During this time Greenland was
dilcovered by an Icelander, Eyrek
Rauda, in 932 ; and America in lo o r ,
by Biorn Herjulfsfon and Leif Erichiron.
To iecnre themfelves, therefore,
againft their powerful neighbours,
they were obliged to enlarge their hiftoricai
knowledge ; they likewife took
great pains in ftudying perfeGly their
own laws, for the maintenance and
proteflion o f their internal fecurity«
Thus Iceland, at the time when ignorance
and obfcurity pervaded the reft:
o f Europe, was enabled to produce a
coniiderable number o f poets and hif-
torians. When the Chriftian religion
was introduced there, more were found
converfant in the law, than could have
been expelled, coniidering the extent
o f the country, and the number o f its
inhabitants. Fiiiiing was followed
among them ; but they devoted their
attention more coniiderably to agriculture*,
which has ft nee entirely ceafed.
^ Hans FiniTen, in his letter on th e feafiblenefs
o f a gr iculture in Iceland, Copenhagen, 1 7 7 2 , 8vo,
demonftrates this b y a written document du rin g thé
time o f Snorre Sturlefon, p a g . 6 4, w h ich lik ew ife
appears from Landnama B o k , chap. 2 1 .
Two
Two things have principally con^
tributed towards producing a great
change both in their cliarader and
way of life, viz. the progrefs of the
Chriftian religion under Olof Trigg-
walTon, and the lofs of their liberty
under king Harold. For if religion,
on one fide, commanded them to de-
lift from their ravages and warlike expeditions
; the fecular power, on the
other, deprived them of the neceftary
forces for the execution o f them;
iince this time we find no farther
traces of their heroic deeds, except
thofe which are preferved in their
hiftories. Our prefent Icelanders give
the preference to fiiiiing, and the carc
of their cattle, to war.
The Icelanders are middle-iized and
well-made, though not very ftrong ;
and the women are in general ill-featured.
The men have left off the cuf-
tom of wearingbeards longago, though
you find them reprefented with beards
in Eggert Olafsen’s Travels through
Iceland ; a drawing which, perhaps,
may reprefent «m inhabitant o f Sond-
F 4 moer^