book numbers and capital letters, are placed at different diftances
1— v— • on each fide o f the way.
In no kingdom, fince I quitted England, have I obferved
fo many feats fcattered over the face o f the country as I perceived
in Sweden, where the gentlemen o f moderate fortunes,
as with us, are accuftomed to refide upon their eftates
in rural plenty. Thefe feats, being compofed o f an affem-
blage o f wooden buildings and painted red, make a neat appearance
: occupying a large extent o f ground, they look at
fame diftance like fmall villages, and contribute greatly to
the ornament o f the country ; they are moft frequent near
the lakes, and are not uncommonly fituated, in the midit of
hanging woods, on broken rocks fufpended over the water.
During my progrefs through this kingdom, I could not
avoid being itruck with a furprizing refemblance between,
the Englifh and Swediih languages,notonly in Angle words,but
in whole phrafes,fo that a quick Englifh ear may comprehend
many expreffions in common converfation. Among other
inftances o f this kind, I heard the poftilions cry out, “ Come,
“ let us g o ;”— “ let us fee — “ Hand f t i l l— “ hold your
“ tongue —i! go o n * .” I naturally inquired their meaning
o f my interpreter, and found that they had the fame
fignification as in our own language. They are for the molt
part pronounced more like the Scot ti ill t than the Englifh accent
; and indeed, in general, the Swedes appeared to me as
i f they were talking broad Scotch. Nor is this any matter of
wonder; for it is probable, that the Scottifh mode o f fpeak-
* Thefe-word s are thus w r itten Ui th e refemMance between the Scotch and Swediih,
Swediih ton gu e. ■ti Korn let ofs go” — L e t than, between th e Swediih and E n g liih , b o th
“ ofs f e ” — J it and J l i l lw— “ H o ld d in in words and general pronunciation. T h e
M lu n g c f’— Go an:” . fame gentleman alfo informed me, that there
- f A Swediih g entlemen o f my a cqu a in t- are fevera-I obfolete Swediih words which are
ance made-the fame rema rk .du rin g a tou r very.popvmop ip Scotland.,
in Scotland.; th a t thei# was a mu ch .neare.r
ing is the fame as was formerly ufed in England; and that, CHAP-
while we have gradually foftened our pronunciation, the w.vl-<
Scots have retained it. With refpedl to the fimilarity between
the Swediih and Englifh tongues *, we may remark,
that they are both diale&s o f the Teutonick or German;
and i f in pronunciation they refemble more to each other
than to their original flock, it is owing to this circumftance,
that we are certainly defcended from the Swedes and Danes ;
whofe languages are only different dialedts; and the old
Saxon, which gave rife to the Engliih, was probably firil introduced
into our ifland by fettlers, or invaders, from thefe
northern kingdoms.
* T h a t th e affinity b etw eep the Swediih forme r times appears from an anecd ote *
and E n g liih langu ages was more obvious ip mentioned in p# 399 o f this volume*