n this island; and the men,
being made prisoners by the inhabitants, were conducted to a fine and
populous city where the king resided, who sent for various interpreters,
but none could be found except one who spoke Latin. This man, who, in like
manner, had been cast by accident on the same island, asked them, by order
of the king, from what country they had come; and being made acquainted
with their case, the king ordered that the should stay in the country.
These orders they obeyed, as indeed they could not do otherwise, and they
remained five years on the island, during which time they learned the
language of the people. One of them was in various parts of the island, and
affirms that it is a very rich country, abounding in every commodity and
convenience in life, being little less than Iceland, but much more fertile,
having a very high mountain in the centre, from whence four great rivers
take their source, and traverse the whole country.

The inhabitants are a very ingenious and sensible people, and have arts and
handicrafts of every kind as we have; and it is highly probable that they
formerly carried on some traffic with Europe, as this man says he saw Latin
books in the kings library, but which at present they do not understand;
for they have a language of their own, and peculiar letters or characters
in which it is written. They trade with _Engroveland_ or Greenland, and get
from thence furs, brimstone, and pitch. To the south of _Estoitland_ there
is a very large and populous country, which abounds with gold. The people
sow corn, and make the liquor called beer, which is drank by the people of
the north as wine is among us in Italy. They have large and extensive
woods; make their buildings with walls; and have a great number of towns
and castles. They build ships and navigate the sea; but they have not the
loadstone, and know nothing about the use of the compass; on which account
these fishermen were held in high estimation, insomuch that the king sent
them with twelve ships to the southward to a country called Drogio. In
their voyage thither, they had such contrary winds and stormy weather that
they thought to have foundered at sea; but escaping that death, they met
with a fate still more dreadful, as they were made prisoners by the
savages, who are cannibals, and most of them were devoured. But the
Frisland fisherman and his companions, by teaching these barbarians the way
to catch fish with nets, saved their