to the fifth book of his Hiftory of Henry II. p. 371, has examined what Powell relates concerning the discoveries made by Madoc, and in validates the truth of his ftory by other arguments of great weight.

The pretenfions of the Norwegians to the discovery of America, feem to be better founded than those of the Germans or Welsh. The inhabitants of Scandinavia were remarkable in the middle ages for the boldnefs and extent of their maritime excurfions. In 874, the Norwegians discovered, and planted a colony in Iceland. In 982, they difcovered Greenland, and established fettlements there. From that, fome of their navigators proceeded towards the weft, and difcovered a country more inviting than those horrid regions with which they were acquainted. According to their representation, this country was fandy on the coafts, but in the interior parts level and covered with wood, on which account they gave it the name of Helleland, and Mark - land, and having afterwards found fome plants of the vine which bore grapes, they called it Winland. The credit of this story refts, as far as I know, on the authority of the Saga, or chronicle of king Olaus, compofed by Snorro Sturlonides, or Sturlufon, publifhed by Perinfkiold at Stockholm A. D. 1697. As Snorro was born in the year 1179, his chronicle might be compiled about two centuries after the event which he relates. His

account of the navigation and difcoveries of Biorn, and his companion Lief, is a very rude confused tale, p. 104. 110. 326. It is impoffible to discover from him, what part of America it was in which the Norwegians landed. According to his account of the length of the days and nights, it must have been as far north as the fifty eighth degree of latitude, on fome part of the coaft of Labradore, approaching near to the entry of Hudfon's Straits. Grapes, certainly, are not the production of that country. Torfeus fuppofes that there is an error in the text, by rectifying of which, the place were the Norwegians landed may be fuppofed to be fituated in latitude 49°. But neither is that the region of the vine in America. From perufing Snorro's tale, I fhould think that the fituation of Newfoundland correfponds beft with that of the country difcovered by the Norwegians. Grapes, however, are not the production of that barren ifland. Other conjectures are mentioned by M. Mallet, Introd. à l'Hift. de Dannem. 175, &c. I am not fufficiently acquainted with the literature of the north, to examine them. It feems manifeft, that if the Norwegians did discover any part of America at that period, their attempts to plant colonies proved unfuccefsful, and all knowledge of it was foon loft.

NOTE XVIII. p. 146,

99

Peter Martyr ab Angleria, a Milanefe gentleman, refiding at that time in the court of Spain, whose letters contain an account of the transactions of that period, in the order wherein they occurred, defcribes the fentiments with which he himself and his learned correfpondents were affected, in very striking terms. Præ lætitia profiluiffe te, vixque a lachrymis præ gaudio temperaffe, quando literas adfpexifti meas quibus, de antipodum orbe latenti hactenus, te certiorem feci, mi fuaviffime Pomponi, infinuafti. Ex tuis ipfe literis colligo, quid fenferis. Senfifti autem, tantique rem fecifti, quanti virum fumma doctrina infignitum decuit. Quis namque cibus fublimibus præftari poteft ingeniis, ifto fuavior? quod condimentum gratius? A me facio conjecturam. Beari fentio fpiritus meos, quando accitos alloquor prudentes aliquos ex his qui ab ea redeunt provincia. Implicent animos pecuniarum cumulis augendis miferi avari, libidinibus obfcœni; noftras nos mentes, poftquam Deo pleni aliquando fueri¬ ́ mus, contemplando, hujufcemodi rerum notitia demulciamus. " Epift. 152. Pomponio Lato,

NOTE XIX. p. 162.

So firmly were men of fcience, in that age, perfuaded that the countries which Co

lumbus had difcovered were connected with the Eaft Indies, that Bernaldes, the Cura de los Palacios, who feems to have been no inconfiderable proficient in the knowledge of cofmography, contends that Cuba was not an island, but a part of the continent, and united to the dominions of the Great Khan. This he delivered as his opinion to Columbus himself, who was his gueft for fome time on his return from his fecond voyage; and he fupports it by feveral arguments, moftly founded on the authority of Sir John Mandeville. MS. penes me. Antonio Gallo, who was fecretary to the magiftracy of Genoa towards the clofe of the fifteenth century, published a fhort account of the navigations and difcoveries of his countryman Columbus, annexed to his Opufcula Hiftorica de rebus populi Genuenfis; in which he informs us, from letters of Columbus which he himfelf had feen that it was his opinion, founded upon nautical obfervations, that one of the islands he had difcovered was distant only two hours or thirty degrees from Cattigara, which, in the charts of the geographers of that age, was laid down, upon the authority of Ptolemy, lib. vii. c. 3. as the mott eafterly place in Afia. From this he concluded, that if fome unknown continent did not obftruct the navigation, there must be a fhort and easy accefs, by holding a wefterly course, to this

extreme region of the Eaft. Muratori Scriptores Rer. Italicarum, vol. xxiii. p. 304.

NOTE XX. p. 169.

Bernaldes, the Cura or Rector de los Palacios, a contemporary writer, fays, that five hundred of these captives were fent to Spain, and fold publickly in Seville as flaves; but that, by the change of climate, and their inability to bear the fatigue of labour, they all died in a fhort time. MS. penes me.

NOTE XXI. p. 184.

Columbus feems to have formed fome very fingular opinions concerning the countries which he had now difcovered. The violent fwell and agitation of the waters on the coaft of Trinidad led him to conclude this to be the highest part of the terraqueous globe, and he imagined that various circumftances concurred in proving that the fea was here vifibly elevated. Having adopted this erroneous principle, the apparent beauty of the country induced him to fall in with a notion of Sir John Mandeville, c. 102. that the terreftrial paradife was the highest land in the earth; and he believed that he had been fo fortunate as to discover this happy abode. Nor ought we to think it ftrange that a perfon of fo much fagacity fhould be influenced by the