Upon all these things as was but now declared, there was a certain rate set by Charles the ninth, according to which they were to be bought up for the use of the Crown; and the same custom is so far yet observed, that to this very day, with whomsoever they deal, they have a certain estimate, whereby they prize both their own and others commodities: the proportion of which rates is according to the Patacoon, or which is the same thing with them, 2 ounces of silver. For example, an ordinary Rain-deer they value at 2 Patacoons, or 4 ounces of silver, the skin of a wild Rain-deer at one Patacoon and ½, or 3 ounces of silver; the skin of a tame male Rain-deer at one Patacoon, but if castrated, at ¼ of a Patacoon, and if a female at ½. So likewise an ordinary Fox skin is worth a Patacoon, 40 gray colored Squirril skins are valued at the same price, which number of those skins they call timber. The skin of a Martin at the same price, 3 white Fox skins at the same price, a Bears skin is worth 2 Patacoons, and a Wolves skin as much, an ordinary Laplandish garment, which they call Mudd, is worth 3 Patacoons, a pair of Boots half a Patacoon, and 4 pair of shoes, 4 pair of gloves, and one pound of dried Pike, each of them are valued at the same price.
Now on the other side, of the commodities for which they traffic, an ell of ordinary cloth, commonly called Silesian or Tangermyndense, they esteem at the rate of a Patacoon, or 2 ounces of silver; 3 pound of Copper at the same rate, and one tunn of Corn at 2 Patacoons and ½, or 5 ounces of silver, 2 pound of Salt at ½ of a Patacoon, 10 yards of course cloth, such as we call home-spun, and they call Waldmar, is worth a Patacoon, a Can of spirit of Wine half as much; but if they chance to light upon any commodities of a lower price, they value them by gray colored Squirril skins, proceeding from one to 10, which number of skins they call Artog, and value at ¼ of a Patacoon, and these are the commodities that drive the trade between the Swede and Laplander. But to those of Norway they carry all sorts of coverlets, made of the skins of Rain-deers, also the beasts themselves, their skins and cheeses, and the feathers of Birds; moreover those things for which they trade with the Swedes, are Copper and Alchimy vessels, ordinary cloth woven by the Swedish Boors, these they change for Bulls, and Cows, whose milk they live on in the Summer, and on their flesh in the Winter, also for Goats and Sheep, out of whose skins they make themselves coverlets, for silver, for the skins of black Foxes, and Otters, for woollen blankets, and for fish, which they sell again to the Swedes, as Herrings, dried Codfish, Skails, and such like. Johannes Tornæus comprehends them in a shorter catalogue, the Laplanders, saies he, traffic with those with Norway and Bothnia, Subjects of the Crown of Sweden, for ordinary woollen cloth, linnen cloth of both sorts, as well the finest as coursest, for corn, bread, brass, iron, and all sorts of Country utensils. But above all things it was their chiefest care to get beasts out of Norway, which in the Autumn, they used to Sacrifice to their Idols.
