2$2 NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 



i. e. Courage, fidelity, valour, and every thing that is praife-wor- 

 thy, all the world may learn amongft the Norwegian mountains. 



Valour, united with fidelity, has been, from the greateft anti- 

 quity, the chara&eriftic of the Norwegians. Sturleffen and Tor- 

 feus have almoft filled the ancient chronicles with accounts of 

 the great exploits and heroic atchievements of the Norwegian 

 kings and nobility, and even of common men ; fometimes lay- 

 ing other countries under contributions, and fometimes nobly 

 defending themfelves, and preferving their liberty from usurpation, 

 tyranny, and oppreilion *. 



In general, the inhabitants of the mountains have an advan- 

 tage in that refped ; for it feems as if the hard and rugged rocks, 

 which they have continually before their eyes, infpired them with 

 a contempt of dangers and difficulties. The great number of 

 beafts of prey feen in thofe parts, oblige them to carry arms be- 

 times, which they know how to handle from their childhood. 

 They are inured to troublefome and fatiguing journeys, and or- 

 dinary coarfe diet ferves them as well as the moft delicate food. 

 The condenfed cold air towards the pole, braces up the fibres, 

 clofes the pores, and keeps in the internal heat. Hence they are, 



" Et gens dura pati, & fortifiima fternere do&a." 



Good fea- The fkill of the Norwegians in maritime affairs is well known ; 

 they chiefly excel at fea, to which they have moftly applied 

 themfelves, and where they have acquired the greateft glory. 

 Even in thefe later times, we have had great heroes at fea ; and 

 Heinfon, Adeler, and Fordenfkiold are defcended from thefe. 

 They have a genius for all warlike employments, and bodies 

 and constitution well adapted for the fame, and are not eafily 



* Ea regio robuftimmos educat viros, qui nulla frugum luxuria molliti fepius -im- 

 pugnant alios, quam impugnentur. A multis retro feculis, partim inopia adadi, par- 

 tial freti viribus quas facile faciunt mortales infolefcere, mare Britannicum diu tenuere 

 infeftum. Nonnunquam foli, aliquando Danis juncti, Britanniam & Gallias funt po- 

 pulati, nee quievere donee de fuo nomine Normandium in littore Galliarum confti- 

 tuerent. Albert Crantzius in prologo Norvegise. Concerning the Danes and Nor* 

 wegians partaking of the honour of the great exploits of thofe people, which all the 

 old annals call Normannos, fee Thormod. Torf. Hift. Norv. p. i. 1. i. c . viii. & in 

 pnefat. where he fays, " Satis teftantur quanta jam inde a prima hominum memo- 

 ria, gentis Norvegicse potentia, quanta in ore omnium celebritas fuerit. Ut non diffi- - 

 tear interdum Norvegis, five ut a quibufdam fcriptoribus dicuntur Normannis, ea 

 adferibi, qus a vicinis Danis fuere prseclare gefta, quemadmodum, vice verfa, his a 

 nonnullis attribuuntur quse ab illis, extra patriam, edita gloriofa facinora in yulgus 

 innotuerunt." 



1 re- 



