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feats o f ftrength and agility, and teaching
them fuch exercifes as enabled them
to defend themfelves and their countrymen,
to inftrucl them alfo in hiftory,
religion, and lavr. Thence we find in
their antient chronicles frequent mention
o f perfons who had made con-
fiderable progrefs in thefe fciences,
and even before they received the Chriitian
religion there were many in the
country well verfed in the laws.
In their frequent voyages, before the
ufe o f the compafs (LeitarfteinJ was
known to them, they difcovered new
countries, when driven out o f their
courfe, which were however deferted
almofl: as foon as found out ; yet fome,
i f not all of them, have been difcovered
in later times.
Thus Biorn HerjuliFson, in a voyage
he made to fee his father in Greenland,
was driven by a ftrong north-wind upon
a flat woody country, from whence he
afterwards reached his father, after
a long and troublefome voyage, with
out thinking any more o f his new
difcovery. After the death o f his father.
ther, he again returned to Norway ;
where the account of his voyage raifed
an inclination in one Leifer to go in
fearch o f this country. He therefore
fet fail with 35 men, and at firft landed
on a mountainous country covered with
fnow, without the leaft appearance o f
verdure: from whence he continued
his voyage, and came to another country
that was flat and woody; this he
called Markland. He fet fail again
with a north-eafl: wind, and in two
days time arrived at an ifland that lay
north o f the continent. He now entered
weftwardinto a ftrait, where his
fliip ftruck on the fand at low water
; he then had it drawn afliore with
cables, and having built a houfe, remained
there the whole winter : here
they did not experience the leaft cold,
and the grafs only grew a little reddifli
ill winter. The days were not o f fo
unequal a length as in Iceland ; and the
fun appeared above the horizon on the
ftiorteft day, both when they break-
fafted and at fupper-time. The vine
and wheat both grew wild, and this
occafioned his giving the name o f
Vineland
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