Whether there were anciently any set places or times in which they did trade, I cannot certainly pronounce, tho Olaus Magnus, Lib. 4. Cap. 5. seems to affirm it, and saies, there were certain set places, some in open fields, and some upon the Ice, in which they did every year keep their Fairs, and exhibit to the public view what they had by their own industry gained, either at home or abroad. But for all this he proceeds not to tell us where those Fairs were kept, or where those places were. And Charles the ninth forbidding the Birkarli continually, and at all times to make their circuits round the Country, did nevertheless appoint certain times and places, in which, as at public Fairs, all traffic should be free and open as well to them as others. The words of the Edict published in the year 1602 I will give you, which run thus: “Wherefore seeing we have forbidden the Birkarli to trade in Lapland, according to their old custom, and in manner aforesaid, We do will and command to be appointed two Fairs every year in every Province, one in the Winter, the other in the Summer, as it shall seem most convenient, and We do will and command our Governors to take care that certain fit places be looked out, in which these Fairs may be kept, and to appoint set times, at which most conveniently as well all Laplanders, Birkarlians, Moscovites, as others, may resort unto them. Furthermore our Will and pleasure is, that each Fair last for two or three weeks, during which time, it shall be lawfull for every one to make such bargains as may be most for his own profit. And we do also command our Governors, that certain Boothes and Sheds be provided after the most convenient manner.” Now by all this it may appear that in former times there were no such things either observed or known, seeing the King here speaks of them as first instituted by him; neither indeed in the Edict it self doth he set down any certain time or place, but names them only as things intended, and which he leaves to the discretion of his Governors, which also Andr. Buræus seems to intimate was performed, when he saies that when they were to pay their tribute, they were at a certain time and in certain places gathered together, as into a Store-house, where those Merchants, we before called Birkarli, exhibited their wares. But now he also leaves us in the dark as to a certainty either of time or place, so that it may seem these Fairs and constitutions did not find so good success as it was hoped they would, untill at length the Queen Christina taking the business into consideration, brought it to greater perfection. There is an Edict of hers, published in the year 1640, in which two Fairs are appointed, one at Arfwisjerf in January, the other at Arieplog to be kept in February. The words are to this purpose: “Furthermore We have given and granted, and by these presents do give and grant 2 solemn Fairs, one at Arfwisjerf on the Feast of the Conversion of S. Paul, being the 25 of Jan. the other at Arieplog on the Feast of the Purification of the B. V. Mary, being the 2d of February, each to be held for 3 daies, at which times it shall be lawfull for the Pithenses and all Laplanders to exercise all sorts of traffic, and these Fairs shall first be holden the next year 1641.” From this time they began to be more diligently observed, and are kept upon those Feasts to this very day, for in all Provinces there are every Spring 3 Fairs kept; the first in Lapmarkia Umensis upon the Feast of the Epiphany, the 2d in Lapmarkia Luhlensis on the Conversion of S. Paul, the last in Lapmarkia Pithensis, Tornensis, and Kimensis on the Feast of the Purification. These are the Fairs which Christina instituted, only that in Umensis I beleive was observed from the time of Charles the ninth, and the rather because that Lapmark is nighest Swedland. Into Norway they resort and keep Fairs twice a year, the first at Midsummer on the Feast of S. John, the other in the Autumn on the Feast of Simon and Jude, or All-Saints day. And so much for the times and places of their Fairs.
As for their way of dealing they were of old in all their bargains very faithfull and just, tho Damianus à Goes seems to note some craftiness in them, and saies they were very cunning in all their tradings. And Sam. Rheen in plain terms call them cheats, and saies they were so deceitful, that one that did not know all their tricks, could hardly escape being over-reached by them. So that we may suppose that as long as others dealt fairly with them, so long they were trusty and faithfull, but in after times coming to learn how others had served them, by understanding how they had been cheated formerly, they themselves learned to deceive others. But of this we have spoken before: and these thing may serve to give us some light into their customs in trafficking.
[CHAP. XV.]
Of the Language of the Laplanders.
In the former Chapter we told you that the Language of the Laplanders was such as did very much differ from that of their neighbours, our next business shall be, as well as we can, to discover what it is. Now whatsoever is received, used, commonly, and publikly spoken in any Country, is certainly a Language, but of this of the Laplanders, Zieglerus in general observes only that it was peculiar to themselves, and not understood by their neighbours. Damianus speaks more plain, and accuses them of barbarism and roughness of speech. Our modern Writers say their speech is a confused miscellany of the Language of their neighbours, and that it was called Lingua Lapponica, quasi corrasa, eet Lappatspraock, and that it is made up of many other Tongues, as of that of Finlanders and Swedes, as for instance; the Laplanders say stour, the Swedes, stoor; the one Salug, the other saligh. And that there are also some Latine words, as Porcus, Oriens, &c. But tho these Writers suppose that they have borrowed many words from their neighbours, yet they confess that much of their Language is their own, and neither used, or known by any other Naitons, but that as well the original of the words, as propriety of the Phrases, is peculiar to themselves. Others suppose it took its rise and was derived from Finland: and indeed it is confessed on all hands that there are many words in both Languages that seem no great strangers. So that there is little doubt but there are many words in both Languages which very much agree, which any one that is a little skilled in them must needs confess: and to make this more clear, I shall here insert some words of both Languages not much unlike.
