Caius Julius Solinus

CAP. XXV
Of the people called Hyperboreans.
Sundry things that have been reported of the Hyperboreans had been but a fable and a flying tale if things that have come from thence on to us had been believed rashly. But seeing the best authors and such as are of sufficient credit do agree in one constant report, no man needs to fear any falsehood. Of the Hyperboreans, they speak in this way. They inhabit almost the Pteropheron which we hear say lies beyond the North Pole, a most blessed nation. They ascribe it rather on to Asia than on to Europe, and some do place it midway between the sun rising and the sunset, that is to say, between the West of the Antipodes, and our East, which thing reason reproves, confidering what a vast Sea runs between the two worlds. They are therefore in Europe, and among them are thought to be the poles of the world and the uttermost circuit of the Stars, and half year light, lacking the Sun but one day. Now be it, there are that think Sun rises not day by day to them as it does to us, but it rises in the spring time, going not down again before the fall of the leaf, so that they have continual day by the space of five months together, and by the space of the other five months continual night. The air is very mild, the blasts wholesome, and no hurtful wind. Their houses are the wide geldes or the woods, and the trees yield them shade from day to day. They know no debate, they are not troubled with ordeals, all men have one desire, which is to live innocently. They halt death, and by willful foredoing themselves, prevent the long tarryance of their decease. For when they have lived as long as they would desire, then feasting and annointing themselves, they throw themselves headlong from some unknown rock into the deep sea, and they believe this to be the best kind of burial. The report also goes that they were accustomably wont to send the first fruits of their increase to Apollo of Delos by the hands of their most chaste maidens. But because those maids through treachery of them in whose houses they lodged, returned not undefiled: they erected a Bishopric within their own country for that devotion's sake, for the performance whereof they were faine before to send abroad.

CAP. XXIX.
Of the North Ocean, of the Caspian Sea, and of the Island Baltia.
The North Ocean on that part where Paropamisus, a river of Scythia washes into it named Amalchium by Hecataeus which in the language of that nation signifies the Frozen Sea. Phylaemon said that from the Cimbrians to the Promontory Rubeas, it is called Morimarusa which is as much to say as the dead sea. Whatsoever is beyond Rubeas is called Cronium. That the Caspian Sea on the other side of Pontus beyond the Massagets and the Scythians called Appelaeans in the coast of Asia is sweet of taste. It was tried by Alexander the Great and afterward by Pompey the Great, who in his wars against Mithridates (as Varro, one of his fellow soldiers, reported) would need know whether it were true or not by drinking of it himself. It is reported that it comes so to pass by reason of the number of rivers, whereof there falls such a sort into it that they alter the nature of the sea. I must not let pass that at the same time the said Alexander was able to come in eight days out of India from Bactria on to the River Icarus which runs into the River Oxus and from thence to the Caspian Sea and so by the Caspian to pass into the stream of the River Cyrus which runs between the marches of Iberia and Armenia. From Cyrus also conveying his ships after him from land. He came in five days at the most to the Channel of Phasis: at whole issue it is manifestly proven that those which come out of India may be brought into Pontus. Xenophon of Lampsacum affirms that we may sail from the sea coast of Scythia to the Island Baltia in three days, the greatness whereof is unmeasurable, and almost like a main land, from whence it is not far to the islands called Oones, the inhabitants whereof live by eggs of Sea-fouls and the seed of wild dates: and that the other isles adjoining them do live after the same sort of which the people that are called Hippopodes being shaped in all points like men down to the instep have feet like horses. They said also how there are other islands and a nation called Phanesians whose ears are of such an unmeasurable size that they cover the rest of their bodies with them and need no other apparel to clothe their limbs with than their own flaps.

CAP. XXXII.
Of the island Scandinavia, of Amber, of the stone Callais, and of the precious stone called Ceraunius.
Over against Germania is the island Scandinavia, which breeds a beast much resembling an Alce, much like the Elephant doesn't bow the nether joints of his legs and therefore lies not down when he sleeps, but rests himself when he is drowsy, against a tree, the which is sawed almost asunder, ready to fall, that when the beast leans to his accustomed style, he may fall down: and so is he caught, for otherwise it is a hard matter to catch him by hand. For although his joints be so stiff, yet is he of incomparable swiftness.
Of the German Isles, the greatest is Scandinavia, but there is nothing in it great saving itself. The island Glessaria yields crystal, and also amber, which the Germans in their country speech call Glesse. The quality of this kind of stuff is touched briefly before.
But at such time as Germanicus Caesar searched all the corners of Germany, there was found a tree of the kind of Pines, out of whole pyth every harvest issued a Gumme. We may understand by the name of it, that it is the juice of a tree: and if you burn it, the smell will betray that it comes of a Pine tree. It is worth the labour to proceed somewhat further, lest men might surmise that the woods about Po, did weep stones. The barbarous nation brought Amber into Illyria, which through intercourse of merchandise with the Pannonians, came into the hands of the Italians beyond the Po, now because our men saw it there first, they believed it had also grown there. Through the bounteousness of the Emperor Nero, no attire was gorgeous without Amber, which was no hard matter for him to do. Since then, at the same time, the King of Germany sent him three and three and thirty thousand pounds thereof for a present. At first, it grows rugged and with a bark and afterward, it is boiled in the grease of a sucking pig and so is polished to that brightness that we see. According to its color, it has diverse names. It is called Mellum and Phaleruum, both of which names it had given on to it for the likeness it had to that kind of wine or to bunny. It is manifest that it gathers by leaves and draws chaffe on to it. The art of physics has taught that it remedies many inconveniences of men. India also has amber, but Germany has the best and best store. Because we came to the Isle of Glessaria, we began with amber for in the inner parts of Germany is found a stone called Callais, which men prefer before the precious stones of Arabia for it pales them in beauty. The Arabians say it is not found anywhere but in the nests of the birds which they call Melancoryphes, which no man believes for as much as they are to be found in the regions of Germany among stones, although very rarely. In respect of the estimation and value of the Emerald, it is of faint green color. Nothing does better beseem gold. Futhermore, of the Ceraunies are diverse sorts. That of Germany is white with a bright blue and if you have it abroad, it draws the brightness of the stars to it.

