Norwegians, before it branched into the Leverai dialecfts fincé
' fpoken by the natives o f thofe three kingdoms ; and on acr
co'unt o f their infular fituation, it was preferved pure for
a very confiderable time. Their alphabet was. compofed o f
the Runic characters, only fixteen in number ; yet, it is to
thefe Icelanders that we are indebted for almoft all the hif-
torical monuments o f the northern nations now remaining.,#.
From them fprung the Scalds, thofe ancient bards who have
tranfmitted, in their hiftorical poems, the principal events
which happened in thefe remote quarters o f the world, from
the arrival of Odin to the introduction o f Chriftianity ; a
period of barbarifm and ignorance, which, without their labours,
had been totally unknown to pofterity. Although
thefe Scaldick odes blend occafionally hiftorical events
with improbable narratives, yet, as intelligent criticks may
feparate faóts from fable, and truth from fiótion, and as they
are the only fources of information relative to the early affairs
o f the North, they mull, be confidered as very valuable, monuments
o f antiquity. Add to this, that the recital o f thefe
compofitions, at publick entertainments, before the princes
whofe deeds they celebrated, and who, as well as many other
perfons prefent, were well acquainted with the fubjecftof the
poem, affords a collateral proof o f their authenticity t.
* Sp e ak in g o f th e Ice lan d ick w r it in g s , “ coram ipfis p f in ti pibus ,*aut eorum filiis-
th e ed itor o f Kriftn i Saga la y s ,' “ Habemus “ fun t d e can ta ta, vera repu tantes omnia,
•* enim ir rigu os illos fontes, unde religionis, “ qua; iftis' hi 'carminibus de eòrum geftis
“ ■ poefeos, imo incunabulorum gentis noftrce “ au t belli» memorise futit p rodita . M o re
“ notiti» man at,, decantatiffirhas nempe “ quidem Skaldis eft re c ep tum , p n e cipu e
“ Ed da s , & c . Habemus integro» et-pieno» “ laudare; cu i miniftrant. A f t nemo fa cile
codices niftoriarum, qua; circa heroica “ auderet,, coram ipfo p r in c ipe , laudes e t •
“ v e r fìn tu r tempora.” . -•<« fa ¿fa canta re, qua; tam ipie quam alii
f Snorro Sturie fon, who drew from thefe . “ pr^fentes lei rent . mera effe figmenta.
Sca ldick Odes many ma teria ls 'fo r his C h ro - “ H ò c dédècori non laudi eiTet.” ‘ See P re -
mcJe o f th e K in g s o f N o rw a y , thus fpeak s face to Sch'oening’ s E d ition o f Sriorro S tu r -
o f th em , ' len ii, p . 12 . note.
“ P re c ip u e carmina fumus fecu ti, qua;
A few
¡ L I T E R A T U R E .
A few o f thefe -odes were written in Runic characters V 1
the for greater part, however, were configned only tov
memory; but nofooner was-the chriftian religion introduced
into Iceland, about the-latter.end o f the -9th century t than
the R time-letters -were exchanged for the Roman alphabet-
fehwols-were founded; the love o f fcienee, which had in
‘fe n e -degree -maintained it-felf, even when the inhabitants
* were- in a ftate o f paganifm, revived with freih vigour-
'ma-ny.!antient poems were collected; many chronicles &-
gefted into a regular form ; and the very traditions o f pagan
theology Tefcned from oblivion. The Icelanders are known
to have pofleffed feveral hiftorians, long before a fingle anna-
hft appeared among any -of the nations from whom they
-were defended. Their authors Illief, Are, and Samrund,
who flcmriflied in the h rth century, preceded Saxo Grammaticus
and Sqeno, the'earlieft o f the Daniih, Swediih or
Norwegian- writers.
It wtou-ld he -an interefting fpeculation in the theory o f
mankind i-f it could be accounted for, “ how it came to pafs
“ that a people, disjoined from the reft of the world, few in
“ !Ulml>cr, depreffed by poverty, and fituated in fo unfavourn
ti ngshnd •* Chriilian W ’ ' K ’ '
! “ s S : ::
I - ::y *
t i n ' t h e K r iftn i S ag a , the ’iliiro d u c tion t ‘.'i i f I« Llnd; '« P :
o f C h iiffian ity into Iceland is thus related.. S a g a , p . Sce K r i l,n i'
«■ ableil