C 24 ) 



To this Grotius makes anfwer, but with the air of 

 the embaffador, and of a perfon of profound learning, 

 and feems perfectly ail oni died, that any one mould 

 dare to contradict him. Laet, fomewhat piqued at 

 this behaviour, treats him in his reply with lefs 

 ceremony than before , and maintains, that in a 

 difpute purely literary, the character of an ambaf- 

 fador neither gives one writer any manner of advan- 

 tage over another, nor any additional weight to his 

 reasoning. 



Grotius triumphed upon his adverfary's agreeing 

 that Greenland had been peopled by the Norwegi- 

 ans : See here, faid he, one part of America, the 

 inhabitants of which derive their origin from Nor- 

 way. Now what could have hindered thefe Nor- 

 wegian Greenlanders from advancing farther ? 

 The queition is not, anfwered Laet, to determine^ 

 Whether or not any of the Northern people pafied 

 to America by the way of Greenland ; but if all the 

 Americans came from Norway, which I maintain 

 to be impoffible. Angrimus Jonas, an Icelander, 

 affirms, that Greenland was not difcovered till the 

 year 964. Gomara and Herrera inform us, that 

 the Chichimeques were fettled on the lake of Mexi- 

 co, in 721. Thefe favages came from New Mexi- 

 co, and the neighbourhood of California, fuch is 

 the uniform tradition of the Mexicans : confequent- 

 ly North- America was inhabited many ages before 

 it could receive any from Norway by the way of 

 Greenland. 



It is no lefs certain, that the real Mexicans found- 

 ed their empire in 902, after having fubdued the 

 Chichimeques, Otomias, and other barbarous nati- 

 ons, who had taken pofTefTion of the country round 

 the lake of Mexico g and Father Acofta tells us, 



each 



