, he landed at Horn. At this period Iceland was cloathed with 
wood from the fhore to the very tops of the mountains. He wintered there, and 
likewife returned full of its praifes f. 
FLokE, a celebrated pirate, was the next adventurer. He took with him three 
Ravens, and, like another Noah, made them the augury of the land. Before he 
failed, he performed a great facrifice for the fuccefs, upon a vaft pile of ftones, which 
he raifed for the purpofe. This points out another origin of the vaft tumuli we fo 
frequently fee. He made the Schetland and the Feroe ifles his firft fteps ; and loofed 
from the laft for Iceland, the neareft point of which is about five hundred and forty 
miles diftant. His firft Raven returned to Ferce : the fecond flew back to the fhip : 
the third dire&ted him to the wifhed-for land§. He wintered there. The cattle 
he brought with him perifhed through want. ‘The fpring proved unufually cold, 
and the fea appeared full of ice ; for which reafon he beftowed on the ifland the 
name it at prefent bears. Floke was fick of his voyage: returned full of difpraifes 
of the country. This did not difcourage other adventurers, all of them Scandi- 
navians, thruft out of the exuberant northern hive. The reft of the world, which 
their countrymen ravaged, was affuredly too fmall for them, otherwife they never 
would have colonized almoft the moft wretched fpot in the northern hemifphere. 
Ambition poMfibly aGtuated the leaders, who might think it 
Better to reign in heli than ferve in heaven. 
Colony after colony arrived. They confederated, and formed a republic, which 
exifted near four hundred years ; but with as many feuds and flaughters as could 
* The works of Pytheas had been read by Dicearchus, a difciple of driflotle’s. See Sirabo, lib. ii. 
p- 163. 
+ Plin. lib. ii. c. 75. Same, p.-7. § Same, p. 8. Torfaus. Hifl. Norveg. ii. 97. 
f 2 happen 
XL? 
