Northern Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 1 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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But Whereas One Noted In His Mappe Of Island, Concerning The Prouince Of
Skagefiord, That Vnder The Same Roofe, Men, Dogges Swine And Sheepe Liue
Altogether, It Is Partly False, And Partly No Maruell:
For sheepe, as it
hath been sayde, and especially for swine (when as that prouince hath no
swine at alt) it is vtterly false:
For dogges it is no maruell, when is not
kings courts were euer, or at this day are destitute of them, as it is well
knowen to all men. But as touching dogges afterward in the seuenth section.
Victuals, &c. Whither beasts meate may fitly be termed by the name of
Victus, a man may lustly doubt: When Doletus interpreting a peece of
Tullie, saith: As for Victus (sayth he) wee will so expound it with the
Ciuilians, namely that we comprehend vnder the word of Victus all things
necessarie for the life of man as meate, drinke, attire of the bodie, &c.
And Vlpianus de verborum significatione defineth Victus in the very same
words. But in this place the saide authors call beaste meate by the name of
Victus.
But let vs see what trueth and plaine dealing is to be found in these men.
We haue no labouring cattel besides horses and oxen: these haue grasse and
hay (except where haye is wanting) for their fodder, and water to drinke.
Now, the very same writers confesse, that the Islanders liue by fish,
butter, flesh both beefe and mutton, and corne also, though it bee scarce,
and brought out of other countries. Therefore they haue not the same foode
with brute beasts, which notwithstanding the sayde writers affirme in these
wordes: They and their cattel vse all one victuals or food. What Munsters
meaning is in this clause, he himselfe a little before hath plainely
taught.
Island (saith he) conteineth many people liuing onely with the food of
cattell, and sometimes by taking of fishes. But what else is the food of
cattell, but the meat of cattell, saith Doletus? Vnlesse perhaps Munster
calleth the food of cattell, cattell themselues slaine for the foode of
men: whom, as I thinke, the vse of the latine tongue doth gaine say, which
hath taught vs that as men doe eate, so beasts do feede, and hath termed
the victuals of men, and the food or fodder of cattell. But may I thinke
that Munster and Krantzius were so mad as to imagine that the Islanders
liue vpon grasse and hay: To this passe of miserie was Nabuchodonozor
brought vndergoing the yoke of Gods vengeance Daniel 4. vers. 30. We will
easily graunt that beasts and cattell will not perhaps refuse many things,
which men not onely of our countrey but of yours also eate, if the saide
beasts be destitute of their vsuall food: as horses are fedde with corne
and barley loaues: they will drinke milke also (like vnto calues and
lambes) and ale if it be proffered them, and that greedily.
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