NATURAL HISTORY ^NORWAY, 273 



feet long, very narrow, and plaited up to the moulders ; to thefe 

 dreffes were added many foreign cuftoms." By this defcription 

 may be feen how much the Norwegians were inclined to pride 

 and vanity in their drefs. 



After this however, we find that the long garment of the Afers 

 or the oriental drefs, was frill in ufe, which was not changed for 

 fhorter, till the reign of the foil of this king Oluf, about the year 

 1 100. For king Magnus Olufsen was called, Magnus Barefoot, 

 from his introducing fhort clothes and bare legs, Snorro Stur- 

 lefen, in p. 397, gives this account of the affair. "It is faid, • 

 that king Magnus wore the weftern drefs himfelf, and his ex- 

 ample was followed by his men, and fome of his people, who 

 went bare legged, and wore fhort jackets, for which reafon, the 

 king was called Magnus Bare-leg, or Bare-foot." 



The peafants here, as in moff. other countries, are the only The geato* 

 people that do not trouble themfelves about fafhions and changes drefs ' 

 of modes. However, they have fome difference in the cut and 

 make of their jackets and breeches, but that difference is fo fmall 

 that it is hardly perceptible to any but themfelves. Thofe pea- 

 fants, which we call ftrile-farmers, have this particularity in their 

 drefs, namely, their breeches and ftockings are all of a piece, 

 fomething like thofe of the Huffars. They do not wear a jacket 

 with plaits, pockets, and buttons, like thofe now worn by the 

 Danes, but a wide loofe jacket made of a coarfe woollen-cloth 

 which they call vadmell. Their waiftcoats are of the fame, and 

 fome that will appear finer than ordinary, cover the feams, and 

 put a border all round, of the fame fort of fluff, but of a dif- 

 ferent colour, which looks like lace, and has a gay appearance. 

 The Hardanger peafants in particular, are remarkable for wearing 

 black clothes, edged with red, which diftinguifhes them from 

 their neighbours. The Vaafferne wear all black ; and the Strile 

 peafants wear white edged with black : about Sogneflord, they 

 wear black and yellow, fo that the inhabitants almoff. of every 

 parifh in the province, vary in the colour of their clothes* 



The Vademel is a coarfe cloth, which the country people ufe, and 

 is woven in the old fafhioned way, in what they call an opffa-gang. 

 This is a frame, in which the yarn hangs down againft the wall, 

 with ftone weights at the end of the warp, to keep it tight, and 

 is done much in the manner of tapeftry weaving. Inftead of a 



Part II. 4 A ft^ 



Weaving 