| God | The Laplanders call | Jubmar or Immel | The Finlanders say | Jumala |
| Fire | Tolle | Tuli | ||
| Day | Paiwe | Paiwa | ||
| Night | Ii | Yœ | ||
| A River | Jocki | the same | ||
| A Lake | Jaur | Jarwi | ||
| Ice | Jenga | Iææ | ||
| a Hill | Warra | Wuori | ||
| Wood | Medz | Medza | ||
| the Eye | Silmæ | the same | ||
| the Nose | Niuna | Nenæ | ||
| the Arm | Ketawerth | Kasiwersi | ||
| the Hand | Kiætt | Kæsi | ||
| the Foot | Ialk | Ialka | ||
| Cheese | Iost | Iuusto | ||
| Bootes | Sappad | Saapas | ||
| a Show | Kamath | Kamgett | ||
| a Shed | Kaote | Koto | ||
| an Arrow | Niaola | Nuoli | ||
| Warr | Tziaod | Sotæ | ||
| King | Konnagas | Cuningas | ||
| Father | Atkia | Ajæ | ||
| Mother | Am | Ama | ||
| Brother | Wellje | Weli | ||
| Wife | Morswi | Morsian | ||
| Dog | Piednax | Peinika | ||
| a Ferret | Natæ | Nætæ | ||
| a Squirrill | Orre | Orawa | ||
| a Bird | Lodo | Lindu | ||
| a Fish | Qwælie | Cala | ||
| a Salmon | Losa | Lobi | ||
| a wild Pine tree. | Quaosa | Cuusi. |
These words I suppose may serve to declare the affinity that we said was between the Language of the Laplanders and Finlanders: and because the words that I have set down, do not signify any forreign commodities, but things natural, and such as are in use among all People alike, I am given to beleive that the Laplanders had not any peculiar Language, which did wholy differ from that of Finland, but that it took its original thence. For if, as some would have it, they had any Language, they might properly call their own, why did they not out of it, upon things of so common occurrence and ordinary use, rather impose their own words, then such as no man could doubt were taken from the Finlanders. No People certainly were ever guilty of so much folly as to impose forreign names upon so common things, if they had any Language of their own to express them in: as might be at large demonstrated from the Languages of the Germans, ancient Gaules, Spaniards, Italians, Greeks, &c. neither have we any reason to count it a hard inference if we should from hence gather, that the Laplanders themselves sprung from the Finlanders. For otherwise why should they have used any other Language then what they received from their fore-Fathers. And this seems to be the argument Wexonius uses to prove the Language of the Laplanders to have taken its rise from the Finlanders, when from the original of the People he infers the same of the Speech; for in this he intimates that to spring from any Country, and to use the same Language, are very convertible propositions. All which indeed seems to be no more then the truth. But now some one may object that the opinion of those men that affirm the Language of this Country to be primarily its own, could not be destitute of all reason, and that they must necessarily have had some probabilities whereon they grounded their opinion; and truly it cannot be denied but that there are many words which do not any waies agree with the Language of the Finlanders, as may appear from what follows,
| The Sun | The Laplanders call | Beiwe | The Finlanders | Auringa |
| Heaven | Albme | Taiwas | ||
| Water | Kietze | Wesi | ||
| Rain | Abbræ | Sade | ||
| Snow | Mota | Lumi | ||
| a Man | Ulmugd | Ihminen | ||
| Gent. Man | Albma | Mies | ||
| Woman | Nissum | Waimo | ||
| Hair | Waopt | Hiuxi | ||
| the Mouth | Nialbme | Suu | ||
| the Chin | Kaig | Leuca | ||
| the Heart | Waibmi | Sydaon | ||
| the Flesh | Ogge | Liha | ||
| a Wolf | Seibik | Susi | ||
| a Bear | Muriel | Karhu | ||
| a Fox. | Riemnes | Kettu. |