iqo NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 



conte&um, hinc atque hinc paulo latins qtfam pro corpora, in 

 mammas extuberans, neque eas ut foeminis pendulas, fed quales 

 virginibus globofas, plenas la&is candidiffimi. Brachia non longa 

 fed lata ad natandum apta, nullis tamen ipfa cubitis, ulnis, ma- 

 nibus artkulifque diftin&a. In adminiftris fobolis procreandse 

 membris in utroque fexu nulla ab humanis diftincrio. Poft hsee 

 in pilcem cauda delink." 



SEC TV V. 



Confirmed. Upon thefe authorities I may fay, that if the exiftence of the 

 European Mer-men be called in queftion, it muft proceed en- 

 tirely from the fabulous irories ufually mix'd with the truth # . 

 Here, in the diocefe of Bergen, as well as in the manor of 

 Nordland, are Ieveral hundreds of perlbns of credit and reputa- 

 tion, who affirm, with the ftrongeft alFurances, that they have 

 leen this kind of creature fometimes at a diftance, and at other 

 times quite clofe to their boats, {landing upright, and formed 

 like a human creature down to the middle ; the reft they could 

 not fee. I have fpoken with many of thefe people, all eye-wit- 

 neffes to the exiftence of the creature ; and I have taken all pof- 

 fible precautions in examining them ftricHy on the fubjecl:. The 

 refult was, that I found them all agree in every particular of their 

 accounts, which anfwers to a defcription lately publilhed by Jab- 

 lonsky and Kircher, fo far as they could judge by the fight of 

 them only, at a fmall diftance. But of thole who had feen them 

 out of the water, and handled them, I have not been able to find 

 more than one perlbn of credit who could vouch it for truth. As I 

 may fafely give credit to this perfon, namely, the reverend Mr. 

 Peter Angel, who is ftill living, and minifter of the parilh of 

 Vand-Elvens Gield, on Sundmoer, I mall relate what he allured 

 me of laft year, when I was on my vifitation-journey. He fays^ 

 that in the year 17 19, he (being then about 20 years old) along 

 with feveral other khabitants of Alftahoug in Nordland, faw 

 what is called a Mer-man, lying dead on a point of land near the 

 lea, which had been caft afhore by the waves, along with Ieveral 

 Sea-calves, and other dead Filh. The length of this creature 

 was much greater than what has been mentioned of any before, 

 namely, above three fathoms. It was of a dark grey colour all 

 over : in the lower part it was like a Filh, and had a tail like that 

 of a Porpeffe. The face refembled that of a man, with a mouth, 

 forehead, eyes, 5Cc. The hole was flat, and, as it were, prefled 



* In Everh. Happelius's Mundus Mirabilis are to be read many ftorics, mixed with 

 Fables, concerning the Mer-man, Tom. iii, Lib. i. cap. 18, 



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