90 NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 



unde et Waldemaro Danorum regi noftris diebus regnanti, quidam 

 epifcopus Norvegia? Afloenfis, quod anno praeterito probandi caufa 

 ab eodem fufceperat, naturae jam retulit bipartite: parte enim 

 media fonti impofita lapis erat, altera parte, qua extra jacuerat, in 

 fua permanente natura." 



SECT. XII. 



verT^'vukts From tne many fprings iffuing out of the mountains in Norway, 

 frefh lakes, and from the vaft maffes of fnow accumulated on the fummits of 



and lilands 



Sem" 2 in t ' lem ^ whence, at times gently diffolving, they fend down great 

 quantities of water, I have already taken occafion to obferve the 

 providence of the wife and good Creator, in thefe innumerable 

 fupplies of water, which ftreaming down the mountains, water 

 their parched fides, and in their further progrefs, refrefh the vallies 

 and the level country beneath. By the junction and confluence of 

 feveral of thefe rivulets, are formed thofe large ftreams and rivers, 

 which in the old northern language, were called by the general 

 name of Elven, from whence one of the largeft rivers in Ger- 

 many, by way of eminence, derives it name of Elbe (Elven.) 

 I mall here fpeak of fome of the moft noted of thefe Elven, ac- 

 cording to the beft informations I could procure. 



The Nied, is a river iffuing from Tydalen, on the Borders of 

 Sweden, runs weftward into the lake Selboe, afterwards, winds 

 to the northward, palling by the city of Drontheim, to which it 

 anciently gave the Latin, as well as a Norwegian, name of Nideros, 

 or Nidrofia. 



Sule-Elv, fo called from the mountain Sule (Sulefield) from 

 whence, defcending in a rapid courfe, it runs through Nordale 

 into the fea. 



Gaulen, or Gulen, has its rife eaftward, near Skarsfield, a moun- 

 tain in the north, on this fide Roraas, and after running about 

 twenty leagues weftward, through Aalen, Hlotaalen, Storen, and 

 Melhuus, difcharges itfelf into the fea, about a league to the 

 weft of Drontheim. In the year 1344, great damages were done 

 by a furprifing inundation of this river, which, to the aftoniih- 

 ment of the country, feemed totally drained, but in the mean 

 time had buried itfelf under-ground, from whence it again burn: 

 forth with fuch violence, that the earth and Hones thrown up by 



the 



