NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. §27 



* Not to mention their many warlike expeditions to Scotland, 

 England, and Ireland, France, Portugal, Spain, Sicily, Calabria, 

 Greece, and the eaft. Of thefe powerful and fortunate expeditions 

 Thorm. Torfeus gives an account at large. An extract of the moll - 

 important of them is to be found in Geftae et Veftigia Danor. 

 extra Dan. Tom. 1. et 11. In Chrift Reitzer's dedication of 

 Thormodus Torfaaus HifL Rerum Norvegicar. to king Fred. IV. 

 where he briefly fpeaks thus : " Leges hie quales quantique illi 

 fuerunt tui majores. Videbis Haraldos, Olafos, Magnos, Suerreres, 

 Haquinos, et fateberis, illos in fortitudine prudentia fanctitate ne 

 celeberrimis quidem quos habuit antiquitas regibus ceilifle. Quid ? 

 quod imperitabant genti ex qua tot fortiflimi virij tot prodiere 

 Heroes, digni certe quos ne nefciat unquam orbis quam ingentia 

 eorum fuerint facta, quaeque fudore fuo et fanguine adepti lint 

 decora, aeternus annalium colat honos. Haac enim ilia gens, qua? 

 olim fimul cum tuis Danis, fub nomine Normannofum, per om~ 

 nem fere, qua claffibus adiri queat, Europam, vi&ricia arma cir- 

 cumtulit. Haec gens, quae toti illi, quod Norvegiam, Britanniamque 

 et feptentrionalem Americas oram interluit, mari jura pofuit; infu- 

 las omnes coloniis complens, chriftianamque iimul mox cum no vis 

 his colonis inducens religionem. Hinc Rolfus ille Neuftriae do- 

 mitor, qui non pedibus magis quam vidtoriis, disjun&iillmas perva- 

 gabat terras. Hinc Tancredus, cui in privato domo quot filii, tot 

 fere etiam, inaudito per omnia fecula exemplo, futuri nafcebantur 

 principes : virtu te fola apud exteras nationes quae, ad pofleros etiam 

 tranfmitterent, imperia facluri. Hinc regis Magni Nudipedis filius 

 Sigurd us, qui in Hifpania, devidis terra marique Saracenis, ex-- 

 adis Sicilia Mauris, adferta Chriftianis Syria ac Palaeftina, Afiam, 

 Africamque et Europam admirationis fua fama conjunxit. Hinc 

 denique ut reliquos omnes taceam, magnus ille Angliae rex Wil- 

 helmus Conqueflor, &c." 



It will not be improper here to give an account of an extraor- The Norwe 

 dinary fea-expedition of the Norwegians to North- America, tho' tliTweft-in- 

 but little known. This country is now poffefled by the French, forethelp a e 



niards. 



* In the London Magazine of June 1725, we are informed that the inhabitants 

 of thefe laft mentioned Hlands, which in fact are alienated from Norway, fliU talk 

 the Norwegian dialed ; many of the people, efpecially in the more northern ifles, 

 fpeak the Ncrze, or corrupt Danifb, which, in fome places, is the firft language 

 their children learm 



and 



