248 N A T U R A L H Ii&TO R "Y of N O RW A Y .
- in feièi's HgtæË'cni^^è •
■ >que teneo fidibuacariëfeet carmen corâp^nere.- rVide Ol. Wornfif,
'Èïtterat. Rimica, Gâp>x^a^,;.p.-1291
There were other eXercifes-formerly praâdfed în Norway, which
are thus deferibed in Sporr-o ,S_tunlefen’s Norvegian Ghrbnides,
p^. 166, ^fr feq. “ King Olaf Trÿggefed^wâs ftronger, more
alert, and nimbler than any man of his time5; - He could climb
the rock Smalferhorn^and fix his fhiald.on the top of- it^&c.- He
would walk without the boat on the oaràwhile the men wëre
rowing:1* He would play with three darts at'dike, -tolling them
up in the air, an%would dway^èepittwoit^pihhÉ'ohe^dowh ifi
his hand. He was ambi-dextqr:, +and .cquld -ufe- his weapon with
both handsji-and throw -two-darts
men -in Ihoq&ng with th e 1 bow^ and: in tr im m in g hé- had - no
equal.. In-arword, he Was cheerful, jocofe,iand affable; he wai
humble,VoWiging and good-natured, add. Warêxpëditfûus W -â l
his undertakings* &c. Sigmund'Breftefen,' ufed té p â ’âSil'thelè
exercifcs with the king, namely, fwimming, fhootingvi; clithbiiif*
the rocks, and all other manly exercifes" which 'heroes 'and warriors
prardifrd m thofe?rimesj and none could-è&mè'îb-'near the
king in all thefe, as Sigmund.”
" § ¥ c T ^ Yfi-j f 1
The capacity of the Norwegians for litSrafiR#, "is pot inferior
to their /kill in mechanics ' and bodily Pxfefcifes. Had they had
the famé opportunities, for improvement as- theft neighbours hâve
in Denmark, they would make tisffit â'mâzlîîg pfbgfêili We rrmy
judgeof.this by the children in Norway, who take their learning
extremely faft, and are capable, in a véry fhortjtirfié td get a book
by heart, and to comprehend the meaning of it ; ' elpecially fince
fchools are upon fuçh a good footing, God be praifed|has if.have
every where found them on my annual vifitatiOns, with equal joy
and lurpfife. This advantage the peafants here enjoy preferable to
their equals in moft other countries, namely, a lively and penetrating
genius, fit for great and noble enterprizes.- This I aferibe,
next to thé fine clear air1 they breathe,1 tjd the' dgfecable relifli and
pleafing fenfation the mind feels in a ftate of liberty } Which they
enjoy without interruption, free from .flavefy^/vaflâlage, and all
obligations to foreign fervices. -Every Norvegfen^peafant/ei^edally
3 the
Vi.«<l i lA T U R A L H JrS;T Q R Y of N O R WA t .
Ith#freeholder:ithat^nj ppy ■i goyerps his houfe ?and poffefriohaiwithl;
as. nrnclpn pbw^and-authority, .as a nobleman jis no-
. bpdy.,directs. - or -jqopitirouls him^d Tips- gives them a certain free-
|dom and generofr^®ff©f: mind j and ife^he* liberal arts, (! as I ; men-
itiQnediabofeg^hads here fuoh jegepuragfmepl^J-gas.in feme other
countries, -!do not doubt but that th^y wouldmake a very great
progrefs in a ftiort timejvandp|^^gf|!an, equal", number of any
other.nation,' our ;Norwegi&^fwould"undoubtedly be found of a
foperior genius,v tD-Adom the^republip of letters. ,-AkCproOf of
this I will appeal to the writings' df -fume. of our moft eminent
authors, whofib. works are pardyrprihted;and partly in manufcript,
•fech;: ar^Atdander,Afla% Berndfen, Ridcke Borck^. Brinck,
eBrunfinand, Camftrap, .Cold, Dafs, Ewertfen, Engelbrecht, Faft-
Jng,^Gunneras *, Hagerup, FEeitniand, Herileb, Holberg, Juel,
-Kraft* Krageluiidji Ramps-, Schbmng, Sperling,' Spidherg, Hnda-
iin^'6ee;', hot.r.tQ,-meii^onr as^eat'Anumber of yery learned ‘ice-
danders whom I da not .take, notice _q£ fiere,.' though they are of
« Noiwegiari- extradiori; It is -?true we hkve;.noyin -Norway, according
to the iGerm^n faying, fo tnuqh, Sbjaul-witz or learning,
as Mutter-witz or natural-genius. Of. our pqfleffing the latter
there icanaot: .remain the leaft doubt with friofe who have con-
yerfed! with- the Norwegians^ for: jtfreft.j brains are not frozen up,
as the ignorant may'imagine, but rather, like the air they breathe,
jelear and penetrating. We find by experience, thatathofe'who
.live fartheft- up the country, riear.TrQnheim, are the moft inge-
;mous "h:.;. I f one enters into conyeg-fation with, a Norwegian
peafaint about any fpiritual or temporal affairs, that may come
« This Norvegian,' feom m Onr&raftiai. & piefent tKe unlveriity
of Jena, is reckoned by niany learned, people to be one o f the greateft metaphy-
ficians. Wdi^^Pfophers ,iti tRis,learned,age, k ta ch appesired particularly .in die year
174S, WKeriJb%'pUDli{bed ^a- demofiftration of'the exiftente o f a God,- and the unity *
o f his Being; correcting, and amending the .fyftems o f thofe who wrote before him
ph'niisildpQrtahyCudld«, ^ i© . g f ^ inda^iSEymd'ffien^th pi fdafdhffig.. He fliews
them how .dSficiefib-jEfoeir arguments are tiff cbitfute' Atheifts and Sceptics.! See
C.. Evon Windheim. Gottings ■Philofopb...BihI|oth. vol. i, g. 299, and particularly
p."3H> where on£ 'of Kis adverfaries writes* o f himtKu?: “ I think'they have with
auftice ranked Gunnerusjamong tfofe.profound philofophers who have left the others
far behind,
-f- Meanly thfey feek the blefling. to cobibine,
And force th^t fun, but on a paft to Ihine,
. i&fcejjgfr tyifoj'ibbMtkew’i 1
• Bbt'r'ipOTff .fpiriS?1 in f - k
te>W-hi'c.h.' ifrm* the' firft has fhone on ages paft,
: Enlights the prefent, and ihall warm the laft. ..
P o p e ’ s E s s a y o n C r i t i c i s m .
Pârt II. S f f 1 within