At The Solstitium Of Winter, That There Is No Day (That Is To Say, No Time, Wherein The Sunne Is Seene Aboue The Horizon) We Confesse To Be True Onely In That Angle Of Island (If There Be Any Such Angle) Where The Pole Is Eleuated Full 67.

Degrees.

But at Holen (which is the bishops seat for the North part of Island, and lieth in a most deepe valley) the latitude is about 65. degrees and 44. minutes, as I am enformed by the reuerend father, Gudbrand, bishop of that place: and yet there, the shortest day in all the yere is at least two houres long, and in South-Island longer, as it appeareth by the tables of Mathematicians. [Sidenote: Island is not within the circle arctic.] Heerehence it is manifest, first that Island is not situate beyond the arctic circle: [Footnote: This is true, except for the very small portion of Iceland round about Cape North.] secondly, that in Island there are not wanting in Summer solstitium many nights, nor in Winter solstitium many dayes.

SECTIO TERTIA.

[Sidenote: Musterus Saxo.] Nomen habet a glacie qua illi perpetuo ad Boream adheret Item. A latere Occidentali Noruagia Insula, qua Glacialis dicitur, magno circumfusa Oceano repentur, obsoleta admodum habitationis tellus, &c. Item, Hac est Thyle, nulli veterum non celebrata.

Nomen habet a glacie) Tria nomina consequenter sortita est Islandia. [Sidenote: Snelandia.] Nam qui omnium primus eius inuentor fuisse creditur Naddocus genere Noruagus, cum versus insulas Farenses nauigaret tempestate valida, ad littora Islandia Orientalis forte appulit: vbi cum fuisset aliquot septimanas cum socijs commoratus, animaduertit immodicam niuium copiam, montium quorundam cacumina obtegentem, atque ideo a niue nomen Insula Snelandia indidit. Hunc secutus alter, Gardarus, fama quam de Islandia Naddocus attulerat impulsus, Insulam quasitum abijt, reperit, & nomen de suo nomine Gardarsholme id est, Gardars Insula imposuit. Quin & plures nouam terram visendi cupido incessit: nam & post illos duos adhuc tertius quidam Noruagus (Floki nomen habuit) contulit se in Islandiam, illique a glacie qua viderat ipsam cingi nomen fecit.

Obsoleta admodum) Ego ex istis verbis Saxonis hanc sententiam nequaquam eruo, vt quidam, quod inde ab initio habitatam esse Islandiam, seu vt verbo dicam, Islandos autocthonas dicat, cum constet vix ante annos 718. incoli coeptam.

Hac est Thyle) Grammatici certant & adhuc sub iudice lis est. Quam tamen facile dirimi posse crediderim, si quis animaduertat, circa annum Domini 874. primum fuisse inhabitatam. Nisi quis dicere velit Thulen illum Agypti Regem, quem hoc ipsi nomen dedisse putant, ad Insulam iam tum incultam & inhabitatam penetrasse. Illud vero rursus si quis neget, per me sane licebit, vt illud sit quaddam quasi spectaculum, dum ita in contrarias scinduntur sententias. Vnus affirmat esse Islandiam. Alter quandam insulam, vbi arbores bis in anno fructificant. Tertius vnam ex Orcadibus, siue vitimam in ditione Scoti, vt Ioannes Myritius & alij, qui nomen illius referunt, Thylensey, quod etiam Virgilius per suam vltimam Thylen sensisse videtur. Siquidem vltra Britannos, quo nomine Angli hodie dicti & Scoti veniunt, nullos populos statueret. Quod vel ex illo Virgilij Eclog I. apparet:

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