After Being Tossed About Upon The Seas By
Many Storms And Tempests, We Landed At Brundusium; Whence, With A
Prosperous
Journey, we travelled through Apulia to Rome, where we visited
the habitations of the holy apostles St Peter and St
Paul, and performed
our devotions at various monuments of the holy, martyrs in different parts
of the city. From thence, the archbishops and other princes of the empire
Journeyed towards the right hand for Germany, while we declined to the left
hand into France, taking our leaves of each other with indescribable
courtesey and kindly greeting. And at length, of thirty horsemen of us who
went from Normandy fat and lusty, scarce twenty poor pilgrims returned, all
on foot, and reduced almost to skeletons with fatigue and hardships.
[1] Hakluyt, II. 41. Ingulph. Ab. Croyl. apud finem.
CHAP. II.
Original Discovery of Greenland by the Icelanders.[1]
Although the discoveries contained in this and the next subsequent chapter
were certainty preceded, in point of time, by the voyages of the two
Mahomedans, in Chap. IV. and the insertion of these two chapters, II. and
III. in this place may therefore be considered as a deviation from the
chronological order of our plan; it seemed proper and even necessary, that
they should be both introduced here, as presenting an unbroken series of
the discoveries of the Norwegians, and as fully authorized by the
geographical principles of our arrangement.
Among the many petty sovereigns, vikingr or chieftans of Norway, who had
been reduced to subjection by Harold Harfagr, or the fair-haired, was one
named Thorer. Thorwald, the relative of this person, had lived at the court
of Earl Hayne, whence he had been obliged to fly, on account of having
committed a murder, and went to Iceland, where he settled a considerable
track of country with a new colony. Eric-raude, or red-head, the son of
Thorwald, was long persecuted by a powerful neighbour named Eyolf Saur,
because Eric had killed some of Eyolf's servants; and at length Eric killed
Eyolf likewise. For this and other crimes he was condemned to go into
banishment for three years; and knowing that a man named Gunbiorn had
previously discovered certain banks to the west of Iceland, named from him
Gunbiorn's Schieran, or Gunbar banks, and likewise a country of
considerable extent still farther to the westwards, he determined on making
a voyage of discovery to that country. Setting sail therefore from Iceland,
he soon fell in with a point of land called Hirjalfs-ness; and continuing
his voyage to the south-west he entered a large inlet, to which he gave the
name of Erics-sound, and passed the winter on a pleasant island in that
neighbourhood. In the following year he explored the continent; and
returning to Iceland in the third year, he represented his new discovery in
the fairest light, bestowing lavish praises on the rich meadows, fine
woods, and plentiful fisheries of the country, which he called Greenland,
that he might induce a considerable number of people to join with him in
colonizing this new country.
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