PYTHEAS. 



39 



dental, that the only voyager by whom this is referred to, was 

 one who sailed on a course which, if persevered in for a few 

 days, would have brought him to that which is even now 

 known as the Sea of Seaweed.* 



Pytheas is another ancient writer, whose character has 

 suffered very much in the hands of Sir C. Lewis, who, rely- 

 ing on the authority of Polybius and Strabo, does not hesi- 

 tate to stigmatise him as a mendacious impostor. Polybius 

 doubts the journeys of Pytheas, because Pytheas was a 

 poor man ; but the great travellers and explorers of the 

 present day do not generally belong to our wealthy fami- 

 lies. Strabo seems to have been prejudiced against Pytheas 

 because he professed to have visited countries, which ought, 

 according to Strabo's theory, to have been uninhabitable. 

 Moreover, we should remember that the first travellers in the 

 North must have seen, and on their return would describe, 

 many things which would appear impossible or incomprehen- 

 sible to dwellers on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean. 

 Sir C. Lewis refers specially to four incredible assertions made 

 by Pytheas. First, he is said to have related that "if any per- 

 son placed iron in a rude state at the mouth of the volcano in 

 the island of Lipari, together with some money, he found on 

 the morrow a sword or any other article which he wanted, 

 in its place." This, however, merely shows that the myth of 

 Valand, Wielant, Weland,-or in our popular dialect, Way land 

 Smith, was current in the Lipari islands at the time of Pytheas. f 

 This myth, moreover, is but a very slightly modified account 

 of what actually has taken place when an ignorant people, 

 living by the side of a more civilized race, and attributing 

 their superiority to magical arts, has been anxious to benefit 



* May not the belief in the "Atlan- of the other causes which are usually 



tis" he as probably owing to the " gulf- assigned for it ? 



weed," which would so naturally sug- f On this interesting subject, see 



gest the idea of sunken land, as to any Wright. Archaeol. vol. xxxii. p. 315. 