CAP. XXXIIII.
Of Britain and the Isles about it, of the stone called Geate.
The sea coast of Gallia had been the end of the world, but that the isle of Britain for the largeness thereof every way deserves the name almost of another world for it is in length eight hundred miles and more so we measure it to the angle of Calydon, in which nook an altar engraved with Greek letters for a vow bears witness that Ulysses arrived at Calydon. It is environed with many isles and those not renowned: whereof Ireland draws nearest to it in bigness, uncivil for the savage manners of the inhabitants, but otherwise so full of fat pasture that if their cattle in summer season be not now and then kept from feeding, they should run in danger of bursting. There are no snakes and few birds. The people are barbarous and warlike. When they have overcome their enemies, they first smear their faces the blood of them that be slain and then drink of it. Be it right or be it wrong, it is one to them. If a woman be delivered of a man-child, she lays his meat upon her husband's sword and putting it softly to his pretty mouth, gives him the first handful of his food upon the very point of the weapon, praying (according to the manner of their country) that he may not otherwise come to his death than in battle and among weapons. They that love to be fine do trim the hilts of their swords with the teeth of monsters that swim in the sea for they be as white and as clear as ivory. For the men do chiefly glory in the beauty of their armor. There are not any bees among them and if a man bring of the dust or the stones from thence and throw them among beehives, the swarms forsake the honeycombs. The sea that is between Ireland and Britain, being full of shallows and rough all the year long, cannot be sailed but a few days in the summertime. They sail in keels of wicker done over with peats leather. How long so ever their passage continues, the passengers abstain from meat. Such as have discussed the certainty of the matter according to reason have esteemed the breadth of that narrow Sea to be a hundred and twenty miles. The troublesome Sea also divides the Island of the Silures from the coast of Britain: the men of which isle keep their old customs even to this day. They utterly refuse buying and selling for money and give one thing for another, providing things necessary, rather by exchanging them for ready money. They worship the gods very devoutly. As well the women as the men boast of the knowledge of prophesying.
The Isle Thanatos is beaten upon with the French Sea and is divided from Britain with a very narrow cut, lucky for corn fields and fat soil and not only healthy to itself but also to other places. For inasmuch as there is no snake creeping there, the earth thereof to what place so ever it be carried from thence, kills snakes. There are many other isles about Britain of which Thule is the furthest of, wherein at such time as the Sea is at the highest in summer and passes through the sign of cancer, there is almost no night at all. Again in the dead of winter, when the sun is at the lowest, the day is so short that the rising and going down of the sun is both together. Beyond Thule, we learn is the dead and frozen sea. From the promontory of Calydon, to the island Thule is two days sailing. Next come the isles called Hebudes five in number, the inhabitants whereof know not what corn means but live only by [...] and milk. They are all under the government of one king. For as many of them as be, they are severed but with a narrow group one from another. The king has nothing of his own but takes of every man. He is bound to equity by certain laws: and least he may start from right through covetousness, he learns justice by poverty as who may have nothing proper or peculiar to himself, but is found in the charges of the realm. He is not suffered to have any woman to himself, but whomsoever he has mind unto, he borrows her for a time and so others by turns. Whereby it comes to pass that he has neither desire nor hope of issue. The second harbor between the mainland and Hebudes is the Orcades which are from the Hebudes seven days and as many nights sailing. There be but three of them: no man dwells in them, they have no woods, only they are overgrown with weeds and the rest of them is nothing but sand and bare rocks. From the Orcades unto Thule is five days and five nights sailing. But Thule is plentiful in store of fruits that will last. Those that dwell there do in the beginning of the spring time live on herbs among cattle and afterwards by milk and against winter they lay up the fruits of their trees. They use their women in common and no man has any wife. The whole circuit of Britain is four thousand eight hundred, threescore and fifteen miles. In which space are great and many rivers and hot baths finely kept to the use of men, the sovereign of which baths is the goddess Minerva, in whose chapel the fire burns continually and the coals do never turn into ashes, but as soon as the embers were dead, it is turned into balls of stone. Moreover, to the intent to pass the large abundance of sundry metals, (whereof Britain has many rich veins on all sides). Here is stored the stone called Geate and is the best kind of it. If you demand the beauty of it, it is a black jewel: if the quality, it is of no weight. If the nature, it burns in water and goes out in [...]: if the power, rub it until it be warm and it holds such things as are laid to it as amber does. The realm is partly inhabited of barbarous people who even from their childhood have shapes of diverse beasts cunningly impressed and incorporated in their bodies so that being engraved as it were in their bowels as the man grows so the marks painted upon him neither do those nations count any thing almost to be a greater token of patience tan their bodies should be manifest scarce drink in the deepest color.