] Book VII. xxxiv. 42.

XV

When the Eruli, being defeated by the Lombards in the above-mentioned
battle, migrated from their ancestral homes, some of them, as has been
told by me above,[192] made their home in the country of Illyricum, but
the rest were averse to crossing the Ister River, but settled at the
very extremity of the world; at any rate, these men, led by many of the
royal blood, traversed all the nations of the Sclaveni one after the
other, and after next crossing a large tract of barren country, they
came to the Varni,[193] as they are called. After these they passed by
the nations of the Dani,[194] without suffering violence at the hands of
the barbarians there. Coming thence to the ocean, they took to the sea,
and putting in at Thule,[195] remained there on the island.

Now Thule is exceedingly large; for it is more than ten times greater
than Britain. And it lies far distant from it toward the north. On this
island the land is for the most part barren, but in the inhabited
country thirteen very numerous nations are settled; and there are kings
over each nation. In that place a very wonderful thing takes place
each year. For the sun at the time of the summer solstice never sets for
forty days, but appears constantly during this whole time above the
earth. But not less than six months later, at about the time of the
winter solstice, the sun is never seen on this island for forty days,
but never-ending night envelops it; and as a result of this dejection
holds the people there during this whole time, because they are unable
by any means to mingle with one another during this interval. And
although I was eager to go to this island and become an eye-witness of
the things I have told, no opportunity ever presented itself. However, I
made enquiry from those who come to us from the island as to how in the
world they are able to reckon the length of the days, since the sun
never rises nor sets there at the appointed times. And they gave me an
account which is true and trustworthy. For they said that the sun during
those forty days does not indeed set just as has been stated, but is
visible to the people there at one time toward the east, and again
toward the west. Whenever, therefore, on its return, it reaches the same
place on the horizon where they had previously been accustomed to see it
rise, they reckon in this way that one day and night have passed. When,
however, the time of the nights arrives,