t 464 ] 



4£ broad, in fome places broader, about the middle it is perhaps 

 " thirty miles broad, or fomewhat more, to the northward 

 " (where it is narrowefr) it may be only three miles [from the 

 " Sea] to the moors, which are in fome parts fo wide, that a 

 " man could fcarcely pafs over them in a fortnight, and in 

 " other parts perhaps in a week g . Oppofite this land, to the 

 *' fouth, is Sweoland, on the other fide of the moors, quite to 

 " that northern /and h , and oppofite to that again, to the north, 

 *' is Cwenaland \ The Cwenas fometimes make incurfions 

 44 againft the Northmen over thefe moors, and fometimes the 

 4-4 Northmen 011 them ; there are very large frefh meres amongft 

 " the moors, and the Cwenas carry their Jloips ! over land into 

 " the meres, whence they make depredations on the Northmen; 

 *' their flips are fmall and very light. 



" Ohthere faid alfo, that the Jhire which he inhabited is called 

 " Halgoland k , and that no one dwelt to the north of him 1 5 

 " there is likewife a port to the fouth of this land, which 

 " is called Sciringes-heal, which no one could reach in a 

 *' month, if he watched in the night™, and every day had a fair 



" wind : j 



s Thefe very minute particulars feem plainly to be taken down by 

 iElfred, from Ohthere's own mouth, as he corrects himfelf mofi fcru- 

 puloufly, in order to inform the king with accuracy. 



h i. e. Normanna land, Ohthere's own country. 



1 Thefe Jhips were probably the fame with the fmall boats to this day 

 called coracles, which are ufed both on the Towy and the Wye. They 

 make them near Monmouth, not to, weigh above 45 lb. and -they are 

 jeawiy therefore carried on a fifherman's back over fliallows. 



k " The land was full of little iiTaiids, called iEgeland and Halgetjnd^ 

 inlat. 66. cleg. N." Hakluyt, vol. i. p. 235. where the following note 

 is inferted in_the margin. " In this land dwelt Ochther, as it feemeth." 



1 It mould feem that this is to be imclerftood as confmed'to Halgeland, 

 as the port to the fputh, which follows plainly, relates- to the fame 

 province. 



m The word in the original is jnco&e, which is rendered curfuro §f- 

 ■ iC tens but it properly fignifies to '.go back, and not llop. I cannot, 

 , ' • therefore, 



