«4
Pleäfant
landscapes.
H I S T O 1(!Y: bfl'M® R W A Y
i offa! nunferous army." Whether. rhduhtaihs* ‘be UtHVerMly-anatttf al
girdle 'or' band for lengthening the coritpages;bf the globd, as feme
!conceive, I leave abfolutely‘undetermined, it beingsimmaterial fe
my pufpofe to adopt fuGh 'eomffieitsfibf 'my own *.
I Laftly, thefe’natural fortifications' feem alfo to be an ornament
and decoration ito the- country; the diverfified'*figures, and alter-'
,natfe eminences, and other Varieties, according to the tafte of
moft people, form a much more agreeable landfcape than a flat
and even country, which is almoft every where the 'lame; In this
refpedt oilr country ’affords-the moft delightful .cdntrfifts rin the
diverfity of'its prolpedte. And thefe moft magnificent ftrudures
■ of the great architedt of nature, raife fand animate .the mind of
man, by inlpiring him with the moft agreeable andtheInbftTub-
liriie fenfbnents.' Towards*"the' es®remita^'dS’lhe,fes9 ^ ^ ' t&cife
whpl lail along the bare kooky and-, towering mountains of'Mor^
way, will be apt to conclude^ thattbespcfen try-can affordinothing
but wretched co ttars, an d extreme penury; but'thia o|«tSbn''’3!B8m
yamlhes, upon their coming into d e 3&reek%ai*d^te'rving th^lieref
-accprdjbg:lto.Jthe .German proverb, there a re cf e o p le /h S in S the
mountains, m id that in the vallies and narrow inteiftioes:they live
very agreeably, amidft fuch delightful landfcapeV/fhatWithin^Vew
^ >pai#:erimight havechoice of incomparable
Is certain that mature has been more profufely favourable^
filiation p£ feme farm-houfes, than. to; moft royal .•pUatfiNn.'dehei:
countries, tho’ alfifted with all the embellilhments ©ff’groves;*]tefj4
c ^ ^ e% j^ n h ls ,r and the like. ,■-Softie-trading places,*'-as
Rragnefeand others, afir charmiu^y«fi^^ed h^wwtv6he moun^t
tains , at the mouth of the rivers. A predeceffor of mine is laid to
have given the name of the northern Italyto the diftrid of Waas,
which lies fame leagues eaftwa'rd of Bergen j and certainlyrto one
who defires no more than a regular aflemblage of the beauties:, o f
nature (tho’ of mere nature).there canpqtbe ,a more enchanting
profped; for all the buildings.in it are1 Wang-church,fthepar-
fonage, and a few farm-houfes fcattered on different eminences.
But;the beauty of the profpedt is much heightened b y . two uni-.
* Quod-olfa in rn'icrolPdfmo, tiac in geocofmo montium ftruffifra'facit, qui'totam
terrem globi. mol?m itarjtringun.t, ut diffefei minime poffit ialqite hag!^Ari«W -:
fectatn 1 confiftentianv fonfequatijr. .'AthaVaf. Kircherqs in 'Mtindb Subterraneo
P. i. pag. 67. it§ g p p rrr r '
form
N A f U R A L H L S -T O R Y o f N 0 R W A Y . 65
form mountains, gradually'riling in theffarqe proportions to a vaft
height, betwixt which runs a ,valley near half a league in breadth,
and a river fometimes fpreading into little -lakes, and .fometimes
•precipitating itfelf down, the rocks, in foaming and fonorous cascades.
Oh both' fid'es it is 'Boffltffed witn'thd fineft meadows, in termingled
with little . thickets yjarid thei e^y^ffecHyities4'o f the
verdant"mpuntains^coferied with fruitful.fields* and,farm-houfes
-Handing above>ach. other m'.afjicCeffion -of. natural terralles. Between.
thjsfe: h ftatel^1 foreft' prefents itfe ff- bo ‘ tile: View,*1; and • 'beyond
tnafsf lummits o f mountains) c o v flf 4 wpth pefpefual fiiow,
;|£Uld ftill beyond thefe;. ten or twelve ftreams ifiiiing, from the >lnow-
irm’ouMtaSn', ^md fo rm in g an agreeable* contrail: in their-^meanders
.’along the’ blooming->fides; oMfie mohn’tainj frlffKbydofe them-
fdyfcs'ih* the fivers beneath. In othxhf place's, especially Ofterland,
and'even beyond Drontheimj in-North-land, in jthe di'ftri<fts o f
Salten and Senien, therelafp- likewife verjppleafant Ipots, befides
other ad vantages,, ,yducL;the inhabitantsreap from. thermo,untains,
o f whiCjhy.to avoid prolixity; I now, take ;my leave. But . i f any
yvant further.; mptiyes, or,, ^ ormd ipns on this heh4,:\ t^MH?their
meditations .to, Goc|, as the*Godjpftithe n^ountains, ,1 ref|r them to
the,;ivth;chapter o f Derham’s Phyfi,cp;Theology. '■
C H A P.