PREFACE.
A chapter title in the Codex Frisianus, 'Fundit Vínland goða' [Wineland the Good found], which has been reproduced in enlarged facsimile on the cover, has suggested the title for this book. The chapter which this title heads will be found on page 14. The Icelandic text there cited has been copied directly from the original, and this method has also been pursued in the other cases where citations of strictly historical matter have been made. In printing these citations, accents, punctuation and capital letters have been added, and supplied contractions have been printed in italics. Passages which have not been regarded as clearly historical have also been given in the original, but in this case it has been deemed sufficient to print after the best published texts. Icelandic proper names, where they occur in the translations, have been somewhat altered from their correct form, to the end that they might appear less strange to the English reader. This liberty has been taken with less hesitancy since it has been possible to give these names in their proper forms in the Index.
To the kindness of Dr. Bruun, Librarian of the Royal Library of Copenhagen, I am indebted for the privilege which has made the photographic reproduction of the Wineland History of the Flatey Book possible. I am under like obligation to the Arna-Magnæan Legation for the use, for a similar purpose, of the manuscripts AM.[1] 557 4to and 544 4to. To one member of the Arna-Magnæan Legation, Dr. Kristian Kålund, I am under still further obligation for very many favours, which his profound acquaintance with
- ↑ This contraction is used throughout to describe the manuscripts belonging to the Arna-Magnæan Collection.
