Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1943, Page 88
54
on the moral corruption in Iceland in earlier and later times. A
remarkable feature here is his—to put it mildly—unsnobbish attitude
to the past of Iceland and its heroic figures, whom he designates as
latrones and piratae. In addition, he attacks the merchants of the
Danish monopolised trade, cf. Introduction pp. XXIV-XXV.
P. iy9. Illud vero utrumque: refers to the first sentence in the
section in Hondius, cf. the Introduction p. XXVI.
§ 16. Both treatises in the main keep to Hondius’ description
of the fodd of the Icelanders; probably § 16 was slightly abbreviated
in the questions sent to the bishops. Thus it might have been expected
that the mistake watman (for vaSmål) would have been corrected
if it had been in the inquiry to the bishops.
P. iy26. illud; the reference is to Hondius’ words: nunc autem
fruges .... didicerunt (cf. Introduction p. XXVI), which are con-
futed by a quotation from Brevis comm. (pp. 75v-76r).
— /81'3. The account of the well-known feast of Hjalti’s sons
is derived either from Crymogæa p. 54, or it may be due to direct
knowledge of a manuscript of the original source (Landnåmabok).
— i82S. lacte varie præparato: this no doubt refers in the first
place to “skyr”, an Icelandic national dish, which HR calls colostrum
lactis (362G ff.).
— 378"9. For the expression cf. Sidon. ep. IV 7.