no doubt confidered it as a warning o f danger. The country
people have a fuperftitious notion, that foxes and wolves are offended
at being called by their fpecific names, and that they take
vengeance for this infult on their poultry, and other domefticated
animals; for this reafon they call the foxes brown legs, and the
wolves grey legs, in the fame manner as the people o f Sumatra
give good names to the tyger.
During the whole o f this route from Stockholm to Grille-
hamn, the traveller mult not think o f Hopping either to eat or
fleep ; I mean to lay, that there are no inns to be met with as in
other parts o f Europe. He muff carry his provifions along with
him, for the poor pealants have feldom any thing belides bread
and milk, or lometimes lalted provifions, not always agreeable to
travellers. Their bread is flat round cakes, made for the moft
part o f barley or rye, with holes in the middle, through which a
ftring pafles for flinging a number o f them on their backs when
they go abroad to the woods, or fields, or a-fiihing. Potatoes are
by no means common among them, which is owing, I imagine,
to the difficulty they find to keep them from the froft in winter.
The phildfophical oeconomifts, numerous as they are in Sweden,
have not yet, it would leem, difcovered themfelves, or at leaft not
taught the country people, that this ufeful root may be fecured
from the keeneft froft, by lodging it in cavities dug to a fufficient
depth in the earth ; but the peafants, though poor, feel no pref-
fing wants that are not gratified. Befides bread and milk, they
have in their ftores falted or fmoked meat, as well as fifh, and occafionally
cafionally even beer and brandy; but thefe laft are objedts o f
luxury, and neceffary only to fadlitious appetites i both they and
their children are well fed. Their houfes and manner o f clothing
fufficiently protect them from the feverity o f the co ld ; their fire-
fides are always well provided with wood, and their apartments
warm and comfortable. The traits o f innocence, fimplicity, and
contentment, which, on entering any one o f their cabins, you
may perceive in their countenances, form a picture that muff
greatly move the fenfibility o f a ftranger, and intereft the feelings
o f his heart. T he little fports o f the children, the fkipping and
friiking o f dogs and cats, the crackling made by faggots and logs
o f wood, the modeft and trembling fong o f the cricket, recalled
to my mind, with great pleafure, four charming lines o f Gold-
fmith, which exhibit an exait likenefs o f what I actually faw :-
Around in fympathetic mirth,
Its tricks the kitten tries;
The cricket chirrups in the hearth,
The crackling faggot flies.